Crocus, Kingdom of Fiore.
"Drinking up, lad!"
"Dawn! He is not a major yet!"
"Fuck that shit! He is strong enough to defeat a troop of Vulcans, he is strong enough to drink!"
I sighed amusedly as the knight captain laughed at his own word and dismissed the knight, Owen, who grumbled good-naturedly before sitting down beside us at the local tavern.
Despite his words, however, Dawn Skyler, the knight captain and leader of all the knights in the city, just below that fat bastard in authority, did not motion for the bartender to pass me anything strong.
Instead, it was a watered-down beer that was sweetened with honey and something else that was given to me.
Most probably, this is not the first time that the Knight Captain asked for something like this for a minor, and the bartender knew what to do in such cases.
By my side, Dawn picked up his jug and downed it in a single swing, just like Owen, the knight that I rescued from the Vulcans, did.
Looking at the jolly man, you would not think that he had the strength and authority to throw his corrupt superior straight into the sewers of the city when he heard of what happened.
Turns out, the fat pig was playing both sides for the sake of his own profit.
Knight Captain Dawn was promised by the pig that a request had already been sent to the prestigious guilds in the kingdom, and a hefty price of 500,000 jewels had already been posted for the missing knight's rescue.
On the other hand, he never posted such a request, and a measly low rank quest was posted in places outside the capital so that the Knight Captain would not know about it, with the measly pay of 1000 jewels.
It did not take a genius to realize that the pig had sneaked the rest of the payment into his own coffers.
In fact, the pig had intended for me to die on the mountain and then claim that the Vulcans were too strong for the 'prestigious mages' of the Kingdom and its guilds, which was the most hilariously stupid thing I have ever heard, but that is a topic for another time.
According to the plan, after my death, and the so-called failure of the guilds, the knights would have no choice but to move to save their comrade themselves, wiping the pig's hands clean of this mess and making his coffers fatter than before (Honestly, the holes in his plan are so big that a Wyvern can pass through them easily. another proof that the guy's top floor was completely empty save for greed).
Unfortunately for him, I survived, brought back the knight, and instead of reporting to him for completing the quest, I took the knight directly to the Knight Captain and told him about everything.
The knight captain's rage was apocalyptic to say the least as he directly marched into the office of his superior, charged him with various crimes and laws that I did not understand.
Captain Dawn dragged the pig's fat ass off his seat, into the streets where he was paraded as if he were an animal, and then threw him into the worst and deepest of the capital's sewers, where the pig struggled to swim in the shit that he pretended to above of, before finally sinking into it and dying a miserable death.
Frankly, a part of me felt terror at the act, but a bigger part felt elation as my hatred for such corrupt people was satiated.
It was after this act that the Knight Captain bowed before me publicly and asked for forgiveness for the actions of his superior. After that, He offered me the original sum that was supposed to be paid to the mages of the guilds, which the pig had stolen. (I don't know what kind of connections this guy has, but the sheer audacity of doing something like this to his superior must mean that he is someone really powerful)
Free money was free money, so I did not hesitate to take it and place it in my enchanted pouch that was created with Requip magic.
Who needs to learn magic to use Requip when I can use a pouch with similar properties?
No, I am not coping since I can't use magic.
It was after this ordeal that he and Owen invited me for drinks as a celebration for freeing Owen from his fate.
An invitation I accepted, since it doesn't hurt to have connections with people in high places.
That is what led to my current situation.
Once he was done with the drink, Dawn let out a contented sigh before he slowed down his drinking.
"So, Jaune. I see that you use a sword. Are you any good with it-"
"Enough of that, old man. How many times are you going to use the same line to pick up potential candidates for the Knights Order?"
Dawn glared at Owen, who glared back with equal ferocity.
"Careful there, brat. Don't forget I am your Captain."
"I still remember it. But we are not on duty right now, so you are not my boss at the moment."
"I can still discipline you-"
"Try it! Just because I got jumped by a troop of Vulcans and was caught off guard does not mean I got weaker!"
As the two bickered, I could not help but chuckle at their words.
Owen was not wrong when he said that he was not weak.
After the Vulcan that was possessing him faded and died once Owen regained his ego, it did not take long before we introduced ourselves, and I realized what kind of beasts the Knights of Fiore were.
The troop of Vulcans that I faced was made of fifteen regular Vulcans, four Elites, and one Leader, who was possessing Owen.
