If it weren't for seeing it with their own eyes, no one would probably believe that there could be a knight so powerful in this world. It was as if it existed only in legends.
Without guessing, Eileen also knew that tonight, there would be countless young girls at Salty Fish Port dreaming of their crush. Even though this powerful knight himself didn't have the consciousness of being a strong knight and was even a little cowardly, it didn't stop the teenage girls from dreaming, right?
The final result was naturally without suspense. Count Caspar obediently fulfilled his promise and publicly swore allegiance to Eileen. After all, even if he didn't consider the reputation loss from breaking the promise, he still had to consider the situation where Eileen would be furious on the spot, and then Gray would take action.
He didn't think that his subordinates could protect him well from Gray's attack.
After the oath was over, Count Caspar left with his entourage in high spirits.
The moonlight was gentle, and the firelight flickered.
Among the cheers of everyone, Eileen stood quietly on the stage without even a smile on her face. She just looked silently at the four bodies lying on the side, covered with white cloth.
Every knight present was filled with relief of surviving the ordeal, except for Gray, who stood still with his horse, and no one knew what kind of expression he had.
In fact, a skeleton doesn't have an expression at all.
...
Late at night, the fire in the brazier was still crackling. The audience had scattered and left a mess behind.
The injured were all taken for treatment, and the few who were lightly injured had already returned. The remaining horses and men, including Gray and Pass, gathered together. They didn't do much, just chatting randomly.
Gray sat there dazed, answering questions without much thought.
"Where are you from? I can't hear your accent at all."
"Um...can I not answer that?"
"Can you take off your mask? I want to know what you look like, being such a powerful person."
"No, I can't."
"How did you train? Can you teach me?"
"That might be difficult."
"Do you never take off your mask?"
"No."
"Well, you still have to eat and drink, right? Can you really go without food and water? Hahaha."
The knights around burst into laughter. Gray sat there quietly, motionless and silent. Gradually, the atmosphere became a little awkward.
Following Gray's gaze, everyone looked towards the distance.
In the center of the square, Eileen was kneeling alone, hands clasped together, praying for the four deceased knights with closed eyes.
Perhaps Gray wasn't a good conversation partner after all. The knights gradually dispersed, leaving only Pas sitting beside Gray. He was shirtless, and the bandages on his arms and thighs were stained with blood.
All the fighting personnel in the team, except for Gray and Horsche who didn't participate, were more or less injured.
"What is she doing?" Gray asked.
"She's praying."
"Praying...what's that?"
"You don't even know what prayer is?"
Gray thought seriously for a moment and then shook his head.
Pas furrowed his brow and looked at Gray for a long time. After confirming that Gray was not joking and was really asking for his advice, he whispered, "Are you from the north?"
After a pause, Pas whispered, "I heard that there are barbarians living with orcs beyond the Ice and Snow City. Although they are also human, their pupils are green, their skin is pale, and they almost have no blood, but they are incredibly strong. They are all cursed by the Holy Spirit. So, they don't believe in religion. People who don't believe in religion naturally don't need to pray. You refused to take off your mask, refused to reveal your identity, and don't know how to pray... Are you from there?"
Gray did not answer, just looked at Pas quietly.
Seeing that Gray did not answer, Pas showed a cunning look, smiled, and lowered his voice, "Don't worry, I won't report you. I also hope you can join our mercenary group. We need an excellent vanguard... well, you are about to be knighted, and it's probably impossible to join our mercenary group. But it doesn't matter, let's be friends. I don't care whether others believe or not, I'm not a priest, it's none of my business. But it's right that you didn't reveal your identity. I can accept it, but others may not. It would be troublesome if you met someone who wouldn't accept it."
After speaking, he had a look of "Don't worry, I know what to do" and gently patted Gray's shoulder.
Gray's soul fire flickered with question marks. Even if he was a lich, would he not be accepted as a human? So, what kind of logic were humans living by? This racial discrimination was too serious, wasn't it?
On the contrary, the world of liches was much simpler. Whether it was a lizard or a dragon, as long as they didn't cause trouble, liches treated them equally. After all, what was more important than magical experiments?
Gray couldn't help but miss the underworld.
