Knights exist for one purpose: to protect.
What they protect may be as small as a single person, or as vast as an entire kingdom. Some knights even swear to defend abstract ideals—like justice, hope, or the future of the world.
But the knights of the Baron's Manor belonged to the first kind.
Their devotion was singular: protecting their liege lord, Ron Arnold.
For Ron, this loyalty wasn't a flaw. But it wasn't enough.
He hoped the knights could create greater value—not merely shield him. After all, he already had a life-saving treasure: the leaf-shaped brooch that never left his person, a blue-quality defensive entry powerful enough to guarantee his survival.
The Training Grounds
That day, in the manor's training yard, the knights stood in strict formation.
Ron stood above them on a stone platform, gaze sharp, presence commanding.
His demeanor was unusual today.
The knights sensed it immediately and waited in tense silence, eyes fixed on him.
Ron swept his gaze slowly across them before speaking.
"I have a question I wish to ask."
The knights exchanged confused glances.
If their Lord had a question, wasn't that something he would ask Egbert? Why ask them?
Abel, however, sensed something deeper brewing and stiffened.
Ron did not keep them guessing long.
"You are the Guardian Knights of the Arnold Family. Tell me—do you protect the Arnold Family, or do you protect your liege lord?"
A ripple of confusion spread across the knights.
Was there… a difference?
Ron continued calmly:
"When the previous liege lord was alive, whom did you protect—the Arnold Family, or the previous lord?"
The previous Baron had died in a carriage accident. Yet the knights stayed. They continued guarding the manor and served Ron immediately after his succession.
The implication was clear.
Abel's brows furrowed. He understood, but he also sensed something more.
Ron looked over them again.
"That's right. You have always protected the Arnold Family."
He turned his gaze toward Abel.
"Abel's family has guarded the Arnolds for three generations. As the current head of the Arnold Family, I sincerely thank the Guy family."
"My Lord!"
Abel dropped to one knee instantly, performing a formal knight's salute.
The other knights looked on with respect—and envy.
Respect, because the Guy family's devotion embodied true knightly virtue.
Envy, because receiving personal gratitude from the Lord was the highest honor a knight could dream of.
Motivation surged among them. They wanted to become the next Abel—worthy of their Lord's praise.
"You who have protected the Arnold Family," Ron said, voice rising, "deserve to be remembered for generations!"
His words ignited their pride like dry tinder meeting flame.
Their perception shifted—subtly but unmistakably—from "protecting Lord Ron" to "protecting the Arnold Family."
Only Abel sensed something subtly off. The others were swept away by emotion.
Ron didn't care which they claimed to protect.
He was the only Arnold left—protecting the family meant protecting him.
And this shift gave him what he needed for the next phase:
expanding their loyalty from the Lord… to the entire Arnold Territory.
Shaping Perceptions
Perception could not be changed in a single day.
Whenever Ron found spare time, he visited the Training Grounds to "lecture" the knights.
Their high loyalty made them receptive; his words sank into them like rain into fertile soil.
In a few days, he would even hold an outdoor address.
Under the Miracle Tree
In the manor's main courtyard, Ron sat beneath the towering Miracle Tree, sipping tea. Sunlight filtered through its leaves, forming mottled patterns on his shoulders.
He lifted his gaze.
The leaves remained green.
No hint of pink.
It will be a while before it blooms, he thought.
In his hand, he toyed with a three-colored pendant he'd taken from the treasure room—a common white item.
His defensive brooch had once required over half a month of rolling, consuming several purple entries—useless ones like charm enhancement—before finally giving him the defensive attribute he wanted.
Now, he needed something with anti-poison properties.
Dining with Chells last time had been far too dangerous for comfort.
He wondered how long the new rolling would take.
"Young Master, the potatoes in the side courtyard have been planted. Would you like to see them?" Irene approached behind him. She preferred Ron's name for them—"potatoes"—feeling the name fit their appearance more than "Tibetan beans."
"I've rested enough. Let's take a look. After that, I'll handle the government affairs."
Ron pocketed the pendant and stood. Irene followed closely.
The planting had taken longer than expected due to unfamiliarity with potatoes. But after inspecting the fields and assigning guards, Ron returned to his study.
It was still morning. Joyce had not yet finished her duties, so the study was empty.
What greeted him was a pleasant surprise.
The room was immaculate. Dust had been wiped from the books, and everything was neatly categorized by kingdom and subject.
Joyce had done an outstanding job.
Ron's gaze drifted toward Irene, who stood beside him.
She… was clearly slacking in comparison.
"You must also work hard," he said suddenly.
Irene: "???"
A Busy Routine
Ron's days had become full.
Rolling entries on the pendant.
Handling government affairs.
Lecturing the knights in the afternoon.
Cultivating battle qi at night.
Today would be his final personal lecture.
