New System Functions

Watching this young man walk towards him, Instructor Wagner Collins recognized him, having seen him at the banquet yesterday, Makai Collins, the Duke's youngest child.

Wagner had a curious look in his eyes as he wondered, "What happened at the Family Council today? Why did the four young masters suddenly start recruiting Knights? The Duke's heir has not been decided? And why would the young master Makai be recruiting at the Apprentice Knights' Military Headquarters and not in the other two barracks like his brothers? No... He must not be here to recruit, it must be something else..."

Watching this instructor who looked tall and dashing in his silver armor, memories of him surged through Makai's mind, "This is Uncle Wagner..."

"During the War of Kings, he was just a Knight of the Collins family with no last name, but after he earned military merits by serving alongside my father, he was promoted and given our family's surname, which is the greatest honor a Knight can obtain in your eyes..."

Instructor Wagner put his doubts aside and asked, "Young Master Makai, I didn't expect your visit today..."

"Is there something you need from this old instructor?"

"Hmm." Makai nodded, "Uncle Wagner, I'm here to recruit."

Hearing Makai say that he really came here to recruit, Wagner couldn't hide his surprise, "Young master, I don't know what the Lord Duke's decision in the Council was, but I know your older brothers were recruiting earlier in the other two military barracks, so I have no doubt that the Lord Duke authorized the recruitment..."

"However, shouldn't the young master also be recruiting from the other two barracks? After all, Knight Apprentices aren't usually recruited before becoming Bronze Knights..."

"Is the young master sure he wants to recruit Apprentice Knights?"

When Makai heard Wagner say that he was not aware of the Duke's decision, he understood that Wagner wanted some information, "Uncle Wagner, as everyone will soon learn, I don't mind telling you..."

"My father didn't decide his heir today, he only will decide after 5 years..."

Soon, Makai began narrating a short summary of his father's decision as he concluded, "Therefore, I will not encounter danger in the Mystic Valley as long as I wait for the winter to pass..."

"So, I don't need Bronze Knights or a higher level following me now, and just recruiting a few Apprentice Knights will be enough for now."

"So that's what happened..." After a little thought, Wagner looked into Makai's eyes, "I understand. However, I still have to record the recruitment information..."

"How many Apprentice Knights do the young master want to recruit?"

Makai hesitated and looked at the more than a thousand young people between the ages of 10 and 20.

His eyes have a glint of anticipation. Their bodies are standing evenly in rows like statues as they wait to hear Makai's decision.

When Makai chatted with his military instructor, they listened intently and couldn't help but feel excited and full of expectations.

As Apprentice Knights, they knew that their chances of success in life would depend on whether they had enough talent to be promoted to Bronze Knight before the age of 21.

If they cannot break through the level of a Bronze Knight before turning 21 years of age, they would be discharged to serve only as soldiers protecting establishments such as small farms within the duchy and their chances of serving in the army would be lost.

It is true that the realm is at peace and has not seen the flames of war for 1 century, but even the commoners still heard the rumors that this was the calm before the storm. If the Avalon Empire were to conquer the two neighboring kingdoms, one in the southwest and one in the southeast, it wouldn't be long before it was the turn to attack the Starfall Kingdom.

For them, if there is war in the next few years, this would be the moment when they would have the opportunity to obtain military merits. Those without a surname could even earn the Collins family name, their greatest glory.

When Makai mentioned that he would be recruiting them, they didn't even care if they were heading to the Mystic Valley, as they knew this was an opportunity that doesn't come twice in a lifetime.

When did any noble of the Collins family recruit Apprentice Knights? How many of the Apprentice Knights could actually break through their bottlenecks and become Bronze Knights before the age of 21?

If they missed this opportunity, they might never have another chance like this in life, especially those who had already turned 20 years old, their eyes were fervent and full of desire.

Makai watched them closely. Among these young men, he knew that most of them are children of the Knights who serve the family while others are children of commoners who were approved after a rigorous recruitment process at the age of 10.

