Zeke, along with his father and mother, had been waiting there for the other four assessors to successfully emerge, but the reality proved that the knight's Link was not so easily achieved.
He waited there for three days, and only after three days did the first person complete the knight's link.
"Congratulations, you are now a glorious knight!" His father was the first to speak, offering a blessing to the one who had completed the knight's link.
And after his father finished speaking, Zeke also expressed his sentiments at the appropriate moment.
"Congratulations on becoming a knight. I'm glad to see you emerge alive from the sealed chamber."
Do not think this statement was too direct, or that others would find it uncomfortable.
In reality, they would not; instead, they would consider it a sincere blessing.
The knight's Link had a very high mortality rate, and not everyone could succeed. For someone to succeed after Zeke was already very good.
However, they might have been celebrating a bit too early. Immediately after congratulating one person on becoming a qualified knight, another sealed chamber around the area opened. This time, Zeke's father did not step forward.
Evidently, this person had not successfully linked, nor had he successfully become a knight. For a scion of a knight house, this was a devastating blow.
Either he would commit suicide, or he would be exiled, as if he had never existed in the family.
However, the fact that Zeke's father did not step forward indicated that exile was likely unnecessary; he had not survived the trial of the machine throne and had already died.
The few people present, especially the newly emerged knight, showed a hint of lingering fear in their eyes, but Zeke and his father did not show such an expression.
Death during the knight's link was normal and common; there was nothing to be said about it.
For Grisha, Zeke's father, it was enough that his own child had successfully become a knight in this link. As for the others, even if none succeeded, it was not a loss.
As the heir to the high king, how could his retinue consist of only these few people?
Death was a common occurrence.
For Zeke, the aristocratic education he had always received allowed him to maintain a very good mindset.
In this world like a cesspit, dying so early without becoming a knight might not be a bad thing; at least he wouldn't have to worry about chaos incursions.
However, in the end, to show his benevolence, Zeke still spoke a sentence.
"May his soul return to the golden throne and find peace."
A perfectly timed statement, demonstrating Zeke's benevolence as the next heir. Such an action was beyond reproach.
And the person who had originally emerged from the knight's Link chamber, upon witnessing Zeke's benevolence, became even more resolute in his desire to follow him.
To others, this was just a sentence, but to the people of this world, it was entirely different.
This already symbolized Zeke's benevolence; it was immense benevolence.
One must know that the person who died was merely a failure; he had not successfully become a knight, so he had no meaning to the family.
And for such a meaningless person, Zeke was actually willing to offer a blessing. Could this not illustrate Zeke's benevolence?
He was truly too benevolent!
Now only two people remained in the knight's Link. For Grisha, Zeke's father, two successful individuals was already a pleasant surprise and enough.
Naturally, a long wait ensued once again. As the high king, Zeke's father, Grisha, found it necessary to continue waiting there for the potential increase in his knights.
And Zeke, to demonstrate his regard and benevolence towards his subordinates, naturally also remained there to continue accompanying his father. As for his mother, she had already left the knight's Hall.
Now that there were outsiders in the hall, she naturally could not embrace her beloved son as before, nor could she embrace her husband.
So what was she to do by staying there? Staying there would require maintaining aristocratic demeanor and etiquette, which would simply be a self-inflicted torment.
Zeke's mother left, leaving only Zeke and his father, the two of them, to continue maintaining etiquette because outsiders had appeared.
As nobles of the Empire, they had to maintain etiquette. Zeke could no longer devour all the delicacies he desired like a whirlwind as before; he had to maintain his manners, grace, and elegance.
The waiting was long and boring. Zeke continued to absorb all sorts of knowledge in his mind while accompanying his father, maintaining aristocratic etiquette and waiting.
Unfortunately, neither of the remaining two knight's Link chambers yielded a successful candidate.
This included the young man from the collateral branch of the family whom Zeke had initially favored, the only one qualified to inherit a knight.
Some things cannot be changed by sheer determination. Most people found it difficult to succeed when faced with the pressure from the machine spirit and the ancestral consciousness; most had to endure it head-on.
In the Warhammer World, death was never a rare word; people died frequently, and even nobles died.
The knight's Link ended. Grisha, with his son and the other successful candidate, left the Link Hall.
This place would be temporarily sealed until the next batch of young people from the family could come to perform the ritual.
As for the maintenance here?
No problem; with the family's maintenance personnel, it was not an issue at all.
The group of three quickly became just Grisha and his son Zeke. As for the other person, he naturally rushed back to his own home to deliver the good news.
To become a knight was a great piece of news, and it was natural to report it to his parents as soon as possible so they could also set their minds at ease.
And after only Zeke and Grisha remained, the two of them could finally set aside their noble etiquette.
The father and son, like very close brothers, boasted to each other and talked about all sorts of things.
But more often, it was Grisha speaking and Zeke listening, as Grisha was imparting details and techniques of combat, as well as skills for surviving on the battlefield, to Zeke.
This was very important. Zeke was already 18 years old; he had successfully become a family knight. Even if he was the heir to the high king, he still needed to step onto the battlefield at this time.
After saying many things, Grisha finally stopped recounting his experiences, but his final words became:
"Son, you've grown up. You're 18 now, and it's time for you to consider your marriage."
"When you were young, due to your firm opposition, and out of respect for you, your mother and I did not arrange your engagement. But now it's different; it's time for you to start a family."
"We indulged you in the past, but now that you have become a knight, danger will accompany you. It's time for you to leave behind the bloodline and offspring of the high king."
"The task of family inheritance, I completed the moment I gave birth to you. Now it's your turn."
"You don't have much time. If you don't find a solution soon, I won't be able to stop those who obstruct, and then you will have to accept an arranged marriage."
Being urged to marry...
The Warhammer World was ultimately different from other worlds. Zeke had thought of many things, but he had not imagined that he would be facing pressure to marry right after his 18th birthday coming-of-age ceremony...
Sure enough, no matter which world you go to, you can't escape being urged to marry.