Some of the nobles had never even seen Encrid in person, and to them, everything happening at the Border Guard seemed like a distant matter.
The Green Pearl? Has it been conquered now? He stopped an entire army on his own? Stopped, not killed them? Did the army just stop because he told them to stop attacking? Does that even make sense?
Some rumors sounded too far-fetched, and others were realistic but irrelevant to themselves.
Although he ended the civil war and earned the title ‘Demon Slayer’, many people still didn’t feel its significance.
Among them were those who genuinely worried about the Royal Family, those who sought to keep Encrid in check, and others who were simply present without much thought.
But all of them fell silent at Krang’s words.
Just because he was smiling didn't mean he was showing them goodwill.
And so, after silencing the room with a single sentence, Krang stood up.
Krang could have gotten angry at everyone watching him.
"Is that something you say to the hero who ended the civil war and defended the border? I’m so ashamed I could drown myself in my wash water."
Or, he could have tried to persuade them one by one.
"Encrid is not that kind of person. He is my dear friend and the sword that protects the Royal Family. I will personally vouch for that."
Or, he could have calmed their anxieties.
"I know what worries you. But don't be concerned. My eyes are still clear, and I haven’t forgotten my duties because of personal matters."
If Krang had the temperament of a merchant, he could have promised the nobles some kind of reward to keep them silent.
But Krang did none of these things.
He neither soothed their worries, nor did he get angry, nor did he make any arguments to justify what was happening.
He simply enjoyed the moment.
He remembered back to when they first met in a tent before Krang ever even considered becoming King.
For Krang, that moment was the beginning.
"What do you want to become?"
When he asked the same question, word for word, Encrid blinked and smiled.
It had been so long that it almost felt like an old tale, but as he looked at Krang, the memory naturally resurfaced.
The throne was seven steps higher on the platform. Naturally, since Krang was standing on the steps, he looked down.
Encrid had just risen after kneeling in respect to Krang, acknowledging his position in public.
Their eyes met.
One man looked down from above, and the other looked up from below, but both of them forgot their positions, lost in the past.
At that time, while talking with Krang, Encrid had questioned whether dreams were just traces left near the heart, but immediately answered himself, saying no, that he was moving forward.
Encrid gave the same answer now.
"A Knight."
It was a fragment of a dream, spoken by a soldier of low birth, only a Squad leader, daring to talk about reaching the top of those who wield weapons.
Encrid had said it back then.
"Yes, a Knight."
Krang’s words overlapped with the words he had said at that time.
A lot of time had passed since then. Even back then, Krang had been the same.
Instead of mocking, he had spoken with weight, taking Encrid's words seriously.
He showed that he was listening with his full heart.
"Have you figured out how you want to live?"
Encrid reversed the question Krang had asked him back then, and Krang’s lips quivered. Then Krang burst into loud laughter.
"Pahaha! Yes, that’s how I’ve made it this far. Have you fulfilled your dream, friend?"
Should he maintain his dignity as a King because many eyes were watching? Who cares? Right here, right now, standing in this moment, was all that mattered to Krang.
The man in front of him made him recall the dream he had forgotten and tried to forget over and over again.
So how could he not cheer for him?
He wished for that man to fulfill his dream.
He hoped and hoped that man would reach the pinnacle of Knighthood.
Back then, Vengeance had mocked them from the side, but no one could do that here.
The one who had talked about becoming a Knight had stitched together the fragments of his dream and stood here, while the man who didn’t mock him had found his path to the throne.
"Not entirely."
Encrid, still ambitious, said his dream wasn’t fully realized.
Krang nodded. He felt the same way.
"Everyone, leave."
Krang spoke, still looking at Encrid.
"What?"
One noble, half bald and tanned from the sun, asked in disbelief.
"I’m going to receive the Knight's oath of Encrid."
He was announcing that he would officially appoint Encrid as a Knight of Naurillia right here and now.
"The Commander of the Red Cape Knights isn’t present."
Marquis Visar said, trying to hide his shock. He had mentioned this before, that the King couldn't appoint someone to the Red Cape Knights without the Commander’s approval.
He was right. Krang also knew that even if he told Encrid to join the Red Cape Knights, Encrid wouldn’t do it.
"I know."
"Then what do you intend to do?"
