Chapter 168
Chapter 168
'Today's the day... The official knight order training begins...'
Jorge stepped out into the crisp morning air, inhaling deeply.
The still-unfamiliar buildings of MacLaine Town came into view, along with the figures of people already bustling about in the early dawn.
"Hey, Jim! Let's go together!"
"Look who's up early. Running late today?"
"Couldn't sleep thanks to the wife's nagging..."
The cheerful faces of the farmers, who started their mornings earlier than anyone else, brought a faint smile to his lips.
'This is a good place.'
It was a stark contrast to the Calia Territory, which had fallen into ruin after being branded as the instigator of the civil war.
—MacLaine, huh? Hah... Well, it's for the best. Go. Go and find your freedom. Don't waste your life trapped in a prison without bars, shackled to a lord who couldn't protect his own land.
Though he pitied the feeble smile of the lord he had once served, Jorge couldn't refuse the offer.
At forty years old, he was in the prime of his life for a high-tier knight.
He had no desire to waste these years under surveillance and restrictions that could last decades.
Cowardly?
He had merely chosen between the two options given by the king's decree.
He had followed the command of the sovereign—the true lord of all knights in this land. That didn't mean he had forsaken his knightly duty.
...Not that such excuses worked on himself.
It wasn't the worst disgrace—surrendering to an enemy nation—but still...
'A knight who changed banners. Yeah, that's me. And because of that, I'll carve out my place here properly.'
A high-tier knight was a resource any territory or nation would welcome.
In truth, even in the MacLaine Territory, which had risen to become the kingdom's de facto power, there were only three high-tier knights: the lord, his son, and Logan MacLaine.
He would repay the kindness shown by his former lord someday.
He would ensure the title of "former Calia Knight Captain" wasn't one to be ashamed of.
Jorge reaffirmed his determination to become a core part of MacLaine.
'This is just the beginning.'
Only three days had passed since his arrival from Calia Territory to MacLaine Town.
Today, he would meet those who could truly be called the masters of this land.
The MacLaine Knight Order.
"Brother, aren't you worried?"
His former subordinate, Denmil, who had followed him here, voiced a timid concern unbefitting his burly frame.
Jorge chuckled in response.
"Of course there'll be some territorialism. But what can we do, given our circumstances? We'll just have to endure."
"This isn't just a simple merger. Not long ago, we were crossing blades with them. It might go beyond mere territorialism."
"Even so, we have to endure. Don't even think about causing trouble."
"But you have your pride, Brother. If things get too harsh, I'll take responsibility and step forward—"
"—And do what, exactly?"
"I'll just... cause a scene and get kicked out if I have to, but at least those who dare disrespect you will disappear—GYAAAH! I'm sorry!"
"Stop talking nonsense and. Just. Endure. Got it?"
"Y-Yes! So could you let go of my ear now...?"
Only then did Jorge release Denmil's ear from his grip.
For the foreseeable future, mental fortitude was more crucial than anything.
'I have no pride. I'm a knight who changed banners. I have no pride...'
Repeating the mantra in his head, he took a deep breath and stepped into the knight training grounds—
Thud.
The moment he entered, a knight bumped hard into his shoulder.
"Tch, what are you doing standing in the—?"
Was this the start already?
Jorge sighed inwardly, only to see Denmil's face twist in anger before his own.
'I told you to endure. This is just the beginning.'
His hand moved to stop Denmil—
"Watch where you're— Huh? That armor...? Ah! You're the newcomers! My apologies, I was careless. I'm so sorry!"
The knight in front of him bowed deeply at a perfect 90-degree angle, repeatedly apologizing.
"...Huh?"
"...?"
"I truly apologize. I was in a hurry and didn't see you properly."
The knight seemed genuinely remorseful, almost flustered.
'What's going on?'
The situation was so far from what he'd expected that Jorge and Denmil were momentarily stunned.
"Randon! I told you to grab your weapon, where the hell— Huh? What's going on over there?"
