Chapter 615: Knight Selection Ceremony

[Nell: It is time for you to go to Elvenheim.]

It was a whisper from Nell while Hyunsoo was learning about various production classes to test the versatility of the title Supreme.

[Nell: The kingdom has secured sufficient stability. I believe it would be best for you to lead the advance before any user emerges as a true pioneer of the new race.]

Hyunsoo agreed.

Especially because the nation of Hyun had been carving out a route based on the map to Elvenheim he had acquired long ago.

Not long ago, they had suffered considerable losses near that area. They had even nearly lost Khan, the NPC who had been with Hyun’s Forge guild since its earliest days.

That was why Hyunsoo had once gone there alone.

From a distance, he had seen enough to identify the race that lived there.

Their ears were pointed.

That alone was more than enough of a clue.

Elves.

Elves lived in Elvenheim.

Hyunsoo was not certain simply because he had seen them himself.

Kabel had also been steadily gathering information on the new race, and they had concluded with certainty that Elvenheim was the land of the elves.

Elves...

Hyunsoo had heard of them before.

It had been in the very early days after he started the game.

At the Undead Territory.

From Kern, the lord of Karsel Territory.

Back then, Kern had given the not-yet-Level-100 Hyunsoo the honor of obtaining a “Legendary mineral.”

It had been Lowest-Grade Orichalcum.

(Lowest-Grade Orichalcum)

Grade: Legendary

Restriction: Master Blacksmith Level 300 or higher.

Difficulty: High

Special Abilities

· When crafting a sword, Cutting Power increases by 82%.

· When crafting arrows, Piercing Power increases by 81%.

· Strength and Agility increase by up to 35%.

· Attack Speed increases by up to 70%.

· Durability increases to infinity.

Description: Orichalcum, the mineral of legend. It is lighter than any other mineral, while its strength far surpasses them, making it almost impossible to damage.

Hyunsoo had a habit of taking screenshots of excellent materials before using them.

Looking at it again, he could not help but marvel.

This mineral is from years ago?

The value of materials declined as the game progressed.

Yet even now, Lowest-Grade Orichalcum was astonishing.

Kern said his ancestors obtained this Orichalcum from the elves.

In other words, the elves’ mines might contain Orichalcum.

Even now.

There is quite a bit of Orichalcum circulating on the market.

But the interesting thing was that no one knew where it had come from.

At the very least, Hyunsoo was the only one who knew the source might be the elves, having heard it from Kern long ago.

I’m not letting this chance go.

If such mines truly existed, and if the elves possessed Orichalcum in great quantities—

There could be Top-Grade Orichalcum, too.

There might even be materials one tier higher than Orichalcum.

And if there is enough of it...

The army of the nation of Hyun could become the first army armed with Orichalcum, laying the foundation for it to grow into a power the Parion Empire would not dare provoke.

Now that I think about it, pioneering is incredible, isn’t it?

Pioneering meant monopolizing what was found.

Only then did Hyunsoo understand why Nell had urged him to go to Elvenheim as soon as all the urgent work was finished.

Come to think of it...

Karsel Territory lay along the route to Elvenheim.

Karsel Territory.

The place Hyunsoo had saved with Lamas’s Bell.

It was also where Lord Kern had given him Lowest-Grade Orichalcum, and where he had formed a connection with Knight Commander Kal.

Lord Kern might know more about the elves. It has been a while. Maybe I should stop by.

Hyunsoo set out on the fairly long journey to Elvenheim.

*****

Karsel Territory.

Long ago.

It had been a place scheduled to become a land of the undead in an upcoming update.

According to the scenario, the Lord of Death and his undead legion were meant to kill every resident, soldier, and even the lord of Karsel Territory, turning them all into undead.

But much had changed because of one blacksmith who had only just begun his adventure.

Though he had been a low-level user, he had killed many undead by himself.

And although Lamas’s Bell could not be repaired, he had remade it into a new bell, bathing the undead of Karsel Territory in divine power.

The weakened undead died in rapid succession.

Knight Commander Kal, who had been there with him, had fought the Lord of Death fiercely and come within a breath of dying. Yet the divine power that burst forth from Lamas’s Bell saved him at the last moment, while the blacksmith drove a tiny arrow into the Lord of Death’s skull.

Afterward.

The blacksmith departed for new adventures, while Lord Kern and Knight Commander Kal began the final subjugation.

In the end, the two eliminated every last monster, and Karsel Territory regained its peace.

As time passed, did everything end happily?

For the territory itself, it had.

But one person’s ending was far from happy.

I miss you, my lord.

Knight Commander Kal.

In one corner of the now-peaceful Karsel Territory, he thought of Lord Kern, who had become deceased.

There was no special story behind Lord Kern’s death.

The lord who had wanted to protect his territory had suffered from a chronic illness.

And once everything was over—

I have no regrets even if I die now.

With those words as his farewell, he had passed away.

The problem lay with the Knight Commander Kal he had left behind.

Kal was now over forty-five.

An age at which a knight began to decline.

Of course, named NPCs and exceptional NPCs could continue to grow even at that age.

But Kal had merely been the knight commander of a small territory.

No, perhaps he had only been the knight commander of Karsel, a territory everyone had abandoned and given up on.

His growth had stagnated.

Still—

I can still fight. I still want to do more.

He wanted to keep fighting.

He wanted to protect more residents. As a knight, he wanted to participate in more subjugations.

So he went to see the newly appointed lord, Lord Poxo.

Poxo was a cold lord.

“Kal, who would hire you?”

Now that Karsel Territory had regained its peace, it no longer needed knights willing to sacrifice their lives just to defend it.

“There are plenty of young, talented knights who could represent this territory.”

