Raimondo

In a mountain forest somewhere north of Lake of Praying Stars, the Gnoll Rogus led several hundred carefully selected personal guards, carrying vast wealth and valuable items as they cautiously made their way through the woods.

A Gnoll who had followed Rogus for many years was filled with doubt. Watching the main force grow farther and farther away, he suppressed his fear and asked, "Chief, why are we leaving the main force and carrying the treasures north, abandoning the original plan?"

The one-armed Rogus, riding atop a Gnoll, opened his eyes. His vicious gaze made the questioning Gnoll shudder, and he immediately began regretting his decision.

"I suspect the missing Dolago has fallen into human hands. Our original withdrawal plan has already been exposed. And with so many human captives along the way, do you really think those human nobles will let us leave the border safely?"

The dim-witted Gnoll became even more confused, but he knew better than to say anything else and nodded in agreement.

Rogus looked at the fool pretending to understand with disappointment, then waved him away, telling him to get to the back and stay out of his sight.

He raised his head to look at the sky, silently calculating the distance.

Two more days, and we can leave this place.

This journey as cannon fodder had convinced him that he absolutely could not come again next time.

After returning, Rogus decided to use two-thirds of his wealth to bribe the clan's higher-ups, raising his status and strength so that he would not be chosen as a cannon-fodder leader again.

Covering his missing arm, Rogus's gaze turned fierce.

I will repay the loss of this arm tenfold.

Elsewhere, Velin selected six Silver Knights and twelve Knight Squires, leaving Lake of Praying Stars for Gray Mist Mountain to the north.

Compared with a rapid increase in his territory's strength, Velin valued thirty years of safe development more.

For that reason, he brought every Seven-Colored Life Flower with him in case of emergencies.

Gray Mist Mountain lay more than a hundred kilometers from Lake of Praying Stars. At full speed, they could arrive in just one day.

The journey was smooth and unobstructed. Aside from a few Goblins foolish enough to attack them, they encountered virtually no monsters.

"My lord, this should be the place."

Velin urged his horse forward and looked at the thousand-meter mountain shrouded in mist, deeply awed by the sight.

"It's getting late. Set up camp here. We'll search the mountain after dawn tomorrow."

The twelve Knight Squires began setting up camp, feeding the horses, and preparing a fire and food. The other six Silver Knights patrolled the surroundings, driving away wild beasts.

There was still one day before that Legendary Mage arrived.

Velin sat atop a large boulder and closed his eyes, following the ball of light in his heart to roughly sense the direction and distance where the Legendary Mage had fallen.

"Northwest, two kilometers away." Velin opened his eyes and looked into the distance, his gaze profound.

"My lord, the tent has been set up." A Knight Squire came to Velin's side and reported respectfully.

Looking at the young man, Velin saw that he had already reached the intermediate level of Knight Squire.

"Your name is Cyril, and you are Belder's Knight Squire." Velin stood and spoke gently.

Cyril straightened his body, his eyes filled with respect and delight as he replied excitedly, "Yes, my lord."

"Not bad. You have great talent. Keep working hard."

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"My lord, I certainly will."

Velin patted the excited young man on the shoulder and leisurely walked toward the tent.

Inside the tent, Velin set down the Knight's Shortsword he carried with him, removed his heavy armor, and sat on a blanket, enjoying the cool air.

"It seems Belder and the others' training is beginning to have an effect."

Normally, a vassal's vassal was not his vassal, but Velin found that arrangement deeply distasteful. He did not want uncontrollable military cliques to emerge among his subordinates.

At this stage, without a proper education system, he could only place his hopes in this master-apprentice system.

Once development reached a certain stage, he would adopt his family's system. One group would be responsible for training, another for combat, and they would all owe loyalty to him alone.

Half an hour later, a Silver Knight carried a bowl of meat soup into Velin's tent and placed it on the low wooden table.

"My lord, there is no danger in the surrounding area."

Rather than eating immediately, Velin looked at the Silver Knight Raimondo and said calmly, "Raimondo, if I remember correctly, you come from a merchant family."

"You are correct, my lord. Thanks to my family's upbringing and your cultivation, I have come this far." A strange emotion appeared in Raimondo's eyes as he replied respectfully.

"I intend to have you take up your family's trade again. Are you willing?"

Raimondo fell silent upon hearing this, caught in an inner struggle.

Velin was in no hurry. He simply watched him quietly and waited for his decision.

If Raimondo was unwilling, it would not be too late to begin training another caravan leader. That Cyril seemed quite good and had a sharp mind.

Born into a merchant family, Raimondo was the third son. Thanks to his talent and Gold Coins, he had been chosen to become a Knight Squire, trained at Windsor Castle, and later served in the Seventh Knight Order of Eagle Territory.

He recalled his father's earnest teachings: being a merchant had no future. Only by becoming a lofty noble could one follow the proper and most honorable path.

Before he knew it, more than ten minutes had passed. After an intense struggle, Raimondo finally knelt on the ground and said, "If my lord requires it, Raimondo will obey."

Velin was stunned by the unexpected answer and reassessed the Guardian Knight before him.

Of the twelve knights his family had given him, aside from Belder, Andro, Randolph, and Greg, whom he had paid more attention to, he knew only a little about the other eight and was not particularly close to them.

"Once you are my Guardian Knight, you are one for life," Velin told Raimondo calmly. "If you become unwilling in the future, you may report it to me at any time. I will make other arrangements."

"Yes, my lord."

Afterward, Velin and Raimondo spoke about Raimondo's hometown.

After Raimondo left, Velin picked up the slightly cooled meat soup and slowly savored it.

The caravan candidate is settled. Next, I need to establish the caravan, sell rock salt, and develop the territory's pillar industry.

Before that, however, he needed to personally conduct trade in Kadlo Province once. First, he would build relationships with the other nobles in the province and gather intelligence. Second, he would determine the trade routes, preferably establishing mutual access for caravans to avoid repeated tariff and road tax collections.

Early the next morning, Velin left several people behind to guard the camp and led the others northwest, preparing to welcome the guardian deity of the next thirty years.

At the same time, several hundred Gnolls who had emerged from the mountains were resting more than ten kilometers away from Gray Mist Mountain.