Black Hand

Monday.

Though it was morning, the sunlight was already scorching. Colin woke from the heat of the sun streaming through the window. He groggily opened his eyes, only to grow drowsy again from the warmth. It took him a while to fully wake up. Then he swiftly took off his pajamas, changed into clean clothes, slipped on his slippers, and went downstairs.

The air carried the mingled aroma of eggs and milk. Linda must have prepared breakfast.

"What's wrong, sis?" Colin went downstairs and found Linda sitting in the living room, staring into space. He was surprised at first, then quickly asked with concern.

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

Colin scratched the back of his head. He had not noticed it before Linda mentioned it, but once he thought about it carefully, it really did feel strange.

"Let's not talk about that. Go wash up first, then have breakfast. You'll be late for school," Linda said, forcing herself to perk up as she urged him on.

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

There were only two servings for breakfast: fried eggs, little sausages, milk, and bread. Colin and Linda sat facing each other on opposite sides of the rectangular dining table, while the seat at the head remained empty.

Linda grew even more listless. Usually, she would chat with Smith, while Colin was a man of few words.

Colin felt a little uneasy. Was separating us really too cruel?

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

"Good luck." Even Linda's encouragement sounded weak.

Colin soon arrived at Will Knight Academy and entered Class Five's classroom. Unlike usual, he felt a burning gaze upon him.

He raised his head in puzzlement, then lifted his brow. The owner of that gaze was actually Brian.

"Hmph." Brian raised his chin and fearlessly met Colin's eyes. His lips curled into a faint sneer as he gave a soft snort.

Ever since Colin had taught him a lesson, Brian had acted like a submissive little victim. Whenever he saw Colin, he would take a detour. Why was he acting smug again today?

Though doubts rose in Colin's heart, he did not take it seriously. He went straight to his desk, sat down, and stuffed his schoolbag inside.

"Looks like something happened?" Colin turned toward Bill, who was holding a small mirror and admiring his handsome face, and asked meaningfully.

"Brian got himself involved with Lyon." Bill forcefully squeezed a pimple on his left cheek. He looked mournfully at his damaged handsome face, his features scrunched together, and answered absentmindedly.

"Lyon?" Colin turned to look toward the window seats on the left side of the classroom. There sat a boy with long golden hair, well-proportioned yet slightly gentle features, a hint of delicate elegance, a tall and sturdy figure, and skin as fair as milk.

Beneath the falling sunlight, the handsome boy looked like a prince who had stepped out of a fairy tale.

Sensing Colin's gaze, Lyon calmly returned it.

"So he found himself a powerful backer." Colin rubbed his chin, a look of realization appearing on his face.

Lyon Brown, one of the most prominent figures in Class Five. At Will Knight Academy, only nobles could truly ride the tides. People like Brian were, at most, clowns jumping about on a stage.

Naturally, noble students at the academy were divided into different ranks as well. Only those with great personal strength, outstanding talent, or exceptionally privileged family backgrounds were the true trendsetters. Noble students like Colin, whose families were struggling and whose strength was "ordinary," were even looked down upon by people like Brian.

Lyon Brown was not only the most handsome and elegant young man in the class, but also firmly ranked first in strength. Whether it was swordsmanship, horsemanship, physical fitness, refinement, or knowledge, he was someone the former Colin could only look up to.

And it was not just Lyon himself. The Brown family was a longstanding Hereditary Knight family within Marquis Kent's Territory, possessing a knightly fief of its own.

Throughout the Empire, titled nobles were divided into landed nobles with fiefs and nobles without fiefs, while the knightly class was a special existence.

The Empire's knights were the foundation upon which the Empire was built.

At present, untitled nobles without fiefs continued to be created. For example, a king's brothers, sons, and daughters, or a duke's sons and daughters, could all be granted noble titles. Yet the authority to grant a titled nobility rested solely in the hands of the Emperor of the Empire.

Through this authority, the Emperor transformed the many landed titled nobles, who were comparable to local lords and existed like a loose alliance of states, into an Empire centered around the Emperor.

However, those landed nobles retained one right: they could carve out a portion of their territories, often several villages or a town, and grant it to a Hereditary Knight. The Hereditary Knight thus granted was the landed noble's vassal.

There were many Hereditary Knight families within Marquis Kent's Territory. These families became Marquis Kent's wings and were loyal only to the Marquis. Throughout Marquis Kent's Territory, families like the Brown family held even more power than barons, viscounts, or even counts without actual authority.

They were loyal to the Marquis, and the Marquis protected them. As the saying went, the vassal of the Emperor's vassal was not the Emperor's vassal.

Whether in family background, appearance, or strength, Lyon Brown was an undisputed trendsetter. He sat firmly atop Class Five.

"No backer is more powerful than yours." Bill rolled his eyes at Colin. Colin had successfully fooled him into believing that a wise and great old mage stood behind Colin, so he was not worried about him at all.

"That's true." Colin shrugged. He understood what Bill meant. The old mage was a lie, but behind Colin stood something even more reliable than an old mage: the system.

It was just a minor incident, and Colin did not take it to heart. Nothing special happened at the academy that day either. There were academic classes in the morning and training classes in the afternoon.

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

"Colin."

"What is it, Brian?" Colin turned around and asked. He glanced about. By then, most of the students had left the classroom, and even those who remained quickly departed after sensing that something was wrong.

Brian's new patron, Lyon Brown, had left long ago as well.

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

"Nothing much. I merely wanted to congratulate you on your brother Smith Russell being fired by the Ministry of Finance." Brian smiled, his expression brimming with unrestrained delight.

"I heard the Russell family's finances have always been supported by your brother and sister, including your tuition. Now that Mr. Smith has lost his job, you'll probably have to drop out next year, Mr. Colin." Brian slowly slung his schoolbag over his back, picked up his Training Greatsword with his right hand, and deliberately walked past Colin at an exceedingly slow pace. Then, with the swagger of someone who recognized no kin, he cheerfully strode out of the classroom.