Episode 117: The story that the Grand Duke was away from McLane Manor did not spread widely.
However, when the Grand Duke, who was on the front line every day giving work orders and supervising training, did not show his face for nearly 10 days, word slowly began to emerge from within the estate.
However, the moment the lord who knew Logan’s whereabouts and the wizard who helped him, Clayton, kept silent, no one in the territory could inquire about the archduke’s whereabouts.
The only problem was that even in that situation, knights from ruined families were knocking on the door of McLane Town one by one.
A strong neutral force who actively recruits knights.
Moreover, the conditions were generous, so it was a quite attractive option for knights who lost their homes due to war.
And among the knights who came to McLane territory, there were some who tried to take advantage of this situation.
This was exactly the case for Knight Tenan Dylan Jacob, who is currently raising his voice somewhat at the official residence.
“I came here because a person called the Archduke said he was recruiting me.”
“Does it make sense that there are no parties involved?”
“Isn’t that right?”
Although they met on the way to McLane Town after losing their master in the civil war and had only recently become friends, the three got along really well.
It was absurd that those who came for appointment instead raised their voices, but they also had their own calculations.
McLane had previously made a lot of money and even took over the capital city of Bipros, one of the three richest men in the kingdom.
In other words, he became extremely rich. And they are trying to expand their influence by actively recruiting knights.
So, if you have a good reason, you can get better treatment by using a little force. Even if you are afraid of rumors, you won’t be able to treat them harshly.
The thought was…
Therefore, although these three had a polite tone, their voices were strong and they were putting pressure on the administrator who greeted them.
Of course, the officials who responded to them were terrible.
‘Still, I am a guest who came at the request of the Grand Duke.’
The bald Rugel Heiss continued to break out in a cold sweat and force a smile.
“Ahaha. The Archduke will come out as soon as the closing training is over. If you stay here until then…” “
No. How long do you mean we should wait? I want you to give us a clear answer before that. We are not in a free position either.”
You’re in a free situation, you idiot.
Rugel was just skeptical as to whether these scoundrels should be welcomed as knights.
And at that time, a powerful figure passing by his office extended a helping hand.
“Hmm? Rugel? Are they guests? Are they dressed as knights?”
“Ah! Mr. Heinkel! It’s nice that you came at the right time. They are knights from the front. They want to meet the Archduke and adjust the terms… Ah, knights. This is Mr. Heinkel, the knight commander of McLane.”
As Rugel explained the situation with relief, the three knights who were watching stepped forward.
“I am Tenan from Tainan. In my hometown, I am nicknamed Tenan of the Strong Sword. It is an honor to meet you.”
“This is Dylan from Geffield. In my hometown, I was also nicknamed ‘Dylan the Sharp Sword’ by my colleagues.”
“I’m Jacob from Tehenan. He’s got super strength…”
“Ah, I understand. They’re all so outstanding that they even have second names? I don’t have one either, so I’m jealous.”
Jacob, who had stopped speaking, looked embarrassed, but didn’t bother to say anything.
The leader of the knights of a powerful territory. If they are hired here, they will be their own bosses.
The three waved their hands at the same time.
“No, it’s not. It’s a nickname I got from the countryside.”
“This is something that only my colleagues have acknowledged.”
“The enemies I dealt with were a little scared, but here we are…”
“Well, you’ll know when you try it. You want to work at Macline?”
Heinkel’s natural way of speaking did not feel awkward at all.
“Yes that’s right!”
“I’ve heard enough about McLane’s reputation from a long time ago…”
“I’m familiar with the leader’s reputation…”
“Enough of the long story. Let me just say one thing.”
Heinkel raised his hand to silence the three, and his eyes scanned them coldly.
“Our Grand Duke will treat you accordingly if you have the ability. If you want to be treated more, just prove that you have the ability. I wish you would show it with your skills rather than words.”
Heinkel’s words were so decisive that one could feel the chill, and all three people could only nod awkwardly.
* * *
“Listen! Shoot!”
Pabababak.
At the same time as the command was given, hundreds of soldiers fired crossbows.
A scene unfolded where the trees in front suddenly turned into a beehive.
A series of exclamations poured out from the mouths of the three who saw the successive showers of Quarrels for the first time.
“The soldiers are really well trained.”
“I’m surprised. Is there a crossbow like that?”
“I think I understand why McLane is on a roll.”
People clapping their hands in admiration while riding a horse.
Looking at them like that, Rugel clicked his tongue inwardly.
‘Are these guys knights or flatterers? ‘Why don’t you try this when you’re with me?’
While he was complaining internally, Heinkel calmly corrected the three knights’ misunderstanding.
“Not a soldier. A vigilante.”
“A vigilante…?”
“A vigilante guarding that village?”
“Are you saying you’re not an official soldier? You showed me a weapon like that?”
“That’s another great thing about our Confucius. It would be difficult to be surprised by just that.”
The three of them laugh nervously, thinking that it is just flattery towards their superiors.
Even though they couldn’t say it out loud, the words exchanged through the glances they made were clear.
‘I guess he’s just being condescending.’
‘There are ten castles, but there are only two or three hundred vigilantes. The number of villages alone must be a hundred.’
However, as they saw such a group several times in succession while visiting the knights’ training ground, their thoughts were forced to gradually change.
“Couldn’t each of those groups be a village… right?”
“Well then. It would be too much for us to mobilize Yeongjimin that much.”
“Oh, that’s right. Of course…”
“These are vigilantes gathered from three villages.”
“Three… villages…?”
