I Became the Dark Knight in the Game - Chapter 88: Award Ceremony (4)

The Marquis’s promise of a grand banquet was no exaggeration.

Dozens of musicians with stringed instruments began to play as servants carrying trays of food lined up in an endless procession.

The trays were laden with exotic dishes, rich in spices and ingredients, such as one could hardly find elsewhere.

In one corner of the banquet hall, there was a fountain gushing with red wine.

Nobles skillfully filled their cups and enjoyed the wine with ease.

Harkin would go mad if he saw this.

The guests gathered together with like-minded people and had fun conversations.

Nobles with nobles, knights with knights, and mages with mages.

Amidst them, however, were those who seemed somewhat out of place: the mercenaries who had been honored with medals this day.

These were veterans who were respected and treated with high regard in the mercenary field.

But even such veterans couldn’t quite hold their own among the nobles.

Moreover, some nobles deliberately gave them a cold shoulder.

“Ahem, ahem. Truly, there are those who know nothing of manners.”

“This is why the lowborn remain lowborn…”

The mercenaries hesitantly reached for the food and drink in front of them and were openly embarrassed by the nobles.

It was a form of check on their part, really.

From the nobles’ perspective, these decorated mercenaries were potential rivals who might rise up at any moment.

Even the normally fearless mercenaries felt intimidated in the face of the societal hierarchy.

They huddled in a corner and merely observed.

Then Dale approached the food.

He seemed to be making an effort to eat as usual.

The nobles murmured among themselves again.

“Even so, allowing a heretic to participate surely lowers the dignity of the banquet.”

“If he had any sense, he would have left on his own.”

Their taunts were louder and more overt than before as if meant to be heard.

But Dale was different from the mercenaries.

Coming from a society without a class system, Dale was not intimidated by the nobility at all.

He approached the murmuring nobles and asked openly,

“Is there a problem?”

Dale continued speaking to the flustered nobles.

“If you have a complaint, speak up. Or draw your sword.”

The nobles were skilled.

They were prepared for such direct confrontations and knew well how to gracefully dismiss them.

The issue was the aura Dale exuded.

“What…”

The nobles who locked eyes with Dale up close found themselves speechless.

There was a dangerous air about him, different from that of the knight commander.

A notably grim atmosphere surrounded Dale, making the air feel colder and sending shivers down their spines.

The unsettled nobles awkwardly made excuses.

“Ahem. It seems there’s been some misunderstanding.”

“Why would we have any complaints against you?”

“Well, if that’s the case, all the better.”

Looking down upon the nobles, Dale simply turned away as if nothing had happened.

He filled his plate with food.

It tastes like nothing.

Delicacies crafted from special ingredients and spices were laid before him, but Dale felt nothing from their taste.

The nobles who had a squabble with him quickly distanced themselves from Dale.

The same went for other nobles who were just watching.

This resulted in a circular empty space forming around Dale.

Dale noticed the mercenaries standing idly by and addressed them,

“Aren’t you going to eat?”

Jolted back to reality, the mercenaries approached with awkward smiles,

“Thank you. I’m Todd, a silver badge mercenary. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“I am a silver badge mercenary as well…”

Each of the mercenaries introduced themselves in turn.

They were all excellent mercenaries of silver rank or higher.

As the alcohol went in and their minds relaxed, the mercenaries began talking one by one.

It was mainly about their mercenary work. Being of high rank, the quality of the information they possessed was notably superior.

“Recently, there’s been an increase in the undead in the northern regions, so it’s better that you carry holy water there.”

“Right, that region has been particularly troubled by a rise in monster activity…”

“I see.”

Dale carefully stored away each piece of information they shared.

He wasn’t immediately sure where it would be of use but he was confident it would prove beneficial someday.

Besides, he felt a growing conviction that building connections with these mercenaries was far more valuable than currying favor with the nobles.

The world is only going to get more chaotic.

Dale was sure of it.

For now, a fragile peace remained as the frontlines were in a lull. However, there were already signs of peace being shattered here and there.

