Before Leaving

The system seemed to see his hesitation and reminded him, "You have no choice."

"That's right! I have no choice!" Renard took a deep breath and rallied his spirits. "I'm going back to deal with those trash in Constantinople."

By the time he said it, he had completely immersed himself in the role of Scum Renard.

"With your current strength, if you go looking for trouble, you'll probably get beaten to death." The system coughed lightly, reminding him not to get carried away.

Renard deflated like a punctured ball. "Is there any way I can increase my strength as quickly as possible? At least enough to protect myself after I get to Constantinople."

The system pondered briefly. "According to my calculations, the ideal minimum is forty-three days."

Renard clenched his fist. "Then that's what I'll do."

The system explained again, "I said that was the ideal scenario. In reality, it will take at least three to four months."

"..."

Renard spent ten whole days lying in bed. During that time, he did nothing but eat and sleep, while his underlings stayed busy, carrying out the bounty missions as instructed.

"Ding! Bounty mission completed: Help Baron Hamilton repair the northern wall of Saint Brieuc Fortress. Reward: two hundred denarii."

Not long after the system notification sounded, Tommy and the others returned to the castle, their bodies exhausted.

This time, Renard didn't dismiss them. Instead, he circled them several times like a general inspecting his soldiers. After a long while, he delivered some astonishing news. "In a few days, I'm planning to return to Constantinople Academy."

Everyone fell silent. Then he gave them even more astonishing news. "I'm going to send you to Norn Academy to continue your studies. I'll cover the tuition."

Norn Academy was one of the three great academies of the Kingdom of Arthur. Located in Hundred Leaves County, it was a renowned institution of higher learning. And renowned meant expensive: one gold coin per student each semester, though room and board were free.

Renard looked around at everyone present and asked, "What do you think?"

The nine men dropped to one knee and said in unison, "Your will is the direction in which we move forward."

For the nine underlings, the chance to study at Norn Academy was a great honor. They had no reason to refuse.

"Good. It's settled, then. Say your goodbyes to your families and leave as soon as possible." Renard handed three Magic Crystal Cards to Ben. "You're the strongest among them, and the quickest thinker. Don't let me down."

Ben suppressed his excitement and thumped his chest. "As you command, Lord Renard."

He had replaced "young master" with "lord," signifying that he had officially changed from an underling into a follower.

"Dismissed!" Renard waved them away.

Gilbert was building up his strength, and Renard was doing the same.

Renard then turned his attention to the unfolded map. It depicted the entire Northern Continent, and the Barren Land took up less than a cubic centimeter of it. After a long silence, a smile suddenly spread across his face. "What a fascinating world."

Farewells came quickly. Four days passed in the blink of an eye, and the underlings said goodbye to their families before setting off north together.

Renard stood at the town's northern gate, watching them disappear into the distance. He couldn't help composing a line of poetry: "When a son travels a thousand miles, his father worries; when a father travels a thousand miles, his son doesn't."

He gathered his thoughts, turned, and headed back into town. He had to pack his things, since he would be leaving in a few days too.

But first, he had to return the medal to Wilson. Fifty denarii and a random draw were rewards he couldn't pass up.

Of course, he could have kept the medal. In fact, that had been his original plan, since the medal itself was worth far more than the mission reward.

But after thinking it over several times, he decided to return it to its rightful owner.

When Renard reached the training ground, Wilson was sitting on a stone stool, his face clouded with worry and his attention fixed on nothing around him.

Only when Renard stopped in front of him did the muscular man suddenly snap out of it. Somewhat dejectedly, he greeted him. "Good afternoon, young master Renard."

"Good afternoon, Mr. Wilson." Renard nodded in reply, then sat beside him. "Something on your mind?"

"No." Wilson shook his head silently, his eyes still fixed on the ground, as if there were something there that had caught his attention.

"Thank you for warning me that day. Otherwise, I might not be sitting here safe and sound now." Renard's remark seemed to come out of nowhere.

But when Wilson heard it, he sprang up as if stung by a pin. His face filled with disbelief. "You know?"

"I only suspected it before. Now I'm sure." A smile spread across Renard's face, like that of a little demon whose scheme had succeeded.

"Damn it!" Wilson clenched his fist in frustration. "If young master Gilbert finds out I leaked his plan, I'll be in for it."

Renard tilted his head, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. Wilson and Old Walker were complete opposites.

One looked honest and loyal but was actually full of schemes; the other seemed sly and cunning but was really just a boorish warrior.

He reached into his coat, pulled out the gleaming Medal of Merit, and handed it to Wilson, who was still fretting. "I think this belongs to you. Take it, and don't lose it again."

He gave Wilson a meaningful smile, then stood and headed toward the castle, ignoring the other man's astonished expression.

Less than twenty meters away, he heard Wilson's barely audible voice behind him. "Young master Renard, thank you."

Renard didn't stop, pretending not to hear. He only sighed softly. "You're welcome."

Even he barely heard those three words, let alone Wilson, who was overwhelmed with joy at having recovered what he'd lost.

"Ding! Bounty mission completed: Help Mr. Wilson recover his stolen Medal of Merit. Reward: fifty denarii and one random draw."

Back at the castle, Renard opened the system shop. He now had a full seven hundred and fifty denarii, equivalent to seven hundred and fifty silver coins. Then he opened his character screen.

Host attributes: Strength: 10, Agility: 10, Intelligence: 9, Charisma: 6, Potential: 10, Unassigned Skill Points: 10.

Host Strength skills: Iron Bones: 4, Strong Attack: 3, Precision: 3.

Host Agility skills: Riding Skill: 0, Martial Arts: 5, Control: 5.

Host Intelligence skills: Battle Qi Usage: 0, Eidetic Memory: 9, Tactical Command: 0

Host Charisma skills: Leadership: 2, Bravery: 2, Near Death: 2.

He hadn't used the ten Potential points and ten Skill Points he'd received earlier, because he was still mulling over a question: should he continue with the extreme build of focusing on Strength and Agility, or develop all four attributes evenly?

In the early stages, focusing on Strength and Agility was the sensible choice. But Renard was a perfectionist, which made things awkward.

Try searching for the author if you can't find the book by its title. Maybe it's just been renamed!