How to Live as a Knight After the Ending - Chapter 7
Only Noblemtl
Episode 7. Proof of Power (1)
Having been assigned a private room, I sat on the bed.
It was a stiff but still sinking feeling, and although it was a different world from the Middle Ages I knew, I felt comfortable in this part.
If this were a normal medieval inn, the beds would have been less plush and probably had straw underneath.
‘At least this is modern times, so there won’t be any inconveniences in living here.’
Of course, that was compared to the Middle Ages, but for me living in the modern era, this place was just as uncomfortable.
A world without computers, the Internet, or smartphones.
The games I used to enjoy I can’t enjoy anymore.
‘No. This is the game world, isn’t it?’
When that thought occurred to me, it was so absurd that I burst out laughing.
‘I like the game of life, but I didn’t want the game to become my life.’
I sighed inwardly and looked at the mirror on one side of the room.
Beyond the mirror, I saw a handsome man with black hair staring at me.
Her skin was white and her dark, sunken eyes were filled with sorrow. Even though she was just sitting there, not thinking about anything, it gave the illusion that she was deep in thought.
The body is not flabby and is slender and well-toned.
If a stranger saw him, they would think he was a young master from a noble family.
That appearance, which felt strange yet familiar, was that of the wandering knight I was now occupying.
To be precise, it is a character customization that you create while playing the game.
Because my personal taste was incorporated, the wandering knight was made to have considerable beauty rather than a dull and honest feel.
Personally, I didn’t really like games if the characters weren’t pretty.
‘When I see things like this, I’m glad I did a good job with Kerma.’
This game offers a lot of freedom in customization when creating characters.
You could also choose your basic gender, and you could also change your skin color or face to create all sorts of bizarre shapes.
It was possible to have a muscular body, make one smaller, or even turn oneself into an old man.
‘… … If I had done something weird to show off my personality, I could have been in big trouble.’
Those who are often called veterans in games are famous for decorating their character’s appearance in strange ways because they have nothing better to do.
They wear rags and make their faces look like monsters, and their skin is dyed pink or purple.
I also thought about doing that, but I still maintained my handsome and cool appearance because I had affection for the character.
I didn’t know this would happen, but looking back now, it was a really fortunate thing.
With someone this handsome, you won’t get cursed at wherever you go.
‘Still, I regret not having a job.’
If I had known this would happen, I would have raised a wizard instead of a knight.
The game’s difficulty was so high that wizards with low stamina in the beginning would routinely die one after another before they could do anything.
No matter how much light you see in the second half, if you can’t get past the first half, it’s meaningless.
So I chose the most stable article.
‘No, that’s okay. Who knew it would turn out like this anyway?’
If you think positively, the wandering knight wasn’t so bad.
In this day and age, most people carry guns, but even so, this outstanding physical ability was the exclusive property of knights.
‘Besides, where are you not born a warlock or a beggar?’
If I had been a warlock, I would have been branded a criminal and had to run away from the start, and if I had been born a beggar, I would have been moving around with nothing but my underwear and bare hands instead of my armor and sword.
‘What matters is how I live in this world from now on.’
The spirit belongs to modern people.
The body is that of a medieval knight.
The world we live in is modern.
I began to wonder if I was some twisted hybrid of all sorts of time zones mixed together.
Above all, I felt that adapting to this body was my top priority.
Because there was a disconnect between what I was thinking in my head and what actually came out of my mouth. To the point where I was surprised at myself for saying it.
I know it’s because of the nature of being born a wandering knight, but I don’t want to be swayed by it for the rest of my life.
If I had to pick one thing that was fortunate, it would be that it wasn’t so inflexible that it was frustrating.
My body didn’t really show any negative reactions when I actually took the wallets from the bodies of the guys who shot me.
‘Or maybe it’s because the original knight was a guy who did nationwide gangster things in the Middle Ages.’
I muttered to myself, then immediately took off my armor and lay down on the bed.
I had a gut feeling that the life ahead would be quite difficult, but for now, I wanted to forget everything and sleep soundly.
*
The next morning.
In the first floor restaurant of a tavern famous for being deserted in the morning, for some reason there were quite a few people there.
More than half of them were mercenaries who had been drinking here the night before.
“It hasn’t come out yet?”
“Just wait. I’ll be down soon.”
Some of the mercenaries who had been chatting amongst themselves turned their gaze to one side of the shop’s table.
There sat Ronan Rolland, looking a bit nervous, unlike his usual relaxed demeanor.
He was wearing his usual neat suit with not a single wrinkle in sight and his squinted eyes were impressive. He had his arms crossed and was tapping his forearms with his fingers, which was unusual for someone like me.
Ronan couldn’t help but feel frustrated.
The skills he saw from Ossian were real.
You were the first to find someone like this, and then they got taken away by another broker?
If that’s the case, I won’t be able to sleep properly for at least a year.
So Ronan had to recruit him on the best terms right now.
But approaching it too hastily had its own problems.
Even when I offered good terms to Ossian last night, he didn’t accept it easily. Instead, he seemed wary of me.
So this time, I was going to be as careful as possible not to offend anyone and make my suggestion politely.
Because being polite was his specialty.