A large knight approached from a distance, his face twisted in what seemed like fury.
'Ah, this must be the real start.'
Jorge braced himself as the knight drew near—
"Huh? Sir Jorge? Sir Jorge, the high-tier knight from Calia?"
The giant's expression instantly brightened as he lowered his posture slightly and strode forward, hand outstretched.
"What an honor! Henderson, captain of MacLaine's 4th Squad. I've heard much about you. Looking forward to working together!"
Jorge's pupils trembled more violently than his hand, which was being shaken vigorously.
'What the hell? Why are they like this?'
Behind him, Denmil alternated glances between Henderson and Jorge, equally bewildered and speechless.
'Huh? A high-tier knight? That guy?'
The regular knight, Randon, who had initially bumped into Jorge, paled at his captain's words.
It wasn't just the blunder in front of a high-tier knight.
He remembered Henderson's warning all too clearly.
—Struggling? But do you know when our order had it the hardest? When we first merged with the Tesron Knights. Things were tense back then because of territorialism and slacking off.
—You think that's normal? Well, that 'normal' behavior nearly got us killed by our lord. Not by an enemy—by our own lord!
—Ever seen your life flash before your eyes during training? Compared to back then, what we do now is child's play!
—And now, the higher-ups are even holding meetings about 'discrimination' and 'equality' within the order. Know what that means?
—If we show territorialism toward transferred knights, we're all screwed. Absolutely! Never let words like 'territorialism' or 'slacking' slip out! Even back then, before we had family meetings, our lord seemed like a demon.
—If things go wrong this time, not just the lord but the Grand Prince will come down on us too. You know who came up with that hellish mounted training, right? If both father and son turn into demons, we might actually die during drills.
—If the word 'territorialism' comes out of a transferred knight's mouth—and if it's because of you—your life is over. Got it?
A truly terrifying threat.
Having suffered under their brutish captain, the members of the 4th Squad had internalized the warning down to their bones.
And now, Henderson's sidelong glances in his direction made Randon feel like his life was hanging by a thread.
Realizing this, he quickly stepped forward.
"W-Wow! A high-tier knight! I didn't recognize you—my apologies! Please guide me well from now on. I look forward to it!"
'We were literally trying to kill each other not long ago.'
'Did you all just forget that?'
The relentless, inexplicable friendliness from all sides left Jorge and Denmil utterly drained.
The bizarre hospitality continued unabated.
"Ah, Sir Jorge! What an honor to meet you."
Faces he distinctly remembered clashing swords with now spoke of honor.
"Does the food here suit your taste? There's an inn I know—their barbecue is..."
A knight who had once cut down subordinates with a demonic expression now recommended a restaurant.
In the end, they could only return to their lodgings, having experienced a cultural shock diametrically opposed to their initial resolve.
And they weren't the only ones.
"There's something fishy going on!"
"Exactly! This is too strange!"
"It's clearly a trap. The moment we let our guard down and relax, they'll spring it on us!"
"Why would they bother?"
His former subordinates, who had been voicing their suspicions, fell silent at Jorge's single remark.
Why would their new masters bow to them when they had no choice but to submit?
They would never find the answer.
The only clue came from Henderson, who had been unusually friendly.
—There are barely thirty pure MacLaine knights left, including me and Dygrom. At this point, showing territorialism toward other orders would be strange, no?
"Perhaps this is why the MacLaine Knight Order is so strong."
At Jorge's words, the heads of those who had once been MacLaine's enemies nodded in unison.
"No one caused trouble, right?"
"You're the one I'm most worried about, Henderson."
"Tch, what nonsense. I've got everything under control."
Henderson snorted at Dygrom's words.
When conveying the decisions made at the captain's meeting to his squad, he had added his own threats for good measure. As a result, his subordinates were practically treating the transferred knights like honored guests.
Dygrom nodded and glanced around at the other captains.
Excluding the three young geniuses of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Squads—who were close to the Grand Prince—this gathering of conspirators had one primary goal: controlling (?) the order's internal sentiment.
