The baron's rank

"You look far better now."

As soon as Hex left his room, he heard someone say. He looked up and saw a beautiful lady waiting for him.

"Thank you, ahm Miss Hestia. Yes, I really needed a long bath."

Hex had left the temple with his new master and came right to the castle. He had still been covered in burnt marks and dirt.

"Bah," she spat in mock disgust, "you make me sound old and stiff. Call me Hestia."

Hex nodded. He remembered the baron's instructions. "I suppose you are here to bring me to the training ground or should I first help you?"

Hestia raised a brow. "Training ground huh? I guess we can call it that. Follow me."

'Why did she look so amused? Did I say something strange?'

Hex caught up with Hestia and asked, " Ahm, Hestia? The baron told Wallen to let me train with Vic and Greg. Do you know where they might be?"

"Oh. Now I understand. Don't worry. They are already…training." Hex noticed her emerald eyes light up once again, but he had no idea why.

He decided to see for himself what amused her. So he just walked with her, following her lead.

They exited the castle from the opposite side from where he had entered in the morning.

The warm afternoon sun and gentle mountain breeze felt nice to the skin. 'It's truly something else than the cold and humid cists and crevices of the mountain.'

They passed fields where servants tended grain and vegetables. There were pastures where mountain sheep and goats grazed.

Hex's desire to one day beat the baron still burnt inside, but he couldn't deny that the peaceful surroundings of the castle were heartwarming.

"We are here." Hestia pointed at the slope below them. The slope seemed overgrown with weed and bushes.

Hex noticed two guys working on the slope. The one with a petite build was cleaning the weed, and the bulky giant was pulling a plough.

When they noticed Hestia and Hex they stopped their work and walked over.

"The small one is Vin. The big one Greg. This is your…training." Hestia introduced them to Hex.

It took Hex a moment to realize what Hestia said.But it didn't seem funny to him. "What do you mean? I am here to train. Is this the baron's way to fuck me over?"

"So working in a field is beneath you?" Hestia asked with a raised brow.

"It's not about that. But I am not a servant, I am a Squire."

As someone who had even cleaned the gutters at some point, Hex didn't mind any work. But he was here to train.

"So are we, buddy," Greg laughed. He and Vin raised their hands as he said it.

Seeing the red triangles, Hex looked stunned. "How…I mean…, I thought I was the first Squire he took in?" It took some effort to sort his words.

Hestia laughed. "You are," after which she turned to the other two who were looking strangely at Hex. "Yes, he is the baron's Squire."

She then pointed at the two men and said to Hex, "They are Squires hired by the baron. They work for the castle. They are not his students."

"But why are they working for the baron? Why not for their own masters?" Hex had strived to become a Blessed so he could be the baron's equal.

It didn't make sense to him that someone would work as a hired help.

"Why can't they? Everyone, even Blessed, needs coins to survive. And here they can also continue to train." Hestia explained.

"And we don't work for our masters because we completed our tutelage, but didn't get Knighted before twenty," Greg said with a shrug.

"What has age to do with it?"

Hex noticed all three looked at him strangely. 'I feel like I am missing something.'

Luckily, Hestia helped. "The baron didn't tell you?" Seeing Hex shake his head, she sighed. "I should have suspected as much. It is believed widely that the older a person gets, the harder it becomes to reach knighthood. Twenty is just the limit people have observed through the ages."

"Usually Knights take a Squire who is below fifteen and let them go after eighteen if they failed to get their second Blessing by then."

'I am already eighteen.' Hex thought he had plenty of time, but it seemed he was already near the edge. If he didn't work hard, he might never be the baron's equal.

"But isn't that more reason for me to train harder?"

Hestia patted his back. "This is still training. Wallen told me you need to increase your physicall strength. Belief me, working like this will improve your lower and upper body."

'It does make sense. The baron did say I have a passive increase in strength. Maybe he wants me to work on that first. Or he just wants me to spend all my time doing labor.'

Hex was torn between his feelings for the baron. He couldn't trust the man who forbade the town council to give him a chance at the ritual. He never gave a reason. He just came like a storm that day and uprooted his life and dreams.

'I will just give it a try. I don't think I have a choice at this point. The fucking Heavens and its rules.'

He looked at the others and asked, "So, what do I have to do?"

Greg laughed and Vin nodded. They seemed pleased to have Hex's help.

"We just need to clean this area. Hestia will be the one making stuff grow here."

Hex nodded but then thought something. He had missed it but how were they growing things?

"Winter has just ended. The ground should be still frozen. How are the fields already green and almost ready to harvest?"

"Hihi," Hestia gigled. "Do you really think with so many types of Blessings, the world depends on seasons to farm? Watch."

She raised her hand and pulled the furry glove out. Hex noticed her smooth skin and long nice fingers.

His gaze however froze when it landed on the three green triangles at the back of her hand.

She pointed at the ground and the triangles started to glow. Emerald colored light shot out her palm and entered a plowed piece of land.

The ground absorbed the light. Nothing happened first, but then Hex noticed the ground move. A little sprout wriggled out!

"Is this you Blessing?But why is yours green?And you are already triple Blessed?" Hex couldn' help but blurt one question after the other.

Greg and Vin laughed at his reaction. They seemed to have anticipated it. Hestia shook her head and explained.

"The triangles get their color after you have received an elemental Blessing. It's actually how you get Knighted by the Heavens."

"You are a Knight?!" Hex felt his head explode. "Why are YOU working for the baron then?"

"Simple, because the baron is far above Knights." Hestia could see that Hex wasn't ready for such an answer. It was only his first day.

"Stronger? Isn't Knight the ultimate level?" Hex felt his world view turn. It was just too much to take in just one day.

"In a place like Grindeston, usually yes." Hestia chuckled. Small towners really didn't know much about the scale of the world.

"You rarely will find someone above the Knight Class in remote places, but there are levels above."

"Can you tell me the names and also the level the baron is at?" Hex's ultimate goal was to be the baron's equal.

"Okay. But I will tell you the names only. Learn the rest from your master," Hestia said in mock irritation.

Hex suspected she enjoyed lecturing them. He noticed Vin and Greg also leaned in to hear the names and the baron's level.

"You start at the level of Squire. Then comes Knight. After Knight you have the Refined Knights. Above that exists the Transformed and the Enlightened Knights."

"And the baron?" Hex asked eagerly.

"The baron is a Transformed Knight."