Surviving as a Knight in a Trash Game

Chapter 147

Clatterrrr, Clack!

He put on chainmail and gauntlets, then a surcoat over them, and finally a cloak.

A black diagonal cross was drawn on the surcoat, and a black diagonal cross on a white shield was drawn on the cloak.

Thud. Thud.

Andre, a proud member of the Knight of the Lighthouse, got dressed in his armor today as well and went out to the training ground.

“Today, our 10th squad is in charge of domain patrol duty.”

The Knight of the Lighthouse, like other knight orders, was organized with 10 members per squad.

In the Arthur Domain, by Karl’s order, one squad of the Knight of the Lighthouse patrolled the area on a daily rotation.

Those on patrol went around not only the Arthur Domain but also the domains and villages under Karl’s influence, helping those in need and checking for any tyranny by lords or powerful figures.

Andre, who had been a Knight of the Lighthouse for about two years now, was quite a promising talent within the knight order.

“Come to think of it, Andre, you said you had a connection with the Commander, didn’t you?”

“Ah… It’s not a significant connection. The Commander probably doesn’t know me.”

Andre recalled the battle at Tennesse Castle in the past.

Compared to now, it was a small-scale battle, but the memory of that time was still vividly etched in Andre’s mind.

“Still, you’re amazing, man. For a mere soldier to take a spear with his bare body to protect the Lord.”

“…Back then, well, it was instinctive….”

“Yeah, that instinct is what’s amazing.”

On the day of the battle at Tennesse Castle, Karl was not the Master he was now.

Nevertheless, the aura he possessed was different from ordinary knights.

“The Commander was extraordinary even back then.”

“How so?”

“Well, you see him often now, don’t you? He was a knight personified, even back then.”

The squad members nodded.

What more needed to be said? Karl was the knight of knights.

A man who was knighthood itself.

That was why the squad members trusted and followed him even more.

Because he always stood at the forefront in dangerous places, the squad members were ready to jump into a fiery pit of hell if Karl ordered it.

“By the way, weren’t those chicks supposed to come on this mission?”

“Ah, come to think of it, it was already time for the academy field practice students to arrive.”

Andre was feeling a sense of how times had changed.

Several years had already passed since he stood on Tennesse Castle, spear in hand, declaring to Count Vito that he would become a knight, and now he was receiving young juniors.

As the academy in the Arthur Domain became active, Andre would always fall into a strange sentiment whenever knight candidates dispatched from there came for field practice.

“I wonder what kind of guys will come this time. Last time, the kids were too frail.”

In fact, the current members of the Knight of the Lighthouse were all veterans who had been through thick and thin, so most candidates couldn’t help but look like little kids to them.

“Greetings, seniors! I am Grant, a 3rd-term candidate from the Arthur Knight Academy this time!”

In the Knight of the Lighthouse, where commoners and nobles were all mixed, a culture of stating only one’s first name, omitting the surname, had taken root.

When the candidate, having somehow known this, greeted them, the present squad members smiled quite contentedly.

“Looks like there’s only one this time. Andre, you take care of that kid.”

“Yes, Squad Leader.”

Thus, a chick was attached to Andre, the knight who was formerly a young spearman from Tennesse Castle.

***

Grant Gustin was the eldest son of an insignificant knight family in the north.

He had nurtured his dream of becoming a knight while training under his knight father since childhood, but one day, his father died in a domain battle, throwing him into a harsh reality.

“You think you can become a knight with just that level of skill? Your father was barely worthy of the name knight. How can you even expect to be knighted like that?”

Even in difficult circumstances, he relentlessly swung his sword, wanting to become a knight somehow.

Despite his hard work, Grant could only ever feel frustrated.

His mediocre talent and the reality where no one taught him were an environment sufficient to make Grant give up his dream.

“I heard Sir Karl Meyer established a large-scale academy in the Arthur Domain this time.”

“I heard they also have knight training, administrator training, and even mage training programs?”

“Even so, isn’t an academy for noble lords a distant story for people like us?”

“You, haven’t you heard that rumor yet?”

“What rumor?”

“They say the academy in the Arthur Domain teaches students for free if they show a willingness to work hard and even a little talent.”

“Did you say free?”

“That’s what I said.”

Growl.

Grant’s stomach clock rang as he hadn’t eaten anything properly from morning until now, as evening approached.

At that moment, Grant tightly gripped the few remaining coins he had to buy food and got up.

A few days later, Grant arrived at the Arthur Domain and went straight to the academy.

He waited for the interview from early dawn, being the first in line, and eventually, he was able to enroll in the Arthur Academy’s knight program that day.

Thus, roughly two years had passed.

“Never fear in the face of the enemy. Always act with courage and righteousness. Speak the truth, risking your life, and always protect the weak with goodwill.”

The candidates of the Arthur Academy began their education every day by reciting the knight’s oath.

Grant, too, as always, recited the chivalric code and was about to walk to the training hall.

“Grant Gustin, you’re assigned to a mission.”

“Yes…!?”

“Do I need to say it twice? You’re assigned to a mission. Equip the provided gear and report to the Arthur Lord’s Castle by 08:00 tomorrow.”

“Yes!”

Mission assignment.

