Snatching by Force

Looking at the bow and arrow in his hand, Knight Marshall never expected that a crisis in the castle could be resolved with just a bow and arrow. Was this the true ability of the blacksmith master?

Abel watched as Knight Marshall's gaze became increasingly infatuated with the compound bow. Abel was very familiar with that expression; it was the same look Knight Marshall had when gazing at his beloved armor.

Abel inwardly cried out, "This is bad!" Would Knight Marshall not return the compound bow to him? Thinking this, Abel reached out, intending to take the compound bow from Knight Marshall's grasp.

The compound bow in Knight Marshall's hand seemed to have taken root. Abel pulled a few times, but it didn't budge.

"Abel, your uncle treats you well, doesn't he?" The smile on Knight Marshall's face reminded Abel of the expression a big bad wolf had when looking at Little Red Riding Hood in a fairy tale he'd read as a child.

Abel couldn't help but shiver and nodded in a low voice, "Uncle Marshall treats me very well."

"Your Uncle Marshall has never had a good bow. You know, as an Intermediate Knight, to not have a decent bow even now... I'm too embarrassed to even bring a bow out with me every time I go out," Knight Marshall said pitifully.

Abel rolled his eyes. Knight Marshall always wore the most handsome clothes, carried a magic greatsword, wore the most dazzling armor, and even his warhorse was stronger than an ordinary one. How could he possibly bring a common bow and arrow out with him? In Abel's experience, Knight Marshall prioritized having high-end equipment; he wouldn't carry ordinary gear unless it was necessary for combat.

Knight Marshall also knew that this bow must have been incredibly difficult to make, but how could he hand over something he already had? That wasn't his style.

Today's achievements were already heaven-defying. Twelve orcs had been killed outside the castle. These weren't ordinary orcs; if they were, Knight Marshall wouldn't have been hiding in the castle, afraid to go out and fight. These were orcs of at least level 6, and each one could fight using Battle Qi. As an Intermediate Knight, Knight Marshall could defeat a single orc alone, but orcs were inherently more powerful than humans of the same level. Their strong bodies and years of combat made orcs more suited for fighting than humans. Orcs were more like war machines.

Knight Marshall couldn't remember how many years it had been since he'd felt such exhilaration. Standing on the ramparts, one orc at a time, hitting every shot, this bow was like the messenger of death; whoever it targeted would die.

Looking at the forty-year-old Knight Marshall acting cute in front of him, Abel felt a sense of defeat. He glanced helplessly and with a pang of heartache at the compound bow in Knight Marshall's hand. This super compound bow, with over 400 pounds of draw weight, was drifting further and further away from him. Waving his hand, Abel said, "Uncle Marshall, since you like it so much, you can have it."

Knight Marshall let out a loud laugh, drew the bow, mimed an archery pose, and looked proudly at Abel, saying, "Only the most powerful knights can use this divine bow."

"Uncle Marshall, if you shoot this bow without an arrow, it will damage many of the components on the bow. I don't have any spare parts to repair it," Abel said, ignoring Knight Marshall's self-proclaimed cool pose and ruthlessly pointing out the bow's usage restrictions.

Knight Marshall's laughter stopped abruptly. He slowly retracted his strength, intending to return the bowstring to its original position. However, the bow's characteristic was also very apparent: it required full strength to draw, and it required the same to return the bowstring. The initial pull didn't require much force, but as the bowstring was retracted, the required strength increased significantly. A white glow of Battle Qi emerged from Knight Marshall's body again. Finally, after flattening the bowstring, Knight Marshall wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and cautiously inspected the bow. He couldn't damage this divine bow he had just snatched through his own showboating.

Abel sighed and dejectedly walked down the rampart. He would have to return to the blacksmith shop to make another compound bow, and he needed to make two. One for himself and one for his father, Knight Bennett. Abel understood clearly that since Knight Marshall now had this compound bow, he would show it off to Knight Bennett within a short time. If he didn't make one for Knight Bennett as well, Abel would feel guilty himself. Although Abel knew his father, Knight Bennett, wouldn't say anything, he would surely be very sad.

"Open the castle gate for me, drag the bodies back, and lead the mounts back too," Knight Marshall loudly ordered the attendant cavalry waiting within the castle gates.

After the castle gate opened, ten attendant cavalrymen galloped out. The two direwolves on the battlefield, whimpering, saw the humans appear and suddenly charged forward to attack the attendants.

Just a few steps out, two arrows flying from the rampart pierced the heads of the two direwolves. The attendants looked with adoration at the lord in the shining armor on the rampart. The lord's power meant the territory's safety and was also a guarantee for the attendants' families.

Besides the two direwolves that were shot and killed, there were four Blazing Bulls at the castle entrance. The other mounts had already fled with the escaping orcs. Only mounts like the Blazing Bulls were not very intelligent and not particularly loyal to their masters. The four Blazing Bulls were valuable; they could be used or sold after training.

After the attendants brought the bodies and the four Blazing Bulls back into the castle, Knight Marshall had already decided the fate of these Blazing Bulls. His carriage would be converted into a bullock cart; two would be for him, and two for Abel. Knight Marshall felt that his arrangement had somewhat reduced his guilt for snatching his adopted son's weapon. Even if this guilt was very slight, Knight Marshall knew that since Abel could make such a bow, he could make a second one. However, if he didn't get this bow, with Abel's personality, who knew when he would feel like making bows and arrows.

The crisis had been resolved. Knight Marshall believed no more orcs would dare to come to Hari Castle to seek death. He ordered the guards to continue patrolling, and he could finally rest. For the past few days, Knight Marshall had not taken off his armor. As the lord of the castle, the pressure on the knight was immense.

When orcs appeared near the castle, the nobles of the castle were not allowed to leave their castles. This was a universal human war regulation that required nobles not to leave their territories when human enemies appeared within them. If they left, it would signify that the noble had abandoned their territory.

This regulation did not include wars between humans. In wars between humans, admitting defeat when unable to win was universally accepted. Nobles were rarely killed in wars between humans, unless there was deep-seated hatred. Otherwise, no one would violate the regulations of the knighthood system regarding the treatment of noble prisoners of war.

Back at the blacksmith shop, Abel began his repetitive work: making compound bows. He requisitioned all the last four heavy bows from the warehouse. He believed Knight Marshall would have no complaints about this action.

He made casting molds again, and this time Abel made a few extra. He made four extra bearings and even a few large springs. Abel planned to modify a carriage himself this time. The carriages he used for travel were a source of constant dread for Abel. Accustomed to the smooth ride of cars in his previous life, the carriages in this life felt like dancing on rough stones.

In two days, Abel's entire energy was spent on making compound bows. With the experience from last time, the two compound bows made this time were even more refined. Since the orcs had been driven away, Abel could go out of the castle to test the long-range shooting of the compound bows.

He perfected the markings on the sight. They were divided into within 100 meters, 100 to 200 meters, 200 to 400 meters, and beyond 400 meters. Beyond 400 meters, the bow's power weakened considerably. Abel estimated the maximum range of the compound bows made this time to be around 400 meters. Any further, and it would not have a killing effect, at most only wounding the enemy. Moreover, beyond 400 meters, the arrow's speed would also decrease, and the enemy could easily dodge it.

After completing these two compound bows, Abel was eager to deliver them to his father, Knight Bennett. He therefore proposed to Knight Marshall his intention to visit Bennett Castle.