Calling a Deer a Horse (Revised)
Andrei took his sword, shield and dagger and went to the grove he often visited.
It was a chilly spring day, with little sunlight in the woods, making it even colder. However, Andre worked up a sweat from his workout, with beads of sweat the size of beans sliding down his muscular, bare upper body.
"Hey, isn't that Andre? Why are you practicing here alone? Why don't you go to the training grounds to practice with your sword?" A teasing voice came over, "Are you afraid we'll peek at your ultimate move?"
"Hahahaha, Victor, you think too highly of him. Isn't all he knows the few moves we learned at the academy?"
"Yeah, he's just stronger. In terms of skills and moves, he can't compare to Victor at all."
Several echoing voices were heard.
Andre turned a deaf ear and continued swinging his sword without even turning his head.
Seeing that Andre ignored him and didn't even show any anger, Victor became unhappy and walked closer to Andre.
"Andre, listen to my advice. The Knights aren't your best choice. Even the official knights in the Viscount's Mansion only earn one silver coin a month. You still have a mother and a brother to support, and you'll have to get married and raise a wife and children. One silver coin is too little. You should join a guild and take on missions to hunt monsters and gather magical plants, or become a mercenary. That way you'll earn more."
Andre still turned a deaf ear, staring intently at his sword, swinging it with the same force.
Victor was a little annoyed when he saw Andrei still ignoring him. "Oh, Andrei, I'm trying to persuade you with good intentions. If you know what's good for you, just withdraw and I'll give you five silver coins as compensation. But if you don't know how to proceed, Andrei, even if you go, I can't let you in."
After making the threat, Victor walked away arrogantly with his followers.
Andre swung his sword with concentration, his breathing steady, but each swing of his sword became heavier than the last.
Five days later, dozens of ambitious candidates entered the training ground in Fussen.
Andre also came to the martial arts training ground, but he was stopped at the checkpoint of checking weapons and verifying identity.
"Your sword is too heavy and exceeds the standard. Also, your ID card is not good. It is so worn that the words are blurred." The verifying official lied with his eyes open.
Andre looked him straight in the face, refuting each point one by one. "The notice didn't specify any weight requirements for weapons, and it wasn't mentioned on the registration form either. I don't know why my sword is so heavy; it's clearly a standard broadsword. Also, which word on my ID is blurred?"
The official picked up the ID card casually: "It's right here, ah, it's not only worn out, it's even torn, that's even worse." His subordinates exerted force and a hole was torn in the ID card.
Andre had never expected that this man would act so brazenly. He watched in astonishment as the official tore a hole in his ID, and flames of anger instantly surged in his chest.
"You tore up my ID!" Andre raised his shield and was about to charge forward, about to hit the official's chest, but in the end the shield only stopped a little in front of his chest, and he still restrained himself.
The official curled his short beard in disdain. He was not afraid of this young man, who was just a freshly graduated boy. He was carrying defensive items with him. It was a pity that if this boy really bumped into him, he would have more reason to take him down.
"You're trying to cause trouble, aren't you? Your ID is clearly damaged to begin with. Since I'm in charge of verifying it here, of course I have to be impartial. No matter how you threaten me, I won't compromise or back down."
What a trick of calling a horse a deer and confusing right and wrong.
Andre was so provoked by the official that his blood rushed to his head and his face and eyes quickly turned red.
"Andre!" Andre's mother grabbed him and stopped his impulse.
"Mom, he..." Andre was indignant.
"I know." Andre's mother patted her son's shoulder soothingly. She had been watching from the side and of course saw the whole process. She turned to the examiner and gave a decent smile.
"You are, Clifford?" She recognized the inspector as the pastor's right-hand man.
Andre's mother bowed and said, "I am Brown Dorothy's wife." When her husband was still alive, he and Clifford were both officials in the Executive Office and at the same level. They had never had any conflicts, so even though her husband had passed away, there was still some camaraderie between them.
When Clifford heard his former colleague's name, a sudden realization crossed his face, as if he had recalled their former friendship. His attitude softened considerably. "Madam Dorothy, it's been a long time since we last met. How are you?"
