"I hereby, in the name of the lord, grant you the title of knight, along with a fief and glory."
"I, Yin Sang, offer you my loyalty."
At the simple investiture ceremony, Knight Yin Sang pledged his loyalty to Li Yifei.
As a knight in his prime, Yin Sang's strength and experience were both at the peak of his life.
But... climbing any higher was far too difficult.
In the military, he could serve as a lower- or middle-ranking officer, earning a considerable income and holding a status far above that of ordinary people.
He did not have Leon's good fortune of earning a title in a single war.
In truth, most knights could only slowly accumulate seniority. Even if they earned some military merit, they would merely be rewarded with money, positions, or a few extraordinary items.
Very few could truly break through that ceiling, obtain a fief, and become hereditary nobles.
So when Yin Sang learned that he had the chance to serve under a new noble as a hereditary knight, he hesitated.
As an elite-level knight, he had a chance of reaching the level of a Six-Winged Power Angel.
Therefore, pledging loyalty to a Baron was not necessarily the best choice.
Being merely a hereditary knight was enough to make him waver, but not enough for a decisive commitment.
However, after learning about Li Yifei's background, Yin Sang stopped refusing.
Li Yifei's background meant that Baron was highly unlikely to be his final destination.
With backing, strength, and prospects, such a lord was already worth taking a gamble on.
After all, the other party was offering him the title of hereditary knight. With that guaranteed income as a safety net, he could hardly lose much no matter what happened.
Thus, with the military's approval, Yin Sang swiftly