The Knight Encampment was located on the eastern side of the military camp, its grounds wide and flat.
Although they had only arrived at the rendezvous point today, the camp had already been swiftly and orderly set up by the time the battle meeting commenced.
Vis followed behind, his eyes scanning the surroundings.
Compared to the Vanguard Company’s camp, which was filled with a tense atmosphere brimming with battle readiness,
the Knight Encampment had a more relaxed ambiance, with knights resting at ease in their own way.
It was probably due to their confidence in their own strength—after all, these were the Holy巡 Knights of the Holy Covenant Kingdom.
Those selected were either prodigies gifted by the heavens or veterans hardened through countless battles.
Even if ordinary Tide of Calamity creatures swarmed in hordes, they posed no threat to such elite knights.
When Norsen arrived, the knights who stood up first saluted him respectfully.
Immediately, the other knights—men and women alike—ceased all their activities and gathered around.
All the knights present quickly formed ranks and saluted the Knight Commander in unison, their movements crisp and precise, displaying excellent discipline.
“—Everyone.”
Norsen smiled and clapped twice, his tone carrying an air of emphasis, calm as if inspecting his own backyard.
“By decree of the Order of Knights’ Hall, we have come to resist the Tide of Calamity and reinforce the border.
I’m sure before arriving, you’ve all heard of the Border Legion under Leicester County.
And by a rare chance during this assembly, we are honored to have invited this person—the Commander of Soldiers of the Vanguard Company, Lady Lortisya—to offer guidance and instruction. Please welcome her with a round of applause.”
No denying it, he did have the bearing of a leader inspecting his troops… Vis thought wryly, but before he could finish his thought, the air beside him seemed to freeze for half a second and then instantly heat up.
All the knights’ gazes, like iron filings drawn by a magnet, snapped to Lortisya.
Their eyes were burning, admiring, mixed with a hint of reverence that dared not meet hers directly.
Rather than knights awaiting inspection, it was more like a fan meeting where they struggled to contain their excitement.
“…The Golden Lortisya!”
“The strongest Commander of Soldiers in the kingdom’s history…”
“So young?!”
“B-beautiful…”
Someone quietly inhaled sharply from within the ranks, and as thunderous titles echoed, a ripple of commotion spread among the knights.
More than twenty pairs of eyes locked tightly onto the young Commander of Soldiers.
The knights who had been relaxed moments before now involuntarily tightened their breathing, straightened their backs, and gripped the hilts of their swords, as if suddenly recalling their pride as knights.
Vis was not in the least surprised by their reaction.
When they first met, if it hadn’t been for his life hanging by a thread, about to be ended by the Lord of Souls, he himself might have been just as stunned as these knights.
Under the sunlight, the girl Commander’s dazzling golden hair seemed to burn, making her fair skin almost translucent.
Facing this wave of ardent gazes, Lortisya remained indifferent.
She stood quietly, expressionless.
Her emerald eyes swept coldly over the crowd, yet carried an aura of majesty and beauty that none dared challenge.
Norsen also took note of everyone’s reaction, a barely perceptible smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
He let this silent atmosphere of reverence ferment for a moment before continuing deliberately:
“As for this gentleman, he is Mr. Vis, a brave mercenary.
Yesterday in Quiet Sun Town, he encountered a Lord-level Tide of Calamity, the Lord of Souls, and thanks to his quick wits, survived, bringing us precious firsthand intelligence.”
Brave mercenary? Quick-witted survivor? Sure, they’re really flattering me.
Vis gave an awkward smile, agreeing silently.
As expected, no surprises.
The atmosphere shifted again.
If just moments ago the air was thick with reverence,
now that respect dissipated rapidly, replaced by a mix of scrutiny and suspicion.
The knights’ expressions subtly changed.
Mercenary?
Not only in the eyes of the noble lords,
but even among commoners, it was a profession at the very bottom.
Most people with decent talent could enlist in the army; those who didn’t served as tenant farmers on family fields and livestock to scrape by.
Only those utterly lacking ability, rejected by the army, and without even the barest claim to a leased plot of land would stoop to become mercenaries.
Dirty, harsh, willing to forsake all morals for pay.
The knights’ eyes began judging Vis’s worn gear,
ordinary cloth armor, a scuffed sword hilt, a slender frame.
By any measure, he looked like a mere ant writhing at the bottom.
“Survived the Lord of Souls?”
“That guy? In those ragged clothes? No magic aura?”
“Sounds like bragging.”
“I bet he was just cowering in some corner, then saved by Lady Lortisya.”
“Hah, lucky guy.”
“A mercenary, standing shoulder to shoulder with Lady Lortisya? It’s a disgrace to this sacred training ground!”
Quiet murmurs filled the ranks, faint but unmistakably reaching Vis’s ears.
Some of the fervent gazes aimed at Lortisya now shifted onto Vis, cold and openly disdainful.
The young noble knights’ sense of superiority would not allow something so lowly to stand before them.
At that moment, the adjutant who had received whispered orders from Norsen quietly approached the back of the knight ranks and spoke softly to a female knight clad in white armor.
The white-armored knight nodded repeatedly, a knowing, arrogant smile creeping across her face.
The simmering dissatisfaction was ready to spread.
Norsen was very pleased with this undercurrent of unrest.
This was exactly the effect he wanted.
A mere mercenary needed to be properly put in his place and reminded of his status.
Of course, outwardly, the noble Knight Commander deliberately pretended not to notice the tense undercurrents, still smiling warmly like spring sunshine:
“…As you can see, I, as Knight Commander, specially invited these two hoping that you all might learn from their real combat experience things you won’t find on the training grounds.
Especially in response to the Tide of Calamity—the source of the disaster is confirmed to be the Lord of Souls.
Facing a Lord-level Tide of Calamity, Mr. Vis’s close-range encounter and survival is a unique experience that I’m sure will be beneficial to everyone.”
As Norsen finished speaking,
from within the ranks, the white-armored female knight lifted her head proudly, stepped forward, and performed a standard knightly salute to the Commander.
“Knight Commander!”
Her voice was clear and resonant.
“To receive special instruction is our honor!
Moreover, hearing that Mr. Vis survived an encounter with the Lord of Souls, surely his skill must be extraordinary!
I humbly request to spar with Mr. Vis, so that we may learn firsthand how to face a Lord-level Tide of Calamity in real combat!”