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Join the ServerThe king’s squire led the way through the cluster of noble tents at the center of the camp.
Balian limped along behind him. The healing spell had mended most of his wounds, so walking was fine, though running would still be a stretch.
The morning sun shone warm on his face, but the questions in his heart burned hotter than the sun.
‘What does the king want with me?’
The maid had said yesterday that the knighting matter was being discussed with the marquis. But wasn’t that supposed to wait until they returned to the capital?
Before he could think further, the squire stopped before a tent that was twice as large as the others. The flap bore an embroidered golden lily crest, and a halberdier stood on each side.
After the squire announced him, the flap was lifted.
The moment Balian stepped inside, he heard voices.
“The hag’s trail has been confirmed.”
It was Marquis Ed speaking. He stood at the long table, finger pressed on an unrolled map, brows knitted tight.
“The villages to the south reported monsters, and the hunters say they’re hags. Yesterday, two scouts stepped into a trap and died on the spot. Your Majesty, I suggest narrowing the hunting range. The woods near the camp are enough. Let’s not go to the outer areas for now.”
Across the table sat King Louis de Gaulle.
His Majesty wore hunting clothes today: a leather tunic under an open fur vest, trousers tucked into boots, and a hunting knife at his belt. He was using the knife to peel an apple with rough strokes, the skin coming off like wood shavings.
“Hags.” Louis popped a piece of apple into his mouth and said thickly, “No big deal. Just send a squad of knights to chop them up. Why shrink the hunting range? That would spoil the fun.”
“Your Majesty, two hunters are dead,” Ed emphasized.
“Two hunters aren’t knights.” Louis took another bite. “I’ve seen hags when I was young. They’re just old women squatting in swamps, slow as snails. A squad of knights will handle them in no time.”
The corner of Ed’s mouth twitched. He was clearly used to his old partner’s lack of concern.
Besides, the king wasn’t entirely wrong.
Hags are evil fey from the Feywild, dwelling in withered woods and misty wilds.
They’re good at mimicking human and animal calls to lure prey into traps, and they can use illusion to pass themselves off as ordinary people.
What’s more troublesome is that hags can turn invisible at will and leave no physical trace while invisible, making them impossible to track by ordinary means.
A hunter running into one would indeed face near-certain death, but to a well-armed squad of knights, a single hag was no real threat.
Balian didn’t make a sound. He waited until the two had finished talking before stepping into the tent. He stopped three steps from the table, put his right fist to his chest, and gave a proper salute.
“Your subject Balian greets Your Majesty.”
He turned to Ed.
“Lord Marquis.”
Louis looked him up and down.
“So you’re the hero candidate?”
The king set down the apple and knife, leaned back, and crossed his legs. He studied Balian the way a man appraises a fine horse that just finished a race.
“I’ve heard about you. You gave young Lancelot quite a fight. He’s no pushover.”
“Your Majesty flatters me.” Balian kept his head bowed. “It’s all thanks to Lord Marquis’s guidance and Your Majesty’s blessing.”
“Spare me.” Louis waved a hand. “If you can fight, you can fight. What’s with the formalities?”
He picked up a cup from the table, took a swig, then set it down and got to the point.
“I called you here about the knighthood. You’ve proved yourself, so your knight training is done. Ed and I talked it over. Now there are three paths in front of you.”
He raised one finger.
“First, Ed knights you. You stay his vassal, same as before, under his command.”
A second finger.
“Second, I knight you. You become a royal knight and serve in one of my knight orders.”
Louis’s eyes brightened.
“I don’t care about birth. If you can fight, you’re a good knight. Several of my orders are short on men. You go as an officer. Do well, earn merit, and you’ll keep getting promoted.”
A third finger.
“Third, I still knight you, but Ed can adopt you as his son. Then you’ll carry the Olivia name, rise faster in the order, and need less merit for promotion.”
Louis finished, took a bite of the apple, and looked at Balian, waiting for a response.
Balian stood there, his mind buzzing.
Three paths.
He instinctively looked at Ed.
The marquis leaned against the table, arms crossed, expression calm. When Balian caught his eye, he cleared his throat.
“Let me lay them out for you.”
Ed’s voice wasn’t loud, but every word landed.
“First, you stay by my side, a guard just like before. Your title changes from squire to knight-guard. Life won’t be any different from now.”
“Second, you leave the marquis’s household and become an officer in His Majesty’s knight order. From then on, you’re no longer a vassal of the Olivia family. I can’t command you, and I can’t protect you either. You answer directly to military orders, to His Majesty.”
Ed paused here.
“As for the third.”
He gave Balian a glance.
“It looks like an upgraded version of the second, but if you choose it, the wish you’ve always held may never be fulfilled.”
‘A long-held wish.’
Balian understood.
Becoming Ed’s adopted son would make him Aurora’s nominal brother.
Of course, siblings can’t marry, so that path was out.
That left the first and second.
Choose the first, and he’d return to Aurora’s side. Keep being her guard, protecting her, accompanying her. He could see her every day, take care of her.
But that would be all.
He remembered the priest’s words. “What kind of noble is a knight? When you die, the fief is taken back, and your son won’t get a single copper. Want to rise from knight to count? The whole noble circle will crush you.”
For a man, caring without ability is the cheapest thing.
Balian clenched his fist.
Choose the second. Leave the marquis’s household, join the king’s knight order. No one to shelter him, and no one to hold him back. He’d climb step by step with his own sword and merits.
The road would be harder, but he would grow stronger.
Strong enough that Aurora would have no choice but to take him seriously.
Balian raised his head and looked at Ed first.
Ed seemed to have guessed his choice. His tone was flat.
“If you choose the second, I won’t object.”
He paused a beat.
“His Majesty is a better commander than I am. Serving as a knight under him, you’ll learn real skills. Besides, the south has been peaceful these years, and the marquis’s domain has had little fighting. Following His Majesty will give you more chances to earn merit.”
Balian’s mind was made up.
He turned to Louis and knelt on one knee.
“Your Majesty, I choose the second. Please knight me.”
Louis grinned, showing teeth flecked with apple pulp.
“Excellent!”
He slapped the table, grabbed a leather-bound book from the side, and handed it to Balian.
“This is the roster of my knight orders. Pick one.”
Balian took the book with both hands, stood, and stepped back.
The cover bore an embossed royal lily crest in gold. Inside were thick sheets of parchment, each page recording an order’s designation, garrison, commander’s name, and troop strength.
He casually opened to a page.
What caught his eye was a black hound emblem.
The Black Hound Knight Order.
The adventure continues! If you loved this chapter, My Star, Your Star is a must-read. Click here to start!
Read : My Star, Your Star
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