There, Mitchell had to wait for quite a long time. It was only after quite some time
had passed that the notice came.
"He will see you. Please follow me."
"Thank you."
Mitchell bowed his head respectfully and followed the royal guard without delay. Unlike when he had left Karsel,
Mitchell had become quite taciturn and composed.
The royal palace of Penslotte was truly of an enormous scale. Magnificent buildings stood here and there,
and in the meticulously maintained gardens, flowers were blooming in profusion. Considering it was early winter,
it seemed to be a scene produced using magic.
The royal guard guided Mitchell toward the rear of the palace. After passing through several massive gates,
shouts of exertion and the clashing of swords could be heard from here and there.
"It seems the royal knights are training."
His desire to see the knights' swordsmanship was burning, but unfortunately, the training ground lay beyond the walls.
It seemed to be a measure to prevent others from learning in secret. The royal guard, who had walked for quite a while,
stopped in front of a large building.
"This is the Royal Knights' headquarters building. From here, someone else will guide
you."
"Thank you for your trouble."
The royal guard glanced at Mitchell, who answered politely, with a strange look, then turned away.
Those who made it this far were usually all extremely intimidated, so it was understandable that the country bumpkin he had just guided
showed no such sign. However, he had not the faintest inkling that this bumpkin
was someone who had even been inside a dragon's lair. After he
disappeared, someone appeared and gestured to Mitchell.
"Follow me."
Judging by the ornately decorated helm and full plate mail, he seemed to be a royal knight. Thinking they might become colleagues in the future,
Mitchell greeted him respectfully.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Mitchell……."
"Save the greetings for later. The building is very large, so if you don't follow closely, you will get lost.
I cannot guarantee your safety then."
Mitchell gave a bitter smile at the royal knight's haughty attitude as he turned away.
'I used to be like that once, too.'
Mitchell silently followed him. The royal knight walked down the corridor for a long time before stopping in front of a large
door. Two royal knights stood guard in front of the door.
"Go in. The Vice Commander is waiting."
"Thank you."
As Mitchell approached, the royal knights opened the door. Mitchell quietly entered the room.
Inside, one person sat at a desk with his back turned. A total of four knights
stood guard in the room, and as Mitchell approached, a gruff voice spoke.
"So you're Mitchell?"
Mitchell bowed his head respectfully.
"Yes, sir."
"You're the son of Hales Bruno, I hear."
When the Vice Commander of the Royal Knights mentioned his father's name exactly, Mitchell was quite delighted.
If there happened to be a close connection between the Vice Commander and his father, he could ask for nothing more.
The Vice Commander, who had been nodding silently, turned around. He was an old knight who appeared to be around fifty, yet he was a man who gave off a rather sly impression.
Contrary to expectations, his was not a very likable face. Moreover, an unfathomable smile
rose on the Vice Commander's face as he looked at Mitchell.
"Hales Bruno's son, coming to find me…… There is no coincidence quite like this."
Feeling an inexplicable hostility in the Vice Commander's gaze, Mitchell tensed up unconsciously. Soon after,
when the Vice Commander revealed his name, Mitchell felt as if the hair all over his body was standing on end.
"My name is Riley Freissmann. I suppose you've heard of me?"
Mitchell felt his strength drain away unconsciously. At the same time, he instinctively realized that becoming a royal knight of Penslotte
would be impossible. Because
Riley was a name intertwined with a feud so deep with his father Hales that it was unimaginable.
While teaching Mitchell swordsmanship, his father Hales never breathed a word about his time in Penslotte.
Thus, Mitchell could only guess that those days had simply been unhappy.
Then one day. Hales, thoroughly drunk, staggered over and
called Mitchell out. Reeking heavily of alcohol, he began to pour out every detail of his past grievances.
"Do you know why I threw away my position as a royal knight of Penslotte and settled down here?"
His face wrinkled at the smell of alcohol, but Mitchell nodded silently.
Because that was what he had been most curious about. Even young Mitchell could tell there was a tremendous difference between a royal knight of the great power Penslotte
and the captain of Karsel's palace guard. Hales let out a long sigh and began to explain the path he had walked.
"From now on, what I say must never reach your mother's ears. Because
this is about your father's first love."
Hales Bruno and Riley Freissmann were said to be classmates who graduated from the same knight academy.
They were also bitter rivals with a very poor relationship. Hales and Riley came from truly contrasting backgrounds.
Perhaps because of that, from their academy days, the two were like oil and water, unable to mix, and engaged in endless strife.
Hales's family was a fallen noble house from a nameless countryside. On the other hand, Riley was the sole heir of the prestigious Freissmann family, which boasted formidable power,
and received the family's full support. Thus, it was perhaps inevitable that Riley looked down on Hales from the very beginning.
The proud Hales never tried to bow his head to Riley.
"All I can rely on is my skill alone."
Determined not to lose to Riley, Hales devoted himself to sword training as if his life depended on it.
Because unlike Riley, he could expect no family glory or support, he had to compete solely with skill.
Perhaps due to that effort, Hales dominated first place throughout his academy days.
No student could keep up with Hales, who immersed himself in training without rest from before dawn until late at night.
Riley never thought kindly of such a Hales.
"That worthless country bumpkin has quite the pride……."
Riley, jealous of Hales who repeatedly took first place, tormented him at every turn.
There were times he hired mercenaries to conduct group lynchings, and times he bribed the instructor to manipulate grades.
However, despite his efforts, Hales was able to graduate proudly at the top of the knight academy.
At that time, it was customary for the top graduate of the knight academy to be automatically appointed as an apprentice knight of the Royal Knights, and Hales became an apprentice knight accordingly.
