Chapter 73: Gathering Interest (2)

Royal Knight.

As the royal knights who serve the king, it is the highest honor bestowed upon a knight.

Given that not just anyone can receive such a position, Bentner added with a voice brimming with pride:

"Actually, directly proposing someone as a Royal Knight is extremely rare. Normally, one must pass both character and skill tests administered by the royal family to earn the honor of joining the Royal Knights. However, I am willing to make an exception for you, Roman Dmitri. If you kneel before His Majesty the King and swear your loyalty right now, you can join the Royal Knights without any tests."

If Roman were an inexperienced and naive young man,

he might have been moved by Bentner's proposal and readily accepted it.

However,

Roman's reaction was different from what was expected.

"Is that it?"

"…Are you refusing?"

Bentner was taken aback.

Roman smiled and said,

"Isn't it natural to refuse? I have never desired the honor of being a knight. As the eldest son of the Dmitri family, I live comfortably in the northeast. Why should I go to the capital and bear the sacrifices required to become a Royal Knight? Your proposal was flawed from the start. If you knew that the Dmitri family is the wealthiest in the northeast, you shouldn't have offered just honor."

An unexpected response.

Bentner was speechless.

A position that everyone aspired to.

He thought the Dmitri family would be thrilled to accept it, but Roman's reaction was cold and sarcastic.

If he could,

he would have turned around in anger.

But knowing the king's reasons for giving him this task, Bentner swallowed his pride and said,

"…If you have any requests, please speak. His Majesty the King wishes to appoint Roman Dmitri as a Royal Knight. A noble title? If you prove your loyalty as a Royal Knight, the Dmitri family will be granted a new title. A mansion in the capital will be prepared for you, and you will enjoy not only honor but many other benefits. Think about it. The moment you agree to become a Royal Knight, you will live a life that the Dmitri family cannot offer."

He took a step back.

To recruit Roman.

Bentner made his best offer.

Yet,

"Is that the best the royal family can offer?"

Roman still showed a sarcastic reaction.

Bentner's expression hardened.

First refusal.

He understood.

A simple proposal to become a Royal Knight might not be appealing to the eldest son of the Dmitri family.

But,

this was unacceptable.

Despite promising wealth and honor in exchange for serving the king of Cairo, Bentner was irritated by Roman's dismissive look.

Bentner said,

"Perhaps you are misunderstanding something. The reason His Majesty wants you is because of your potential, not your current status. The position of Royal Knight, a new title, a mansion in the capital, and so on, are all extraordinary rewards. Yet, you respond like this. Just how great are you to have such boundless greed?"

His patience exploded.

To Bentner, Roman was ridiculous.

Just because he became a 3-star at the age of 20, there was no guarantee he would grow into a 5-star or higher swordsman.

On the other hand, the Royal Knights were the elite military force of the Kingdom of Cairo, yet Roman overestimated himself.

The atmosphere turned cold.

Despite Bentner's angry gaze, Roman's expression did not change.

"You are the one misunderstanding."

"…What do you mean?"

"Five days ago, someone from the Gregory family came to me. In exchange for my loyalty, they promised a mansion in the capital, thousands of acres of land, and treasures. They also wanted a strategic marriage to become blood relatives."

Gregory.

Bentner's expression twitched.

'The Chronos Empire faction is already on the move.'

Gregory was not part of the royal faction.

He openly supported Chronos, and from Bentner's perspective, he was a despicable person.

Roman continued,

"Three days ago, someone from the Denver family came. They wanted to be my patron, offering all the materials I would need to develop as a swordsman in exchange for a friendly relationship, not a master-servant one. That's not all. Last night, I met someone from the Benedict family. They made a more radical offer than you. They wanted to form a strong connection through a strategic marriage and promised to elevate the Dmitri family to a baron family within a month. Naturally, a mansion in the capital and treasures were included as basic rewards."

Denver family.

They were part of the Valhalla Empire faction.

And the Benedict family, needless to say,

were at the center of the noble faction and were the most direct threat to the royal family, surpassing the influence of the two empires.

'The traitors have already made their move.'

It was disheartening.

Bentner felt as if the world was darkening before his eyes.

He thought he had acted quickly to confirm the facts, but the traitors of Cairo had already moved.

Now he understood.

Why Roman refused the proposal.

Why he did not even blink at his offer.

If he were in Roman's position, the royal family's offer would not seem particularly attractive.

