Adoption

Marshall Harry's Hari Knight's Territory lay three hundred li west of Bennett Knight's Territory. A baron's fief lay between Hari Knight's Territory and Bennett Knight's Territory. If they had not needed to detour around the baron's lands, the journey between the two territories would not have taken six hours at all.

Although Knight Bennett was a Feudal Knight and could be considered a noble, to nobles with actual titles, knights were merely quasi-nobles. Moreover, Knight Bennett was not good at socializing with other nobles, so he maintained only a polite distance from the surrounding aristocrats. Rather than ask a baron to allow his armed convoy through his lands, he would prefer taking the longer route.

At around three in the afternoon, the convoy arrived at Hari Knight's Territory. From afar, they could see two red tapestries hanging on each side of the castle walls, each as tall as the walls themselves. A white unicorn reared on its hind legs and let out a neigh upon them. That was Marshall Harry's crest.

Abel noticed that Knight Bennett's expression was far from pleasant, as though the enormous crest tapestries before him had provoked him. As far as Abel knew, the crest tapestry in Bennett Castle's hall was only three meters tall and two meters wide. Even that tapestry had only been completed after the previous lord had done most of the work and Knight Bennett had gritted his teeth and spent a fortune in gold coins. It was also Bennett's pride. He always said it was a legacy for his descendants.

"That bastard did it on purpose. I told him about the crest tapestry," Knight Bennett said through gritted teeth.

Seeing Knight Bennett's expression, Abel quietly slowed his horse and moved farther away from the increasingly dangerous Knight Bennett.

At the gates of Hari Castle stood a knight in his forties clad head to toe in golden armor, with two rows of guards in leather armor holding longswords on either side of him. The left breastplate of the knight's golden armor bore the pattern of the Sun God, while the right bore a shield-shaped crest of a white unicorn against a red background. Combined with his tall frame and the mature bearing accumulated with age, he looked exceptionally dashing.

"Marshall!"

With a loud roar, Knight Bennett leaped from his horse. Battle force surged around his body as he strode toward Knight Marshall like a man-eating tiger. Each step he took struck the ground with a thunderous boom.

"Cessi!"

Knight Marshall also let out a loud roar. His former dashing demeanor vanished, and his blond hair fluttered wildly in the air with his battle force as he charged Knight Bennett like a lion.

Everyone on both sides was stunned. Weren't the two knights supposed to be the best of friends? Why did they look ready to fight the moment they met?

Knight Bennett and Knight Marshall drew closer and closer. Even when they were near enough to strike each other with their fists, neither stopped. The two leaped from the ground at once and slammed viciously together in midair. They used neither fists nor feet, only their chests. To Abel, the deafening impact sounded like two cars crashing head-on at full speed.

After landing, both men staggered back more than ten steps. Knight Bennett, who had only just managed to steady himself, cursed, "Why didn't you say in your letter that you'd become an Intermediate Knight?"

Meanwhile, Knight Marshall looked mournfully at his golden armor as he rubbed it and cursed back, "You bastard, you never said you were an Intermediate Knight either."

Knight Bennett looked at the dent in his armor and calculated how many gold coins it would cost to repair it. The answer made him shout, "You set me up! If I hadn't been an Intermediate Knight, I'd be sprawled on the ground right now."

"Same to you."

Knight Bennett and Knight Marshall stared each other down. Just as the surrounding crowd thought they were about to fight again, the two burst into laughter and embraced, slapping each other's armor with sounds like hammering iron.

Knight Bennett's noble etiquette and Knight Marshall's dashing poise had both gone straight to hell. All that remained was the excitement of brothers reuniting and their unrestrained embrace.

Abel watched the two old friends, as close as brothers, with envy. For someone with secrets like him, a friend with whom he could truly open his heart was far too difficult to find.

The adoption ceremony was extremely formal. Under the direction of a priest from the Harvest Goddess Temple invited from Harvest City, Knight Bennett handed Abel over to Knight Marshall. Knight Marshall personally draped a formal robe bearing the white Unicorn Crest over Abel's shoulders, and the adoption ceremony was completed under the priest's witness.

