Abe the Wizard

Chapter 7 Father's Guidance

Dinner time at Bennett Castle was always punctual, set for 8 o'clock in the evening. With several knights in the household, the dinner menu remained consistent: beef, wheat porridge, and mashed potatoes.

Due to economic constraints, the beef was not seasoned with spices. The cost of spices was exorbitant, affordable only to the wealthy nobility. These spices were transported from the distant Elven territories of the Twin Moons Forest, marked up by both the elves and human merchants, making the prices astonishingly high for the common folk.

After the quiet and cozy dinner, Abel was preparing to return to his room. Having spent the day in the town of Leeport, engaged in a battle and then traveling for two hours, he wanted to freshen up in his room.

While the castle was well-appointed, the convenience of personal hygiene was lacking. Abel, still unaccustomed to the sanitary habits there, had to devise his own water supply system.

Bennett Castle was built atop an underground spring, much like many other castles in this world. Without a separate water source, a castle was essentially a death trap. If surrounded by enemies, it would spell the castle's demise. Therefore, castle construction depended on the abundance of spring water. It was said that the underground spring in the Duke's castle could supply water for several thousand people.

The underground spring at Bennett Castle had a considerable water output, sufficient for the livelihood of hundreds of people. Including the retainers, guards, and their families, the castle housed fewer than a hundred individuals, making the spring water supply more than adequate.

Abel enlisted the castle's carpenter to construct a waterwheel powered by the falling water. This mechanism directly transported spring water to a large wooden water tank located high in the castle, connected to the rooms via processed bamboo pipes. While copper pipes had been considered, their cost was prohibitive. Moreover, without a local source of iron ore, the castle lacked its own blacksmith for such work. Thus, Abel settled on bamboo pipes, which, when heated, could be bent and became sturdier and more durable.

Within the rooms, wooden tubs for bathing and washbasins for washing were crafted. Even a flush toilet was constructed, giving Abel a semblance of modern living.

In this world, wood was not expensive unless it was a particularly rare timber. As long as one had the strength, they could fell trees freely. All the trees within a hundred-mile radius of Bennett Knight's fiefdom were privately owned. The carpenters' wages were not substantial either. They were individuals who relied on the castle for their livelihood. During times of no carpentry work, they would labor in the fields. Only when carpentry was needed would they set aside their agricultural tasks.

As a result, all the rooms in the castle were eventually transformed into Abel's design. The castle's carpenters were also bound by a confidentiality agreement signed by the Bennett Knights—without the master's permission, they were not to help anyone replicate this system.

The wooden castle water supply system was meticulously documented and preserved in the family's secret chamber, serving as a legacy of the noble family. The Bennett Knight understood very well that while the equipment was safe for their own use, if it were to be divulged, it could bring disaster to the family. The affluent nobles would hoard this technology into their own families and eliminate all who knew about it. The Bennett Knight had witnessed too many such occurrences.

Following this event, Abel refrained from inventing anything further. Without the necessary strength, creating inventions was dangerous for both the family and himself. This world had existed for countless years, and historical records revealed a persistent lack of change. What kind of force was maintaining stability in this world? Unlike Earth, where under such social structures, new systems could emerge within a few hundred years, this world had operated according to unchanging rules for tens of thousands of years.

"Abel, stay behind with Zack," called the father, Bennett Knight, as Abel was about to retire to his room. "You are already a Level 1 Squire and can stay to hear my teachings."

In the castle's training room, a wooden dummy had been prepared by the squires, and the Bennett Knight retrieved a wooden sword from the weapon rack against the wall. He fixed his gaze on Abel's face and said, "I've heard of your performance: a junior squire level, successfully killing a Shadow Panther with Norman's assistance. I am greatly impressed."

"In my journey, I have encountered numerous geniuses. They may have had higher aptitude, greater strength, and faster speed than me, but most did not live to my age. Do you know why?" The Bennett Knight's expression was unusually severe, and he spoke more than usual, leaving Abel surprised at his father's uncharacteristic verbosity.

"That's because the strongest shield of a knight is the fastest sword. A knight on horseback can charge, and dismount to draw a strong bow. Some of these geniuses trained themselves to be the fastest, while others trained their strength to be the greatest. However, as someone from a complete, inherited knighthood lineage, I can make myself not the fastest or the strongest, but within the fastest, I am the strongest, and within the strongest, I am the fastest. Before them, I am the most resilient against attacks."

The Bennett Knight exclaimed fervently, "Because our ancestors have given us the most complete knightly heritage, and our family has passed down these legacies intact to my hands and will pass them onto yours in the future. Legacy is more precious than gold, more valuable than precious weaponry and armor."

The Bennett Knight handed the wooden sword to Zack and instructed, "Zack, demonstrate to your younger brother the true ways of a knight's offense."

As Zack took the wooden sword in hand, his demeanor changed. Like a ferocious beast, he stared fiercely at the wooden dummy before him. In a fluid motion, he transitioned from a defensive stance to a charging attack, swiftly thrusting the wooden sword forward. In a moment, the wooden dummy was struck down. While the dummy hung in mid-air, Zack's sword had struck its legs, waist, and throat in rapid succession, seamlessly executed like a textbook example of a knight's standard moves.

"You can be even faster," the father's demands were always stringent. Zach, usually cheerful, was now serious and nodded in acknowledgment.

"Did you see that? This is a typical knightly attack. First, charge to break the enemy's defense, then swiftly finish the fight with a fast sword. Every combat action of a knight has been perfected over thousands of years. Our task is to execute these actions flawlessly, without need for modification. These combat actions of a knight have been summarized and perfected by countless knight predecessors using their blood and lives."

At this point, the Bennett Knight seemed to recall something and, with a hint of disdain, said, "There are always so-called geniuses who want to change these combat actions. Those geniuses I encountered didn't survive."

"What you must do is make these combat actions become instinctive to your body, let your body remember them, and make your actions faster than you think at any time."

It was only now that Abel awakened from his pride in killing the Shadow Panther earlier in the day. His cleverness was utterly useless against true knights, like his elder brother Zack, who received formal training as a squire.

In the days that followed, Abel practiced knightly combat actions during the day, donned the iron armor to train muscle strength in the evening, and practiced knightly breathing techniques before bed.

Moreover, the portion of beef at dinner every night had significantly increased. Abel now received as much beef as his elder brother each night. In the silent household, Abel felt as though his father had made a significant decision.