“The past few days have been a group training period, so most of them are gathered nearby. They are also preparing the ground for the construction of a new town, so you will see a lot of them as you pass by.”
“….”
The three’s conversation, which had gradually decreased, completely disappeared the moment they arrived at the knight training ground.
“Try to block it!”
Wow!
“I’ll spare your life!”
Whoops!
“Shut your mouth. All your teeth will fly out!”
Quang!
A noise so extreme that you can’t imagine sparring with wooden swords.
Every time the wooden swords wielded by the knights cut through the air, there was a sound as if space were being torn apart.
Just by hearing that sound, you can feel that the sword power contained within is enormous.
The majority of those who wielded such swords were knights, and even their basic forms were similar.
Tenan Dillon Jacob has already been a knight for several years.
There was no way I didn’t know what that scene meant.
This was because knights who seemed to be at a similar level to them were clearly showing superior skills.
“Isn’t the power contained in the swords of ordinary knights unusual? No way…”
“…Does Macline have intermediate sword skills exclusively for knights?”
“That’s right.”
“…!!”
“No way, if we join, we’ll teach you that too…”
“Of course, I’ll teach you that.”
“I will join!”
“No, I want to!”
“Please meet only the minimum conditions!”
The arrogant attitude shown at the official residence had completely disappeared.
But Heinkel did not nod.
“That’s up to you.”
“…yes?”
“We can’t accept all the drivers who come to us, so shouldn’t we do a test?”
– If it’s an article, let’s get it and see.
– As you roll, you become a person.
– If it still doesn’t work, then I destroy it.
Heinkel ignored the instructions of the lord, who had extremely simple and radical ideas, at least for this moment.
‘We need to break their spirits before they cause trouble. ‘If you look at the person with a bad personality, you should skip it from the beginning.’
He also did not like the attitude of those at the official residence.
“I will do anything!”
“Test me!”
“Which should we start with?!”
So, I ignored them for now because they were being proactive.
“First, let’s watch the training. Then, after the official training, we will listen to your impressions and do a test.”
Will he be able to maintain the same attitude then?
Heinkel’s cool smile made the three nervous eyes tremble.
The knights, whose wooden swords were broken in several places due to sparring, quickly healed their injuries with potions provided from somewhere.
“Potion?”
“You use potions during training?”
“Is that real?”
“Of course. It’s real. Even though it’s a diluted potion.”
That alone was a luxury that could not be compared to regular knightly training.
However, there were clear limits to what could be done with diluted low-level potions, so some knights who suffered serious injuries with broken bones had no choice but to leave during training.
And those people were rather disappointed and burned their fighting spirit.
“Garen. Next time, your ribs will be broken!”
“Giggles. Okay, I’ll see you in a few days.”
How many days later?
Heinkel, who received the three’s questioning looks, answered willingly.
“From the temple in Biphros, to Macline Town or this training ground… Ah, this will soon become the second town as well. Anyway, a treatment center has been built here as well, and the priests of the temple are stationed there. It’s just a cracked bone. It’ll take a few days. “Treat them. Even though priests don’t participate in the war, they help with training.”
The three couldn’t help but be amazed at those words again.
At first glance, they taught powerful intermediate swordsmanship, and although the training was somewhat rough, the welfare was perfect.
I feel like I want to join the team again.
“Now, finishing training. Let’s go back to Macline Town by horseback riding.”
“Ugh!”
With Heinkel’s applause, the knights who were taking a break after sparring let out a sigh in unison.
“The drivers’ passion is amazing.”
“Are you saying you’re sad to end your training?”
“Hehe. I guess I’ll have to work harder too.”
The three of them were busy praising the atmosphere with flushed faces.
It’s not about knights with tired expressions riding horses. Until I picked it up and started running.
“…Are you sure it was horseback riding?”
“In our equestrian training, horses ride people.”
“….”
“….”
“….”
What kind of crazy talk is this?
Heinkel, who read what they wanted to say from the three’s expressions, chuckled.
“You are not part of our knights now, so you don’t have to. Rugel, please ride slowly.”
“yes!”
“Okay. Let’s go!”
Heehee!
The moment Rugel answered, Heinkel also lifted the horse he had ridden and started running in the direction he had come from.
The three of them, who were staring blankly at the scene, seemed unable to mount their horses and run, so they just ran after him.
“Hello! The horse you rode on is…!”
The magistrate’s voice could not keep up with the knights’ running.
“Ac. “How come everyone’s reaction is the same?”
Rugel grumbled, but there was a faint smile on his face.
They were not the first knights to visit McRain recently.
Just by looking at their reactions, it was clear how strong the territory was becoming.
And their choices would also be the same in the end.
Rugel, with his shoulders high with pride for the family he belonged to, led three horses and slowly returned the way he came. * *
* He took the initiative and chased after the knights with horses. Inkel soon overtook the leader of the knights.
Nevertheless, since he had reached the level of an advanced Force user, the training was not excessive.
Rather, he just leisurely checked the status of the knights and enjoyed(?) seeing their distorted faces.
And that was his smile. The feeling became even stronger as I looked at the faces of the three exceptionally ‘young’ people running in the front row.
The young people of McLane, who are developing tremendously with their attitudes and skills that have completely changed since the capture of Bipros, or more precisely, the Battle of Tomodo Fortress.
Even one of them. One was the son of the head of the family, and the other was a female knight that I had never imagined seeing until recently.
‘I don’t know what lessons I learned from Tomodo Castle, but…’
As long as you don’t overdo it, there’s nothing wrong with it.
The faces of three people gritting their teeth and running harder than anyone else were deeply embedded in Heinkel’s mind.
