Family

Amid the muffled sounds of sharp steel sinking into flesh, Sean pierced through the bandits blocking the mountain path in just a few seconds. During that time, dozens of bandits screamed and fell into pools of blood. Sean himself had only taken a blow to the leg, scraping a little skin. He was somewhat dissatisfied with the knight sword in his hand, not because it was not sharp or sturdy enough, but simply because it was too short for mounted combat.

Sean did not dwell on it. He wheeled his horse around, raised his sword high, and charged again. Amid another burst of muffled impacts mixed with screams, Sean once more effortlessly cut through the bandits. Working with Sean, the guard cavalry, led by Captain Jack, also scattered the bandits besieging them. Sean's strength and the cavalry's tenacity utterly broke the bandits, and they threw down their weapons before fleeing into the forest.

Captain Jack did not choose to pursue them. He immediately ordered several uninjured cavalrymen to clean up the battlefield and guard the dozen or so wounded bandits they had captured. Sean, however, was having some trouble. After all, this was the first time he had truly killed someone, whether in his previous life or this one. The guilt after taking lives, mixed with his own moral condemnation, inevitably made Sean feel nauseated.

Captain Jack watched Sean with a complicated look in his eyes. When he had seen Sean charge the bandit mob on horseback, he had immediately wanted to stop him in concern. But before he could say anything, Sean's strength had turned his expression to shock. Only after the battle ended and he saw Sean's nauseated reaction did he feel somewhat relieved. Sean's guilt after killing for the first time was normal. The only thing that surprised him was Sean's formidable strength.

"Young Master Sean, are you all right?" Captain Jack came to Sean's side and asked with unusual respect. After speaking, he looked Sean over to see whether he had been injured in the chaos, then continued, "Perhaps you should rest in the carriage for a while..."

"Captain Jack, I'm fine. How are the soldiers' injuries?" Sean asked, clearly having no intention of resting.

"Young Master, four suffered minor injuries, and one is in a bit of trouble..." Captain Jack reported with a slight frown.

"Bandage the wounded soldiers immediately. Put the seriously wounded in the carriage, and have the lightly wounded hold on. Captain Jack, go calm them down." Sean gave the order at once. Then he looked at the dozen or so captured bandits, frowning as he considered something.

After relaying Sean's orders, Captain Jack returned to his side. Seeing Sean frown at the captives, he tested the waters. "Young Master, how do you intend to deal with these prisoners?" His expression was serious as he looked at Sean.

After considering it, Sean immediately gave his orders. "Treat the lightly wounded prisoners and order them to clean up the battlefield. Scatter the corpses in the forest. I don't want to cause an epidemic." Then he turned to Captain Jack with a cold smile. "Give the seriously wounded bandits a quick death. Then take the uninjured soldiers and supervise the rest. If they try to escape, kill them. Understand...?"

Captain Jack's heart chilled at Sean's cold smile. He immediately answered loudly and turned to carry out the orders.

"Don't forget to finish off the bodies. Have them load the spoils onto the carriage. Then... take them with us. Father's territory is short of people anyway. Tell them that if they obey orders, they can live..." Sean called Captain Jack back and added. Afterward, he signaled for Captain Jack to proceed. Soon, after several screams, dozens of prisoners began moving.

More than half an hour later, the prisoners had cleaned up the scene according to Sean's orders. The convoy then set off again, with the prisoners' hands bound as they jogged behind the carriages under the soldiers' watch.

It was not until after two in the afternoon that the convoy left the hilly region of Golden Wolf Ridge. Including Sean, everyone could only eat a little dry ration on horseback for lunch, while the prisoners were given nothing but water.

As dusk approached that day, Sean's group finally hurried into Blue Fortress Town, where the family castle stood.

After the battle that morning, Sean's party encountered no further trouble. He rewarded all the money collected from the battlefield to the injured soldiers, while planning to transport the dozens of captured weapons to the family warehouse. Ironware was still very useful in the family territory, whether reforged into weapons or made into farming tools. It could all be used as raw material.

Only after casually questioning the prisoners on the road did Sean learn that this Bandit Gang had nearly two hundred members. Most of them were farmers who had fled only recently, hiding in a small valley within Golden Wolf Ridge. There were also dozens of women, children, and elderly people in the valley.

Blue Fortress Town was a small town developed by the family over more than two hundred years, located at the center of the Viscount Territory. To its west lay Sapphire Lake, named because it resembled a sapphire set in the plain and serving as the drinking-water source for all people and livestock in the town. To the south stood a small hill where the family castle was located. The hill was less than a hundred meters high, but its terrain was highly defensible and difficult to attack, which was why the family had chosen it as the castle site. To the east and north stretched vast plains, where the family's cultivated fields and farms were mainly distributed.

The town had a population of more than seven thousand, not including the lord's troops and their families, or the servants directly employed by the Viscount. Another seven or eight villages were scattered across the plains east and north of Blue Fortress Town, but the entire Viscount Territory had only a limited population.

