I’m a Rebel in Another World

Chapter 2: The Difficult Life of Nobility

"No! Damn it, this world is utterly messed up! The path for class advancement is almost completely blocked!

For commoners to eventually become nobility, even with good luck, it would take several generations!"

The three-year-old Henwil fumed angrily, throwing his book to the ground.

Now Henwil could maintain up to ten hours of clear thinking time daily, and his body had grown very healthy, developing slightly better than children his age.

After Henwil's first birthday, his father returned from the battlefield.

The War of Six Kings had ended, with both sides essentially fighting to a stalemate.

But from overhearing conversations around him, Henwil roughly deduced that the war's essence was a fight for living space.

Thus, this was only a temporary ceasefire.

However, there was good news too - Henwil's father had returned from the battlefield physically intact.

Moreover, Henwil's father had saved a baron several times on the battlefield.This earned Henwil's father an additional title: Lucky Obian.

Yet the baron who was saved didn't believe Obian was merely lucky; he could tell Obian wasn't like those conscripted farmers, but rather had received some combat training.

Obian came from a merchant family - his grandfather's generation had started in business, and by his father's time, they still operated as a merchant caravan.

Except these caravans weren't independently operated, but rather several people cooperating to buy and sell goods together.

Since they were merchant caravans, they had to travel and deliver goods. This was a feudal lord-ruled kingdom, and expecting peaceful roads would be utterly naive.

Thus, to protect their lives and livelihoods, everyone in the caravan had to be prepared to fight and dare to fight.

By Obian's father's generation, the family had accumulated some savings.

When Obian's father was young, he had followed a mercenary and learned combat skills for several years.

When Obian was still a youth, his father specifically found a knight's squire to teach Obian combat techniques.

Later, this squire died in battle, otherwise Obian would have had one more connection among the knight class.

Due to his merchant family background, Obian ate well since childhood and received systematic training, so his body had always been very strong.

Moreover, Obian had considered joining the military and frequently practiced weapon combat skills.

If not for Obian's father being severely wounded during his final trading journey,

making Obian take over the shop business and promise to cease caravan trading, Obian would definitely have gone out to make his mark.

With these foundations, when Obian went to the battlefield before, he wasn't like the farmers and other commoners who reported empty-handed.

Obian not only brought his own purchased longsword and leather-wrapped shield, but also a second-hand repaired leather armor.

He even bought a nag sold off from the military.

It was precisely these things that made the baron value him and keep him in his direct troops,

unlike other conscripts who were thrown to the most dangerous frontlines as expendable material.

Because he learned proper knight combat techniques, Obian's performance in battle wasn't much worse than the baron's personal guards.

This was how Obian managed to achieve several military merits.

However, a year of life-and-death struggles and killing over a dozen enemies still didn't change Obian's social class.

Regarding this, Obian also found it only natural.

As he put it, if nobility were so easy to attain, wouldn't it be everywhere!

Now Obian was very satisfied with Henwil's healthy growth. When he discovered Henwil's early intelligence, he immediately obtained many books for Henwil.

One must know that in this damned place, knowledge was quite expensive.

And Henwil demonstrated remarkably astonishing learning ability, quickly mastering the official script of the Ika Kingdom.

Believing his son was promising material, Obian showed no stinginess whatsoever.

After Henwil's fourth birthday, he spent a large sum, even leveraging his connection with the baron, to get Henwil admitted to the nearest knight's manor.

There, he would receive noble family education alongside the knight's own son.

For Henwil, who could learn more knowledge, this wasn't a bad thing at all.

He was just a child who needed to study daily, and the knight's household meals were excellent - he could eat meat every day.

Regarding this, Obian also found it only natural.

Henwil didn't mind this at all.

This young master isn't eating for free!

My old man paid for it!

Every month, his father had to deliver three gold coins to Knight Cookler's household.

For commoners, this was already a huge sum. In this small town called Split Flow Bay, a five-person family's annual expenses amounted to only two gold coins.

Henwil's family owned several shops, two mills, and considerable farmland, placing their income among the town's outstanding tier.

Believing his son was promising material, Obian showed no stinginess whatsoever.

Just to support a four-year-old child - in the townspeople's eyes, this was simply insane waste.

Henwil spent a year at the knight's manor.

He didn't waste his father's money, not only becoming literate but also learning numerous noble etiquette.

These were just what Henwil displayed outwardly; he had actually learned much more.

He had even begun studying the continent's common language.

Beyond this, Henwil had the opportunity to browse numerous books, learning as much as possible about this still somewhat unfamiliar world.

Most importantly, Henwil had started secretly learning Knight Cookler's training methods.

Knight Cookler was the youngest son of an Ika Kingdom viscount with no inheritance rights, but his family had a long heritage.

Relying on his exceptional skills, he doggedly earned his knight title and obtained his own knight's fief.

Though just a small village east of Split Flow Bay town, it was genuine feudal land!

Cookler's knight training method came from his family's internal traditions and wasn't taught outside.

For commoners, this was already a huge sum. In this small town called Split Flow Bay, a five-person family's annual expenses amounted to only two gold coins.

Nobody guarded against a five-year-old child - at this age, not wetting the bed already made one a good child, let alone training.

Though just basic training methods - simple body tempering, muscle and bone exercise, and improving bodily coordination -

Just to support a four-year-old child - in the townspeople's eyes, this was simply insane waste.

Of course, only with subsequent secret medicine combinations and visualization techniques could one cultivate battle energy.

Only at that level could one be called a true knight.

However, Henwil didn't think that far ahead - he needed to develop his body properly first.

He had already planned that after reaching his teens, he would reform the family business, accumulate capital, and then copy various inventions.

Henwil never intended to advance his class through combat - money could achieve the same, as long as he had enough.

But sometimes, one shouldn't plan too far ahead.

Beyond this, Henwil had the opportunity to browse numerous books, learning as much as possible about this still somewhat unfamiliar world.

Making you understand fate's unpredictability and cruelty!