After the wound on his head healed, and since he had already agreed with Elder Master Holland to attend the Empire Royal Mage Academy, Brand arranged for Catherine to learn Knight Skills before his departure.
Months passed, and Catherine had now reached a rather impressive level. However, looking at Catherine in her Heavy Armor, Brand felt it would be better to change her position from Maid to Guard someday. After all, a soft and gentle girl was always preferable for a Maid. Furthermore, once he returned home, Brand wanted to go back to his leisurely and lazy days. As a person with a promising future, Catherine would have to work hard on her Knight Cultivation on a daily basis and wouldn’t have much time to accompany him, wandering around as a Maid.
Unaware of her impending career change, Catherine ran over with an excited expression as soon as she saw Brand. She had always harbored immense affection for her master, who carried a series of labels such as "Merciful Young Master," "Lifesaver," and "Elegant Noble." Having not seen him for several months, Catherine was incredibly thrilled.
Brand, on the other hand, was much calmer. He was already considering which Maid at home could take Catherine’s place.
"Young Master, the carriage is ready. The merchant caravan has also assembled at the South Gate. The ones leading the group this time are Eldest Young Master Yelsen and Guard Captain Anderson." Running up to Brand, she was slightly puzzled to see him empty-handed, but she still dutifully explained the situation.
"Let’s go," Brand said.
He rubbed Catherine’s head—which she had obediently offered after taking off her helmet—then walked toward the carriage with his hands behind his back.
***
"Brand! It’s been so long since I last saw you!"
"Yelsen! Are you trying to strangle me to death?"
At the South Gate of the Imperial Capital, the tall and strapping Yelsen, who was a full head taller than Brand, gave him a bear hug with a broad smile. It was supposed to be a touching scene of brotherly affection, but Brand regretfully stated that he couldn’t bear the weight of Yelsen’s Iron Armor.
The past Yelsen would never have been so amiable to Brand. After all, back then, Brand had only brought disgrace to the Holland family. But things were different now. Visit novelping.com for the full chapter.
Brand’s reputation as a Mage genius had already spread within a small circle. A few days ago, Viscount Holland received a letter about Brand from a friend in the Imperial Capital. Upon reading its contents, Viscount Holland was utterly shocked. At first, it was hard for him to believe that phrases like "super genius," "once-in-a-century," and "fought over by mentors" were used to describe his ignorant and incompetent second son. However, after verifying it through multiple sources, he confirmed that the news was completely true.
Brand was now a promising young man.
Elder Master Holland was in a delightful mood after learning this news, but as the Patriarch, he rationally assessed the situation. The final conclusion he reached was clear: the escort Power for bringing Brand home needed to be upgraded.
Originally, Elder Master Holland’s arrangement was for Brand to return with the family’s merchant caravan. The caravan was equipped with two Middle Knights and dozens of Junior Knights as the primary Guards. Judging from past situations, this was more than enough. After all, constrained by the Empire Noble Council system, even if other nobles truly wanted to harm Brand, they would not take action personally. At most, they would secretly issue bounties. With the strength of the caravan Guards, protecting Brand was more than sufficient.
But now, Elder Master Holland keenly felt that the escort Power needed a significant boost. Compared to the past, Brand’s "value" had noticeably increased.
With this in mind, Elder Master Holland waved his hand and dispatched Guard Captain Anderson, the second strongest expert in the family who had already reached the peak of a Senior Knight.
At the same time, Yelsen, who trained diligently at home every day, volunteered to tag along after learning that his younger brother had uncharacteristically brought glory to the family. Besides expressing his "approval" to Brand, he also had a "trivial matter" to discuss with him.
Not long ago, Yelsen accidentally heard that Elder Master Holland intended to arrange a marriage between Brand and the legitimate daughter of the Romine family. Upon hearing this, Yelsen felt that for the sake of sacred love, it was necessary to build a good relationship with Brand. Various signs indicated that the Holland family and the Romine family were already showing signs of a marriage alliance. Before the specific parties for the marriage were finalized, as long as Brand expressed his "personal wish" to refuse the marriage with the Romine family’s legitimate daughter, and Yelsen could simultaneously display enough "excellent qualities" to gain the Romine family’s approval, he would have the chance to marry Lady Romine!
Brand was quite clear about Yelsen’s thoughts. It was already a well-known fact that Yelsen liked the legitimate daughter of the Romine family. Although Brand only considered her an ordinary friend and had no intention of developing a more intimate relationship, he was not prepared to state his position on the matter. Yelsen’s love was one-sided; the girl actually liked Brand. Caught between the two of them, Brand’s best choice was to remain silent. Around him, similar love triangles were all too common! He had no intention of getting himself into endless trouble, so it was better to let them resolve this matter themselves.
After greeting the caravan members, Brand lazily returned to his carriage. Since he had woken up early today, he planned to sleep a little longer.
However, just as he was about to lie down and close his eyes, Brand keenly felt a gaze staring straight at his face. Because his Spiritual Power far exceeded that of an ordinary person, he could sharply detect the gazes of others. Turning his head slightly, Brand found the source—Catherine.
Seeing her looking as if she wanted to say something but was hesitating, Brand said helplessly, "Spit it out if you have something to say. It’s only been a few months, why have you become so hesitant?" Enjoying the story? Read on at NovelPing.
Upon hearing Brand’s complaint, Catherine began to quietly explain a problem that had been troubling her lately.
Her Armor was getting a bit too small.
Since Catherine was now under Brand’s name, her daily expenses were independently covered by him. Her current set of equipment was specially purchased by Brand before he left for school. However, Brand was slightly puzzled by Catherine’s trouble.
"Can’t you just find a Blacksmith to adjust the size?"
In fact, to ensure that Catherine could smoothly carry out her Knight Cultivation, a tenth of Brand’s monthly allowance was handed directly to her. So, for things like adjusting the size of her Armor, Catherine could totally just take some Magic Gold Coins and go straight to a Blacksmith.
But Catherine said softly, "Over the past few months, I’ve gone to Sister Copper Hammer at the territory’s blacksmith shop many times. Not long ago, Sister Copper Hammer told me to let you know that at my current growth rate, it won’t be long before this Armor becomes completely unsuitable, no matter how exquisite her skills are."
Hearing this, Brand became curious. "Take off your shoes. Let’s compare our heights."
Catherine obediently took off her metal boots, stood up, and straightened her back. Brand stood up alongside her. The two were of a similar age, both in the middle of their growing years. Upon comparison, Brand was surprised to find that Catherine, who was slightly shorter than him just a few months ago, had now grown slightly taller than him. It should be noted that Brand’s height had also increased over these past few months.
Brand wondered, "Could it be a side effect of the bloodline?"
He wasn’t very sure.