Chapter 9

"Three hundred years ago, the army of Mamon, one of the seven constellations, invaded. It was, without a doubt, the greatest crisis in human history."

Professor Gent was teaching the cadets with great enthusiasm.

Before becoming a cadet at Knight Academy, he began by teaching the history of knights, and the lecture was surprisingly engaging.

His appropriate gestures and modulated voice.

Most importantly, it seemed he was trying hard to get the cadets interested because it was a topic he loved.

I, who had only farmed until now, was hearing the story of our time directly for the first time.

"At that time, the army of Mamon was driven back, and the knights known as the greatest in history came from here."

"The Silver Lion Knights."

A confident and bold answer from a girl.

Gent was taken aback that his words were cut off, but when he saw who had spoken, he smiled broadly and nodded.

"Yes, Miss Maria Rayrose. The brave deputy commander of the Silver Lion Knights at that time was Lady Marie Rayrose. She was truly a model of a knight."

'Hmm, not really...'

While Rayrose did follow the rules, it was actually a change in her later life.

As the commander, I ran the knight order as I pleased, so she had to strictly follow the rules and manage the other members.

'Of course, she was much better than that girl.'

I glanced back, and Maria shrugged and looked down at me.

She seemed to want to say that her family was that important...

'Rayrose hardly ever talked to her brothers, though.'

From the Rayrose name, it seemed she hadn't married and was likely a descendant of one of Rayrose's brothers.

The Marie Rayrose who made that girl proud probably didn't like her very much.

In any case, Gent's lecture continued.

"Also, the commander of the knight order at that time was Sir Rein Raymond."

I became a bit interested.

I leaned my chin on my hand, curious to hear how he would describe me.

"Born into the Raymond family, Sir Rein Raymond was a model knight who followed an elite path."

...What?

"As you all know, his sword could cut through the sky and split Mount Tai, according to legend. Of course, it was impossible in reality, but it means that many people admired his sword."

Wait, something's off.

I raised my hand to say something, but seeing the other cadets already listening with bright eyes, I couldn't interrupt the lecture.

It was a moment when I realized what the name Rein Raymond meant to the cadets.

"Especially when Mamon bypassed Longrath Hill, the story of him holding his sword and single-handedly blocking the army is quite impressive... However, historically, it is said that the story of him blocking the disaster's army alone is somewhat exaggerated."

'That's actually true.'

I really did block them alone.

While scouting, I found the enemies who were trying to attack Tern Castle from behind by going around Longrath Hill, and I fought alone to buy time.

In the end, I not only bought time but also succeeded in killing them all.

Since that battlefield became my last, I hadn't thought about it deeply, but hearing it described made it hard to believe.

"From there, a famous knight's oath was made. You all declared it at the opening ceremony, right?"

Then Gent, as if singing, waved his hand with a rhythm.

"A knight is a sharp sword that advances boldly and a shield at the same time."

"The sword will not rest until it destroys the enemy, and the shield will not close its eyes until it protects the people."

"Ah! May infinite blessings be upon this young knight's future."

Some cadets giggled at Gent's exaggerated actions, but most were moved.

Some even had tears in their eyes.

"Sir Rein Raymond left this definition of a knight's duty as his last words for our descendants."

I didn't mean it to be so grand.

"Of course, the current Silver Lion Knights are not well-regarded. The glory of the past is gone."

A bitter feeling rose from my throat.

Although I had various complaints until now, this time I had to listen carefully.

"To be honest, the decision to fill the quality of knights with quantity was a mistake. The Silver Lion Knights have become a perfect example of what not to do in running a knight order."

"..."

The glory fades after 300 years.

If you ask a Knight Academy cadet which knight order they want to join, the name Silver Lion Knights would be hard to find.

Even if someone chose it, it would be for practical reasons, not because they really wanted to.

"But there's no need to be too disappointed. As you all know, many knight orders have derived from the Silver Lions."

"Hmm?"

This was a bit interesting.

