Chapter 332: Talk Between Bastards.

Chapter 332: Talk Between Bastards.

*Thud*

“Were you there?”

“No... is this person really a Knight Commander?”

“He was, I’m not sure he will be commanding much anymore.”

“That’s true.”

A guard smirked while looking at the man that they shoved into a cold cell. They were standing near the iron door while listening to him grunting around. His body was covered in bruises but he didn’t seem to be in danger of losing his life.

“Can we just leave him in there? What if he gets out, this door doesn't look that sturdy, and the bars are made from normal metal. Isn’t he supposed to be a tier 3 class holder?”

“That’s true, but see that thing around his neck.”

“Oh, is that?”

“Yeah, it is. He won’t be able to exert much strength with that thing around his neck. I heard that the ones that they make for people like him are special and won’t work unless the person is knocked out.”

“Are you sure that it works? What if he escapes, how are we supposed to stop a knight commander?”

“He’ll escape and do what? Get his ass beat again by the Head Knight again? He won’t do a thing”

The guard that was talking smirked while going into the cell. His boot then quickly landed on the stomach of the prisoner which sent him tumbling to the side with a groan.

“Hey what are you doing?”

“Just showing you that this bastard isn’t a problem, just do your job and don’t let them get to you.”

The other guard looked at the beat-up man for a moment before stepping to the side to let his co-worker out of the cell. He knew that the other guard had some bad blood with these Valerian knights about something relating to his family member. This man was not the only one trapped here as almost all the cells were filled up to the brim.

“What do you think you are doing? That’s the Knight Commander!”

“Shut your trap, he is no knight anymore, not after what he tried to pull in that duel! ”

While leaving this cell the two guards heard the complaints of the other knights that were apprehended. All of them awaited the nobles to make a deal about their future. Theodore Valerian was still in a higher position so they all expected to be let go.

“Shut up, the Knight Commander just...”

“Just what? He tried to backstab Sir. Wayland and got what’s coming to him. You should watch it too, our Knight Commander might not be so lenient when he hears you taking his side!”

“...”

The imprisoned knights went silent the moment the scary Knight Commander they witnessed battling Emmerson was mentioned. They still didn’t know what to make of the duel they witnessed outside. At first, it seemed that their Commander would come out with an easy victory but then he was quickly turned to minced meat. It was as if this Sir. Wayland had been just playing with him before actually taking it seriously at the end.

“That’s what I thought.”

The loud guard just laughed while leaving the dungeon level with his companion. The other guard remained silent as he didn’t really know what to say.

“Hey, are you sure that you should be talking about Sir Wayland like that? I don’t remember much being known about him. What if he overhears it and we’ll get punished?”

“Don’t worry about it, the more they fear him the easier the job will be for us! Now that we have our own Knight Commander things will change around here!”

“I guess so...”

The two guards straightened out while walking outside the dungeon. At least in their minds, there was a lot of meaning behind getting a proper tier 3 Head Knight into their city. It increased their prestige and set a precedent for the future. It wouldn’t be strange if they acquired more tier 3 personnel and knight regiments to bolster their forces. With them around they would not have to fear for their lives anymore, they finally had a large shield to protect them from any rogue tier 3 class holders.

...

‘Am I responsible for those guards now?’

Roland looked at one particular loud guard antagonizing the new prisoners and throwing his name around as a shield. This he achieved through some golemic eyes that were placed around the dungeon. Previously he outfitted a lot of areas with these runic devices at Arthur’s request. The young noble was fascinated by them as they allowed him to listen in on many interesting conversations just like this one. Thanks to his various runic skills he could of course tap into the network and listen in as well.

'I hope those idiots won't start throwing their weight around and get into fights with soldiers from other cities...'

“Wayland, is something wrong?”

“Oh no, it’s nothing, where were we again?”

“Oh, we were just talking about my elder brother and the knight that he sent but more importantly, could you explain another thing to me.”

Both Arthur and Roland were sitting opposite each other in this exchange. The noble stood up from his seat to lean forward with an outstretched hand. Roland looked at this hand for a moment before deciding to grasp it.

“Roland Arden...”

“Roland? I like it.”

“Thank you but...”

“I know, Sir Wayland.”

The two smiled at each other while Mary finally decided to butt in on the conversation. In her hand, she was holding a bottle of some expensive wine.

