By Zephyria 
Permission to use the martial arts training ground was granted only after my fifth birthday, so a birthday banquet had to be held before any training could commence.
In this world too, young children die easily, so they are rarely allowed outside the mansion before the age of five, and large birthday banquets are not common.
Another explanation was that banquets are typically hosted by the lady of the house, and if she were to fall ill from undertaking such a grand event shortly after childbirth, it would be a grave matter.
Both reasons seemed plausible and entirely sensible.
I, Michael Ernhardt, was born an only child, but I have not yet received a title.
My paternal grandfather held the title of Count, and my maternal grandfather held the title of Duke.
However, since my father was a young Count-to-be and my mother’s elder brother was a young Duke-to-be, I was slated to inherit the title of young Count after my paternal grandfather’s passing, following in my father’s footsteps.
Both my paternal and maternal grandparents doted on me, so although I had met them several times before this birthday banquet, they were not difficult to approach.
“Welcome.”
“Yes, my little puppy. Did you miss this old man?”
“Of course, I missed seeing you again. Have you been well?”
However, my paternal grandfather’s habit of pinching my cheeks every time we met, despite my young age, was difficult to endure with a smile.
Knowing it would be awkward for both of us if I showed my strong dislike, I feigned a pained expression and shook my head. Only then did he release me and place a large gift into my arms.
I had heard it was customary to have servants pile gifts in one spot, but it was obvious he wanted to present the gift to his grandson with his own hands, so I accepted it with a smile.
It was heavier than I expected, causing me to sway.
My grandmother, who had held both the gift bundle and me tightly in her embrace before letting go, had a puffy dress that felt scratchy, but I endured it without complaint.
“Mika, you always seem so mature. Have you hired a tutor?”
“Yes. I have learned to read and write, so after today, I will begin learning etiquette.”
“You are already so bright; you will excel at anything. Aren’t you curious about what the gift is?”
“Because of its size, I thought it might be a doll… but it’s heavier than I expected. May I open it?”
“Of course, it’s yours. Go ahead and unwrap it.”
I wondered what could possibly be inside that made him speak with such confidence.
As it was a banquet for children, the atmosphere was quite relaxed.
While several adults led children my age to greet me, I struggled a bit to unwrap the tightly bound package.
My mother came over and guided me towards where the other gifts were piled. When I finally finished unwrapping it, I was greatly impressed.
“This… this is armor, isn’t it?”
“We’ve often heard that the eldest grandson of House Ernhardt has wanted to become a knight since he was young. Your father will give you a sword, and you can have armor fitted when you’re older, but I thought you might not get armor that fits your current body, so I prepared this.”
I had been worried about running with sandbags or iron weights because my bones hadn’t fully grown yet, but wearing this would undoubtedly allow me to distribute weight evenly across my entire body without much concern!
Overjoyed, I hugged the armor, my delighted expression unmistakable.
As my paternal grandfather and grandmother nodded with satisfied smiles, my maternal grandparents, beaming, presented their gift. I quickly unwrapped that as well.
It was a shield large enough to cover the upper half of my body and a sword that fit my hand. The blade wasn’t sharp, but its ornate decoration gleamed brilliantly.
“This is… an Imperial Knight Order shield!”
“Yes, in the future, Lord Ernhardt will join the Empire’s finest knights, so we received permission to use the Imperial Knight Order’s emblem. It wasn’t planned, but it looks like a set with the armor. You look like a magnificent warrior.”
“If you press the button, it looks like the sword is imbued with aura. Do you like it?”
“I like it very much!”
The Imperial Knight Order was similar to the Imperial Knights, who protected the Emperor, the Imperial Palace, and the borders of the Empire in the Central Plains.
In this land, it was common for skilled individuals to unite for national service rather than scattering to remote mountain regions.
From what I had heard, there were already two knights in the Imperial Knight Order who had reached Hwagyeong, so it was natural for my aspirations to lead me to the Imperial Knight Order.
As I lifted and swung the shield, the children my age watching nearby erupted in cheers and applause.
It was obvious their parents had prompted them, but I was too delighted to care.
In my previous life, unless one was the head of a family, large birthday banquets were not held, and I often slept outdoors with the sky as my ceiling and the ground as my bed. I hadn’t celebrated my birthday like this often.