That was the reality Kal faced.

An old, worn-out hero.

To a ‘part’ that had been damaged beyond repair, Lord Poxo subtly offered advice.

“You would be better off farming. Or selling something in the market.”

It was a miserable moment.

The ending of a man who had lived and defended this territory for his entire life was empty.

“And Commander Kal of Karsel. No, that is not right. You were stripped of your knighthood recently, so you are no longer even a knight of this territory. In recognition of your service in protecting Karsel Territory, do you not receive an annual stipend of one gold from the people’s taxes?”

Just one gold coin a year.

It was the money he would receive until his death for protecting the territory.

Yet although Kal knew how pathetic this moment was, he still pleaded.

“...Is there not at least one place that could use me?”

At those words, Poxo looked as though he had developed a headache.

He feared being criticized for driving out a former hero, yet even after he had urged him to retire voluntarily, Kal was still clinging on.

“Then...”

Lord Poxo came up with an idea.

“I will put your name on the list for the Knight Selection Ceremony being held in two days. If someone needs you at the Knight Selection Ceremony, then, as you say, it will mean you are useful somewhere.”

The Knight Selection Ceremony.

Kal’s eyes shook when he heard those words.

“However, if no one seeks you out at the Knight Selection Ceremony, then I will have done all I can.”

What Lord Poxo said was true.

He had done what he could, so Kal offered the courtesy of a knight.

SNAP—!

As he turned away, he heard Poxo click his tongue behind him.

“Tsk, tsk. What am I supposed to do with an old knight?”

Kal kept walking resolutely despite that contemptuous remark.

His desire to go on living as a knight was still strong enough to endure the scorn.

*****

Karsel Territory.

Much of what had burned and collapsed there had been rebuilt.

The residents rejoiced at what Commander Kal and the former lord had accomplished.

And in a small forge off to one side, the young blacksmith Rom was able to run his forge in peace because of what they had protected.

Though flies were still about the only customers he had.

But today, someone came to visit.

The man was tall enough to bring a knight to mind, and handsome as well.

“How has Karsel Territory been lately?”

He immediately asked about the current state of Karsel Territory.

Rom, who loved to talk, eagerly began telling him everything.

“Our Karsel Territory has been enjoying peaceful days thanks to Blacksmith Hyun, Commander Kal, and Lord Kern.”

The boy looked at Lamas’s Bell, which stood in the distance.

He was a blacksmith too, but even to him, Hyunsoo was an idol.

“To destroy an artifact infused with divine power, then make another bell filled with divine power. He was truly incredible.”

As he continued talking, Rom soon let out a deep sigh.

“The problem is that Commander Kal looks like he is about to be driven out for good.”

“Commander Kal? Why?”

“Oh? You seem to know Sir Kal as well.”

Rom explained.

“It is because of the Knight Selection Ceremony. The Knight Selection Ceremony is a gathering where nobles and merchants visit on the same day to choose the knights raised by a territory whom they want to take with them.”

“Even a knight raised in Karsel Territory does not necessarily need to keep living in Karsel Territory.”

“The ceremony also involves the lord or wealthy merchant who wishes to take a knight presenting him with a new sword and forming an oath of loyalty. A knight who receives a proper sword from his patron will protect that person with it forever.”

“...”

Rom had been talking for quite a while.

Then he suddenly looked sad.

“Most likely... Commander Kal will not be chosen by anyone. He was a commander, after all, so he must be paid more than the other knights. The problem is that young knights can fight just as well as Commander Kal. There is no reason for anyone to take Commander Kal instead.”

With a sigh, Rom continued to air his grievances.

“The lord eventually stripped him of his command as well. Commander Kal often comes here and talks with me these days. He was my friend.”

“Did Commander Kal ever speak of someone named Hyunsoo?”

“...Of course.”

Rom continued.

“Commander Kal always said he could never forget the moment he met the man who is now a king and a legend in Karsel Territory. He said that when Blacksmith Hyun made Lamas’s Bell, he looked desperate. So he told Lord Kern, ‘My lord, we must give that blacksmith the greatest reward we can.’”

“That blacksmith received far more than Lamas’s Bell had originally been worth. He even received the mineral Lord Kern possessed.”

The man who had listened in silence gave a quiet snort of laughter.

“Then he must regret it to this day.”

Rom shook his head.

“Not at all.”

A small smile appeared on Rom’s face.

“Not long ago, I teasingly asked him whether he regretted it. I said the man was never going to return anyway. Commander Kal told me this.”

Rom imitated Kal.

“That blacksmith looked shabby then, and he seemed desperate over something. He had only just set foot on this land. He did not even realize how great a thing he had accomplished.”

“As Lord Kern and I discussed his reward, we talked until dawn, hoping he would keep moving forward and grow into someone remarkable.”

“And through the tales of his exploits we heard afterward, we were repaid more than enough for giving him a little extra back then. Yes, that is enough. It is enough that he has done well. It is enough that he lives well. It is enough that our benefactor became someone so great.”

After saying that, Rom spoke in a hollow voice.

“...He was a truly foolish knight, and Lord Kern was a truly foolish lord. They expected nothing from a man who would never return, from someone who has become far too great now...”

Rom was angry.

“I wish that King Hyunsoo would have come here even once...”

Then Rom realized what he had said.

“I misspoke. He is now a legend of an entire continent and the king of a nation. There is no reason he would ever come to a place like this.”

And yet...

The man said,

“That is why I came.”

“Pardon?”

“To give him a sword.”

With that, the man walked up to the furnace.

Only when he saw the name Hyun engraved on the hammer the man drew out did Rom finally realize.

The legend of Karsel Territory...

had returned.

Continued under the active transfer record.