After all, as a barony, the territory was already equivalent in size to a county-level city on Edward Scott's previous life’s Earth. Although the population was much smaller, the authority was far greater. As the lord, the baron could truly rule with an iron fist.

　　In these chaotic times, with the current turmoil within the Kingdom of Rudin, nobles ultimately represented power and wealth.

　　However, no matter how fearsome Baron Kyle’s influence was, the trouble caused by the spoiled Andrew this time had really gone too far.

　　While Andrew was being sent to study the knight’s curriculum, he immediately took a liking to a noble girl who was studying alongside him.

　　The girl’s name was Catherine Kent. She was the most beloved granddaughter of Viscount Candia, who nominally governed Baron Kyle’s territory.

　　To impress Catherine, Andrew agreed to a horse race with another boy. The result was that someone tampered with his saddle, and in a moment of carelessness, the original Andrew disappeared from this world forever.

　　“It was actually because of jealousy…” Edward Scott muttered speechlessly as he flipped through his memories again. “This world is really… speechless… Only fourteen and already fighting over love rivals…”

Chapter 002: Tidying Up

　　After lying in bed for a while, Edward Scott turned over and got out of bed.

　　Outside the bedroom, beyond the courtyard wall, faint shouts could be heard. It seemed someone was gathering a crowd. It was quite lively.

　　Edward Scott knew that his father was currently leading the guards in the territory to hunt down and capture fugitive criminals.

　　A group of fugitives, origin unknown, had broken in over the past few days, continuously robbing and killing more than a dozen households, causing panic throughout the territory.

　　Knight Otis had been ordered to lead his squad to search everywhere.

　　Pushing open the bedroom door, outside was a small gray courtyard with a pond. It looked a bit desolate, with green weeds growing in messy clumps here and there.

　　The two guards stationed outside were standing by the pond talking. When they saw Edward Scott come out, they hurried over and saluted respectfully.

　　These were two members of the barony’s guard, both burly, tall, middle-aged men.

　　“Master Andrew, you’re awake?” one of the guards with a bushy beard said in a muffled voice. He wore heavy yellow leather armor and carried a huge axe on his back, giving off an extremely formidable impression.

　　The other was slimmer, wearing only half-body leather armor, but his eyes were calm and he looked very agile. A cross sword hung at his waist.

　　Edward Scott's gaze swept over the blade of the cross sword and saw that there were still dark red bloodstains on it. His eyes couldn’t help but narrow slightly.

　　“Did Uncle Otis send you over?” Edward Scott asked.

　　“Yes, after we escort you back to the castle, we have to hurry back to the squad. Time is tight, so we’d better go now,” the slimmer man said in a low voice.

　　Edward Scott nodded.

　　“Looks like there’s news about those fugitives?”

　　The slimmer man nodded.

　　“We found their temporary hideout this morning. The captain has already led the brothers to surround them.”

　　“All right, I’ll go change clothes first.”

　　Edward Scott went back inside to change out of his pajamas, then came out and left the temporary resting place with the two men.

　　This residence was just a place for the family to stay when they visited the town, not very comfortable, and certainly not suitable for recovering from injuries.

　　Leaving the residence, outside was a bustling street. Everyone was dressed in drab gray linen clothes, making the whole street look dirty.

　　Some vendors were loudly hawking their wares at the roadside. There were fruit stalls, wooden toy sellers, and vegetable vendors. Some women with baskets on their arms moved back and forth between the stalls.

　　As Edward Scott walked out the courtyard gate, he immediately noticed how different he was from the people around him.

　　Unlike everyone else on the street, he was not wearing gray clothes, but black. He quickly understood why.

　　In this world, except for nobles, all commoners could only wear gray. Colored clothing was reserved for nobles only. That was privilege. If anyone dared to defy this, they could be executed on the spot. It was a very serious matter. Even among nobles, certain colors were reserved for specific ranks.

　　The three of them walked along, chatting casually. Edward Scott noticed that whenever passersby saw him, they would bow respectfully and show expressions of awe. It made him feel like a lion walking among sheep.

　　“What’s wrong? Is Master Andrew a bit unaccustomed to this?” the slimmer man said with a smile.

　　After chatting for a while, Edward Scott also learned their names. The slimmer man was called Carter, originally an adventurer living nearby, later recruited into the guard—quite a stroke of luck. In real life, adventurers were basically synonymous with the unemployed, with very low status. Joining the guard was like joining the police force on Earth—not only did your status rise, but you also got a whole range of benefits…

　　The burly one was called Milo, a native of the Baron Leo’s territory. He was considered exceptionally gifted and very strong.