Return

Sean's hunting team returned to camp quickly, completing the journey in just half an hour. They had represented the lord in the New Year Hunt and brought back a large haul of game.

This naturally pleased Sean's father, Viscount Winchester. The high-ranking vassals gathered around the lord seized the moment to praise Jamie, Sean, and the others. Some flattery was so cloying that Sean couldn't help but frown, but the Lord Viscount was delighted and immediately ordered his attendants to prepare fresh game from their catch for the camp's lunch. This sparked another round of sycophantic praise and excited cheers.

Other hunting teams also returned to camp to prepare for lunch. The morning's hunt had gone smoothly, with no accidents. Each team brought back varying amounts of game, though overall their hauls were smaller than Sean's group.

After a simple lunch, Sean's team pressed deeper into the forest to continue hunting. To maximize their haul, their numbers swelled to around fifty. This time, Sean didn't linger at the forest's edge but led the team straight into the depths. Predictably, after the morning's activity, game near the forest's periphery had thinned out significantly.

Once deep in the forest, the hunting team successfully bagged some Short-horned Deer and Forest Sheep. But the carcasses also attracted a massive Southern Wilderness Brown Bear. This fully grown bear stood nearly four meters tall on its hind legs and weighed close to a ton. Its immense strength could easily snap a tree as thick as a barrel.

The bear let out a thunderous roar and charged at Sean's team on all fours. As it barreled forward, shrubs and small trees were crushed in its path. A faint, dull tremor ran through the ground, and a nauseating stench enveloped the entire hunting party.

The bear had been spotted the moment it appeared. Guards immediately shielded Jamie as he slowly retreated. Sean, meanwhile, gripped a powerful bow, an arrow nocked and ready. The bowstring creaked as he drew it taut, pulling it into a perfect crescent. As the bear charged, Sean released the string. The arrow shot like lightning toward the beast's vital point, which it instinctively blocked with a paw. A pained roar followed.

The arrow pierced through the bear's paw. Sean's eyes remained calm and steady as he smoothly nocked and loosed a second arrow. It flew like a phantom, streaking toward the bear's left eye. Another short, agonized roar rang out as the arrow sank deep into the eye, piercing straight into the bear's brain. A heavy thud echoed as the massive creature crashed to the ground.

The Guard Cavalrymen stared for a moment, stunned that the bear had fallen so quickly, then erupted in triumphant cheers. A beast like an adult Southern Wilderness Brown Bear could only be killed by a powerful knight. Such hunts usually came at the cost of lives. Yet this time, no one had been hurt. The cavalrymen looked at Sean's youthful, composed face with growing respect.

"My God... my brother, you... you killed such a colossal beast with just two arrows..." Jamie returned to Sean's side, his voice trembling with disbelief. He paused, gesturing at the bear's massive corpse. "This beast is so huge, so... my God..."

"My dear brother. It's our shared trophy..." Sean said calmly, a faint smile on his face.

"Ah... of course, my dear brother. This is indeed the best trophy of the day..." Jamie blinked, then grinned happily. He instantly understood Sean's intent. Hauling such a massive beast back to camp would cause a sensation. With a little spin, the story could spread across the family's entire domain, deepening the vassals' awe of the Lord's Manor and intimidating the bandits lurking at the territory's edges.

To transport the bear's carcass, the guards felled a few small trees to build a simple stretcher, which two warhorses dragged. Since it was still early, Sean and Jamie decided to take a longer route back to camp.

After two hours of stop-and-go travel, the team finally returned to their starting camp. Along the way, they had added more game: nearly thirty Short-horned Deer and Forest Sheep, plus a half-ton Tusked Wild Boar and a Striped Leopard—a true jungle killer—tied to either side of the stretcher carrying the bear.

The Striped Leopard had a stunning pelt. Sean decided on the spot to give it to his mother as a gift. The camp erupted in gasps and cheers.

Time flew by, and soon it was January 27th, a Wednesday. A fine drizzle fell from the early morning sky.

More than half a month had passed since the New Year Hunt. Since that day, tales had spread across the domain about how the lord had bravely fought and slain the beast. Why the lord? Naturally, the many witnesses all told the same story. Would anyone be foolish enough to come forward and claim the lord had only been sipping tea in camp?