Duke Octo chimed in.
Marcus, having already figured out what Krang was planning, stayed silent.
The Duke and Marquis were not stupid, just caught off guard.
It was too bold.
It was not something easily imagined.
But if you think about it, what could be more fitting for someone who had achieved this much?
Especially considering his strength, it was only natural.
"My friend will be the leader of a new order of Knights."
What did he just say?
Duke Octo blinked and looked at Marquis Visar.
The Marquis felt the same way.
What?
"Leave. I will receive the oath in private."
Usually, a Knight’s oath was taken in front of all the nobles as witnesses, but it couldn’t be helped. At this point, nothing anyone said would get through to Krang.
His loyal guards tapped the ground with the ends of their spear shafts.
"We will escort you out."
The guards stationed nearby led the nobles out.
As Marcus passed by Encrid, he clenched his fist, showing his support.
Marcus had also been someone who supported Encrid’s dream.
As the people who had filled the room poured out, it should have felt empty, but it didn’t.
Instead of feeling empty, Encrid felt something burning inside him.
It was similar to when he became a Knight.
If this was light, it was light; if it was a flower, it was a flower; if it was a star, it was a star; if it was a dream, it was a dream.
His Will ignited, filling his whole body like a blazing fire.
Krang stood in front of him.
The oath of a Knight was based on a vow, and breaking that vow would severely damage one’s Will. Thus, it was natural for a King to receive a Knight’s oath.
There wasn’t a single country on the continent that didn’t do this.
"This is the dream you’ve wanted. Go in whatever direction you choose."
And Krang ignored all of that.
The idea that the man in front of him would stab him with his sword? Then that would be the end.
Was this a gamble?
No.
He was a King. A King must know how to read people and how to trust them.
This wasn’t a gamble, it was trust, the kind of trust that only a King, not a merchant, could give to the one he believed in.
Ching.
Krang drew his sword and placed it on Encrid’s shoulder. Encrid did not kneel or bow his head.
"I hereby appoint you as a Knight of Naurillia."
Krang said.
Encrid felt the weight and the touch of the sword on his shoulder.
Some people had lied and deceived him, but others had planted the seed of a dream in his young heart.
Some of the people he had sought out cursed him and pushed him away, but others had patted him on the back.
What was he wielding the sword for?
He wanted to protect the farmer who would never lose his leg.
What was he fighting for?
He wanted to save the child who dreamed of becoming a herbalist.
Thus, he stitched together his shattered dream and became a Knight.
Except for a few, no one had expected it, and no one could be certain.
There was no reason to stop because of those who ridiculed and criticized him, so he didn’t.
Even when arrows pierced his flesh and blades cut through his bones.
Even when the wall in front of him grew larger and the waves of despair crashed over him.
"Whether it’s waves, walls, or whatever comes, I will surpass them to protect everything behind me."
Though his vow was short, it didn’t matter. What mattered more than the words that left his lips was the conviction he held in his heart.
And Encrid had already proven it with his actions.
Krang lifted the sword from his shoulder.
The Knighthood ceremony normally involved various rituals, but they had skipped through it all.
"What will you name the Knights?"
Krang’s tone shifted. He no longer spoke with the seriousness of a King, but like any ordinary young man.
Of course, his handsome face meant he wasn’t that ordinary.
"Isn’t that something the King is supposed to decide?"
"Ah, the Red Cape Knights were named after the fur of the sunbeast. How about Iron Wall?"
Iron Wall Knights. It wasn’t a bad name, but Encrid considered the identity of the group.
Was it really fitting for the people under his command?
It was a nickname that had come about by chance, but Encrid felt that advancing forward suited him more than standing firm.
"Blue Cape Knights?"
So he blurted it out casually.
"...Are you serious, you bastard? Why do you make jokes so seriously?"
Krang laughed as he responded.
He usually kept up a dignified appearance, but right now, he spoke more comfortably than ever.
In fact, did the name of a Knightly order really matter?
Encrid cared more about revisiting what had come to mind earlier.
It was a realization he hadn’t expected.
Maybe everything had influenced it.
The previous battle with the Aspen Knight, where he had unleashed everything, the subsequent sparring and training, contemplation and reflection—all of it.
Encrid had just felt the Will that had been boiling over like a wave surging through his body.
