Family

"Victor, are you all right? Let me have a look." Knight Ron walked up to Victor, grabbed him, and turned him around in a circle.

"Uncle, I'm still in a meeting." Victor spoke with a hint of exasperation.

"Not bad, no serious injuries. My sister worries about you and your father every day. I kept telling her your father is an old fox, and little Victor is a young fox—and a warrior I trained myself. There was no way anything could go wrong." Ron laughed heartily and slapped Victor on the shoulder.

"Enough, Uncle. Since you're here, tell me—there's nothing wrong with the garrison, right? Have any of the neighboring territories made unusual moves?" Victor continued.

"The boys are all doing fine. They eat well and sleep well. They keep asking why they weren't taken to the battlefield this time, so I drilled them hard enough that they had no time to complain." Ron replied.

"Speaking of which, the surrounding territories all sent troops out too. Thorne, especially, emptied his whole territory. And now karma has come for him. Bandits from the enclave east of us took advantage of his empty lands and burned down two manors in Green Oak. All the serfs ran away. I heard they nearly took the castle too." Ron sneered.

Victor frowned slightly. If those bandits could cause such a commotion, the plan to clear out the enclave might have to be postponed. They had men and grain now, and simply cutting off their supplies would not make them surrender so easily.

"That's all for today. Everyone, thanks for the effort. You can all go home early and get some rest." Victor announced the end of the meeting.

"Uncle, don't leave. Come back to the manor with me later." Seeing Ron preparing to leave with the supervisors, Victor hurriedly called out to him.

"Oh, all right. I can visit my sister while I'm at it. She's been worried sick about you and your father lately." Ron nodded.

Victor's maternal grandfather was Viscount Roy of Edelweiss in the eastern counties. His territory lay directly at the border between the eastern and northern counties. Every year, when caravans from Golden Sunflower Territory went to the northern counties for trade, they passed through there and delivered letters and gifts along the way. The two families had always been very close.

A few years ago, Victor's grandfather, Viscount Roy, fell into poor health and simply passed his title to Victor's eldest uncle, Soros Edelweiss. At the time, Ron had been serving as a knight in Edelweiss Territory and still held part of the military authority. To prevent his elder and younger sons from developing a rift in the future, the old viscount sent Ron to Golden Sunflower Territory. It let Ron earn a living under Baron Wembley while also betting that Golden Sunflower Territory would eventually be elevated to a viscountcy, allowing Ron to gain a share of the credit as well.

Victor knew this story well. Wembley often taught him about the hidden secrets and tangled relationships among the nobles of the entire Vera Duchy.

As for Ron, Victor generally did not think he was suited to being a lord. He was better suited as a commander charging into battle. Victor's mother, eldest uncle, and grandfather were not particularly large in stature, but his younger uncle Ron was truly gifted. He stood a full 2.2 meters tall and weighed 210 kilograms, his entire body packed with dense muscle beneath a layer of fat. Combined with the physical advantages of this world's people, he was a true giant who could carry a horse under one arm and throw it.

Because of that build, although he was a knight, he rarely fought on horseback. There had never been a suitable mount for him. Even Black Wind, Victor's large Wind Howler Horse, stood 1.8 meters at the shoulder, yet Ron riding him still looked like a man riding a donkey.

That was also why a caravan had been sent to buy horses before the war. Word had come from Edelweiss Territory that the horse market in Brook City, the county seat of Bria County, had acquired an exotic Barbarian warhorse—tall, handsome, and powerful. They had rushed out before the war precisely to find Ron a proper mount.

Victor and Ron then left Stone Castle together. This time, Victor did not ride; he took a carriage back to the manor with Ron.

Along the way, Ron kept asking about what had happened on the battlefield—how many people Victor had killed and what kind of opponents he had encountered.

Victor patiently told Ron about his experiences on the battlefield. Ron might have had a lively temperament, but he was only twenty-seven, just ten years older than Victor. Still, he had begun fighting in the north in his teens, whether against Barbarians or other nobles.

Border nobles fought Barbarians all year round. They were hot-tempered and preferred settling matters with fists rather than reason. When nobles clashed with one another, they went straight to armed conflict; whoever lost admitted defeat.

Under such circumstances, Ron could be considered battle-hardened and highly experienced in small-scale warfare. Though he seemed rough and believed only in strength, he had received a noble education from childhood. He possessed unique insights into war and an exceptionally sharp instinct for the battlefield.

