Chapter 3: Changes

"I..." Luo Ang didn't know what Gavin was planning, and he didn't want to move at all. His eyes kept darting toward the castle hall, pinning his hopes on his captain of the guard, Auster.

Gavin didn't waste words. He thrust the pig-sticking knife in his hand forward with force, the tip sinking in by a third.

Since the grudge was already set in stone, he didn't care about causing him a little more suffering.

Luo Ang only felt a chill at his waist as the cold blade sank into his body. Terrified, he dared not resist any longer and obediently followed Gavin up to the ramparts.

Gavin’s behavior today was somewhat abnormal. In him, there was no trace of the cowardly boy who used to cower under Zalanda’s wings.

By the time they reached the ramparts, the battle outside the city had reached a fever pitch.

Zalanda led the cavalry, charging and breaking through, weaving back and forth.

It looked as if they were charging into the thick of the enemy, but upon closer inspection, they were only facing the cannon-fodder goblins.

They consistently refused to engage the tall, sturdy, and well-organized hobgoblins, never giving those hobgoblin wolf riders a chance to pin them down.

Thus, while this cavalry unit looked to be in grave danger, they hadn't actually encountered a real crisis.

Furthermore, Gavin knew that this cavalry unit still had an ace up its sleeve that hadn't been used yet—the mages equipped with wands of fireballs. Those were the heavy artillery of the battlefield.

As long as they ensured their retreat route wasn't blocked, they should have no trouble returning safely.

"Auster, what are you trying to do?" Gavin shifted slightly, placing Luo Ang’s fat figure in front of him.

A warrior was sneaking toward him with an agility that belied his bulky frame.

Who else could it be but Auster, the captain of the guard who shared the same mind as Luo Ang?

Seeing his movements exposed, Auster pointed his blood-dripping longsword at Gavin and barked, "Young Master Gavin, you have some nerve, daring to hold the Baron hostage!"

"Hostage? Don't you go slandering me!" Gavin said righteously. "I am merely inviting my dear brother to observe the war situation outside the city."

"If it's an invitation, what is the meaning of the weapon in your hand?" Auster wore an expression that said, *Do you take me for a fool?*

"Weapon? The captain calls this a weapon? Haha... look closely, this is just a child's toy." Gavin waved the weapon in his hand at Auster.

It was clearly a crudely made wooden knife, likely a toy some child had fashioned themselves.

Luo Ang couldn't help but touch his waist. Forget a wound; even his clothes weren't torn. Everything that had just happened was entirely a product of his own imagination.

His fat face filled with disbelief. "Impossible! I clearly saw you holding a pig-sticking knife just now, and you even used that knife to kill two wild wolves... how is that possible..."

"A misunderstanding, it's absolutely a misunderstanding." Gavin denied it flatly. "Look, other than this wooden knife, where is there any pig-sticking knife on me? My dear brother, how could you use such malicious thoughts to speculate about your dear younger brother? How could I possibly hold a knife to you..."

Luo Ang kicked his short legs and ran toward Auster, shouting as he went, "You clearly threatened to kill me just now! Auster, kill him! Kill him..."

At this moment, he was completely dominated by rage.

It was a mix of being played for a fool and the extreme fear that had welled up within him.

It didn't matter if Gavin had held a real knife to him or a fake one just now.

His intent to kill had been real.

If he hadn't done as Gavin said, he would have already become a corpse.

Gavin raised his wooden shield while carefully retreating, shouting, "My dear brother, what are you trying to do? Even if you are the Baron of Knott Castle, you need a reason to kill someone. Is it just because I played a well-intentioned joke on you?"

Facing a fully armed level-five warrior, even with the combat experience of a legendary warrior, Gavin had to be cautious.

This was Faerûn, not Earth.

This place had magic. Even warriors, due to their synchronization with mana, had physical stats far exceeding normal people. Especially those who had unlocked a class template, their bodies were bolstered by magical enhancement.

Five class levels sounded low.

In reality, it already placed one in the ranks of those who transcended the ordinary.

Every class level granted a warrior extraordinary strength and means.

In all of Knott Castle, the person with the highest class level, Nora, only had nine, and Zalanda, who was out there slaughtering the enemy with the cavalry, was only a level-seven warrior.

"Baron..." There was a trace of struggle and hesitation on Auster's face.

It wasn't that he had a conscience, but because of Gavin's status. He was Gavin Knott, a member of the family he served. If he killed him, besides the legal consequences, that female lunatic outside the city would surely tear him to pieces.

"Kill him! I will bear all the consequences!" Luo Ang had completely lost his mind; he only wanted revenge.

Seeing Luo Ang’s intense wording, Auster, who knew his temperament well, realized that if he didn't take action, he wouldn't have a good end later.

Helpless, Auster could only lunge at Gavin.

Seeing Auster’s longsword move with such soft, powerless strikes, it was clear he was just going through the motions.

Gavin, of course, had to play along, blocking and parrying, appearing utterly disheveled.

He intentionally or unintentionally led their fight away from the direction of Luo Ang.

"They're breaking free! They're breaking free! They're coming back! They're coming back!"

"Everyone, clear the city gate! Let the cavalry back in!"

"Don't worry about those goblins. Once the cavalry is back, even if they charge in, they'll die."

