QTMWSFC Chapter 41

After two to three rounds of mutual selection, a total of twenty-five knights and royals or nobles reached an agreement.

The king issued a badge to each personal guard knight to prove their identity, marking the official end of the personal knight selection event that had lasted an entire day.

Lant shook hands with Dick and Old Ghost and shared brief hugs before parting ways.

Kane was now the king’s personal guard knight. His badge was not only made of pure gold but also larger than the silver badges of the other knights. He proudly showed it off in front of Lant, deliberately raising an eyebrow as he walked past him.

So what if Lant was a sword genius? In the end, he could only follow an unfavored princess. It was a dead-end path. Not like him, he was the king’s personal guard! They weren’t even on the same level!

Lant’s expression remained calm. He even said calmly, “Congratulations.”

And he genuinely meant it.

Kane was slightly taken aback by Lant’s “Congratulations.” Was he really that magnanimous or was he just being bitter?

Whatever. It didn’t matter anymore. What mattered most was that he was now the king’s personal guard knight!

Personal guard knights were different from ordinary knights. They answered directly to their assigned superior, with the duty of providing close protection. This meant they had to move into the palace. Naturally, a knight’s treatment depended on the status of the person they protected.

When Freya saw the young man who was originally standing in the arena now standing right before her, her mind went a bit blank.

She… actually managed to get the person she wanted?

Someone this excellent serving as her personal knight… wasn’t that a waste of talent?

Freya couldn’t help but think of many things.

“Princess, I’ll be serving you from now on,” Lant said. It was their first meeting, and he wasn’t sure what to say. Seeing that she remained silent for a while, he took the initiative to speak.

“I… thank you so much! But… the treatment here might not be that good…” Freya didn’t even know what she was saying. Looking at this young man in front of her who was a full head taller than her, she subconsciously didn’t see him as her subordinate. Rather, she saw him as a peer and a friend.

“I don’t care about those things. I only need a place to live.” Although Freya seemed very approachable, Lant still stood properly and replied according to protocol.

Now that he was a personal guard knight, he naturally had to follow the proper etiquette a knight should have and not overstep the rules.

“Of course. I’ll arrange that as soon as possible. If you need anything, you can contact Lita. We will do our best to prepare it for you. Um… Father is holding a formal ceremony at the palace in two days, so it would be best if you moved within the next two days. If you don’t have enough help, I can arrange for some people to help you move.” Freya thought for a moment, made sure she didn’t miss anything, then gave a small nod as if to confirm her own words.

Lant nodded. “I don’t need anything special. I only have one warhorse that needs a place to be cared for.”

Hearing this, Freya breathed a small sigh of relief and said with a smile, “No problem. I have a stable that has never been used. Now it will finally serve its purpose.”

“Thank you,” Lant said, then stood by Freya’s side without moving.

Freya looked a little puzzled. “Sir Lant? Aren’t you going to move?”

The other knights around them were preparing to head home, but Lant remained on his spot.

“No. I don’t have anything to move, and I have no family to say goodbye to,” Lant stated the fact plainly.

All his belongings were already stored away in his portable space. To avoid drawing attention, he had even prepared a storage ring in advance. Although it had only two cubic meters of space, it was better than nothing.

“Ah… right… I’m sorry…” Freya remembered that Lant had lost both his parents long ago and had no family left. She felt apologetic. “Then… would you like to come back to the palace with me now? But what about your warhorse?”

“No problem. I can teleport directly using magic.”

As long as the distance wasn’t too great and a mental link had been established between two locations, one could carry a certain number of people or objects using transfer magic to achieve the effect of teleportation. Naturally, the stronger one’s magical power and skill, the wider the range of use.

This was a widely accepted fact in the magical world, but so far only high-level mages were able to do it.

Freya didn’t expect him to say such shocking words casually.

Wasn’t that something only high-level mages could do? Wasn’t he a knight? Was it even reasonable for a knight to have such strong magic?