Suddenly, Makai found a tall young man holding a wooden spear among the crowd who looked somewhat familiar and pointed at him as he said, "You, come closer."

Since Makai entered the barracks, Lionel's heart began to pound when he recognized him and he was nervous, especially when he heard Makai say he would be recruiting. Since Lionel started training to this day, his goal has never been closer to being achieved. Seeing Makai pointing at him and calling out to him, he tried very hard to contain his joy as he shifted from his position and stepped forward.

Seeing this scene, the other youths looked at him with envy as they thought, "The Goddess of Luck smiled on this boy..."

Only a few who knew Lionel's identity knew that there is no trace of luck involved, particularly those who grew up with Lionel and are considered brothers. At the same time, they were also nervous as their hearts pounded in anticipation.

As Lionel approaches, memories of the past begin to surface in Makai's mind.

When Duke Marvin suddenly appeared in the family with a baby in his arms, he had left him in the care of Butler Jonathan and his wife, Jana, who at the time was nursing their son, Lionel.

From that year onwards, Makai grew up alongside Lionel, and until the age of 5, the two lived as brothers and grew up together with a few other children born in the neighboring homes of Lionel's family. However, when Makai came to understand that he was Duke Marvin's son and the significance of his status in the family as a bastard son, he turned away from everyone and spent his next few years in the training grounds at the bottom of the castle until he was enrolled at the Knights Academy in the Royal Capital at age 10.

After processing these memories, Makai couldn't help but sigh as he said, "Lionel, you've grown up."

Realizing that Makai had recognized him by calling him by his name, Lionel was speechless, but very quickly, his eyes grew moist and tears began to fall uncontrollably as his breath became heavy.

Lionel looked like he was trying very hard not to cry, but he had no control over his tears.

Such a scene left many of the young people watching without understanding what was happening and they did not notice that among them there were some other young people who also could not contain their tears.

When you grow up with other children and live with them until you begin to understand how this world ruled by Knights works, and suddenly, that person who was seen as your brother abruptly disappears from their lives, he ends up leaving a deep sense of loss in their hearts.

For children in their 5 or 6 years, this is most likely the first time experiencing such a feeling. Even if they don't know the saying, "The first time, we never forget", they still felt its true meaning.

Of course, this kind of feeling is only experienced among families that don't know the meaning of the word "nobility", such as families of commoners, as they grow happy children who feel free to be themselves and don't need to live with a tutor by his side instilling in his soul the aristocratic etiquette.

Seeing Lionel, a guy even taller than him crying, Makai was perplexed when he said, "Lionel, you're already a big man at 16 years old. There's no need to cry like that, right?"

Lionel finally calmed his emotions and, after wiping away his tears with his right hand, he hesitated a little as if he didn't know what to say.

Seeing his hesitation, Makai encouraged him, "Lionel, I understand your feelings a little bit, but me being gone and not showing up for 10 years isn't enough for you to cry like that, right? After all, I'm still alive."

Lionel was still red-eyed as he said, "Young master, I'm sorry. It's just that after you left, the brothers and I thought that after you found out you were the child of the Lord Duke, we weren't more worthy of being your brothers and we thought you had forgotten us. Now that you still recognized me, I was a little touched."

Makai took a step forward facing Lionel who was six feet tall with short black hair. He is very similar to his father, Jonathan. That's why Makai recognized him as soon as he saw him.

Makai reached out his right arm and placed his hand on Lionel's left shoulder as he said, "Even though you and the brothers call me young master now, I'm still your brother. I haven't forgotten any of you."

Lionel felt he was about to lose control of his emotions again, but Makai squeezed his shoulder hard and sobered him up.

"Lionel, we'll have plenty of time to talk later, that is, if you wish to follow me to the Mystic Valley. Are you willing?"

Lionel took a step back and knelt on one knee. With his head bowed, his tone echoed loudly throughout this pavilion, "I, Lionel, willing to cross bladed mountains, follow the ancient holy oath of the Knights, and give my life to the young master Makai Collins with this blood pact."

