The Legendary Family

"The... the Idiot?!" Calista's eyes widened.

What the hell! This guy is an idiot? If he's an idiot, then there are no geniuses in the world! If he's an idiot, then the vast majority of people in this world must be imbeciles!

---

She dared not show a hint of a smile and quickly stood up, pointing to her two subordinates beside her, "Honorable master, these are my companions. Their names are..."

"No, no, no," Freyr interrupted her unceremoniously, "Sorry, but I'm not particularly interested in their names. And as you heard, the law grants me only ten slots to recruit honorary knights! I won't waste those spots... I'm saving the remaining slots to recruit some Paladins or top-tier swordsmen."

Freyr didn't even glance at Calista's two subordinates.

What a joke! These guys? The brute of a warrior just had some strength, and as for the archer... well, a few hundred gold coins could easily buy three or five of them! Even this female knight... Hmm, if it weren't for the fact that she's a beauty with a pair of pretty long legs... Freyr wouldn't have considered her either, given her combat skills.

"Sir Calista Moon, you are now my direct honorary knight. Your two subordinates will count as your squires. As for your knight's badge and equipment, once we reach our destination, I'll have the family's servants equip you properly. Now, please integrate your men into the team. If all goes well, we can be home by tonight."

Calista didn't say anything, but her two subordinates couldn't hide their disappointment at losing the chance to be granted a knight's title.

This was a genuine opportunity to become knights!

Generally, there are only three ways to earn a knight's title:

The first is by possessing formidable combat skills, receiving certification from the Knight's Association, and being awarded official knight medals of various ranks—these knights are considered the most legitimate.

The second way is by dedicating oneself to the Temple of Light from a young age, serving the church, and, after rigorous training and selection, becoming temple knights.

The third way is by pledging allegiance to a noble and being granted the title of direct honorary knight by that noble.

These two men neither had exceptional combat skills to pass the Knight's Association's evaluation, nor were they affiliated with the church to become temple knights.

Their only hope to advance to the knight class was to be noticed and recruited by a noble.

However, nobles with the authority to recruit knights were usually great nobles and wouldn't consider guys with such mediocre skills.

Seeing her two somewhat disheartened companions, Calista could only offer a few quiet words of comfort.

Calista herself felt conflicted at this moment. Pledging allegiance to Freyr meant losing her freedom. The small independent group she had struggled to maintain would dissolve, and she would no longer be a leader but a subordinate pledging loyalty to someone else.

What Calista didn't know, however, was that many years later, when people looked back on history, they would always mention this day!

For Calista Moon would become the first official member of the "Demon Knights," renowned across the entire continent, the earliest female knight to pledge loyalty to the demons. This name would be recorded in the annals of history because of this significant moment!

---

The convoy traveled for a day. It was evident that the newly joined female knight had garnered special attention from her colleagues. This was not merely because she was the only woman in the group but also because of her relationship with the young master.

Last night, she had walked out of the young master's room, and by morning, she had offered her allegiance to him.

This attention was tinged with a bit of jealousy.

Yes, jealousy.

After all, this woman had been granted the genuine title of "knight"!

The twenty guards were actually just a bunch of "cavalry." They were guards on horseback, not true knights in the traditional sense. For a girl, whom they had known for only a day, to suddenly receive what these men dreamed of, was enough to make them jealous.

Being assigned to follow this ineffectual young master to a remote backwater was already unlucky enough. Their only aspiration was that someday, the young master might take a liking to them and promote them from guard cavalry to honorary knight—that was their only hope.

Everyone knew that this young master had no chance of inheriting the earl's title. At most, he would become a baron, and the law only allowed a baron to recruit ten knights. Now, in just one day, a precious slot had been taken by an unknown woman! This was enough to make them feel a bit resentful.

The most reasonable explanation was that this thirteen-year-old young master probably didn't even understand what a "knight" truly was. He must have treated such a valuable title as a child's plaything and casually gave it away!

Moreover, the more important factor... was that the girl was pretty and had a pair of shapely, beautiful legs.

Resigned to fate!

Calista could sense the disapproving glances from her new colleagues. Even her two original companions were somewhat perplexed. But Calista still believed in her judgment!

This new master, this young lord named Freyr, was destined to be extraordinary! Choosing to pledge loyalty to him should not be a mistake!

As the evening glow once again filled the sky, Freyr's convoy had just crossed a great river. The bridge, built of massive round stones, was nearly a hundred years old. The stones near the water were covered in bright green moss, reflecting a beautiful emerald color with the clear, flowing river.

This great river was called the "Emerald River," though it had a more official name: the Russell River!

This river was named after the Russell family.

The Russell River cut through the southern Kort Province of the empire, dividing the rich province into two. Once across this river, one had entered the Russell family's domain! The southern half of Kort Province, south of the river, belonged to the Russell family!