Chapter 5: Breakup! The Path of the Strong!

The baron also wore a dark expression, but he didn't stop what was happening.

With resentment and hatred, Yuri's once delicate face twisted as he thrust his knight's sword forward with force. As he neared his target, a faint smile played at his lips. 

"Die! You worthless thing. Even if I kill you, Father won't blame me," he thought. "Dare to steal my spotlight? You have to die." At this moment, Yuri saw Ge'an as a primary rival, even more than his elder brother Nezer, in the competition for the barony's succession. Before today, he hadn't taken his 'worthless' brother seriously.

Just as everyone expected to witness a tragedy, Ge'an suddenly turned around, twirling his wooden sword at high speed. Like a spiral, it knocked Yuri's knight's sword aside. Before Yuri could react, Ge'an's knee crashed into his stomach.

"Good thing I have Keen Sense, and heard Yuri draw his sword," Ge'an thought coldly. "Otherwise, he would've succeeded in his ambush. It would have been fatal or at least left me badly hurt." His gaze turned icy, like that of an executioner who'd been killing for a decade.

"That's Nahl's Spiral Slash!" Layne recognized Ge'an's move, and his heart pounded in shock. "A knight's squire mastering two great knight skills—that's unheard of!"

"Aahh!" Yuri let out a pained scream as his sword slipped from his hand, clattering to the floor. His body curled up like a shrimp and flew backward, landing on the ground with a thud.

Ge'an didn't stop there. His eyes hardened as he twirled the hilt of his wooden sword in his hand, reversing it so the tip pointed down. He drove it toward Yuri's throat in a flash.

Though the wooden sword wasn't as sharp as steel, combined with great force, it could still pierce a vulnerable throat.

"No!" Yuri's pupils shrank in terror as he sensed death looming, forgetting to resist. Despair and fear flooded his body, leaving him cold from head to toe.

"Stop!" came an enraged shout from behind.

It was the voice of his father, the baron. Ge'an's face was unmoved, and his hand didn't hesitate. The wooden sword continued its descent toward Yuri's throat.

Just five inches from Yuri's throat, the sound of something slicing through the air filled the hall.

A loud *crack* rang out as Ge'an's wooden sword snapped in half. Its momentum still carried it down but slightly off target, driving into the floor next to Yuri's neck.

The baron had thrown a dagger just in time!

With a *clang*, the dagger struck the floor. Yuri's face went ashen, his pupils unfocused as endless terror overwhelmed him. A tremor overtook him, and the unmistakable scent of urine seeped from his clothes.

He was scared stiff.

Ge'an slowly raised his head, meeting the baron's furious gaze. A wave of irritation and disappointment stirred in his heart.

"Ge'an, what are you doing? That's your older brother! How could you go so far?"

The baron, Marion, stormed over, nearly roaring, his eyes filled with disapproval and disgust toward Ge'an.

Ge'an straightened, meeting his father's eyes—the neglectful, dismissive, disdainful lord of Sunset Keep.

"Was he treating me as his brother when he tried to ambush me?" Ge'an asked calmly, locking eyes with his father.

"You…" The baron's anger flared, his right hand gripping his sword's hilt as if to draw it, but he stopped himself.

Unfazed, Ge'an pulled out his knight's sword, pointing it directly at his father, finally ready to test himself against a senior knight.

The two stood locked in a tense face-off.

"Marion, that's enough!" Nahl and Layne approached them.

Layne patted Ge'an's shoulder, his face grim.

Nahl turned to the surrounding crowd, saying, "Everyone else, leave immediately."

The spectators at Sunset Keep gradually filed out, leaving only the Stark family, Layne, and Nahl in the vast hall.

"Ge'an, put your sword down too," Nahl said with a calming tone as he stepped closer, gesturing for Ge'an to sheathe his weapon. "The knight's sword is meant for enemies, Ge'an. Remember that."

With a swish, Ge'an slowly slid his sword back into its scabbard. His face was cold as he replied, "Anyone who draws their sword on me is an enemy."

"Yuri, you're lucky today. If it weren't for Father and the others, you'd be dead!"

With that, Ge'an turned and walked away, a fierce determination rising within him. He yearned to become stronger—a knight, a great knight, perhaps even a legendary one. This family held no warmth for him. Only Nahl and Layne had earned his respect and trust.

With that thought, he headed back to his room and started packing.

He grabbed six bottles of beast blood stored under his bed—each from second-tier creatures he hadn't used yet. Then he went to a corner chest and took his stash of coins, about thirty pieces in total. He also picked up his English longbow, a reliable weapon he'd used to take down over a thousand wild animals in three months, along with sixty arrows.

He slung a large pack over his shoulder, collected some dried fish and bread from the kitchen, and left.

In ten days, there would be a ceremony to confer knighthood upon the top knight squires, attended by Duke Carl of the Kingdom of Wikia. His goal was to meet the standard by then, regardless of the split with his father. His path was clear: he would become a great knight.

…

In the hall, Layne's face darkened as he looked at Marion, his eyes full of anger. "Marion, from today onward, Grey Stone Keep is no longer allied with Sunset Keep. We stand alone!"

With a huff, Layne stormed off. Touching Ge'an was his limit and principle, even if Marion was a friend and former comrade-in-arms.

Nahl's eyes glistened as he spoke hoarsely, "Lord Baron, I am resigning as the steward of Sunset Keep. Protecting Master Ge'an is my duty above all."

"In my heart, Master Ge'an matters more than the Stark family itself," he added. "I cannot remain, my lord. Farewell!"

Marion was left dumbfounded, watching these two old friends and brothers walk away. He shouted after them, "Are you two truly willing to sever ties with me for Lillian's son?"

Layne and Nahl turned to him, their eyes blazing.

"Lillian chose you back then—she was blind."

"Ge'an is not to be harmed. As for the bond between us, it ends here. Goodbye, my friend, my comrade."

With that, Layne walked away.

Nahl quietly packed his things, preparing to follow Ge'an and protect him from the shadows.

...

Meanwhile, just outside the castle, Ge'an's heightened Keen Sense allowed him to hear everything from the hall. His heart swelled with gratitude for Layne and Nahl.

He'd also learned his mother's name—Lillian—but that was all.

But he had no time to linger. He had to enter the snowy wilderness and hunt second-tier beasts.

…

Half an hour later, Ge'an reached the depths of the snowy forest south of Jivadine. Near a large tree, he drew his longbow, silently peeking out from cover to target a creature seventy meters away.

With a quiet twang, the arrow sailed gracefully, striking a swift hare through the neck.

"Nice," he thought, pleased with his progress in archery.

He'd even used a challenging arc shot this time to avoid detection by the hare.

Minutes later, Ge'an collected its blood and found a dry cave, lighting a small fire to roast the meat.

With his increased stamina, he devoured half of the hare, packed the rest, and started the extraction process.

"System, extract!" he commanded, placing his hand over the blood bottle.

"Extraction successful. Strength +0.1, Agility +0.1. No new talents obtained."