It was one of the candidate evaluations, conducted for those among the Arthur Academy’s knight candidates who were deemed suitable to serve as squires to knights.

Furthermore, it was also good training to see if they could adapt in real combat.

“Greetings, seniors! I am Grant, a 3rd-term candidate from the Arthur Domain Academy this time!”

Grant, who met the Knights of the Lighthouse, greeted them boisterously, and his first field practice began.

***

“Um… Senior,”

“Call me Andre.”

“Yes… Sir Andre, what should I do today?”

“You? Just follow us closely by our side.”

“Ah… Yes, I understand.”

Since Karl officially took charge of the Arthur Domain, no disputes had occurred in the northern region, and it had become peaceful.

With the strengthening of the Arthur Domain’s forces and the northern nobles’ forces, and their unsparing patrols and subjugations, even the common bandits were said to be disappearing.

So, in fact, the patrols of the Knight of the Lighthouse near the domain could be seen as primarily focused on maintaining public stability and policing the local nobles.

To Grant, the official knights moving in their formal attire of chainmail, surcoat, and a dark gray cloak simply looked cool.

“Sir Andre, you must have seen the Lord often.”

“Hmm? The Lord? Well, not often, but I see him from time to time.”

“Ah…!”

Andre strangely burst into laughter at the sight of the young knight candidate expressing pure admiration.

“Why, do you want to see the Lord up close?”

“Yes! I want to become the knight who serves Sir Karl most closely.”

“Hahahahaha. Give it up, man. Next to Sir Karl are already stellar figures like Sir Kelvin, the Knight of Holy Light, Sir Kirk, known as the Barbarian Warrior, Sir Diogo, the Knight of the Wind, and Sir Rogério, the Guardian of the Lighthouse.”

“…Still!”

“Hmm?”

“Still, definitely! I will also become the person who serves the Lord most closely!”

Watching him shout with determination, Andre recalled his own past, when he declared on Tennesse Castle that he would become a knight.

“Well… that would be good too.”

“Yes?”

“Work hard. I’ll work hard too. Because I’ll be by Sir Karl’s side first.”

Andre, too, had come this far with such a dream, just like Grant.

Of course, the meaning had diluted a lot now, but seeing the young knight’s bold ambition seemed to reignite his motivation.

Thus, while answering Grant’s questions, the sun gradually set, and Gary, the squad leader leading the party, ordered them to prepare for camp.

Crackle, crackle.

A short while later, the knights, gathered in groups of threes and fives around the bonfire, continued their conversation while drinking warm tea from their respective cups.

“Squad Leader, doesn’t something feel a bit strange today? Even the moon, which is usually bright, seems unusually dim today. Things always seem to go wrong on crappy days like this.”

“Stop saying unlucky things. If you talk like that, something always happens.”

“…I’m sorry.”

The knights, accustomed to sleeping outdoors, continued their idle jokes while watching the crackling bonfire.

“Squad Leader…!”

A very short phrase.

As those words spread, they, who always maintained their armament, quickly formed a formation.

“Kururururu.”

It was a grotesque sound they had never heard before.

Even though they had experienced demi-humans, demons, and undead, a strange chill ran down their spines, and the knights gulped.

“Kururu… Humans… Eat….”

A huge build, black skin, long protruding tusks, and a pig’s nose.

Looking like a combination of a human and a wild boar, about ten monsters with a massive build and height, 1.5 times that of a human, emerged through the forest.

In their hands, they held rather crude-looking weapons seemingly made of iron chunks, and on their torsos, they even wore something like armor made by weaving together leather-like materials.

“What are those things?”

At Gary’s question, the monster looked at him with a kururu laugh.

The way its face looked as if it were smiling sent a shiver down Gary’s spine.

‘A monster with intelligence… What a terrible thing….’

As he thought, the monster before him, an Uruk, possessed high intelligence.

“Kururu, we are Uruk… Pushed back by you humans… Survivors from the underworld….”

These monsters, speaking the precise common continental language, were an intelligent race.

Judging by their bursting muscles and explosive aura, their combat power seemed far superior to their intelligence in wielding the common tongue.

‘Where on earth did these things pop out from?’

It seemed they were one of the non-human races that had begun to appear on the continent at some point.

Gary gripped his sword tightly and looked at them.

“This is the land of the great Knight of the Lighthouse, Count Karl Reitz Arthur Meyer. Since it seems we can communicate with you, I am solemnly telling you now, if you do not harm the domain, we have no intention of harming you either.”

“Kurururururu.”

A strange cry echoed through the forest.

It sounded like laughter.

“We… will rule this land… If you leave… we will show you mercy. Already… we have declared before the god Baltara… and begun the sacred battle.”

Gary’s face hardened at the Uruk’s words.

Through his words, he realized that their attack had begun.

“Andre! Take the rookie and go inform the domain exactly what you saw here.”

“But Squad Leader, aren’t we short-handed even now?”

“That’s an order! Go quickly!”

“Yes…!”

Andre began to move rapidly towards the rear with Grant.

Simultaneously, ten Uruks lunged towards the 10th squad.

It was an explosive speed, matching their bursting muscles.

The 10th squad of the Knight of the Lighthouse quickly engaged in battle with the rushing Uruks.

And amidst that, Andre and Grant began to run towards the nearby information post at a frantic pace.