Life I

The knightly party quickly reached the earthen fort under cover of night. They passed through the lowered portcullis and entered the fort.

Song Ye watched until the entire party had entered before slowly sitting back down.

Through Anglie's memories, he had gained a rough understanding of this father.

Though he was known externally as a brutal lord, he was an exceptionally loving father to him. He often spoke harshly, yet had never once been willing to hit him.

"By custom, I should go greet Father at this time." Song Ye had just risen when the bedroom door began to thud.

"Young Master Anglie, the Baron requests your presence." The maid Maggie's voice came through the door.

"Alright, I'll be right there," Song Ye called loudly.

He hurriedly stood up and opened the door.

The maid Maggie stood outside, holding a candlestick.

Song Ye followed Maggie through the corridor, down the spiral staircase, and into the hallway on the second floor.

At the end of the hall, a door stood half-open, with faint light spilling through the crack.

Maggie gave a respectful bow. "Young Master, I'll wait here for you."

Song Ye nodded and strode over.

As he drew closer, the Baron's deep voice gradually became clearer.

"...Within my territory, no one dares defy me. These vagrants must have come from outside." Song Ye only caught the latter half.

Another familiar, hoarse voice came from inside. It was Knight Audis.

"Not necessarily. Judging by their clothing, they should have come from the Saladin Empire to the east. Both their weapons and clothing styles resemble those from there. And their fighting style was disciplined, nothing like refugees. I suspect they were drawn here by what happened four years ago."

"Even riding the fastest horse from Leo Territory to the Saladin Empire through Candiya City would take nearly half a year, with vast forests in between. That possibility is unlikely. Compared to that, I think it is more likely the work of that old bastard from Candia." The Baron's voice was icy. "Likely his final desperate struggle."

"That is very possible. We have been pressing Candia too hard lately..."

Song Ye stood outside without knocking. He knew his father and Uncle Audis were capable enough to have heard his arrival long ago. He only needed to wait outside.

"Still, it could also have come from that place. Rasga." Audis guessed.

"Rasga? I went there more than ten years ago. What is that place like now? Is that madwoman Sally still there?"

"She should be. Enough of that for now. Anglie, come in," Knight Audis called loudly.

Song Ye answered and pushed open the door.

It was a study, with two bookcases filled with books against the walls. Firelight from the fireplace flickered slowly around the room.

The Baron and Knight Audis sat around a low table, each with a white cup before him.

Song Ye glanced at them. The cups contained a black drink that gave off a minty fragrance.

"Father. Uncle Audis." Song Ye greeted them respectfully in the manner Anglie remembered.

These two were among the four strongest people in Leo Territory. Though Baron Kyle was nominally Audis's lord, their relationship was that of extraordinarily close comrades-in-arms. Both were elite swordsmen who had survived the Violetgold Campaign.

There was no ranking system for warriors in this world. For a warrior, there was only one way to demonstrate strength: battle!

"Sit first." The Baron pointed at a chair beside him.

Song Ye nodded and sat down quietly.

"The situation has been unstable lately. Saladin may very well go to war with our Rudin Kingdom. We happen to be near the border between the two sides, right on the front line when war begins. Some time ago, I sent people to the bay port to contact my old subordinates and bought a batch of brand-new armor and weapons from there. They should be on their way back now..." The Baron resumed discussing matters with Audis.

Song Ye sat to one side, quietly studying the two men.

There was no need to mention the Baron. He had already left a deep impression on him.

Audis, however, was different.

He was a man built like a bear.

Even sitting in a chair, he gave off the oppressive weight of some enormous beast. He was as large as two grown men. He wore a gleaming black suit of iron plate armor. His bald head shone with oil like a light bulb, and a silver earring hung from one ear. He looked exceptionally wild.

"Analyze the combat capabilities of both men based on visual data," Song Ye commanded internally.

At once, a faint stream of data rapidly cascaded down one side of his vision like a waterfall. Vast amounts of pale blue data packed tightly together, appearing exceptionally complex.

Song Ye understood that in this world, the greatest protection was individual combat power. From Anglie's memories, he knew that only strength could guarantee his desires at any moment, and only strength could keep him from enemy threats. Therefore, when he first used the chip, he chose to assess the two men's combat ability.

The Baron and Audis continued speaking openly, but Song Ye noticed that the Baron's sidelong gaze occasionally fell on him. Seeing his absent-minded expression, disappointment faintly flashed through both the Baron's and Audis's eyes.

The two of them likely wanted Song Ye to truly become involved, preparing him to inherit the territory in the future. Yet Song Ye, focused on awaiting the analysis results, appeared bewildered and distracted to them. This left both men, who had held some expectations for him, deeply disappointed.

Song Ye did not notice their looks. Soon, the results came out.

