Chapter 20

Four Days Later.

In the late afternoon.

A group of imperial knights rides through a lush, verdant forest adorned in shining armor and bearing noble crests. The sun filters through the dense canopy of trees, casting dappled shadows on the forest floor. The air is crisp and fresh, and the only sounds are the steady hoofbeats of the horses and the rustling of leaves in the gentle breeze.

Behind the imperial knights were deon and the rest of the apprentice knights. Contrary to what the head of the imperial said at the beginning of the journey, they hadn’t met any troubles or dangers as they smoothly traveled to their destination.

As the knights ride deeper into the forest, the trees grow taller. The scent of pine and earth fills the air, and the forest seems to envelop the riders in peaceful serenity. Birds chirp and flit about in the branches, and the occasional squirrel or rabbit darts across the path.

The knights maintain a steady pace, their horses moving in perfect synchronization. As they ride through the forest's dirt path, they keep a watchful eye out for any signs of danger, for even in such a tranquil place, there may be hidden perils lurking in the shadows.

The knights journeyed down a dusty trail until they reached the edge of the woods, where they were met with the sight of a magnificent fortress surrounded by a moat.

“Is that the Adamantium Fortress?” William asked deon beside him

“I think so,” Deon said as he looked at the fortress with admiration in his eyes

Deon and the rest of the group of imperial knights made their way toward a daunting fortress with towering walls and a lowered drawbridge signaling their arrival. As they ride through the gatehouse, the sound of their horses' hooves reverberates off the stone walls. Upon entering the inner courtyard, they are met with a warm welcome from a few imperial knights. The head of the imperial knights dismounts his horse and embraces the welcoming knight before speaking with him.

As soon as the head of the imperial knight dismounted, the other knights quickly followed suit.

Deon dismounted from his horse and was greeted by a servant who handed him a wooden card with the number 99 engraved on it and a key attached. The servant then took care of Deon's horse.

“Wait… I still have my belongings,” Deon said

“Don’t worry, Sir. I will personally send your belongings to your room,” the servant said before bowing and walking away, taking his horse away.

“My room? is this my room?” Deon murmured as he looked at the card in his hands. “But how am I supposed to know where this is?”

Before deon could think further, he heard the loud voice of the head of the imperial knight, drawing all the attention.

“Let’s have a feast!”

Countless knights cheered when they heard the head of the imperial as head of imperial knight enter the fortress, leading the knights to the banquet hall.

‘I'll sort this out later,’ Deon thought as he felt his stomach grumble as he quickly followed the head of the knight. Although it was only around five pm, deon felt extremely hungry due to the long trip.

The hall exudes magnificence and impressiveness, adorned with captivating tapestries on the walls and a sizable fireplace that emanates a cozy atmosphere. The knights are seated at a lengthy wooden table, and the servants are dutifully providing them with nourishing food and drinks to revitalize themselves after their arduous journey.

Deon's meal may not have lived up to the grandeur of the knighting ceremony celebration, but it was still undeniably delicious and captivating.

“Do you think the head lied to us when he said the trip is full of danger?” William asked

“Lie? What makes you say that?” Deon replied

“I mean, we didn’t get in trouble during our trip, so it makes you wonder if he did lie,” William said

“Hmm... Maybe, he might’ve done it so to test us, or maybe, we were just lucky,” Deon said

“Test us? What do you mean?” William asked

“Think about it. By saying the trip is full of dangers, then the head could observe who would remain vigilant and who would be inattentive during our journey, or he might’ve just said that as part of his speech or something,” Deon explained.

“Hmm… I guess that makes sense,” William said

“I’m actually more curious about how they will train us. Would they separate the grades 9 and 10, or will they merge it into one batch” Deon said as he continued munching his food.

This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

“Ohh. Yeah. What do you think will happen?” William asked

“I think they will merge our two groups into one. I mean, there isn’t much gap between us anyway, and we don’t know a thing about magic. It would be foolish not to merge the two group since there is only 122 of us,” Deon said

“But wouldn’t the grade 10 have a large advantage over us? After all, they are still one year higher than us. It kind of unfair if they do that,” William replied

“Not really. Did you forget the talent system? They might have an advantage because of their age, but we will have an advantage with our talent since our age group will have high-class talent while they only got mid-class talent,” Deon said

“I guess that’s true,” William said

Deon and William chatted over their meal while the welcoming feast carried on into the night. The imperial knights indulged in alcohol as the festivities continued.

As the night wore on, the knights were shown to their sleeping quarters, with each new high knight having their own private bedroom.

As the deon entered his bedroom, he was immediately struck by the modesty and simplicity of the space. The room was compact and cozy, with low ceilings and plain wooden beams. The walls were bare, with a portrait of the imperial knight emblem hanging above the narrow cot that served as his bed.

