Simon didn't know how much time passed, but he was woken up again by a shouting sound.
Opening his eyes, Simon slowly pushed himself up from the bed. The white silk quilt slid off him.
"Didn't I just sleep like this?" Simon rubbed his eyes, he clearly remembered giving the quilt to Cecilia in the corner.
Suddenly, a small hand reached over from his left side.
Simon looked over.
Cecilia, the little girl, was actually lying on her side to his left, her small body curled up, sleeping soundly.
At this point, Simon noticed that his socks and outer clothes had been removed.
"It was probably this little girl who did it," Simon guessed, almost certain.
He had met Cecilia on a hunting trip, on a hillside.
At that time, Cecilia was herding sheep on the hillside. She was noticed by Arthur, and at the Baron's instruction, was sent over as a gift for Arthur returning from Candon City.
This little girl's family was just ordinary farmers, so Cecilia was very sensible. She was also very clear about her situation. If she could be favored by Young Master Arthur, her parents would receive safer protection and better welfare. And she wasn't the only child in her family; she also had an older brother and a younger sister. So she willingly entered the castle to become Arthur's gift.
Simon knew all these details from Arthur's memories. So he also guessed that it was Cecilia who helped him take off his outer clothes and socks.
In the early morning, bright rays of light streamed in through the window. The air was a bit cool.
Outside, the uniform sounds of the guard's morning drill came in.
Simon sat up and got out of bed. He immediately looked at his lower body with some embarrassment. The pants between his legs were straight and bulged out significantly. It was clear that this body had almost fully recovered. This was a sign of vigorous energy.
Perhaps Simon's movement when getting out of bed was a bit loud.
Little Cecilia over there also rubbed her eyes and got up. From her angle, she just happened to see the large bulge in Simon's lower body.
Cecilia's cheeks flushed slightly, and she sat half-perched on the bed, somewhat at a loss.
"Young Master Arthur, how should I serve you?" she asked softly.
Simon looked at the cute and beautiful fifteen-year-old girl on the bed saying such words, and his blood immediately boiled, his head got hot, and he almost couldn't resist pouncing on her.
"Can you do basic chores? If so, hurry up and get me water to wash up," he said in a low voice, suppressing the fire within him.
"Yes, yes."
Perhaps his expression scared the girl; her face turned slightly pale, and she got out of bed with some panic, scurrying to open the door and rush out of the bedroom.
Only then did Simon relax his body a little.
Although Cecilia was a gift from his father, for such a young girl, from his conscience and moral perspective, it was really hard to make a move.
And most importantly, such a thing was too early for him now. He was only fourteen years old; premature exposure to this aspect could easily lead to innate deficiencies and make his body even weaker.
So, even though she could become an object for him to enjoy at will at any time, Simon still restrained himself under the suppression of his rationality.
After Cecilia left, Simon's strong impulses also subsided.
He was too tired yesterday and hadn't washed up, which made Simon, who used to wash his face and feet every day before sleeping, feel very uncomfortable.
"It seems like people only wash up once a day here. Water sources are far less convenient than before, so it's impossible to waste it like that. What a hassle."
He walked to the open window and leaned out to look down.
In front of the forest outside, on an open space, a team of black soldiers was running in formation. They wore heavy black iron full body armor, carried large cross-swords on their backs, each as wide as a palm. They were doing their morning drill. Fine yellow dust splattered from where they ran.
"Eleven!!"
A leading soldier shouted.
"Eleven!!" Everyone shouted, though somewhat unevenly, but their voices were loud. Among them were crisp bird calls.
Simon suddenly felt a very refreshing sensation. The last bit of sleepiness quickly faded.
"Now it's time to consider how to strengthen my physical fitness," Simon rubbed his chin, looking at the soldiers below, and began to ponder alone.
"I remember the Chip's abilities are twofold: analysis and memory storage. Analysis requires a large amount of data to yield a relatively solid result, just like yesterday's assessment of my father's and Knight Auden's physical fitness, which wasn't precise. It was just a rough range. And it can only collect information through my senses. Storage, on the other hand, can act as a database for the analysis ability, collecting a large amount of data and information, existing only as something like a hard drive. It doesn't mean I gain the memory just by storing it. This requires a process, a process of inputting from the Chip to the brain's memory area."
Simon was thoughtful.
"If I want to improve my physical fitness, then the only and best method is exercise, and the Chip's analysis ability should be able to help me correct my exercise methods and determine the most suitable exercise routine for my body."
After a while, Cecilia brought a silver basin and a towel. After washing up, he instructed her to stay in the room obediently.