The entirety of Blue Fortress Town was surrounded by an earthen wall less than three meters high, built to guard against the many bandits of the Southern Wilderness Region. Within the town, aside from a few two-story buildings such as the administration hall and Barracks, most buildings were single-story wooden farmhouses.

When Sean returned to the castle, he was greeted by the family's steward, Al. Old Steward Al managed all the internal affairs of the Winchester family. In his youth, he had been friends with Sean's father, Viscount Winchester. Later, at Sean's father's invitation, he had come to the Winchester family as its steward. He had served for more than twenty years and was an elder who had watched Sean grow up.

"Uncle Al, it's been a long time." Sean smiled as he jumped down from his warhorse and removed the thick cloak draped over him.

"Second Young Master, welcome home. The Viscount and Viscountess have been waiting for quite some time." Butler Al greeted him with the same kindly smile. At the same time, he directed the servants to carry Sean's luggage and other belongings. When he saw the captured weapons, he could not help frowning.

"Uncle Al, send my luggage to my room. These are weapons seized from bandits today." Seeing Butler Al's expression, Sean immediately explained. Then, pointing at the prisoners guarded by the cavalry, he said, "These dozen men are captured bandits. Please handle them properly, Uncle Al... Also, there are letters and gifts from my uncle's family in the carriage. Please have them brought into the castle."

After hearing Sean's words, Butler Al first looked him over from head to toe. Once he confirmed that Sean was uninjured, he let out a long breath. Then he swept a very stern gaze over the guards and prisoners following Sean, making the cavalrymen and prisoners suddenly feel as though they were facing the bitter cold of winter. They could not help feeling uneasy.

After glaring at them, Butler Al returned to his kindly smile. He smiled at Sean and said, "Second Young Master, you must have been frightened. Hurry inside and get some rest." He then said to the servants, "Prepare hot water for the Second Young Master." Afterward, he directed them to deal with the captured weapons and bandit prisoners. Sean also thanked Captain Jack and the soldiers who had guarded him.

Before long, everything was settled, and Sean followed Butler Al through the castle gates. Behind him came servants carrying the gifts.

As Sean stepped into the familiar yet unfamiliar castle before him, he could not help feeling uneasy. In his memories, his father, Viscount Winchester, was a middle-aged man nearing forty. He possessed the rigid temperament typical of an Imperial Noble and, as Sean's father, seemed somewhat harsh. The original Sean had been rather afraid of his father, making the bond between father and son quite stiff.

Sean's mother, Viscountess Margaret Winchester, was two years younger than his father, Viscount Winchester. She had a gentle, kind nature and a dignified, beautiful appearance. She had always cared deeply for the former Sean, and her greatest wish was for the entire family to love one another.

Sean's older brother, Jamie Winchester, was seventeen this year. For well-known reasons, his relationship with Sean was not close. Even Sean could understand that. Otherwise, Jamie Winchester would have been rejected by nobles of the same standing. Any noble who did not mind his brother dividing up his property was either a fool or had something wrong with his head. This had been the behavioral pattern followed by Imperial Nobles for centuries.

Sean's younger sister, Julie Winchester, was ten this year. When she was very young, she had gotten along rather well with Sean. But as she grew older, especially after learning something of Sean's status, she gradually became distant from him.

A noble young lady's life was mainly determined by three people: her father, her brother, and her future husband. Her father gave her noble status and would generally help choose a husband of suitable standing for her. But her father could not care for her all her life. After he died, the only people she could rely on would be her husband and brother. If she and her husband did not get along after marriage—as was the case in most noble marriages—but she had a good relationship with her brother, she could naturally receive support from her birth family and thereby gain her husband's respect in practice. Of course, this brother had to be the family's heir. Even in this world of extraordinary powers, the average lifespan was only a little over fifty years.

At that moment, the Winchester family was gathered on the sofas in the castle's sitting room, chatting casually. It was nearly dinner time. Sean naturally stepped forward, bowed, and greeted them softly. "Father, Mother, I'm back."

Sean's father, Viscount Winchester, sat on the sofa with a stern expression and said flatly, "Mm, you're back." Sean's mother, Viscountess Margaret, shot her husband a glare, clearly dissatisfied with his tone. She then hugged Sean and smiled. "My dear little Sean is back. Was the journey smooth? Are you tired?"

The string of questions made Sean rather embarrassed. He hugged his mother as well, feeling no resistance at all, whether from his body or his heart. He could not help settling down. After gently pulling free from his mother's embrace, he gave her a tender smile. Only then did he turn to his brother Jamie and sister Julie, greeting them with a smile. "Hello, dear brother. And hello to you too, dear little Julie."

After greeting his brother Jamie and sister Julie, Sean smiled again at his mother, Lady Margaret. "Dear Mother, I'm well, and the journey went smoothly too. Please don't worry..."