In a moment of desperation at the hands of villains who have brought disaster to the estate.
Raymond stepped up to defend him. At his own peril!
And that's not all.
Not only did he save his people, but he comforted them.
Raymond organized a beef feast.
Raymond's beef festivals to comfort the dead were not forgotten.
Elmud made a decision then.
To give his sword to Raymond, to be his protector.
As he held that noble goal in his heart, all his fears vanished. But,
'You are still not good enough.'
"...!"
With that thought, Elmud opened his eyes.
"Ah."
It was a large barracks he'd never seen before.
A place he'd only heard rumors about.
The Penin Healing Institute.
He was alive.
'My arm... my arm is fine.'
Elmud bit his lip; he'd tried so hard, and yet again, he'd failed him.
'Damn.'
Just then, he heard a gruff voice.
"Are you awake?"
It was a sour-faced boy. It was Hanson.
"...Oh, yeah."
"How are you feeling?"
"I think I'm fine. And Mr. Raymond?"
Why?
The sour-faced boy looked at Elmud shyly, with something in his eyes.
Elmud, being a timid person, was worried that he had done something wrong.
'Why do you look at me like that...?'
"The Master is over there."
"Ah...."
Raymond was dozing off in his easy chair.
Elmud's heart thumped uncontrollably in his chest.
He must have fallen asleep like that after healing himself all night!
Elmud's eyes shimmered with tears as he brimmed with anticipation. His excitement was almost uncontrollable.
Just at that moment, Raymond opened his eyes, fully awake and alert.
Elmud clenched his teeth and rose to his feet, taking an unsteady step towards Raymond's side. With determination, he knelt down before him.
"Mr. Raymond, I implore you once more, I yearn to be your sword. Please accept my pledge!"
"...!"
"I understand that I may not be up to par, but I will compensate with an unwavering spirit and put forth tenfold, a hundredfold effort!"
With these words, Elmud, the unrivaled prodigy of swordsmanship in the kingdom, reaffirmed his allegiance for the second time.
***
'Oh, come on, I've been sleeping like a log.'
Raymond rubbed the corner of his mouth.
It wasn't Elmud's presence that had tired him.
Having successfully undergone surgery, he had taken a well-deserved nap for the first time in a while.
However, it seemed that Elmud had once again misunderstood him.
'What am I l going to do?'
Raymond looked at Elmud on his knees and frowned.
'I'm a healer, what kind of loyalty oath do I have to take? This guy. Am I a king or a high noble?'
He didn't know what else to do with the dejected sweet potato Elmud.
Anyway, it was a tough one to deal with.
'Wait, is this really a bad thing?'
Raymond rolled his eyes.
He was a Sword Expert ranked knight.
There are endless uses for them.
'Where else can we get such a high ranking man for free? Can I just close my eyes and reap the rewards?'
He was tempted. But he shook his head.
'Marquis Aris will not leave me alone.'
House Aris.
One of the most prestigious families in the Kingdom of Houston, having served the king for generations.
The thought of such a man's heir serving him was terrifying.
'Use him. It's a coveted position. Is there anything I can do?'
Who is Raymond?
Despite his saintly appearance, he is the embodiment of snobbery.
He couldn't give up so easily because there was such a high-ranking and expensive person in front of him, asking to take care of him.
It was like a fish dancing its butt off in front of a cat to get caught.
'There has to be a way... Oh, this will do!'
"I cannot command the Baron's loyalty."
Elmud's face grew very heavy. He looked like a baby bird that had lost its mother.
"Is it because I, I am not good enough?"
"No. I'll be honest with you, it's because you are the heir to Marquis Aris, and as everyone says, I'm a lowly bastard."
Elmud gave him a hard look.
"That's not true. What do you mean, a mean lowly bastard. Who dares to say such a thing to Mr. Raymond! Who is it? Just say the word. I won't let them get away with it!"
"Oh, no."
Raymond was taken aback by the sudden turn of events.
A senior exponent was a senior exponent.
The power was no joke.
"If that's the problem, then I'll leave the family."
"What?"
"I'm a knight. It's not the family name that matters, I want to give my sword to my true lord!"
So this is the purebred he saw back then? Elmud's blue eyes blazed with intense determination.
It was a frighteningly intense light.
'So, I can keep him, right? He's not going to be Hanson 2, is he?'
A flicker of foreboding flashed through his mind, but the free high-level talent was too tempting to pass up.
"That doesn't have to be the case, how about this instead?"
"What?"
"Serve the patients, not me."
"...!"
Elmud's eyes widened at the unexpected words.
Raymond looked at the patients lying in the barracks with serious eyes.
He looked serious, even solemn, with a properly executed 'doctor's charisma' effect.