"Kyle Leo: Estimated physical attributes. Strength greater than 2, agility greater than 2, constitution greater than 2.

Audis: Estimated physical attributes. Strength greater than 3, agility approximately equal to 1, constitution greater than 3."

Song Ye's cheek twitched slightly.

In the data provided, a strength score of one represented the strength range of a normal adult man, based on comparisons with the physical condition of Earth humans.

Judging by the data,

his father in this life and Knight Audis

could both be called supermen from the novels and films of his previous life.

Their strength was two to three times that of ordinary people. This did not simply mean combat power two or three times greater than normal; it meant formidable strength sufficient to fight ten, or even dozens, alone. Constitution was a composite of resistance to blows and viruses, recovery ability, and endurance.

"So this really isn't Earth anymore..." Song Ye was completely speechless inside.

"Zero, display my own physical attributes."

With a swish, a translucent pale blue data sheet appeared before Song Ye's eyes.

"Anglie Leo, physical attributes.

Strength less than 0.3, agility less than 0.4, constitution approximately equal to 0.7."

"..." Song Ye did not want to say anything more.

Although this body was only fourteen years old, those figures were truly miserable. Under normal circumstances, even a boy of this age on Earth should have strength around 0.5 and agility around 1.2. Yet for some reason, this Anglie had received knight training in Candiya City, but his body was still so weak.

Perhaps it was because he had not yet recovered from his recent injuries.

Song Ye thought so.

Meanwhile, the Baron and Audis finally stopped discussing their plans and turned their attention toward Song Ye.

"Starting tomorrow, Anglie, you will follow Audis in combat training. There are also some children in the castle who will train with you," the Baron said flatly.

"Yes, Father."

"Your constitution has never been very good. The main reason I want you to learn fighting techniques is to help you regain the physical condition of a normal person." The Baron looked at Anglie, a trace of concern in his eyes.

Song Ye understood this well. If this body had truly been healthy, it would not have died after falling from a horse, allowing him to take advantage of the opening.

"I understand." Song Ye nodded.

"How is your recovery now?" Audis asked gently from the side.

"I'm fine now. Basic training won't be a problem."

"That's good." Audis nodded.

"If there's anything you want to eat, just tell the head maid Anker. We hunted a Horned Ox the day before yesterday, so it will be just right for strengthening your body. Alright, go rest." The Baron gave his instructions.

Song Ye stood, gave a slight bow, and quickly left the study.

Maggie was still waiting at the stairway with the candlestick. In the pitch-black stairwell, she was the only one standing there.

Song Ye strode toward her.

"Is no one in the castle around at this hour? Why aren't there any lights?"

Maggie shook her head. "This is the residential area. Everyone in the castle should be gathered at the training grounds and tavern now. There are few people here, so hardly anyone comes by. There's no need to waste candles."

"Oh." Song Ye nodded.

From Anglie's memories, he knew the castle was roughly divided into several areas.

The residential area, the activity area, and the miscellaneous area.

The activity area consisted of the training grounds and fighting arena. The miscellaneous area contained the tavern, blacksmith shop, stables, and so on.

In truth, the entire castle was only about as large as a university from Song Ye's previous life on Earth. There were only around two hundred people inside. Of them, only cavalrymen and powerful swordsmen and spearmen were qualified to live here. That group numbered barely a hundred.

"Let's go back first." Song Ye shook his head and stopped thinking about it.

The two returned to Song Ye's bedroom, one behind the other.

But the moment Song Ye opened the door, he saw a small figure curled up in the bedroom corner again. It was Cecilia, the girl from before.

"You damned thing! Who allowed you to enter Young Master Anglie's room whenever you pleased?!" Maggie, a little farther behind him, saw her too and immediately shouted.

The figure in the corner shrank back even more.

Song Ye raised a hand to stop Maggie, who was about to rush inside.

"It's fine. Forget it. You can leave first."

Maggie immediately stopped.

"Yes, Young Master."

With a click, the door shut.

Song Ye walked over to the corner and looked over Cecilia, whom his father had sent him.

She wore a white fitted dress that exposed her round shoulders. Her skin was snow-white and delicate, and her black hair fell to her shoulders. If not for the tear tracks on her face, she truly would have looked like a tender, innocent little girl.

But Song Ye was in no mood for her.

He grabbed the silk blanket from the bed and tossed it over Cecilia. Then he simply fell onto the bed himself.

"Whew..." He let out a long breath.

Judging by the current situation,

my status is not bad. Under the Baron's protection, I do not need to worry about anything. But nothing can remain unchanged forever. I have to prepare for trouble before it comes. This world is not as peaceful as Earth.

Thoughts churned chaotically through Song Ye's mind as he lay on the bed and slowly drifted into sleep.