In such turbulent times, the abilities of individuals would become increasingly important.

Mercenaries, who had climbed their way up from their low birth, were bound to stand out in the future.

There’s no downside to getting closer to them.

And forming these connections wasn’t difficult either.

The mercenaries had a natural respect for the strong and seemed inherently friendly towards Dale.

“Call on me in the future! I’d be honored to work alongside Sir Dale at least once!”

“I feel the same! It would be a privilege to fight together!”

That’s how the atmosphere warmed.

The mercenaries who were just intimidated by the arrogance of the nobles there have now completely regained their energy.

They paid no attention to those around them and started having heated conversations among themselves.

The topics often revolved around vulgar jokes and matters concerning women.

Regardless of their rank, a mercenary was still a mercenary.

For Dale, who was a half-undead with no sexual desires, these were topics he found difficult to relate to.

He tactfully withdrew from the group and turned his head away.

This is suffocating.

Dale stood idly by while waiting for the banquet to end as soon as possible.

***

In a quiet corner of the lively banquet, the knight commander and his disciple stood silently.

The commander who had once exuded a sharp and intimidating presence now seemed like an inanimate object that had no force whatsoever.

Nobles passing by didn’t even notice him.

His disciple observed the nobles and knights indulging themselves in the banquet with reckless abandon and muttered under her breath,

“It’s truly disgraceful. These nobles, unaware of the events unfolding outside, let themselves go like this… There are far too many useless ones. Their numbers need to be drastically reduced.”

The knight commander let out a hearty laugh at these harsh words.

“Haha, such people are necessary for the empire to function.”

His disciple pouted in response.

“Honestly, I don’t see the point. The money wasted on these banquets could be spent on weapons and soldiers, which would surely give us an advantage in war.”

“That may be true.”

The knight commander conceded with a change of expression.

“But even things that seem useless have their purpose. Mingling and sharing a drink like this can be of great benefit. Instead of always swinging your sword, why not mingle among them and build relationships with other knights? They’d all be eager to get close to you.”

The disciple snorted.

“The only reason they want to be close is that I’m your disciple, or rather, the knight commander’s disciple. What’s the point in befriending such people?”

“What about that fellow over there? He doesn’t seem the type to care about you being my disciple.”

The knight commander was pointing to Dale, who was standing in a corner of the banquet.

Dale who was among the mercenaries stood out distinctly from a distance.

The disciple frowned deeply.

“That’s even worse. He’s a heretic to begin with.”

“I’m not fond of that aspect either.”

“And I don’t have time to waste like that. I need to be swinging my sword instead. That way, I can surpass the knight commander, and make you retire as soon as possible.”

The knight commander laughed heartily once again. Though the remark was audacious, he wasn’t offended by it.

The knight commander was known to be exceptionally lenient towards warriors who possessed both skill and talent.

The knight commander stopped laughing and spoke in a serious tone.

“If that’s the case, all the more reason you shouldn’t be practicing alone.”

“Huh?”

“There are limits to what one can achieve with the sword alone. Without worthy allies and formidable opponents, your swordsmanship will forever remain stagnant. I too reached my current level thanks to outstanding companions.”

“Even you, knight commander?”

The disciple asked in surprise.

It was rare for the knight commander to speak of his past.

The commander nodded affirmatively.

“Yes. There was one whose raw talent with the sword surpassed mine. His obsession with swordsmanship was chilling.”

The disciple responded with a skeptical look in her eyes.

“Someone more talented than you, knight commander? Is that even possible?”

“Yes, truly, he had a monstrous talent. The swordsmanship guilds in the city called him Master out of respect.”

“You mean there was someone that remarkable? But I’ve never heard such a story before…”

The knight commander smiled sadly.

“He possessed unparalleled talent, but the goddess is fair. His body was too frail. He had a chronic illness and his ability to wield magic was also inferior. His body couldn’t keep up with his talent.”

“How unfortunate…”

“Yet, he never gave up. Every day, he would stand in the same spot, swinging his sword as if he were a madman trying to deny his fate. And then… one day, he just vanished.”

