Throne of the North.

Chapter 798 The Initial Establishment of the Knight Academy (Part 1)

The mountains near the northern border always have two colors.

One is the magnificent beauty of snow, filled with icy desolation; the other is the verdant spring and golden autumn of the four seasons. The two intertwine equally at the boundary, and often, walking a hundred steps north will lead to a completely different environment.

The Northern Knights Academy was established at this border crossing.

Heading east along North Wind Avenue, turn north as you approach the Griffin Mountains, disappearing into the forest. After listening to the roars of ferocious beasts and giant birds for half an hour, you will suddenly see a vast open space. Here, there are houses built against the mountainside, with few staircases between them, but rather metal chains connecting them. It takes considerable skill for ordinary people to travel from one place to another.

This was also the original intention behind the establishment of the Northern Knights: mediocre apprentice knights are not qualified to stand at the top, only those who have worked hard to hone their skills and physique can walk on flat ground.

However, this was not very friendly to many noble young masters who came from afar.

They brought many servants to take care of their daily needs, but don't expect those servants to be able to jump around like monkeys; even they themselves can't.

Therefore, upon arriving at the Knight Academy, they faced two choices.

One option was that if you wanted to enjoy the benefits of female servants, you could only live in the lowest place and endure being trampled on from above.

One option is to live high up and look out over the vast and dazzling Griffin Mountains. However, this would mean there would be no enjoyment to be had, as one would have to do everything oneself, from daily living to even routine knightly training.

The newly arrived noble youths were initially ambitious, but as time went on, and given that the Knight Academy was located deep in the mountains—a pure place far removed from ordinary people—many became complacent.

What made them resentful again were the peasants above them.

Those peasants, just children from ordinary farming families, were allowed to be above the young noblemen. How could this be allowed? Many conflicts broke out between the two sides over this. However, no noble family could defeat the knight academy built in the name of Ryan. Moreover, here, it wasn't just nobles and commoners from one place; they came from noble territories of different kingdoms, and the nobles couldn't form a united faction.

We have no choice but to follow the rules.

Gradually, the number of servants and slaves in the Knight Academy decreased, but there were still some who simply gave up.

So they were recently assigned to the riverbank to handle miscellaneous tasks, such as dumping the crystal squid transported from the frozen tundra into the thawing river.

Stepping onto the glacier, with the river surging on the other side, it wasn't an easy task. Fortunately, the first lesson at the Knight Academy was a spiritual blessing from Ryan. No matter what happened before, coming here guaranteed that you would at least become a trainee knight.

After most of the day had passed, the trainees who had completed their mission returned to the academy and to their lowest-lying quarters.

Completely exhausted.

“It’s too hard to endure. I heard I have to stay here for at least three years. How can I stand it? I have to write to my father. I don’t want to stay here anymore.”

The handsome young man, with his meticulously styled hair, lay on the hard stone bed, with soft bedding he had brought from home underneath him so he could sleep soundly at night.

Three people live in one room, but many rooms are not always full, but this one is obviously not so 'lucky'.

"Frmont, don't even think about going back. The Knight Academy was founded by Baron Ryan, and all nobles have to send their sons to study there. And don't forget, Lord Ryan's methods."

"Who would have thought that just half a month ago I was a young master who couldn't even stand still in a horse stance, but now I can actually charge into battle wielding a greatsword. I even wonder if I received some kind of divine gift."

"If we hadn't seen it with our own eyes, who would have imagined that such power would be distributed to all of us?"

"The college also issued a gag order, forbidding anyone to tell anyone."

As the young people talked, the topic veered off course, but it was something that all the students at the Knight Academy had been discussing since the start of the semester, especially the peasants, who had all become loyal followers of Ryan. If Ryan gave them an order to do something, they probably wouldn't hesitate at all.

"Even if you write a letter, it won't make a difference."

Another 'roommate' put his hands behind his head and had a blade of grass in his mouth. The other two were actually quite shocked because they had witnessed this guy's transformation from being served by hundreds of slaves to doing everything on his own without complaining.

