Saving the ruined Knights’ Order

Saving the ruined Knights order
– Chapter 9

After adding three new members to the knights’ list, everything moved quickly.

Honestly, it felt unreal. Just a week ago, even surviving seemed hard, yet now, three knights had joined the order.

Hood Pegasus, the representative of Knights’ Forge, looked at me with admiration. In his hands was the official list of the Frontier Knights.

“There are some unfamiliar names, but each one of them has the potential to be a great knight. Well done, Sir Isaac.”

He nodded while signing a few documents.

“You’ve met all the necessary conditions. From now on, the Frontier Knights will officially receive requests through Knights’ Forge.”

“Thank you, Sir Hood.”

This also meant that I was no longer at risk of being removed from my position as the leader. More importantly, I had avoided dying at the hands of my father’s enemies.

At that moment, Hood pulled out a large parchment.

“Since we’re on the topic, let me introduce some missions suitable for your knights.”

Then, he clapped his hands.

“Good timing. Since you completed your list early, you have a wider selection to choose from.”

I smiled and nodded.

Finally, everything’s coming together.

The way Knights’ Forge assigned missions to knight orders worked in two ways.

One, Hood directly assigned special tasks.
Two, knights could accept missions on a first-come, first-served basis.

Because of this, high-reward missions were taken quickly.

However, since I had completed my list early, there were still plenty of good missions left.

I carefully examined the ones Hood presented.

Thankfully, I recognized several of them.

“Let’s see… The most efficient ones right now are… village defense, goblin horde extermination, and bandit suppression.”

Each mission had generous rewards.

The difficulty was a bit high, but my knights were strong enough to handle them.

This is the best way to start.

I picked the most efficient mission: village defense.

Hood raised an eyebrow.

“A C-rank mission from the start? Your order only has four members, including yourself. Are you sure about this?”

It was a common reaction when a small order took on a high-ranking mission.

But who was I? A battle-hardened warrior addicted to the thrill of combat.

I nodded without hesitation.

“Of course. I trust my knights.”

“Hah… If you’re that confident, I won’t stop you. Get ready and set off when you’re prepared. Good luck.”

With Hood’s warm encouragement, I nodded and left his office.

Finally, the real story begins.

The struggling times were over. From now on, this was my world.

Full speed ahead to the ending!

As I thought about the future, the story route played out naturally in my mind.

This was my first time as the character Isaac Wood, but I was already experienced in battle.

No matter what happens, I’ll overcome it.

If someone asked whether I had no worries at all, the answer wouldn’t be that simple.

I wondered how my knights were doing.

I had told them to gather at the lodging, but I still felt uneasy.

Charlie and Mook didn’t get along well at first.

But even if that was the case, I doubted I’d return to find them fighting each other.

Mook liked to tease, but Charlie wasn’t the type to get caught up in such things.

Besides, Karen was there to mediate.

There shouldn’t be any trouble… right?

***

At the Frontier Knights’ lodging, at the same time…

“What… What is this place?”

A clearing deep in the forest.

In the middle of that clearing stood a massive building.

“…Is this really our lodging?”

Luke compared the map with the structure in front of him, his face filled with disbelief.

It looked far too suspicious to be a place of residence, but it was, without a doubt, their lodging.

There was even a sign at the entrance:

– Frontier Knights’ Lodging –

However, the building had no front door.

And inside, there was no sign of warmth.

Mook prided himself on his rough life as a mercenary, but even he had never lived in a place like this.

“Hah! This is interesting.”

For Mook, this was an unexpected thrill.

“This isn’t what I imagined a knight order would be like.”

As a mercenary, Mook had met plenty of knights.

Their jobs were quite similar.

Receive a request, go to the designated location, and complete the mission.

The only difference was whether Knights’ Forge or the Mercenary Guild provided the job.

Because of this, knights and mercenaries didn’t get along.

They often competed for the same work, and sometimes, they even sabotaged each other.

Knights worked for the good of their order.
Mercenaries worked for personal gain.

Their values were completely different.

