Black Hand

Monday.

Although it was morning, the sun was already quite scorching. Colin was woken by the sunlight streaming through the window. He groggily opened his eyes, only to feel drowsy again from the heat. It took him a moment to fully wake up. He then nimbly took off his pajamas, put on clean clothes, and went downstairs in his slippers.

The air was filled with the mixed aroma of eggs and milk; Linda must have prepared breakfast.

"What's wrong, Sis?" Colin asked, surprised and concerned as he came downstairs to find Linda staring blankly in the living room.

"Smith wasn't here last night, and I'm not used to it," Linda said listlessly.

Colin scratched the back of his head. He hadn't really thought about it until Linda mentioned it, but now that he thought about it, it did feel a bit strange.

"Let's not talk about that. Go wash up first, then eat breakfast. You're going to be late for school," Linda said, forcing herself to perk up and urging him.

"Okay." Colin nodded and went to wash up. By the time he finished, Linda had already set breakfast on the dining table.

There were only two place settings for breakfast: fried eggs, small sausages, milk, and bread. Colin and Linda sat across from each other at the two ends of the rectangular dining table, with the head of the table empty.

Linda grew more dispirited. Usually, she would chat with Smith, and Colin was a quiet one.

Colin felt a pang of anxiety. Is it too cruel to separate us?

"Sis, I'm going to school." Colin quickly finished his breakfast, grabbed his schoolbag as if fleeing, tucked his Training Greatsword at his waist, and headed out.

"Good luck." Linda's encouragement sounded weak and listless.

Colin soon arrived at Will Knight Academy and entered the classroom for Class Five. Unlike usual, Colin felt a piercing gaze upon him.

He looked up curiously, and his eyebrows shot up. The owner of the gaze was none other than Brian.

"Hmph." Brian looked back at Colin fearlessly, tilting his head up. A slight cold smile played on his lips as he let out a soft snort.

Ever since he had dealt with Brian, the latter had become like a submissive. Whenever he saw Colin, he would take a detour. Why was he acting so high and mighty again today?

Confusion welled up in Colin's mind, but he didn't pay it much mind. He walked straight to his desk and sat down, shoving his schoolbag into the desk.

"Did something happen?" Colin asked, turning to Bill, who was holding a small mirror and admiring his beautiful face, with a meaningful tone.

"Brian got together with Lyon," Bill said, squeezing a pimple on his left cheek with all his might. He looked at his ruined beautiful face with heartache, his face scrunched up, and replied absentmindedly.

"Lyon?" Colin turned his head to look at the seat by the window on the left side of the classroom. There sat a boy with long golden hair, regular, slightly soft features that gave him a delicate appearance, a tall and sturdy build, and skin as fair as milk.

Bathed in the sunlight, this handsome boy looked like a prince from a fairy tale.

Sensing Colin's gaze, Lyon calmly returned his look.

"So, he's found a strong backer," Colin mused, pinching his chin, a look of realization on his face.

Lyon Brown was a prominent figure in Class Five. In this Will Knight Academy, only nobles were the trendsetters. Individuals like Brian were, at best, mere clowns.

The noble scions in the academy were naturally divided into different ranks. Those with strong abilities, outstanding talent, or exceptionally superior family backgrounds were the true trendsetters. As for noble scions like Colin, whose families were in dire straits and whose abilities were "mediocre," they were even looked down upon by characters like Brian.

And this Lyon Brown was not only the most handsome and elegant young man in the class, but his strength also firmly held the first position. Whether it was swordsmanship, riding, physical fitness, cultivation, or knowledge, he was far beyond what the past Colin could have ever reached.

Moreover, it wasn't just him. The Brown family was a hereditary knightly family with a long history in Marquis Kent's territory, possessing their own knightly fief.

Throughout the entire empire, noble titles were divided into those with fiefs and those without. The knightly class, however, was a special existence.

The knights of the empire were the foundation upon which the empire was built.

Currently, the empire was constantly producing noble titles without fiefs. For example, the king's brothers, sons, and daughters, and the dukes' sons and daughters would all be granted noble titles. The right to grant a noble title was held solely by the Emperor of the Empire.

The Emperor of the Empire, relying on this right, had transformed the numerous territorial noble families, who were equivalent to local lords, into an empire centered around the Emperor, much like a loose confederation of states.

However, those territorial nobles retained a right: they could carve out a portion of their territory, often several villages or a town, and grant a hereditary knight. This granted hereditary knight would then become a vassal of the territorial noble.

In Marquis Kent's territory, there were many hereditary knightly families. These families became the wings of Marquis Kent, loyal only to the Marquis. Within the entire Marquis Kent's territory, families like the Brown family possessed more power than a baron, viscount, or even count who lacked actual authority.

They were loyal to the Marquis, and the Marquis protected them. They were, in essence, the vassals of the Emperor's vassals, not the vassals of the Emperor himself.

Whether it was family background, appearance, or strength, Lyon Brown was undeniably a trendsetter, firmly holding the top position in Class Five.

"No matter how strong the backer, yours isn't as thick as mine," Bill said, giving Colin a side-eye. He had been successfully fooled by Colin, believing that Colin had a wise and great old magician behind him. Therefore, he wasn't worried about Colin at all.

"That's true." Colin shrugged, understanding Bill's meaning. Although the old magician was a fraud, he had something behind him that was even more reliable than the old magician: the System.

This was a minor interlude, and Colin didn't dwell on it. Nothing particularly special happened at the academy that day; the morning was spent on cultural classes, and the afternoon on training.

After school, Colin packed his schoolbag and picked up his Training Greatsword. Just as he was about to leave the classroom with Bill, Brian called out to him.

"Classmate Colin."

"Is there something you need, Classmate Brian?" Colin asked, turning his head. He glanced around; most of the students in the classroom had already left. Even those who hadn't quickly departed, sensing the tense atmosphere.

Brian's new backer, Lyon Brown, had also left early.

Soon, only Brian, Bill, and he remained in the classroom.

"Nothing much. I just wanted to congratulate you. On the matter of your brother, Mr. Smith Russell, being fired from the Ministry of Finance," Brian said, a smile spreading across his face, laced with unbridled schadenfreude.

"I heard that the Russell family's finances have always been supported by your brother and sister, including your tuition. With Mr. Smith unemployed, you'll likely have to drop out next year. Mr. Colin." Brian slowly slung his schoolbag over his shoulder, picked up his Training Greatsword with his right hand, and deliberately walked past Colin with very slow steps. Then, with a swagger that suggested utter disregard for anyone, he lightly walked out of the classroom door.