Chapter 421 – Proof
With someone shouting loudly, a young nobleman wearing fancy clothes and white hair appeared.
The nobles who discovered him bowed and showed respect.
The guard knight standing next to the young nobleman was a knight he had seen before.
The chiseled knight… Did you say grant?
Looking at the atmosphere, it seemed like he was a small lord.
‘Tsk tsk. If the young guy invited a guest, he would be there in advance.
I couldn’t help but click my tongue at the senseless behavior of the guy named So Young-ju.
If it was the main body, I would have said it right away.
If you say something like that with this poor avatar, you might be taken to the castle dungeon.
“You bastard! Why don’t you kneel when you see Franz, the little lord of Crea!”
Grant frowns and yells at me as I stand still.
“Hmm..? In his will, the dead teacher said not to kneel to anyone who did not pledge loyalty.”
If it were Hestia, I might have thought about it for a moment, but no matter what, I didn’t want to kneel to such a shabby nobleman.
Still, I sold my teacher who I didn’t have because I thought maybe they would give me some money if I said it was my teacher’s will.
“Rude!”
Grant seems to not like my attitude and grabs the handle of his sword.
What if something goes wrong here?
Hmm… Should I take Karen with me and live in the mountains?
Well… I don’t think that will happen.
I didn’t do this without thinking.
It’s a little embarrassing, though.
It was also about believing in a white person called Hestia.
“Sir Grant, it’s okay. It’s the will of a dead teacher… I guess you should understand that much.”
Solord Franz soothed Grant with soft words. Meanwhile, Franz’s eyes were always focused on one place.
It was Hestia next to me.
His greasy face seemed to appeal to Hestia that he was a merciful person.
“Lord Hestia, I’m late to say hello. Thank you for coming to my party.”
“There was a fight between my party and Lord So’s knight. It was a long time since you invited me, but I am sorry.”
Still, when I saw that they appealed to me as being in the same group, it seemed like Hestia wanted to protect me, as if she had made up her mind.
Franz took a quick look at the knight lying on the floor and spoke to Hestia with a soft smile.
“Hehe… Isn’t it normal for men to fight sometimes?”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
Franz was talking to Hestia without even paying attention to me, the central character in the dictionary.
‘What? This guy…’
“But Lord Hestia, I’m sorry. As a lord, I don’t think you can just ignore seeing my knight in such a state.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Hestia’s face hardened slightly after hearing Lord So’s words.
“Haha… Lord Hestia, you don’t have to worry too much. I will do something to your acquaintance.”
“Then…”
“He is not even a knight, but a lowly mercenary. And yet he knocked down Sir Colin. Even if it was a coincidence, his skill in knocking down a knight is admirable.”
Youngju So, who was speaking gently to Hestia, shifted his gaze to me.
“But if Sir Colin comes to his senses, he won’t understand this. He will challenge him to a duel to seek his honor. Lord Hestia wouldn’t want something extreme like that to happen.”
It certainly makes sense.
This criminal named Colin seemed to have a dirty personality. If he came to his senses, he would run at me.
As Youngju So said, there is a high possibility that he will challenge for a duel.
It wasn’t scary.
If that happens, Colin won’t be able to lie down comfortably like he is now.
“But if he proves his skills here, Sir Colin’s reputation for losing to a lowly mercenary will be preserved… And he will also be treated better.”
“Do you mean better treatment…”
Hestia tilts her head at Youngju So’s words.
Seeing Hestia like that, Lord So winks at Grant.
Perhaps because it had been discussed in advance, Grant looked back and spoke in a deep voice.
“Bring it.”
‘What… Bring…’ .’
The maid came out carrying a small stand that looked like a soft cushion.
On the pedestal, something like a round moon was seen.
It was a nice-looking moon made of silver and gold mixed together.
The nobles see that and become agitated.
“A medal given to a full knight. If he proves his ability in front of all these nobles, I will give it to him. Then he will become a knight, and Sir Colin’s honor will be preserved.”
Hestia thought deeply, looked at me, and asked.
“Bark… What do you think?”
“That’s…”
I felt like I was spinning in something strangely structured.
When I looked like I was thinking for a moment, Youngju So opened his mouth as if he was pressuring me with his quiet gaze.
“I tolerated your rudeness. It was not because of my master’s will, but because I highly valued your ability. I will give you this knight’s medal if you prove your strength like a man. You can become a free knight without having to go to the capital. It will.”