But Freya did not ask further. The fact that Lant was willing to reveal this much was already a sign of his trust in her. She would simply keep it safe.

That night, Lant returned to the Serorida Royal Palace together with Freya.

Freya lived in the most remote side palace. There were only four attendants there. Apart from having less sunlight in winter, the environment was quiet and secluded.

Freya was born to a palace maid, so she was disliked from the moment she was born. However, the king had just ascended the throne at the time and his position was unstable. To avoid giving others the chance to criticize him, he did not kill Freya but instead arranged for her to live in the side palace and left her to fend for herself.

As for Lita, she was the result of an affair between a knight and a palace maid. She was abandoned at the side palace where Freya lived when she was very young.

At that time, the old maid who took care of Freya was still alive. Seeing how pitiful Lita was, she took her in as well. From then on, the two lonely children grew up supporting each other.

The south side of the side palace was Freya’s residence, and next door was Lita’s room. Although they were princess and maid in name, they didn’t stand on ceremony with each other and only put up appearances in front of outsiders.

“You can stay here from now on. It’s a bit simple, but it should have all the basic furniture. If you need anything else, let me know. I will help you get it tomorrow,” Lita said as she led Lant to the room across from Freya’s.

As a personal guard knight, it was only right to live close so that he could respond immediately if anything happened.

“I don’t need anything else. However, the princess ordered me to stay by your side from now on and protect you,” Lant said seriously to Lita.

Lita helplessly pressed her hand to her forehead. “Oh my! I don’t need your protection! You need to protect the princess! You’re her personal guard knight. Your duty is to protect her. Besides, she has a weak body. She’s the one who needs protection!”

Lant repeated, “But I am following the princess’s orders. The princess ordered me to protect you.”

Lita: “…”

This seemed to be turning into an endless loop.

Lant thought for a moment, then took out a transmission ring and a defensive ring and handed them to Lita. “This is a transmission ring. It can be used three times. If you’re in danger, use it to contact me, and I’ll come as quickly as I can. And this is a defensive ring. It can block three attacks. Use them wisely.”

Lita thought this was a good idea. She didn’t act pretentious. She took the rings and put them on. “Hopefully we’ll never need them, and the three of us can always stay together without separation!”

Lant nodded. “Yes. I hope so too.”

Lita smiled and fiddled with the rings on her hand, teasing him. “Sir Lant, not bad at all! Got any other goodies? Let’s see them?”

Lant replied seriously, “No. My duty is to protect the princess, so all my things are for the princess. I can’t just show them to you.”

Lita wasn’t offended. On the contrary, she felt happy hearing his words. “You little miser! But I do consider you a friend. Still, why were you willing to give me those rings?”

“Because the princess ordered me to protect you. I have to fulfill her request,” Lant answered seriously.

Lita’s smile widened even further. “Thank you! Thank you for being willing to protect Freya. She really is a very, very good princess!”

Lant agreed with her and nodded. “Yes. I can see that.”

Lita laughed at how straight-faced he was. “Why do you talk so flatly? You’ve only known us for a short time. How can you be so sure? Aren’t you afraid we will trick you?”

Lant didn’t seem bothered. He held his sword, glanced at Lita, and said calmly, “I’ve been in the Knight Order for four years. In four years, I became a captain. To put it in official terms, I am in a commanding position.”

Lita: “…”

Alright, just pretend she said nothing!

He was the first person to reach that level in just four years!

“Don’t you regret it? Obviously, you’re so strong. Why did you choose us?” Lita still couldn’t figure it out. If Lant wanted to, he could have been the first to step onto the stage and won twenty-four consecutive matches without breaking a sweat, right? So why did he wait until the very last moment?

“Why would I regret it? I chose what I wanted to choose. There’s no why.”

Of course, Lant couldn’t tell Lita the real reason. But in any case, regret was impossible. He had deliberately done all of this just to become Freya’s personal knight!

Hidden behind the bedroom door, Freya secretly listened to the conversation. A small smile crept onto her young face. Maybe she could make a great new friend!