Abe the Wizard

Chapter 10 Setting Out

It was a chilly morning in early December, and Benett Castle was bustling with activity. The servants were busy cleaning the carriages, feeding the two draft horses with soybeans, and adorning them with sky-blue decorations. The squires were busy maintaining their weapons, cleaning their leather armor, and grooming the noble steeds of the Benett knights, fitting them with splendid saddles.

When Abel and his servants brought out his luggage from the room, a procession consisting of six halberdiers and a modest but immaculate carriage was already waiting in front of the castle. The halberdiers were clad in uniform sky-blue cloth armor, wearing mid-calf leather boots and sky-blue cloth caps. They wielded three-meter-long halberds, the only true military equipment among their attire. The front two halberdiers carried banners emblazoned with the Benett family's thorn shield emblem.

The carriage, adorned simply in sky-blue curtains and door drapes, reflected the primary color of the thorn shield emblem, as did the attire of everyone in the formal assembly at the castle.

Sir Benett, mounted on his warhorse, emerged from the castle, followed by his tearful wife, Nara, and his older brother supporting her. Sir Benett appeared solemn, his shining silver-white armor reflecting glints of cold light under the morning sun. His head was bare, with his helmet, shield, and broadsword hanging on one side of the saddle. His hair was tied back into a simple ponytail, swaying in the chilly wind.

The outermost shield hanging on the saddle bore the sky-blue thorn shield emblem, complementing the sky-blue scabbard of the broadsword.

Nara remained silent, as if she had said all she needed to the night before, gazing at Abel as if he were the most precious treasure in the world.

Zack, Abel's older brother, knew that one day Abel would leave the castle—it was tradition, and no one would defy it. Zack had always cared for and protected his only younger brother, but he hadn't expected that day to come so soon. Walking up to Abel, Zack embraced him tightly, his powerful grip exerting even pressure that Abel, who was now as strong as him, struggled to handle.

"Remember to come back whenever you have time. This is your home," Zack said, his usual verbosity absent. Just this affectionate sentence almost made Abel, who was already composed, lose control.

The winter morning sun didn't provide much warmth, and the wind was strong. The flags bearing the family's thorn shield emblem in the procession rattled loudly. Instead of riding in the carriage, Abel rode his nearly three-year-old draft horse in the middle of the procession. The iron-plated armor gifted by his father was too large for him, so he wore a sheepskin-lined leather armor and carried a light longsword on his back—this gift was practically useless for him, now being a fourth-level knight.

Looking back at his mother Nara and his brother Zack seeing the caravan off in front of the castle, Abel quickly turned his head forward, fearing that looking back again would make his tears uncontrollable.

There weren't many people in the departing caravan, as some retainers and guards were left behind. Only six halberdiers, one coachman, Sir Benett, and Abel made up the nine-person group. Norman, who had accompanied Abel to the town of Lisle last time, stayed behind to protect the castle as the second strongest in the fiefdom.

It should be noted that not just anyone can become a squire to a knight, the lowest-ranking nobility. Loyalty, reliability, strength, and a non-menial background are important criteria.

Similar to Norman in the Benett family, he had followed the knight bravely into battle, and after his loyalty was acknowledged, he was chosen to inherit the family's warrior secrets, making him an official warrior and elevating him from a common guard to a squire with a status higher than that of ordinary civilians.

Many wandering knights aspire to become a squire to a landed knight. This illustrates the significance of being a squire. After pledging their loyalty, the knight is responsible for all the squire's expenses, including weapons, armor, and the squire's family's welfare. Therefore, both the squire and the knight must carefully consider each other, as the squire might save or harm the knight in the next battle.

The caravan traveled for a full six hours, resting only for half an hour at noon and continuously moving the rest of the time. No one dared to disturb a noble caravan led by a knight, and even the fierce beasts sensed the dormant volcano in Sir Benett, avoiding the caravan.

This was the farthest Abel had ever been from home, both in his eleven years of memory and his two years since arriving in this world. As it was winter, the scenery along the road didn't captivate him, with only some evergreen plants dotting the gloomy land.

Fortunately, there was no snow. While the dirt road had some dust from the people and horses walking on it, it was much better than the mud after rain or snow. Abel had heard that in the bustling areas, roads were paved with large stones, reminding him of concrete roads on Earth.

Abel thought that if concrete could be produced, these roads could be hardened like those stone-paved roads. He patted his head, reminding himself not to dwell on these inventions and creations, as lacking strength would harm both himself and his family, just like the castle's abandoned water diversion system.

As a person educated in modern times, Abel clearly felt that his thinking was much more active than the young man in his memory, and even more so than when he was on Earth. This was also the reason he rapidly mastered knightly skills, as well as other noble etiquette and cultural knowledge, which he could easily learn and remember. Sometimes he couldn't help but wonder if this was a bodily benefit brought about by his transmigration.

The road ahead transitioned from a dirt road to a gravel road, and the surface became much smoother. Sir Benett turned back and pointed at the road ahead, telling Abel, "This is the characteristic of Knight Marshall—he is very particular. He demands the best of everything. If it weren't for the fact that this area is a plain without large mountains to quarry huge stones, he would have made this road a giant stone road."

Observing his father, Sir Benett, in his polished and shining armor, the custom-made sky-blue decorations for the horses, the new equipment on the halberdiers, Abel couldn't help but want to say, "Father, if you had money, you would be even more particular than Knight Marshall."