Eric was stunned, not understanding why Russell had called his name. But as a follower, he instinctively rose to his feet and walked before Russell.
"My lord."
"Eric, we have known each other for many years," Russell said calmly. "From when you became my knight studies teacher to now, when we are reclaiming new land together, what has run through our relationship has been the glory of knights."
As Russell spoke, everyone listened in complete silence.
Eric seemed to sense something in his heart, but he quickly smothered that faint feeling. To him, what it implied was simply unimaginable.
He merely listened quietly.
Russell, meanwhile, was full of theatrical flair as he paced and declared, "And today, on this very night, I, Russell Fluorite Mushroom, Baron of Thunder Flame, will share my glory with my follower Eric. This is a lord's promise to his knight!"
Buzz!
At that moment, the many knights already understood the meaning behind Russell's words.
Envy, jealousy, excitement, unease—every kind of emotion rose, lingered, and fermented in the heart of each knight.
And Eric, the center of attention—
No matter how desperately he tried to cut off that faint intuition, Russell's words had already given him a clear answer. That intuition had become reality.
He began trembling uncontrollably, his legs quivering slightly. Even circulating his vital breath could not calm him.
At this moment—
He thought of far too much.
The joy of learning as a child that he had nurtured a Battle Qi Seed; the excitement of his youth when the Battle Qi Seed bloomed; the frustration after graduation, when he trained hard every day yet went unappreciated; the anticipation after joining the Knight Order and becoming a Great Knight.
When he had been assigned as Russell's knight studies teacher, he had felt incomparably indignant