Was the knight order nothing but a plaything?

In the palace of Gilneas City's capital, King Genn listened patiently to the fat, middle-aged man standing before him.

"Your Majesty, Prince Rex actually wants noble aristocrats to compete for positions with those lowborn peasants. Such a thing is unprecedented!"

"Gilneas has never had any such thing as winning a position through a tournament," another man chimed in.

"Lord Walden, Baron Ashbury, did you all come here to complain over this?" King Genn spoke casually, a faint smile on his face. Clearly, he did not consider it a serious matter. He continued, "Do not take the Knights of the Round Table too seriously. They are nothing more than Rex's plaything. He might disband them at any moment. There is no need to concern yourselves."

A plaything. Yes, that was precisely how King Genn viewed the Knights of the Round Table that Rex had founded. How could establishing a knight order be so easy? Besides the vast sums of gold needed for supplies, it also required an excellent training facility. Otherwise, the knights would be nothing but a rabble. Those were only the two most basic requirements, and the Knights of the Round Table met neither. No one understood Rex's circumstances better than King Genn. If Rex squandered his entire modest fortune, he could indeed establish the order, but it clearly would not be enough to keep it running. Without a steady source of income, the Knights of the Round Table were doomed to disband.

"There is no need to discuss the Knights of the Round Table any further. Let Rex do as he pleases. If your sons and nephews do not wish to compete, I can arrange for them to join the Heavy Sword Guard."

"They are still young. Let them gain a few more years of experience at home first," Ashbury said immediately. The Heavy Sword Guard was hardly a desirable posting. The places they had to garrison were actually plagued by Murlocs. Not even the jagged reefs could keep those damned Murlocs away.

As he watched the men withdraw, the smile vanished from King Genn's face, and his expression turned grim. "These eastern lords are growing more and more insolent. Vincent, what do you think I should do?"

"I, Vincent Godfrey, shall obey every command of the great King Genn," Vincent immediately declared his loyalty, deftly sidestepping the difficult question.

"You may leave." King Genn waved a hand.

Outside the palace, Lord Walden and Baron Ashbury were still discussing the Knights of the Round Table.

"What do you make of this, Ashbury?" Lord Walden asked.

"What else is there to think? I have already investigated the Knights of the Round Table thoroughly. Just as King Genn said, they are nothing more than Prince Rex's plaything. How could an order of over a thousand knights be easy to maintain? Even the bare minimum expense in gold would be enough to ruin our Prince Rex. From King Genn's words, it is clear that he will not support the prince. In that case, there is no reason for your nephew or my son to join the Knights of the Round Table. Let those peasants fight over the positions."

"My earlier assumption was wrong. I thought Prince Rex had King Genn's support, but it turned out to be nothing more than the prince's wishful thinking. Once Prince Rex realizes he cannot keep it running, the knight order will have to disband."

"He actually made Darius's daughter a captain. How old is she? It seems our Prince Rex has received quite a few favors from Darius," Lord Walden said with a laugh.

"I have met that little girl. When I met with Darius a month ago, she was beside him. She is only fifteen this year," one of the lords said.

Upon returning to his residence, Vincent walked across the beautiful carpet and removed his coat with a servant's help. He ordered coffee, then sat in a wooden chair in the drawing room and quietly instructed a servant beside him, "Go and fetch Ulysses!"

"Father!" A tall, handsome young man walked across the carpet into the drawing room, came before Vincent, and greeted him.

"I told you to join the Knights of the Round Table. Have you done so?" Vincent went straight to the point.

"I was just about to speak to you about that, Father. I just heard from Bart and the others that they could not accept competing with commoners for positions. They considered it an insult and have all withdrawn from the Knights of the Round Table. I do not think that part matters. The real issue is that the Knights of the Round Table will disband sooner or later. They cannot become a standing military force of Gilneas. What value is there in joining an order like that? I was about to tell you that I intend to withdraw."

Vincent had been sipping his coffee slowly, but upon hearing Ulysses's words, his face darkened. Bang! He hurled the cup in his hand straight at Ulysses. The scalding coffee would naturally have burned an ordinary person, but Ulysses was no ordinary person. Why would a seventh-tier Warrior fear hot coffee? He caught the cup steadily with one hand and set it on the table before him, then held his breath and waited for the reprimand. Knowing his father all too well, Ulysses realized he had said the wrong thing.

"Ulysses, I raised you myself to be a handsome, brave, perfect heir. I have always had high hopes for you, and I rated you even above Prince Rex, the genius of Gilneas. But only today have I discovered that you fall far short of him." Vincent sighed. Rather than scolding Ulysses, he merely spoke with regret.

"Bonds worth risking your life for are often forged not when someone is prosperous, but when he is in trouble. In your eyes, the Knights of the Round Table are doomed to disband and have little value. But as long as Prince Rex is there, that alone gives them the greatest value. If you devote yourself to helping Prince Rex, even if the Knights of the Round Table eventually disband, you will have strengthened your friendship with him. When Prince Rex is crowned one day, he will not treat you poorly. That would be of considerable help to our Godfrey family." At this point, Vincent abruptly changed tack and continued, "Besides, in my view, the Knights of the Round Table will certainly not disband. Earning Darius's approval is no simple feat."

"You seem unconvinced when I say you are inferior to Prince Rex." Vincent looked at the indignant Ulysses. "You fools have already been outmaneuvered by Prince Rex once, yet you are still congratulating yourselves. Those friends of yours are all useless. Not one is above the fifth tier. Why would Prince Rex want them? When you joined the Knights of the Round Table, Prince Rex could not find a reason to refuse you. But a single tournament drove you away and won him the loyalty of the knights as well."

"You still cannot see it even now. That is why you are inferior to Prince Rex!"

(End of chapter)