At that moment, a clanking sound of metal interlocking was heard.
At the same time, the eyes of the people gathered in the restaurant on the first floor all turned to the stairs leading to the second floor.
There was only one person who could produce this distinctive sound.
As if living up to everyone’s expectations, Ossian, wearing armor, appeared on the first floor.
People who had only heard rumors about Ossian and came to see him in the time that was left behind were inwardly amazed when they saw his appearance.
I thought he was a muscular, broad-shouldered guy who imitated some crazy knight who didn’t fit in with the times.
If you just look at his appearance, doesn’t he look like a young master who grew up in a noble family?
But no one was quick to pick a fight or approach him.
It was because those who witnessed Ossian’s inaction the previous night began to feel nervous about his appearance.
Naturally, the atmosphere itself was engulfed in silence.
The only one who seemed unfazed by the atmosphere was Ossian.
He naturally sat down in the empty seat and wanted to order some food.
There was someone moving at that time, and that was Ronan.
Ronan, who had been sitting here waiting since the early morning, approached Ossian with the most natural steps possible.
“Good morning, Ossian.”
“Oh, right. You said Ronan.”
“You remembered my name.”
“Well, it was so impressive.”
It’s rare to find someone with squint eyes, so I didn’t say that out loud.
Ronan was delighted at those words.
When he said that Ossian remembered him, at least he didn’t seem to hate him or anything.
However, it was not revealed on the outside because of his unique poker face.
“Can I join you?”
“If you buy me a drink this time too.”
“Oh, are you planning to eat it in the morning?”
“I was just saying it out of curiosity.”
“Haha, I see.”
Ronan smiled in relief at those words and sat down naturally.
But I didn’t act rashly. Isn’t it common in this industry for you to let your guard down after coming this far and for all your hard work to go down the drain?
So be as careful as possible.
I was thinking of making a good suggestion without going against your wishes.
“Ronan, more than that.”
“Yes, Mr. Ossian.”
“Are those people over there your colleagues?”
“yes?”
At those words, Ronan turned his gaze towards the entrance of the tavern.
The door that had been broken during the fight the day before was still not repaired, and people could be seen walking towards it with their backs turned to the morning sunlight pouring in.
There were three people in total, and each of them had their own unique personality.
One was a brown-haired woman of mysterious age, dressed in a dress. She had a pure white fur scarf around her neck. She looked to be in her twenties, but also seemed to be in her forties.
One was a neatly dressed, gray-haired old gentleman.
The old man, dressed in a frock coat, had on rimless glasses and held a cane in one hand. All of these items looked luxurious.
The last one was a man who looked somewhat free-spirited.
He was wearing tight-fitting leather pants and a dress shirt, had rivets on his ears and lips, and his hair was a slightly fluorescent blue, as if it had been dyed.
His bare chest had muscles that stood out quite a bit, as if he had worked out.
Ronan’s expression hardened slightly as he recognized them.
They were headhunters, industry professionals like Ronan.
And they have been competing with each other for quite some time, clashing and stealing people.
“It seems like you are not an invited guest.”
Ossian said so in response to Ronan’s subtle reaction.
Of the three people who approached Ossian, the first to speak was a woman of mysterious age.
“Nice to meet you. Are you the righteous knight who showed up last night?”
“I don’t know if it’s fair, but if it’s a knight, then it’s right.”
“I see. My name is Isabella Ross. I’m a well-known broker in the industry.”
“I see. Then it would be the same for those two people.”
At Ossian’s words, the old man and the young man each introduced themselves.
“Hehe, nice to meet you. My name is Osborne Russell.”
“I’m Jake Hudson. Nice to meet you, bro.”
The man, who had been introduced as Jake, brought a chair and sat down near Ossian without permission.
Ronan glared at him with narrowed eyes at his actions, which were seen as rude, but Jake paid no attention.
As if Ronan wasn’t even there in the first place.
“Whew, I really thought you were wearing armor and a sword. I heard about your story, hyung.”
“story?”
“You know, last night, you wiped out a gang with a single knife? How did you do that?”
“I didn’t sleep at all. I just swung my sword.”
“Can you prove that?”
Ossian’s eyebrows twitched for a moment at Jake’s words.
Ronan looked embarrassed at the sight, while Osborne and Isabella took a wait-and-see attitude without intervening.
Jake Hudson was a broker who had recently risen to prominence and achieved rapid growth.
I’ve heard that they are backed by a large-scale mafia-type crime syndicate.
Jake Hudson’s growth has been remarkable.
Perhaps because of his overwhelming success, Jake was a man who was hard to find manners in.
Some people may have seen it as a friendly approach, but for those who had established themselves in the industry, the behavior was too toxic.
And it was still the same today.
Doubting the ability of the person you’re recruiting?
It was something I could never say without coming here with the intention of fighting.
Ronan examined Ossian’s condition.
At least as far as Ronan could tell last night, Ossian was not the type to avoid a fight or a confrontation.
“Proof.”
Ossian’s expression remained unchanged.
I didn’t get angry, but I didn’t laugh it off either.
She just stared at Jake with her usual expressionless face, but her eyes had become sharper.
“That’s funny. Why should I do that?”