Chapter 2 2

Chapter 2

Nicholas looked at his family with a depressive expression. For nearly ten minutes, his mother, Akira, had been scolding him while his father, Henry, kept giving him stern looks. It was clear Henry wanted to say something, but he hadn't found an opportunity because of Akira. Even as Akira lectured him incessantly, Nicholas showed no signs of rebellion. After all these years, he had found his mother once again, and even if she was scolding him, every word she said sounded like music to his ears. When Nicholas's semi-depressive expression slowly turned into satisfaction, Akira frowned. "I’m talking to you! You’re still not taking me seriously!" she said harshly and stopped talking. Just as Henry finally thought it was his turn to speak, Nicholas began to speak.

"I know I’m right not to be trusted, but is it normal for you to try to dissuade me now that I’ve made a decision? As my youngest aunt said, I drank some wine last night, but my words are not due to drunkenness. I am speaking what is in my heart. I have made my decision, and you will definitely notice the change," said Nicholas. Henry felt unhappy that his speech had been interrupted, but upon hearing what Nicholas said, he was glad that he hadn't spoken. Alvaro looked at Nicholas, who was sitting next to him, and could see the determination in his words. "If you are so sure of yourself, how about becoming my apprentice?" said Alvaro. Henry was still under the influence of Nicholas's words, but when he heard Alvaro's offer, he immediately frowned and objected. "No, that’s impossible! I cannot allow you to take him as an apprentice just because he is my son. You have been looking for a suitable apprentice for over 20 years, and now you cannot take this good-for-nothing scoundrel as your apprentice for the sake of our friendship."

Henry's words hurt Nicholas as his son, but he did not feel offended; he agreed with his father. There wasn't a single thing he hadn't done by the age of 16; he had lost his virginity just two years ago, he went to gamble a few times every week, and he secretly visited the brothel every month. He held the highest position in the Fei Clan territories, and sometimes he would harass the young ladies of other clans living in the Fei Clan territories. It would take hours just to count the things he had done. There was no doubt that he was talented, but even in his father's eyes, his character was completely evil. As Nicholas bowed his head, Akira felt sad, but she also knew that what Henry said was true. Alvaro sighed and began to speak. "You misunderstood my intention, Henry. My goal is not to show favoritism to your son. On the contrary, it is to have a talented apprentice. Nicholas has many flaws in his character, but I have observed him a lot. I watched the sword training you forced him to do, and I can say with peace of mind that it is not that difficult for Nicholas to take my position as the Sword Saint. He could even surpass me in just 5 years," said Alvaro. Henry knew Alvaro; he had a humble personality, but he would never belittle his identity as a Sword Saint, so Henry was astonished when he finished his sentence. He wondered what Alvaro saw that he couldn't.

Nicholas turned his head and looked at Alvaro. Even now, he remembered the sentences he had said to him in his previous life. When he met Alvaro in the mountains and Alvaro offered to have him as his apprentice, Nicholas had initially refused. He thought he was saying it just to help him, but Alvaro had told him this: "It is true that I am helping you, but I am doing it because you deserve it. I watched all the sword training your father forced you to do from the age of 7 to 12. When I watched your first training session, I was amazed by your harmony with the sword. That day, I wanted to take you as my apprentice, but I could not have been the first to offer this to your father, so I waited for your father to tell me, but that day never came. Now that we have been brought together by fate, I had to ask."

Sword Saint Alvaro was also a Master Knight. He was one of the strongest knights in the Fei Clan. His position in the Fei Clan was Guest Master. Sometimes he would teach the youth of the clan, but the only reason he was in the clan was his close friendship with Henry. He would leave the clan for a few months a year and then return. He was one of the well-known masters in the continent and was extremely talented. He was one of the few people who increased the prestige of the Fei Clan and blocked the hostile plans of their neighbors.

In his previous life, Nicholas had been Sword Saint Alvaro's apprentice for 3 years, and he had taught Nicholas everything he knew. Had that tragic accident not happened, Sword Saint Alvaro would have handed over the title of Sword Saint to Nicholas a few months later, but that day never came. One of the biggest wounds in Nicholas's heart was that he had caused Alvaro's life, and in this life, he would never let that happen.