During this time, Sean focused solely on his knight training, honing his combat skills. The rest of his time was spent pushing Thor through various exercises in the Castle Guard's training grounds, also guiding him in riding practice.

Sean's mother grumbled about his obsessive, almost neglectful dedication to training, but she understood his reasoning. Torn between worry and support, she could only remind him to rest. It made Sean feel the warmth of family.

This family trip had brought Sean a squire in Thor and full support from his family. He had gained much, but what pleased him most was the improved relationship with his father and brother.

Sean planned to leave for Linshui City tomorrow. He needed to report to Lieutenant Colonel Merkel before February arrived. So, after completing his knight training this afternoon, his attributes became: Strength: 2.431, Physique: 2.439, Agility: 2.640.

Ever since Sean's Agility broke past 2.5, his perception had begun feeding him rough information about objects he touched. For instance, when he held a Knight sword, his perception gave him a sense of hardness. He experimented with various weapons and found that the stronger the hardness, the better the material. Later, he accidentally touched a poisonous vine, and his perception warned him with a faint sense of danger. Sean found it both amusing and exasperating—he seemed to have become a human poison detector.

At dinner that evening, Sean bid his family farewell. He explained his reasons to his mother again, and with his father's help, finally convinced her to accept his early departure. The meal felt somewhat subdued.

After dinner, Sean was summoned to his father Viscount Winchester's study. Once inside, the viscount gestured for Sean to sit. His voice was low as he spoke. "My child, I am very glad to see you grown and mature, to see your achievements and talents. This is good... Now you are about to pursue your dreams. The family cannot offer you strong support within the military. Everything... you must be careful on your own..."

"Father, I will act cautiously. Please rest assured," Sean replied respectfully, his tone equally low.

"Good. I am at ease with you. If you face any difficulties, write back..." Viscount Winchester said with a smile. His expression then turned serious. "I have written to your uncle, asking him to look after you. You may consult him on any questions, but remember... the final decision must be yours alone. Do you understand?"

"I understand... I will consider others' opinions, but I will not let them decide my life," Sean answered, his face solemn and voice low.

"Good. The family has prepared 500 gold coins for you. Take them with you tomorrow... Your mother and I are still in good health. Don't worry. We look forward to you returning to see us once you have achieved something..." Viscount Winchester looked at Sean, a strange note in his voice. Sean said nothing, only nodding firmly.

They chatted about lighter topics afterward, and then Sean took his leave.

The next morning, January 28th, a Thursday. The sky was grim and overcast, threatening rain at any moment.

Sean and Thor's luggage had already been loaded onto a carriage. Viscount Winchester had dispatched thirty Guard Cavalrymen to escort Sean back to Linshui City. After breakfast, Sean said goodbye to each family member. Under his mother's tearful, reluctant gaze, he mounted his horse and set off with Thor, the cavalry escort, and the luggage carriage for Linshui City.

A few hours later, the mounted party reached Golden Wolf Ridge. Since Sean had captured over a dozen bandits here last time, his father had used their intelligence to launch a surprise raid on the bandits' lair, wiping them out. The survivors were enslaved on the family's domain. Within the empire, lords had the right to reduce criminals like bandits to slaves. Bandits and slaves alike had no rights.

"Young Master, is this where the bandits attacked you last time?" Thor had heard Sean mention the Golden Wolf Ridge bandits. Now that they were passing through, he looked around warily and asked.

"Yes, but there are no bandits here for now," Sean replied, amused by Thor's tense expression, though a hint of regret crept into his voice.

"Oh... why not... Young Master, I was just thinking about guarding against a bandit attack..." Thor muttered reluctantly, then seemed to let out a sigh of relief.

Sean smiled and said nothing. He knew that after his knight training, Thor's rapid growth in strength had inflated his ego. Such arrogance was common in the early stages of training, fading naturally once progress slowed. It was a typical part of gaining power.

Sean's party crossed the Dorosun River without incident and reached an inn in North Bank Town by evening. After dinner, Sean practiced the Knight Secret Method as usual, with Thor following suit.