Chapter 14
Chapter 14
An unexpected change came to Bellark.
Knight candidates had appeared within the castle.
Knight candidates in this poor territory?
Not even one, but five of them?
Curious about how they had come to be, I listened in on the conversation that had just begun.
“As I’ve gotten older, wouldn’t it make sense for me to raise successors?”
What a terrifying old man.
Successors in a territory like this?
Sir, with all due respect, where exactly is your conscience?
Sure, considering your age, the logic checks out, but what did those poor kids do to deserve this?
“They’re orphans from outside the territory. Children with no ties or family.”
Hmm, in that case, fair enough.
If someone offers to solve your food and shelter problem when you’re desperate, what wouldn’t you do?
Even I would’ve—... no, my case was different. Still, it seemed Sir Rekun had been feeling anxious too.
The man was already ninety-three years old. The fact that he was still active at all was bizarre.
Especially for a profession as physical as knighthood.
Still, at moments like this, all I could think was, “Knights are freaking amazing.”
Being active at that age meant he was just that strong.
Even accounting for delayed retirement, knighthood wasn’t a profession you could continue forever just because you wanted to.
And despite his age, he had apparently cut down several young knights in an instant.
To someone with modern sensibilities like me, it felt like watching a ninety-year-old professional fighter.
This must be what they mean by an old veteran’s last stand.
Whether it was martial arts or swordsmanship, learning from a seasoned veteran who had survived countless battles really was the best.
So I didn’t know what kind of future awaited those orphans, but one thing was certain.
They had an incredible teacher.
That part alone made me jealous.
I swung wooden swords every day and still got ignored.
Still, was Sir Rekun perhaps dreaming of restoring Bellark?
He didn’t seem like a man detached from reality, so his actions were a little puzzling.
“These children will someday serve Your Majesty after I am gone. It would be wise to at least become familiar with their faces now.”
Still, there was always the possibility he had gone senile, so letting my guard down was dangerous.
Especially when he kept saying things like “Your Majesty,” as if he couldn’t forget the days when Bellark had once been a kingdom.
“Ah, um... well... those children have lives of their own too...”
Eden was as indecisive as ever.
His gray eyes wandered helplessly, unable to settle anywhere.
But only for a moment.
Soon, an unnecessary amount of compassion appeared in his gaze.
“Mmm... They’re all around Sera’s age, and since they have nowhere to go and no parents... instead of making them suffer...”
Hold on a second, this idiot.
He looked like he wanted to raise those orphans as freeloaders like me instead of training them into knights.
Did he secretly have an orphan fetish or something?
Or maybe he had been an orphanage director in his previous life?
It had to be one of those two.
Either way, absolutely not.
How could anyone just let them live comfortably for free in such a harsh territory?
Some people might say I wasn’t much different.
But I was different.
I definitely was.
For starters, I practiced swordsmanship on my own, washed dishes, cooked meals, and stabilized the lord’s emotional state too! Huh!? I did everything around here, damn it!
“I think Sera would like having friends her age too.”
Don’t need them, you idiot.
“Your Majesty! Bellark Castle is not an orphanage! This territory is far from wealthy!”
For once, I completely agreed with Sir Rekun.
Amazing. We were actually on the same page.
“One person freeloading off the castle is already enough—... no, even that is difficult to tolerate, but I accepted it because it was Your Majesty’s wish. Further charity must stop.”
Whoa there, old man.
Why are you dragging me into this when I’m just standing here?
I said I’d become a knight trainee, didn’t I? That’s pretty cold.
“His Majesty the King is the ruler of a nation. It is proper to care for the people, but before that, you must establish a foundation worthy of your authority.”
A nation? His Majesty the King?
Yeah, I was definitely starting to think senility was the issue here.
Then again, calling himself the captain of the knight order when there was only one knight in the territory should’ve tipped me off earlier...
“Ahem...”
Respect your elders. Respect your elders. Respect your elders. Think kind thoughts.
“...A-Alright. If that’s what Sir Rekun believes.”
Fortunately, persuading Eden seemed pretty easy.
Honestly, with his soft personality and indecisive nature, this outcome was inevitable.
“B-But Sir Rekun, if you plan on raising these children into knights, how exactly are you going to afford it?”
That was surprisingly sharp coming from Eden.
But he was absolutely right.
Training knights—literal biological weapons—required absurd amounts of money.
Honestly, simply feeding them as guests would’ve been far cheaper.
And even after training, the expenses continued. Plate armor forged by blacksmiths, weapons, warhorses, salaries... constant maintenance was necessary.
