As the lively court banquet concluded, the nobles began to depart one by one.

In the morning, Ronin was summoned by His Majesty the King and led by guards to the latter’s study.

"Sit wherever you like, Ronin."

Bruno said with a smile, "I hear Karda chose to follow you last night?"

This opening line made Ronin feel a bit awkward.

Philimon was the Leader of the Royal Knight Order. His expression of interest in Karda all but confirmed that the order had come from His Majesty the King.

Ronin had also extended an offer to Karda and ultimately succeeded, which felt a lot like he had poached him.

Faced with Bruno’s question, he chose to answer honestly.

"When the martial tournament began yesterday, Reis Knight from Sharp Horn City introduced me to Karda. I learned he hadn’t pledged his loyalty to any noble, so I had the idea of recruiting him. I made him the offer during the championship match, but he didn’t accept at the time."

To be honest, Ronin was terrified Bruno would ask him to part with Karda. He really wouldn’t know how to respond to that.

After all, many of the gains from his trip to the Royal Capital were thanks to His Majesty the King’s favor. Furthermore, the matter of Rapids Island was also entirely in Bruno’s hands.

Under these circumstances, if the King asked him to give up Karda’s allegiance, refusing would make him seem incredibly tactless.

Fortunately, Bruno said no such thing. He just laughed and chided, "You rascal, you beat me to it. I was planning to recruit him into the Royal Knight Order myself!"

Ronin’s mood lightened. He gave a sheepish laugh. "I had no idea Your Majesty was interested in Karda. Otherwise, I definitely wouldn’t have brought up recruitment on the tournament field."

Bruno waved his hand dismissively.

To him, Karda was just a Knight with decent potential. If he truly valued him, he wouldn’t have agreed to Luther’s request and denied Karda’s entry into the Royal Knight Order.

Now that Karda’s allegiance to Ronin was widely known, asking Ronin to give him up would be a loss of face. Outsiders might even think he was using his status and position to force Ronin to surrender a follower.

"Since Karda is following you now, I won’t assign you any more powerful Knights for the matters of exterminating the White Whale Pirate Gang and dealing with Rapids Island."

Bruno thought for a moment, then added, "Although the White Whale Pirate Gang targeted you, their true target was a guest of my Royal Family. When you set out, I will arrange for a few Knights to accompany you to sea."

For him, regardless of who the mastermind behind this was, he needed to make his stance clear. He had to let them know that anyone who targeted a guest of the Royal Family would pay a price.

"How strong is the White Whale Pirate Gang, I wonder?"

Ronin had already secured Reis’s agreement for the arriving Knight Squad from the Dennis Clan to accompany him on this mission. However, many days had passed since he’d come ashore, and he was still in the dark about the results of the assassin’s interrogation.

Even though the Royal Family’s Knight Squad was strong, Ronin was still a little worried.

After all, they had to go to the White Whale Pirate Gang’s lair. If the enemy was too strong, they would be at a great disadvantage in an amphibious assault. He couldn’t afford to fail due to some unforeseen mishap.

Bruno glanced at Philimon, who understood the cue and said, "The interrogation results have come in from Horn Bay. The pirates are hiding on a small island. Their leader is said to be a criminal wanted for murdering the child of a noble. While his strength isn’t bad, he’s only a Golden Knight."

"Besides him, there is one Silver Knight—that would be their Vice Leader, Karaveli, whom we captured—three Bronze Knights, and a dozen or so Knights below the Advanced Level. Their overall strength is not that great."

Ronin was a bit surprised. "I heard the White Whale Pirate Gang was one of the top powers in the Screaming Sea. How can their combat force only be the size of a single Knight Squad?"

Ronin had expected them to be a formidable force with superior numbers, but it turned out they had so few men.

Philimon said with a smile, "Those rumors all come from merchant ships. To the major nobility, a Pirate Gang of this level can’t amount to much."

Ronin nodded slowly. On second thought, it made sense.

Powerful pirates usually indicated a politically chaotic region. But with the Royal Capital on one side of the Screaming Sea and the Earl of Scream Island in the middle, the political situation was relatively stable.

Such circumstances limited the growth and expansion of any Pirate Gang.

At this, Bruno laughed. "So you don’t need to worry. With a Pirate Gang of this size, as long as we confirm their base, we can send a couple of ships to wipe them out at any time."

Ronin stood up and bowed. "Ronin thanks Your Majesty for your consideration."

"Broel has already arranged for the escorting Knights. You should go meet them in a bit."

Bruno waved his hand. "Set out whenever you’re ready."

Ronin bowed and withdrew. His trip to the Royal Capital was basically over.

...

「Horn Bay, in a small courtyard near the main city district.」

Those who could afford to live here, while not nobles, were not the poorest of commoners either.

Over the years, Karda had worked as a Mercenary, ventured alone into the Demon Beast Mountain Range, and served as a mentor at the Horn Bay Extraordinary Academy, allowing him to accumulate a fair amount of wealth.

Although his parents were farmers, his income had allowed them to purchase a courtyard home in a relatively prosperous area.

After returning from the Royal Capital, he told his parents about his plans.

"No matter what you decide, your mother and I will support you, my son!"

Karda’s father said, patting his shoulder. In truth, they were already satisfied with what their son had achieved.

However, they also knew their son had his own goals and couldn’t stay in Horn Bay forever.

"Your father and I are very happy you’ve become a noble’s follower, but this Count Ronin’s territory is so far away."

Karda’s mother had tears in her eyes. A mother always worries when her child travels far; that’s the same in any world.

"Once you leave, who knows when we’ll see you again."

In this era of underdeveloped transportation, a single farewell could sometimes mean never seeing each other again in this lifetime.

Karda comforted them, "Don’t worry, Father, Mother. The Count told me he plans to build a fleet, so I’ll have a chance to come back and visit. Besides, once I establish myself in the Wubei Territory, I can bring you over to live with me, if you’re willing."

Hearing this, their sorrow at his departure eased a little.

"Go with peace of mind. Your mother and I will be waiting for you to return in glory!"

Karda nodded firmly, shouldered his pack, took one last, long look at his parents, then turned and walked resolutely away.

After spending seven or eight years drifting between Horn Bay and Golden Feather City, he had finally chosen to leave the city where he’d made his life and start anew.

He hoped that when he returned, it would be just as his father had blessed: in glory.