The Noble's Decision

"Ha!"

"Ha!"

"Clang!"

Sharp, forceful shouts echoed, the clashing of staffs grating on the ears. Less than ten miles from Berely City, near a manor by the Empire's summer hunting palace, two figures tumbled and grappled on a snow-covered training ground. Dozens of bare-chested men in tight leather pants and barefoot, with shaved heads, stood at attention with shields and short swords, observing the fight.

Suddenly, a loud shout rang out. One of the fighters, Black Horse House, had his staff knocked away by his opponent's spinning force. The opponent then lunged rapidly, and a hard ironwood staff thrust fiercely into his stomach. Black Horse House cried out in pain, falling to his knees clutching his abdomen, vomiting so hard he coughed up bile.

"Trash!" Haolin, who, like Black Horse House, wore only a triangle of leather in this freezing season, snorted. He dropped his ironwood staff, took a long cloak from a man and wrapped himself in it, then walked slowly to Haus, kicking him to the ground.

"A descendant of the Bavier Family, you've been tempering your body and cultivating Dou Qi since childhood. You became the lowest-tier Human Knight at thirteen. Your father has been teaching you various tactical skills since you were seven, using actual combat examples from the island wars as your textbooks."

"And yet you were defeated by a thug from a common family!"

Haolin's single eye twitched violently. If the person kneeling and vomiting madly on the ground wasn't his own brother, he would have killed him with his own hands right then – just as he had personally beheaded a cousin who fled from battle in the army.

"You've shamed your father, you've brought disgrace to the entire family," Haolin said bluntly. "This matter has blown up. Not only the military, but also those in the civilian system know about this scandal. The youngest son of the Bavier Family was defeated by a bunch of hooligans in a student fight. This incident has had a huge impact. Some people have already spoken to His Majesty, questioning your father's leadership ability."

Black Horse House looked up in anger, his teeth grinding as he roared, "This has nothing to do with Father."

Haolin's face darkened, and he sneered, "But in the eyes of your father's political enemies and the entire military, this matter is related to your father. The youngest son of the Bavier Family, a talent who received orthodox military training from childhood, an elite of the Empire's future military, was defeated by a group of hooligans. Do you know what that means? It means your father's failure, the Bavier Family's failure, and even the entire military system's failure."

Taking a deep breath, Haolin kicked Haus several meters away. He snorted, "Remember the beatings I've given you these past few days, remember all the bruises on your body. Remember this disgrace, you were defeated without even seeing the enemy's face."

Haus's teeth gnashed. He slowly rubbed his abdomen, his body covered in bruises. He nodded forcefully, gritting his teeth, "Brother, I remember. I will repay all of this to them."

Haolin nodded with a dark expression. He waved his hand, "Go clean yourself up. Father wants to see you. Remember how much pressure Father and the entire family have endured, and what price they've paid for you, a good-for-nothing, these past few days."

Exhaling deeply, Haolin narrowed his single eye and turned his head towards Berely City.

In a study within the small castle in the center of the manor, facing the training ground. The study was large but simply and solidly furnished. Apart from thirteen sets of armor with battle scars and dozens of ancient, colorful weapons hanging on the wall, there were no other decorations. A massive desk sat squarely in the center of the room, upon which lay a military map of the area around Norman Fortress.

The entire wall facing the training ground had been removed, becoming a huge floor-to-ceiling window. Haus and Haolin's father, the current head of the Bavier Family, Viscount and Major General of the Empire Hausen, stood with his hands behind his back before the window, gazing silently at the falling snow outside.

Having changed into clean, neat clothes, the bruised and battered Haus cautiously pushed open the door and silently walked behind Hausen.

After a full half-hour of silence, cold sweat beaded on Haus's forehead, trickling down his cheeks and dripping from his chin. Hausen, the head of the Bavier Family, exuded a heavy pressure even on his own son. The direct source of this pressure was the potent, almost tangible aura of killing intent and death emanating from Hausen, an aura that could only be forged from countless corpses and rivers of blood.

Not yet sixty, Hausen had participated in the brutal island wars at fifteen. He had fought and killed on the battlefield for over a decade, single-handedly elevating the Bavier Family's title from Baron to Viscount. The final ten years of the hundred-year island war were known as the 'Meat Grinder War.' Millions of soldiers died on the western continent, and the casualties of the various alien races on the Five Linked Islands exceeded a million.

Hausen had stained his medals with the blood of a million soldiers. The killing intent on him was so heavy that even thirty years after the war's end, it had not dissipated. Born in the peaceful post-war era, Haus, who had never truly witnessed the battlefield, was almost suffocated by Hausen's killing aura.

Just as Haus was about to collapse under Hausen's oppressive aura, Hausen finally turned around, baring his teeth in an ugly smile. Like Greatsword Joe, the owner of the Sword and Beauty Tavern, Hausen had two gashes on his face, nearly cleaving his head off. His appearance was naturally not pleasant. His twisted lips couldn't fully hide his teeth, and two rows of broken yellow teeth were quite frightening.

Smiling slightly, Hausen said slowly, "Failure is not terrifying. On the battlefield, I was defeated five times. Each time, my entire army was wiped out, and over a hundred thousand soldiers were lost directly because of those five major defeats."

Haus lowered his head respectfully, not daring to make a sound.

Sighing lightly, Hausen curled his lips and sneered, "Failure is not the issue. The issue is whether the failure is worth the price. Your failure this time has put me, the family, and the military forces loyal to the family in a passive position. And you were defeated by a bunch of hooligan students. That is not worth it."

Gripping Haus's shoulders forcefully, Hausen said grimly, "You don't need to understand too much about the storms at the Empire's high levels. Just know this: your failure this time has brought immense losses to the family, and you must make amends."

After a moment of thought, Hausen nodded slowly. "I'll give you one year. You must graduate from the Army Academy with the highest overall score. I will then have you join the North Sea Border Guard. The lost honor must be regained on the battlefield."

Shaking Haus's body forcefully, Hausen narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "As for the person who defeated you."

"You must defeat him with your own strength, kill him, and destroy his entire family. Only then can the family's honor be restored!"