The receptionist was stunned and stared a second too long at the girl. She clicked her tongue disapprovingly and was about to act when the Glacia Knight at the front stepped forward, smiling kindly at the staff. The receptionist sweated profusely, trying to grasp what was going on. His head was red, and Percy imagined smoke oozing from his nose and ears.

The Glacia Knights’ arrival could have been explained by considering them as the reinforcement deployed to kill the Archyeas. However, the girl’s appearance was enough to turn the receptionist into a full-fledged fool.

Poor guy. He is done for. But what is a noble woman doing here? They must be here for something else if they just heard about the Archyeas for the first time.

He studied a lot and was already through a good portion of the books in the Guildhall’s library, but Percy couldn’t remember all noble houses, the names of their armies, and the like. He was sure the Glacia Knights belonged to a big household, which was even more confusing. There shouldn’t be a good reason for Gifted Ones like the Glacia Knight to be here, whether the noblewoman was with them or not.

Percy scrutinized the situation calmly after giving up all hope of registering and completing the silver promotion exam for the day. Still sweating profusely, the receptionist explained the situation in a hurry, not without addressing the noblewoman wrongly too often. The Glacia Knights’ expressions changed slowly, not because of the Archyeas but because the receptionist struggled to speak to their lady with the required etiquette.

Percy observed a few Adventurers pale as the Glacia Knights reached for their weapons. At the same time, the receptionist continued reporting the situation with the Archyeas with as many details as he remembered. Unfortunately, he was stuck at some point and struggled visibly, only to make eye contact with Percy.

His eyes lit up while Percy’s eyes narrowed to tiny slits.

You’re not going to do that…right?!?

The receptionist spun back to the Glacia Knights’ leader and pointed at Percy. He said a few words, which seemed to generate the desired effect. The Glacia Knights’ Captain dismissed the receptionist while his eyes bore into Percy.

Fuck you. Can’t you do your job without dragging me into this mess?!

The Glacia Knight Captain approached him, his hand resting lightly on his sword’s pommel. He smiled at the youth and hinted a nod.

“Did you discover the Lesser Demon?”

The Glacia Knight Captain’s voice was hoarse and full of vigor, but it wasn’t scary. At least, not to Percy.

“I saw the Archyeas. It was busy tearing apart a few Orcs, but I got a good view. I was lucky it was busy playing with the Orcs, otherwise, I would be dead,” He reported, still analyzing the change in the situation, “My name is Percy.”

“I’m Ulfhar Swam, Guardian of Lady Reeze and the captain of this little unit,” Ulfhar pointed at the Glacia Knights behind him with a proud smile, “I need your help with something.”

Percy raised an eyebrow but nodded slowly. Not helping the Glacia Knights might not get him killed, but displeasing the first noble he encountered, alongside her bodyguards, was probably not the most brilliant move.

“Could you come with us and show us where you found the Archyeas? You don’t have to do anything else.”

“I showed Guildmaster Lexter the spot a few weeks ago, but he didn’t find anything. I don’t thi–....” Ulfhar’s dark eyes stared at him, highlighting his dead-serious expression. “...But I can show you.”

Ulfhar turned around at that. He heard what he wanted to hear from Percy and nodded to the girl, whom he presumed to be Lady Reeze. The noblewoman turned to the door and left, the Glacia Knights following her in perfect formation.

The news of the Archyeas didn’t seem to shock them. There was no trace of fear in their eyes. If anything, Percy saw the excitement in their eyes.

Guildmaster Lexter has been searching for the Lesser Demon for weeks. Do they think it will be easy to find the Archyeas?

It wasn’t his business what they would do, but Percy couldn’t hide his curiosity. His mana perception was above average, and it was easy to tell that each of the Glacia Knights was stronger than most Silver Rank Adventurers in Raewood. Maybe Dave was physically stronger than some of them, but the hulking giant was an exception.

Their armor is magical. They carry more Artifacts than most can afford in their lifetime.

Percy was interested in the Glacia Knights. Maybe they could locate and hunt the Lesser Demon. The death of the Archyeas would solve…everything.

Once the Archyeas is dead, I can leave Raewood.

He followed Ulfhar, who moved to the top of the Glacia Knight formation with strong strides. His expression was calm and composed, but Percy could see the vigor and fierce flames of great power in his eyes.

This is odd. Why do I feel so comfortable around this guy?

It was odd for Percy, but the Glacia Knight Captain felt highly trustworthy. The same could be said about most Glacia Knights. They didn’t feel as slimy as most Adventurers.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

They’re honorable knights who would give their lives to protect their Lady.

Percy remembered from one of the few books about nobles: the Reeze Dukedom and its glorious warriors, the Glacia Knight Order.

Lady Reeze was accompanied to the carriage waiting for her before the Guildhall. Percy gasped, his eyes widening in surprise. The carriage was big enough to accommodate several passengers comfortably. He couldn’t see much of its inside, but it was made of sturdy blackwood, and a type of ocean-blue wood Percy had never seen before. Intricate, vibrant silver letters created beautiful circles. They connected seamlessly and seemed to form and change shape, forming the crest of the Reeze house. Similar silvery letters could be seen everywhere. Percy found them engraved on small glass windows, the carriage’s wheels, underneath the roof, and in multiple other locations.