From the time I could speak, I had babbled about wanting to learn the sword, so it was natural for my close relatives to know about my dream, yet my heart swelled with emotion.
“Thank you very much. Grandmother, Grandfather.”
“You are splendidly attired now, so let’s try wearing them at the end of the banquet. May I put this armor and weapons in your private toilette?”
“Of course. Mother, may I perhaps bring the sword into the banquet hall later?”
“Normally, you may not, but… today is a special day, so I will permit it.”
A gentle kiss landed on my forehead along with her affectionate voice.
Having long since grown accustomed to the more affectionate expressions of this culture compared to the Central Plains, it was no longer a cause for embarrassment. I smiled and returned a kiss on my mother’s cheek.
Afterward, dozens of guests arrived with their children to pay their respects, but I greeted them all with a smiling face.
Thanks to my internal energy training, my stamina was better than that of children my age, and with laughter filling the air, there was no reason not to smile.
However, the difficult part was remembering the names of the young children who came to greet me.
For nearly forty years, I had only seen names of two or three characters, and if I didn’t know someone’s name, I could simply call them Young Master or Young Lady based on their age. But now, everyone’s given names were too long. And when the given names were short, their surnames were excessively long.
Even if I tried to address them appropriately as Young Master or Young Lady, I had heard it was proper etiquette to always include their surname, which made me hesitant to initiate conversation.
Perhaps my hesitation seemed shy. The young boys and girls who consciously tried to speak to me were endearing and cute.
Fortunately, Logan Servel, the eldest grandson of Count Servel’s family, who was four years older than me and often visited, already knew all the children’s names. He brought them over one by one and suggested they play together.
With a peer group, he knew well what young children should play. I found it admirable and commendable.
The children, adorned for the banquet, gathered in the largest drawing-room. Servants quickly moved sofas and tables towards the walls, clearing the space.
As is customary for children visiting the banquets of great Noble Families, they all wore fine clothes and sat trying to appear dignified.
The hair of the children gathered there was sometimes red, sometimes blue, and it flashed brilliantly whenever they moved.
Children aged five to fourteen bustled together, chatting amongst themselves, taking out dolls, or holding toys like chessboards, cards, and wooden blocks that the servants provided.
As the guest of honor, I had to flit between this group and that, which was quite tiring.
However, I had to act the part of the host, so I maintained a cheerful facade and chimed in here and there.
I joined the older group and picked up a chess piece. My father had taught me well, and it wasn’t much different from the Xiangqi of the Central Plains, making it a more accessible game for me than Go.
“Young Master Ernhardt, have you already learned to play chess?”
“My skill is nothing special. I’ve only played a few games with my father as a pastime.”
Still, it seemed less embarrassing than playing house with the younger children, so I quickly replied, and a burst of laughter erupted.
I didn’t know what was so amusing, but it was good that young children laughed a lot, so I laughed along with them.
In the Central Plains, children of Noble Families would always be found playing sword fights or throwing stones in their sweat-soaked martial arts uniforms.
Games like jacks or hopscotch, which children in this world played, were not permitted within the family grounds because they required crouching down, which was deemed unsuitable for the noble spirit of the Namgung Family.
When I won the first game, everyone looked surprised. When I won the second game, my opponent, a Young Master, looked troubled, so in the third, I played more cautiously and lost by a narrow margin.
Afterward, while playing against several Young Ladies and Young Masters, I tried to make more naive moves, but my familiarity with playing chess against my father was too great, and I was caught trying to pretend.
The young children’s perceptiveness was greater than I had anticipated, which was embarrassing.
Indeed, in my previous life, I had only seen children from afar; after the age of fifteen, I had never seen one closer than ten meters.
It was natural that I wouldn’t know how intelligent and sharp children of this age were.
After playing enjoyably, we all went to the banquet. We admired the food laid out on low tables, had servants follow us with plates to serve us our chosen dishes, and then we all gathered to eat.
I liked being able to eat as much as I wanted, the mountains of colorful food, and having my desired dishes placed on my plate without having to reach far.
I remarked that the abundance of House Ernhardt was evident at a glance and a wonderful way of doing things, which made the older guests laugh heartily once more.