Chapter 109: Selection
After the parents left, Raven returned to his bedroom and entered the memory library.
"So, what is your plan?" Zera appeared in her illusionary elven form.
"I'm planning to separate them based on their affinities and train them with the help of Sepoy Mercenaries. Then, I'm thinking of making these kids my first Elite Squad. This Elite Squad will have 12 Knights, four Mages, two Rangers, two Healers, and two Rogues."
"Healers?" Zera blinked her eyes in surprise.
"This world. No, this continent has no healing-type magic spells other than alchemic potions. But I see many unique spells in the Memory Library that can heal and even reattach arms and limbs in seconds. I want to utilize them wisely and raise the chance of survival of my Elite Squad in combat." Raven said solemnly.
"It seems you are still thinking of a way to heal your aunt's hand."
"Of course, I would. Although Aunt Shirley smiled on the outside, I saw the sadness in her heart. She is a Knight, after all. That's why I will try my best to find a way to cure her hand. When I skimmed through the memories related to Charles Nightwind, I saw Runeth making clones with the knowledge he received from Charles's home planet and even succeeded. If creating a whole body is possible through experiment, there is no way I can't heal my aunt's hand. Also, Charles's Soul Flame and Rebirth Flames can even heal injured souls. So, I'll use everything to regrow my aunt's hand." A resolution look appeared in his eyes.
"Haa, you are completely different from the Rulers I know. I wonder what this world saw in you to give the Ruler's Domination skill."
"What is different?" Raven tilted his head in confusion.
"An Emperor will choose to sacrifice his family for the sake of the Empire. But from what I see, you seem like someone who would even sacrifice the Empire for family's sake."
"If I can consider all the people of the Empire as my family, the problem will be solved, right?"
"That stupid mouth of yours truly knows how to play with words." Zera couldn't help but sigh.
Meanwhile, Raven shrugged his shoulder and moved towards the area where 'Knight Techniques' were stored on a shelf. Then, he memorized the best Knight Techniques in all elements and moved towards the bookshelf where weapon techniques were stored.
'First, I need to select a few sword techniques.' Raven skimmed through the books and muttered.
'Heavy Blade Technique is for Pierce, Wind Serpent Strike is for Lorelai,…' He chose weapon techniques individually for everyone and then moved towards the area where Wizard Elemental Circlets were stored.
After memorizing four more techniques, Raven left the Memory Library and started writing them in empty notebooks.
He then went downstairs and met with Emanuel.
"Is it possible to accommodate twenty graduates in the mansion and train them?" He asked.
"No, My Lord. But there is almost a half-acre of empty land behind the mansion. It belongs to Count, but he put it on sale for a long time. But due to the high cost and being an isolated place with no proper path, nobody showed interest."
'I never surveyed the mansion's surroundings.'
"How much does it cost?" Raven asked. Half an acre of land should be enough even to build a small manor, so Raven inquired about the price.
"It should be around 4000 to 5000 gold coins, My Lord," Emanuel said.
"Buy it. We can clear the space and make it into a training ground. As for accommodation, we can turn the second-floor rooms into temporary dorms."
"Yes, My Lord." Emanuel nodded.
"If possible, contact a skilled Architect and try to build quarters for Knights and Servants in the remaining space. Also, buy all the necessary things for the training hall." Raven said solemnly.
"Yes, My Lord."
"How long will it take?" Raven asked.
"As long as we increase the large workforce, we can finish both buildings in 8 to 12 months, My Lord."
'Oh? Too long.'
In truth, he never planned on staying in Giaris for more than a decade. Once he recaptured Azmar Town, he planned to shift everything there and focus on developing it.
'But I need to recapture it first.' For that, he needed a temporary base here.
"Do it. I also heard that some Official Walkers are willing to work as construction workers to lift heavy materials as long as we pay double the salary. You can hire them too. I want the construction to be done in 6 months."
"Yes, My Lord." Emanuel nodded solemnly.
[And you should focus on increasing one of the Mercenaries' strengths to Expert Rank.] Zera said in his mind.
