Travel (3)

Black Rat cursed as he realized he used to be blind. He remembered the numerous events in which Drake taught him, and guided him in the sentinel casern, pointing out his tendency to crouch too much, or to rely on his left arm too heavily, causing his right side to be vulnerable to attacks. Or his horsemanship being too crude instead of gentle and elegant.

Black Rat laughed. He laughed as a sword was about to take him out. But he concentrated his internal energy in his two palms and blocked the incoming sword. The internal energy made his skin tougher than iron.

Black Rat…had somehow gone through something even more meaningful than a second awakening: it was the understanding of the meaning behind the title of knight. Under the shocked eyes of the bandits and the sentinels, he sent more force in his palms, and twisted the high-quality sword with bare hands. He then proceeded kick the white-armoured knight, a kick that was so powerful that the latter was sent flying and crashed onto a tree, unable to move and gasping for air.

He then said: "You're not worthy of testing my Great Sword Art"

He had thoroughly broken through the half-grand knight realm. And his mastery of the Shadow Great Sword Art had exceeded Rey's own, reaching advanced proficiency, despite the latter training for decades.

Gasping desperately and begging, Black rat nodded before dragging the white-armoured knight and scoffing at the bandits running away for their lives.

After a while, the pair of immaculate peak knights returned by Drake's side, with five heads, and one woman barely able to walk straight. It turns out that this white-armoured peak knight was not a man, but a full-fledged woman.

An eerie silence had descended on the battlefield. From times to times, a bandit would groan in pain.

The white-armoured knight turned out to be a female knight, with a grace that was unique to noblemen: high-circle nobility at that. She had red hair, a pair of glaring grey eyes and a knight uniform that fit her to perfection. She seemed to be in her early twenties, a rare talent. Preparatory knights became knights at the age of 30 usually, but some were more gifted, and broke through in their early twenties. Of course, there were exceptions, like Drake, who had broken through at the young age of 15, probably qualifying as one of the youngest knights at the time.

However, he was far from being the only genius knight in the Porfield Kingdom. This woman fully qualified as a knight genius too. If Drake hadn't joined the Magical Court and grasped one opportunity after another, he would not have been able to win against this woman. Peak-knight realm, with a Grand-knight level swordsmanship.

Unfortunately, this woman met Black Rat, another genius in Barnolia, an immaculate soldier who trained his whole life. He used to be a slave, but then he became a warring slave battling against desert riders for nearly two decades, which toughen up his character and erased his weaknesses.

"My lord, we have successfully killed the knights. This woman was begging for her life, so we captured her", Black Rat said in a firm voice.

Drake looked at her: "Oh? Seems like you made a breakthrough. Let's not chase the bandits. If anything, they will tell their peers to let us pass without troubles. We have to reach Evergreen fast…"

He was evil, but he wasn't a monster. Killing just for the sake of spilling blood wasn't engraved in his principles. He only killed when a need arose, or when benefits were apparent. This battle turned out to be much more fruitful than expected, allowing one of his subordinates to become a Half-Grand Knight…

'As expected, Black Rat is a rare genius…I was always labelled as a genius in my childhood, but Black Rat's talent is even higher. He already reached advanced proficiency in his great sword art, exceeding an expert like Rey, who has been training for decades…'

Lewis approached Drake and asked: "What should we do about the girl?"

"Test her. Use her to train yourself. You are a half-grand knight now. Even if you have just one hand, you have surpassed my father. But if you fought against each other, he would still beat you. If you fought against Rey or Black Rat, you would suffer a defeat too. You are lacking in techniques and battle experience. I've observed her: she is a strong peak knight."

Lewis nodded and entwined a rope around the woman's arms, which a man named Jack and was one of the [Fifteen Dragon Wings] who wielded an enchanted Grand Roman Shield and wielded a short sword with very high speed. 'Speedy', they called him.

"I am…Vanessa Fireheart, esteemed acolyte! I…I beg of you! I am not a bandit!", she said.

Her words piqued Drake's interest. The Fireheart family. It was one of the seven Duke Families, one that had lasted for four long centuries.

"You are one of the Fireheart Household's heir? I am Marius Dayne, but I bet you have never heard of this name before.", Drake asked, slightly taken aback by this revelation.

It would explain her strength and high attainments as a knight despite being in her early twenties. The Duke Fireheart had colluded with two more duke households and tried to rebel against the Child King. It turns out that the Child King had seen it coming, and marched forward with his army, crushing the rebellion before they did any damage, with several esteemed members of the magical court – acolytes mostly -, taking the lands for themselves.

"My Lord…The Child King…He marched in our homes with thirty-thousands men! The Royal army beheaded people who were in the Black Book listing names and families of guilty and corrupted people! They hanged their heads on top of spikes! My family was slaughtered without any warning! The bannermen were captured or escaped to their castles!", she started to explain, with tears flowing down like a waterfall.

