Wizard: Building a Cultivation Family from Scratch

"Squeak—"

A dull thud sounded as something was being pushed or pulled.

The old knight Granger pushed open the gate and walked in from outside the castle.

Sunlight streamed through the castle's narrow windows, making his old, scratched armor gleam.

Granger had a very difficult time during this period.

Baron Cade's death weighed heavily on his heart like a boulder.

The old knight has served the Roland family for decades.

From his early prime to his current old age, he and Baron Cadet have weathered decades of ups and downs together.

What outsiders might not know is that the master and servant are actually very close friends in private.

These past few nights, the old knight has often dreamt of his youth, when he and Cade participated in the "Knight's Trial".

They even made a bet to see who could break through to the Great Knight realm first.

Unexpectedly, decades later, neither of them fulfilled their bet, and the young knight who made the bet with him is now resting in peace in the Roland family cemetery...

Thinking of this, Granger, walking in the dimly lit castle hall, couldn't help but tighten his grip on the hilt of his sword.

He knew very well that Cade's death was definitely not that simple!

Two days before that accident, he had been transferred away from the castle because of the "River Bottom Village Demon" incident.

What a coincidence that is in this world!

But who is the mastermind behind this?

Could it be Parker, the one who reported the Riverbed Village case to him?

If it's him, what is his purpose...?

The old knight felt that the whole incident was confusing and puzzling, as if he were in a fog.

But the more this is the case, the less he intends to give up.

He was determined to find the real culprit.

This was both to avenge his best friend and to atone for his dereliction of duty...

However, just as the old knight was pondering to himself, a faint sound suddenly came from not far away.

The sound was extremely noticeable in the empty castle.

  

Granger immediately frowned.

As an elder of the Roland family, he immediately recognized it as the location of the castle storeroom.

Someone is stealing?!

The thought immediately popped into Granger's mind.

The old knight's suspicions were not unfounded.

Since Baron Cade's death, the entire castle has been gripped by an atmosphere of panic.

The servants, grooms, butlers, and even the professional soldiers all wondered if the Roland family was headed for utter destruction.

After all, with Baron Cadet dead, the entire family had no decent successor.

As for Orianna?

That girl was indeed very kind; she was a good child.

But to everyone else, she was just a pitiful person who had lost all her family and spent her days dreaming of becoming a witch...

Sixteen years old, female, unable to awaken her power seed... everything indicates that this young girl is simply incapable of supporting this ancient and dilapidated family.

Parker might be a good successor.

He awakened the seed of power at a young age, and possesses great strength and a calm temperament, earning praise from many family knights.

But unfortunately...

His mother was only a half-elf, and he himself was not named Roland, but Green.

According to the kingdom's laws, he could never become the head of the Roland family.

Under such circumstances, everyone in the castle had long since lost faith in the Roland family.

Petty theft also occurs from time to time.

The old knight knew this perfectly well.

But as a knight of the Roland family, even if the family is completely hopeless, he will never allow anyone to harm the family's interests.

Thinking of this, the old knight took a deep breath and walked toward the storeroom with a stern face.

The sound of heavy objects being dragged became clearer and clearer.

At the warehouse at the end of the corridor, the lights flickered, and a slender shadow was stretched and reflected on the stone wall.

Someone was indeed stealing!

The old knight suppressed his anger.

However, just as he was about to speak up and stop the other party, a familiar figure appeared in front of him.

"Oh, so heavy..."

"Huh? Uncle Granger? What are you doing here?"

Granger's expression froze instantly.

"Oriana?"

"Phew... Excuse me, Uncle Granger, could you come and help me?"

This thing is so heavy!

Granger then noticed that Orianna's slender body was carrying four or five heavy bundles, and her two thin arms were dragging a full suit of armor.

Although he didn't understand why the other party was doing this, the old knight still rushed over, grabbed the package and armor with both hands, and easily tucked them under his arms.

"Phew... I'm exhausted."

At this moment, fine beads of sweat had appeared on Orianna's forehead.

She rubbed her aching arm and stuck out her tongue:

"Thank you, Uncle Granger, it's all thanks to you."

Just like Cade had in life, Granger always adored this lively and cheerful girl.

Seeing the other person's expression, he shook his head helplessly.

"What are you doing now?"

Orianna, of course, wouldn't tell the truth:

"Hehe, it's a secret!"

Granger chuckled irritably: "You... you're a lord now, after all. In a while, the kingdom's official investiture certificate will be issued, and you'll be the new 'Baron Roland.' Why do you still act like such a good-for-nothing?"

Although the old knight didn't say it outright, he had already guessed a little:

Since Baron Cade's death, Oriana's behavior has become increasingly strange.

Not only did he frequently buy so-called occult books and "enchanted materials" from passing merchants, but he also often locked himself in his room.

There are even rumors that Orianna recently went to the family cemetery in an attempt to use "witchcraft" to resurrect Baron Cade...

Granger knew that Orianna had longed to become a powerful wizard since childhood, so she had always been very interested in the mystical.

But recent events have made Granger somewhat worried...

Of course, he wasn't worried that Oriana would exhaust the family's wealth—after all, the Roland family didn't have much money to begin with.

What he was really worried about was that the other party might go astray.

In this world, wizards are indeed the most powerful group of extraordinary beings.

Especially after wizards ushered in the "Great Dimensional Expansion Era" through their research on planes, their status surpassed that of the church and royal families of various countries, making them the most worshipped figures in the world.

But everything has two sides.

Among the wizarding community, there are also some wild wizards who like to explore forbidden arts and are unwilling to be bound by any order, resulting in them being expelled from various wizarding organizations.

These guys are paranoid, insane, and extremely dangerous, and they usually lurk all over the world.

Granger worried that if Oriana continued to act recklessly, she would eventually attract the attention of these dangerous individuals and be led astray.