Being a knight is not easy

Chapter 139 One Year

A year has passed since the disaster in El Obeidi.

Robin returned to Viscount Wilk's territory and was awarded the title of lord by the royal family for his outstanding performance in the Knight Academy.

At the awarding ceremony, the King personally pinned the medal on him in recognition of his heroic performance in the "Lake Bottom Earthquake Rescue Operation."

No one remembers the truth about the disaster.

No one remembers the Mechanicus, the Soul Forge, or the crisis that nearly rewrote the laws of the world.

No one even remembered that there was once a silver-eyed vice-president named Melinda.

"Master, the master and his wife invite you to dinner." Chamberlain appeared behind Robin and said respectfully.

Robin nodded, gently closed the silver gear in his hand, and put it into his pocket.

He hung the Tang sword at his waist, and the three marks on the scabbard were faintly visible in the candlelight.

"Got it." He stood up and straightened his collar. "How's Father feeling today?"

Chamberlain lowered his head slightly and spoke softly, "Master, I received a letter from the capital today. It seems to be related to the North."

Robin's fingertips paused for a moment on the hilt.

north.

It was the last stronghold of the Mechanicus Church and the only area that had not been completely cleared after the "earthquake" three years ago.

Inside the restaurant, a crystal chandelier cast a warm glow. Viscount Wilk sat at the end of a long table, flipping through a letter with a serious expression.

The Viscountess—Robin's stepmother, Melita—was gracefully carving the venison on a plate, and when she saw him come in, she gave him a proper smile.

"Please sit down, Alan." Viscount Wilk said without looking up, "We have something important to discuss."

Robin took his seat, and the servant poured him a glass of crimson wine.

The wine swayed in the glass, reflecting his calm face.

"An order has arrived from the capital." The Viscount finally put down the letter, his gray-blue eyes fixed on Robin. "Unusual energy fluctuations have occurred in the Frost Fortress in the north, and the Council is suspicious..."

He paused, as if choosing his words.

"I suspect the 'earthquake' of that year has not really ended."

Robin's fingertips tapped the tabletop gently, in a steady rhythm, without revealing any unusual feeling. "So?"

"So!" the Viscount said solemnly, "The King has personally asked you to lead a survey team to Frost Fortress."

Melita suddenly chuckled. "What an honor! Our young lord has caught the King's attention." Her eyes flicked meaningfully over the Tang sword at Robin's waist. "But, isn't it...inappropriate to bring such a dangerous weapon to the North?"

Robin picked up the wine glass and smiled slightly: "Mother, you worry too much. This is just a family heirloom."

The silver-blue markings on the scabbard flashed imperceptibly.

During this year, Madam Melita completed her experiment, but unfortunately the results were not so ideal. It only increased the probability of a knight apprentice becoming a formal knight by one tenth, and the probability of a wizard apprentice advancing to a second-class wizard apprentice by one fifth.

Unfortunately, it didn't have much effect on official wizards and legendary knights. In addition, after the Western Wizard Council was defeated and colluded with the Mechanicus and completely withdrew from the West, no one could threaten Madam Melita's experiment, which allowed her to complete the experiment without any danger.

As for the Round Table Council and the Knights Guild, the two forces had colluded with each other early on and jointly fought against the Wizards Council.

"Alan, what are your plans regarding Elina?" Viscount Wilk suddenly asked. During this year, Elina had successfully broken through to the rank of Grand Knight and often visited Viscount Wilk's territory.

Viscount Wilk also noticed that Elena was interested in his son, and he was very satisfied with having a young female knight as his daughter-in-law.

Robin's fingers gently stroked the hilt of the Tang sword. The silver-blue markings were slightly hot, as if reminding him of something.

"Father, it's too early for Elena's matter." He chose his words carefully.

Viscount Wilk frowned and slammed his wine glass down on the table. "Too early? You're already twenty-two! Elina is incredibly talented and steady, and she has the support of the Knights Guild. Such a marriage would be a boon to our family!"

Robin remained silent.

Of course, he knew about Elina's excellence—she had broken through to the rank of Grand Knight at such a young age, was highly regarded in the Knight Guild, and was even accepted as a disciple by the legendary Knight Odom.

More importantly, the look in her eyes when she looked at him was indeed filled with sincere affection.

But every time he wanted to respond to this feeling, a silver figure would always flash through his mind, along with the whisper that dissipated in the wind: "I'll come back to pick you up."

"Wait a little longer! I'm trying to reach the late stage of Grand Knight soon, and I'm not in the mood to care about these things."

When Viscount Wilk heard that Robin was going to reach the late stage of Grand Knight, he knew what to do and kept his mouth shut. No matter how powerful his daughter-in-law was, she was still his daughter-in-law, and she was not as important as his own son.

The next morning, Robin went to visit Mrs. Melita in her laboratory.

The eccentric witch was busy mixing a tube of scarlet potion. When she saw him come in, she said without even looking up, "If you're here to inquire about Elena, I suggest you just agree."

Robin raised an eyebrow: "Even you care about my marriage?"

Melita sneered and finally raised her head: "I'm not concerned about your marriage, I'm concerned about the future of Wilk County."

She threw over a report that contained densely packed data on the energy fluctuations of the Northern Frost Fortress.

"See this?" She pointed to one of the wildly fluctuating curves. "This isn't a natural phenomenon. Someone is deliberately directing the energy—it's almost identical to the pattern seen in Obeidi City a year ago."

Robin's pupils shrank slightly: "Mechanicus?"

"Or perhaps their remnants." Melita said calmly: "Wilke County is too close to the North. If disaster strikes again, you will need all the strength you can muster. And Elina..."

She paused meaningfully and said, "She has the entire Knights Guild behind her."

When Robin returned to the castle, Elena had been waiting for him at the training ground for a long time.

She was wearing simple knight's casual clothes, her long golden hair tied up high. She was practicing a set of sharp sword techniques. Seeing Robin approaching, she sheathed her sword and smiled brightly: "My Lord, have you finally agreed to see me?"

Robin shook his head helplessly: "Stop teasing me."

Elina took a few steps closer and suddenly lowered her voice: "I heard you were going to the North?"

Robin's eyes narrowed: "The news spread so quickly?"

"Lord Odom told me." Her expression turned serious. "The Knights Guild has also received orders from the capital and will send a team to cooperate with you."

She hesitated for a moment, then suddenly grabbed Robin's hand: "Let me go with you."

This sudden action stunned both of them.

Elina's ears turned red, but she didn't let go of her hand: "I'm not asking on behalf of the Knights Guild, I'm asking on behalf of Elina Howard personally."

(End of this chapter)