Chapter 42
"...will it be alright if the commander will not go there himself?"
Riftan clutched his horse's reins, looking back at him with a dim light in his eyes. "I have a duty I need to accomplish from now on."
A serious expression took over Gabel's features. He parted his lips as if he was about to ask something, but instead it turned into an awkward grin, conscious of the stepfather's eyes who was looking their way.
"You have nothing to worry about. I'll explain to them clearly what the situation is and take them safely to the Viscout's estate. Sir Triden will take good care of them."
"...please do so in my favor."
Gabel bowed his head once and strode towards the direction of the stepfather and his family. Riftan glanced at his stepfather's raddled face and turned to head over to the camp. After hearing the reports of what had transpired during his absence, he wrote a letter addressed to Viscount Triden, then gathered the knights to brief them of what happened in Croix. Their reactions were restrained, as if they had predicted what happened after hearing that Riftan's stepfather had been locked away in the Croix Dungeons.
"Then, what are you planning to do now?"
"Although it would be most appropriate for me to resign from being the commander of the Knights, given the present circumstances, there is almost no chance that King Ruben will give any one of you a title or a fief."
Riftan gazed at the faces of around thirty knights gathered as he spoke in a heavy voice. The knights were ranked according to skills and those that had now gathered all had the right to voice out their opinions. After giving them a generous moment of contemplation, Riftan continued to speak in a subdued tone.
"I will use whatever power it is that I still have to help you be part of a knighthood. That would pan out better than becoming wandering knights."
"Do you think those who will leave this knighthood in fear of facing the dragon will be welcomed?" Hebaron, who stood leaning against one of the posts, muttered cynically as he straightened his posture. "Those who join the Royal Knights will be branded as cowards and ridiculed for the rest of their lives."
"...stop exaggerating." Riftan's lips grew stiff. "Even if that does happen, deal with it by keeping your mouth shut and letting your skills speak on your behalf. There is no reason for this fight to the extent of involving all of you."
"If King Ruben had not put this subjugation on the western territories to bridle the Duke of Croix, the Remdragon Knights would have been ordered to be deployed for that mission." Lombardo, who had been silent the whole time, spoke. "A knight is someone who shall risk his life to fulfill his duties to the monarch. If we feared death, we wouldn't have become knights in the first place."
"Risking your lives in a fight to fulfill the orders of the King and fighting in place of the Duke's safety are two different matters."
"We are not fighting for the Duke of Croix. We are fighting for the honor of the Remdragon Knights!" Uslin refuted in a harsh tone as he sat with his arms folded in front of his chest. "There's no difference between leaving for an expedition under the command of His Majesty and following the commander."
Riftan was a little taken aback since Uslin was the one who had utmost respect and loyalty towards the Royal Family. After saying those words, the weight in the room had significantly changed. After a moment of strange silence, Hebaron cleared his throat and tapped Uslin on the shoulders whilst quivering.
"It's been a while since the young master had said something I agree with. I detest having to go on an expedition on behalf of a cunning man, but after all, it's not a bad idea to go slay a dragon and make a name for ourselves across the continent."