"You see, sir, there are countless patients in need, not just here. I invite you to join the Knightage Hospitallers, becoming a knight dedicated to serving the patients of the Penin Clinic."
"..."
Relief Knights serving the sick!
It was a trick Raymond had come up with to avoid Marquis Aris's wrath.
'This way, he won't be able to get mad at him because he's working for the Penin Healing Center and not giving me his loyalty!'
He thought to himself as he congratulated himself on his perfect plan.
Elmud looked impressed.
"R-relief knight. You have bestowed such a favor upon me."
He fell to his knees again, harder this time, and bowed his head to the floor.
"I, Elmud. By the command of my lord, I swear that I will serve you as a Relief Knight from now on!"
Raymond smiled sheepishly.
It was just a trick, but it was such a solemn response that he felt a little sorry for himself.
"Ahem. Anyway, good luck in the future. Please don't call me Lord, it's the patients you'll be serving, not me."
Raymond wondered if anyone would hear him.
But Raymond did not know Elmud's true feelings at this moment.
'I see that I am not good enough to serve him.'
But Elmud was not discouraged as before.
Instead, he was determined.
'I will fulfill the duties of a Relief Knight to the best of my ability and earn your approval.'
Lord.
He can't say it out loud now, but one day he'll be able to call Raymond lord.
And so it was that Elmud, one of Penin Healing Center's top guardian knights, and the first knight of the Order of the Relief Knights that would shake the continent, joined Penin Healing Center.
***
That wasn't the only thing to celebrate, though: a short time later, the impregnable Fort Gallant was captured!
"It's all thanks to Mr. Raymond."
"I thought we'd have to kill thousands before we could take it."
"Thanks to Mr. Raymond, we were able to take it without too much damage."
There was a reason people were saying these things.
'I don't think a frontal assault is easy. I think we need to find another way.'
Inspired by a passing remark in a tactical meeting, the staff found a detour and launched a surprise attack!
Raymond had somehow managed to pull off another big one.
'...This isn't like catching a rat on the back of a cow.'
Raymond shook his head.
Of course, he didn't call it merit.
He gulped. The more merits, the better, because it would all come back to fertile yolk territory!
'Hmph, good, very good.'
The most encouraging thing was that with the capture of Fort Gallant, the entire Rafalde Province had fallen into the hands of the Houston Kingdom.
This was the first time in the long history of the conflict between the two kingdoms that the northern territories of the Kingdom of Droton had been fully occupied.
Many claimed that Raymond was most responsible.
This was not untrue, for Raymond had been involved in several important victories, both intended and unintended.
The battlefield now extended into the central region of the Droton Kingdom.
***
"..."
On his throne, Archduke Berard remained silent.
A chill of defeat hung over the air.
"They've made it to the central provinces?"
"...Yes, Your Highness. It looks like the battle will be centered on the Peter River."
The faces of the generals and knights in the meeting were grim.
If the center was taken, then the capital was in sight.
Houston must be defeated.
'But how do we do it?'
'As long as he holds out.'
Him.
They were referring to Raymond.
The mastermind behind the Houstonian triumph thus far.
The generals of Droton clenched their jaws, their minds fixated on Raymond.
'To be honest, I'm not afraid of the Houstonian army. The real problem lies with Raymond, that bastard. How are we going to deal with him?'
Even the common soldiers couldn't help but be in awe of Raymond's prowess, which infused them with newfound bravery and courage.
Time and time again, Raymond foiled the plans of the Drotonian army with his brilliant strategies.
...Of course, it was an exaggerated misconception, but now the Drotonian generals held Raymond accountable for all their defeats.
This sentiment was shared by Archduke Berard, who, for the first time in his life, felt his limitations.
'How easy it was to take Fort Gallant? And how clever of him to find a detour known only to a few mountain men at the foot of the cliffs.'
For the record, the detour was only used by a few local mountaineers, and it was a remote path that even the Drotonian army hadn't quite figured out.
'We can't do this. We've got to come up with something.'
Then, a general said.
"...Why don't you put General Durak in charge of the army?"
"...!"
In an instant, the room erupted into a cacophony of voices.
Durak, the revered general of the Drotonian army!
Thirty years ago, in his youth, he had led the Drotonian forces to a resounding victory over the Kingdom of Houston, crushing even the rebellious desert factions in the south.
Surely General Durak would triumph over Raymond, just as he had emerged victorious in numerous battles, both grand and small!
"..."
However, Archduke Berard merely raised an eyebrow and refrained from giving his approval. This was because General Durak had openly criticized Berard's oppressive conduct and had been imprisoned.
'You devil! Can't you hear the cries of your people as they weep because of you?'
Archduke Berard seemed to hear General Durak's rant even now.