The Fireheart Household and the two other duke households were knight families, who couldn't bring themselves to trust the Magical Court and their acolytes, against whom their ancestors had fought and gave up their lives for the current stalemate between knights and magi to be settled. Most likely, when they learnt of the Child King's acolyte status…They planned a rebellion.

Forty-eight bannermen were loyal to the duke households. They were probably ready to rebel alongside these three dukes, who represented a knight kingdom, a glorious past of swords and axes. Unfortunately, the Child King was a step ahead of everyone, and assassinated the dukes, captured the capable officials, beheaded the guilty and corrupted ones. The bannermen either died in the process, or returned to their rural castles to wait for the storm to pass. The Child King had marched and crushed his enemies without any warning. Unlike the rumours, the child King had shown ruthlessness, and a rare cold-bloodedness that was shared by all great kings and emperors in times of war.

"Aren't you aware that I am a member of the Magical Court? Badmouthing the king isn't a light crime. Even if your words were true, it is felony!", Drake taunted

"…", Vanessa Fireheart glared at Drake.

"But…I believe you. I mean, the Child King has the power to do so. Most likely, he will come up with an excuse in a few days, like they were traitors who planned a rebellion. Had I been in his place, I would have marched against your house too"

"Are you…trying to torture my mind?", Vanessa said in anger

"I mean, you tried to kill him, so it's only natural to be prepared to be slaughtered! Who did you think you were trying to attack! A King! If the King of the Porfield Kingdom was some weakling or absurd madman, the Magical Court would have replaced him a long time ago. Your family failed to see that, and ended up paying it with their lives. It's truly a shame, I admired your house when I was a child", Drake said in a honest voice.

The Fireheart Dukedom was said to be one of the most powerful, wealthy households in the Thirteen Kingdoms. The Duke himself was a Grand-knight, someone who ruled with a clement heart and dealt with enemies with an iron fist. He was a true powerhouse, some role model for Drake.

"I was…my family's last hope!", Vanessa said, "The men you just killed were not bandits. They were rebels. We were planning on amassing weapons and wealth to fund our rebellion in the Bandit Highway. In ten years…no perhaps even five years, we would have been ready! I would have reached the Grand-knight realm and I would have killed the child King!"

"Haha!", Drake laughed, "Let's say that you break through the Grand-knight realm, which is highly unlikely considering that there are only a handful of Grand-knights in the whole continent. But let's us imagine this unlikely event happening. How would you, a newly advanced Grand-knight, be able to succeed where three Dukes failed? You would have a smaller army, weaker individual strength and more importantly, too few supporters!"

"…"

"Aye, I feel bad now. You're just angry. You should have cherished your life instead of throwing it away"

"Free me!", Vanessa demanded, "Return me to Duke Helmholtz! Although he is the right-hand of the Child King, he warned my father many times not to go against him. They fought together. He is an acolyte himself, and he will probably reward you greatly, with…magical resources or whatever interests you!"

'Can't she feel any pressure from-'

Drake felt it at this point.

Vanessa had talent. The traumatizing events somehow awakened spirit in her body. And the fact that she was able to stand alongside Drake without flinching was proof of her talent.

'Grade 3? Perhaps even grade 4? Or Grade 5?', Drake appraised

"You want revenge, right?", Drake asked.

"If…Yes. I will do anything for revenge", Vanessa said.

"Anything?", Drake asked in a meaningful way.

"I would sell my soul if it allows me to kill the wretched knights who slaughtered my father. I would give you my body, if it allowed me to-��

"Swear allegiance to me", Drake whispered in her ears while grinning, "And in less than 50 years, I will grant you your revenge. I won't kill the King, but those who marched against your father and slaughtered him, be it peak knights, half-grand knights or even Grand knights themselves, I will slaughter on your behalf"

The day was too eventful for the sentinels or the merchants to understand what was going on. Firstly, Marius Dayne's rank 2 acolyte status with a might rivalling that of rank 3 acolytes thanks to his magical artefact. Next, Black Rat's second awakening, propelling him to the Half-Grand Knight realm. Last but not least, the revelation of the crushed rebellion of three of the most powerful Dukes of the Kingdom as well as Vanessa Fireheart's identity!

But it wasn't the end.

'If it's this esteemed acolyte and his terrifying magic…Perhaps he will…', she thought.

Vanessa then knelt, and shouted the words as if her life depended on it: "In the Name of the Fireheart Household, I swear allegiance to you. I swear on my heart to be brave for your safety. I swear on my name to be your sword. I swear on my honour, to serve you and to answer your demands with the best of my capabilities, even if it might taint my integrity"

There was nothing more shocking than a proud Fireheart heir, who boasted integrity and honour as their core values, to make such a firm, honest vow.

"I will not disappoint you", Drake said, "Lewis, it looks like you will have to train hard!"

This fateful encounter would forever change the future of the Porfield Kingdom.