Chapter 1

### Chapter 1: The Clumsy Youth

When the sun shone on his buttocks, Roy was awakened by the clamor from the Pollabell Lord's castle.

The butler's shouts, the servants' footsteps, the horses' neighs, the clinking of soldiers' swords against their armor, the maids' and ladies-in-waiting's chatter, and the sound of water being poured...

All these sounds seeped through the narrow window, along with a beam of sunlight dancing with floating dust, into the simple little room.

Roy jumped out of bed, peered down, and couldn't help but inwardly groan.

Below the main tower, the castle's servants had already started their work. Some were tending to the vegetable garden, some were fetching water with buckets, some were washing clothes and drying sheets, and some were milking cows.

The only one still in bed was probably himself, the stable boy.

Oh no, oh no. Roy's eyes darted around, and he quickly found his linen shirt, hurriedly put it on, and swiftly pulled on his pants and shoes. He called out, "Oliver, hurry!" and then ran out the door.

A dog that had been lazily lying by the bed sprang up, wagging its tail like a flagpole, and followed Roy with its short legs.

Running and sliding down the spiral staircase, Roy emerged from the main tower, planning to sneak along the right side of the castle wall to the stables. Suddenly, a voice that made his soul shudder rang in his ears.

"Bighead!"

Roy's body stiffened.

When he turned his head, the blue eyes that had been darting around were now dull and vacant, giving him a dazed look.

"Miss."

In the sunlight, a pretty girl in a light yellow dress was staring at Roy with a suspicious gaze. "You just woke up?"

"No, I just forgot something," Roy replied with an honest face.

"You silly thing. The training is about to start, and you haven't even prepared the horse yet." Lady Anne, the lord's daughter, gave a glance at the castle's most clueless-looking stable boy and then got into the carriage.

Watching the carriage leave the castle, Roy let out a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, it was just Lady Anne, who usually didn't pay much attention to such matters. If he had been caught by the butler or one of those picky knights, he would have been in trouble.

I can't avoid a scolding.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Roy quickly ran to the stables, led out the warhorse, and walked out of the Pollabell Lord's castle gate to the training field.

Pollabell was a small coastal town located in the southwest of the Saint Solan Empire, in the southern part of the Avalon continent.

The town, not very large, was built on a hill. Ancient and smooth stone paths and beautiful little houses extended from the port village at the foot of the hill up to the gentle hillside.

Most of the houses were built with the unique rocks of the southern Saint Solan Empire. White walls were interspersed with orange or yellow stones, and the wooden attic roofs were uniformly painted blue with white edges, nestled among the lush greenery and grassy slopes, making the town incredibly beautiful.

Every year during the fishing season, the town was the most bustling.

The port was filled with ships of all sizes from different places. The men on the docks shouted as they carried packages. The market was crowded with people, and inns, restaurants, and bars were all packed. Various people gathered here, making the small town seem more prosperous than some large cities.

"Good morning, Aunt Mary."

"Good morning, Uncle Boris."

Roy, who had pulled the horse to the feeding trough, tied it to the wooden fence and greeted the people passing by with a dazed but happy smile.

"Good morning, Roy."

Everyone responded warmly to him. Many of the uncles and aunts who passed by affectionately patted his shoulder and ruffled his hair.

Roy was not a native of Pollabell.

Five years ago, he had come here with his eccentric and reclusive grandfather, William, and built a small wooden house in the forest northeast of the town. After some time, everyone quickly grew to like this boy with a round, big head, beautiful blue eyes, and curly black hair.

To the residents of Pollabell, Roy was honest, introverted, and easily shy, always with a dazed look on his face, which made him seem a bit slow. However, everyone loved his innocent and adorable appearance.

Especially the women in town, who couldn't resist pinching his cheeks and affectionately calling him "Little Clumsy."

People liked Roy, but they also felt sorry for this simple and adorable young man.

Roy had lost his parents at a young age and had no other relatives besides his grandfather, William. Worse still, despite his diligence and hard work, the big-headed boy could not cultivate martial qi due to a physical defect. Therefore, he could never achieve his dream of becoming a knight.

For boys of this era, such a fate was too cruel.

The Avalon continent was a world where knights were held in the highest regard.

Three hundred years ago, after the final battle, humans were driven from the east to the "Land of Redemption" west of the Broken Sky Mountains. The gradual development of martial qi and combat skills made knights the most powerful military force among humans.

More than two hundred years ago, when Emperor Caesar II of the Roman Empire officially added the title of knight to his name, it marked the distinction of knights from other combat professions and their entry into the ranks of the nobility!

Every noble, including the emperor, took pride in their knightly status. Not only did common boys see becoming a knight as the only way to enter the upper class, but even the noble children, who were born into lives of luxury, had to become true knights before they could inherit their family's legacy.

Therefore, every year, thousands of boys entered the castles of lords or knight schools from a young age to receive training in combat skills and martial qi, striving to become noble knights.

However, not everyone could become a knight through hard work.

The conditions for advancing to knighthood were very strict. The most important and indispensable condition was that a knight must cultivate martial qi and form a "Battle Ring"!

The Battle Ring is a halo that forms around a knight's feet when martial qi reaches the first stage and is released from the body.

Only a knight with a Battle Ring can truly utilize martial qi to significantly enhance strength or speed in battle, or to condense martial qi into armor and weapons, or even to manifest it in attacks.

The number and strength of Battle Rings directly determine a knight's power. Without a complete Battle Ring, even if one rode a dragon, wore the most expensive celestial-patterned magic armor, and wielded a spear bestowed by the heavens, they would still be just a cavalryman.

Unfortunately...

Bighead Roy was a boy who could not cultivate martial qi and was not even wanted as a cavalryman.

No matter which martial qi he practiced, no matter what attribute it was, Roy could sense the source energy generated from the weather and the first star cloud in his lower abdomen, and he could make the martial qi flow through his body's meridians to strengthen it. However, as soon as he stopped, the source energy that had just been generated would vanish without a trace, leaving not even a trace behind.

Without source energy, he could not derive martial qi, and thus could not strengthen his blood and bones or communicate with the qi and form a Battle Ring!

Therefore, in Pollabell, while Roy was liked by the adults, he had two other nicknames among his peers.

Idiot!

Waste!

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