"I'm fine, and so is our family. This is my eldest son, Andre. He has a short temper, and his attitude just now was really rude. I apologize to you on his behalf. Please forgive him and don't hold it against him." Mrs. Dorothy first said a few polite words, then, using the gesture of shaking hands and concealing her handkerchief, she stuffed some money into Clifford's pocket. "Ever since Brown left, Andre has been determined to revive our family. This selection is very important to him. Please help him and let him go."
Clifford pushed the money back. "Mrs. Dorothy, it's not that I don't want to be flexible, but, alas, my boss, his second son, is also participating in this selection. You should understand what I mean, right?"
Mrs. Dorothy didn't expect that there was such a reason behind this. She was not a sociable person, especially after her husband's death, she had been a widow and had been staying at home for a long time. Now she didn't know what to do for a while.
Andre looked into the training ground, his eyes fixed precisely on the man behind the scenes.
Just give up like this?
But he was unwilling to give up!
Andre's gaze shifted to the main seat in the stands, where the new lord of Fussen Town was already sitting.
Andre tried desperately to get his brain working. How could he attract the attention of the new lord and make her give him a chance?
In the stands, Elena, who had cast a windproof barrier on herself, was observing the candidates on the field. Then she felt a burning gaze. She looked in that direction and saw a red-haired young man.
She looked at it for two seconds, then looked away again.
Andre's strong hope was shattered, but instead of feeling lost, he gained even greater courage.
He turned around and ran out.
"Andre, where are you going? What are you going to do?" Madame Dorothy shouted in panic.
"I'll be back soon." Andre's voice came from afar.
Andre's departure did not attract any attention in the training ground. When the clock hands reached the scheduled time, the trombone sounded and the Cavaliers' selection began.
Dozens of candidates were divided into groups of two and began a one-on-one competition.
The bustle in the martial arts training ground attracted people from the entire town of Fussen, and in the forest far outside the safe zone, Andre found a group of deer drinking water by the stream.
He needed a suitable prey to prove his strength, so he came to the forest. The deer in front of him were just ordinary wild deer, not magical beasts, but he had no time. He could only catch the prey in front of him first, and he had to catch it alive.
Suddenly, the quiet forest was filled with the sound of galloping horses, mixed with the cries of wild deer. The noise startled a flock of hidden birds.
A few minutes later, the forest became quiet again. A few minutes later, a man walked out of the forest carrying a mature wild deer.
Andrei ran all the way carrying the wild deer and arrived at the martial arts training ground panting.
Andre, carrying the wild deer, immediately attracted the attention of the onlookers outside the martial arts training ground. While marveling at the man's martial arts skills, they made way for a small path to allow Andre to pass smoothly.
The selection had already begun a long time ago. Clifford had already left the checkpoint and sat in the stands on the sidelines. At this time, only a few ordinary soldiers were left at the checkpoint to guard it.
"Stop, what are you doing?" The soldier raised his gun and stopped Andre.
Andre panted, "I want to dedicate this deer to the lord."
The soldier looked at the deer on his shoulder and said sternly, "Don't you know that it's illegal to hunt common wild animals in the forest without permission?"
On the lord's land, whether it is a wild beast in the mountains or a fish or shrimp in the water, as long as it is wild, it belongs to the lord, unless it is a magical beast, the law encourages everyone to hunt and kill it.
Andre's behavior of privately hunting a wild deer and carrying it before the lord can be said to be a serious offense.
Andre nodded slightly: "I know, so I came to present it to the lord."
The movement at the checkpoint quickly attracted the attention of the audience, and officials all turned their eyes to it.
When the inspector recognized Andre carrying the deer, his heart suddenly tightened.
What is this guy going to do? What is he going to do!
Before his immediate superior, the pastoral officer, could hold him accountable, the inspector immediately stood up and ran to the checkpoint. He had to get him out.
But someone arrived at the checkpoint earlier than him and let Andre in.
That man was the present assistant to the farm officer, and had succeeded Brown Dorothy.
The agricultural officer took action.
The examiner suddenly felt that his feet were much heavier, and he hesitated.
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