That’s why Mook usually thought of knights as:

“Rigid fools, bound by shackles, nothing more than the king’s slaves.”

But Isaac Wood… was different.

“Isaac Wood.”

A man unlike the usual knights. A knight commander who visits gambling houses? And to make things worse, finding out that the knight beside him at the time was actually funding the knight order with gambling money… That was shocking enough to leave anyone speechless.

And now, the knight order’s lodging was destroyed, and the first name added to the new list of members was Mook, a former mercenary.

“A knight order with no real roots, huh…”

Despite his words, a small smile played on Mook’s lips. He found Isaac interesting. The life of a knight, which seemed dull, might actually be thrilling with Isaac around.

“Well, since I’m here, might as well have some fun,” Mook thought, deciding to go along with it.

Just then, a soft voice called out behind him.

“Excuse me… Is this the lodging for the Frontier Knight Order?”

Mook turned slightly. A girl stood there, her voice trembling just a bit. He narrowed his eyes.

“Don’t tell me… you’re my junior?”

“Junior?”

“The commander said he had business at Knights’ Forge and told me to come here first and wait for the newcomers.”

Isaac never mentioned anything about new recruits. But there was no way to confirm that now. The girl, Karen, had no choice but to nod firmly.

“Ah, I see! Sorry for the sudden entrance. I am Karen, a new knight! Please take care of me, senior!”

A new recruit, huh?

Mook scoffed. He might technically be a new knight himself, but his battlefield experience made him feel like a veteran.

He held out a hand, his voice calm but teasing.

“Nice to meet you, Karen. I’m Mook Mark. Your senior by far. But looking at you… you seem just as new as me.”

Before Karen could respond, another voice spoke.

A man emerged from behind the lodging.

Dark, messy hair. Lean but strong build. And an undeniable air of danger.

Mook instinctively tensed. He didn’t need to think—he knew this man wasn’t ordinary.

The man stopped in front of him, towering over Mook.

‘Why does he look so fierce? Like a wolf in human form…’

The wolf-like man, Charlie, finally spoke.

“I’m Charlie Wayne. No matter how skilled you were as a mercenary, as a knight, you’re still a rookie. And a knight should know humility.”

Charlie stared down at Mook, unimpressed.

Mook didn’t like his attitude, but being looked down on was common in the mercenary world. He kept his expression neutral, answering casually.

“For a scary-looking guy, you sure have strong opinions. And how did you guess I was a mercenary?”

Charlie’s voice was steady, without emotion.

“It’s obvious. You wear too many flashy accessories—something only mercenaries do. You must know you don’t look like a knight.”

Mook’s eyes narrowed slightly.

But he didn’t lash out. Losing control was for amateurs.

“Well, I never claimed to be a proper knight.”

Then, he smirked.

“But what about you, old man? Are you even a knight? You look more like someone who just got out of prison.”

Charlie’s gaze hardened.

Instead of answering, he moved his hand onto the hilt of his sword. A clear sign—he was ready to fight.

Mook chuckled.

“Oh? So you’re easy to provoke. Fine. You wanna go?”

He had been in too many fights not to recognize the intent. Without hesitation, Mook also placed his hand on his sword.

A tense silence followed.

Both men stood still, eyes locked, hands resting on their weapons.

Then, the silence was shattered by an angry voice.

“Stop right now!”

Both turned toward Karen, who was glaring at them with clear annoyance.

Their expressions showed their irritation. She was about to give a long-winded speech, wasn’t she? If she wasn’t going to fight, she should just step aside.

But Karen didn’t back down.

“I refuse to let our commander be disappointed in us on my very first day! So stop this nonsense. If you don’t, I’ll make you stop myself!”

Before either man could react, Karen’s hand moved to her sword as well.

Charlie and Mook exchanged looks.

“Not bad. The girl’s got guts.”

“Fine. Let’s settle who the craziest knight in this order really is.”

And so, while the knight commander was away…

The knights’ first battle began.

By the time Isaac arrived, quite some time had passed.