“Now that the two lords have become best friends, would you like to drink some wine? The vintage on this one is quite nice...”

“Sorry, I don’t really drink anymore...”

Roland was quick to reply as he had grown a disdain for drinking beverages filled with alcohol after a few incidents in his past. With how paranoid he was about everything he wanted to retain a clear mind and also not get himself poisoned when eating food that he didn’t examine previously.

“Well, now that we introduced ourselves again, I think we need to discuss the future of our new partnership.”

“Partnership?”

“Yes, to be honest, I don’t think I can offer you that much in return, I’m not even sure I’m in the position to make any demands.”

Roland was a bit surprised by how Arthur was acting now. After he revealed his true name and standing the noble had become even more casual with him. It was true that Arthur would probably not have that much to offer him but this was not the time to be joking about it. Normally, he expected another deal between the two to commence and perhaps even a new contract to be formed. Yet it was as if Arthur was considering him a friend or something close to that.

“I thought you were better at bartering. First, I think we should have at least a week before Theodore reacts, that is if he actually does anything in the first place.”

“We are of the same mind, he might abandon Emmerson to not be held responsible for this incident.”

“Yes, I fear that he might go with that option...”

The two nodded at each other as it wasn’t set in stone that Theodore would pay up for Emmerson’s misgivings. He could announce that his Knight Commander was acting on his own accord and that he didn’t have anything to do with it.

“That would be troublesome, he could deny paying the compensation owed and even demand we release the knights that were just following orders but I think your little how did you call it, recording? Could help us out.”

“Yes, even if he could denounce Emmerson for his misconduct people will see it as his fault for hiring a man like that.”

“Mhm.”

Theodore was still the person that hired Emmerson and gave him a spot inside the Valerian Knights. If the recording of this Knight became known where he attempted to backstab his opponent after surrendering, then Theodore’s name would be dragged down along with it. Nobles were kind of a reflection of the staff they hired and trained. He would become a laughing stock for allowing a man like that to work in such a high position.

“Will you contact your brother and explain it to him?”

“Ah... I don’t even want to think about it but it has to be done.”

“I can help you play the recording, we can do it now before I leave.”

“What now? I think this can wait... I need to make some preparations. How about we talk about something else, like expanding the knight order? Now that there is a Head Knight...”

Roland didn’t continue pushing the issue as he saw that Arthur seemed uncomfortable. It wasn’t strange considering that Theodore was the second-born son and a prominent figure in the Valerian household. It was possible that Arthur received his fair share of bullying when he was younger. Feeling uncomfortable when confronting such a foe was understandable.

“I guess we can do that later, I’ll leave the recruitment to you, I haven’t really been formerly trained as a knight, it would be better to let someone else perform this task.”

“I see, I’ll prepare a speech for you then, I’m sure the current soldiers will love to hear form their new Knight Commander.”

“A speech? Yeah, that could boost morale.”

“Oh? You’re fine with it?”

“Why shouldn’t I?”

Arthur was a bit confused by Roland agreeing to perform a speech in front of the other soldiers and knight candidates. Normally he seemed like someone that didn’t like performing such tasks. However, after Roland’s stay in the tier 3 trial, he had somewhat become aware of the ways of running a kingdom. As the Knight Commander, he needed to perform a few tasks that he normally would try to avoid like the plague.

“You are full of surprises or was the previous persona just an act?”

“Something like that.”

The two nodded at each other and continued to discuss some issues concerning Albrook. The platinum adventurers that Arthur was attempting to recruit were also mentioned and perhaps now could be drawn into joining their side. There was a lot of work to do and a lot of eyes would now be pointed in their direction.

A lot of work awaited Roland in the future but first, he needed to get back to his workshop. Now that the issue with the Knights was resolved he needed to get back home. There Agni along with Elodia were still waiting for him. With potentially more enemies on the horizon, he needed to get stronger again. His power was above the average Knight Commander but this didn’t mean that he could relax.

With Arthur’s backing and the new dungeon filled with large amounts of materials, he would become stronger, strong enough to take his fate into his own two hands. There was no going back now a new era had arrived for him. It would probably bring a lot of trials and tribulations and he could only face them head-on. Hiding was not an option anymore, a time when he would need to take the offensive again could be right around the corner and he needed to be ready.

‘I might be missing a few things but I can’t wait anymore, I need to make a new set before it’s too late...’