Starting My Journey as a Dragon Rider from the Deepwater Realm

As the sun dipped below the horizon, the time of the moon arrived.

Clobber was reminded of the evening banquet by Frank's personal servant. Donning a noble outfit generously provided by Frank, Clobber, accompanied by Sir Foster, followed the servant to the grand hall.

The hall was already bustling with nobles, most of whom were vassals of the Moonlight Mushroom family or local officials engaged in lively conversation.

Clobber's attention was immediately drawn to the man standing beside Frank.

Adam Goldrose.

Adam was Clobber's maternal uncle, the youngest male of the previous Goldrose generation, and now a baron in his own right. Despite his responsibilities managing family diplomacy and trade caravans, he remained one of Clobber's most affectionate relatives.

At forty-six, Adam was a knight of impressive strength and carried himself with the poise befitting his title. Spotting Clobber from across the room, he beamed and waved him over.

"Clobber! Come here, my boy! Come to your uncle!"

It wasn't hard for Adam to notice Clobber, given how striking his features were. Among a sea of nobles, Clobber's appearance was nothing short of extraordinary.

Even as a child, Clobber's features bore a strong resemblance to his late mother, Lilith Goldrose, who was renowned as one of the family's great beauties. Years of knightly training had only enhanced his looks. His skin remained fair and smooth, his face sharp and refined.

From his sapphire-blue eyes, radiating an alluring charm, to his high-arched brows, perfectly sculpted nose, and elegantly shaped lips, Clobber's entire visage exuded nobility and grace.

Even in the simple noble attire Frank had provided, Clobber's charm was undeniable. Instead of masking his allure, it elevated his appearance, making him seem even more regal.

The moment Clobber stepped into the hall, many noblewomen and young ladies turned their gaze toward him, captivated.

But Clobber's most distinctive feature was his shimmering golden hair—a symbol of the Goldrose family's pure lineage. It was the key reason Adam firmly believed Clobber embodied the blood of their house.

Indeed, among the four children of Baron Klarr, Clobber was the only one with golden hair. In the eyes of the Goldrose family, it was the ultimate mark of nobility, far superior to the mundane brown hair typical of Baron Klarr's other offspring.

Even the Grand Duke himself had once praised the Goldrose family's hair, claiming it most closely resembled the scales of a golden dragon. By contrast, the pale blondes of other noble houses seemed dull, like dry straw.

Adam's disdain for the Klarr family was palpable. "If there had been more eligible members in the family back then, Father would never have married off his most beloved sister to that oaf of a baron," he thought bitterly, his animosity for Klarr's household intensifying.

But Adam quickly pushed those thoughts aside and warmly welcomed Clobber.

"My dear Clobber! Seeing the Goldrose blood shine through you fills me with pride! Thank goodness you didn't inherit much from that pig Klarr. If you had, you'd still be fumbling around as a novice squire—just like your useless elder brother. Oh, has he reached intermediate squire level yet? Doesn't matter!

"Look at you! A true genius blessed by the Goldrose lineage—your talents are unparalleled, and your looks are just as extraordinary. Thank the heavens you don't resemble Klarr, or no noblewoman would ever consider you. You'd be forced to marry some merchant's daughter to carry on the family name!"

Adam's words were a blatant display of disdain for Klarr and his family, ridiculing everything from their appearances to their capabilities.

Before Clobber could respond, Adam eagerly grabbed his wrist, guiding him to a seat. But as soon as he touched Clobber, Adam's brows furrowed, and he looked straight into Clobber's eyes with surprise.

"You've broken through to the peak of apprentice knight?"

The lively banquet immediately fell silent. From his seat at the head of the table, Frank gasped, utterly forgetting his noble decorum. "What?! You've reached the peak of apprentice knight?!"

Frank's outburst, unbefitting a future count, was ignored by the other attendees, who were entirely fixated on Adam's revelation.

"Yes," Clobber replied calmly. "I broke through yesterday. If I had the follow-up breathing technique, I might've been able to attempt the full knight breakthrough last night."

The room fell into stunned silence. Clobber's matter-of-fact tone left the nobles momentarily speechless.