The bed was covered with a thin woolen blanket and a rough straw-filled mattress, and a single wooden chair was positioned beside it. A small, unadorned chest was placed at the foot of the bed, with his belongings next to it.

‘I guess they really did put my belongings in my room,’ Deon thought and continued looking around his bedroom.

The only light source in the room was a small window covered by a thin linen curtain that fluttered in the breeze. Through the window, deon could see the moon rising over the forest, casting a pale glow over the moat.

“Wow…” Deon paused at the beautiful scenery before him but was immediately awakened by the cold breeze that entered the small window, to which deon immediately closed his small window

In the corner of the room was a small hearth, which deon quickly set to lighting a fire to ward off the chill of the night. He placed a few logs on the fire, and soon the room was filled with the warm glow of flickering flames.

“Heh. I got my own room” Deon sat on the bed, surveying his room with a smile that wouldn't fade.

Having grown up in a shared bedroom, getting his own room was a novel experience for him that made him forget all his fatigue. Despite the humble accommodation, deon felt a sense of peace and comfort in his small bedroom.

After calming his excitement, deon went to sleep and entered his dreamscape, where he began meditating inside his life flame. For the past four days, deon has been doing nothing but meditating in his dreamscape.

Deon is unsure of his current progress but still persists in mediating, hoping to increase his control over his life flame as much as he can.

Initially, He wanted to practice magic, but he couldn't even control his mana, much less do any magic or know about any magic that he could do.

Strictly speaking, with how much he meditated for the last four days, he should have 100% control over his life flame, but deon felt like that wasn’t the case as he felt nothing new or changed for the last four days, which made deon wonder if he is meditating correctly or if there’s something that he doesn’t know.

Deon shook his head as he refocused his mind on his meditation. ‘The training should start tomorrow. I should get my answer tomorrow. Hopefully, I’m just overthinking things.’

…

The Adamantium Fortress: Training Ground

The Next Day

At the training ground of the fortress, 122 newly appointed knights gathered. They were met by an imposing man in his fifties who looked at them sternly.

“My name is Edder Ashwood, but to you rookies, I’m your new instructor, and I will be teaching you all the basics of magic and how the imperial knights use magic, but for now, I will give a rundown about your status in the imperial knights, so listen carefully, I do not intend to repeat myself.

For one year, all of you will stay in this place, training and learning everything about magic, and once the year pass, I will assess your progress, and if I am not happy, you will remain here for another year, and only when I’m happy about your progression that you get to be part of the high imperial knights, Is that understood?” Instructor Edder said, his voice echoing throughout the training ground

“Yes, Sir,” The group replied

“Louder! Is everything understood?!” Instructor Edder shouted, not happy by the weak voice of the newly high knights under him

“YES, SIR,” The group shouted.

“Good!, For the first six months, I will be doing a morning lecture about the basic of magic, and in the afternoon, we will be training your mana, and I don’t want to see any tardiness in my class if you are late, you might as well not come in, or you will receive my punishment, Is that understood?” Instructor Edder said

“YES, SIR” the group shouted.

“Good!” Instructor Edder said before clapping his hands as three servants approached the instructor with items in their hands. One of those items is a crystal orb, similar to the crystal orb from the awakening temple.

“I’m sure you are all familiar with this crystal orb, and yes, this crystal orb is similar to the one in the awakening temple. I want you all to come here in the front and touch the crystal ball and, after that, introduce yourself to the whole class, is that understood?” the instructor said as the servants set up the crystal ball beside the instructor before walking away.

“YES, SIR” the group shouted.

“Good! You! Come here!” instructor Edder pointed at one of the youths in front.

“Ye… Yes, Sir,” The youth stammered before composing himself as the youth approached the crystal ball.

“18”

The youth nervously stared at Instructor Edder after he got his result, waiting for the instructor’s response.

“What are you standing there for? Tell us your name,” the instructor roared at the youth, startling him, but he still did what he was told.

“My name is Brunn Bayle from the 13th Imperial knight institute,” the youth introduced himself weakly, annoying the instructor beside him.

“Louder Boy!” instructor Edder roared.

“MY NAME IS BRUNN BAYLE FROM THE 13TH IMPERIAL KNIGHT INSTITUTE,” Brunn shouted to the crowd, amusing some new high knights.

“All right, Go to the side,” Instructor Edder said before pointing to another youth at the front. “Next!”

One by one, the testing that happened in the awakening temple happened again, but this time with an introduction of every person that tested.

Soon, it was deon’s turn as he approached the crystal ball confidently and excitedly. He was curious about his current progression and didn't mind the repeating test.

Deon composed himself before placing his hands on the crystal orb, focusing on the result.

“87”

“Eh?” Deon stared at his score in disbelief, his mind going into chaos ‘I only got 1% throughout the five days of meditation?'

----------------------------------------

Thought for Thoughts

* 5 days = 1% ??

* The chapter was longer than expected. Did it feel like I rushed it?

* Deon New Room Unlock