They were runic enchantments.

So many runes. That material – no, the entire carriage – must be worth a fortune. I wonder how much I could gain from consuming it.

Percy smiled at the carriage, wondering how much Prosperity he would obtain from it. Lady Reeze had just entered the carriage and looked outside, gesturing the Glacia Knights to move, when her eyes trailed to him. She stared coldly at him, disgust flickering in her eyes.

“You can sit here,” The Knight Captain called for Percy and pointed at the open seat next to the coachman.

The coachman studied him with a friendly smile and tapped next to him, “Come here, kid.”

However, Percy turned to Ulfhar instead, “I don’t mean to pry, but aren’t you too trustful? What if I’m a bad guy?”

The Glacia Knights laughed while Ulfhar waved dismissively

“Everyone here is strong enough to protect themselves and others. Especially Melissa.” He cleared his throat and added, “Lady Reeze can protect herself.”

That doesn’t explain anything. Are you guys arrogant, or is that how confident you are about everyone’s strength?

He might not be a full-fledged Silver Rank Adventurer yet, but a well-placed blade would kill the Glacia Knights, too.

“Let’s not waste any more time here!” Lady Reeze’s voice rang out from the carriage.

Ulfhar ushered an order and approached his horse, a grey Steppe, one of the largest horse breeds in the kingdom. They were known for their fierce temperament and excellent strength. But the grey Steppe before Ulfhar wasn’t fierce. It watched the Glacia Knight Captain calmly and allowed him to ride it. The Knight Captain swung his heavy body lightly across the Grulla Steppe’s back and landed smoothly in the saddle.

The other Glacial Knights followed suit and approached their horses while Percy climbed onto the carriage to sit beside the coachman.

How did I not notice the horses earlier? Did they leave their horses in the open like that? Someone could have stolen them!

Percy realized only now that no Glacia Knight bound their horse anywhere. They’d left the horses to fend for themselves when they entered the Guildhall, and the horses did precisely that. From the looks of it, none of the horses fled. On the contrary, they approached their rider and neighed happily.

That is not how I remember horses to be. Is it possible to train horses this well?

Watching the Glacia Knights was interesting. It was also very impressive to be surrounded by many well-known Knights.

“Is riding difficult to learn?” Percy asked the coachman. He didn’t know what else to ask to break the ice and decided to use the opportunity to learn a little bit about the world outside Raewood and some things he might have to know in the near future.

Furthermore, it would be boring riding the carriage in utter silence.

“Riding a horse can be challenging for several reasons. It requires balance, coordination, posture, strength, and stamina, but those are only the physical requirements. To become a good rider, you need to understand a horse’s behavior, create a bond with your mount, and master several riding techniques for various instances. But there is more to it. You must always stay attentive, which requires constant focus, and learn how to multi-task to ride and oversee your surroundings. Even after paying attention to all this, you’ll have to learn much more…”

The coachman explained while directing the carriage outside Raewood. He glanced at Percy sadly and added,

“It’s also costly. There is a good reason we call horse-riding a noble’s privilege.”

Is he telling me I look poor? Probably not…though he wouldn’t be wrong.

The corner of Percy’s lips curled upward. He wasn’t rich by any means and would probably never be. Most of his fortune would be consumed and used to strengthen him in the future.

More questions tormented his mind, and he didn’t hold back anymore. Since the coachman was talkative, Percy used his opportunity to learn a lot.

Percy and the coachmen talked a lot as the Glacia Knights and the carriage traveled over an even trail often used by merchants to reach their destination. The trail wasn’t a direct way to their destination, but they arrived in no time. Carriages were much faster than the human foot, after all.

Even though the trip didn’t take long, Percy learned a lot about the coachman’s life, horses, the Reeze Dukedom, the kingdom, politics, various stereotypes – most related to Adventurers and their drive to do stupid things in greed –and the Glacia Knights. At some point, one of the Glacia Knight riders joined them to talk about their glorious battles, but the Knight Captain interrupted the young man. Ulfher lectured the Glacia Knight and ordered him to fulfill his duty. He snapped at the Glacia Knight, telling him to be a chatterbox once he was off duty.

Despite the Knight Captain’s angry tone, the young Knight grinned, supported by a surrounding burst of laughter. Most Glacia Knights had been listening to the coachman and smiled from one ear to another when the coachman spoke highly of their camaraderie, seamless teamwork, and loyalty.

Once they arrived at the destination, Percy jumped to the ground.

“I was hiding over there,” he said, pointing at a large tree, some bushes, and a small open area on the forest outskirts. The only remnants of the bloody massacre were some bones, “The Archyeas ripped the Orcs apart in this small clearing.”

The Glacia Knights inspected the surroundings while one of them approached the bones. A mass of glimmering mots formed around him as he retrieved a Card. A small chestnut wolf the size of a Berserk Rabbit appeared next to the Glacia Knight.

“He’s a Cardist?!” Percy exclaimed, unable to hide his surprise.

A sneer resounded from the carriage behind him. Evidently, the snobby girl heard him. The Glacia Knight Captain smiled proudly, but it was one of the Glacia Knights – the same young man who’d been lectured earlier – who said something.

“All Glacia Knights are Cardists. But our captain is much more than that. He has an Ego, just like Lady Reeze!”

Oh?