The Choice Ceremony

William felt that time was moving faster in this world than before. In the blink of an eye, a year had passed and he had turned two. Choice Day was still vivid in his memory as if it were yesterday.

In this world, you couldn't celebrate your birthday whenever you wanted, but you could celebrate your birthday when you turned one, when you took your first step into adulthood (16), or when you became a truly strong and respected person. Even if William had a noble father, he probably wouldn't celebrate another birthday until he was sixteen.

He was sitting in front of his teacher right now, listening intently.

"William, there isn't much I can teach you about the Argos language. I thought I could only teach you some normal reading and writing tricks, but you exceeded my expectations! You soaked up everything I gave you like a sponge. I think you're now as good at Argos as I am. Today I have officially stopped teaching you the Argos language. Now we will move on to other lessons."

The praise of his teacher made William happy. He knew he had a talent for languages, but the Argos language was much, much simpler than the Turkish of his previous life. It wasn't even like English. Even in his previous life, the compliments he received from his teacher always pleased him. If Mehmet hadn't been so good at everything, he was sure that all the credit would have gone to him.

Zimo took a deep breath and continued.

"I wanted to teach you etiquette as well, but it doesn't seem necessary. You've already learned by watching. So we will skip this lesson as well. Now I'll ask you, poetry or mathematics?"

William was lost in thought. 'What the fuck would poetry and mathematics do in this world where you always shout power, power, and power?' Angry thoughts flashed across his face. A few months ago, he had started reading the books in his father's study. He had finished 'History of Argos', 'The Hills of Argos', 'Ancient Geography' and 'Etha's Travel Journal'. There was only one conclusion he drew from these books. Even if he was a high-ranking officer in the palace, when a powerful person came, you had to bow before him. This power was both political and personal physical power. Even political power pales in comparison to personal physical power. According to Etha's diary, a king had angered a powerful mercenary over a minor disagreement, and when the mercenary got angry, he entered his palace, grabbed him by the neck, and executed him in the city square. This meant that no matter if you were a king or an emperor if you didn't have personal power, you were nothing. That's why he was so pessimistic about mathematics and poetry.

After a while, he woke up from his thoughts and looked at his teacher. He had a "sorry, but I have to say" expression on his face.

"Teacher, I want to learn poetry and mathematics too, but our world is not fair."

"What are you trying to say?" said Zimo questioningly. He expected this kind of answer, so he just wanted to know why.

"Teacher, I mean, will poetry and mathematics give me the power to kill my enemies?"

Now Zimo was surprised. He was expecting a simple "What good will it do me?" but frowned at this question. 'This brat is only two years old, but is he talking about killing?' he thought. He didn't speak and motioned for him to continue.

"Teacher, you know that the life of a noble may look good on the outside, but on the inside, it stinks like a garbage dump. I hope I don't have to tell you how bloody and dangerous it is. I believe you have also read 'The History of Argos'. When even the royal family we're vassals to is built on blood and bones... I mean, what's the point of things like poetry and math that don't have much impact on reality?"

Zimo could not hide his surprise at his words. Almost everything the brat said was true. Perhaps one day, this brat would become stronger and go to the battlefield. Unless he was a very high nobleman, there was no way to escape. With these thoughts, he gave up on forcibly teaching him poetry, but he still wanted to teach him mathematics.

"Will(William), okay. We will do as you say. I won't teach you poetry, but you have to learn mathematics. Because mathematics can sometimes come in handy, even in battle! You understand the use of a catapult with math. That's why you can't escape it." Sometimes Zimo called William "Will" because he thought William was too close to him.

William felt that all this talk was for nothing. 'What do you know about math, and what I don't know? I'm an engineer. I was born with math, I died with math!' He frowned, revealing his thoughts in his expression, but did not speak. He had already learned numbers and such. He thought he was already good at it.

"Let's start then!" said Zimo, not knowing what to expect.

A few days later, Theo was in his study, checking documents on the grain the city had recently produced. He was startled by the shout from Teacher Zimo and looked at the door. Outside the door was Zimo's 'Genius! Genius!' He could hear his voice, albeit hoarse. The two guards at the door refused to let Zimo in without the Baron's permission. Theo gestured to Hurim, who was sitting across the table, to let Zimo in.

Zimo was drenched in sweat as he entered. He immediately met Theo and continued to shout. "Genius! Genius! A genius!"

Theo frowned. "Teacher, please sit down, calm down. Something about William?"

Zimo finally calmed down a bit and sat down across from Hurim. "What do you mean, something about William? Of course, it's about him. Who else do you think I'm teaching?" Theo ignored his disrespect.

Zimo continued. "Your son is an absolute genius! I started teaching him mathematics a week ago. This brat answers everything I ask, he understands what I say immediately. He can even say it better than I can!"

This time he was bewildered, without joy, but a look of desperation came over his face.

"In one week he learned all the mathematics and finished it." He said.

