Lori (Please Follow)

When Havent heard the sound, he turned his head to look at the wooden platform opposite him.

A group of people in gorgeous clothing sat on the platform. In the center of the crowd was a portly man holding a silver wine glass, watching the training ground.

After the knight next to the noble man finished speaking, the strong man standing next to Havent walked towards the training ground. He went to the weapon rack, picked up a wooden spear, and jumped into the arena.

The opponent of the wooden spear mercenary was the same knight from before. Seeing that the knight opposite him did not attack, the strong man paced around the field, let out a roar, and charged at the knight with the spear.

Facing the wooden spear thrusting towards his chest, the knight twisted his body to dodge.

Unexpectedly, the strong man's move was just a feint. Seeing his wooden spear miss, the muscles in his right arm tensed, and the wooden spear instantly changed direction, sweeping towards the knight.

The knight was visibly surprised that this mercenary had another trick up his sleeve. However, his combat instincts still kicked in, and he quickly raised his knight's sword, blocking the mercenary's horizontal swing.

The force of the collision separated them, and both took a few steps back. The knight, steadying himself, finally showed a slight change in expression. After regaining his balance, he charged towards the mercenary.

However, this strong man was clearly much stronger than the previous mercenary. The weapons clashed with loud bangs, and in the blink of an eye, more than ten rounds had passed.

"Good, stop. You passed."

The knight standing on the wooden platform shouted at the two below. Hearing the voice, they stopped and retreated to opposite sides.

"What's your name?"

The knight on the wooden platform looked down at the strong man holding the wooden spear.

"Andel."

"Good, Andel, go wait over there. Next!"

Hearing his name called, Havent looked around. He saw that no one else was left. It must be his turn. He turned and walked to the weapon rack, picked up a wooden sword, and jumped into the arena.

"A child?"

The knight with the wooden sword sized up Havent, who only reached his neck, and asked with a frown.

"No, I'm already an adult."

Seeing the knight's doubt, Havent chose to lie with his eyes wide open.

"Alright, I won't hold back because of that."

Havent didn't care about the knight's condescending expression. He placed his left hand on his face and looked at the swordsman through the gaps between his fingers.

"Sir Knight, underestimating your opponent can come at a price. Scuyumi!"

The knight ignored the cryptic boy and quietly watched Havent, holding his sword with his right hand and pointing the tip to the ground.

Seeing how he was being underestimated, Havent shook his head slightly. He then inverted the wooden sword in his hand and leaned his body forward slightly.

"Sir Knight, be careful."

The moment the words fell, Havent vanished from his spot. The knight standing opposite him flinched, his pupils contracting sharply.

Seeing this, Havent raised his wooden sword and smashed the hilt towards the knight's back. The knight, who had been hunched over like a shrimp, was pushed further out by Havent's attack. After creating some distance, Havent kicked the knight's lower back. The knight lost his balance and fell face-first onto the ground.

Seeing this, Havent didn't continue his attack but waited for the verdict. However, the knight, humiliated and embarrassed, was clearly enraged. He got up from the ground and charged forward with his wooden sword.

"Stop, Ant! Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough! Young man, you performed very well. What's your name?"

The noble man sitting in the center of the wooden platform stood up and walked to the edge of the platform, looking down at Havent.

Looking up, he saw the nobleman, whose face was full of fat, smiling at him.

"Very good, Will, excellent technique. You can go wait over there too. Hall, including this young man, how many people do we have now?"

The knight standing behind the nobleman replied respectfully.

"My lord, including him, we have nine people. We are still one short of the number you requested."

The nobleman stood by the wooden platform and pondered for a moment, as if he had an idea.

"Nine it is then. Take them to the reception hall. I have something to say to them."

Arriving at the place where the winners were gathered, Havent felt a little embarrassed as he saw everyone sitting there sizing him up. He showed his bright white teeth and greeted them.

"Hello everyone, have you eaten?"

Seeing that no one responded, Havent, feeling bored, found a seat and sat down.

"Baron Suir wants to see you. Follow me."

Havent, who had been idly looking around while sitting on a stool, quickly stood up when he heard the voice and followed the crowd out. Soon, under the guidance of the knight from the wooden platform, they arrived in a room.

"Please wait a moment, Baron Suir will be here shortly."

Just as Havent was about to reach for the water pitcher on the table to pour himself a drink, the door creaked open. The mercenaries sitting down immediately stood up.

The baron who walked in waved his hand, signaling everyone to sit down. Havent noticed that behind the baron were a young boy and an old man who looked like a butler.

"Thank you all for your hard work. Let me introduce myself first, my name is Choink Suir. I believe you all know why I've hired you. My son, Lori Suir, has awakened his magic talent, and I plan to send him to the Royal Academy in the Imperial Capital to study."

With that, he pushed the young boy behind him forward. Havent looked at the boy, who appeared to be only eleven or twelve years old. Seeing so many people, the boy's expression became flustered, and he instinctively hid behind Baron Suir's arm.

"For a few reasons, I can't arrange for my knights to escort you, so I have to entrust this to all of you.

This is Simoya, the butler who will accompany you to the Imperial Capital. Once you successfully reach the Imperial Capital, he will provide you with a certificate at the Adventurer's Guild and settle your escort fees.

I hope you will all do your best. Simoya will arrange your accommodations shortly, and you will depart tomorrow morning."

After speaking, Baron Suir left the room with the little boy.

"Adventurers, we will depart at six o'clock tomorrow morning at first light. You can choose to stay in the castle, or if you wish to spend the night in Boli Town, you can gather here tomorrow morning. I will show you where to eat and rest."

The old butler stepped forward and said to everyone after the Baron left.

After seeing the dining and resting areas, and thinking that he had already said goodbye to Uncle Wells, he decided to stay in the castle and wait for the departure tomorrow morning.

Outside the main gate of Suir Castle

"Little Lori, when you get to the Imperial Capital, you must study hard. If you need anything, write to me."

Baron Suir reached out and patted his son, who was sitting in the carriage. He then turned to the butler beside him and said in a low voice, "Be careful with everything, travel quickly, don't camp in the wilderness, and always stay in towns or cities."

The old butler nodded vigorously, and everyone set off under Baron Suir's watchful gaze.