When Bayard said morning, Dreu thought the footman was referring to early sunrise. Instead, he found himself stumbling through the dark before dawn, his body still asleep and his mind not much better. He wasn't sure if it was his eyes but Bayard seemed to glow enough for him to see the footman easily in the dark. The two of them covered a lot of ground before Dreu was allowed a break. Dreu sat down only to realize how fatigued he was from the trek.

How do you know where we are headed?

I scouted the area while I carried you to safety. Bayard pointed up to the sky. The stars are great guides too even after three hundred years. We are fortunate to have clear skies since we were separated from the others.

Recalling that he hadn’t checked on Bayard’s status for a long time, Dreu opened the prompt window.

< Lvl 5 Footman (Bayard):

Description: Serving as a basic infantry in the armies of the Emperor, the footman is a versatile foot soldier with expert training and the proper equipment to fully utilize its training. In addition, the footman has actual combat experience on the battlefield and has unlocked two skills accessible to the footman unit class. The footman has unquestionable loyalty to the Emperor and will fight to the end if ordered to.

Recommendations:

-Strong against weak monsters.

-Best used in numbers and in close formation.

Skill:

-Leadership (Lvl 1): Passive. Nearby allies gain +5% attack and defense within a 2 meter radius of the user

-Shield Bash (Lvl 1): Active. Grants user the ability to bash foes with a shield. In addition to doing damage, the ability may stun or even send enemies flying. Limited to 5 uses per day.

Status:

-Gain +10% attack and defense from sword and shield gifted by the emperor. >

Dreu smiled upon realizing he had two level 5 footmen. After the loss of Zhao, he and Bayard fought desperately to escape the pursuing demons. He could see how the combat and some kills must have contributed to the footman’s leveling up.

What are the downsides of having high level footmen? Dreu asked the footman.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

After Dreu developed interest in adventuring, he sought out as much knowledge as he could on the topic whenever he wasn’t busy with labor work. During one of those occasions, he spoke with a sorcerer who shared an important lesson with him. The sorcerer stated that, when it came to abilities, there were always costs. For strong abilities, the cost might come in the form of higher mana cost, longer casting times, complicated requirements or some combinations of those. Therefore, the young man was told to always be wary of the ability costs that seemed too good to be true. More often than not, they came at a cost that could result in his death.

If the footman’s level is higher than the emperor, then the emperor cannot summon the footman.

Currently, am I too weak to summon either you or Zhao?

That’s correct.

Can you tell me what level I am?

No, I cannot. I can only conclude you are below level 5. Beyond that, we only know what we can observe.

This new bit of information made Dreu both worried and relieved. He didn’t like the idea that he couldn’t summon either of his footmen once he lost them in combat. In such a situation, he had to summon a level 2 footman whose capabilities would no doubt be below those of Bayard and Zhao. Conversely, this was crucial information that could be the difference between life and death for him. To fully take advantage of his emperor class, he would need to become even stronger. For the time being, he must make decisions that could keep his footman alive. Then, he realized something and turned to Bayard once more.

Do you know how I level up? Does the Emperor Class put any restrictions?

You obtain experience in two ways. You can engage in combat and gain experience from kills like anyone else. Or your summoned units level up providing you experience. While how much experience you gain from summoned units is unknown, the former emperor did figure out that the summoned units’ level relative to him mattered. For instance, a level 10 emperor gains very little experience from a footman going from level 1 to level 2.

Before Dreu could ask further questions, Bayard emphasized the importance of them moving again. The young man cursed the arduous pace Bayard was putting him through. Unlike the footman, he was a human with limited stamina and his body was constantly reminding him how close he was at his limit. Yet, Bayard pushed him forward despite his numerous protests. Eventually, Dreu was too exhausted to even speak so, to conserve energy, he simply pushed forward without a word, his mind focused solely on keeping up with Bayard.

Now you can rest! We’re at a safe location.

Hearing those words, Dreu collapsed onto the ground, allowing his eyes to close. When he finally gained consciousness, he heard a flurry of activity around him. As he forced his eyes open, he found himself staring at the blurry face of a stranger. Once his eyes finally focused on the person, he muttered a name he didn’t expect to say again.

“Jeane.”

“It’s good to see you as well, Dreu. Who knew we would meet again in this shrine.”

“Shrine?”

“We found this shrine by chance and it’s keeping us safe from the demons. I don’t know who the shrine is dedicated to but the deity is keeping us alive right now.”

Dreu tried to get up but none of his muscles could muster the strength. He then felt Jeane struggle to get him to sit up.

“Thanks!”

“I’m glad you and Bayard arrived here safely. We need all the help we can get.”

Dreu used the chance to look around and only saw Gaenor and Sadon there.

“Where are the others?” asked Dreu who expected the Duchess and her bodyguards to be there.

“They abandoned us to our own fate. We’re on our own at this point.”