The King stood in front of William holding a ceremonial sword in his hands.
The students looked at this scene with envy and jealousy, for they, too, wanted to be recognized by the king and granted peerage. One could say that it was every "commoner's" dream and the main reason why they did everything they could to be enrolled at the Hellan Royal Academy.
They hoped that by showcasing their abilities, the King would be able to discover their talent and take him under his wing. Their second option was to be recruited by one of the prestigious noble houses and serve their heirs as retainers.
The students from the First Martial Class Division felt proud and, at the same time, regretful. Proud because the one being knighted was their Head Prefect, and regretful because they didn't formally join his Knight Order when he had first announced it.
Back then, they thought that their Head Prefect was just joking around and not being serious. Sadly, he was not, and the amazing magical beasts that served as the mounts of their comrades proved that they had made the wrong decision.
Even so, they were still quite hopeful that their esteemed Head Prefect would give them another chance to become part of his Knight Order.
It was not only the First Year Martial Students, but the other Divisions in different grades were thinking the same as well.
Being part of a Knight Order gave them a higher chance of becoming an Official Knight which was the first step to becoming part of the noble circle.
Matthew and Leah shared a knowing glance at each other as they watched William being knighted in front of everyone. The two of them were already praying for the pitiful souls that William would be bringing under his wing.
Noah, raised his sword and lightly pressed it over William's left shoulder.
"William Von Ainsworth, I have deemed you fit to be the commander of the knight order called the Angorian War Sovereign," Noah said in a righteous tone. "Do you now swear by all that you hold sacred, true, and holy that you will honor and defend the Crown and the Kingdom from those who wish it ill?"
"I swear," William answered.
"Do you now swear that you will honor, defend, and protect the ladies, and those weaker than yourself?"
"I swear."
"In the name of the Goddess Astrid, Protector Goddess of the Hellan Kingdom, I dub thee Lord William, Commander of the Angorian War Sovereign," Noah raised the sword and gave a light pat to William's right shoulder. "Rise, my Knight and uphold the oaths you have made."
William stood up and faced his King with a calm expression.
Noah sheathed the sword in his hand, and called upon his Weapon Bearer.
"Bring forth, Soleil," Noah commanded.
A knight, clad in armor, humbly knelt in front of Noah and presented to him a golden box, with intricate designs on it, that was commonly used to store jewelry.
Noah opened the box and picked up a golden ring that had been one of the treasures of the Hellan Royal Family. It was one of the artifacts that the Goddess Astrid had given to the Royal bloodline when the kingdom was first founded.
"Accept from our hands, this symbol of authority, by the Order of Chivalry and your Knightly Rank and Station," Noah stated. "I present to you Soleil. An artifact that is to be used to defend the Kingdom from all harm. Take it and never forget the responsibility that goes along with it."
William once again knelt as he raised both hands to accept the treasure that was presented to him.
Noah placed the ring in the center of his open palms and took a few steps back. The ceremony was over, and it was now time for William to prove to everyone that he was worthy of his new rank and authority.
What Noah didn't know was that the moment Soleil fell into William's hands, a series of notifications appeared on his status page.
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< Ding! >
< Mythical Weapon "Soleil" Acquired >
< Would you like to acquire the Sun Knight Job Class? >
< Yes / No >
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William forcefully fought the urge to read the information of the Mythical Weapon and his new job class. Now was not the right time to do that because he was being watched by many people.
After receiving the ring, he gave Noah a respectful bow before wearing it on his right ring finger.
A soothing warmth spread throughout his entire body after he put the ring on. William did his best to prevent himself from making a sound of pleasure as the comfortable sensation washed over him.
Perhaps due to the ring's power, William's body seemed to glow radiantly, which made his image more majestic.
Noah and the rest of the nobles were about to go to the main hall of the academy to rest, when a ridiculing statement stopped him in his tracks.
"I can't believe the peasant who lost to me four years ago is now the head of a Knight Order," Kingsley spat in disdain. "If a loser like him can become a Knight Commander then doesn't that mean that the title he holds is garbage?"