Only then did Simon leave the room, following the spiral staircase downwards.
The morning light was not yet very bright, and as he walked down, holding the wooden handrail, the entire stairwell still seemed a bit dim.
Walking down from the fourth floor, there was a small window at each turn of the staircase.
As Simon came down, he saw a maid laboriously opening these windows one by one for ventilation.
"Young Master Arthur, good morning," the maid greeted respectfully when she saw Simon.
The sounds of the guard's morning drill from outside drifted in through the windows.
Simon glanced at the maid. She was just a young, delicate girl, no older than twenty. All the maids in this castle were personally selected by the Baron; ugly ones were not chosen, nor were disobedient ones, so they were quite pleasing to the eye.
"What guard unit is doing morning drills outside?" Simon asked.
"It's Lord Anvil's cavalry," the maid replied respectfully.
"Lord Anvil?"
"Lord Anvil is Lord Auden's first adjutant. It's understandable that you don't know him, Young Master; he was only recently recruited into the castle," the maid whispered.
"Oh, I see," Simon nodded, said no more, and continued downwards.
Leaving the residential area led to a spacious open ground.
The entire castle was built in a circle, enclosed by a ring of connected buildings. The center was the activity area.
Beams of morning sunlight just streamed through the gaps in the surrounding buildings. Golden rays of light, like pillars, fell on the four sides of the area.
The activity area was a grayish-white place, similar to a schoolyard.
Many boys and girls, neither too young nor too old, were already doing basic exercises there. Most of these children wore gray and white clothes, and sparse grunts and shouts occasionally rang out.
The boys wielded wooden swords, vigorously performing basic movements like downward chops and upward slashes. The girls, on the other hand, uniformly practiced with small wooden shortbows, constantly shooting arrows at targets dozens of meters away.
At the edge stood a burly male figure.
Simon looked over at a glance; it was a middle-aged man wearing a grayish-white top and black pants. He was very burly and strong, only slightly less so than Knight Auden. He stood with his arms crossed, quietly watching the children practice in the field, exuding a calm and steady demeanor.
When Simon saw him, the man also saw Simon walking out.
The man raised his hand and waved at him.
"Hey hey!!" The man shouted loudly, "Everyone stop for a moment! Come over here!"
The children who were practicing turned to look at him, and a boy next to the man still gave a final fierce sword chop, creating a whooshing sound. This immediately attracted the attention of several girls who were looking over. A hint of a smug smile appeared on his face.
"I said! Stop! Gerold, didn't you hear?" The middle-aged man's face darkened.
"Yes, yes, yes, dear Lord Arnold," the boy replied perfunctorily, lowered the wooden sword in his hand, and gathered lazily.
When everyone had gathered.
Simon also walked in front of the man, said nothing, and stood to the side.
"Starting today, we're adding a new member," Arnold clapped his hands a few times, making a crisp sound. "Young Master Arthur. He just returned from Candon City. Everyone should have seen him, right? During yesterday's welcoming."
No one spoke; most of the boys looked indifferent, while the girls looked at Simon with a bit of curiosity.
The atmosphere was a bit awkward for a moment.
Simon frowned. He wasn't here for morning drills to waste time on introductions.
"Lord Arnold-"
"Just call me Arnold," the middle-aged man said humbly.
Simon nodded. "Okay, Arnold, if there's nothing else, don't delay everyone's practice time. I was injured not long ago and want to restart with some basic recovery exercises. Would you mind demonstrating them for me individually?"
Arnold was slightly taken aback. Basic exercise methods had been specifically taught both when Arthur was in the castle and when he went to Candon. These were the most basic things; did he really need a demonstration again?
"He doesn't even know how to do basic exercises..." Someone whispered.
"Don't talk nonsense!"
Most of the children immediately showed expressions of disdain. In this era, strength was revered, and self-improvement was what people admired and respected most. Those who showed no ambition were often looked down upon.
A group of eyes focused on Simon. As if looking at some rare animal, Simon tried to keep his face still, but focused his attention on Arnold. If his memory hadn't been blurry, if the original Arthur hadn't been a good-for-nothing who only knew how to enjoy himself, how could he, Simon, have fallen into such an awkward situation!
"Arnold, can you?" Simon emphasized again.
"Yes, yes," Arnold hesitated for a moment, but still nodded. "However, I can only teach you the basics. If you wish to learn and train further, Lord Auden's and the Baron's sword fighting experience should be able to be passed on to you."
That being said, everyone knew that combat strength, in this era, was not something that could be gained purely through instruction. In the surrounding rumors, it had never been heard that one could become strong just by being taught.