Roman said,

"The reason I am refusing the royal family's offer is not just because it is not special. While three forces made three offers, the royal family remained unaware of what was happening in Dmitri and made a naive and inferior offer. That's why I asked. Is it right to reject the three previous offers just for the single honor of being a Royal Knight?"

At those words,

Bentner's heart sank.

It was over.

There was no way to persuade Roman now.

Having shown his incompetence, Bentner accepted the reality.

"…We were one step too late."

He sighed.

With a face of resignation, he looked at Roman and said,

"I admit our incompetence. But for the royal family, this was the best we could offer. The Benedict viscount's noble faction, the Gregory baron's Chronos Empire faction, and the Denver baron's Valhalla Empire faction are wicked traitors who seek to swallow the Kingdom of Cairo whole. They have occupied the power of Cairo and blinded the royal family from proper involvement in national affairs. The Royal Knights, led by the best swordsman in Cairo, are the only ones suppressing the rebellion. However, no matter how hard we try, we cannot move faster than the three forces."

A problem already resolved.

He revealed the truth.

His confident attitude seemed to be a lie, and he looked as if he might burst into tears at any moment.

"Cairo is a minor kingdom. The offers I made to you, if opposed by the noble faction, cannot guarantee when the noble titles will be granted. Yet, I came this far because only physical strength can protect His Majesty the King. I beg you one last time. Can you lend your strength to His Majesty? If you can help defeat the traitors and secure the royal power, I will never forget your choice today."

A distant future.

An uncertain promise.

Appealing to emotions was the only method left for Bentner.

'One kingdom, four factions.'

Familiar.

The Heavenly Horse Sect.

The massive group governing the sect was divided into many factions vying for the top position.

The 12th son of the Heavenly Horse.

Baek Jung-hyuk received offers from his brothers the moment he revealed his worth.

Each offered something attractive, trying to recruit him, and Baek Jung-hyuk found himself in a situation where he had to choose.

At that time,

what choice did Baek Jung-hyuk make?

Did he grab the strongest lifeline?

Or did he show a rebellious attitude and react adversarially?

Neither.

Any choice,

he knew, would inevitably lead to problems.

Roman said,

"The three previous offers and the royal family's offer are not particularly attractive to me. Therefore, I have no intention of accepting any of them. If the day comes when I choose a faction and swear my loyalty, it will be because I have experienced it and found it worthy. So, for today, please leave. If you want my loyalty, show it through actions, not empty words. Then, I will come to the royal family and swear my loyalty."

Neutral.

Roman rejected all offers.

Since it was not yet an adversarial relationship,

he did not firmly reject them.

To all four factions, including the royal family,

he left a possibility open.

"Are you speaking sincerely?"

"Yes."

Bentner's expression brightened.

The possibility of dialogue.

That alone was good news.

Thinking it was over, Bentner said with a voice tinged with hope,

"I understand. The royal family of Cairo will strive to maintain the nation's sovereignty. So, I will wait. If the day comes when you swear your loyalty to His Majesty, I will welcome your choice with open arms."

Bentner, who refused to give up.

Even then,

Roman only smiled, not taking his desperate hand.

Four offers.

Four rejections.

The reactions were varied.

Bentner, who showed hope and ended the conversation, was relatively decent, while some factions tried to pressure him with threats.

But,

he maintained his stance.

'I have no intention of swearing loyalty to any faction. If we are to become adversaries, it's better to leave room for maneuver. Before my true purpose is revealed, I need to buy time and build my strength while maintaining an ambiguous relationship.'

Leaving room for all factions.

The downside was that when he chose one faction, he would face the resentment of the others.

But,

that was not a problem for Roman.

Even if they later realized he was unrecruitable, by then, all preparations for war would be complete.

In this regard, the political situation of the Kingdom of Cairo was advantageous for Roman.

Even after revealing part of himself, the factions could not immediately crush him due to their mutual checks and balances.

A tightrope walk.

Roman stepped onto the stage.

People, unaware that Roman was an uncompromising predator, would try to persuade him.

What was certain was that

the impact of the rankings was truly significant.

Even as an unofficial ranker, people were trying to recruit Roman, causing a stir in Dmitri.

This was why people aspired to become rankers.

The moment their names appeared on the list, wealth and honor were guaranteed, so people desperately tried to get their names on the list, even at the bottom.

The commotion subsided.

For now,

he thought there were no particularly radical offers.

Everyone made reasonable offers, and no one was betting everything on the current possibilities.

A few days later,

until the person from Valhalla came again, that is.