Chapter 17
Chapter 17 - The Basic Qualifications of a Knight
One day, after I had turned eight years old.
It was another bright and peaceful morning in Bellark.
“How many times are you planning to come here? I already told you clearly that I have no intention of taking you as my disciple.”
Sir Lecoon let out a tired sigh as he looked at me.
Was the Favorability +30% trait meaningless if the other person disliked you from the start?
“What a stubborn little brat.”
Come on, old man. People are going to misunderstand if you say it like that.
Who was the one that turned a perfectly normal person this stubborn in the first place?
If you dislike me that much, then just take me in as a knight apprentice and work me to the bone already.
“You flatter me too much. Kuhaha~!”
Still, smile, smile. I brushed it off with a hearty grin befitting a proper man and mature adult.
People who laughed often naturally earned favor from elders.
I had already proven that in my previous life through countless interactions with old folks at the senior center.
“…Are you mocking this old man right now?”
Huh? That was not my intention at all.
I was genuinely trying to get along with him, but somehow he reacted exactly the same way as Boongboong.
“If you’re a little girl, then laugh like a little girl. Like Anna. Stop forcing yourself to imitate adults.”
“…I’m not a little girl. And I’m not pretending to be an adult either.”
“Now you’re trying to play word games with me too? Or are you possessed by something?”
“……”
Just as stubborn and close-minded as ever.
Having survived all kinds of hardships, the old man always seemed permanently on edge.
Still, putting my disappointment aside, I could understand how Sir Lecoon felt.
An uninvited guest kept showing up at the training grounds. Of course he would find it annoying.
“Huu… Fine. It can’t be helped.”
Still, the fact that I had begged him for years was not completely meaningless.
My persistence had definitely softened him up a little.
“Just don’t get in the way.”
I nodded vigorously.
Of course. Absolutely. Naturally. Thank you for not throwing me out—!
“…Ahem! Listen well, all of you!”
The “all of you” Sir Lecoon referred to were the six orphans, including me.
Though honestly, calling a bunch of tiny kids something that grand felt a little excessive.
Then again, if we counted as knight apprentices, maybe it was not that strange.
“Congratulations! Today marks the end of spending all day swinging wooden swords!”
Small smiles bloomed across the children’s faces.
Looks like they had grown sick of swinging swords all day for an entire year.
Spoiled little brats.
I had never even received proper instruction from Sir Lecoon once.
“To be honest, there are many steps we’ve skipped, and none of you possess the basic education expected of Bellark retainers…”
Judging by the wrinkles twisting across the old veteran’s face, he looked highly dissatisfied.
Sir Lecoon was the type who valued proper procedure above all else.
He probably hated the fact that those steps had to be skipped.
“But we do not have much time left. That is why this decision was made.”
Sir Lecoon was right.
The process of becoming an official knight and receiving formal appointment from the lord usually took over ten years.
The territory’s circumstances simply were not good enough to train us through the entire process.
Bellark’s current population had not even reached two thousand people.
The day when Bellark, once the ruler of a small kingdom, would fall into nothing more than a farm or mining estate was not far away.
“I struggled greatly before deciding to say such things to children as young as you…”
Sir Lecoon’s face turned bitter as he gazed toward the mountainside.
To me, it looked like he was reminiscing about the days when Bellark had still been a kingdom.
“You must remember that this peaceful life may one day collapse. And you must never forget that protecting that peace will become your duty.”
Bentley and the others nodded firmly.
Though they were still children, their expressions looked surprisingly resolute.
“Uuu…”
But the timid red-haired girl was an exception.
Anna fidgeted nervously with both hands, her wandering eyes full of fear.
“Anna.”
I whispered softly while gently holding her small hand.
As if telling her to trust only me.
“Hehe…”
The little girl’s delayed smile was unbelievably adorable.
Someone this gentle could never harm another person.
…Yeah, I really should make Anna my little sister.
As for that guy Bentley or Boongboong or whatever, I should just erase him from the family registry.
If Anna became my little sister, I would need to swap our ages around too.
“From today onward, you will need to harden your hearts considerably.”
Sir Lecoon finished his short introduction and unsheathed his sword.
“It goes without saying, but the weapon that symbolizes a knight is this sword. It is easy to handle and easy to carry, making it an excellent primary weapon for knights.”
The hand holding the sword casually sliced through the air.
Yet even those simple movements looked infinitely sharp in the eyes of inexperienced children like us.
“However, anyone who wishes to become a knight must master not only the sword, but most weapons as well.”
His gaze shifted toward the weapon rack near the training grounds.
Halberds, maces, warhammers, falchions, greatswords, battle axes.
A surprisingly wide variety of weapons were displayed there.
“If an enemy is hiding atop castle walls firing arrows, there is no need to stubbornly insist on swinging a sword. When mounted on horseback, a lance is far more powerful than a sword. And when stopping mounted enemies, it is best to use a spear. Likewise, to counter spears, one must raise a shield.”
Even though I was not officially a knight apprentice, I nodded enthusiastically.
As a former fighter, I fully understood the importance of adapting strategies and weapons according to one’s opponent and situation.
I completely agreed with him.
Sir Lecoon was a veteran who had lived through far more years than I had.
