Some of the minks that entered had varying body types and looked to be strong as the result of training or due to their bloodline which gave them a strong physique but many of them carried a sword or two swords on their waists which had been sheathed while some carried a different type of weapon.
Many of them had an intimidating aura on them as if they had faced many life and death battles while some displayed a more neat appearance and aura but some of them could not be easily underestimated.
The old man continued as they entered the room. "This is how this will work. The children will each be given the chance to choose from those that have volunteered to serve them and that person is expected to serve by their masters side for the rest of their lives and swear an oath of loyalty to them. From then they will be their official knight, sword, guard, shield or anything you want to call yourselves. So step forward and stand in front of the person that you wish to serve."
Each of them had either volunteered or had been sent from the branch families or lesser ranked noble families to serve as the sword of the children of the main bloodline but many of them seemed to come with their own expectations as they wished to serve the heir which would provide the most benefits and a better life for themselves.
Some people may have even been sent by the mothers maternal family to provide their children with a better sword and other resources but only one could be chosen per child.
They would become the direct sword or guardians of the children and protect, fight for and possibly train if the child wished to learn from them but among the places that they would be placed, there was a chance that the second male child would benefit from the selection the most because of the twin sister by his side.
The result was quite obvious as many had decided to offer up their sword to the eldest sister and brother of the family while Pixel's amount of volunteers was quite pitiful while there was a large group that had volunteered for both the youngest brother and sister which was just as big as the eldest sister and brother.
Pixel could feel the strong hand of her mother grip tighter onto her small hand and she quickly sensed her mothers unease and shame so she squeezed her hand back to get her attention and comfort her. 'It will be fine.'
The eldest daughter proudly raised her head overlooked the crowd that stood before her and then started thinking to herself which showed that she was carefully considering who to choose.
The eldest son looked around the crowd before choosing someone right away as if he had decided or had someone else decide for him before it had even been arranged as a mink stepped forward dressed in neat and clean clothing that belonged to a noble with a rapier on his waist.
The mink knelt down and kissed the small hand of the first son of the family to complete the process of them becoming master and their own sword.
The result showed that while the eldest son did seem arrogant, he still followed his mothers wishes or advice before making any decisions for himself while the eldest sister had thought for herself and considered those she would choose more carefully even if she was a little indifferent or proud in the way she carried herself.
Pixel looked towards the three people that she could choose from and she then spoke up. "If possible could you tell me about your previous profession or lifestyle before this and display what you can do-kachu~."
The first bowed elegantly but he had a weird look in his eyes as he looked towards her which she did not like. "I come from a lesser noble family and have been trained in the noble fencing style. I am an illegitimate child so I could not inherit to I have come to seek out a master."
Ash tightened her grip on her hand twice which meant to reject him and Pixel had agreed with her mother but had watched him show off his fancy and elegant swordsmanship which looked beautiful but showed his inexperience for combat since his style lacked any sort of substance and could only be put to use for showing off at parties or for basic self defence against those weaker and with no combat experience.
She continued to watch his display patiently and then was polite as she spoke. "Thank you-chu~ but I still have to ask the rest before I can decide. Next please."
However in her mind she thought to herself. 'The look he gave me was not very nice and he seems to have his own intentions for approaching me so it would be best to decline.'
He was an illegitimate child from a lesser noble family that was seemed to be inexperienced with combat so he was already useless to her but his eyes made her uneasy as if he wished to use her to elevate his status or at least gain some kind of benefit from being by her side even if he did not seem to respect her or wish to carry out his duties and risk his life for her.
Maybe he expected her to be an easy target since she was young and took advantage of the fact that not many had stepped up to become her sword so she seemed easy to manipulate and mould to his liking but Ash and Pixel had seen through him.
Next was a mink who had dressed in black rags and had a single edged sword on his waist which looked quite old and quite damaged but he was older than the others that has been in the room.
He seemed to remain calm and serene as he spoke. "This old man is just a wandering mercenary who is too old to get decent work now without risking my life for a small payment and need a place to rest."
He stated his intentions right away and knew that his age was a problem but he continued to display his sharp and fast swordsmanship which was very precise and deadly.
Her mother did not make any movement as she was still considering the old man but Pixel quite liked the old mans honesty and swordsmanship over the benefits of having a more youthful and energetic guard. 'The main purpose of this test seems to be to test the children ability to decide for themselves but also pick a suitable person to serve as their loyal sword whether they can risk their lives for their owner or not. There is also the word sword which grandfather has named them, depending on how they are used… a sword can be used to guard oneself or harm others.. some remain tough and sharp while others may rust and become discarded for a new one. For this old man… it would probably give me a lower score if I chose him since he wishes to relax and set up roots here while he lives out the rest of his life rather than risking his life at any given moment. There is also that once I grow up, he may have passed away or become unable to defend me anymore so he would have to be replaced. Hmm..'
The next person to step forward had a youthful appearance and looked quite experienced in combat as he had a slight murderous aura around him and he spoke very few words. "I am a sword. Nothing more."
As he displayed his swordsmanship, he displayed a fierce type of movement one after another as he stabbed and slashed out like an experienced assassin.
He seemed to be a person of few words and quite serious in his role but Pixel and Ash felt a little uneasy about him.
Pixel then thought to herself. "One is useless and wishes to use me.. another is old and wishes to do the same but is honest about it and finally there is a young and skilled sword but… I want a sword and not a dagger even if he would be by my side for many years so..'
She did not know the origins of the person and they had too murderous of a style which showed they had experienced killing many times at a young age to develop their skills to that level.
His murderous aura and devotion towards his task kind of reminded her of the members of Team Rocket that she had often encountered in her previous life who always resorted to underhanded tricks and even betrayed those that they no longer found useful.
She then raised her hand up and pointed towards the old man that had the appearance of a raccoon. "I choose you-chu~"