Theo was also delighted. He now learned that his son was a math genius. "We should celebrate this with Sophia," he thought. Zimo continued without hesitation.

He took a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Theo. When Theo got it, he didn't understand it at first. Then he was astonished. 'Could it be like this?' he thought. He had figured out what the paper in his hand meant.

"You understand too. So well that he could even become a teacher. He called what he had a multiplication table. He said it would be easier for everyone to understand. He is right to the end. If someone can memorize this, they can learn the basics of mathematics in a few days," said Zimo, still in despair.

Theo had finally figured it out. A thousand thoughts went through his head. Theo looked at Zimo blankly and said, "Teacher Zimo, I think you have nothing left to teach William. We both agree that his talent must remain a secret. We have to take such measures because of what has happened. After all, we do not live carefree lives." He handed him the paper. "You can keep this, you can continue to teach your students. We will pay our remaining debts to you."

Zimo knew that would happen, but he didn't care. It was enough that he knew. He knew that if he revealed William's genius, the boy would be in danger. As William said, the noble world was cruel. Besides, not only would William be in danger, but so would he. If he had an enemy, they would surely find him to learn more of his secrets.

He understood Theo's decision. Hurim paid him the remaining tuition, said goodbye to William for the last time, and left. How could he have known that thanks to this child he had taught, he would receive the title of "Father of Mathematics" in Argos? William's ideas expanded his understanding of mathematics.

Theo was also happy to see him off. He had learned to keep a low profile because of his previous experience with Zelia. He was his only heir and he had to protect him as best he could.

In the meantime, they had released Zelia because Seth had not kept his promise, but had murdered her family after she had left to save one more mouthful of food.

William had a lot of free time now that he didn't have to study anymore. He didn't want to show that he was so good at math either, but since it felt like a child telling what he already knew from day one, he quickly switched to showing Zimo how genius he was. It worked. Within a week, he had proven himself and sent Zimo on his way. Now he could concentrate on the remaining books.

After that, William dragged his little body into Theo's study every day, listening to his father's decisions about the barony, getting an idea of their territory, and reading the books on the lower shelves because he wasn't quite tall yet.

He had learned a lot about the kingdom he was in. He especially liked geography books. He had learned a lot about mysterious and mystical regions, about dangerous areas where wild, magical beasts roamed that did not exist in his previous world. The territory of Argos was so vast that he was surprised at first, but then he realized how wrong he was.

'This damned world was so big!

The Jade Wind Kingdom, where it was located, was almost the size of the continent of Australia compared to his previous world.

There were two other such kingdoms!

As mentioned in Etha's second book, there might be many more unknown ruined kingdoms and even empires. Etha had not lived long enough to see them. After the third kingdom he had just visited, he returned to his hometown and died there.

William became more and more curious. Even these three kingdoms were as big as his old world when he read about them. That day, he made a decision. As someone who had not even left the city, he was in his previous world, this time he wanted to see all the blessings of the world he was in. If someone ever had to write his own story, he wanted them to call him 'The Traveler', maybe even 'The Explorer'.

Unfortunately, he would have to get stronger. He also needed money. He was sure that if he went out now as a normal adult, he would be killed by the first group of creatures or bandits he encountered. Life was very hard for civilians in this world. They could only survive in sheltered places.

He wanted the time to pass quickly. He didn't even know what the system that came with him was for. Maybe something unnecessary would come out and it wouldn't help him to become stronger.

He did not want to leave it to chance and waited eagerly for that day to come.

...

Today, Theo had summoned him to the soldiers' training ground in front of the castle.

As William entered the training ground, he felt dozens of eyes on him. His father sat in a chair at the center table. He drank his wine and watched him shyly. More than twenty muscular men stood on either side of Theo, arms crossed. They all frowned at William.

William was extremely embarrassed. He felt those eyes could kill him. The shortest of the men in front of him was 190 cm tall. Some of them were even taller than his father. There was also a man who was about two and a half meters tall.

Although he was only three years old, he realized that he could be like them in the future. He already looked like a 6-7 year old boy. He understood that the tiger blood and tiger meat that his father added to his meals gave him that. That's why he drank tiger blood every day until he swelled up. Of course, he could only drink three drops at the most. His body could not handle the energy contained in the tiger's blood.

As he reached the center of the field, one of the soldiers threw a wooden sword in front of him. It was disproportionately large for his height. He could only lift it with both hands.

'So damn heavy,' he thought. He realized that it was made of white ironwood from the Black Forest.

These trees were very rare. There were several kinds of these trees. It was extremely difficult to cut them down and make an item out of them. The white ironwood was not very heavy compared to the others. When he thought of the green and blue ironwoods, he silently thanked his father dozens of times. If it had been a green or blue ironwood sword, William was sure he wouldn't have been able to move it even an inch.

With difficulty, he managed to raise the wooden sword to his face.

Theo stood up when he saw him raise the wooden sword. He held out his right hand, and one of the soldiers beside him placed a white ironwood sword in his palm. He began to speak as he approached William.

