The days passed, one by one.

Blacksmiths, carpenters, tailors, masons, servants, and others gradually moved into the castle.

The once-quiet castle gradually became more lively.

During this time, Duane’s three Guard Squads were formally established, and their captains were selected.

Duane stood on a high slope, looking down at the guards divided into three squads, and nodded to himself in approval.

’Michele, Evans, Willie.’

These three had distinguished themselves during the sparring matches. Of them all, Michele was the strongest.

He was also only sixteen, the youngest of the three, and appeared to have the most potential.

The third captain, Willie, was the oldest at nineteen, but his potential was limited.

"My Lord!"

The three stepped forward, their resonant voices filled with respect for Duane.

Things were different now. After Duane granted them status and authority, their attitudes toward him had changed. They were no longer as indifferent as they had been before.

"From this day forward, you are Squad Captains."

"You are to faithfully execute the orders of your superior officers and be responsible for the men under your command!"

Duane made the announcement and briefly outlined their duties.

Furthermore, he confirmed Kaelon and Raymond’s positions as his ranking officers, with Kaelon in overall command.

Duane planned to formally assign their roles once they arrived at Black Forest Island.

However, the specific arrangements would have to wait until he had assessed the situation on the island.

After explaining everything, Duane signaled for Kaelon and Raymond to continue drilling the men.

He then headed back toward the castle.

Over the past four days, his Basic Riding Skill had broken through to Mastery (5/400), and his Basic Shield Skill had progressed to Entry (156/200), earning him a total of 0.4 attribute points.

In addition, while his Basic Cooking, Spirit Swordsmanship, and Fire Source Beast Bone Soup Skill Levels hadn’t broken through to the next level, they had still increased significantly.

His Fire Source Beast Bone Soup Skill Level, in particular, had reached Entry (178/200), and he hoped it would break through before he departed.

The only skill that saw limited growth was Basic Swordsmanship. At the Mastery Level, it was difficult to increase his Skill Level through practice and sparring alone.

Duane had only managed to increase it by 3 points after several hours of practice, so he eventually decided to stop training it for now.

Fortunately, his Strength had now reached 5.6, allowing him to easily lift things weighing over three hundred pounds.

If this were on Earth, he’d be strong enough to challenge a weightlifting champion.

In a real fight, however, a weightlifting champion would be no match for him.

His Entry Level Spirit Swordsmanship had already earned Kaelon’s approval.

Duane could now easily handle an average Basic-level Warrior.

"My Lord!"

His male servant, Owington, ran over. "My Lord, there are some distinguished guests outside the castle. They say they are friends of yours and wish to pay you a visit."

’Distinguished guests?’

Duane was puzzled.

Formal visits among the nobility required a calling card to be sent in advance. A visit like this would be considered a private, informal meeting.

"What kind of guests?"

Owington replied, "They’re all young, around your age, I’d guess. One of them said his name is Harrison."

Duane recognized the name.

Harrison Bloom. The son of Count Orlando Bloom, the very man who had accused Duane’s father.

"Owington, as my personal servant, it is essential that you remember the names, appearances, and key traits of the members of major noble families."

Duane continued, "When you have a moment, ask Ralph for guidance. He knows more about these things than you do."

Owington immediately grew flustered. He could tell the Baron was criticizing him for being unprofessional.

"Yes, My Lord! I’ll be sure to remember!"

Duane hadn’t intended it as a criticism, merely a gentle reminder.

After all, Owington didn’t come from such a background. There was much he didn’t know and would have to learn on his own.

Outside the castle gates stood three figures with three fine horses.

The leader of the group was dressed in lavish attire, the corners of his mouth turned up in what seemed to be a permanent, faint smile.

The two men flanking him wore light armor and looked like his escorts.

Duane recognized the trio from a distance. They had all been his classmates at Pruck Warrior Academy.

"Haha! Long time no see, our Baron!"

Harrison strode forward as if to embrace him, but Duane showed no intention of reciprocating.

The two of them were not on good terms.