At the training grounds, on the same stone platform, the knights gathered again. This time, Ron had also summoned Egbert.
Though Abel commanded the knights, Egbert held equal prestige in their hearts.
Ron looked at Egbert.
"Egbert, I ask you—who does the Arnold Territory belong to?"
"My Lord, you are the sole heir of the Arnold Territory."
"And the common people living in it? To whom do they belong?"
"Still you, My Lord! Everything in Arnold belongs to you. You have absolute control."
Under the laws of the Caro Kingdom, a liege lord wielded absolute territorial authority, so long as he paid taxes and obeyed national law.
"That is correct," Ron said. "The people are mine. Their land, their lives, everything. As Lord of Arnold, I have the obligation to protect what is mine."
He looked over the knights.
"And as my knights, should you not protect what I protect? Should you not protect my Territory?"
The door had been opened. Now he only needed to walk them through.
But things could never go perfectly smoothly.
Among the entire manor, the knights had the highest loyalty toward Ron—most above 80. Abel and Sig had even surpassed 90, a rare peak.
Yet their strong loyalty made their thoughts rigid.
Sig stepped forward.
"My Lord, we only wish to protect you!"
"That's right!"
The other knights echoed.
"Our duty is to protect the Lord!"
Ron's expression sharpened.
"Protecting the Arnold people is protecting me!"
The statement hit them like a hammer.
The knights froze.
Ron turned to Abel.
"Abel. Under your protection, how many ordinary people would it take to kill me? Speak honestly."
All eyes turned to Abel. He dared not lie.
"As a Second-Order Knight… I could withstand perhaps three hundred ordinary commoners."
Ron blinked.
So a Second-Order Knight was this strong? Or was it just Abel?
He turned to Egbert.
"How many residents are in the Arnold Territory?"
"Three communities. Cott Town has over thirteen thousand. The other two villages total around fifteen thousand. So, in all, more than twenty-eight thousand."
Ron sighed inwardly.
Such a large territory, nearly as large as a prefecture-level city in his previous life—yet so sparsely populated.
He faced the knights again.
"Nearly thirty thousand people. If every one of them wished me dead, even Abel could not protect me. I would die a hundred times over."
"Could you resist thirty thousand people?" Ron pressed.
Silence.
Self-doubt crept into their eyes.
Only Abel, having glimpsed Egbert's knowing smile, understood the Lord's strategy—and found amusement in his subordinates' panic.
"If you protect the people," Ron continued, "they will be grateful to me. They will protect me alongside you. That is why I say—protecting them is protecting me."
From a broad perspective, it wasn't wrong.
It was strategy.
When people receive their lord's protection, they respond with loyalty.
In disasters or war, they become the strongest shield.
Ron judged the timing right.
He gave his command:
"I now assign you a task: help my people fell trees and clear land, so they no longer starve."
"Those who are willing, step forward."
Hands behind his back, Ron waited for their decision.
Rumors Across the Territory
"Have you heard? The Lord ordered his knights to do farm work! They're clearing the road to the manor. The pay is good. I'll go see if they're still hiring tomorrow."
"You fool! Knights? Doing fieldwork? Stop dreaming. Nobles are all the same. Arrogant to the bone! Knights working like commoners—ridiculous!"
The rumor spread like bees across the entire territory.
Some believed it. Most did not.
Prejudice ran deep.
Knights helping with farm work sounded absurd.
"Hey, how do I get to the Baron's Manor?"
A loud voice interrupted the gossip.
Everyone turned.
A short man with a grumpy expression.
"You going there for work? Don't get fooled by nobles," someone warned.
"Just tell me the way," the short man snapped. "Does anyone know it or not?"
"Such attitude… fine! Tell him. Let him suffer."
He received the directions, tossed a copper coin at the man, and walked off.
"…He paid me? Maybe he's not that bad. Should I call him back?"
"Forget it. He seems to have a purpose. Don't get involved."
Meanwhile, someone else quietly regretted not speaking up first—that copper coin could have been theirs.
Arrival at the Manor
Following the directions, Hadley reached the manor gates by noon.
"Mr. Hadley?! Why are you here? I was just about to deliver a letter to you!"
Sig happened to step out at the same moment and froze. Then a bright grin broke across his face.
"You've agreed to my Lord's offer? Wonderful! Wait here—I'll inform him immediately!"
"Eh? Wait—what letter?"
Hadley tried to stop him, but Sig had already sprinted away.
Chells had said Ron would use another method to make him stay.
Could it be related to this mysterious letter?
Would a single letter really be enough to keep him?
Hadley wasn't convinced.
That Evening
Ron held a grand welcoming ceremony for Hadley.
He showed the dwarf blacksmith extraordinary respect.
Hadley, who rarely smiled, grinned nonstop—looking like an overgrown child barely 1.3 meters tall.
And so, Hadley officially joined the Baron's Manor.
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