Victor Landragon

Later in the afternoon, Arthur was hugged by a young man. Black-haired, green eyes, he looked like Arthur himself, except the man was a bit older, sadder and much weaker.

[Name - Victor Landragon | Class - Level 5 [Beginner] Knight

HP - 60 / 60

Attributes:

Strength – 4 | Agility – 2 | Vitality – 6 |

Status - Healthy

Skills - Beginner Swordsmanship (34), Horsemanship (35), Spear Mastery (15), Strategy (10), Leadership (5), Etiquette (20),...]

Knight Skills - Heavy Vertical Strike (13)]

Victor Landragon.

He was Arthur's older brother, much less talented compared to John. He, too, trained in the knighthood path. He had eventually reached the beginner knight realm thanks to the family's breathing technique and nutritious food, but he was only decent. He was not a genius like John, who was likely to become an intermediate knight by the time he reached 30.

"Victor...It has been a long time", Arthur spoke

Victor nodded: "I knew you would survive...you were always fierce in spite of what everyone else said...Tell me what happened! To think that Father would say all kind of good things about you...You can tell how shocked I am!"

Arthur smiled: "As you might have heard, I have become the family's Head Wizard. This means that my status are equal to that of Father. I have become an intermediate rank acolyte in the Ivory Tower, and made powerful connections to the Bellford, Fallister, Fireborn and Sylvester Houses. Although some are quite far away from our territory, this will help us greatly trade-wise. It will also make us more famous in the Porfield Kingdom. For noble Houses, fame is a great tool to use, and Father is not called Guardian of the South just because he fights well. He will make use of it brilliantly, I am sure"

Victor smiled: "This is amazing...If only I had magical talent, I might have become like you. But that's enough of my complaints. You are the hero, now, but it must not have been easy. The Ivory Tower is an infamous hell, and there must have been many difficult moments. Did you make friends there?"

Arthur shook his head: "I have subordinates there...We were a great team, and I can't wait to return there. However, I have the duty to help Count Elderwood in the incoming war opposing him and Baron Lark"

Victor smiled: "You did meet a girl, I can see that"

Arthur shook his head: "Two of my friends are indeed female, highborn and talented. I don't know which one will accept me as their husband though. It must be said that I am not very kind with my enemies...It's not a charming trait unfortunately"

"Haha! You never change, do you?", Victor spoke, "John and I are already engaged to our future wife. John is expected to marry Elise Elderwood, a beauty among beauties. Father made me propose to the old Bearclaw Lady, a 60-years-old widow with some plots of land adjacent to our territory. You can tell how happy I am to sell my body and future in exchange for a plot of land"

Arthur's eyes became colder: "I am sorry for your sacrifice, but the old Bearclaw Lady is an infamous strategist. I wouldn't be so down if I were you. I am more worried about John...Did you say he was about to marry an Elderwood?"

Victor nodded: "Is it a problem? John will surely be the next Landragon Viscount, so the Count secured him with his most beautiful daughter Elise. The Count only has three daughters. So John is quite the lucky man"

Arthur suddenly felt like he had seen part of John's psycopath nature: 'What were you thinking, John...accepting a plan that would cast the downfall of your betrothed's family? No wonder my father has some reservations against him inheriting the household. Perhaps it is why he has accepted me as Head Wizard without a second thought...If only he knew of my affiliations with the Black Widow Brotherhood and the atrocities we commited...'

Arthur's serious face was suddenly replaced by a charming attitude.

"Tell me more about the four past years. You must have seen a lot. Did you travel while John was away?", Arthur asked

"Actually, I did. Since John was at the Royal Knight Academy, he didn't have the time to attend noble gatherings. I have seen my fair share of old Barons, and this is also the place where I acquainted myself with my future wife. The Bearclaw household is not that bad, too. Marrying into our family will provide the old lady with a legacy, and the Landragon fief will have access to very fertile farmlands, which will lessen the consequences of Black Winters", he spoke

And thus began a long conversation where Victor explained his grief, sadness to Arthur. The poor man didn't have it easy. Always being compared to John, a terrifying genius with psycopath issues, Victor had resisted depression by training hard. This iron will allowed him to become a knight.

If not for Victor, Arthur would not have survived the Ivory Tower. It was Victor who had taught him the knight breathing technique and forced him to train in the knight path in spite of everyone discarding him for a nobody. He had become decent with a sword, and if not for this, Arthur would not have walked the path of Body Refinement, that made him unmatched in close battle in the Ivory Tower.

In a way, Arthur had been saved by Victor.

This time, Arthur had the opportunity to repay the favour.

"Listen, Victor. I will tell you a secret"

"What is it?", the young heir asked with interest

"The incoming war will not go as expected. Father will not participate in the war. This means that us three brothers will fight alongside each other, against hundreds of soldiers, dozens of knights, as well as acolytes from the Lark Household. There is also no telling whether other Houses will join Baron Lark under the promise of magical items", Arthur spoke

Victor's eyes widened: "I won't ask you why...But, isn't it a terrible thing for Count Elderwood and by extension, us?"

Arthur smiled: "No, it isn't a terrible thing. It is an opportunity to accumulate achievements, earn fame and strengthen our position in the Porfield Kingdom's South. Without Father's heavy infantry legion, we will not put the territory at risk either. However, dying won't be right. You are not strong enough. Come with me and I will train you. Don't tell this to anyone though, since in the eyes of others, I am a wizard who can't wield a sword"

Victor followed Arthur in the training room: "Arthur, I know that you are decent with a sword, but you went to a magical academy while I have put blood and sweat into my knight training...I respect you, but you have to respect my training tooo-"

However, before Victor could finish his sentence, Arthur drew his enchanted sword and cut through the air, which made a whistling sound that shocked Victor.

He could not follow the blade's path.

"Power is the essence of our swordsmanship, but neither Father nor our ancestor were slow to begin with. It's just that they were overwhelmingly strong too. Do not forget to train your agility. Come, we will spar daily in the few coming months. I will tell you your flaws, and you will meditate on them until you correct them. It won't make you an intermediate rank knight. Only time and proper use of the family's breathing technique can do this. However, training with me will make you stronger. Now, come at me with the intent to kill", Arthur shouted

[New Mission Received]

[Victor's Training - Mission

You have accepted the challenge of training Victor, a decent swordsman who has not had the chance to prove himself.

Task - Raise Victor's swordsmanship to [Intermediate] rank

Rewards - 1500 EXP, 5 Skill Proficiency Points

Victor's rewards - 2000 EXP]

There were only 20 knights affiliated to the Landragon Household. Among them, there were only 3 Intermediate Knights: the City Guard Captain Jake Hale, Viscount Frederick Landragon, and the Heavy Infantry Legion Captain Roman Landragon (Arthur's uncle). Below them, John was the strongest.

Hence, Level 6 knights were part of the strongest human beings in the territory. This is why Arthur spared Tony earlier, and why he wanted to train Victor.

Training him would make him level up, and although he wouldn't catch up to John, he would still become an elite beginner knight. On a battlefield, this was an asset that could not be looked down on.