'Expert Rank? Are you saying there might be an Expert in that place?' Raven couldn't help but ask.
[What do we even know about that town? We know nothing besides the Falcons having something to do with that place. And let me ask you another question. How many Expert Knights does a Count Spade have? Is that silver-armored Knight the only one under him? Why didn't he send help when the Holmes Family was in danger?] Zera's question made Raven ponder deeply.
'It's better to be careful, huh?'
[Correct.]
After giving Emanuel a few more orders, Raven returned to his room and focused on transcribing all the techniques to notebooks.
The next day,
Raven sat by the large oak table in his study, the early morning sunlight casting long shadows across the room.
The soft rustle of footsteps outside his door alerted him. Raven glanced up just as Emanuel entered, holding a leather-bound folder.
"My Lord," Emanuel said, his voice as steady as ever. "The parents and their children are waiting."
Raven gave a sharp nod and stored tens of books placed on the table in the inventory. He rose from his chair and straightened his tunic before heading toward the guest hall.
Upon entering, the atmosphere shifted immediately. Everyone's eyes turned to Raven, their gazes filled with anticipation, curiosity, and underlying tension. The parents stood as one, offering the same respectful bow they had given him the day before. Raven offered a polite nod.
"Please, take your seats," Raven said, his voice smooth but commanding. As he seated himself at the head of the long wooden table, the parents settled into their chairs. In the meantime, the graduates stood in the side and patiently waited.
"The contracts are ready, My Lord."
Emanuel said as he stood behind Raven, holding the contract papers.
Nodding, Raven adjusted his monocle, looking over the families quietly. They were all from commoner backgrounds, but their children had the potential to become something extraordinary.
'In the future, I'll turn all these families into noble households and let them become my vassals.'
While thinking far ahead, Raven began to speak. "The terms remain as I outlined. The initial contract is for 20 years, with a monthly salary of three gold coins. Once they become Radiant Walkers, their contract is extended to 80 years, with a monthly salary increase of 10 gold coins. If they achieve the rank of Expert Knight during the extended period, the contract will be extended to 150 years, with a monthly salary of 20 gold coins. You guys have no problem with that, right?"
"We've no problem with the contract, My Lord." A middle-aged man said with a nod while others nodded in unison.
"Then, let's sign the contract right away," Raven ordered as Emanuel went forward and started distributing the contract papers with Royal seal to all the parents.
After a thorough review, the parents signed the contracts as legal guardians, followed by the graduate students as the primary parties to the agreement. If the students had been over 16, Raven wouldn't have needed to involve their parents in the contracting process.
'According to the Empire Laws, these kids are still minors. That's why I needed the approval of their parents.' Only the Army and Crows Misery Academy were allowed to take minors as trainees and students.
As the final student signed, Raven stood up. "The contract has been established. I will allow your children to visit home once a week. So, don't worry about them. They will stay in the mansion and train under Sepoy Mercenaries for the rest of the days. You can also visit the mansion in the evening if you want to."
Everyone's face was brightened up.
The parents bowed once more before leaving, each showing a satisfied smile.
Once they were gone, Raven turned to the graduated students and smiled.
"Emanuel, you can leave now. I want to talk to them personally." He spoke.
"Yes, My Lord." Emanuel nodded as he collected the contracted papers from the graduates and hurriedly left the room.
Raven looked at the graduates and furrowed.
"There are only 18 of you here, huh? What happened to the other two? Leonard and Kyle, right?" He asked.
A blonde-haired girl with amber eyes stepped forward and answered.
"Leonard went to the Royal Capital to participate in the Crows Misery Admission test, My Lord. Kyle said he isn't interested in serving a fallen noble and is planning to join Lord Count's army."
'Oh, both also have a little above average score among the kids. When they realize how bad their decision is, they will surely regret it.' But Raven wasn't a saint to give them another choice. What he offered was best among all the other nobles' offers.