“Frmont, your father only has two children, both sons. Your older brother stayed in the territory to inherit the title, and your father is only a baron, so he can’t refute Baron Ryan’s demands. Therefore, you can’t go back.”

This sounds awkward and strange no matter how you look at it.

"If you ask me, the three of us should just hang around here for three years. When we return to the territory, we can show Father the physique of apprentice knights and we'll definitely get a lot of rewards. Especially Fremont, you might even get a business. Then we'll come to you for a living, how about that?"

“But it’s been three years, and only half a month. Look at the kind of work we’ve been doing. We’ve been moving stones and transporting those special magical creatures. I heard we’ll be patrolling the North Wind Avenue in a couple of days. I, the second son of a baron, have been reduced to the job of a patrol soldier.”

As the three chatted, they fell into a deep sleep. The next morning, the horn sounded, and some knight cadets gathered in the open square to begin training their bodies in the unique way of the North. Others were called outside, fully equipped with armor, weapons, and warhorses, and began to take charge of the safety of those traveling on the North Wind Road.

What kind of security? Caravans coming from Zero Crossing City, stretching all the way to the Sera Kingdom Avenue, Andara Kingdom Avenue, Gerald Avenue, and Coran Kingdom Avenue, all require their patrols.

If a problem arises, the nobles involved will naturally be affected, but the Knight Academy will hold them accountable first. So this is not a one-day task, but a task that will last for a week. After all, the main road of the Kingdom of Coran is still very far away, and the knights will have to camp in the wild to some extent. If they know the nobles in the area, they can stay in the nobles' territories, although the academy does not allow such things.

Besides their armor and weapons, any damage to their warhorses during the process would also be attributed to them.

All their equipment and warhorses belong to the Knight Academy. It is said that only outstanding graduates can acquire all three pieces of the standard knight's gear after graduation.

The three of them, Fremont and his companions, were quite lucky; they were patrolling Coran Avenue, which was the closest place to the Knight Academy.

They affectionately stroked the special northern warhorses. They had witnessed firsthand that these horses could traverse rugged mountain paths, gallop wildly through icy and snowy landscapes, and were frighteningly calm during battle.

They certainly hoped to acquire this exceptional three-piece knight set to take back after graduation, as it was an expensive asset that even ordinary noble children could hardly obtain.

But they simply couldn't bear the hardship of the knight's hammering and forging.

“We can find a place to rest now. How about we go to Zero Crossing City? They say there’s a kind of transparent silver fish that can swim in flames there.”

Just as Fremont opened his mouth, he saw movement coming from ahead.

The three were not nervous. Ever since the Winged Dragon Legion of Winged Canyon stopped on Coran Avenue, this road had become extremely safe.

Moreover, in the Griffin Mountains, the enviable griffons of the Kingdom of Sera, flying around, are also the overlords among magical beasts, and no monsters would cause chaos on Coran Avenue.

Judging from the distance, it looks more like it was caused by humans.

"About 1,200 meters." "The number of people is between 50 and 80."

"If there is a horse, it is most likely a warhorse rather than a packhorse."

"And magical beasts, they must be pet magical beasts kept by nobles, they must have a very impressive background."

In a brief exchange, the three of them gave a general result about the distant place. After they finished speaking, they couldn't help but look at each other in surprise. These were things that they, a group of students who had been lying down, had learned in the past two weeks. They didn't expect them to say it so easily.

“I certainly didn’t have this ability before, and my father will be very happy with the knowledge I’ve gained here.”

Fremont smiled happily, already envisioning his father rewarding him with a property, or even a manor, three years later when he returned to the territory.

"But who are these people?"

Curious, they stopped. The three noble knights, unlike ordinary people, were not afraid. They rode their warhorses to the edge and waited for the dozens of people to approach.

Their attire was incredibly luxurious, especially since they discovered that they were all noblemen riding warhorses.

The leader was riding a wolf, a giant unicorn wolf with wings.

Behind him were several attendants, who were clearly of noble blood, riding warhorses and accompanied by flying wolves with unicorns.

"This is... a magical beast mount from Earl Winter's territory in the Northwind Province?"

