After lying in bed for a while, Simon flipped over and got out of bed.
Outside the courtyard wall, beyond the bedroom, faint shouts could be heard. It sounded like someone was gathering a crowd, and the area seemed very lively.
Simon knew that his father had recently been leading the guard to capture and hunt down escaped criminals in the territory.
A group of criminals, who had appeared from who knew where, had robbed and killed more than ten residents in the past few days, causing panic throughout the entire territory.
Knight Auden was ordered to take his guard and search everywhere.
Pushing open the bedroom door, Simon stepped out into a small gray courtyard with a small pond. It looked a bit desolate, with green weeds growing haphazardly in clumps.
Two guards who had been talking by the pond outside quickly walked over and bowed respectfully when they saw Simon emerge.
These were two members of Baron Valentine's guard, both burly, tall middle-aged men.
"Young Master Arthur, you're awake?" a Bearded Man guard rumbled, his voice deep. He wore heavy yellow full leather armor and carried a huge axe on his back, giving him an exceptionally formidable appearance.
The other man was leaner, wearing only half-body leather armor, but his eyes were calm, and he looked very agile; a cross-sword hung at his waist.
Simon's gaze swept over the cross-sword's blade, seeing residual dark red bloodstains on it. His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Did Uncle Auden send you?" Simon asked.
"Yes, after we escort you back to the castle, we must immediately return to the guard. Time might be tight, so let's go now," the thinner man said in a deep voice.
Simon nodded.
"It looks like there's intelligence on that group of criminals, then?"
The thinner man nodded.
"Their temporary stronghold was discovered this morning. Captain has already led our brothers to surround them."
"Alright, I'll go change first."
Simon returned to his room to change out of his pajamas, then came out and left the temporary resting place with the two men.
This dwelling was only a lodging point for their Family when they occasionally visited the town; it wasn't well-equipped and naturally unsuitable for recuperation.
Leaving the dwelling, outside was a bustling street. Everyone wore dusty linen clothes, making the entire street look dirty.
Some vendors were loudly hawking their wares on the street. There were fruit stalls, wooden toy stalls, and vegetable stalls. Women with baskets on their arms moved back and forth between the stalls.
As Simon walked out of the dwelling's courtyard gate, he immediately noticed the difference between himself and the people around him.
Unlike everyone on the street, he wasn't wearing gray clothes. He was wearing black. But then he understood.
In this world, apart from nobles, all commoners could only wear gray; colored clothes were exclusively for nobles. This was a privilege. If anyone dared to defy it, they could very likely be directly sentenced to death. The nature of the offense was extremely serious. And even among nobles, some colors were reserved for specific Ranks.
The three walked and talked casually. Simon noticed that when pedestrians saw him, they would respectfully bow slightly, their faces showing awe. This made him feel like a lion walking among sheep.
"What's wrong? Young Master Arthur, are you a bit unaccustomed?" the thinner man chuckled.
After some conversation, Simon also learned their names. The thinner man was Carter, originally an adventurer living nearby, who was later recruited into the guard, which was quite fortunate. Adventurers were practically synonymous with unemployed vagrants in real life, holding very low status. Joining the guard was like joining the public security bureau on Earth; not only did their status greatly increase, but they also received a series of benefits.
The strong one was Milo, a native resident of Baron Valentine's territory. He was considered exceptionally gifted, with great strength.
Before Simon could reply, Carter chuckled to himself, "Yes, Candon City is much bigger than here." He casually picked up a tomato from a roadside stall, took a big bite, ignoring the stall owner's somewhat displeased expression.
Simon frowned slightly, remaining silent.
It was evident from this act of taking things without paying that the Family's guard was likely infamous and arrogant in the territory.
However, his former self was no different.
The three chatted casually, and soon left the small town along the street. Outside the town's fence, a black carriage waited by the roadside. The coachman saw the three approaching, quickly got off, and waited aside.
The three got into the carriage. Carter drove, and they headed directly towards the main road.
It took a full twenty minutes to reach their destination along the road, which was the Valentine Family's stronghold—Kyle Castle.
Carefully getting out of the carriage, Simon looked up at the castle ahead.
Amidst a green forest, a building resembling a manor from his previous life appeared before him.
Kyle Castle was surrounded by a moat. Calling it a castle was less accurate than calling it a small city enclosed by high walls.
The gray earth fort didn't look as formal as Simon had imagined a castle to be. It was at most the height of a five-story building. In front of the gate, lowered over the moat, two guards with iron swords on their backs stood, looking over with curiosity.
