'Good! Caelan, since you've made up your mind, I shall allow you to go!'
Lyle's gaze revealed a sense of openness that he had never seen before.
'Oh!'
Caelan couldn't help but stare with wide eyes, his face full of disbelief, as he stared at his father.
His father, who was usually so strict and stern, was being so easygoing today. This was completely unexpected. His second brother had once harbored the same thoughts and told his father with great anticipation, but had been beaten up in return.
'Surprised?'
Lyle narrowed his eyes slightly, the corners of his mouth curling up into a meaningful smile.
'Yes!'
Caelan scratched his head and nodded honestly. He had always been such a straightforward person and could not hide things in his heart.
'Caelan, do you know why our family has always been so poor?'
Lyle frowned slightly, and an imperceptible trace of bitterness flashed in his eyes.
'Don't all the riches go to the Baron?'Caelan shrugged, his words revealing a sense of dissatisfaction.
'Hmph!' His father flung his sleeve and a flash of resentment flashed in his eyes. 'That was a move of no choice. I had to give it to the Baron of Windmere Castle.'
His voice was low, but it carried a suppressed emotion, and there was a hint of resentment in his tone towards the Baron.
'I have already sent two of my sons, that is enough. Windmere Castle can say nothing more.' Lyle's face was gloomy, and the light in his eyes had become cold and fierce. He gritted his teeth and continued, 'There are some things you don't need to know right now. You can go to the royal capital as you wish. Whether it's wizards or warriors...'
My father's words were like a puzzle that left people confused, and they carried an inexplicable sense of gravity. There must be some other hidden circumstances behind them.
'Boss, what can't you tell Caelan?'
A rough voice came from behind, followed by a large black man who strode in. He was tall and dark, with bulging muscles and bare arms covered in scars.
'Uncle Hilman!'
Caelan shouted excitedly, his eyes sparkling with surprise. Of course, he knew the big black man; he was one of the five intermediate warriors of the Domain of Alton! Three years ago, Uncle Hilman still visited him and his father at home from time to time, and his father got along very well with him. Although Caelan was still very young at the time, he was a time traveler with an excellent memory.
'Little thing, you have a good memory, haha...'Hilman's loud laughter echoed in the room, and his large hands, like a fan, rubbed Caelan's head full of love.
'Uncle Hilman, didn't I hear that you died?'Caelan frowned, his face full of confusion. Caelan clearly remembered that two of the five intermediate warriors in the Domain of Alton had died, one died ten years ago, and three years ago, Hilman was also said to have died.
'Dead? Hmph! That damned Baron...'Hilman's forehead veins bulged, and his eyes burned with anger.
'Hilman!' Lyle roared, his voice like a thunderbolt that shook the beams of the room as if they were about to give way.
'Okay, boss, I'll stop talking,' Hilman shrunk his neck, pursed his lips, and took an involuntary small step backward.
'Dick!' Lyle looked at Hilman and his expression became serious. He said with resignation, 'Remember, in this world, strength is everything. Without enough strength...like me, I'll be stuck in this countryside all my life, looking at other people's faces and being a loser my whole life.'
'Father, you and Uncle Hilman are already 4-level warriors,'
Caelan blinked, confused. Was the strength of a 4-level warrior not enough? He was not stupid, and it was obvious from the performance of his father and Hilman that they had very powerful enemies, and it seemed that the Baron was involved in all of this.
'4-level warrior? Haha!'
Lyle's mouth curled up in a bitter smile, full of self-deprecation.
'Caelan, I'm afraid that three 4-level warriors cannot kill a 4-level wizard,' Hilman said with a grave face.
'Such a big difference?'
Caelan's mouth hung open, his face full of unmistakable surprise.
Although Caelan knew in his heart that wizards held a much higher status in this world than warriors, he never imagined that the gap in strength between the two would be so ridiculously large.
'Not absolutely!'Lyle shook his head slowly, 'In the royal capital, there was also a precedent of exceptionally talented 4-level warriors killing 5-level wizards beyond their level.'He paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and said, 'However, ordinary warriors like us have no hope. Okay, Caelan, go to the royal capital. There, you will learn more.'
Lyle looked at Caelan's confused expression and couldn't help but let out a soft sigh. His lips trembled slightly as if he was struggling to say something more, but he finally spoke: 'Ten years ago, your uncles Hilman and Ben, both 4-level warriors, and I besieged a 4-level wizard. Your uncle Ben died in battle, and I lost an arm.'
'My mother also died ten years ago, didn't she?'
Caelan's body stiffened. He looked up, his gaze fixed on his father, wanting to know the truth.
'Alas...' Lyle looked at his clever son with pain and love in his eyes. His eyes softened as his thoughts drifted back to the past. His wife's intelligent face was before his eyes, so similar to Caelan's.