All for their own survival.
Recalling the past, Dygrom shuddered before continuing.
"Well, it seems everyone's getting along fine. But don't let your guard down. This has to last through the regular training."
"Understood, Sir Dygrom."
"By the way, any word yet on who the next knight commander will be?"
"Hmm. Nothing on that front."
"We'd be happy if you took the position, Sir Dygrom..."
Though the captains nodded in agreement, Dygrom shook his head.
"Given the Grand Prince's personality, that's unlikely. Once minimal trust is established, he'll judge by skill alone."
"But you're the first among pure MacLaine knights to reach the high-tier realm."
"That was just luck. You try surviving ten near-death experiences in a row."
"We'd die long before that, normally."
"Exactly. So it was luck. When I was at Aegis... Ugh, just thinking about it... Anyway, those three geniuses will reach that level soon enough, and Henderson over there isn't far behind either. It's nothing special."
The other knights turned to Henderson in surprise, and he shrugged in silent confirmation.
The Iron Blood Sword Technique, combined with the successive wars, had undoubtedly elevated the overall skill level of MacLaine's knights.
"Still, we'd prefer you—"
"Enough of that. The lord and the Grand Prince will decide."
Dygrom dismissed the few voices supporting him.
"All for the family!"
"For the family!"
Just as the meeting was about to conclude—
"D-Disaster!"
BANG!
"The Grand Prince is leading this regular training session! With the lord observing!"
A knight burst in, delivering the devastating news.
In that instant, MacLaine's elite knights radiated killing intent toward their comrades.
"Who was it?!"
"It wasn't me!"
"Find the one who messed up!"
"Which idiot—?!"
The gathering, formed for survival, quickly descended into chaos.
"Many unfamiliar faces here. Welcome. I'm Logan MacLaine. I assume everyone knows me?"
"Yes!"
Standing atop the platform, Logan delivered his brief introduction.
The gazes of over 300 knights locked onto him.
'There really are a lot.'
Nearly 200 knights had transferred from the newly acquired Calia Territory.
Additionally, with MacLaine's rising fame, freelance knights had petitioned to join in just a few weeks.
Most were knights who had lost their lords in the civil war, but since freelance knights were often those exiled for misconduct, vetting was necessary.
Though his father had filtered out over a dozen with serious disqualifications through interviews and the information broker Nox, twenty-two freelance knights had still joined MacLaine.
The family's rising status was palpable just from the expressions of the knights before him, filling Logan with pride once more.
The existing knights' tense demeanor was slightly concerning, but a single announcement would resolve that.
"Now! The first regular training session of the newly reborn MacLaine Knight Order. With so many new faces, we'll take a slightly different approach."
"...?"
As curious eyes turned toward him, Logan grinned and announced the decision from the meeting.
"Our order's training is known to be... intense. So, the existing MacLaine knights will act as instructors to help the newcomers adapt."
The entire order erupted into murmurs.
The most visibly shaken were the existing MacLaine knights, who had been frozen stiff.
"What? We're not the ones getting drilled?"
"We're... the ones doing the drilling?"
"Did someone mess up?"
Their confusion eventually converged on one thought:
"What in the world is happening...?"
Favoring the existing knights?
Since when did their order have such generous customs?
Which could only mean...
'This is a test.'
The absurd notion surfaced simultaneously in the MacLaine knights' minds.
"I'm nervous."
"Yeah, me too."
"If we act too high-handed as instructors..."
"...We're the ones who'll suffer."
"Easy now. Equality. Equality. Same for everyone."
Even amid their excitement, they cautiously began policing each other.
Meanwhile, the transferred knights' faces darkened.
"They're dead set on breaking us."
"No wonder they were so nice."
"It's going to be even harder, then."
"We'll endure, regardless."
"Of course."
Amidst their mutual misunderstandings,
The first regular training session of the newly reborn MacLaine Knight Order commenced.