"I won't let you get hurt this time, Master!" Nicholas clenched his fist under the table and swore with determination. Everyone else at the table was looking at Alvaro, especially Henry, whose eyes had lit up once again. "But it won't be easy to deal with this scoundrel. You will have a lot of headaches after becoming his Master," Henry warned. Alvaro smiled. "After entering sword training, his character will be trained along with his body," Alvaro replied to Henry. Henry nodded. "Then take him and do whatever you want with him! If he comes to me crying, I will break his bones," Henry completely handed Nicholas over to Alvaro.

Alvaro looked at Nicholas with a smile. Nicholas stood up, pushed his chair back, knelt on one knee, put his hand on his knee, and bowed his head. "Master..." he said respectfully. Alvaro smiled and stroked his smooth chin. Henry nodded in approval. Akira let out a sigh of relief; for the first time in years, she felt her son was growing up. As Leila smiled, Marisa giggled and said, "My God, my eyes are not deceiving me, are they? My naughty nephew wants to be a Sword Saint?" Marisa was half-mocking, but there wasn't the slightest doubt in her heart.

Nicholas was undoubtedly the greatest genius the Fei Clan had ever seen to this day, extremely talented not only in swords but also in other cold metal weapons. Marisa had taught Nicholas how to use a spear in his childhood, and if she were older, she would definitely have wanted to take Nicholas as an apprentice like Alvaro, but as a young woman, she thought being a master would make her look old, so she never voiced this.

Leila gave Marisa a stern look; Marisa giggled and fell silent. Meanwhile, Alvaro smiled, pushed his chair back, and stood up. He turned to Nicholas, drew his sword from its scabbard, held it in the air, and said, "I, Sword Saint Baron Alvaro De Grade, accept you as my apprentice and grant you the title of knight." Becoming a knight was not something passed from father to son. Titles could only be granted by persons holding the rank of Baron or higher. Henry was a Count, but the title did not belong to him personally. It was a title granted to the Fei Clan, and the Clan Leader would carry this title; it did not pass from father to son, but from Clan Leader to Clan Leader.

Henry could have declared his son a Knight if he had wanted to, but he knew it would be an injustice to real knights. The title of Knight could only be earned, and it was common for Masters to grant the title of Knight to their apprentices. Unlike Henry, Sword Saint Alvaro De Grade personally held the title of Baron. A portion of the Fei Clan's lands was under his administration, and this title was not granted to him by Henry but by the Fai Kingdom, which ruled many duchies, unions, and clans, including the area the Fei Clan held.

While the lowest rank was Knight, the highest rank was Duke. After the Duke came the Count, after the Count came the Viscount, and then came the Baron. After the Barony came the rank of Knighthood. Persons holding the title of Knight managed a small piece of land in the lands of persons titled Baron and made their living from that region. The size of these lands varied, and sometimes a Baron would house more than ten thousand Knights in his lands. Barons lived in lands owned by Viscounts, paid taxes to Viscounts from the lands several barons lived on and made their living from, and provided soldiers if necessary. Viscounts lived in lands owned by Counts and, just as the Barons gave to them, they gave taxes and soldiers to the Counts.

Counts lived in lands owned by Dukes, and a similar situation occurred. Dukes paid taxes to the Kingdom, so the land was always worked, the people made their living, and taxes were collected from bottom to top, and everyone made their living this way. The Fei Clan had a special place in this system.

The Fei Clan was not a Duchy but a County, but it only paid taxes to the Kingdom from the lands it owned, and in the eyes of the Kingdom, it held a status equal to a Duke. The main reason for this was the kinship between the Fei Clan and the Fai Clan. The title of Duke had not been granted because the Fai Kingdom did not want the Fei Clan to grow too much, but because they did not grant this title, the Fei Clan was treated like a Duchy.

Apart from these titles, there were two different titles that were not included in the ranking. The first of these was Principality. To hold the title of Prince, in addition to coming from royal blood, it was necessary to come from a non-existent kingdom. It was a title usually granted as a result of the loyalty of members of the royal family who fled their destroyed kingdom to the kingdom they took refuge in.

The other title was Grand Duke. Only Empires had the right to grant the title of Grand Duke, and a Grand Duke had the right to manage a large part of the Empire's lands. Even by Empires, this title was not granted to anyone without thought, because while this title held great importance, if the person who possessed it was not loyal, it could even cause the destruction of the Empire.