The extraordinary legion is a topic that is always frequently discussed among nobles. Everyone envies the existence of the extraordinary legion, and the nobles who possess the extraordinary legion are all prominent nobles.

Fame, prestige, titles—anything nobles sought, the noble surnames that possessed extraordinary legions had already obtained.

It can be said that in aristocratic circles, whoever has an extraordinary legion can hold their head high and look down on others.

The same applies to the hierarchy among nobles; the most elite nobles all possess extraordinary legions as their foundation.

Earl Winter was a renowned figure in the North, and no one dared to underestimate him.

The unicorn flying wolf is a mount whose fame is second only to the royal griffon of Sera.

Even in the Earl's territory of Winter, this was the Earl's prized possession, and to be able to so openly bring a unicorn flying wolf here...

"The legend is true."

"Lord Ryan's requirement is that all nobles under the Northern Military Council must arrange for their children to study at the Knight Academy, regardless of whether they are high-ranking nobles or even royalty."

The names of these noble families sound strange; they lack the necessary status, so they are only seen with titles like baron, high noble, and royalty.

Baron Ryan's title supersedes those of many nobles and even royalty, so it's impossible for him not to look strange.

Of course, they weren't foolish enough to think it was a deception or a lie. After all, they had personally experienced the Baron's majesty; no one could raise their head in front of him. He had only visited the Knight Academy once, yet all the intense conflicts within the academy had vanished.

"Castor Winter, is that him?"

"He really came here, to the Knight Academy, as a high-ranking nobleman of the Empire, to become a student of the Knight Academy. If he can't live in a high place in the academy, wouldn't that be a disgrace to the earl family?"

"Lord Winter actually sent his heir here."

Fremont and the others were somewhat excited. The reason was simple: among nobles, there was a world of difference in status, a huge gap between heirs and non-heirs, an even bigger gap between direct descendants and indirect descendants, and a chasm that was difficult for the heirs of the top noble families to cross.

In other words, at a different time and in a different place, Castor Winter would be someone their father would go to great lengths to meet, while they would be the kind of insignificant people that a true nobleman wouldn't even glance at.

Coming to the Knight Academy may have made them more important within their respective territories, but the difference in status was something these nobles understood far better than those commoners.

This kind of education they received from childhood is also the reason why they find the title of Baron Lane so strange.

"What rumor, Chandler?"

The two people next to them asked curiously, glancing at the Earl of Winter's heir out of the corner of their eyes.

Fremont inquired about his friend of half a month, who was, after all, a viscount's son and had previously lived halfway up the mountain in the academy.

"It was spread from the upper echelons of the academy. Those people said that soon the royal families of Andara, Sera, and Coran, as well as the bloodlines of several great nobles, will enter the Knight Academy to study. And I heard that there is a Frostmourne personally forged by Master Brok in the academy. That longsword has the potential to grow into a legendary weapon, and in three years, outstanding students will have the opportunity to obtain it."

"I always thought it was fake. Even if it was, it was just some insignificant bloodlines entering the Knight Academy."

An insignificant offspring obviously cannot be brought out casually, and Castor Winter is not a name associated with insignificance.

Although he was probably not well regarded by the nobles, and many people rejected his title of 'second son in line to the throne,' he was already a legitimate heir to the earldom.

During the time they were guessing, the group of dozens of noble bloodlines had already arrived.

"what?"

Castor turned to look at the three knights by the roadside and saw the badge on their chests, which was a pattern of two knightly longswords intertwined on a crystal snowflake.

"You are students from the Northern Knights Academy, my classmates?"

"My name is Castor Winter. I greet you. Are students from the academy still required to patrol the trade routes?"

Castor asked curiously, and all three of them stammered and blushed. Fortunately, the Knight Academy's facade was very prestigious, and they were all wearing masks so it wasn't too noticeable.

What can they say? That only the worst trainees are half-abandoned and thrown out to do patrol work?

It would be one thing if they were just average people, but the man in front of him was a count who would have a voice throughout the entire empire in the future.

(End of this chapter)