The Royal Knights.
As the royal order of knights serving the king, it is the highest honor granted to a knight.
Since it is not a position that just anyone can be offered, Bentner added with a voice full of pride, “In fact, it is very unusual to directly propose someone for the Royal Knights. Usually, one must pass both character and skill tests organized by the royal family to enjoy the honor of joining the Royal Knights. However, I am willing to make an exception for Lord Roman Dmitri. If you kneel before His Majesty the King in the capital right now and swear your loyalty, you can join the Royal Knights without any tests.”
If he were an ignorant fool, he might have been moved by Bentner’s proposal and accepted it eagerly.
However, Roman’s reaction was different from what was expected. “Is that all?”
“... Are you really refusing?” Bentner was taken aback.
Roman smiled and said, “Isn’t it natural to refuse? I have never sought the honor of a knight. As the eldest son of the Dmitri family, I live comfortably in the northeastern region, so why should I go all the way to the capital to bear the sacrifices of being a Royal Knight? Your proposal was flawed from the start. If you knew that the Dmitri family is the greatest wealthy family in the northeast, you should not have made a proposal that only grants honor.”
An unexpected answer.
Bentner was left speechless.
A glorious position that everyone desired.
He thought the Dmitri family would accept it with gratitude, yet Roman’s response was coldly cynical.
Deep down, he wanted to turn away in anger.
But knowing the circumstances of the king who had given him the order, Bentner suppressed his pride and said, “... If there is something you desire, please speak. His Majesty the King wishes to appoint you, Roman Dmitri, as a Royal Knight.
A noble title? If you prove your loyalty as a Royal Knight, the Dmitri family will be granted a new title. A mansion will be prepared for you in the capital, and you will enjoy not only honor but many other benefits.
Think carefully.
The moment you say you want to become a Royal Knight, you will live a life you could not experience in Dmitri.”
He took a step back.
To recruit Roman, Bentner made his best offer.
Yet still, Roman replied, “Is that the best the royal family can do?” Roman continued to show a cynical reaction.
Bentner’s expression hardened.
The first refusal.
He understood.
The simple proposal to become a Royal Knight might not be attractive to the eldest son of the Dmitri family.
However, this was unacceptable.
He had promised wealth and honor as a condition of serving the King of Cairo, yet Roman’s gaze, as if to say that was all there was, irritated Bentner.
Bentner said, “It seems you are seriously mistaken. The reason His Majesty desires you is that he values your potential for the future, not just the present. The Royal Knights, the new title, the mansion in the capital, and so on, are all incredibly generous rewards. And yet, such a response. Just how great do you think you are to be so endlessly greedy?”
His patience exploded.
To him, Roman seemed ridiculous.
Just because he became a third-star at the age of twenty, there was no guarantee he would grow into a fifth-star or higher.
In contrast, the Royal Knights were the strongest military group in the Kingdom of Cairo, yet Roman was overestimating himself.
The atmosphere grew cold.
Even in the face of Bentner’s furious gaze, Roman’s expression did not change.
“The one who is mistaken is not me, but you.”
“... What do you mean by that?”
“Five days ago, someone from the Gregory family came to see me. He promised me a mansion in the capital, as well as thousands of pyeong of land and treasures, in exchange for swearing loyalty to the Gregory family. He also wished to become blood relatives through a political marriage.”
Gregory.
Bentner’s expression twitched. ‘Has that guy from the Chronos Empire already started moving?’ The Gregory family was not aligned with the royal family.
They openly followed Chronos, making them someone Bentner could hardly tolerate.
Roman’s words did not end there.
“Three days ago, someone from the Denver family sent a messenger. They expressed their desire to become my sponsor. In exchange for providing all the resources necessary for my development as a knight, they proposed a friendly relationship rather than a master-servant one.
Do you know what else? Just last night, I met someone from the Benedict family. They made an even more shocking proposal than yours.
They promised to solidify ties through a political marriage and to elevate the Dmitri family to a viscount family within a month. Naturally, rewards like a mansion in the capital and treasures were included as basic compensation.”
The Denver family.
They were aligned with the Valhalla Empire.
And the Benedict family was, needless to say, at the center of the noble faction and posed the most direct threat to the royal family compared to the two empires. ‘The traitors’ claws have already reached out.’ It was devastating.
Bentner felt darkness closing in on him.
He thought he had confirmed the facts and moved as quickly as possible, yet the traitors of Cairo had already begun their moves.
Now he understood why Roman had refused the proposal.
He realized why Roman had not even blinked at his offer.
If he were in Roman’s position, the royal proposal would not seem attractive either.
Roman said, “The reason I refuse the royal proposal is not simply that it is not special. While the three forces made three proposals, the royal family naively made a proposal that fell behind without even knowing what was happening in Dmitri. That is why I asked. Is it truly right to refuse the three previous proposals for the sake of a single honor of being a Royal Knight?”
