Arriving at West River Province Capital

However, as the knight guard team selected by Earl Eagle for Young Master Velin, they had to fulfill their duties in return for the Ex Family's training.

At the edge of the training ground, Velin looked from afar at the twelve knights two hundred meters away. He already understood that they were the guard team the family had assigned to him.

As he walked toward them, he observed them closely.

All twelve were very young, roughly between twenty-four and twenty-eight years old, which showed just how gifted they were.

Barring any surprises, these twelve men given to him by the family would become his right-hand men in the future.

As Velin knew, training a squad of Bronze Knights from scratch would be impossible without spending tens of thousands of Gold Coins. Moreover, the twelve trainees had to possess good talent. Otherwise, no matter how much they were trained, they would merely become a group of useless men.

When the priest of the Goddess of Life standing nearby saw Velin arrive, he raised his Staff and said solemnly, "Under the witness of the Goddess of Life, the oath ceremony shall begin."

"Draw your swords."

At Belder's command, the other eleven drew their Knight Longswords, held them before their chests, and saluted Velin with their eyes.

Seeing this, Velin likewise drew the Short Sword he carried at his side, held it upright before his chest, and looked at the twelve men seriously.

"I, Belder."

"I, Andrew."

"..."

"By my honor, under the witness of the Goddess of Life, I swear to do all within my power to fight for the person before me, fulfill my duties, uphold the spirit of knighthood, and follow wherever his blade points."

"I, Velin, as the recipient of your oath, accept your loyalty. I shall never abandon you. May the Goddess of Life bear witness."

A sacred radiance flashed forth, enveloping all thirteen of them.

An invisible bond connected the fates of the twelve men to Velin.

"The oath is complete. May the great Goddess of Life protect you." The old priest declared the ceremony over, then went to rest under the guidance of a Butler.

The thirteen sheathed their swords at the same time, bringing the oath ceremony to a close.

From this moment onward, these twelve Bronze High-Tier Knights would share Velin's fate. They would rise and fall together.

"Gentlemen, you have chosen me, and I will not disappoint you."

Velin swept his gaze over the twelve men, committing their faces to memory.

Then he walked straight to the chest holding the weapons, opened its lid, and revealed the Excellent Grade Knight Longswords stored inside.

"As your lord, these are my gifts to you."

"In addition, each of you may choose one of the Red Phosphorus Horses here as your mount. I hope you will become my blades and carve out territory for me."

"Thank you, Lord," the twelve replied in unison.

From a window in the Main Castle, beyond their sight, Earl Eagle watched everything unfold with his own eyes.

Angus was deeply gratified by the actions of his fifth son.

One had to be generous to those who swore loyalty to them and could not be stingy. Only then could they win over their subordinates' hearts in the shortest possible time.

On the battlefield, the ones who would block a sword for you would always be your knights.

Your wife, your children, and even your brothers could never do that for you.

This was a truth Angus had gradually come to understand over the past thirty years.

"Go and make your preparations. Tomorrow morning, we will leave Windsor Castle and head for West River Province Capital."

"Your instructions will be obeyed."

The twelve struck their chests with their right fists, lowered their heads slightly, and replied respectfully.

Watching their departing backs, Velin began taking stock of the remaining belongings. After confirming that nothing was missing, he ordered the servants to move everything onto the carriages outside the Secondary Castle where he lived.

Afterward, he went to the Main Castle to bid his mother farewell.

After all, he had no idea how long this separation would last before they met again.

Take his Fourth Brother, for example. He had left five years ago and had not returned even once, struggling away in some unknown place.

Silent until the moment he astonished the world.

That was Velin's assessment of his Fourth Brother. His perseverance and talent truly deserved those words.

As he walked, he kept rehearsing how he should say goodbye to his mother.

Before he realized it, he had arrived outside her room.

He gently pushed open the door and saw his mother, Elisa, sitting by the window and weaving a silk handkerchief in the sunlight.

The Head Maid beside her noticed Velin's arrival, lowered her head, and whispered something.

Elisa stopped working, raised her head, and looked at Velin.

For some reason, although he had prepared countless words in his heart, he could not say any of them.

"Mother, I will be leaving tomorrow."

"Yes, I know. My Young Eagle has grown up and is ready to soar. You have your own goal to strive for now. I hope you will return in glory."

"That day will come, Mother."

Velin stepped forward and embraced his mother in their final farewell.

A thousand words were gathered within that single embrace.

After an unknown amount of time, Velin left her room with the silk handkerchief his mother had given him.

Afterward, he went to his father's study to inform him of his departure and received his advice and blessings.

After bidding farewell to his parents, Velin returned to his room and had his two underage Guardian Knights pack their belongings in preparation for tomorrow's departure.

On April 3rd, 9720 of the Radiant Calendar, at the East City Gate of Windsor Castle, Velin wore light cloth armor and sat atop a tall Red Phosphorus Horse. Looking toward one corner of Windsor Castle, he gave the command loudly, "Move out."

At his command, six carriages, twelve knights from the guard team, and two underage Guardian Knights formed a simple convoy and departed Windsor Castle, heading toward West River Province Capital.

West River Province lay in the southern heartland of the Ilia Kingdom. It covered an area of nine hundred and fifty thousand square kilometers and contained two Marquis Territories, three Count's Territories, and more than a hundred Viscount and Baron Territories scattered among the lands of the five great nobles, serving as buffer zones along their borders.

To avoid the Sahaklos Mountain Ridge in Iron Male Territory, Velin decided to take a detour through the neighboring Forest Territory, avoiding interception by hostile forces on the road as he traveled to West River Province.

Although this would add more than two hundred kilometers to the journey, it was still better than having his fledgling force wiped out in one stroke.

More than ten days later, after traveling six hundred kilometers, Velin and his group safely arrived at West River Province Capital, a vast city directly governed by the royal family. It covered four hundred square kilometers, governed an area of ten thousand square kilometers, and was home to over two million people.

Stroking his mount, Velin raised his head to look at the thirty-meter-high city walls of West River Province Capital. They were three meters taller than the towers of Windsor Castle.

From time to time, Griffin Knights flew overhead.

He remembered that the Ex Family also maintained a Griffin Knight Order of one hundred and twenty members, every one of whom was Silver Intermediate.

In this world, all professions could broadly be ranked from low to high as Apprentice, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Soul Intent, Legendary, and so on. As for Transcendent ranks beyond that, even he did not yet know of them.