Abe the Wizard

Chapter 8 Astonishing Decision

Perhaps due to his previous experience as a fitness instructor, Abel quickly mastered the various combat actions of the knight and was already able to execute them with precision and speed. What he lacked now was only proficiency and his own strength.

After half a year of relentless training in the family's heritage of archery, equestrian skills, spear charges, sword and shield techniques, and large shield skills, Abel had mastered them all. This made his elder brother Zack very resentful of the unfairness of it all. It took him several years to master these skills, while their father, Knight Bennett, always seemed to have a pensive look, giving Abel the feeling that something was about to happen.

During these six months, Abel had not used the master-level "Qi Condensing Potion." Since learning about the importance of the knight's heritage from his father, he had decided to first learn the family's knightly heritage before finding an opportunity to take the master-level potion. Unexpectedly, without using any medication, just half a year later, Abel had become a level 2 squire.

At dinner, as soon as Abel sat down, he noticed that something was amiss. His mother, Nala, had slightly swollen eyes, while his father, Knight Bennett, seemed very determined. Before preparing to eat, Knight Bennett stood up and said to Abel, "My son Abel, you are the most talented child I have ever seen. The gods have given you both wisdom and bravery, yet the Bennett family is unable to cultivate you. This is a loss for the Bennett family and a blasphemy against the gods."

Knight Bennett glanced at his wife and then at his two sons, speaking in a low voice, "I have already made an agreement with my good friend, Knight Marshall Harry. In the coming years, Abel will study under Knight Marshall. If he is satisfied, his unicorn emblem will be passed on to you."

Abel was familiar with Knight Marshall Harry; he was Knight Bennett's best brother, comrade-in-arms, and brother. They had fought together in the war against the orcs, risking their lives together and returning home together.

Unlike Knight Bennett, Knight Marshall Harry did not have any children. His wife had lost her life in an accident, and Knight Marshall never remarried, choosing to stay in his castle where his wife was buried. Furthermore, there were no heirs to his knight's fief.

This was a painful decision for Knight Bennett. It was not just about Abel Bennett changing his name to Abel Harry, but rather his son truly leaving their family, representing another family and carrying their emblem on his clothes, armor, and flag.

Arranging for the talented second son, Abel, had always been a headache for Knight Bennett. He had considered many options, including seeking help from Nala's merchant father, Keith, who they had lost contact with for a long time. However, considering that Keith did not have the means to cultivate a knight and that he was far away in the Corral Principality, this idea was put to rest.

Knight Bennett, whose full name was Cessy Bennett, was known as Bennett because, in this plain, the Bennett family was the only one living here. Two hundred years ago, Knight Bennett's ancestor had been awarded a baronial title for his military achievements, along with a piece of land, which is the current Bennett knight's fief known as the Bennett Baronial Fief.

The main line of the Bennett family lived inside the capital city of Kamae Principality. Sending Abel there meant that he could potentially become a knight, but he would also become a bodyguard for one of the legitimate heirs of the Bennett family. Knight Bennett did not want his second son to sacrifice his freedom or even his life for someone else. He also did not want to be ridiculed for losing his baronial title. He had already decided that only when the Bennett knight's fief upgraded to the Bennett Baronial Fief would he visit the main line, which was his pride and would not allow anyone to trample on it.

Knight Marshall Harry was different from Knight Bennett. The Harry family was a well-known noble family within the Kamae capital city. Knight Marshall Harry had earned merits in battle and, with the help of his family, obtained a knight's fief. Due to their relationship, the fief was chosen to be 300 miles away from the Bennett knight's fief, which became the Harry knight's fief and also featured a new castle.

The Harry family's heritage was excellent, having produced senior knights in the past. Their philosophy and the Bennett family's were different, but Knight Bennett never denied the excellence of the Harry family's heritage.

Knight Marshall Harry had mentioned several times that he wanted to adopt a son as his heir, but finding such a suitable child was not easy. Non-noble children were not considered, and noble children had their own missions. For example, if a noble had three sons, the eldest had the inheritance right, but in this world, a duel, a conflict, or even an illness could claim the life of the eldest, thereby passing the inheritance right to the second son. This was the way of inheritance for nobles. No one would complain about having more children, it was just a matter of investing different amounts of gold in their education.

Abel was a genius, of that Knight Bennett was certain. His experiences and knowledge were extensive, and he knew how exceptional his second son was. In order not to hinder Abel's growth, he had made this painful decision. The Bennett family would lose a potentially very powerful knight, all because of gold.

The atmosphere at dinner was very somber. Several times, Zack dropped his beef from his fork onto his plate. Normally, Knight Bennett would reprimand his elder son for such disrespectful behavior, but today Knight Bennett sat there expressionless, eating his food slowly. Nala ate very little and spent most of the time in tears.

After dinner, the servants came to clear the table, and Knight Bennett called Abel alone to his study.

The study served as a place to store important letters and documents, and it was usually off-limits to others. This was Abel's first time entering, and the study was very spacious. On the white wall facing the door hung portraits of the castle's owners from past generations, while the other walls were lined with bookshelves filled with books of various sizes and colors.

In the center of the study was a huge desk made of a single block of wood, and the naturally worn surface exuded a sense of history. This was the core of the knight's fief, where all commands were issued.

Knight Bennett pulled out a large oak box from beside the desk. The box was adorned with deer hide around the edges, and at the top of the arched lid was a red copper handle, while one side of the lid had a deer hide latch.

Opening the latch, Knight Bennett opened the oak box, revealing a set of equipment neatly arranged inside.

He took out a piece of leather armor from the box, a half-body leather armor with small square iron plates embedded in the front and back, along with white iron shoulder guards folded from the shoulders to the elbows. This was a studded leather armor, a type of armor that fell between chain mail and leather armor. It was cheaper than chain mail, yet offered better protection than regular padded or leather armor. "This leather armor is a war trophy I obtained from killing a blazing bull in the war with the orcs. I had the army's armorer make it," Knight Bennett said as he took out the lower half of the studded leather armor, a pair of leather pants with white iron knee guards.

"This is a light longsword, these are calf-skin boots, and these are gloves. I don't have anything too precious to give you, my son."

Looking at the set of equipment in the box, Abel's eyes couldn't help but glisten. He recognized this set of equipment; it was his father's spare equipment. A knight could not have only one set of equipment, as armor could be damaged in battle, and during the time it was sent for repairs, the spare equipment was the guarantee of the knight's safety.

Without hesitation or refusal, Abel took the oak box handed to him by his father. The box was very heavy, the most precious gift a father could give his son.

When he returned to his room with the oak box, his mother was already waiting for him. Her gift was very simple, consisting entirely of clothes: innerwear, outerwear, knight training attire, and formal wear. She did not cry this time, only holding Abel's hand and slowly talking to him about how to interact with people outside the castle, saying a lot. It was a quiet night, with the oil lamps in the castle's study, Zack's room, and Abel's room burning all night long.