The disciple’s eyes widened in shock.

“Vanished? To where?”

“I don’t know. There were rumors that his illness worsened and he lost his life…”

The knight commander’s voice trailed off.

“One can’t achieve anything alone. I too could reach this level because I had comrades. In fact, if we’re talking purely about skill with the sword, I’m still no match for him.”

The disciple found the story hard to believe. A genius surpassing the knight commander?

But she knew.

The knight commander was not one to fabricate tales.

The disciple swallowed nervously and asked,

“What was his name?”

After a moment’s hesitation, the knight commander spoke with emphasis,

“Ludwig. The swordsmen of the guild and the knights who knew him all referred to him with respect as Master Ludwig.”

***

Time passed, and as the banquet grew livelier, the Marquis finally took his stand in the center of the hall.

The knight commander stood by his side.

Those in attendance instinctively felt it.

Something was about to be announced!

There was no other reason for the knight commander to be present otherwise.

After scanning the audience, the Marquis gestured smoothly with his hand. Then the musicians who were playing their instruments stopped moving all at once.

All eyes turned towards the Marquis.

He was a man who knew how to capture the attention of his audience.

With the atmosphere now ripe, the Marquis began to speak.

“On this glorious day, I have an important announcement to make.”

The crowd listened intently.

And the Marquis continued.

“Recently, as you are all aware, the state of affairs has become exceedingly chaotic. Unfortunate incidents continue to occur, and traitors are hiding in the city.”

The nobles nodded their heads gravely.

Whether they truly perceived the gravity of the situation or were merely exaggerating their response to align with the Marquis’s remarks was unclear.

“His Majesty wants new talent to navigate these troubled times. He seeks capable individuals, those who are outstanding and loyal to the Empire!”

When it seemed like the Marquis’ speech was going to get longer, the knight commander beside him displayed a hint of discomfort.

The quick-witted Marquis then transitioned skillfully.

“I shall now pass the speech to our knight commander.”

“Thank you, Marquis.”

The knight commander cleared his throat with a soft “Ahem,” and then spoke.

“Though some of you may already know this, His Majesty plans to establish a new imperial guards. This new guard order will be selected based solely on merit and loyalty to His Majesty, regardless of social standing or background.”

Murmurs began to ripple through the assembly at the knight commander’s words.

In particular, the reaction from the nobles and knights was not very good.

The notion of selection without regard to lineage was met with considerable discontent.

However, such grievances hardly affected the knight commander.

Without a flicker of change in his expression, he continued.

“I trust you’re aware that the northwestern region is currently in turmoil due to monsters and the undead. The damage is worse than anticipated, and it’s become a thorny issue for His Majesty.”

The sudden shift in discussion from the imperial guard to the northwestern troubles left the nobles bewildered.

The knight commander continued.

“I propose a challenge. Anyone here is welcome to take it up. Hurry to the northwest and eliminate the source of this chaos. If you do,”

The knight commander stopped talking and took a pause while looking around him.

After a brief silence,

The knight commander slowly surveyed the room and declared strongly,

“You will earn the right to join the imperial guard order. Moreover, the one who distinguishes themselves the most will be appointed as the vice-knight commander of the guards. For your information, I currently hold the position of knight commander, but I plan to hand over the reins as soon as the unit is well established. Managing the imperial knights alone keeps me more than occupied.”

The crowd’s eyes widened in surprise at the mention of the knight commander’s position.

Despite the promise of disregarding background and status, the idea of so readily offering the position of knight commander caught everyone off guard.

The eyes of the nobles, and especially the knights, gleamed with greed.

The position of commander in the imperial guards tasked with protecting the Emperor.

Could there be any other position that guaranteed such wealth and honor?

Of course, this new imperial guard order might not hold the same prestige as the imperial knight order.

But even that was enough.

The murmuring in the room grew louder.

People were clearly taken aback by this sudden announcement.

Then, in the midst of this,

A noble asked the commander of the knights,

“When does the trial begin?”

The commander replied without hesitation,

“Now.”