Chapter 18 – The General Fights Kung Fu

Nathan Evenhart:

I was talking with Sifu in the training room, clarifying some doubts I had.

I learned that the organization Legacy of Evenhart didn’t refer to the legacy of my family. The name actually means ‘Legacy of the Evenhart Kingdom,’ referring to my country, which is now called a Duchy. These families have lived in the same place around the fortress for generations. Following the road leads to the City of Evenhart, where they handle more political matters.

Unfortunately, I was confined to the inner part of the mansion and couldn’t leave until the situation was resolved. I wasn't complaining—the place was enormous. The problem was that I could only stay in the inner part and couldn’t even step outside to the exterior region of the castle. The entrances were all guarded from the outside by soldiers. Inside, there were only the servants and some families of the legacies; most stayed in the outer part. Our only guard here was Carnellian, a Moon Panther.

My aunt explained to me that Carnellian’s hearing was excellent, so any unusual noise in the interior would be detected and 'resolved.' She didn’t say much about what Carnellian would do if he found an intruder, but I got the gist.

I asked Sifu why the Legacies of Evenhart didn’t just deal with the Wolves in a more 'direct' manner and eliminate them. He explained that the organization’s existence must remain hidden and we must act from the shadows, avoiding drawing attention. To outsiders, we are just an agricultural Duchy, far from the modernity of the Capital and other Duchies. I better understood that the Evenhart family prefers the tradition of living with nature rather than subjugating it and imposes the death penalty on anyone who dares touch ancient forests or certain animals. These places have remained unchanged since our ancestors arrived, and tradition dictates they stay that way.

The situation with the Wolves is a bit more delicate. The noble families of the Legacies manage this part of the Duchy, but there are many areas beyond these forests. For that, there are other noble families: Marquises, Counts, Viscounts, and Barons. These people, despite their lower positions, are numerous and have soldiers and mages. We govern almost half of the Evenhart territory, and these families govern the rest, being our vassals.

After the war at the border, we lost some power. Only the Legacies and their soldiers went to war. We left the lower nobility to take care of our lands; it seems the Evenhart family takes the motto ‘United Family and Dead Enemies’ seriously, as they wanted to be at the front lines. Part of it was the greater danger the enemy represented. If the border fell, the Human Empire would gradually dominate these lands, so the best soldiers went to save the continent by defending the border.

The Wolves and their families oppose traditions and seek to expand territory. My mother told me they have wealth but crave more. The Wolves’ faction consists of the minor nobles who agree to act to expand and dominate untouched lands.

I discovered that it’s not just simple forests that remain unchanged—it includes everything on those lands. Possible mines with valuable minerals, lakes, rivers with a diversity of fish, hunting regions, rare and magical animals that could be tamed. The more land they had, the more plantations and other forms of profit could be created. Even new routes could be established.

When we returned from the war and lost a good portion of our soldiers, the Wolves began to act. They used the fact that the main heirs had been killed to condemn the new administration, saying it would lead to ruin and promising many expansions to the lower nobles. These nobles respected authority, but the truth is, things did get worse when the administration changed.

The Legacies returned completely devastated emotionally and had to take on positions they never wanted, stepping into the roles of their deceased parents and siblings, all while facing a major crisis. My aunt may have sat on that throne, but she wasn't a pure-blood Evenhart heir, and the outside nobles disagreed with her decisions. They wanted to ensure that the next Duchess would follow their wishes. The problem was that my cousin was only five years old, and the Wolves' solution was to betroth her and transfer authority to her husband. Nikolaus Wolves used this to claim that if he were the groom, he would remodel the tradition and lead us out of this crisis.

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The problem is that this opportunist is creating his own crisis. He ended up further dividing Evenhart territory, and the Legacies had to take over something that was already difficult for them to manage.

None of them wanted the authority that fell into their laps. My own aunt was an example of this; she had to take over my uncle's role.

