146
“Ah, you’ve arrived.”
Clemens put down his brush and greeted.
Recently, following Ray’s advice, he had started trying to draw, and it turned out to be quite to his liking.
Every time he struggled to capture the towering mountains that couldn’t be scaled on two legs onto his canvas, an indescribable, bittersweet feeling would fill his chest.
He didn’t know how long this interest would last, but for now, he was happily pretending to be an artist.
Ray glanced at Clemens’ colorful canvas before sitting down.
After hearing about his upcoming absence, Clemens nodded.
“Understood. I wish you a safe return.”
“Don’t let your thoughts wander in my absence.”
“Haha, where else would I have to wander? I am always grateful for the grace bestowed upon me by you, Lord Ray, and Count Philip.”
Ray listened to Clemens’ words selectively while lifting his teacup.
At that moment, the door opened slightly, and something crawled toward the table with a soft sound.
It was Mineher.
Approaching the table on all fours, Mineher grabbed an apple from the basket and bit into it.
Crunch!
Having secured her food, Mineher scurried back out of the room on all fours.
As the door closed behind Mineher with a bang, Ray pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Why is she doing that? Is she some kind of cockroach? Why does she crawl around like that?”
“She… says crawling helps her maintain balance more easily, so lately she’s been moving around like this.”
“Make sure she stands up and walks on two legs before she loses her other ears too.”
Seeing an elf, a direct descendant of Resina, crawling around like that would surely give the count a headache.
Muttering under his breath, Ray stood up and offered advice.
“That might just be an act to make people let their guard down. Watch her carefully. Don’t get fooled by her face.”
“Yes, but…”
Clemens laughed it off, thinking there was no way that could be true.
To Clemens, who prided himself on his sharp instincts from his days as a merchant, Ray flicked his finger.
“You tend to lose judgment when staying in confined spaces. It’s good to have confidence, but stay alert.”
“As always, your insight is sharp. I will keep it in mind.”
“Good. You’ve been working hard.”
Ray patted Clemens on the shoulder and walked out.
*
As Ray stepped outside the manor, children gathered and waved.
Karen, Johanna, Luna, Delun, Ian, and Luca.
These were the children accompanying Mohamed on his visit to the Imperial Capital.
From the count’s household, Jenkins, Alesya, and several servants also joined the trip to the capital.
The children, knights, and servants alike were all excited.
How many opportunities would rural villagers have in their lifetime to see the imperial capital?
It would be strange if they weren’t thrilled.
Ray gathered the children and warned them.
“In this journey, we’ll often encounter nobles. Not all nobles are as benevolent as Count Philip or Lady Alesya. So don’t cause any trouble. If you anger a noble and end up losing your wrists or ankles, don’t expect us to protect you.”
“…”
“If a knight or I tell you to be quiet, shut your mouth. If we tell you to kneel, do so without complaint. Do you understand?”
“Yes!!”
Having set the tone, Ray helped the children board the carriage.
Mohamed approached Ray, leading the new warhorse he had received, a pleased smile on his face.
“Are we all ready?”
“Yes, the children and I are ready.”
“Then let’s bid farewell to the count and depart.”
*
News quickly spread that after breaking new ground, Mohamed was heading to the capital.
Nobles from the Osiris Countdom, including Duke Matthias, finally understood Count Philip’s confidence upon hearing this news—and they sneered.
A Graduate Knight was a powerful weapon capable of cutting down multiple ordinary knights, making any territory with such a knight difficult to provoke lightly.
But that was all.
The Phillips family merely got lucky; they lacked the foundation to continuously train and maintain Graduate Knights.
There was no reason to fear unless war broke out immediately.
Besides, whenever a Graduate Knight appeared in a remote, modest noble family like this, influential families swiftly poached them.
Especially during these chaotic times, many factions sought to recruit Graduate Knights in exchange for vast riches.
Count Philip could gain considerable profit by letting go of Mohamed. Everyone envied him for that.
As predicted, recruitment attempts were frequent.
Not long after Mohamed’s group left the Baron’s Territory, a heavily armed knight approached with a group of people.
The knight, sent by one of the central nobles, first introduced himself politely.
Following proper etiquette, the knight handed over a personal letter written by the central noble and subtly hinted that his master wished to recruit Mohamed.
Since a single wrong word could insult Mohamed as someone lacking honor, the knight’s attitude was extremely cautious.
Reciting the prepared statement calmly, the knight expressed hope for another meeting someday and then withdrew.
Only after the knight left did Alesya burst out of the carriage.
“Sir Mohamed! I trust you won’t fall for such temptations!”
Despite her words, Alesya’s rather anxious expression made Ray chuckle.
“Miss, Sir Mohamed’s loyalty isn’t so easily swayed. You must show trust in him first, Miss.”
Ray teased Alesya, pushing her back into the carriage before continuing on horseback.