After the ceremony, Hari Castle held a ball to celebrate the fact that the castle finally had an heir and that Hari Castle's legacy could continue.

In the duchy, if a lord without children died without formally establishing an adopted child's inheritance rights, the fief would revert to the state. The people who depended on the territory for their livelihood would lose their means of survival. Thus, for a territory without offspring, gaining a new heir was an immensely significant event.

Knight Bennett did not attend the ball. As soon as the ceremony ended, he led the convoy back to his own castle. It was impossible to expect Knight Bennett to attend a celebration for his son being adopted by someone else, so Knight Marshall did not try too hard to keep him.

Knight Marshall led Abel to a two-story annex on the left side of the castle. He gently pushed open its door, warmly took Abel's hand, and led him inside. "Abel, this will be your room from now on. I hope you can feel as at ease here as you do at home."

The first floor was spacious, with a hard stone floor. A long table for receiving guests and several high-backed chairs stood along one side, while the rest of the space was empty. A weapon rack had been set against the wall, holding greatswords, shields, bows, and spears. There was even a huge axe used by orcs.

Rather than a sitting room, this place was more like a small training room. It also suited the living requirements of a Rookie Knight, who needed to spend a great deal of time training. The arrangement made Abel's training immensely convenient, showing that Knight Marshall had put considerable thought into furnishing the hall.

The second floor was the bedroom. The moment he went upstairs, Abel saw a large feather bed that made him want to lie down on it at once. The pristine white sheets made him reluctant to even touch them. The glazed white oak walls, along with the equally white wool carpet on the floor, gave the room an elegant and sacred air. Through the tall floor-to-ceiling windows, he could see the scenery outside the castle.

It was clear that, because of the white unicorn on his crest, Knight Marshall was particularly fond of white. Everything on the second floor was white, including the largest wardrobe, which had been crafted from white oak.

"I had people prepare all your clothes." Knight Marshall opened the wardrobe, revealing it filled with every sort of outfit. Then he continued, "There is still some time before the welcome ball. Take a bath and rest first. A maid will come later to remind you and help you change into the formal attire for the ball."

Knight Marshall gave Abel a smile as bright as sunshine, filling Abel's heart with warmth. Before turning to head downstairs, he asked again, "Is there anything else you need? Don't stand on ceremony. This will be your home from now on."

"No, you've arranged everything perfectly." Knight Marshall's easygoing manner and care for Abel left him somewhat at a loss, but he knew that everything Knight Marshall had done was meant to help him accept this home.

After Knight Marshall left, Abel stood before the floor-to-ceiling window in the second-floor bedroom and looked out at the night view. Distant pinpricks of light moved about; they were the carriages of guests coming to attend the ball. This place was very close to the great city of Harvest City, and Harvest City was far beyond a small place like Libo Town in scale.

This would be his home from now on. He had only just come to accept the parents and older brother of his new identity in this world, and now he had entered another new family to begin another new life. Shaking his head, he sighed. Abel's mind was far more mature than he appeared. He was considering his future growth; once he became strong enough, he could help his parents as well.

A set of footsteps sounded from the stairs, followed by the bedroom door opening. A round-faced maid of around twenty entered lightly and asked Abel respectfully, "Your bathwater is ready. Are you ready now?"

Led by the maid, Abel arrived at the castle master's private bathhouse. The entirely wooden bathhouse gave off the distinctive fragrance of wood. The marble bath was filled with hot water that sent wisps of white steam into the air. Dried flower petals floated in the pool, lending the water a faint floral scent.

When Abel entered the bathhouse, the maid prepared to follow him inside, but he stopped her. Having received a modern education, he was not yet accustomed to having a maid help him bathe.

After bathing, he put on the underclothes prepared in the bathhouse, then changed into the prepared formal attire with the maid's help.