Unfortunately, he definitely couldn't go back. Unless he could defeat Brutu, but that was clearly impossible.
...
At the end of the prayer, when Eileen opened her eyes and let go of her hands, Abe Robert was already standing in front of her, handing her a water bottle.
Taking the water bottle, Eileen unscrewed the lid and drank a sip.
"Did you ask him everything?"
"No. He didn't say anything and seemed to be deliberately concealing his identity." Abe Robert turned his head and glanced at Gray from afar. "We can't force him. I even started to worry about what if the mask is removed and it turns out to be an elf, not a human."
Looking at Gray, who was sitting dumbfounded from afar, Eileen took a deep breath and whispered, "We need him. With only Count Casper's support, we don't have the capital to negotiate with the king. Besides, Casper is not sincerely supporting me..."
"But he hasn't even shown his face, so we don't know his true identity, let alone his past."
"This is exactly what I'm worried about. How could there be a knight so powerful in this world without even having an official knighthood? It feels as if the Holy Spirit specifically arranged for him to be here waiting for us, which is unbelievable."
...
"By the way, what are the iron door and chain for?"
In the distance, Gray and Pas were still chatting away.
"I haven't participated in a step battle before."
"Yes, you've told me that."
"When I saw them sparring on the field, I realized that I wouldn't be able to beat them with a sword. So I thought, I need to find a way to keep them from touching me."
"So you brought that big iron door just to climb on it?"
"Yes, I can easily jump on it, but they may not be able to climb up."
"What about the iron chain?"
"I also need a long-range weapon. After thinking about it, the iron chain is the most suitable. I can whip them from a distance. Although my aim is not accurate enough, I'm sure I'll hit them if I whip them enough times."
Pas burst out laughing.
Who would have thought that such a big iron door and thick iron chain would be used like this?
"But what if they use arrows?" Pas asked.
"Arrows?" Gray was surprised. "We can use arrows in the competition?"
"Of course, any weapon can be used, but no one chooses arrows because they're not a good weapon for close-range combat, whether it's step battle or horse battle. Of course, if you play like this, it's a different story."
Gray lowered his head and thought for a long time before saying, "It's okay, they won't be able to kill me with arrows. The witch doctor is not afraid of arrows." But this was obviously impossible, so he could only nervously say, "I don't know, I never thought they would use arrows."
At this, Pas laughed heartily. "If Caspar knew, he would be furious. He wasted so much time on something that could have been solved with a bow, only to lose in the end. Hahaha."
...
Watching Pas sitting with Gray, laughing loudly from a distance, Eileen whispered, "Talk to the mercenaries. We'll hire them again and pay them back in White City. They shouldn't suspect that I can't pay the money, right?"
"Certainly not."
"Other people don't have to go with us, but this captain called Pas must go with us. If he can't ride a horse, we'll hire a carriage for him."
"Understood."
...
At this moment, in the study, Count Caspar was furious.
"Where did this knight come from? He's not one of Eileen's attendants, nor a vassal of the Bechel family, nor even a mercenary. Who is he? Are you all useless? Why didn't you gather any information beforehand? Or do you want to see me embarrassed? Huh?"
He poured a glass of wine onto one of his subordinates' faces, and the subordinate's face turned red, bowing his head, not daring to say a word.
The other subordinates didn't dare to say a word either, and they all unconsciously stepped back.
The study door opened, and the butler hurriedly walked in from outside, clearly startled by the messy study.
"Do you have any news?" Turning his head, Count Caspar looked at the butler with anger in his eyes. "You'd better tell me something useful."
"Yes, I have some leads, but I'm not sure if they're useful," the butler said hesitantly.
"Leads? Then tell me."
The butler's gaze shifted to the others.
Count Caspar nodded knowingly and said, "Everyone, get out."
The group of subordinates felt like they had been granted amnesty and quickly left the study, closing the door behind them.
Count Caspar snorted twice, looking at the butler. "Speak!"
The butler bowed carefully, coughed twice, and whispered, "I've carefully investigated Eileen's attendants, the Bechel family's former vassals, and several major families, and there's really no one named Gray. This matches what we found out. The Red Scorpion mercenary group also doesn't have any mercenaries named Gray. To confirm this, I even had one of their old customers inquire discreetly. There really is no such person."