"From today, you will train with these men. I will not teach you what a warrior is for until you can swing the sword in your hand with ease." He said as he stood in front of William's small body.

He stood in front of him like a mountain. William's face began to show a slight expression of fear. He wouldn't be afraid even if he was standing in front of the biggest and strongest person in the previous world. He'd just be a little surprised and laugh about it. But he knew that in this world, a strong person could represent death. So it was normal for him to feel a slight fear, even if it was his father.

"Now raise your sword and strike with all your might!" he shouted.

While William thought about how to swing the sword he had just raised, Theo did not wait for him and made the first move. He struck the wooden sword in his hand directly across from him, and William's sword struck his own face. Before he knew what was happening, he felt a tearing pain in his face.

When Willam fell to the ground, he tried to get up again, but Theo didn't wait for him. He struck again with his sword as he lay on the ground. This time it struck him harder in the face. Then he lifted William off his back with his foot and this time he struck him in the back with his sword.

"Never turn your back on your enemy!" he shouted.

William thought to himself, 'Son of a bitch, you lifted me up, what turning back?' he shouted, but no one heard his voice. This time he had fallen on his face. The dust on the ground was in his mouth. He tried to get up, coughing, but before he could, Theo struck him on the knees.

"Never kneel before your enemy!" he said.

He walked over and looked at the kneeling William.

"Never beg for mercy! Die with honor!" he shouted, striking his head to the side with the broad face of the wooden sword in his hand.

William felt like he was going to faint, but he didn't. Even though his eyes were dark and his head was spinning, he held on.

He saw Theo walk away, handing the sword to one of the laughing men in front of him.

All the soldiers watching him on the training ground were laughing and pointing their fingers at him.

William immediately understood what his father was trying to do. He was trying to make him ambitious through humiliation, taunting, and laughter. Most people would either get offended in such a situation or continue their training with effort.

William's thoughts were different. 'Asshole!' he shouted inwardly. 'Do you think I don't understand what the hell you're trying to do? It was as if there is a child in front of him' and then he remembered. 'Yeah!' He said, 'I'm a goddamn child.'

'You can't fool me with such tricks, but I'll pretend to be fooled anyway'. He did not need such tricks. It was obvious that he was doing it because he wanted to become stronger. He did not want to experience any of the regrets he had in the previous world in this world as well.

After Theo left, his eyes slowly returned to normal and he stood up. He had a hard time getting up because the idiot had also hit his knees. His legs trembled with pain. But he managed it.

When he was supported by the sword and corrected his stance, the shortest of the laughing men at 190 cm came up to him and grabbed his arm. He tried to support him. Then he turned and shouted at the others who were still laughing.

"Damn you, bastards! What are you laughing at? Which one of you could lift this sword at the age of three?"

All the soldiers' smiles faded. Someone pretended to be slightly annoyed and said, "But boss, look at that brat! He is still sucking his mother's milk, but he has come to train with us."

"There's nothing to do! Baron's order. From now on, you will treat him like a comrade in arms! If I see you treating him differently, your training will be doubled!" he shouted.

All the soldiers remained silent, shrugged their shoulders, and left. Now there were only two of them left on the training ground.

William was still angry. 'Are you playing good cop bad cop now? Damn, these guys are so simple-minded,' he thought. But he decided to continue the game.

The man looked at his broken, swollen, and bruised face and said, "I'm Pierce. From now on you can call me trainer. You're going to be here every day at first light. If you are even a minute late, your training will be doubled. Don't think I'm going to go easy on you just because you're a kid," he said.

William lifted his head slightly and looked into Pierce's face. He had short white hair and a long white beard. His face had given way to the years. He looked like he was in his forties or fifties, but his body was extremely strong. 'This guy's body is just a bunch of muscles,' he thought. He got the idea that he was in good shape for his age.

He straightened his body. He stood like a soldier from his previous life. He shook his head and folded his arms across his body. "Yes, sir!" he said.

Pierce felt he was a disciplined boy and was happy. He thought he'd be a spoiled little brat like any other kid. He took this as a good sign and smiled.

"Come on, now go home and get some rest. Be here in the morning." He said smiling.

"But, trainer. I cannot walk." William said with difficulty. Pierce frowned, 'Why did you hit his legs?' he thought.

"Never mind, I'll take you then." He said expressionless. He grabbed William's back like a puppy and led him to his room.

Sophia watched the whole thing from a far corner. Even though it hurt every time she saw him take a hit, Theo had told her not to interfere no matter what. So she just held on.

When she entered William's room, she saw his little body asleep on the bed. She asked the maids for some healing cream and carefully rubbed it on his bumps and bruises. She did her best not to wake him. When the cream was all over his skin, she happily left William's room, satisfied with what she had done.

Note: Please leave a review. If you leave a power stone one or two, no one will be happier than me. Thanks a lot!