As a commoner, I had limited access to detailed information.

I only knew basic history, and it was hard to know which knight orders were currently strong and what they were doing.

'Our knight order has derived other knight orders?'

I listened with a pounding heart.

"First, the Scarlet Rose Knights, established by the Rayrose family, the deputy commander. Many cadets want to join this order."

'The Rayrose family established a knight order.'

It was obvious they used the deputy commander's name to create it.

"Then, the Iron Zeal, Dawn Snow, Longrath Hill, and others. Most of the currently famous knight orders can be seen as derived from there."

Professor Gent, after taking a deep breath, smiled and continued, emphasizing the importance.

"And the main character of the Silver Lions, Sir Rein Raymond."

I felt a bit awkward and tried to pretend I didn't hear, but the next words were too shocking to ignore.

"The descendants of Sir Rein Raymond created the Holy Knights, which is an elite of the elites. As far as I know, only two of last year's graduates became Holy Knights."

"Senior Knights?"

"Wait, if only two could join, even the top students start as Senior Knights?"

"Wow, the bar is so high."

The cadets seemed to be hit by the reality of the situation, showing a dazed reaction.

"..."

Was there anyone as shocked as me?

No, it was more than just shock. I wanted to turn around and see if someone had hit me from behind.

"Um? Cadet Ian, do you have a question?"

I found myself standing up, but I had no intention of sitting down.

Instead, I spoke a bit roughly.

"You mean there are descendants of Rein Raymond?"

Sure, fine.

I can understand that my life, which involved wandering the streets and scavenging from garbage bins, was twisted to make me a noble.

The kingdom probably found it awkward that a commoner was making too much of a name for himself.

They likely revised history to make me a noble.

While it felt like an insult to my life, which I had lived fiercely since childhood, I could accept it.

But there can't be any descendants, right?

In my life, the only time I held a woman's hand was when I helped Rayrose up during a training session.

If I had to add more, it was when I grabbed Hilda's head, who used useless magic to play pranks every day.

Descendants?

I was so shocked that my voice trembled, but Professor Gent nodded as if it was obvious.

"Yes, of course. Isn't the Raymond family known for producing knights who have always led the times and protected our kingdom for a long time?"

Professor Gent's matter-of-fact statement made my head spin.

Moreover, I knew the Holy Knights.

Their reputation was known even to me, who lived in a remote village.

Every time I heard about them, I smiled, thinking, 'Our juniors are really working hard.'

But they were created by descendants I don't even have?

Even though I lived in a remote village, not knowing this was a shock.

It felt like I had been hit from behind by unknown descendants and the Holy Knights.

"Are you sure? Are those people really descendants of Rein Raymond?"

My voice trembled. The sound of my heart pounding drowned out the surrounding noise.

"What's wrong with him?"

"Why is he like that?"

"Ah, that's how commoners who haven't received proper education act."

"That's why kids from the countryside shouldn't be accepted."

"He thinks he's really great just because he did well in training."

The negative reactions from the cadets around me.

Despite that, I ignored them and continued to look at Professor Gent.

I desperately hoped for a different answer, but Professor Gent nodded with a slightly uncomfortable expression.

"Yes, that's correct. It's certain. So, stop doubting and sit down, Cadet Ian. Not many people at Knight Academy will be happy to hear the Raymond family being doubted."

I slumped into my seat, feeling defeated.

Even as the chair almost tipped back, my mind was focused on one thing.

'They wouldn't have just let it go.'

The members of our knight order would have known that I, a commoner, had worked hard to reach that position.

Even if my past was hidden and falsified, it couldn't escape the eyes of the members.

They would have revealed the truth several times.

'What's going on?'

Thinking about it, there were too many questions, starting from the fact that they all retired after I died.

And I judged that this was closely related to the reason I could summon the members.

I wanted to summon Nelson immediately to hear the whole story, but...

Since I knew he wouldn't tell me due to the contract.

'I need to summon the members as soon as possible.'