"Do you know what? The things you're saying are the same as those stupid people I just kicked out."
The butler was taken aback and hurriedly continued, "I also found out that this knight appeared in a tavern outside the city last night, participated in gambling, won a lot of money, and had a fight with a group of ruffians. Many people saw it, and the Red Scorpion mercenary group was also present. From their accounts, it appears that the Red Scorpion group doesn't know that knight, and Captain Pas even wanted to invite him to join the mercenary group. But the knight named Gray didn't agree on the spot. This confirms our intelligence. So far, all the intelligence we have obtained has no contradictions. We can say that this is the truth."
"Ha ha." The Count Casper sneered and said, "Then tell me, if they have no relationship, why did he help Eileen? The impression he gives people is that he came specifically to participate in this competition. Do you understand what I mean?"
"Very likely... it is just as we see on the surface, he only wants a knight's title."
"If he wants a knight's title, why doesn't he come to me? Can't I give it to him?"
The butler hesitated for a moment and said in a low voice, "My respected Count, there's something I'm not sure if I should tell you."
"Speak."
"In fact, he came to see you this morning... But our two gatekeepers chased him away..."
Upon hearing this, Count Caspar's cheeks twitched twice, and his eyes widened.
"His armor is new but outdated in style and poor in quality. The horse he rides has a centuries-old style of horse armor that is now almost obsolete. And he hardly ever takes off his mask. These characteristics are very rare, so it's unlikely to be a mistake, I think..."
"Wait!" Caspar suddenly raised his hand. "You mean, this is really a powerful, unknown knight without a title, who wants to become a knight and happened to come to Salt Fish Port, intending to pledge loyalty to me, but was driven away by my stupid gatekeepers. In the end, he turned to that girl Eileen and ruined my plan. Is that what you mean?"
"I'm afraid so, my Lord Count..."
At this moment, Count Caspar's mood could not just be described as furious. His face was as red as a pig's liver, and he couldn't recover for a long time while clutching his chest. He stuttered and finally gasped, "Go, hang those two fools up and beat them! No, help me up, I want to do it myself!"
"On what charge?"
"No need for any charge!"
...
In the middle of the night, the castle's courtyard echoed with screams of misery.
Gray stretched his neck and looked far away.
Torches were erected in the corner of the courtyard, and two figures were hanging. Count Caspar did not hesitate to whip them fiercely in front of Eileen and her knights, shouting like a pig being slaughtered.
"Gray."
Gray turned around and saw Eileen and Abe Robert standing behind him. He quickly stood up and saluted.
"Hello, my knight," Eileen said softly. "Your courage and strength have proven that you are qualified to become a knight of the Bechel family. The Bechel family is also ready to accept you. But before the official oath, can I ask you to take off your mask? As a loyal servant, I cannot just recognize you only when you take off your armor, right?"
The surrounding knights were all quietly observing, intentionally or unintentionally.
"Open...the visor?"
"Yes, open the visor," Eileen smiled and repeated.
"If I refuse to open the visor, do you not plan to fulfill your promise to grant me the title of knight?" Gray asked seriously.
The surrounding knights all turned their heads disappointingly, and Eileen was even more stunned.
"Not really. But are you sure you want to keep wearing the visor and never take it off for the rest of your life?"
"Actually...yes," Gray replied seriously.
The surrounding knights all laughed helplessly, with a hint of embarrassment.
Gray's strangeness had deeply impressed everyone. But this answer still surprised Eileen.
Originally, she planned to ask about Gray's past after he took off the visor. After all, no lord would accept someone's loyalty without knowing anything about them.
You know, this is risky. What if he's a wanted criminal in some country?
If it were a usual time, Eileen would probably refuse Gray's loyalty without hesitation. But now was not a usual time.
Gray silently looked at Eileen.
No one could see his expression, but his attitude was clear enough, leaving no room for negotiation. If Eileen refused to immediately grant him the title of knight, the next moment he would turn around and leave without hesitation.
After a long silence, Eileen looked up, smiled, and said to Gray, "Okay, I will fulfill my promise and grant you the title of knight."