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Chapter 49
Chapter 49 Knighthood!
On the square, all the villagers stood in neat rows, awaiting Richard’s speech.
At that moment, four knights stood alongside Richard on the stage. He addressed the crowd, “Villagers, today is a day to remember! I am proud to announce that apart from myself, our territory, Long Eagle, has officially produced four new knights!”
The villagers, unaware of this development, immediately erupted in excitement.
“Glory to the lord!”
“Glory to the lord!”
After the chants subsided, and silence fell again, Richard continued:
“At this moment, I feel the collective strength of our entire community, and I see the future hope of Long Eagle!”
“During these past months, I have witnessed your obedience, your striving for better lives, and the eagerness of the children to learn. These are the changes we’ve made together.”
“You once were a group of swine. And now… you remain a group of swine!”
“However, you are now a bit smarter!”
“But I hope one day, you will truly transform, and I will witness your complete change. When that time comes, you will be able to shed the name of ‘swine’ and proudly become human!”
“Do you all want that?”
“Yes!”
“Yes!”
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The crowd roared.
Richard smiled, “Very good. Now, let us witness the valor of our warriors, the four outstanding figures who were the first to break through and become knights among us!”
“Charles!”
“Present!” The militia captain, Charles, shouted with excitement, his face flushed.
“Helen!”
“Present!” Vice-Captain Helen’s voice rang with strength.
“Ali!”
“Present!” The usually calm Ali was visibly moved.
“Sinton!”
“Present!” Sinton, the head teacher of the school, no longer displayed the self-doubt and reservation he once had.
The four knelt in a row before Richard.
Drawing his sword, Richard lightly tapped Charles on the back and shoulders with the flat of the blade, initiating the knighting ceremony.
“William Calvo Charles! I, Richard of the Bayne family, Viscount of Long Eagle, in the name of the Bayne family, under the kingship of Hales I, by the authority of all the people of this land and our ancestors, bestow upon you the title of knight. You have upheld the loyalty and honor of a knight. You may now take your knight’s vow!”
Charles stood, his voice shaking with emotion as he began his oath:
“I, William Calvo Charles, do swear:”
“I will serve Viscount Richard as my lord!”
“I will give all my loyalty!”
“I will regard Lord Richard’s orders as my destiny!”
“The direction of my attack shall be wherever the lord’s sword points!”
“I will treat the weak with kindness!”
“I will face the strong with courage!”
“I will battle wrongdoers!”
“I will fight for those who cannot fight!”
“I will help those who seek my aid!”
“I will not harm women!”
“I will support my knightly brothers!”
“I will be loyal to my friends!”
“I will be true to love!”
Following Charles, Helen, Ali, and Sinton each took their oaths in turn.
With the conclusion of the oaths, the square erupted into applause.
The crowd was abuzz with excitement.
“This is great! Including the lord, our land now has five knights! We’ll be safer from now on!”
“Yes, we no longer need to fear monsters attacking us!”
“Long live the lord! Long live the knights!”
In the light drizzle, the villagers began dancing joyfully in the square. For these simple people, safety and happiness were enough. Their desires were basic and unpretentious.
Standing nearby, Cinderella watched the ceremony with admiration as Richard cut the tails off the probationary knight banners and presented the newly donned knight uniforms.
Richard smiled and pulled Cinderella over, much to her confusion, and announced loudly:
“Everyone, quiet down! I have another announcement to make!”
The crowd quickly quieted down, curious about what the lord was going to declare.
“Could it be that he’s announcing his relationship? The witch is very beautiful, but she is, after all, a witch!”
“Yeah, I respect the witch, but isn’t she just the lord’s head maid?”
“If the lord were to marry the witch, wouldn’t it have happened by now?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. The lord is a knight, faithful to love and honorable!”
“Maybe he’s appointing the witch to a position!”
“Appointing her as what? The head witch?”
“I don’t know, but whatever the lord decides, that’s what we go with!”
“Hey, you’re a swine too, remember?”
The crowd buzzed with laughter, teasing each other lightheartedly. Their attitudes had greatly improved from just over a month ago.
Richard overheard their chatter and smiled. The change in the villagers’ mindset was a good thing. A saying goes: “Attitude determines altitude.” These mental shifts were positive signs.
However, as for their speculations about marrying Cinderella, that wasn’t on Richard’s mind. After all, women only interfere with the speed at which a man can draw his sword… or, in this case, develop his territory!
Richard then raised his voice and declared:
“From today onward, I appoint Cinderella as the advisor of Long Eagle! Her salary will be eight silver coins per month!”
Cinderella was astonished, covering her mouth in disbelief.
Advisor?
Eight silver coins?
Combined with her previous salary of six silver coins as head maid, she would now be earning 14 silver coins a month! Even the knight’s squires only earned nine silver coins!
Tears of joy welled up in Cinderella’s eyes.
For a brief moment, the square was silent before erupting into cheers.
“Long live the lord! Long live Lady Cinderella!”
“Long live the lord! Long live Ms. Cinderella!” one person corrected the chant.
It was all well and good to call her the witch casually, but in such a formal setting, using her name was more appropriate.
The villagers had experienced the benefits of working with the witch over the past few months and were genuinely happy for her new role.
The children were especially excited, their cheers even louder than the adults’.
Seeing all this, Cinderella was overcome with emotion.
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