'Hmm, then I should re-arrange my plan. There will be 10 Knights, 2 Rogues, 2 Rangers, 2 Healers, and Four Mages. I will put Rebecca and Roland on this team to replace the other two. Ronald will be a Strategist, and Rebecca will be a hidden trump card.'
"Edgar, step forward," Raven ordered.
As soon as he spoke, a boy with a lean yet sturdy build stepped forward. His dark brown hair was cut short, and his sharp brown eyes radiated determination. He wore simple but well-maintained clothing and held a sword at his waist.
"Yes, My Lord," Edgar said, bowing deeply.
"How long have you been training in the sword?" Raven asked.
"For five years, My Lord," Edgar responded.
Raven looked at him deeply and shook his head.
"You are not suitable to wield a sword. Go to the left side and stand there."
A startled look appeared on Edgar's face. Although he wanted to argue back as he did with his teachers, he bit his lips and slowly moved toward the left side with disappointment.
"Augustus," Raven called out.
A black-haired boy with deep blue eyes and thin eyebrows appeared before him and bowed his head. He was only around 140 cm, shortest among all the graduates, and looked solemn.
"What type of weapon do you use?" Raven asked.
"Longsword, My Lord."
"You are better suited for a rogue than a Knight or a Warrior. How did the teacher not even look at the basics of the body suitability?" Raven shook his head and added.
"You don't have any affinity for swordsmanship, but I will train you to become one. Dagger or Shortsword?"
Although startled, the black-haired kid named Augustus pondered only momentarily and answered.
"I can manage with a shortsword, My Lord. Dagger is too short to even consider as a weapon."
"Good." Raven nodded his head and waved his hand. Three books appeared out of thin air and landed on his hand.
"This is a Rogue Class technique called 'The Shadow Stalker Art.' It's an uncommon technique and has five base skills. From now on, you will be practicing this technique."
Murmurs erupted within the group of graduates as a technique with five base skills considered top-notch and could be considered Nobles' secret techniques.
As Augustus grabbed the book with a dumbfounded look, Raven took the second book and gave it to him.
"This one is a weapon technique called 'Phantom Wraith.' It has three skills: Flickering Edge, Wraith Dash, and Phantom Echo. If you combine this weapon technique with the Rogue Technique, the strength behind your attack skills will be doubled." Raven paused momentarily and then added the third book while giving them.
"And this is the promised 'Uncommon Spirit Technique' called 'Mystic Spirit Convergence.' Unlike the other two techniques, this one will be the same for everyone."
"T-Thank you, My Lord!" At first, Augustus doubted Raven's words. But as he looked at the two techniques, he instantly realized they were real.
"You can go to the main hall and wait over there. Reece will guide you from today onwards." Raven then turned his gaze towards a slightly obese boy with blonde hair and hazel eyes.
"Memphis, go and stand with Edgar."
Without even giving the panicking face of Memphis, Raven shifted his attention towards another boy with short, auburn hair.
"Jeffery." He paused for a moment and added.
"Go and stand with Edgar."
Saying so, he turned his gaze towards the blonde-haired girl with blue eyes. She had a lean body and appeared around 150 cm tall.
"Fiona, come forward."
"Yes, My Lord." The wavy blonde-haired girl named Fiona stepped forward and arrived before him.
"What weapon do you use?" Raven asked.
"Sword, My Lord," Fiona said stiffly.
"No wonder you scored below average in practical skills," Raven said solemnly and added.
"You'll be training with Felicity from now on. And throw away your sword and pick up a bow."
"B-But I'm not good with bow and arrows, sir. I trained for more than two months but found no progress. I also tried spears, longswords, daggers, and even axes. My teacher said I barely have some talent in swordsmanship and no talent in any other weapons." Fiona responded while gripping her sword tight.
[It's more like she has the talent to memorize and replicate the sword moves. As for other weapons like spears, bows and arrows, longswords, daggers, and axes, she first needed to get comfortable with the weapon. But giving two months to get accustomed to a weapon is not enough.]
'But she should've shown her talent in archery, right?' Raven furrowed.
