Chapter 91
“Strength comes not only from where you train, but from what you live.”
A heavy silence followed his words, then he raised a hand to signify the end of the duel.
“This is the end of the duel. I declare Henry the winner.”
Murmurs began to run through the crowd, having difficulty accepting the fact that a mercenary could defeat apprentice knights in their3rd year at the academy.
Everyone began to look at the mercenaries who had accompanied Henry.
“Henry must be a special existence among them, no?”
“I hope so, because otherwise it would be really scary.”
“Can you imagine a group of mercenaries all with that level of power?”
“No, that’s impossible, and then what kind of personal strength would it take to keep order in a group of men where everyone has the strength of an apprentice knight?”
“You’d have to be at least as strong as a formal knight, wouldn’t you?”
A few glances landed on Maxime, who had a simple smile on his face at this point.
“No impossible that he’s a knight, he looks maximum 20 years old.”
“In the whole kingdom, only a few exceptional geniuses manage to become knights at that age.”
“Especially since he looks more like 18 than 20.”
“To become a knight at 18, in the entire history of the kingdom, there have been less than five people who have managed that feat including the founding king.”
Sir Alaric’s gaze met Henry’s and he nodded slightly, a rare gesture from a man renowned for his rigor.
The mercenaries, smiling at Henry, watched their comrade return to their ranks. Rodrigo patted Henry on the shoulder with a laugh.
“Well done, you’ve made your mark today.”
Henry sketched a calm smile.
“I just hope people stop underestimating our mercenaries.”
“And especially by improving our group’s reputation, we’ll also be able to earn more money.”
The mercenaries nearby all heard Henry’s words and most began to laugh loudly, drawing curious glances from the students of the Purple Knight Academy.
“You’ve got it, Henry!” commented Rodrigo, laughing.
But their laughter gradually stopped as Sir Alaric stepped forward, his imposing stature dominating the courtyard.
All the mercenaries were aware that this man could crush them all single-handed, if it weren’t for Maxime.
And even with Maxime, it would be a tragic fight without his talent.
A silence fell, and every apprentice knight, every mercenary, held his breath.
“Henry,” he began, his voice deep.
“Rare are those who have been able to face two of our students alone and win hands down with a kingdom similar to theirs or even inferior.”
His stern gaze was tinged with admiration.
“You’ve proved that your training, though different, has nothing to envy that of our students.”
A murmur of approval went through the crowd. Leo, still panting with frustration on his face, stared at Henry with a mixture of respect and bitterness.
Tomas, for his part, acknowledged his defeat without rancor.
From his point of view, they had been completely dominated from start to finish.
Naturally, such an adversary deserved his respect.
Sir Alaric continued, turning to the school’s students, who were turning out in ever-increasing numbers in the wake of the event.
Among them were even4th and 5th graders.
There were no 6th graders, which was also the last year, as 6th graders gained experience fighting orcs.
“Let this be a lesson to all. True strength is not limited to the fighting techniques acquired within these walls, but to the experience and instinct gained in battle.”
The master-at-arms spoke again, this time addressing Henry directly:
“I see in you a potential that exceeds what I’ve seen in many of my students. In this exceptional case, I invite you to join the Academy of the Purple Knights.” Your next read is at My Virtual Library Empire
“Your talents, if cultivated here, could make you a powerful knight.”
A shocked silence fell over the crowd.
Some of the apprentice knights looked at each other in disbelief.
Henry, caught off guard by this unexpected offer, remained calm.
The idea of joining an academy with such prestige, which is the dream of so many, had often haunted him when he was still in training at Hypocamp.
But he turned to his fellow mercenaries, meeting Maxime’s still calm gaze.
Then he turned back to Chevalier Alaric, with a confident smile.
“Master Alaric, this is an honor I would never have dared hope for,” Henry replied, his clear voice finally breaking the silence.
Sir Alaric was beginning to put on a slight smile, but the words that followed made his face change completely.
“Master Alaric, this is an honor I would never have dared hope for. But I cannot accept. My path has been paved by my fellow mercenaries. They trained me, supported me and became my family. My destiny is with them.”
A stunned silence fell over the courtyard. The apprentices exchanged shocked glances, and even Sir Alaric, master of his emotions, let slip a flash of surprise mixed with a little anger at being rejected in front of so many people.
Leo, watching Henry, had a look filled with respect and frustration, understanding at that moment that the man they had faced was not only physically strong, but mentally too.
“Are you sure of your decision? A group of mercenaries will only waste your talents in addition to drastically increasing your chances of dying without a burial ground.”
Sir Alaric’s words didn’t make the mercenaries laugh at all.
And having been through several battles in a short space of time, everyone was hot-blooded now.
Everyone laid hands on their weapons, ready to draw at the slightest command from Maxime.
This immediately changed the mood of the place.
The apprentice knights, especially the4th and 5th graders, had previously been completely uninterested and even scornful of Henry.
From their point of view, he had only benefited from a little surprise.
A mere apprentice knight at the entry stage didn’t deserve praise in front of them, most of whom had reached the stage of minor or even major success.
They were all highly skilled fighters.
But at this moment, they were all intimidated by the momentum of the Saber-toothed Tigers.
Twenty of them in particular, while another ten didn’t seem to know how to react.
Maxime stepped forward to face Sir Alaric, before the shocked eyes of the crowd.
He silently activated his talent, suddenly giving off a powerful burst of energy.
He controlled his talent as best he could so that it was active only on himself.
After all, he had already activated his talent less than 24 hours earlier.
But he hadn’t used up all his energy when he activated it, so he still had enough energy left to activate it again, limiting the effect on himself for a few minutes.
His eyes and hair changing color shocked everyone.
No one had ever seen anything so magical.
“Chevalier Alaric is it? You can secretly despise us, but you can’t publicly humiliate our mercenary group.”