Moreover, he noticed that Lord Raymond and the butler were unusually friendly towards this commoner, even allowing them to stay in the manor as guests.
He had served Lord Raymond for many years and had never seen him act in such an unusual way.
A flicker crossed his eyes, and he looked again at Karl's black hair, noticing a slight resemblance in the features around the eyes and brow between the young man and the adult. A suspicion arose in his heart.
Immediately, he thought that Lord Raymond and the butler hadn't expressed their feelings, and he kept his suspicion to himself.
He turned his head to his companion and said, "Hey, keep training."
The companion opposite ignored his words, holding his sword and staring with wide eyes, his mouth agape, looking stunned.
Seeing this, he raised an eyebrow and looked suspiciously at the other companions, seeing that they also had the same expression.
"Why do you all look like that, what's behind me..." He muttered softly and slowly turned around.
Immediately after, his eyes widened, and he stared at Karl in astonishment.
He saw Karl not far away, lifting a lifting stone weighing over three hundred pounds with one hand and holding it above his head.
This thing was too heavy; it took four of them just to lift it, and now it was being lifted with one hand.
"Oh my god, guys, I must be seeing things..."
"That must be over three hundred pounds, not a fifty-pound lifting stone, right?"
"Brother, you're not the only one seeing things; maybe we're all seeing things."
Dalton gradually came to his senses, his eyes full of surprise, and he saw Karl holding the lifting stone with one hand for several seconds without changing expression.
Suddenly, the corner of his mouth twitched, and he felt a slight ache in his wrist.
It seemed this guy had definitely held back when he grabbed him earlier; otherwise, relying solely on the strength shown by this lifting stone,
not to mention a simple throw over the shoulder, he was afraid that if he squeezed a little, his wrist would break.
At that moment, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a figure in the distance: the butler, Hans, leading two horses.
He suppressed his surprised expression, immediately became serious, and nudged with his elbow to remind his other companions, who were still in shock.
"Don't be stunned, Master Hans is here!"
"Oh... Huh? Got it!"
At the same time, with a slight muffled thud, Karl slowly placed the heavy lifting stone back on the ground.
Such an action—retreating and releasing it freely—made Dalton and the others silently exclaim that they couldn't help but marvel.
"Lord Hans."
Hans pulled the reins and led the two horses, soon approaching everyone.
He looked at Dalton and the others, and a flicker of surprise remained on his face.
He thought, "Before I came, it seemed like something was happening..."
"However, as long as there's no conflict, what matters is the order Master Raymond gave me earlier."
Then Hans cleared his throat, looked at everyone indifferently, and extended his hand to introduce Karl.
"This esteemed guest is Karl, and he has an agreement with the master."
"Soon, he will be representing the El family and participating in the Vizima tournament."
"For the honor of the El family, the master has asked that you treat him as a member of the El family and teach him riding with all your strength, focus, and seriousness."
"Dalton... Do you understand?"
Hans used two or three consecutive words and added emphasis, clearly reminding everyone that this matter should be taken very seriously and could not be ignored.
Dalton and the others stepped forward, bowed slightly, placed their hands on their chests, and saluted.
"Yes, we will carry out Lord Raymond's orders."
"As you command, Master Hans."
......
After a while, Hans stood at the scene, his hands behind his back, silently watching everyone.
He observed Dalton and the others, watched over the master's sole heir, and observed Karl's talents.
After all, whether it was riding or swordsmanship, it took years of training to master.
As for the depth of skill, it depended on the talent of the person learning.
But there was little time left before the competition started, which obviously didn't look optimistic.
In just two months, in the master's estimation, if Karl could learn to ride a horse normally, that would be considered an outstanding talent.
As for instructions, it was very difficult to get a horse to obediently obey commands to turn and accelerate.
Such behavior required a long period of communication and developing silent understanding with the horse.
The horses they were using today were ordinary draft horses, usually used for farm work, and could not replace the role of warhorses.
There were no warhorses in the manor, and even if they bought one, its arrival would take time.
This meant that the young master would finally get familiar with the draft horse, and then he would have to face a new warhorse again.
Warhorses weren't as gentle as ordinary horses; they generally weren't very good-tempered, and their strength was greater, making them more prone to causing injuries.
"Go on, Karl, put on the helmet and change into the boots."
Karl nodded and took the helmet and boots from Dalton.
"This is your first contact with horses; let me tell you what you need to prepare." Dalton watched Karl put on the boots and muttered.
"Simply put, first, you need to respect the horses, and second, you need to be patient."
"Horses are not vehicles; they are partners with emotions and personalities. Learning to ride a horse is learning to cooperate with it."
......
A few hours later, nearing noon, the sun grew hotter and hotter.
Karl sat on the draft horse, holding the reins in his hand, calmly letting the horse walk slowly, and his turns and stops were already decent.
The onlookers nearby looked a bit incredulous.
"Master Hans, is Karl really a beginner with horses? It feels incredibly skillful..."
"If it weren't for his somewhat abrupt movements and unorthodox riding posture, I would have wondered if he had learned to ride before."
"He didn't even show the slightest fear when facing the horses."
"When ordinary people encounter tall horses, they are always afraid the horses might hurt them, so they appear timid." Dalton sat on his horse and turned his head towards Hans.
At this moment, Hans had witnessed Karl's transformation from a novice to someone with decent skill in just a few hours.
Such an amazing talent, even with his perpetually unsmiling demeanor, couldn't help but nod and smile approvingly.
"At least... Karl is talented, isn't that a good thing, Dalton?"
"It means he can defend the honor of the El family and make the name of El resound in Vizima."
Because he was so pleased, Hans almost revealed Karl's identity for a moment.
Even though he reacted in time, he still let a word slip that Dalton caught.
Dalton glanced sideways, and seeing Hans's expression become calm at that moment, he didn't ask any questions.
At this time, Dalton appeared calm on the surface, but inside, turbulent waves were already churning.
"At least? Master Hans almost called him young master... I knew his identity wasn't simple!"
"A commoner who insulted the master one after another, and Lord Hans not only didn't care but smiled, and now he's invited them to the manor."
"All the participants in the competition were knights from great noble families. He's not even a commoner, maybe not even a servant, so how could he possibly have such qualifications?"
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