"Won't everything be proven by skill?"
At the sight of Hales looking at him with a victorious smile, Riley gritted his teeth.
He was determined to ruin Hales by any means necessary.
He used his family's support to appropriately obtain the apprentice knight qualification.
He harbored bitter resolve, refusing to fall behind Hales who had nothing.
Even during their time as apprentice knights, the two's ill-fated relationship did not end. Hales, possessing both talent and effort,
readily distinguished himself among the apprentice knights. The label of first place always followed Hales, and he dominated the top spot in every evaluation.
But Riley could not do the same.
He lagged behind Hales in every aspect—aptitude and effort.
In the end, Hales safely completed the trainee knight course and was proudly appointed as a royal knight.
Riley watched Hales, who had become a full-fledged royal knight one step ahead of him, with disapproving eyes.
"Let's see how well you do."
Riley, biting his teeth, submitted an application for qualification review to the Royal Knights immediately upon completing his apprenticeship.
Unlike Hales, who had taken first place, he could only enter the Royal Knights by making appropriate use of his family's influence.
After mobilizing connections in various fields, Riley was finally able to become a member of the Royal Knights.
Afterward, he began watching for an opportunity. Waiting for the decisive moment to bring Hales down…….
After entering the Royal Knights, it was around that time that love came to Hales, who had been running down a solid road. The moment he saw Ellis, the daughter of the head instructor who had visited the training grounds, Hales felt love for the first time in his life.
Ellis also seemed not to dislike Hales very much, so their love appeared ripe to blossom at any moment.
The two nurtured their love in that way.
But no one knew that Riley's interference would wedge itself in here. The two who enjoyed dates whenever they could after arduous training.
The two who whispered sweet love and waited only for the moment to become one—one day, news like a bolt from the blue reached them.
It was that Riley's main family, the Freissmann house, had publicly proposed marriage to Ellis's family. Of course,
it was a scheme Riley had orchestrated. Riley too had been coveting the beautiful Ellis.
There was no way Ellis's family, a noble house of modest means, could refuse that proposal. Since the Freissmann family was a prestigious house counted among the best in Penslotte,
Ellis's father immediately separated Hales and Ellis.
He even locked the weeping and clinging Ellis in a tower to push forward the marriage with the Freissmann family.
Because the moment they formed a connection with the Freissmann family was an opportunity to rise proudly as a prestigious house.
"This can't be……."
Hales was despondent. To him, Riley, who had ruthlessly shattered his love, was unspeakably detestable.
Ellis, unable to endure the persistent persuasion, finally held the wedding ceremony with Riley, and that night Hales spent the night drinking.
And the next day, he caused an accident. In his drunkenness, Hales went to the Freissmann house, called Riley out, and beat him half to death.
It was done bare-bodied, without armor or weapons, but the aftermath of the incident spread far and wide.
The Freissmann family sent an official document of protest to the Royal Knights.
- Royal Knight Hales Bruno intruded into the Freissmann house fully armed with sword and armor.
Driven by a personal grudge, he attempted to kill Riley Freissmann, the heir of the main family, and when that failed, he tried to abduct his wife, Ellis. -
Hales could only be dumbfounded. But all circumstantial evidence was turning against him.
All the employees of the Freissmann family had already secretly put their heads together.
"Yes. He was carrying not only a longsword but also a halberd and a dagger."
"He even declared in front of us that he would kill Riley and his wife completely."
What was astonishing was Ellis's drastically changed appearance.
"He tried to abduct me. If it weren't for my husband, I would have been mercilessly ravished by that beast."
Seeing Ellis testify without hesitation at the trial, Hales shed bloody tears. That kind Ellis had already been tainted by money and power…….
Faced with his fickle lover, Hales no longer had the heart to defend himself. In the end, Hales was found guilty
and became a man who could only wait for his punishment.
At that time, even a single charge of attempted murder was considered a very grave felony. If not for the petitions of the Royal Knights' Commander and the Knight Academy Dean,
who cherished him, Hales might have had to spend his life in prison.
"He is a valuable man. He must not be lost so easily."
Thanks to their petitions, he avoided a severe punishment, but the verdict handed down was still terribly harsh for Hales.
- Hales is stripped of his royal knight qualification for five years. During that period, he shall maintain the status of an apprentice knight
and perform meritorious deeds. -
Hales, demoted to an apprentice knight overnight. Already, his affection for Penslotte had vanished as if washed away.
Thereafter, Hales silently lived as an apprentice knight for five years without any motivation or goal.
Every few days, Riley would come and torment him persistently, but Hales endured silently and waited for the five years to pass.
Once the appointed five years had passed, Hales submitted his resignation to the Royal Knights without any lingering attachment.
Although his royal knight status would have been restored since he had completed the five years, he did not harbor the slightest regret.
At that time, Riley had become a unit commander of the Royal Knights, and there was no way for Hales, as an ordinary knight, to escape his clutches.
Above all, what disappointed Hales was that Riley, lacking both skill and leadership, had climbed to a high position relying solely on his family's influence.
"Think about it once more."
"My mind is already made up."
Hales politely bowed to the Royal Knights' Commander, who cast a regretful gaze, and left Penslotte without looking back.
Hales traveled the continent aimlessly as a free knight. And eventually,
he put down roots in Karsel. Having confessed his past without omission, Hales embraced Mitchell tightly
with a heavy expression.
"The reason I told you not to go to Penslotte is exactly that. Riley's family is a prestigious house counted among the best in Penslotte.
Even if you oppose them, you have no chance of winning. So you must never go to Penslotte."
Since then, Mitchell had never once forgotten the shadow that hung over his father's face.