Chapter 0002: The Middle Name

As Oldington prepared to step out, an unexpected surge of anger welled up within him, a feeling belonging to the original owner. It was directed at the cadet knight who had spoken ill of him, a person with whom the original owner had always been at odds.

"Cliff!"

Oldington turned around, gritting his teeth as he called out the other man's name. However, he did not continue with threats; the anger from the original owner had been swiftly suppressed, and he showed Cliff a meaningful smile.

Without further hesitation, he left the castle.

Cliff, along with the other cadet knights and servants in the dining hall, were left baffled, wondering why Oldington had smiled. According to the usual routine, while they wouldn't come to blows, a few choice words and threats were an indispensable part of the interaction.

Oldington's Yarrow family was a baron in the Empire, as was Cliff's family, the Thorn Spear. Young men vying for dominance was quite normal. Cliff had become a cadet knight at the age of fifteen, giving him a reason to look down on Oldington, who had only been promoted at sixteen, especially since he was jealous of Oldington's middle name.

Oldington Yarrow.The naming convention in Lafa Continent separates the name from the surname.The name can be anything, but it must maintain a certain "letter" consistency with the names of other family members, usually the first letter. For example, Durandon and Duric, father and son, both start with the letter "D", and Duric also has a brother, Dunster, whose name also starts with "D".The surname, on the other hand, is unique to the noble families, often named after their fiefdoms, weapons, or flowers, etc. The Stone family's surname originates from their fiefdom of Greyrock Mountain, Oldington's surname Yarrow is a flower, and Cliff's surname Thorn Spear is a weapon, all chosen when their ancestors became nobles.

In addition, Lafa Continent has a very rare middle name, representing the bloodline heritage.

This is a magical and fantastical world with magic and martial arts. Human knights, after training, blend their blood with that of mythical beasts, and the strong can leave behind powerful bloodlines. If a descendant awakens to the bloodline, they can receive a middle name representing that bloodline. If three generations fail to awaken, the middle name must be deleted.

Oldington's great-grandfather had awakened to the bloodline, receiving the middle name "Lun". "Lun" came from the dragon knight Lungetre the Thunderbolt of yore. The details of his life are unknown, but his blood contained the "Power of Thunder", which, when combined with martial arts, would greatly enhance the impact and speed of the martial arts and carry a hint of thunder.

Oldington's great-grandfather relied on the Power of Thunder to accompany the King of the Golden Rose Dynasty in his campaigns, eventually rising from a common imperial knight to the highest honor of an imperial baron.

However, neither Oldington's grandfather nor his father, Orenol Lun Yarrow, who were both trained as mythical knights, were able to awaken the bloodline. If Oldington could not awaken the bloodline either, it would mean three generations without an awakening, and when he had a son, he would not be able to include the middle name "Lun" in his name.

In reality, the middle name does not confer much substantial benefit.However, the middle name represents the dignity of one's ancestors, and such nobles are seen as true bloodline nobles by the public. No matter how powerful other noble families are, they are no more than nouveau riche. This is one of the reasons why Cliff was envious of Oldington and targeted him; when Cliff was promoted, even Duke Durandon did not offer a word of congratulation.

Duke, the full title is "Earl of the Feudal Domain".The title of Duke is named as an Earl, but in fact it belongs to the level of a Marquess, with the domain being a semi-independent state rather than a fief. The true Earl title only has fiefs, without a state. No matter how highly autonomous the fief is, there is an essential difference from a state.

Moreover, a Duke can grant the title of Earl within his domain, although it is rare for Dukes to do so; most of the time, they grant the title of Baron.

Count, Marquess, Duke, Earl, Baron.To be strict, in the various empires and kingdoms of Lafa Continent, the true titles are only two: Earl and Baron. Dukes and Marquesses are semi-independent states, and the Count is a temporary noble title granted to the heir of a Marquess or Earl while the father is still alive.

Knights also belong to the nobility, but they are not hereditary and are more a recognition of strength.

"I feel there might be some difficulty in awakening the Power of Thunder," Oldington thought to himself as he walked out of the castle. "In my memory, my great-grandfather had anomalies when he was young, his body sometimes bursting with electric sparks, which is why he awakened the bloodline."

His soul was no longer that of a youth, so he had no need to quarrel with Cliff, a hothead. Instead, he was concerned about his future prospects and the trepidation he felt at facing the body's biological father.

"Master!" The guard captain, One-Eyed Parker, a burly man who looked like a giant, called out in a deep voice, having been waiting for Oldington.

He was clad in fine chain mail, carrying a shield and a sword, exuding a formidable aura.

"Master!" Behind One-Eyed Parker, three young men in leather armor bowed together, all of them saluting Oldington. They were Oldington's guards.

However, One-Eyed Parker was an elite warrior, while the other three were only ordinary warriors. Warriors do not train in martial arts, but have their own form of cultivation. But these four guards could also be called as escort knights, serving as Oldington's attendants. When Oldington goes into battle, they will also accompany him, providing comprehensive services for Oldington, including guarding, taking off armor, carrying weapons, feeding horses, washing clothes, and cooking, etc.

"Where there's a will, there's a way," Oldington thought as he patted the horse he had some resistance to, "Red Bean."

It was a ten-year-old chestnut stallion with the blood of a magical beast. It had been given to Oldington by his father when he went to Grey Iron Castle to serve as a squire and begin his knight's training, living with him for seven years at Grey Iron Castle.

As is the sensitivity of animals, Red Bean felt a sense of unfamiliarity with Oldington, but after being stroked by Oldington, it settled down.

Riding onto the horse, Oldington said calmly, "Parker, let's go home!"

"Yes, Master!" One-Eyed Parker mounted his own horse.

The other three warriors also mounted their steeds, one of whom was carrying the yarrow flag belonging to Oldington. The four riders raced out of the outer castle gates like a streak of lightning.

"Oldington, please convey my regards to Baron Hongye," Duke Duric, riding on a large thorn beast, nodded to Oldington with a knightly salute from atop the beast.

"Thank you for your guidance, sir. I will pass on your regards to my father."

"Go, young man, enjoy this period of leave. When you return to Grey Iron Castle, battles will be around every corner. The Greyrock Mountains and the Golden Danube Plains await our hooves."

Oldington stroked his left chest with his right hand and said in a resounding voice, "Always ready!"

With that, he tapped his riding boots against the belly of his horse, and Red Bean neighed as it took off, racing quickly. The flag with the golden border and red maple leaves fluttered in the wind, disappearing into the dust in a flash.

PS: The noble title system in the world of this book is based on the feudal title system of the Holy Roman Empire, not the British title system.