The knight's team quickly reached the earthen fort in the night.
They passed through the drawbridge, which had already been lowered, and entered the fort.
Simon watched the team fully enter Kyle Castle before slowly sitting back down.
He had a general understanding of this father through Arthur's memories.
Although externally considered a cruel lord, he was an exceptionally loving father to Arthur.
He often spoke harshly but never once brought himself to hit Arthur.
"According to custom, I should go greet Father at this time." Simon was just about to get up when a knock sounded at the bedroom door.
"Young Master Arthur, Baron Caius would like you to come over," the maid Maggie's voice came from outside the door.
"Alright, I'll be right there!" Simon called out loudly.
He quickly stood up and opened the door.
The maid Maggie was standing outside, holding a candelabra.
Simon followed Maggie through the corridor, down the spiral staircase, and onto the second-floor landing.
At the end of the landing, a room door was ajar, with a faint light peeking through the crack.
Maggie bowed respectfully.
"Young Master, I'll wait for you here."
Simon nodded and strode over.
As he got closer, the Baron's low voice gradually grew louder.
"...No one in the Valentine Territory dares to defy me. These exiles must have come from outside." Simon only heard the latter half of the conversation.
Another familiar, hoarse voice came from inside.
It was Knight Auden.
"That's not necessarily true. Judging by the exiles' attire, they should have come from the Saladin Empire to the east. Their weapons and clothing style are similar to those from there, and their fighting style is very disciplined, not at all like common vagrants. I suspect this is related to that incident four years ago."
"From the Valentine Territory to the Saladin Empire, even the fastest horse from Candon City would take nearly half a year, with large forests in between. This possibility is unlikely. In comparison, I think it's more likely the work of that old man in Candon," the Baron's voice was chilling.
"It must be his last dying struggle."
"This is highly probable. Candon has been pushed too hard by us recently..."
Simon stood outside the door without knocking.
He knew his father and Uncle Auden's abilities; his arrival must have been heard by them long ago.
He just needed to wait outside.
"However, it's also possible they came from that place. Lasga," Auden speculated.
"Lasga? I haven't been there in over ten years. What's that place like now? Is that madwoman Sally still there?"
"She should be. Alright, let's not talk about this for now, Arthur, come in." Knight Auden called out loudly.
Simon responded and pushed open the door.
This was a study, with two bookshelves filled with books lining the walls.
The fireplace's firelight flickered gently in the room.
The Baron and Knight Auden sat around a small low table, with a white cup in front of each of them.
Simon glanced at the cups; they contained a black beverage with a minty aroma.
"Father, Uncle Auden," Simon said respectfully, using the greeting he remembered for them.
These two were among the four strongest individuals in the Valentine Territory.
Although Baron Caius was nominally Auden's lord, their relationship was one of exceptionally close comrades.
Both were top swordsmen who survived the Purple Orchid Battle years ago.
There was no warrior ranking system in this world.
For a warrior, there was only one way to demonstrate their strength: combat!
"Sit down first," the Baron said, pointing to a chair beside him.
Simon nodded and sat down quietly.
"The situation is unstable recently. Saladin is likely to go to war with our Luton Kingdom. We are right near the border between the two sides, on the frontline of the war. 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 began discussing with Auden again.
Simon sat to the side, quietly observing the two.
The Baron, of course, needed no introduction; the impression was already very deep.
Auden, however, was different.
He was a bear of a man.
Just sitting in a chair, he gave off a sense of immense, heavy presence.
His build was easily equivalent to two adult men.
He wore shiny black iron full-body armor.
His bald head gleamed like a light bulb, and a silver earring hung from one ear, making him look exceptionally wild.
"Analyze the combat capabilities of the two based on visual data," Simon issued the command in his mind.
Immediately, a layer of faint data quickly cascaded down one side of his vision, like a waterfall.
The dense, pale blue data was incredibly complex.
Simon knew that in this world, the greatest guarantee was individual combat power.
From Arthur's memories, he understood that only strength could ensure his desires at any time, and only strength could protect him from enemy threats.
So, when he first used the Chip, he chose to detect their combat power.
The Baron and Auden discussed topics without any reservations.
But Simon noticed that the Baron's peripheral vision occasionally fell on him.
Seeing his distracted expression, both the Baron and Auden's eyes flashed with a hint of disappointment.
Presumably, both wanted Simon to truly participate and prepare for inheriting the Valentine Territory in the future.
However, Simon, who was focused on waiting for the analysis results, presented them with a bewildered and distracted appearance, which greatly disappointed the two who had held some expectations for him.