Before Owen was possessed, before he was jumped with sheer numbers, the troop numbered over a hundred.
A ridiculous number, and one that I asked him to prove since the claim was too outlandish for me to believe.
Unfortunately for my sanity, the knight had proof on hand.
He guided me to the foot of the mountain, where he was jumped and went missing, where the rotting corpses of more than eighty Vulcans lay still.
Eighty. Fucking. Vulcans, with a lot of them being elites, let that number sink in.
Once again, the Knights of Crocus are fucking beasts.
Finally, the two were done bickering, and Dawn turned to me.
"Anyways, as I was going to say. Are you interested in joining the knights? Jaune. We could use someone with your talents. Sure, your age is a bit above what we usually accept as a squire, but your skills more than make up for it."
I smiled at the proposal.
It felt good to be acknowledged for the skills that I held. Something that I lacked in Remnant all my life.
But still, I was not ready to commit to something with such a rigid structure and chain of command as the Knights.
At least, not now.
I still wish to see what this world has to show, what surprises I can find, what mysteries I can uncover.
The call of adventure still rings deep within my heart, and I am not yet ready to give up on that.
"Sorry, Sir Dawn. But I don't think I will fit well with the knights. Besides, I still want to explore Fiore and see what it has to offer."
The Knight Captain did not get angry at my refusal, he only gave me an amused and nostalgic look.
"An adventuring spirit, eh? Alright. I won't press further."
Then, he leaned forward.
"Where are you headed next?"
"For now? I have no destination yet. I am simply moving through the kingdom based on any quests that catch my interest and then using the opportunity to explore."
"In that case, I have a quest for you. One that will pay really well. Are you interested?"
"Dawn-"
"Shush now, Owen."
I looked at the hopeful look on Dawn's face and the concerned look on Owen's.
Something is fishy here, I can just tell it.
But, I would not do for me to reject the Knight Captain twice in a row.
Let's see what he has.
"What is the job?"
"Delivery. There is a relatively new guild located near the Wass Forest northeast of here. I want you to deliver a classified document to the Guild Master. I will pay you the same amount as what we paid you for Owen's rescue."
"….What's the catch?"
"The catch is that Dawn does not want you to take the official route and instead head through the mountains near Shirotsune, where a Forest Wyvern has made a den for itself."
Dawn simply nodded at Owen's exasperated words, showing that he was not planning on hiding that information.
I did not need him to speak anymore since I already understood the task.
Dawn wants me to kill the Wyvern on this route. The document delivery is just an excuse since the Knights can't be seen requesting an unaffiliated mage for a Hunting quest lest their reputation be called into question.
"It would seem you overestimate my skills, Sir Dawn. I am barely a low-rank mage who had difficulty handling a troop of Vulcans, what chance do I have against a Wyvern, which is a high-rank monster that requires a team of five mages at minimum?"
My words were no exaggeration. If my body were in its prime, maybe I could have handled such a quest with ease. But right now, I am still a fourteen-year-old. Even with boosts, my chances of defeating a Wyvern in direct combat are extremely low.
However, instead of being deterred, the Knight Captain gave me a smirk.
"Don't worry. The Wyvern that I want you to face is a very old one and on the verge of its natural death. The reason why I am asking you to kill it is that it has become a nuisance to the surroundings in its old age and has destroyed a lot of farms in the surrounding area. Normally, I would have dispatched my knights for such a task, but right now, we are stuck dealing with the fallout of that fat bastard that I called my superior."
"So, what do you say? Jaune Arc? Are you interested?"
On the one hand, the quest is quite dangerous. Fighting a Wyvern is no joke since they have extreme durability that makes them immune to minor magic types and extremely resistant to powerful magics. Even weapons find it hard to pierce their thick scales.
On the other hand, my heart thumped in my chest with excitement.
Which boy does not dream of being a knight in shining armor who slays that dragon? Which was doubly true for me since my childhood in Remnant was spent listening to the legends and stories of ancient warriors of the Arc clan.
Not to mention the money that will allow me to travel the kingdom for at least two months without taking another quest to sustain myself.
"…Very well. I accept."
"That's the spirit! Now drink up!"
That night, we celebrated well into the dead of night, after which I sluggishly returned to my inn, arranged for me by the Knights.
If nothing else, the upcoming days are going to be quite interesting, that's for sure.
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