At those words, Bentner’s heart sank.
It was over.
There was no way to persuade Roman now.
Having revealed his incompetence, Bentner accepted reality. “... We were a step too late.” He sighed.
With a face that had already given up, he looked at Roman and said, “We acknowledge our incompetence. But this was the best we could do for the royal family. The noble faction of Marquis Benedict, the Chronos Empire faction of Count Gregory, and the Valhalla Empire faction of Count Denver.
They are ruthless traitors who seek to swallow the Kingdom of Cairo whole. They have seized the power of the Kingdom of Cairo and have blocked the royal family from properly participating in state affairs.
The fact that the commander of the Royal Knights is called the best swordsman in Cairo is the only thing keeping a rebellion at bay, but no matter how hard we struggle, it is impossible to move faster than the three forces.”
It was a matter that was already over.
He spoke the truth.
His previously proud demeanor seemed to have been a lie, and he looked as if he might burst into tears at any moment.
“Cairo is a weak nation. In fact, the proposals we made to you could be delayed indefinitely if they encounter opposition from the noble faction. Yet, the reason we have come such a long way is that only physical strength can protect His Majesty the King of Cairo. I will make one last plea. Could you lend your strength for His Majesty the King? If we can defeat all the traitors in the future and solidify the royal authority, I will never forget today’s choice.”
A distant future.
An uncertain promise.
Appealing to emotions was the only method Bentner could choose. ‘One kingdom, four forces.’ It was familiar.
The Celestial Demon Cult.
The massive group ruling the Demon Cult was divided into numerous forces to claim the top position.
The twelfth son of the Celestial Demon, Baek Jung-hyuk, received offers from his brothers the moment he revealed his worth.
Everyone showed attractive proposals, trying to recruit Baek Jung-hyuk, and he found himself in a situation where he had to make a choice.
At that time, what choice did Baek Jung-hyuk make? Did he grab the strongest lifeline? Or did he show a rebellious spirit and respond with hostility? Neither.
Regardless of the choice, he had learned that problems would inevitably arise.
Roman said, “The three previous proposals and the royal proposal are not attractive to me. Therefore, I have no intention of accepting any proposal. The day I choose a single force and swear my loyalty will be when I have experienced it firsthand and judged it to be worthwhile. So please return for today. If you wish for my loyalty, show it through actions rather than empty words that cannot be kept. At that time, I will personally go to the royal family and swear my loyalty.”
Neutrality.
Roman rejected all proposals.
Since he was not in an openly hostile relationship yet, he did not firmly refuse.
He left a possibility for all four forces, including the royal family. “Are you speaking sincerely?”
“Yes.” Bentner’s expression brightened.
The fact that there was still a possibility for conversation was good news.
For Bentner, who had thought it was completely over, he spoke with a voice filled with a glimmer of hope. “Understood. The royal family of Cairo will strive to the end to not give up the sovereignty of the nation. So I will wait. When the day comes that you swear loyalty before His Majesty the King, I will welcome your choice with open arms.”
Bentner, who did not give up until the end.
Even to those words, Roman only smiled, not reaching out to grasp his earnest hand.
Four proposals.
Four refusals.
The reactions of the other side varied.
Bentner, who showed hope until the end, was the better one, while some forces pressured him with threats.
Yet, he maintained his attitude. ‘I have no intention of swearing loyalty to any force.
If I am going to turn hostile anyway, leaving room for negotiation is the only way to buy time.
Until my purpose is clearly revealed, I need to buy time with an ambiguous relationship and grow my strength.’
Leaving room for all forces.
The downside of this was that once he chose a single force, he would incur the resentment of the other forces he had invested effort into.
However, that issue did not apply to Roman.
Even if they later realized that Roman was not a recruitable target, by then, all preparations for war would be complete.
In that sense, the political situation of the Kingdom of Cairo was favorable for Roman.
Even though Roman had revealed part of himself, they could not simply crush him due to mutual checks.
A precarious tightrope walk.
Roman took the stage.
People would try to persuade Roman, unaware that he was an uncompromising predator.
What was certain was that the influence of rankings was truly tremendous.
Even though he was still an unofficial ranker, somehow, people were trying to recruit Roman every day, causing Dmitri to stir.
For this reason, people hoped to become rankers.
The moment they had their names on the ranker list, wealth and honor were guaranteed, so they desperately tried to get their names on the list, even if it meant being at the bottom.
The commotion settled down.
For now, he thought there were no particularly shocking proposals.
Everyone spoke within common sense, and there were no gamblers who would stake everything on current possibilities.
A few days later, when someone from Valhalla came to visit again, that would change.