The afternoon sunset painted the entire earth fort red. An unknown floral scent wafted from somewhere.
Simon took a deep breath. It was almost evening, and the temperature had cooled down a bit.
"Is Old Ward here?" he murmured.
Carter, at his side, nodded, "He is. Since we've arrived, we'll head back now."
Simon nodded, watching the two turn and drive the carriage back. They soon disappeared on the main road. Only then did he lift his foot and walk towards the earth fort.
A white-haired old man in a black robe was coming out of the earth fort to greet him, accompanied by several maids and guards behind him.
"Ward, I'm back," Simon said loudly, quickening his pace.
Ward was the butler under Baron Caius, specifically responsible for managing the general affairs of the territory. He had served the Valentine Family for decades, and it was said that even his father, Baron Caius, was raised under his care.
"I told Baron a long time ago to just let Sir Auden teach Young Master, but Baron just wouldn't listen. Now Young Master is injured. If only he had listened to me earlier…" The somewhat thin old man began to grumble as he approached.
Simon walked into the earth fort with the group, a habitual smile on his face.
After a while of complaining, Ward suddenly stopped talking.
"By the way, Young Master, this time when you come back, don't go out again. Just study with Sir Auden."
"Is that Father's wish?"
"Yes. The situation has been very unstable recently, and we are worried about you living alone outside. Moreover, you suffered such a great injustice this time, even Viscount Candon must give us an explanation," Ward's tone held a hint of ferocity.
"I don't mind," Simon nodded.
The two, along with two maids, entered the earth fort's main hall.
Two young girls in white dresses were waiting there. Seeing Ward enter with Simon, both girls carefully curtsied to Simon, lifting their skirts.
"Brother Arthur."
"Silia and Maggie," Simon's memories quickly recalled who these two were.
One was Arthur's half-sister, Silia, and the other was Maggie, the daughter of a distant relative whose Family had fallen into decline and had come to seek refuge with the Valentine Family. Both were younger than Arthur, so they called him brother.
Because Arthur held a high Rank in the Family, children of their status were very cautious around him.
After all, there were many people of their status in the castle who were not valued by the Baron. Silia's status was slightly better; she received a certain monthly allowance and had dedicated staff for household chores, similar to the head maid's Rank.
Maggie, however, was much lower in Rank. In the castle, her parents had to work for the Baron to earn a certain salary to make a living, essentially being slightly higher-ranked house servants. There were many such dependent relatives in the castle, and they were hardly worth mentioning.
"It's been a long time since I last saw you," Simon smiled. He used to have a good relationship with both of them because they were considered quite attractive in the castle, so he would occasionally look after his two younger sisters when he encountered them. This made the two girls think they had found a backer, and naturally, they were happy to be close to Arthur.
"We heard you were injured, so we specifically waited here. Are you feeling better?" Maggie said proactively. Her voice was very tender. The thirteen-year-old girl had already developed quite maturely. Her curvaceous figure, somewhat charming face, slender waist, and prominent chest made Simon's gaze linger on her for a moment.
Maggie seemed to feel Simon's gaze, her face slightly flushed, but she deliberately puffed out her chest, allowing Simon to look her over. On her face, she feigned not noticing.
In contrast, Silia on the side was somewhat overly shy and far less developed than Maggie. She was more like a tender fawn, timidly glancing at Arthur, her hands clasped together at her abdomen, looking a bit restless. Compared to Maggie, she possessed a pure kind of beauty.
Originally, when Simon returned to the castle, it was unlikely that only they would be there to greet him. These two probably had some schemes, knowing to come out and wait for him in advance to show their close relationship with Simon in the eyes of others. Of course, this might also be due to guidance from their parents behind them.
Simon nodded.
"I'm much better. My two sisters don't need to worry." He casually chatted with the two girls for a few moments.
Ward, who had been standing by, quietly left to attend to other matters.
Led by the two girls, Simon entered the inner hall. After receiving respectful greetings from most of the people in the castle, he finally had time for a complete rest.
He returned to his private bedroom.
Simon then let out a deep sigh.
In the bedroom, besides the bed, there was a writing desk with a goose-yellow parchment spread on it, a quill pen casually placed beside an ink bottle, and a mountain-shaped candlestick flickering with pale yellow light, emitting a faint scent of wax.
Simon pulled out the chair at the writing desk, sat down, and scanned the parchment.