[Her strength might be the problem. Archers need strength the most. Look at her body. She is lean and appears malnutritional.] Zera said.
Her words startled Raven greatly.
'Is she from a poor family background?'
[No way. She couldn't have attended the Spade Knights Academy with its high fees if she had a poor background. She must be a picky eater.]
'Haa, now I need even to make her eat more?' Raven felt like he was going to be a babysitter.
"You lack strength. From now on, you need to eat proper food. As for your training routine, you'll be training in Archery for the next year with the manuals I'm giving you." He said as he passed the three books to Fiona and added.
"Until then, you cannot pick up any other weapons. Go and stand in the main hall."
Saying so, he turned his gaze towards a silver-haired kid with blue eyes.
"Brynn, come forward. What are you good at?"
The silver-haired boy stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and spoke.
"I've trained as a spearman from childhood and also learned horsemanship, My Lord."
'Oh? Spearman, huh?'
"Hmm, you go and stand with Edgar and others."
A disappointed look appeared on the boy's face, but he didn't say a word and quietly moved to the side where Edgar and others were standing.
"Next, Pierce."
As he ordered, a black-haired boy with deep blue eyes and a muscular body stepped forward.
"You will be training in swordsmanship from now on. Marcellus will personally teach you." Raven said while giving him three books and turned towards the group again.
"Lorelai, you will be using a spear as your weapon and will be guided by me." Saying so, he gave three books to the blonde-haired girl with an oval face and pale white skin and sent her out.
"Lian, you will be training swordsmanship with Pierce…"
"Albert, you will be training spearmanship with Lorelai…"
"Jamie, go and stand with Edgar and others…."
"Miley and Alexis. Go and stand with Edgar…"
"Weston, you will be learning dagger arts like Augustus…"
"Scot, you will be using the sword as your main weapon and training under Marcellus." In truth, Raven thought of making Scot a Rogue due to his shadow affinity. But seeing him have a 'High' rank sword affinity, he changed his mind.
As he sent a brown-haired kid with red eyes, Raven turned his gaze towards the next person. It was a boy with unique rainbow eyes and grey hair.
'He also has a unique Fate affinity. What should I do with him?' He couldn't help but ponder.
[He can be a good strategist like Ronald as long as he learns to read the fate lines of a person, lad. It's more like Astronomy, but even the Memory library doesn't have much information about this pathway. But Charles's mother was a 'Fate Reader.']
Raven recalled the memories of Charles's mother. Although Runeth hadn't met his mother, he heard a lot from Charles about how she even managed to win against a devil named Red Prince and saved Charles by sacrificing herself.
'A strategist, huh? However, even the Memory Library has less information about the Fate Pathway. A person capable of peering into one's fate is a rare ability. If I awaken his ability, he will become a perfect Ranger.' He pondered for a moment and spoke.
"You will be training with Fiona under the guidance of Felicity."
"Drake, come forth." Raven looked at the red-haired kid for a moment and added.
"Go and join Edgar and others." Saying so, he turned his gaze towards the last guy on his right side. He was a boy with golden brown hair and black eyes and wore spectacles.
"You will be training as a swordsman under the guidance of Marcellus from now on." Saying so, he gave three books to him while explaining in detail.
'I selected four swordsmen, two rogues, two Rangers, and two spearmen.' Raven furrowed his brows and looked at the rest of the members.
'What should I do with the rest?' Raven only needed four mages among these people.
[Choose the one with basic elements to become Knights. As you become a high-rank alchemist, it will be much harder to concoct special elemental affinity potions.]
'Won't choosing them as Mage be better?' Raven couldn't help but ask.
[Wrong. Mages with special and unique affinities are hard to get and could become your aces. Also, the ones with two elemental affinities are rare too.]
Raven nodded in understanding.
[Also, let one of the kids with Fire affinity become a healer. The Healer will also be learning other fire spells, but two of his spells must be from 'Rebirth Flame' and Soul Fire.]
