The two headed to Henry’s house which was located a few hundred meters away from the main mansion, but they didn’t get far when they spotted the very person they were looking for walking towards them in his standard Knight uniform.
“My lord!” The old Knight looked visibly excited upon seeing him, but when he saw Alaric’s wounds, he frowned.
“What happened?”
He was resting in his house when they returned so he didn’t know what had happened.
Alaric smiled and shook his head. “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you the details later.”
He quickly changed the topic. “Anyway, I heard that you’ve become an Elite Knight. Congratulations!”
The old Knight smiled. “It’s only because I had the beast soul crystal. If it weren’t for that, it would have taken me years before I could achieve a breakthrough. Thanks to you I saved plenty of time. I’m really grateful, my lord!”
Alaric chuckled. “Like I said, you deserve that reward, Sir Henry.”
“By the way, Elena also came here to congratulate you on your breakthrough.” Alaric turned his head and winked at Elena.
The girl was flustered, but she quickly stepped forward to congratulate the old Knight. “Congratulations on your advancement, Sir Henry!”
The old Knight grinned. “Thank you, Miss Elena.”
“Oh please, just call me by my name.” Elena was overwhelmed by how the old Knight was formally speaking to her.
“That won’t do. You are a special person in this household, Miss Elena. Everyone knows that.” The old Knight chuckled.
Elena blushed at his words. She understood what he was implying and it made her embarrassed.
“We should talk somewhere more comfortable. Why don’t we head to the training ground? There are plenty of seats there. I’m about to do my daily training anyway.” Alaric suggested.
“Sounds good. I’m also on my way there to observe the training of the new recruits.” Henry nodded.
“What about you, Elena? Will it be alright with you?” Alaric glanced at her.
“Huh? Y-Yes! I will follow you wherever you want to go, my lord.” Elena didn’t expect him to ask for her opinion so she almost stuttered.
“In that case, let’s go. I also want to check the progress of the new recruits. It’s been a while since they started training. Some of them should be close to becoming a Knight Apprentice.” Alaric said as he took the lead.
The trio headed to the training ground under the curious gazes of the servants.
When they arrived, they saw a group of young warriors dressed in their training clothes wielding their wooden weapons with synchronized movements.
The person responsible for overseeing their training for the day was Rigor. He was quite strict so the recruits were extra careful so as not to upset him.
Rigor was the first to notice their presence. He immediately approached them and bowed.
“Greetings, my lord!”
He then cupped his fists at Henry. “Sir Henry!”
The old Knight returned his greeting by cupping his fists, while Alaric simply nodded his head.
“How are the recruits doing?” Alaric asked while searching for Rasmus’s figure among the trainees.
“They are doing pretty well for newbies. This batch is better than the last group. Two of them even showed exemplary results.” Rigor announced proudly. As one of the trainers, he was pleased by their performance.
“Oh?” Alaric’s interest was piqued. He wondered if he was talking about the same people he was thinking.
The old Knight also showed interest in this matter and even Elena was the same.
“Which of them are you talking about?” Alaric asked while rubbing his chin.
Rigor beamed as he replied. “It’s Rasmus and Renante. Do you want me to call them?”
Renante? I don’t remember someone like that among the exceptional young Knights in my past life.
“Please call them over. I’d like to closely observe their progress.” Alaric nodded.
“Alright.” Rigor went back to the trainees and summoned the two he had mentioned. He then brought them to Alaric.
“My lord, it’s them. This one is Rasmus and this guy is Renante.” Rigor proudly introduced the top trainees.
Alaric turned his gaze at the two.
Rasmus looked completely different compared to when he first met him at the orphanage.
He had grown some muscles and he also looked a few centimeters taller. He had even trimmed his long hair which made him look more like a warrior.
On the other hand, Renante was a complete stranger to Alaric.
He looked a bit older than Rasmus and was probably twenty years old. He had long wavy black hair and a pair of cold-looking onyx eyes.
He was also quite tall at over 190 centimeters and his physique was the most athletic among the recruits.
“Greetings, Lord Alaric.” Rasmus and Renante greeted him with a light bow.
Alaric nodded to them and said. “You two showed the best results so you must be properly rewarded.”
“Give them more tonics to help them strengthen their bodies.” He reminded Rigor.
“I’ll do as you, my lord.”
“What are you two standing there for? Go and thank Lord Alaric.” Rigor glared at the two.
Hearing this, they immediately thanked Alaric.
“Thank you for the reward, my lord!”
“Continue working hard and you will receive more rewards.” Alaric smiled and tapped their shoulder.
“We will do our best, my lord!”
“Alright, you should go back to your training. Don’t mind us.” Alaric waved his hand and sent Rigor a knowing look.
Rigor understood his intentions and left with Rasmus and Renante.
As they walked away, Rasmus turned his head and took another look at Alaric.
“It seems like Lord Alaric went through another battle again. Just when can I go with him?” He whispered upon seeing the fresh wounds on Alaric’s arms.
Rigor snorted when he heard his remarks. “If you want to join Lord Alaric in battle, you better work harder. With your current strength and skill level, you will only be able to serve as an ordinary guard.”
Rasmus lowered his head and clenched his fists.
Just give me a little bit more time, my lord.