Afterward, knights sent by other nobles continued to arrive.
By the time they had barely left the baron’s territory for less than a day, they had already encountered five knights.
Initially flustered and unable to even show her face, Alesya soon emerged riding the wind spirit Fenrir, casually greeting the knights with ease.
Since the knights visibly hesitated under her direct gaze, it seemed she found it amusing.
The children, initially frightened by the sudden appearances of the knights, quickly adapted and began watching them through the carriage windows.
On the other hand, the knights tasked with making recruitment offers were the ones in a tough spot.
Some even prepared gifts to demonstrate their sincerity, increasing the number of boxes in the luggage compartment.
Riding alongside Fenrir, Alesya marveled aloud to Ray.
“They all covet Sir Mohamed!”
“A Graduate Knight is an extremely precious asset. There aren’t even ten forces, including the royal family, that can operate them in squad units.”
Although Alesya intellectually understood this fact, seeing the lineup of those seeking to recruit Mohamed was undeniably different.
“I truly feel grateful to Sir Mohamed and Jimy.”
Maintaining faith and rejecting power right before one’s eyes was by no means an easy feat.
Had it been anyone else, they would have left the baron’s territory long ago.
Deeply moved, Alesya smiled.
Tapping her lightly, Ray pointed at the warhorse Mohamed rode.
“Miss.”
“What is it?”
“If you sold Sir Mohamed for his worth, you could easily afford five hundred such warhorses.”
“Is that really true?”
Alesya asked, slightly intrigued.
Jenkins, who overheard the conversation, burst into laughter, and even Mohamed, walking ahead, quietly shook his shoulders.
It was a joke only Ray could get away with, and one only Ray could make.
Amidst the harmonious atmosphere, the carriage continued forward.
*
“These are the materials regarding the person you mentioned.”
Knight Adoya, clad in thick armor, respectfully handed a document to the old man after bowing.
The old man placed the document on the corner of his elaborately decorated desk and looked at Adoya with his wrinkled face.
“Is there anything particularly unusual worth reporting separately?”
“The Graduate Knight emerged from an obscure family located far from the capital, out of the royal family’s attention. We had only heard rumors, not a single piece of reliable information. However, there is one point of concern.”
“Tell me.”
“About ten years ago, within the baron’s territory, ‘Locust’ was killed nearby. Locust was a high-level dark spirit mage who controlled nearly a hundred dark spirits and reached the 7th Circle.”
“I remember. Wasn’t that Seria? The knight who first distinguished himself in battle in Valerius’ dungeon?”
“Yes. Reports indicate that Seria, the high-ranking mage David, and the knights of Phillip’s County collaborated to defeat Locust. Although it was judged that the main force behind the extermination were Seria and David…”
“It seems that was a mistaken judgment…”
Locust was a powerful dark wizard formidable enough to give the empire headaches.
With control over nearly a hundred spirits, he was an adversary impossible for a mere Graduate Knight or high-level mage to overcome.
Most believed that Locust fell due to Seria’s prowess, enhanced by Valerius’ artifacts. Now, however, the situation seemed odd.
Even with Seria wielding top-tier artifacts, it would require a miracle for a single Graduate Knight and a high-level mage to kill Locust.
However, if Mohamed had already attained the level of a Graduate Knight ten years ago…
If Mohamed was one of the main figures who defeated Locust, it would make more sense.
“How intriguing.”
Regardless, the newly emerged Graduate Knight, Mohamed, was an interesting knight in the eyes of the old man.
If most predictions were correct and Mohamed was simply a lucky knight from the frontier who managed to reach a high level, he would be easy to sway and utilize.
Surely, he’d be deeply immersed in the thought of enjoying wealth and glory unavailable in the countryside.
Conversely, if Mohamed was truly a strong warrior who had already ascended to the rank of Graduate Knight ten years ago…
“Hmm…”
The old man scrutinized the map of the continent hanging on the wall.
Phillip’s County bordered the kingdom, and in the event of war with Rubia Kingdom, it would be the first region swept away by rangers.
If Mohamed had stayed in Phillip’s County to protect it against external enemies, forsaking all wealth and glory while concealing his strength…
If that were truly the case…
“Truly a rare genuine knight these days.”
In that case, making him one’s own would be difficult, but that itself was a pleasant matter.
Sensing the old man’s satisfaction, Adoya cautiously inquired.
“Shall we invite Sir Mohamed here?”
“No need. Summoning him here would only upset His Majesty.”
“Then…”
“Still, I would like to meet him once. I shall visit him personally.”
“I’ll prepare accordingly.”
Adoya bowed deeply and stepped back.
The old man gazed at Phillip’s County on the map before gradually widening his view to take in the vast territories of the empire across the continent.
A faint smile formed on the old man’s lips.
“Excellent.”
The old man’s name was Ernst Prislan.
The Swordmaster of the Empire.
Travel (2)
