Now comes the most interesting part: the knights. Well, I'm only speaking about knights, not about mages. I haven't seen a single word about mages in books or heard anything in conversations. I want to ask my mom about mages, but how would I explain if she asks where I heard about them? Even if I replied and said I read it in some random book, she might not believe it because she herself has read all the books in the library. She knows most of them, and if I started reading at just two years old, it would be beyond the realm of genius. They might put me on a stick and fire it up. My mom and dad might not do that, but what if some random servant tells outsiders? Authorities could come and cause a lot of trouble. So, for now, mages will stay at the back of my mind.
Let's get back to the knights. Knights are powerful as fuck. When I was first able to go behind the castle—my mom took me there—I saw 50 or 60 people wielding their swords in unison. Man, their speed was beyond anything I'd ever seen in my previous life. They were cutting the air so fast that you could only see silver lines, moving in straight lines, sometimes up and down, sometimes horizontal. I was awestruck. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. 'Is this something a human could do?' That was the question in my mind at that time.
After their sword training, they bowed toward my mom. A muscular man came over, bowed, and talked with her, then left. After their rest, these knights started their weight training, and they trained like crazy. The unbelievable part was they were lifting weights of at least 2 tons. It baffled me to my core. My soul screamed, 'I want to be that strong, no, stronger than that.'
After that incident, I always sneaked in to watch them, though the maid always caught me. When mom found out that I sneaked away to the training ground, she thought I might like knights because I always read those knight storybooks or picture books. So she assigned a maid to bring me there every morning. After watching them spar and hearing their experiences, I learned a lot about knights and the outside world. In this world, knights are very powerful and can go beyond mortal boundaries.
From what I learned, there are knight rankings or a power system: Bronze Knight -> Silver Knight -> Gold Knight -> Legendary Knight. It starts with Bronze Knight. When a person trains their body very hard, they slowly start to form a core in their lower abdomen. When that matures and becomes bronze-like in color, you are promoted to Bronze Knight and get a massive boost in your strength. To become a knight, you not only need hard training but also sufficient nutrients. The most optimal food is beast meat. That's why not everyone can become a knight because beast meat is expensive.
Becoming a knight requires food, training, and talent. Without talent, you can never become a knight. Though there are some exceptions—some people become knights through sheer hard work, but their progress is very slow. Even if they break through to Bronze rank, reaching Silver rank through hard work alone is nearly impossible. The more talent you have, the faster you will breakthrough. The youngest Bronze rank in the kingdom is the second prince, Edmund Thornvale, who broke through to Bronze rank at 16 years old. Most people break through at the age of 18-20, depending on their talent. In Bronze rank, a person can easily lift 500kg - 700kg. Strength, agility, and perception depend on the profession chosen. Knights who wield swords focus on agility and strength, while archers or assassins focus more on perception and agility or dexterity.
The more you breakthrough, the more powerful your profession becomes. In Silver rank, a person can lift 1 ton to 5 tons. I haven't seen a Gold rank person training, but my guess is they can lift 10-20 tons. They are like superhumans with insane strength and speed that can break the sound barrier. Legendary knights are like gods—that's what I hear from the knights. No one has ever seen a legendary powerhouse. It's said our kingdom is protected by a legendary powerhouse, but no one has seen him.
The higher your rank, the longer your lifespan. For Bronze rank, the maximum lifespan is 150 years without injuries. For Silver rank, it's 250 years. For Gold rank, it's 500 years. Legendary beings can live up to 2000 years, which is insane.
Oh, before I forget, my father is a Gold Knight, and not just any Gold Knight—he is a fucking Elite Knight. Elite Knights are those who can fight opponents of the same realm, single-handedly or even two at a time. They are the most deadly opponents you can face in a war. Every Elite Knight is a commander, leading a knight corps in battle, so you can imagine how powerful they are.
Knowing this about my father fills me with both pride and awe.