In a courtyard of the Lake Castle's Inner Castle, German and his family were sitting on a bench, enjoying a pleasant afternoon tea.
"Father, was it really okay for us to treat Ronin like that?"
Malik couldn't help but voice his thoughts. He had been very surprised when he first heard German's arrangements.
"He's right, Father!"
Marina chimed in while eating her favorite fruit pudding. After two days on the road eating nothing but bread and dry meat, she had been on the verge of depression. It was so much better to be home.
"The food with Ronin's group may have been terrible, but he did save me and Malik. I was planning to have the chefs make something delicious to properly host him!"
"Heh."
The towering, one-armed 'lone wolf' set down the fruit platter. "You're still young. There are many things you don't understand. Ronin may have been stripped of his inheritance and assigned to the barren, remote Mountain Forest Town, but Barrington of the Haid Family is an incredibly petty man."
Marina didn't understand, but the younger Malik was starting to.
"Father, are you saying the Hyde Clan will still try to get revenge for Selena? That they'll still go after Ronin?"
German shook his head. "Not for now. Lord Lurans is still alive. But Lord Lurans is in poor health. If he were to pass away one day… then there's no telling what might happen."
"Even though Ronin saved you, and I am grateful, giving the petty Barrington an excuse to hold something against us is not a good thing. We don't want him thinking about us. So, it's best we keep our distance from Ronin."
Meanwhile, Ronin's convoy had already left Lake Town and was resting by the roadside.
"My lord, the Green Clan is so rude!"
His manservant, Chahar, was still complaining to Ronin about the Green Clan's hospitality.
"We saved their clan's heirs, for crying out loud! And they didn't even host us for lunch? They just had us take the supplies and leave! They clearly have no respect for you, or for Wushan Castle!"
It was true. After Flavia had prepared the supplies, her message had been a clear 'you're free to go.'
Even if Ronin were more thick-skinned, he had no intention of forcing them to let him stay for a meal.
'As long as I got the supplies, that's all that matters.'
Chahar glanced at the new wagons at the rear of the convoy, pouting as he grumbled, "And they only gave us this paltry amount of supplies. Like we should be grateful for it!"
Ronin chuckled. "What do you know?"
'He, on the other hand, was quite pleased with them.'
With this, he now had a total of 488 Gold Coins, just shy of five hundred.
For Ronin, if he wanted to complete the "First-Time Top-Up Bonus" and get a subordinate with Proud Sun Talent, he could easily sell a horse to make up the Five Hundred Gold Coins.
Combined with the Magic Crystal Stone he'd gotten from Pedro, that was more than enough.
But he decided against it. If he spent all his money on Magic Crystal Stones, he'd have nothing left for when he arrived in Mountain Forest Town, which could be a problem.
Besides, he now had Macken and Elron as subordinates, and he himself was about to become an Intermediate Professional. Stabilizing his position in Mountain Forest Town shouldn't be an issue.
"My lord, you're just too good-natured. If it were the Count, they would never have dared to act this way!"
Chahar was still fuming on Ronin's behalf. "And to think we fed and took such good care of Marina and her brother for the past two days!"
It wasn't just Chahar. To be honest, Ronin himself had been planning on a good night's rest in Lake Town. He hadn't expected Baron German to be so cautious—or perhaps cowardly was a more fitting word.
"Macken," Ronin called.
Macken came over at once. "My lord, what are your orders?"
"Now that we've left Lake Town, the Guards' training will resume as usual."
Ronin instructed, "Also, I'm going to give your strength another boost. Don't disappoint my expectations!"
Macken froze. A moment later, he felt the Fighting Qi within him surge, and he understood what Ronin meant.
"Macken will never disappoint you!"
Ronin waved his hand. "Go on. Take some time to absorb this upgrade."
To advance from Intermediate to Advanced Level, a Knight required 200 points of Energy Essence, while a Mage needed 300.
Ronin considered their current situation. They needed a powerful fighter to serve as a public show of their strength. And since Elron was a Light Attribute Mage, he decided to raise Macken's Level first and get him to the Advanced Level as soon as possible.
Macken's progress toward the next Level was now 70/200.
