Chapter 2: Literature Unaccomplished, Martial Arts Unmastered (Part 1)

  Victory Day

  In stark contrast to the vibrant atmosphere of the streets and alleys of Ande, the Earl's residence was eerily quiet.

  There was no grand banquet, no celebratory ceremony, nor even a simple cocktail party.

  After leaving the dock, even the ceremony of 1,000 soldiers drawn from the expeditionary fleet to line up in the city for the citizens' inspection was left with only a deputy in charge. After Earl hurried back to his mansion, he declined some visitors. The excuse for outsiders is: Earl, who has been on horseback for many years, needs some private time to comfort the lonely heart of his wife at home.

  Although it disappointed some people who had originally prepared to flatter the new hero of the empire, this high-sounding excuse was immediately supported by everyone.

  At this moment, in the luxurious mansion of the Earl's residence, the triumphant hero of the Imperial Navy was staring at his own biological son.

  His eyes were deep, melancholy and complex.

  If it weren't for his unwavering faith in his wife's virtue... The first thing that came to Count Raymond's mind when he saw the child before him was: Is this really my own flesh and blood?

  Because this child's appearance is really very different from mine!

  The men of the Luo Lin family have always been known for their majestic and heroic masculine image! The standard image of a man in the Luo Lin family should be tall and sturdy, with a broad chest, thick arms, a square face shape, a straight nose bridge, and a heroic masculine appearance that is awe-inspiring!

  At least Count Raymond himself was like this. He had a strong physique and an outstanding appearance in the imperial aristocratic circle, and he was a famous great man in the imperial aristocratic circle when he was young.

  This little guy in front of me...

  Although he is only three years old, for the Luo Lin family, which has always been known for producing strong and masculine men, he is indeed too pale and weak... Hmm... I heard that this child was seriously ill a month ago, perhaps that's why his body is so frail.

  The three-year-old future Earl heir, Du Wei?Rolin, however, stared back at his father with a poker face. He didn't wail loudly like other children of the same age, which displeased the Earl greatly. According to tradition, the louder a child cried, the healthier they were!

  The child in front of him was too quiet, sitting on the bed with his hands on his knees, looking up at himself with a curious and scrutinizing gaze.

  The Earl thought he must have seen it wrong.

  How can a three-year-old child's eyes have such complex emotions?!

  While the Earl was melancholy, Du Wei·Rolin's mood was undoubtedly more complicated than his.

  The beautiful and mature countess, with her kind heart and actions from a month ago, has successfully softened Du Wei's heart.

  But this sudden appearance of "father"…

  Hmph, where did he come from!

  "Is he... really still unable to speak?" The Earl's expression was serious, and he glanced at his wife beside him, only to see tears in her eyes. His heart softened, thinking of how he had been away at sea for three years, neglecting his wife at home. Even when she was about to give birth, he wasn't by her side. Their only son had become like this, and it wasn't the poor woman's fault. His tone softened: "Alright, dear, our child can't speak, but we'll invite the most learned teachers from the Empire to teach him. He'll surely start speaking eventually. However, his body is too weak... The Rolin family has always relied on military achievements to stand in the Empire. My son will naturally follow in my footsteps and become an Imperial General one day. This weakness won't do... Hmm, he's already three years old; I think it's time we consider finding him a tutor. With a few years of training, his weak body will surely strengthen up... What about Alfa? He's my most loyal guard captain, with exceptional martial skills and unwavering loyalty to our family. I think from next month on, we can have Alfa start teaching Duwei some basic exercises."

  The countess's beautiful eyes couldn't help but well up with tears as she heard her poor son was to start training so young: "But... he's still so small."

  "It's precisely because his body is too weak that he needs to train his physique even earlier! Otherwise, how can he inherit the martial achievements of our Luo Lin family!" The earl, who had spent many years on the battlefield, was quite resolute on this point and made a decision with a wave of his hand.

  The next day, after an audience with His Imperial Majesty in the palace, he received from His Imperial Majesty at a celebration ceremony the third Imperial First-Class Order of Military Merit. Then, His Imperial Majesty publicly announced that the illustrious Count Raymond would be promoted to Vice-President of the Imperial General Staff, which was already the second-highest position among the empire's military nobles.

  After talking with His Majesty the Emperor in a separate room for a while, Count Raymond voluntarily offered to relinquish his title as First Admiral of the Imperial Navy and handed over his military power. After leaving the imperial palace, he again refused the congratulations from his colleagues and numerous invitations to banquets, even politely declining an invitation from several high-ranking priests at the Temple of the Goddess of Light before hurrying back home.

  The son of Count Raymond of the Rolland family is an idiot, which is no longer a secret in the Imperial City.

  Even at the ceremony where he was awarded, the faint sadness on his face couldn't help but evoke a few sympathetic feelings from many colleagues who were friendly with the Roline family. Of course, some political enemies secretly gloated, which was also inevitable.

  At home, the Earl faced his son again. This time, however, there was no beautiful Countess by his side. Instead, standing beside him was Alfa, the loyal and trusted head of his personal guard for nearly twenty years, a First-Class Swordsman of the Empire, wielding the "Flowing Flame Sword", one of the top swordsmen in the Imperial Capital.

  For some reason, Count Raymond always felt a little uncomfortable with his own son. He thought that the child's eyes seemed to hold a gaze that was not just dull, but also had a hint of resistance. However, he also thought that he might be overthinking it: what could a three-year-old understand? Moreover, since he had been away on expeditions, he had never even held his son once since birth, so the child's unfamiliarity with him was only natural.

  The imperial guard first used a standard courtesy of a family servant, kneeling on one knee in front of Du Wei's bed, then with both hands lifted Du Wei up, took off all his clothes, and with one hand meticulously pinched every inch of Du Wei's body from head to toe. In this process, Du Wei struggled, he seemed very uncomfortable being touched by a man like that, but the power of an imperial first-class swordsman was not something he could resist.

  "Ah..." Alfa's expression was very serious, he let out a sigh and put down the earl's successor, then bowed his head to pay respects to the earl before standing up again, saying in a low voice: "Earl-sama, I..."

  "Alpha, you're the one I trust most by my side. Don't worry too much, just say what's on your mind." The Earl sighed.

  "Du Wei's body is very weak, and he seems to be... somewhat frail. His skeleton is delicate, his heartbeat is irregular, this kind of physique is a bit worse than ordinary people. In the future if he wants to learn martial skills, I'm afraid... "Alfa gritted her teeth: "I'm afraid he won't achieve much."

  "What do you think?"

  "I think learning martial arts may not be a good choice for young master, why don't we see if he has any talent in other areas?"

  The viscount's face had already darkened after Alpha finished speaking.