The word ‘wave’ hadn’t just appeared by chance in his vow.
What if he swung his sword in accordance with the wave-like movement?
If it worked as he imagined, should he call it the Wave Sword?
Only a genius who synthesized swordsmanship like a grandmaster could create a style. Encrid wasn’t a genius, but everything he achieved through effort was mixing and merging into something tangible.
It was a sword technique.
The basic form was a combination of a flowing sword with a firm blade.
It also incorporated the method the Knight Jamal showed for forcing any attack to be blocked, and a little bit of the technique known as Aker’s Web.
Lost in thoughts about swordsmanship, Encrid decided to leave the name of the Knightly order as they had been calling it.
"Let’s call it the Mad Knights."
"Are you serious?"
"It’s the original name of our unit."
"Oh, Lord. I think this bastard is serious. Somebody, please fix his brain."
He spoke in the same tone as Audin.
"My head is perfectly fine."
Krang repeated the name a few times and then nodded.
Did an impressive name really matter? That wasn’t it. But how would other nations react to hearing the name Mad Knights?
‘First, they’d probably ask if we’re serious. Second, they’d curse us, asking if we’re really mad.’
That’s what Krang thought.
Encrid didn’t care. If he were the type to be swayed by others, he would never have made it this far.
Besides, he thought the name of the order would naturally change over time.
Just look at his own nickname.
From Squad Leader of Enchantment to Demon Slayer, then to the Iron Wall Knight.
"Come to the banquet. It’d be disappointing if the main star was absent."
A new Knightly order was established. One kingdom now had two orders of Knights. This hadn’t happened in the entire continent in nearly a hundred years. It would be a shame if there wasn’t a banquet.
***
After parting with Krang, Encrid returned to his quarters, passing Marcus and the two shocked great nobles, receiving greetings from the guards along the way. Rem immediately jumped up.
"Did you hear?"
Had the news of the Knightly order already spread?
Encrid wondered as he asked back.
"Hear what?"
"I’m being called a noble butcher, Audin is called a bear-man who tears people apart, and that lost bastard has the nickname of a blood-crazed killer who kills people just by looking at them. Esther is being called a witch, and the Fairy has the blood of a demon, but you don’t have a nickname."
Rem’s serious attitude, gesturing with his hands as soon as he saw Encrid, only made it more ridiculous.
As Encrid took off his coat and reached for his shirt, a maid and a servant, who had been watching nervously, quickly approached to help him undress.
This was routine in the palace, but Encrid still felt uncomfortable.
As he threw off his clothes, Rem, without pausing for breath, opened his mouth again.
"Does that make sense to you?"
"You mean Jaxon?"
"This is a conspiracy."
Rem seemed bored. If not, maybe he had genuinely developed a friendship with Jaxon.
When you become too close, you sometimes tease each other like that.
Of course, if he said it out loud, Rem would probably rush back to the Border Guard to swing an axe at Jaxon’s neck.
"That’s true. There’s a saying in the sacred text: 'Do not accept unjust situations as fate'."
Audin chimed in, making it clear they were both serious. They didn’t like their nicknames, but what bothered them more was that one of them was missing.
There’s a banquet tomorrow, want to go?
The talk about Jaxon was more like a joke.
Encrid wondered if he should clear up the small misunderstanding now with the nobles or whoever.
Because Rem wasn’t actually a lunatic who splits heads, and Audin didn’t have a hobby of tearing people apart or being a bear-man.
It was the first official appearance of the Mad Knights.
He didn’t care much about how others perceived them, but if his men were concerned, giving them a chance to clear things up wouldn’t be bad.
"It’d be good if you both joined."
He thought they might decline, but Rem nodded.
"Alright."
"I’ll go with you, brother."
Audin didn’t refuse either.
As for why, well, Rem’s words had already made that clear.
"I think we need rumors about a mad stray cat who prowls around at night, getting dumped by women left and right."
Encrid briefly wondered if taking these two along was the right choice, but he didn’t think too deeply.
He was more interested in contemplating the waves and sword techniques that had come to mind earlier.
Thanks for the Chapter Bro!!! :DD
Thanks for the Chapter.
Is it updated regularly? Also what is release schedule
Creo que he leído el manhwa, talvez lo esté confundiendo.. 🤔