After Lionel made a small cut in his right hand, he extended it to Makai who also made a small cut in his right hand and squeezed Lionel's hand as the blood mingled, "I, Makai Collins, with the ancient holy oath of the Knights as a witness, I am willing to accept your oath."

Makai helped Lionel to his feet and after seeing the happy smile on his face, he also laughed, "Very good. You are the first Knight to follow me and in the future, you will be proud of this moment."

After they exchanged a few short words, Lionel asked hesitantly, "Young Sir... Are you willing to..."

Lionel hadn't finished his words when Makai interrupted him, "No need to say. Naturally, if our brothers are willing to follow me, I'll accept them. Go, call them."

Lionel was excited as he looked at the youths like statues in ordered rows and his voice was filled with pride as it echoed loudly in everyone's ears, "Salazar, Arnold, Rayane, and Alexia, come and greet the Young Lord."

The statue-like youths began to turn their heads stiffly, all wanting to see who these lucky ones were.

Soon, four young men emerged from the crowd.

The first to leave was Salazar, he has 17 years old and is a tall young man of 1.85 meters. His hair is black and short and his skin is the color of wheat. His physique is quite robust, and he holds his wooden spear.

The second to leave was Arnold, a 16-year-old with a height of 1.76 meters. His hair is black and short and his skin is pale white. His physique looked thin and he was holding his wooden sword in his right hand.

Rayane, with her height of 1.67 meters, followed shortly after Arnold. She had just turned 17 and looked normal, but exuded elegance with her long red hair as she holds her wooden spear.

Alexia was the last to leave holding a wooden sword. She was in her 15 years and your height is the lowest among the four young men. Her hair is black and straight with a small fringe across her forehead. She seemed to be shy with her slow steps and cautiously looked around with her eyes still red. Clearly, she had just cried too.

As the five approached Lionel, they looked mutely at Makai, not knowing what to say. Their expressions revealed nervousness and expectations.

Seeing these brothers he grew up with until he left them at the age of five and seeing their eyes moist, for a moment, Makai didn't know what to say, but seeing Lionel beside him, he remembered, "Brothers, you must have heard my conversation with Lionel..."

"What I said to him is the same as what I have to say to all..."

"Are you willing to follow me as my Sworn Knights?"

The four of them couldn't hide the joy they were feeling as they revealed smiling faces and, very quickly, they dropped to one knee and their words echoed loudly as if they had already been rehearsed.

"I, Salazar..."

"I, Arnold..."

"I, Rayane...'

"I, Alexia..."

"We are willing to cross bladed mountains, we follow the ancient holy oath of the Knights, and we give our lives to the young master Makai Collins with this blood pact."

Repeating the same procedure, Makai accepted them, "I, Makai Collins, with the ancient holy oath of the Knights as my witness, am willing to accept your oaths."

[Ding!]

Suddenly, the system's voice echoed in Makai's mind at the same time as the system panel appeared before his eyes leaving him stunned.

[Congratulations to the host for completing a hidden quest and becoming Lord of the Castle after getting the oath of five Knights willing to die for the host]

[As the host of the Knights World System, if there are no Sworn Knights, then the host does not qualify to be Lord of the Castle]

[Reward: Castle Lord System and System Store unlocked]

In the system panel, two icons appeared. The first icon has a drawing of a pitch-black castle with ruby-red gates.

The second is a typical shop design icon with a sign that said: System Shop.

Makai couldn't contain his curiosity and opened the castle icon and new data in green colors was processed on the system's blue screen.

[Castle Lord]

[Sworn Knights: 5; (Lionel), (Salazar), (Arnold), (Rayane), (Alexia)]

When Makai saw the information about his Sworn Knights, he was curious after seeing that their green-color names flashed with the bronze-colored background.

"Why are they blinking..."

Makai was wondering until new data was processed in green colors.

[Five of your Sworn Knights have been detected to have received the sacred blood pact bonus upon becoming 100% loyal to the host and are ready to be integrated into the Castle Lord System]

[Do you want to confirm your integration?]

[Yea! No!]

