On this day, the sun was high in the sky, but there was no usual training on the parade ground. Even the militia and the steward from the manor had come out.

Although they were right under their noses, to be honest, no one paid much attention to Derek's training. Training the militia sounded important, but in reality, it was just a small assessment. No one had ever gotten stuck at a checkpoint. If someone lacked ability, it was fine; if necessary, just find a few capable farmers to help them scrape by. No one would deliberately make things difficult, since the only outcome was gaining a knight title, and those being assessed were all noble offspring, who would carry the honorary knight title upon adulthood.

Derek understood this well, which made him even more relaxed. By the time the sun was at its peak, the sound of hooves finally echoed in. The stewards who had been seated in the corners of the parade ground all stood up.

Knight Kloya, the captain of the flag team, was also the examiner for this assessment. The captain of the knight team nominally commanded between fifty to one hundred knights, making him a minor official. In reality, the knight team was the main force under Count Perez, and the captain's status was higher than that of an ordinary centurion. It was perfectly suitable for him to serve as the examiner for the knights' graduation assessment.

Derek smiled; it was certainly better to encounter a familiar face during the assessment, even if there would be no trouble. Yes, this man was an old acquaintance of his father, Leandro Ferreira. To be precise, his full identity should be called Feng Derek Ferreira. Feng is his given name, Derek is the surname from his knight title, and Ferreira is his original surname. Accepting the name Derek signifies his disinterest in vying for the family estate; otherwise, he wouldn’t have taken the name so early.

Even though the two were quite familiar, it was completely unnoticeable on the surface. Rejecting the steward's pleasantries, Captain Kloya began the assessment in a stern manner. From militia skills and physical fitness to marching in formation and executing drum commands for retreat and maneuvers, all were fundamental aspects. This group of militia performed quite well. If it weren't for knowing that Derek had no need to fake anything here, Kloya might have suspected cheating.

But he quickly dismissed that possibility; Feng, who had already submitted his retirement application, had no need to create such a scene.

“So… you really do have quite the talent,” Captain Kloya soon finished scoring and announced on the spot, “Congratulations, Derek, your results are… excellent.”

Derek smiled as he dismissed the militia and approached Knight Kloya, finally relaxing his posture.

“Uncle Kloya, I didn’t expect you to be the one assessing us.”

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“Since I had to make the trip anyway, I thought I’d come see you,” Kloya explained, then suddenly asked, “Retiring from the knight order, planning to go home?”

His inquiry reflected the choice of most noble knights. Leaving the fiercely competitive knight order to return home and engage in family affairs was a good path.

However, to his surprise, Derek shook his head and said, “No, you know my family situation. There are too many brothers; they don’t need me. I plan to be a wandering knight.”

A wandering knight, officially known as a free knight, waits for noble employment and titles, while usually traveling the world. Doesn’t that sound impressive?

In reality, it’s just a mercenary; no noble would recruit an outsider wandering knight. Even a great noble like Count Perez has enough knights from his family and knight order. Even if they grant lands, why would they need outsiders?

Baron families like the Ferreira family are even more constrained; they feel their lands are too few, and with so many brothers, they could easily form a flag team. How could an outsider stand out?

Aside from a few lucky ones, there’s little opportunity. Being a wandering knight means organizing a small band of mercenaries to carry out armed escort missions, bandit suppression, and other tasks while roaming around.

When war comes, they might take a gamble, and perhaps they could gain land. It’s unstable, dangerous, and fraught with disadvantages.

Kloya was somewhat surprised. Derek was one of the more talented young men; after witnessing his ability to train the militia today, why would he choose to be a wandering knight?

After thinking for a moment, Kloya offered, “Perhaps you could come help in my territory. If you want to strive for a title in the future, I could sponsor you a band of soldiers.”

This offer was exceptionally generous. Sponsoring a band of soldiers was no small expense.

To be honest, Derek was a bit tempted. But after glancing at his data panel, he instantly felt at peace. “Thank you for your kind offer, but I already have plans.”

Kloya didn’t feel awkward; it was normal for young people to have their own ideas.

“If you change your mind, you can come find me.”

After handing over the badge representing the knight, Derek already held the title of knight: name, surname, emblem, triangular flag—everything was in order.

Thus, what Count Perez could grant was simply a knight badge, representing his past service as a knight. However, this was a bit inflated; in reality, he had served as a knight apprentice. But this way, it looked better on the surface and made it easier for knights who hadn’t been selected to find a good place.

If he joined the knight order, the transfer wouldn’t have been so simple, and he would have had the opportunity to meet the count during the bestowal ceremony.

Of course, there was also the reason Derek was unwilling to try joining the knight order: during the bestowal ceremony, he would have to declare loyalty to Count Perez.

It’s important to know that the relationship between a lord and vassal is very solid; betrayal and seeking alternative paths are almost impossible, otherwise, it’s hard to survive. Without absolute strength, Derek didn’t want to take that route.

Better to take advantage of his freedom and go solo.

After seeing off Knight Kloya, Derek packed his belongings and bid farewell to the manor steward and the militia he had trained himself.

“Goodbye… my knight apprentice career.”

Under the sunlight, Derek felt no nostalgia; he knew he was destined for a very promising future.