A knight’s medal is a mouth-watering offer.
Even an A-class mercenary badge is nothing compared to a knight’s qualification.
Receiving that was like a vertical rise in status.
Although there are some uncomfortable aspects…
That is offset to some extent just by the presence of Hestia.
Is there any reason to refuse?
“How can I refuse a position that proves my status as a man? I will accept Youngju So’s offer.”
He said something quite plausible.
An opportunity to quickly rise in status came.
Although the situation was a bit awkward, it was a shame to throw away this opportunity.
“Haha! That’s what a man should do!”
For some reason, Youngju So seemed to be in quite a good mood.
*
*
*
Grant looked at Franz changing his clothes for the duel and asked with a worried face.
“Young master… Are you really planning to do it yourself?”
Grant knew Franz’s skills.
I wasn’t too worried, but it’s not good for So Young-ju to step forward in this matter.
“Lord Grant. There is rarely an opportunity like this. It is probably the first and last opportunity. Lord Hestia is the inductee. If I flatten the guy’s nose in front of her and at the same time generously make him my knight… Lord Hestia’s attention will also be on me. I will come back.”
‘I can’t believe my interest is coming back… I wasn’t interested in the first place…’
However, Grant was a true loyalist who did not speak bitterly toward his master.
*
*
*
It was a light duel where the winner was determined without taking each other’s life.
The inductee is Hestia.
The place was created quickly, as if it had been prepared in advance.
I think that the vacant lot covered with grass, brightly illuminated by light magic, might be a place for knights to train.
With nothing to prepare, I was waiting for someone to spar with Hestia, the initiate.
The surrounding nobles watch with twinkling eyes at this interesting event.
‘I’m not a girl, why is it taking so long…’
I think it will take about an hour.
If it’s an unexpected variable…
The Sword Master appears… No matter how much I think about it, I don’t think there will be a Sword Master in such a small territory.
It is a loss of face for a sword master to show up in such a trivial duel.
And I was dumbfounded when I saw the person I was competing against.
Even Hestia made a puzzled expression.
It was because a guy named So Young-ju was walking out.
Youngju So was wearing tight pants and a clean, fluttering shirt and was approaching with a long sword in one hand.
“I want to verify your skills myself.”
Looking at So Young-ju like that, I couldn’t help but wonder.
Noble guys have very heavy butts.
I thought there was a high probability that a guy named Grant would show up.
But So Yeongju?
So Youngju appears in this light duel?
Is this correct?
Why is this guy doing this?
This guy is the one who invited me.
I thought that the reason he proposed this duel was to suggest recruitment based on my skills.
I was planning on just getting the knight’s medal and running away.
Youngju So said softly, looking at Hestia who was confused by this situation.
“Lord Hestia, you don’t have to worry. If we show the frog in the well that there is a bigger place, wouldn’t it make more progress?”
I finally realized it.
At this point, even a fool could understand what was happening.
That guy’s goal was me, but it wasn’t me.
It was Hestia.
‘Wow, all sorts of things… All the dung flies are sticking to me.’
Maybe I’m unlucky…
I feel like I’m getting caught up in something useless, whether it’s in the Demon World or here.
Even in Zephia, which became a mess.
It’s like this here too.
Is this the sorrow of a fool?
“Okay, show off your skills.”
Youngju So said to me with an arrogant expression.
What is this guy’s unfounded confidence?
No… Is there any basis?
Of course, it’s because they think they are stronger than I.
Unlike the enormous force of the main body, here I am just a poor swordsman.
Should I at least bulk up?
I’m not even a human, so I don’t think that will work.
If I raise my strength stat, will I be able to bulk up?
With all kinds of crappy things going on, I couldn’t think of anything else.
‘How should I cook this guy?’
I was in trouble with an unexpected opponent.
Even if I beat this guy, it didn’t seem like things would go easily.
‘If a guy named Grant had come out, I would have felt at ease…’
Unlike the knight Grant, the minor lord is a high-ranking nobleman.
Just by looking at his face, he looks like a guy overflowing with pride.
He doesn’t seem like a man who will readily admit defeat.
Moreover, if you lose in front of someone you like, the shock to your pride is multiple.
But I don’t want to lose.
‘… Is it time to leave Crea?’