"But why don't we just go there and resolve things our way? I know there's that whole 'stay in the shadows' thing, but as a Ducal House, couldn't we organize our army and kill them? Couldn't we?" I asked Sifu.

He shook his head. "We could gather the men and march through these lands, letting the two armies clash, but what would be left after that? What would remain?" he asked me.

"The strongest," I replied with a warrior's mentality.

"It's a good answer, but it would mean nothing. We are already few, and this war would reduce our army even further. Whoever is left would have a huge problem to solve, and we would be defenseless against other enemies. Do you think the families who lost their sons would smile and serve the victorious army that killed their heirs?"

In my old world, when the strongest remained... they were truly the strongest. No one would dare challenge the victorious army. If anyone tried... they wouldn't live long.

"I understand that a war would only make things worse and lead this Duchy to ruin. We wouldn't have the manpower to keep the territory's economy running or to protect it. It would become a lawless land with few soldiers to do anything," I said.

Sifu looked at me with a smile. "A good thought. Exactly, my student. Worrying about what happens after the war is just as important as worrying about the war," he said.

I still didn't understand why not use the position of power and act afterward.

"If someone didn't want to serve us, couldn't we just go and kill them?"

He gave me a small knock on the head.

"And what would that make us? Rulers of the people or dictators over them?" he corrected me.

"I understand..." I murmured.

"This wrong thinking is the mindset of the Song Dynasty. You must learn to be capable of kneeling for your people, not making them kneel for you. That's what men like Nikolaus Wolves don't understand."

I agreed somewhat with the old man's thinking, still trying to understand how a ruler could kneel for their people.

If I'm the dictator, why would I kneel? I wasn't a bad dictator, but that didn't mean I was benevolent. I achieved peace in my own way.

"The reason we adhere to the peace treaty with the kingdom, becoming their vassals, is for the sake of the people. It would be too easy for your family to govern these lands as an independent kingdom, ruling with iron and blood, but at what cost? The economy here doesn't have enough power to sustain itself, not when we rely on resources that only grow in other lands. Plus, we are surrounded by a powerful nation. Being a Legacy of Evenhart means understanding the price of keeping this territory standing. You became assassins to maintain order in this land, not to destroy it. The wild days of assassinations are over, and now is the time for diplomacy," he told me.

I was still rubbing the spot where I got the knock on the head.

I think this rascal used a bit of Aura when he knocked me...

"Enough talk, maintain your stance. Time to get back to your training," Sifu says, striking a pose with one leg raised before attacking me with kicks as I try to dodge and deflect with my hands.

"Excellent! For a dead man!" He spins in the air and pushes me back with a flying kick.

"Shit!" I hit the wall, and the old man laughs.

"Come on! You still have much to learn if you want to master Kung Fu!" he says.

I get up with difficulty. "I want to train with swords. Practicing these techniques isn't getting me anywhere. You say I need to draw power from my strikes, but how is that going to help? I need to put more force if I want to cause more damage!"

That's how I was taught with aura. The more I focus my strength, the more powerful I'll be.

He laughs.

"Kung Fu uses the weight and force of your opponent, not your own strength. If you, as a child, want to face an opponent larger than you, you must learn to use their weight. You must soften your fists and arms, focusing on deflecting and dodging your enemy's blows. This is the secret art of targeting a person's vital points. Raw power is useless if you're a child. What good is it to be the strongest five-year-old in the world if you can't withstand an adult's punch?" he says, returning to his stance.

"You were trained in aura, you know what I mean. Using fury to enhance your raw strength is the key to becoming stronger," I retort.

Sifu starts laughing. "You are a blind fool. That creates a beast that only acts on wild instinct. Mastering the calmness of your mind is the key! What good is becoming like a tiger if, at the end of the day, someone puts a leash on you?"

He tells me this, and I click my tongue. "Again then!" I say.

The old man looks at me and says, "Excellent!"