And no matter how much combat experience I had in my previous life, it was still modern times.
That harshness could never compare to this medieval world where lives constantly hung by a thread.
Listening to teachings born from real battlefield experience naturally filled me with admiration.
Once again, I realized it clearly.
If I wanted to become a knight, then Sir Lecoon was definitely—
“However, there are cases where knights do not need to rely on such strategies.”
Hm?
What does that mean?
“That is when a knight reaches a certain realm… though such beings would never appear in a remote place like this, nor is it a level you could ever reach through effort. So there is no need for you to concern yourselves with it.”
Teacher, the lesson is good and all, but could you at least say things in a more hopeful way?
The kids are going to feel crushed.
Back in my previous life, there were elementary school students who dreamed of becoming president, you know?
Though now I had crossed into another world and was barely scraping by in a ruined territory…
“And the opponents you face will wield many different kinds of weapons as well. Bandits will carry axes. Well-trained armies will form spear walls and charge forward. Goblins and orcs will come swinging clubs. You must understand the characteristics of each weapon if you wish to respond efficiently.”
It sounded like Sir Lecoon was preparing us for future battles where the few would fight against the many.
“…Though it pains me to say it, it would not be an exaggeration to claim that His Highness’s safety rests upon your shoulders.”
Thinking about it, that made sense.
An uncertain territory sitting on top of a silver mine.
Practically the perfect target for trouble.
Even Sir Lecoon himself could not know whether he would still be here several years from now.
And if he were gone, then the knights protecting this territory would effectively be five orphan-born knights.
Conflict against overwhelming numbers would become inevitable.
“A knight’s honor belongs to their lord. But the strength needed to protect that honor belongs to the knight himself.”
The old knight sheathed his longsword at his waist and assumed a perfectly disciplined stance.
“A knight’s duty is to ensure their lord never has to draw their own sword. To become both sword and shield for their lord.”
His posture was so upright and dignified that it seemed to embody the glorious age Bellark once enjoyed.
“So all of you had best stay sharp.”
As Sir Lecoon ended his speech, every child answered with unwavering eyes.
Squeeze.
Anna tightened her grip around my hand as she strengthened her resolve.
Though weak and timid, the little girl seemed fully aware of the kindness her lord had shown her.
“Then today, we shall begin with the mace.”
Sir Lecoon shot a sharp glare at me.
He was telling me to leave now that the real training was beginning.
“Tch.”
I quietly clicked my tongue and stepped out of the training grounds.
I was not chickening out. Definitely not… I was merely respecting the elderly.
If I truly wanted, there were ways I could have stubbornly stayed.
But I did not want to get dragged out like a rat again like last time.
Still, it had definitely been a meaningful experience.
For someone who had spent all day swinging wooden swords, it felt like an entirely new world had opened up.
Starting today, I should try learning axes and bows too.
As for weapons too difficult to obtain, I could just roughly carve wood into shape.
Ding!
Ah, was it already that time?
A cheerful sound that only I could hear echoed through my mind.
< Trait Selection! >
Though seriously.
Could they not do something about those exclamation marks?
Why did they feel so annoyingly smug?
(If the sworn target dies or the oath target is changed, the increased stats will be revoked.)
Looking at the first option, even the status window seemed to misunderstand me.
I only swung around a cotton-stuffed toy sword sometimes because I got bored of wooden swords.
Did it seriously think I wanted that?
And the doll play I occasionally did was only because I was playing along with Anna.
“Tsk.”
Once again, I realized these choices were far from perfect.
Besides, what was the point of looking cute to others?
What, was I supposed to hold a sword-shaped doll and act adorable for someone?
Or marry some weirdo with that kind of bizarre hobby?
“Ugh…”
Rubbing the goosebumps on my arm, I examined the second option.
A flat 20% increase to all weapon proficiency with no conditions attached.
Considering Sir Lecoon’s advice, it was clearly an excellent choice.
But the third option’s advantage was overwhelming.
All stats increased by 50%.
It was easily the strongest effect I had seen so far.
The penalty, however, was just as heavy.
I would have to designate only one person for my knight’s oath.
And if I ever changed that target, it would practically mean throwing away an entire trait.
I did not particularly dislike the idea of becoming a knight.
Honestly, lately I had even started considering it as a future career.
It was not because I held some grand romantic fantasy about knights.
Though to be honest, back in my school days, I enjoyed martial arts novels far more.
If I had any romantic ideals, they leaned more toward wandering martial heroes.
So my reason for considering knighthood was actually very simple.
Among professions where you earned money through combat, knights were treated the best.
But swearing loyalty to a single person for life was another matter entirely.
Who knew what the future held?
There was no guarantee Ethan would remain lord forever either.
More than anything, I still possessed the mindset of a modern person.
I understood gratitude, altruism, and repaying kindness.
But loyalty like Sir Lecoon’s, dedicating one’s entire life to a single noble family, was difficult for me to comprehend.
If Bellark collapsed in the future, then as basic human decency, I would at least help feed Ethan.
But the lord I served might still change.
After all, it was not impossible that I might one day gain a title myself.
……I don’t know.
I could not decide right away, so I chose to postpone the decision until evening.
For now, I should head toward the garden.
At least when I was swinging a wooden sword, I did not need to think about complicated things.