Simon, however, didn't notice their gazes, and soon, the analysis results were out.
"Caius, estimated physical qualities: Strength > 2, Agility > 2, Physique > 2."
"Auden, estimated physical qualities: Strength > 3, Agility ≈ 1, Physique > 3."
Simon's face twitched slightly.
In the data provided, a Strength of one represented the strength range of a normal adult man, compared to Earthlings' physical qualities.
If viewed according to the data...
His father in this life and Knight Auden...
Could completely be called supermen from novels and movies of his previous life.
Their strength was two to three times that of an average person, which didn't just mean their combat power was two to three times higher, but represented formidable strength capable of taking on ten or even dozens of opponents.
Physique was a comprehensive measure of resistance to injury, disease, recovery ability, and stamina.
"Sure enough, this isn't Earth anymore..." Simon was utterly speechless internally.
"Zero, bring up my own physical qualities."
With a whoosh, a translucent, pale blue data sheet appeared before Simon's eyes.
"Arthur Valentine, Physical Qualities:
Strength < 0.3, Agility < 0.4, Physique ≈ 0.7."
"...." Simon had nothing more to say.
Although this body was only fourteen years old, these statistics were truly dismal.
Normally, even a boy of this age on Earth should have a Strength of around 0.5 and Agility of about 1.2.
But Arthur, for some reason, despite receiving knight training in Candon City, was still so weak.
Perhaps it was because he had just been injured and hadn't recovered yet.
Simon thought so.
On the other side, the Baron and Auden had stopped discussing their plans and turned to look at Simon.
"Starting tomorrow, Arthur, you will follow Auden for combat training. Some other children in the castle will also train with you," the Baron said calmly.
"Yes, Father."
"Your Physique has never been very good. I'm having you learn combat techniques more to help you regain a normal person's physical Physique." The Baron looked at Arthur, a hint of worry in his eyes.
Simon also knew very well that if this body truly had good Physique, he wouldn't have died from falling off a horse, allowing him to take over.
"I understand." Simon nodded.
"How is your body recovering now?" Auden asked gently from the side.
"It's fine now, basic training won't be a problem."
"That's good." Auden nodded.
"If you want anything to eat, just tell the head maid Annette. The day before yesterday, we hunted a horned ox, which should be good for your recovery. Alright, you can go rest," the Baron instructed.
Simon stood up, bowed slightly, and then quickly walked out of the study.
Maggie was still waiting at the staircase, holding the candelabra.
In the dark staircase, only Maggie stood there.
Simon strode over.
"Are the castle people not here at this time? Why isn't it lit?"
Maggie shook her head.
"This is the residential area. The castle people should all be gathered at the training grounds and the tavern right now. There are few people here, so not many come this way. So, we don't waste candles."
"Oh." Simon nodded.
From Arthur's memories, he knew that the castle was roughly divided into several areas.
Residential area, activity area, and miscellaneous area.
The activity area included the training grounds and the arena.
The miscellaneous area included the tavern, blacksmith's shop, stables, and so on.
In reality, the total size of the castle was only equivalent to a university on Earth in Simon's previous life.
And the number of people inside was only about two hundred.
Among them, only cavalry and strong swordsmen and spearmen were qualified to live in.
This part of the population was only close to a hundred people.
"Let's go back first." Simon shook his head, no longer dwelling on it.
The two, one after another, returned to Simon's bedroom.
However, as soon as Simon opened the door, he saw a small figure huddled in the corner of the bedroom again.
It was Cecilia, from earlier.
"You damn brat, who told you to enter Young Master Arthur's room without permission!" Maggie, who was a little behind, also saw her and immediately shouted.
The figure in the corner shrank back again.
Simon raised a hand to stop Maggie, who was about to rush in.
"It's alright, forget it, you can go now."
Maggie quickly stopped her movements.
"Yes, Young Master."
With a click, the door closed.
Simon walked to the corner, observing Cecilia, whom his father had sent.
She wore a white, belted dress, revealing two smooth shoulders, with fair and delicate skin and long black hair draped over her shoulders.
If not for the tear stains on her face, she would indeed be a very tender, pure little girl.
Simon, however, was not in the mood.
He grabbed the silk quilt from the bed, tossed it over Cecilia, and then simply collapsed onto the bed himself.
"Hoo..." He let out a deep sigh.
According to the current situation...
My status and circumstances are quite good.
Under the Baron's protection, I don't have to worry about anything.
However, nothing can remain unchanged forever; I must prepare for the unexpected.
This world is not as peaceful as Earth.
Simon's mind raced.
He lay on the bed and slowly drifted into sleep.