By telling Ron about his own performance, Victor had Ron help him analyze and review it, identifying where the problems lay. Through that brief conversation and discussion in the carriage, Victor gained a great deal. Some truths could only be understood through personal experience; study alone could not make them clear. It was like a saying from his previous life: "Education is long-term and delayed, like a closed loop. A sentence you recited mechanically as a child will become a bullet that strikes you between the brows years later, when life changes."

Having lived a second life, Victor relied on the experiences and understanding of his previous one. He restrained himself with an adult mindset and remained disciplined so that he could live without regrets. These new gains in knowledge and understanding filled him with joy.

After all, in this life, he no longer needed to worry about survival. Though pressure remained, exploring and understanding this new world was Victor's true pursuit. As a noble, a powerful territory and authority were the guarantees that allowed him to pursue those goals.

That was why Victor was so enthusiastic about building and developing his territory. It was this belief that drove him to work so hard.

Soon, the carriage arrived at the manor, and the sun was beginning to set. The light of approaching dusk shone upon the white manor house, making it look especially dazzling. At the sight of that familiar scene, Victor relaxed. He was finally home.

Several servants were already waiting at the entrance. Leading them was Downs, the old steward of the Golden Sunflower Baron's household. The moment he saw Victor step down from the carriage, he hurried forward to greet him.

"Young Master, you've finally returned. Madam, the two young masters, and the young lady have all been talking about you nonstop." Downs said, half delighted and half reproachful.

"Grandpa Downs, I'm back. I'll go see Mother right away. It's wonderful to see that you're in such good health." Victor replied.

Downs had once been Victor's grandfather's attendant. Later, his right foot had been crippled in battle, leaving him unable to return to the battlefield, so he became the steward serving the baron.

Victor's father, Wembley, had grown up under his watchful eye, and so had Victor. Thus, old Downs was regarded as a member of the baron's family. His status was far beyond that of an ordinary steward, and over the years he had kept the baron's household in perfect order, earning everyone's deep respect.

"Madam is waiting in the dining room with the young masters and young lady. Young Master, please go quickly."

After Victor and Ron entered the manor's main building, they headed straight for the dining room.

Several people were already seated at the table waiting. A blonde middle-aged noblewoman sat in the secondary seat, with two children beside her. Both had black hair and looked adorably delicate, like dolls carved from jade. They were Victor's twin younger brother and sister, Enrique Golden Sunflower and Wendy Golden Sunflower.

Victor also had another younger sister, Irene Golden Sunflower. She had previously been sent to the noble academy in Cambridge City, the county seat of Cambridge County, to study and had not yet gone on holiday.

However, considering the turmoil that was about to arrive, Victor intended to tell his mother to send someone to bring his sister back, so they would not be caught unprepared.

As he was thinking, Victor suddenly felt a heavy blow to his waist. The pain made him instinctively clutch his stomach and bend over.

The two little ones had rammed headfirst into his arms. People in this world truly were extraordinary—even five- or six-year-old children possessed such strength. Victor still could not suppress his urge to complain, even while enduring the impact. The laws concerning juvenile crime in the territory would need further improvement later.

"Big Brother, I was talking to you, but you ignored me. Wendy is very angry."

"Me too. Enrique is angry too."

The two little ones spoke in turns, one on each side.

"Sorry, Wendy and Enrique. Big Brother was wrong. These are gifts Big Brother brought for you." As he spoke, he took two toys from his pocket. They were identical little figurines made of tin, exquisitely crafted. Victor had bought them while purchasing supplies in Blackwater City. As someone with experience, Victor knew exactly how to deal with children.

The two little ones immediately cheered when they received their gifts. They ran in circles around Victor from either side, thanking their big brother.

Victor quickly waved them off to play with their toys, then stepped away from the children and walked over to the blonde noblewoman. He bent down and said,

"Mother, I'm back." When he had first awakened the memories of his previous life, Victor had struggled to adapt. He could only bury his inner turmoil through study and training, which led to a fall from a horse. He had spent half a month recovering in bed, and it was Lady Ellie who had cared for him, allowing him to accept his mother in this life.

"It's good that you're back. Wembley really is something else. Other families do not even send their lords, yet he insisted on taking you along. You aren't even married yet. What would have happened if something had gone wrong?" Lady Ellie spoke as she stroked Victor's face, examining him for injuries.

Seeing that Victor was unhurt, Lady Ellie nodded in satisfaction.

"All right, sit down, everyone. Ron, you sit too. Uncle Downs, have the kitchen serve the food."

Ron quickly found a chair and sat down. With his build, he looked as though he were squatting in front of the table, making for a comical sight. When Downs saw this, he immediately had someone bring over a low couch. Ron nodded gratefully. The two little ones also obediently returned to their seats and sat properly. Lady Ellie's authority was clear for all to see.