"Kingsley, mind your manners," Eleanor reprimanded. However, her face carried a tinge of ridicule and contempt as she looked at William. "Forgive our disciple, he is just a very straightforward person. I hope Lord William will not mind his words."
Contrary to everyone's expectations, William did the unthinkable.
"I don't mind, because what he said was the truth," William said with a smile. "I indeed lost to him four years ago."
William's words sent ripples of commotion throughout the noble ranks as well as the students of the Hellan Royal Academy.
Aramis, who sat in a remote corner of the venue, raised an eyebrow as he looked at the boy, Kingsley.
Cid and Aerith also looked at the smug looking side character who had the invisible words cannon fodder written on his forehead.
"That person beat William?" Cid narrowed his eyes. "That weakling, beat William?"
Cid looked at the boy in disbelief. He couldn't accept the fact that William lost to someone whom he could easily defeat with a mere flick of his sword.
"Maybe there was a mistake," Aerith said as she, too, looked in the cannon fodder's direction with a doubtful expression.
The members of the Angorian War Sovereign, who had personally witnessed William's incredible feats, looked at their commander and the Misty Sect disciple in disbelief.
"At least the new Knight Commander is honest," Kingsley stated in an arrogant tone.
"Yes. Isn't it funny?" William asked back. "I, the loser, am now a Knight Commander, and the winner, you, is just one of the many disciples of the Misty Sect? It seems that the Misty Sect is a very poor and pitiful sect. They can't even see talent in order to give it the accolade it deserves."
William's smile widened as he taunted the boy who had played a dirty trick in their duel many years ago.
"It seems that the Knight Commanders of the Hellan Kingdom lack class," the old woman, who was also the Great Elder of the Misty Sect, commented. "For you to speak such words against one of our disciples, who has won against you in a duel, sounds rather pitiful, doesn't it? What's the matter? Did it hurt your pride when everyone here became aware that you lost to one of the many disciples of the Misty Sect?"
Instead of getting angry, William only gave the old hag a haughty side-long glance before looking back at Noah.
"Your Majesty, what is the crime for besmirching the honor of a member of the Knight Order?" William asked.
Noah looked at William with a serious expression before giving his reply. "Fifty whips and a fine of a thousand gold coins."
"Then what if that person is a noble?" William inquired with an evil smile that screamed of murder.
Noah's gaze narrowed as he answered William's question. "Any noble who dares to besmirch the honor of the commander of a Knight Order will be stripped of their title and their properties confiscated by the kingdom."
"Right." William nodded his head. The red-headed boy then faced the current Duke of the Rhode Family and grinned evilly. "Did you hear that, Mighty Duke of Rhode? Because of your son's stupidity and arrogance, your noble title will be stripped from your generation. My condolences."
Draven Rhodes, the current Duke of Rhode, looked back at William with a dumbfounded expression.
Earlier, he was feeling smug because his son had beaten the new Knight Commander and announced it to everyone. However, he didn't expect that this petty act would cause him to lose his title!
Andreas, who was seated on the left side of the King laughed out loud. "I see, the son of a Duke dares to ridicule the Head of a Knight Order? I, Andreas, am very curious. Just where does this brat get his confidence from? Does he think that a puny little branch sect can save his life?"
Andreas grinned evilly as if he was already looking at a dead person. The nobles seated behind him unconsciously shuddered because they remembered a scene that had happened a few years ago.
There was once a Marquese that had ridiculed Andreas when he had just taken the position as head of the Knight Order of Gladiolus. On that same day, the entire family of the Marquesse were captured and beheaded by the Knight Order and their territories seized by them.
Currently, Andreas' rank was that of a Marquess and the properties he had right now belonged to the same Marquess that had slighted him.
Draven couldn't allow such a thing to happen to his own family! So what if his son was a disciple of the Misty Sect? Their main branch was in the Central Continent. How could they possibly interfere in the affairs of the Hellan Kingdom?!