How exactly was a poor territory supposed to support all that?
At this point, Sir Rekun’s senility might not have been a joke anymore.
“You needn’t worry too much about that. I carefully selected children in desperate situations. Children who begged to come here.”
What was that supposed to mean?
Sir Rekun smirked as he glanced toward the orphans he had brought.
...I glanced at them too.
“Starting today, you will eat warm meals and sleep in soft beds. Compared to scavenging dirt for food, this place will feel like heaven.”
Judging from that, those kids must’ve come from truly horrible environments.
If I hadn’t met Eden, would I have ended up like them too?
“......”
No, actually, since I was born in a snowy mountain range, I probably would’ve just died.
“Enjoy it. Cherish it. Laugh. But never forget where that kindness came from!”
It was a short speech, but it carried enough weight to carve itself into people’s minds.
Maybe that “former knight commander” title wasn’t just for show after all.
“Unless you want to become a black-haired beast.”
No, but why are you looking at me again?
I know, okay? I messed up! I’ll do better from now on, so please let it go already.
Anyway, even if he didn’t explain everything outright, Sir Rekun’s point was simple.
He would provide food, shelter, and healthy bodies while they were young.
But in exchange, they would swear loyalty.
Their armor would probably be cheap hand-me-downs, and they’d be lucky if they even got ponies instead of warhorses.
“If you dislike the idea, you may leave the castle right now. No one here will force you down this path.”
“......”
Naturally, not a single child turned around.
I wouldn’t have either.
The life of an orphan in the medieval era was unimaginably brutal.
Satisfied that none had left, Sir Rekun nodded before turning back toward his lord.
“If they grow into capable men, we can fund them through expeditions or mercenary work. As for armor and swords, they can make do with what they can afford.”
For some reason, that reminded me of something from my previous life.
“I think you should at least provide basic equipment...”
“Hm. I’ll consider it.”
Well, maybe there wasn’t much to worry about as long as Eden was around. By the time these children became proper knights, he’d be a full-grown adult himself.
“......”
Wait, why was I worrying about other people?
My own future wasn’t exactly bright either.
“They’ll figure it out.”
Deciding that was enough concern for one day, I lost interest.
Internal matters of the territory were the lord’s responsibility anyway. Even if Eden was indecisive, he still understood that world better than I did.
I’d greet the kids later.
For now, I needed to focus on what I could do.
After grasping the situation, I picked up my wooden sword and headed toward the garden.
You might ask why I was practicing swordsmanship in a garden, but the training grounds were off-limits unless you were a soldier or an official trainee.
So I had no choice.
Ding!
At this point, the appearance of that little window didn’t even excite me anymore.
As the years repeated, it had started feeling like part of everyday life.
If anything, it annoyed me now, considering it was partially responsible for all the trouble I’d caused around me.
Still, choosing the best option remained important.
My future—and whether I succeeded in my revenge—depended on it.
Swinging my wooden sword, I lifted my gaze.
I intended to make even the time spent selecting traits productive.
(The shockwave’s power scales with strength and weapon durability.)
The first one didn’t interest me much.
Not because it was weak, but because my target wasn’t mages.
It was knights.
The second one looked decent if I wanted to build myself into a tank.
Especially since my previous trait tripled the durability of my equipment, meaning there could be strong synergy there.
But wait.
Shockwave?
Isn’t this basically sword aura?
The idea that someone like me—unable to use aura—could imitate sword aura made my ears perk up instantly.
And since I already had a trait that doubled basic attacks, I’d only need to swing ten times.
Plus, it scaled with strength and weapon durability, meaning it synergized perfectly with my previous traits too.
This totally feels like a custom-made trait for me.
I knew getting too excited was dangerous, but it was just too tempting.
By the time the thought “I absolutely have to pick this” crossed my mind, I had already chosen it.
“Hehehehe...”
For the first time, it felt like I had finally obtained a trump card capable of fighting knights.
A smile naturally spread across my face.
And along with it, my expectations for the future—once stagnant—began swelling again.
Even if each trait individually seemed ordinary, combining them through synergy could create explosive growth.
Maybe, by the time I reached adulthood, this might actually be possible.
Ah, this is bad...
Am I bipolar or something?
“Puhihih... hihihit~!”
I couldn’t stop the embarrassing laughter spilling out of me.
Guess I’ll swing another thousand times today before heading back.
“Hey.”
Unfortunately, the joy I hadn’t felt in so long didn’t last very long.
“You’re just a commoner like us too, right?”
Because the five little brats who had wandered into the garden interrupted me.