'Oh?' Raven nodded thoughtfully and decided to select Knight candidates first.
"Memphis, Jeffery, Jamie, Miley, and Edgar. Go and stay in the next room." He sent five of them away, like discarding them, causing their face to pale.
At that moment, only three people were standing. One was a boy named Brynn, the silver-haired kid with blue eyes; the second was a boy named Alexis, he was a tall guy with chestnut hair, a heart-shaped chubby face, and azure eyes; and the final one was a boy named Drake, a red-haired kid with beautiful amber eyes.
"Brynn, you don't have any affinities with weapons. But you already learned horsemanship and even have an above-average score in battle tactics. I'll make you a good spearman if you follow my teaching well. You can also learn Swordsmanship from Marcellus if you'd like. What do you think?"
"I choose to learn spearmanship from you, My Lord." He said firmly and knelt on one knee.
A smile appeared on Raven's face.
"Go and stand in the main hall with others." Saying so, he took three books out of thin air and gave them to him.
Then, he turned his gaze towards the boy named Alexis.
"A son of a Police Officer, huh? But instead of following your father's path, why did you become a Knight of a fallen noble?"
A forced smile appeared on Alexis's face.
"Even if I become a police officer, I can barely become a Head Constable and retire, My Lord. But your offer gave me a chance to become a powerful knight. My father said the spirit technique you offer me is worth more than his lifetime earnings."
"Your father is indeed smart. What are you specializing in?"
"Sword, My Lord. But I prefer Rapier-type sword most."
'Rapier, huh?' Raven took three books from his inventory and tossed them to him.
"The first book is Flameborne Fencing Art, a unique sword technique for rapier-type weapons…" Raven then gave him a short explanation about his Knight Technique and assigned him to Marcellus.
Then, he finally turned his attention towards the red-haired boy with amber eyes.
"Drake, right?"
"Yes, My Lord. My father is working in the Hospital as a Doctor…"
As he started to introduce himself, Raven looked at his body status.
[Hmm, why not make him as a healer?]
'There aren't any light spells with healing, though.' Raven furrowed. In truth, only four elements had healing-type spells among all the elements.
First was the Fire. Yes, Fire was an element that could do more harm to others than good. Raven thought of the same, too. But after he read Runeth's memories about Charles, his perception of 'Fire' changed completely.
The 'Fire' was divided into seven types. They were Chaos Fire, Lawful Fire, Soul Fire, Rebirth Fire, Hell Fire or Wicked Fire, False Fire, and Mind Fire. Among these seven types of fire, two were capable of healing factors.
'Soul Fire can heal common injuries to even detached limbs by creating new cells through one's life energy. Although it consumes one's lifespan a bit upon use, its healing ability is no joke. When one comprehends the soul fire to a higher level, one can even heal one's injured soul. And Rebirth Fire is capable of regeneration and repair. When one comprehends this fire, one can cast a spell called 'Rebirth.' The same spell saved me from my death after I was assassinated.'
The Second was the Water type spells. A unique water type called 'Celestial Water' can heal one's wounds and even purify diseases.
The third was the Nature-type spells. It uses the life force of the plants to heal people.
And finally, the last one was the 'Life' type spells. A unique element capable of using one's life force and healing others.
[Yes, a Light spell can't heal a wound by regenerating tissues or bones. But it can cure many curse-type diseases. It can burn mysterious and very minute beings, which are the root cause of the diseases.]
'Oh? I didn't know light affinity spells could be used this way.'
[In truth, light affinity is a basic element, but it's rare among the masses. The gods of the Edhen World always took the ones with Light affinities into their factions and nurtured them to show the world as saviors.]
Raven nodded in understanding and spoke.
"I've changed my mind. Follow me to the next room." Raven spoke as he walked out of the guest room.
He saw Emanuel standing outside solemnly and holding the file containing contract papers.
"Emanuel, go bring Rebecca and Ronald to the next room." Raven gave him an order and moved to the room on the right side where Edgar and others were waiting.
Raven soon met with the other five kids and patiently waited.