Back at the academy, the fact that Carter was a trusted confidant of the King had led Third Princess Emily to become quite close with Duane.

This had earned him Harrison’s enmity, as Harrison felt Duane was an obstacle to his own pursuit of the princess.

In truth, the original owner of his body had known perfectly well that the son of a knight had virtually no chance of marrying a princess.

As powerful as Carter was, he wasn’t so indispensable that the King would marry off a princess to strengthen their alliance.

"It has been a while, Harrison. What brings you here today?"

Duane took a couple of steps forward but made no move to embrace him. He highly doubted Harrison was here to reminisce about old times.

Harrison kept his smile, not answering immediately. Instead, he glanced at the two men behind him. "You’re seeing an old acquaintance. Why don’t you come and say hello?"

The two men in light armor looked slightly awkward, but they stepped forward, placed a hand over their chests in a salute, and offered their greetings.

"Greetings, Baron."

Duane nodded. "Zachary. Fell. Have you sworn your service to Harrison?"

"Haha, that’s right!"

Harrison let out a hearty laugh, as if he’d just defeated an old rival in some competition.

"They both advanced to Middle Level Warrior not long ago, so I accepted their pledge of service."

Duane just grunted in acknowledgment.

He’d asked because Zachary and Fell had been on good terms with his body’s previous owner.

In fact, both of them had once expressed a desire to serve him, but his predecessor had declined, considering his own circumstances.

Instead, his predecessor had promised to recommend them to his father for a position in the Third Legion.

Suddenly, Duane understood Harrison’s purpose for coming here today. ’Isn’t he just here to show off and gloat?’

’Is the eldest son of an Earl really this bored?’

"Though Zachary and Fell are of common birth, they both have decent potential. I hope you, as their new master, won’t let their talents go to waste."

Duane then looked at the two men. "Keep working hard. Perhaps one day you’ll even become Knights of the Bloom Clan!"

Zachary and Fell looked even more embarrassed now and could only lower their heads.

Harrison, on the other hand, was rather surprised.

When his father had accused Carter, Duane had reportedly been furious and had cursed Harrison’s father.

’So why is he so calm now, standing face-to-face with me?’

He suddenly found the whole situation rather dull.

"Duane, I’m sorry about my father’s accusations against yours."

Harrison shrugged. "But that’s how it is with the nobility. You might not understand it now, but you will someday."

He then added, "Of course, that’s assuming you ever get the chance to leave Black Forest Island."

"Isn’t that right, Baron of Black Forest Island?"

"Of course. I’ll be sure to remember your teachings, Lord Harrison."

"In that case, I wish you and your Black Forest Island the best of luck. May you flourish and one day leave to see the outside world again."

Harrison, Kazali, and Fell mounted their horses.

"I’m off to the Secret Realm to check on my clan’s resource allotments, so I won’t dally here any longer. Farewell!"

With that, Harrison cracked his whip. The three horses galloped away, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"My Lord, he was so disrespectful!" Owington muttered indignantly.

He had only realized who their visitor was when he heard the word "accusations." He’d immediately worried that a conflict would erupt and had even been wondering when he should call for Kaelon and Raymond.

Fortunately, the Baron had remained perfectly composed, showing no sign of aggression, not even a hint of anger.

"’Disrespectful?’" Duane chuckled lightly.

In private, Harrison’s attitude could almost be considered polite. At least he wasn’t being completely overbearing or mocking him to his face.

’It’s clear his destination today was the Lakefront Secret Realm. He probably only came to see me on a whim.’

’He’s young, after all. It’s normal to want to flex a little and feel important.’

One thing was certain, though.

Harrison already saw Duane and himself as living in two different worlds.

He didn’t believe Duane had any future prospects, much less that this ostracized "Little Baron" would ever leave his isolated island to sit and dine with them or discuss matters of importance again.

Duane retracted his gaze. The road ahead was long. As someone who improved a little each day, he wouldn’t let being looked down upon discourage him.

"Let’s go, Owington. We have much to do."