Territory (Part Two)

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The next day, when the sky was only just beginning to brighten, Wilson Castle was already bustling. More than sixty lightly armored knights stood waiting at the main gates.

"Be careful. Don't stop along the way—go straight to Father's territory."

Mei Xue carefully reminded Merlin. She had learned the previous night that Merlin was going to the territory. By then, the butler had already arranged everything, and even if Mei Xue had wanted to stop him, it was too late.

Merlin nodded, then stepped into the carriage. The journey was long, nearly a full day's travel. To ensure Merlin had someone familiar at his disposal, Moss was still driving the carriage.

"Moss, let's go."

At Merlin's command, the carriage slowly departed Wilson Castle under the escort of numerous knights.

The carriage soon left Blackwater City. It was Merlin's first time outside the city, seeing the world beyond its walls. Rather than meditate, he lifted the curtain and looked around at the scenery outside.

The roads beyond the city were terribly bumpy, nothing like the city streets paved with smooth fitted stones. These roads were, at best, dirt mixed with scattered gravel, casually spread over the ground. Gullies lay everywhere, rising here and dipping there. No matter how skilled Moss was at driving, he could not keep the carriage steady.

Fortunately, after being tempered by the mysterious posture on the relief sculpture, Merlin's body had become very robust. He could still withstand this amount of jolting.

Merlin's carriage was in the middle of the knightly procession. When he lifted the curtain, he could see a knight beside him. The youth looked about sixteen or seventeen, his features still rather immature, but his hands were covered in thick calluses from years of gripping a sword.

"What is your name?"

Merlin asked the young knight.

The young knight hurriedly answered respectfully, "Young Master Merlin, my name is Yagesi."

"Yagesi, how many years have you been at Wilson Castle?"

"Young Master Merlin, three years ago, Lord Baron chose me. After two years of arduous training, I was finally promoted to knight."

A trace of gratitude and pride appeared on Yagesi's face. Merlin also knew that, in the eyes of commoners, becoming a noble's knight was already a great honor.

Once someone became a noble's knight, their entire family could receive tax exemptions or reductions within the noble's territory. Thus, becoming a knight at a noble's side was the dream of countless commoner children.

For Yagesi to become a knight at the age of sixteen or seventeen, aside from arduous training, he must also have possessed considerable talent.

"You have a fire-element constitution?"

Merlin continued asking, because he could sense fire elements from the surroundings continuously flowing toward Yagesi.

"Yes, Young Master Merlin. I have a fire-element constitution, but if I had not met Lord Baron, I would have starved to death long ago. Lord Baron once said that a knight must be loyal, righteous, brave, and self-sacrificing. I will follow under Lord Baron for my entire life and become his knight. This is also my first time carrying out a mission. Young Master Merlin, rest assured—even if we encounter bandits, I will definitely protect your safety."

Yagesi's tone was solemn and utterly sincere. Merlin could sense that these were Yagesi's true thoughts.

Seeing the sincerity on Yagesi's face, Merlin nodded slightly. Then he lowered the curtain and withdrew back into the carriage.

"Protect me?"

Merlin could not help shaking his head. His current physical condition was already basically comparable to the peak of a Level One Elemental Swordsman. On top of that, he was a mysterious and powerful Spellcaster. What need did he have for anyone's protection?

However, this also reflected Old Wilson's methods from another angle. Every one of the knights under him was exceedingly loyal to Old Wilson.

This made Merlin vigilant. Old Wilson was no ordinary man, exceedingly shrewd. If Merlin met Old Wilson in the territory, he could not say too much. He had to be cautious, lest he reveal a flaw.

Merlin only watched the scenery outside the city for a while before losing interest. He then lay on his side in the carriage and began meditating on his mental power.

*****

"Young Master Merlin, we've reached the territory."

Merlin did not know how much time had passed before he woke from meditation.

"We're here?"

Merlin opened the curtain and found that dusk had already arrived, the sky gradually darkening. At the end of a rugged path stood an enormous castle—the castle within Old Wilson's territory.

The castle looked extremely ancient. Its pointed domes rose overhead, the bricks in its walls had blackened, and one section of the surrounding wall had clearly been rebuilt.

Merlin jumped down from the carriage and walked forward on foot. Several knights guarded him from all sides. Even though they had reached the territory, they did not relax their vigilance.

"Halt! Who are you?"

The moment they approached the castle, four guards blocked the road.

One of the knights beside Merlin hurried forward and said, "This is Young Master Merlin. He has come to the territory on important business with Lord Baron."

"Young Master Merlin?"

The guards looked doubtful. They had never seen Merlin, though they had heard that Baron Wilson had a son named Merlin.

"Young Master Merlin, please wait a moment. We will summon Commander Pula to verify your identity."

The guards did not allow Merlin into the castle, instead sending someone inside to find Commander Pula.

Merlin frowned. It was not because being stopped displeased him, but because the castle guards were far too cautious. Had something happened at the castle for its defenses to be so tight?

"I'll ask in detail once Pula arrives."

Merlin had already sensed that something might have happened at the castle recently, but he would have to wait until Pula arrived to learn the truth.

After waiting a while, Pula finally appeared. He strode over and shouted sharply, "Move aside! He is Young Master Merlin. Look carefully now and remember him well! If Young Master Merlin comes again in the future, you are not to stop him!"

Commander Pula harshly reprimanded the guards, then led Merlin into the castle.

As they walked, Merlin asked, "Uncle Pula, did something happen in the territory? Why are the defenses so strict?"

Pula hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Not long ago, a large band of bandits was discovered around the territory. For safety's sake, the entire territory has entered a wartime state, so the defenses are extremely tight."

Merlin was somewhat surprised. He had not encountered a single bandit on the way here and had thought the territory had not been troubled by bandits. He had not expected the situation to have become so grave.