'If your mother hadn't fought to the death to cover us, we would have all died in that battle!'
Hilman's eyes welled with tears.
'I guess the Baron must have escaped with whatever treasure he had first, leaving you guys to die in the end,'
Caelan sneered, voicing his suspicions.
For no reason at all, a Baron would take the few 4-level warriors and 4-level wizards he had and go to war. It was absolutely impossible for that to happen without a huge benefit.
'You're half right. Your mother died fighting at the rear, and I carried your seriously injured father for a short distance before we fled. Then the Baron and the other knights suddenly appeared. After the battle, the 4-level wizard, whose mana had been depleted, was killed by the Baron, a 2-level wizard, and two 4-level warriors. Naturally, the Baron kept all the treasure for himself!'
Hilman told the truth, and Lyle did not stop him. He just stood there quietly, his eyes full of pain.
'Why is that so? Wouldn't it have been more certain if six 4-level warriors had besieged that 4-level wizard together?'Caelan asked loudly, his eyes fixed on his father and Hilman, full of confusion. He really couldn't figure it out. No matter how powerful a wizard of the same level was, could he possibly fight against six warriors of the same level alone?
There was silence. Lyle and Hilman seemed to have had their souls sucked out, and they fell into deep silence together. They lowered their heads, avoiding Caelan's gaze. No one answered Caelan's question, only the sound of heavy breathing.
The next day, the sun had just risen. Caelan set off with his pack on his back. Lyle stood in the doorway and just watched silently. Hilman led Caelan away, patting him on the shoulder. The two figures grew farther and farther away in the morning light, leaving behind Lyle's lonely, old figure, who stood still in place for a long time.
Yorktown is located in the most remote northern part of The Nostferatu Empire and is rarely visited.
Without a horse to ride, Caelan just followed Hilman on the rugged road for two months.
Fortunately, since he was young, Lyle had fed Caelan well and never let him skip basic exercises, so even though his legs felt as heavy as lead, Caelan gritted his teeth and kept going.
Along the way, Caelan had witnessed Uncle Hilman's battles many times.
On a few occasions, those who had tried to rob them had foolishly rushed out, but Uncle Hilman had easily killed them.
In this world, killing in the wild was as common as eating; the weak were prey to the strong, and that was the only law here.
At that moment, Caelan and Hilman were walking along a winding mountain path, but they heard shouting in the distance.
A group of 'bandits'were besieging a caravan, and the battle was fierce. Swords and knives were interlaced, blood splattered in the sunlight, screams and roars intertwined.
Wizard!
A wizard in the caravan took action. With a flick of her wand, several green wind blades whistled out, with a fierce momentum, cutting through the air like green lightning. From a distance of more than ten meters, the wind blades seemed to have a life of their own, curving through the air at an incredible angle and speed, and precisely eliminating the bandit leader, a 4-level warrior. The bandit leader's eyes widened, and before the horror on his face could fade, a deep wound appeared on his neck, and blood gushed out like a fountain, instantly killing him.
The situation instantly turned around after the strongest bandit leader, a 4-level warrior, was killed, and the battle came to an end.
It was truly amazing that the wizard's wind blade could so easily cut the neck of a 4-level warrior. Moreover, the wind blade was extremely fast, and its trajectory in the air was almost impossible to track with the naked eye. It was like the scythe of death, and it was terrifying. It was almost impossible to dodge it!
This was the first time Caelan had witnessed a wizard in battle, and excitement and envy shone in his eyes.
Thanks to the wizard's decisive strike against the bandit leader, the casualties in the caravan were not too heavy. After some friendly negotiations, Lyle and Caelan were fortunate enough to travel with the caravan.
'You were the wizard just now?'
Caelan was full of surprise, his mouth wide open, as he stared at the little girl in front of him, still showing off her skills. The little girl looked about ten years old, with a rosy face and big, intelligent eyes.
'What do you think? Amazing, right? I'm already a 1-level wizard,'
The little girl said proudly, her chin up, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction.
Caelan was about the same age as the little girl in the caravan, and in less than half a day, he had become friends with her.
'1-level? You're only a 1-level wizard and you killed a 4-level warrior!'
Caelan scratched his head, as he found it increasingly difficult to understand the combat effectiveness of the wizard and the warrior. In his original understanding, although there was a gap between the two, it was not as significant as this.
'With the protection of the warrior, a 1-level wizard has enough time to cast his magic and does have a chance to kill a 4-level warrior,' Hilman slowly walked over, 'besides, the 4-level warrior opposite was also facing the threat of another 4-level warrior in the caravan.'
Caelan listened and thought about it for a while, and found it reasonable. He recalled the battle just now. The 4-level warrior of the caravan was indeed locked in a fierce battle with the bandit leader.
It was estimated that the bandits had not expected that there was actually a young wizard hiding in the caravan.