Chapter 272: How come you're sneaking a look at erotic books?

"....."

"I understand. I'll first teach him the Knight's Oath."

"Jierte's father stared at her, shocked. He had thought she would retort, but never expected her to agree so readily."

"In his impression, Jierte's aunt should have the temperament of a young lady, and the reason she was asked to look after Jierte was because he and his wife were the Empire's blades, often leading knights to resist natural disasters."

"As for her, Jierte's aunt, she had been injured a few years ago and couldn't go to the battlefield; this time, as a second-best option, she was made to look after Jierte."

"Who would have thought her temperament has become so good now."

"Thank you for your hard work."

"The medicine you need... I'm still looking for it."

"It's fine, this way... is pretty good."

"The Knight's Oath?"

"Aunt, is that a god and demon?"

"Young Jierte listened to his aunt's explanation, curiously asking."

"That is the Gordon Family's ancestral teaching."

"Jierte, remember: there are countless knights across the continent, and countless versions of the Knight's Oath, but only we always uphold it."

"That's what our ancestors left behind; they firmly believed that upholding the Knight's Oath would make them ever stronger."

"This is the power of faith."

"Silly Jierte scratched his head; although he didn't fully understand his aunt's muttering, he would extract keywords—this is the method his aunt taught him."

"Uphold... the precepts?"

"Jierte's thoughts were simple; he knew he only needed to listen to his aunt's words."

"Yes, this is also the first precept I teach you: do not fear hardship."

".... What does this mean, aunt?"

"The first precept of the Knight's Oath: do not fear hardship; the foundation of all strength comes from oneself—perseverance, training, tempering—this is the path a knight ought to walk."

"For some reason, after understanding the Knight's Oath, Jierte suddenly felt his body become more agile and his thoughts more lively."

"Is this the Knight's Oath? How miraculous!"

"Jierte felt he had become much stronger, and this also gave him more drive."

"Five years old: besides the first precept of the Knight's Oath, you begin to take interest in the other precepts; at the same time, you don't know if it's because of the Oath's influence, but you can now read some books."

"This world has monsters made of blood, and terrifying gigantic beasts; they fight each other, while humans struggle to survive in the cracks, and there are also demons that appear and disappear unpredictably roaming about; knights, however, are the most respected profession in this world."

"Because spirit ore exists, all modern technology is built upon the utilization of spirit energy; this dangerous energy also erodes the human body, causing people to develop strange ailments."

"Of course, it also grants humans miraculous abilities and conditions; what interests you most are the beastmen of this world."

"So-called beastmen, explained with the professional term, are those who inherit the condition of spirit-energy erosion; simply put, it's when ancestors were eroded by spirit energy, causing descendants to exhibit some non-human traits."

"And you don't know why, but you suddenly took a huge interest in that alluring catgirl photo in the book; and your appearance was exactly what your aunt happened to notice..."

"Jierte, what are you looking at?"

"Ah? No! Nothing!"

"The aunt suspiciously looked at the fidgeting Jierte, her eyes glancing at the book in his hand."

"You... are you sneaking a look at erotic books?"

"I didn't!"

"Jierte flushed and shouted back, casually raising the book he was looking at; it was indeed a perfectly normal, proper book."

"You flipped through the book?"

"The aunt's pretty eyes narrowed slightly, and Jierte immediately wilted."

"He obediently opened the page he had been looking at, revealing the alluring, sexy catgirl in the book."

"The aunt's eyebrows immediately furrowed; why would such a serious book have such an improper picture?"

"Looking at the fidgeting Jierte, the aunt's mouth corners twitched up slightly as she spoke teasingly."

"You like this?"

"Although Jierte is still young, he indeed heard the teasing in his aunt's tone."

"After much deliberation, he eventually nodded."

"Having unexpectedly learned her nephew's hobby, the aunt appeared quite happy; for the next few days she looked at Jierte with an amused gaze, making him feel embarrassed."

"Your growth speed is beginning to gradually increase; although compared to ordinary people it's still slow, this at least proves your efforts are useful."

"Besides that, you also discovered that the knights of other countries are quite different from yours; perhaps it should be said that the Gordon Family's knights differ from other knights, the most notable feature being that yours is the Knight's Oath, meaning a rule that must always be followed, a faith and the foundation of your standing."

"As for the other countries, they all have knightly rules that seem like empty grandiose talk, and not everyone follows them; but because of the Gordon Family's reputation, the Empire has become the place most aspired to by knights across the continent."

"Six years old: your rapid physical development lets you begin higher-intensity training, but saying it's higher, there's actually not much difference; this is merely for you."

"Your two sisters are currently studying at the Imperial Royal Knight Academy of the Empire; they rarely come back, so most of the time it's your aunt accompanying you, as well as the daughter of a certain Pope from next door."

"Aunt is great~"

"A dignifiedly dressed girl knocked on the Gordon Family's gate; she came to play with Jierte."

"Mm, hello."

"Although the girl before her was polite, the aunt still flashed a hint of displeasure in her eyes, yet she likewise friendly invited the girl inside."

"Aunt, who has come?"

"Seeing Jierte poke his head this way, Feili gave him a faint smile and walked over with a bright grin."

"What are we doing today?"

"Training!"

"Training every day—how boring!"

Jierte's aunt was presently pricking up her ears to listen to the commotion over here, and she too successfully caught the key word, her gaze drifting over.

"What else could one do? Read a book? Or something else?"

"Of course we go out; don't you want to go out?"

Jierte tilted his head, thinking for a while, then suddenly understood Feili's meaning.

"You mean...."

Feili looked at Jierte with an expectant expression, while the aunt beside her also held her breath.

"You mean, we're going out to train?"

"?"

"Pff~"

Feili was speechless, while the aunt behind her burst out laughing.

No wonder, given that she personally taught Jierte, his train of thought is so quirky that nobody can match it.

"....."

Feili glanced at the aunt behind her, the corner of her mouth twitching up slightly.

"Yes, that's exactly it—we're going outside to train; let's hurry!"

"Huh? Sure, what do we need to prepare?"

This time Jierte's aunt couldn't laugh; no wonder she's the offspring of the Pope, famed for deceit and cunning!

"Aunt, I'm going out to train, okay?"

"Yeah, go."

The aunt remained calm on the surface, but inside she was extremely unwilling.

And Feili, seeing the aunt like that, felt her inner little devil bloom with joy.