"If I'm not mistaken," Adam said slowly, still processing the information, "you're only fifteen, right? You haven't even had your coming-of-age ceremony."

"That's correct," Clobber confirmed.

A collective gasp echoed through the hall.

While most of the nobles present were full-fledged knights, they had achieved that rank in their late twenties—or even into their thirties. Clobber's progress at such a young age was nothing short of miraculous.

A baron in his fifties wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

At fifteen, he recalled, he had been chasing girls around his estate, with no thought of training or discipline. Comparing himself to the young man before him now, he couldn't help but feel his past life had been utterly wasted.

But Adam Goldrose was fixated on something far more pressing.

"No follow-up breathing technique? What do you mean by that? Are you telling me that fat pig Klarr didn't even provide you with a proper breathing technique?"

Adam's voice was sharp, filled with barely restrained fury.

The thought of Clobber—a prodigy carrying the noble bloodline of the Goldrose family—being denied even a complete low-level breathing technique was nothing short of outrageous to him.

The other nobles in the room also frowned, their expressions a mixture of disapproval and disbelief. In their eyes, if such a talented individual had appeared within their own family, they would have poured every resource into nurturing him. Even if he couldn't inherit the family title, his potential could secure alliances with greater nobles, leading to new territories and opportunities.

With familial support and exceptional talent, even the worst-case scenario would result in him becoming a baron himself, perhaps branching out to establish a new family line. It was an investment any rational family would make.

Clobber could only nod helplessly in response to Adam's question, confirming the situation.

Adam's fist slammed down on the table, his knuckles whitening with rage.

"This is outrageous! Absolutely outrageous! That fat pig Klarr dares to insult the blood of the Goldrose family like this? When I visit Deepwater tomorrow, I'll beat him so badly his own father won't recognize him!"

Adam's eyes burned with fury, and his voice roared like an enraged bull.

The gathered nobles nodded in agreement, even those who were friendly with Klarr. Whether their agreement stemmed from genuine indignation or a desire to appease Adam was anyone's guess.

After venting his anger, Adam began to calm himself. He glanced at Sir Foster, who stood nearby, and added, "If things escalate with that fat pig, I'll need your help, Sir Foster."

Adam, as Lilith's older brother, was younger than Baron Klarr but a stronger fighter. Both were early-stage formal knights, but Adam trained in an intermediate breathing technique, giving him far superior quality and reserves of aura. When Adam mentioned a "stalemate," it was clear he was referring to a brief delay rather than any real contest.

Foster nodded solemnly. "I've been itching to put that pig in his place for a while now. Consider it done."

"..." Clobber looked at the two men, now fully aligned in their mutual disdain for Klarr, unsure of what to say.

"I'll gouge his eyes out and shove them up his rear!" Adam growled, his fury reigniting briefly.

Frank, sensing the banquet's atmosphere turning sour, quickly raised his glass to restore the mood.

"Gentlemen, let's not let this ruin the evening. Come now, a toast! To the duchy, to the Moonlight Mushroom family, and to the Goldrose family!"

"To the Grand Duchy!"

"To the Moonlight Mushroom family!"

"To the Goldrose family!"

At Frank's lead, the nobles lifted their glasses in unison.

A stream of servants brought in trays of food and wine, the aroma filling the hall. The ruby-red wine glistened in the crystal goblets, and platters of delicacies covered the tables.

Clobber, unwilling to hold back, helped himself to a large slab of roasted meat from a mid-level magical beast and began eating heartily.

Halfway through his meal, Adam gestured for Clobber to come closer.

"After the banquet, stop by my room. I have a gift for you," Adam said with a mischievous glint in his eye. Without elaborating, he returned to mingling with the other nobles.

The lavish feast continued late into the night, finally winding down as the guests drank themselves into a stupor and retired to their rooms.

Clobber, however, remained clear-headed. He couldn't stop thinking about Adam's mention of a gift.

"Could it be a weapon? Armor? Or… could it actually be a breathing technique?"

The thought startled him, but he quickly dismissed the idea as wishful thinking.

"Speculating is pointless. He told me to come by after the banquet, so I'll just go and see for myself."

With that, Clobber, accompanied by Sir Foster—who always stayed by his side—headed for Adam's room.