[Note that once they are integrated into the Castle Lord System, they will also receive a system panel with functions limited to chat only and the Sworn Knights Store where the host himself can decide what will be sold there. The Sworn Knights Store has no relation to the System Store]

Makai's heart was beating violently as he read such information and the system seemed more and more mysterious.

"What new surprises will this system bring?"

He couldn't help but wonder, but his attention soon returned to the flashing icons of his Sworn Knights and he didn't hesitate to click [Yes!].

After all, they are 100% loyal and there was nothing to worry about.

The ancient holy oath of the Knights is not just empty words. If someone were crazy enough to try to break it, their soul would be extinguished from all existence.

No one knew what kind of mystery was involved behind this oath, but over the course of many years, there were many powerful Knights who violated the oath only to perish in the same instant.

Also, after his Sworn Knights are integrated into the Castle Lord System, Makai believes this oath would be a joke when compared to his unfathomable system.

Right after Makai clicked [Yes!], a bizarre scene played out in front of everyone watching Makai and his new Sworn Knights who had been silent for a few moments.

Lionel and his other brothers were waiting for the next words from their new Young Lord, to which they swore loyalty, but they were surprised by a cold voice echoing in their minds and a mysterious force enveloped their vital seeds when a great amount of vital energy filled them.

They first ignored the mysterious panel of the supposed Castle Lord System that appeared before their eyes, and sat cross-legged as they focused on their vital palaces. At the same time, a faint bronze-colored aura began to form around their bodies and was getting stronger and stronger.

"The Son of Fate!" When Instructor Wagner and the other youths watched this scene, they couldn't help but scream at the same time in shock.

"Child of Fate?"

Makai muttered to himself as pertinent information flooded his mind.

In the world of Lazerorth, in addition to the mysterious blood pact of the ancient holy oath of the Knights, there were also other forces whose mystery is unfathomable, and the Children of Fate are the most mysterious.

When a Knight accepts Sworn Knights as his followers through the blood pact, there is a very minimal possibility that his Sworn Knights will receive celestial enlightenment, and both his talent and Knight level would receive a buff that would boost his strengths terribly.

Due to cases like these being extremely rare to happen and these blessed Knights having the ability to drastically change talent while increasing the strength of their Sworn Knights, he came to be called Child of Fate.

Turbulent waves began to agitate Instructor Wagner's heart. Unlike the other young Apprentice Knights who had sparkles in their eyes full of desire to become new Sworn Knights of Makai, Wagner was thinking much further ahead, as the meaning of Child of Fate's existence represents much more than just pushing forward the strength and talent of his Sworn Knights.

In the entire Realm of Starfall, there are only three forces that possess Children of Fate, and those forces are, the Royal Family, the Temple of Wealth, and the Temple of Light. However, there is a big difference between these three forces that everyone knew very well.

If the royal family is considered a lion before its sheep, then these two temples can be seen as a true dragon before the royal family.

In the more than a thousand years that the Royal Kaiser family has assumed power, with each new generation, a new Child of Fate would arise within it, and currently, the First Prince, Orion Kaiser, is this generation's Child of Fate.

However the Temple of Wealth and the Temple of Light, both are very mysterious and the number of Children of Fate they possess is unknown.

The one thing everyone knows is that they are the two greatest forces on the Vita Continent. Since they emerged on this continent, they have remained neutral and barely interfere in mundane affairs.

Even when the Haoran Continent invaded and annihilated many forces, they didn't dare attack a single one of its branches.

After processing this information, Makai felt a violent surge of vital energy surging through his vital seeds and he quickly sat up cross-legged as the system's cold voice rang out again.

[Congratulations, your five Sworn Knights have been promoted to the Bronze Knight Realm]

[As a Castle Lord, your Sworn Knights must see you as a King, and a King without the King's Aura is not a King]

[Please choose one of the following auras]

[Aura 1: Ice Emperor Dragon]

[Aura 2: Flame Emperor Dragon]

[...]

[Aura 10: Eternal Night Abyssal Emperor Dragon]