Excited roars erupted on and off the walls.

The thunderous sound of hooves was close at hand; the Knott cavalry was returning.

Gavin whispered to Auster, "Quick, quick, quick! Use all your strength to slash at me!"

Faced with this bizarre request, Auster was completely bewildered, wondering if Gavin’s brain had been damaged by a stray stone.

"If you don't want Luo Ang to give you trouble later, do it!" Seeing the other man didn't move, Gavin hurriedly added.

Auster’s eyes narrowed; he seemed to feel a chill behind him. Luo Ang might be stupid, but he wasn't a fool.

He wouldn't fail to notice that he was acting. Gritting his teeth, Auster gripped his sword with both hands and channeled his strength for a few seconds. A blinding white light flared on the longsword, and his sturdy body leaped out with terrifying speed, slashing downward.

*Jump Slash!*

A standard warrior skill, a strike that fused magical power with the force of a charge.

*Bang!*

To Auster’s shock, Gavin didn't dodge; he charged straight at him.

The longsword slammed heavily into the wooden shield.

What he held was no ordinary longsword.

It was an enchanted +2 magic longsword with a "Sharp" effect—it could cut through iron like mud.

How could a wooden shield withstand such a strike? It was cleaved in two on the spot.

Then, a *ding* sound followed.

The pig-sticking knife Gavin had hidden beneath the wooden shield was also snapped in two.

The blade then struck his arm, which was wrapped in linen.

Even after two layers of defense, the magic longsword still bit into Gavin’s arm, leaving a wound deep enough to see bone, and blood sprayed out.

Gavin retreated wildly while shouting at the top of his lungs, "Captain, help! Luo Ang and Auster are trying to kill me!"

At that moment, Zalanda was leading her team to the gates of Knott Castle. Hearing this, her eyes narrowed instantly. She kicked her stirrups and, using the momentum of her galloping warhorse, leaped directly onto the ramparts.

The entire movement was clean, crisp, and fluid, with an indescribable elegance.

Seeing Gavin’s left arm spraying blood, frost filled Zalanda’s eyes. Without a word, she slashed at him.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

Facing Zalanda’s storm-like attacks, Auster could only passively parry.

He was now like a mute eating coptis—suffering in silence.

He couldn't say in front of Luo Ang that Young Master Gavin had told him to slash him.

Yet, he truly hadn't had the intention of committing treason just now.

The hatred in his heart for Gavin reached its peak.

If he had known it would come to this, he would have gone for the kill earlier.

On the other side, Gavin calmly took a small steel vial from his combat belt and drank it down. Feeling the warmth in his stomach, he couldn't help but sigh—it was the familiar taste.

*Cure Moderate Wounds.*

This was the medical method of Faerûn.

A healing potion made from positive energy channeled by a cleric, combined with extracted magical essence.

While it couldn't regrow bones, it was far beyond what ordinary medicine could achieve.

The effect of *Cure Moderate Wounds* was incomparable to *Cure Light Wounds*. With one bottle, not only was the terrifying wound on Gavin’s left arm recovering at a visible rate, but even the previously broken bone had completely healed.

*Bang!*

After Auster was kicked flying by Zalanda, he rolled and landed behind Luo Ang.

Sure enough, Zalanda involuntarily stopped her advance. After all, the man was the one she served; she couldn't easily draw her sword against him.

Zalanda asked with a gloomy face, "What exactly is going on?"

Gavin, now recovered, played the villain who complains first: "I just played a harmless joke on my brother, and he sent his captain of the guard to kill me. If the Captain hadn't returned early, I would be dead."

His expression, his demeanor—he looked like a bullied young wife, as aggrieved as one could possibly be. If he didn't go to Hollywood to win an Oscar, it would be a waste of talent.

Luo Ang said in a fit of pique, "It was clearly you who wanted to kill me!"

He had seen shameless people, but never anyone this shameless.

The other party had clearly started the trouble, so how did it become his fault?

"How could I possibly have the ability to kill you? You have Captain Auster guarding you," Gavin retorted.

"Regardless of the cause, as the captain of the guard for the Knott family, Auster should not have raised his sword against Young Master Gavin," Zalanda said sternly. "If not for the special circumstances, I would have cut you down today regardless. Young Master Gavin, how about letting him apologize to you?"

"Then I will listen to the Captain." Gavin lowered his head, looking aggrieved.

The more he acted this way, the more it infuriated Luo Ang and Auster to the point of exploding.

Captain Auster gritted his teeth and said, "Young Master Gavin, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have..."

"Wait, I haven't agreed yet!" Luo Ang barked.

"What else does the Baron want?" Zalanda looked at Luo Ang with cold eyes. Covered in blood, she possessed an intimidating aura even without anger.

"This..." Luo Ang was at a loss for words.

Zalanda was clearly biased, deceived by Gavin’s hypocritical face. This was the trick this little bastard was best at; he used it to deal with his father before, and now he was using it to deal with Zalanda.

No matter what he said now, she wouldn't believe him.

If he wanted to settle this score, he couldn't rely on Zalanda; he had to rely on himself.

Luo Ang gritted his teeth and said, "Since everyone is unharmed, let's call it a day. Auster, let's go."

"Wait." Zalanda stopped Luo Ang. "Baron, what do you think of my previous proposal?"