Ronin calculated that, without any other income of Energy Essence, relying solely on the monthly login bonus would allow Macken to become an Advanced Level Knight by next month.
In a small town, an Advanced Level Knight was the pinnacle of combat strength.
Take Lake Town, for example. Other than Baron German, who was a Bronze Knight, the Green Family didn't seem to have a second one.
Their Knight Captain, Andrea Labor, was only an Advanced Peak Knight.
As Ronin was lost in thought, a sudden commotion broke out among the Guards.
"What's going on?" Ronin looked over.
An excited Guard ran over and dropped to one knee before him.
"My lord! My lord! I broke through! I've awakened a Fighting Qi Spirit Seed!"
"Oh?"
A look of delight crossed Ronin's face. He glanced at the Mage. "Elron, could you please check for me?"
"I'd be happy to!"
Elron stepped forward with a smile and placed a finger over the Guard's heart. As a bit of his Spiritual Power seeped in, he sensed the man's Fighting Qi Spirit Seed. It was very faint.
The Guards weren't familiar with this man who had suddenly appeared in their ranks. They only knew that Elron was the lord's friend, so they all treated him with great respect.
At that moment, the kneeling Guard finally understood that the lord's friend was truly no simple man.
He looked at Elron with great anticipation. Elron nodded, then turned to Ronin and congratulated him. "My lord, he has indeed awakened a Fighting Qi Spirit Seed."
"Congratulations, my lord! You have another Knight subordinate!"
Chahar was ecstatic. He was more and more convinced that following Lord Ronin had been a wise choice.
When the other Guards heard the confirmation, their faces filled with envy.
A Transcendent. One of their own had actually become a Transcendent.
It was said that to become a noble, the first step was to become one of the Free People. The second was to become an official, an Attendant, or to awaken as a Transcendent. The third was to become a Knight. Only on the fourth step was it possible to be granted a title.
This Guard before them had just taken the second step.
Ronin looked at the somewhat gaunt youth before him, whose eyes now shone with hope, and couldn't help but laugh aloud.
"Excellent! Tell me your name and age!"
"My lord, my name is David! I turned sixteen this past May!" the young man answered excitedly.
Ronin's eyes lit up. 'A promising young talent,' he thought. 'It seems choosing those under eighteen was the right call after all.'
"Not bad at all!"
Ronin was very pleased. "From this day forward, you are Macken's second-in-command. Your pay is raised from 2 Copper Coins a day to 30 Copper Coins a day!"
This wasn't a random salary Ronin was pulling out of thin air. When he left Wushan Castle, he had asked Holwart, and this was the standard pay for a Basic Level Knight.
"Heavens, thirty Copper Coins!"
David was stunned by the amount. He had never imagined he could earn such a high wage, let alone that he would one day become a Professional Knight.
Thinking of his recent perseverance, and how Lord Ronin had provided him with good food and drink, he was moved to tears.
"Thank you, my lord! SOB… Thank you, my lord!"
David's voice trembled with emotion. "It is because of your gift and your training that I was able to awaken a Fighting Qi Spirit Seed! As the Seven Gods are my witness, I, David, swear to follow you to the death!"
"I see your loyalty."
Ronin encouraged him, "And I believe that Basic Level Knight is just your beginning. One day, you will grow to a level that will even surprise me!"
"Guard Officer, David is in your hands now. Train him well. Make him into a top fighter for my Mountain Forest Town!"
"Yes, my lord!"
Macken responded with vigor. He finally had a Professional Knight under his command.
Seeing David's new status, the other Guards—especially those under eighteen—were filled with both envy and jealousy. At the same time, their resolve to train hard was solidified.
If Ronin telling them that training could lead to a breakthrough had just been a bluff, David's tangible success proved to everyone that Ronin's words were true.
'The training really does work wonders!'
But was it really true?
Even Ronin himself had his doubts.
'He was more inclined to believe that David's breakthrough was due to the recent improvement in their meals, as well as the boy's own considerable talent.'
'To awaken a Fighting Qi Spirit Seed and become a Basic Level Knight at sixteen… his aptitude was excellent.'
'Now I have three Transcendents under my command!'
For a moment, Ronin was filled with soaring ambition.
'Mountain Forest Town, here I come!'