I Will Be the Greatest Knight-Chapter 309: Cautious Optimism

"Would you like me to be honest or would you like me to be objective?" Irene immediately asked the knight who spoke up.

However, her eyes went to the rest of the room, where other knights looked on expectantly. It was clear they were waiting for an answer to something they were afraid to ask themselves.

She nodded, accepting that their barely patient silence was her cue to go forward. fгeewebnovёl.com

"Both..." she realized. "Then you require both." She let out a sigh. "I am terrified of being handed a Duke who does not know the ins and outs of the north," she admitted, her voice remaining strong. "But is that not our job to teach him the ropes so that our outcome is a positive one? Knowing he has been a hero to us once is enough for me to cast aside my own prejudices. He cannot bring us worse fortune than what we have now."

The old knight shifted in his seat and spoke up once more with a toss of his hand towards the girl.

"You are young and still have a silver lining, it seems," he objected. "My entire life, the Kings have neglected the north. Their choice in sending a lowborn just proves that the sentiment hasn’t changed."

Knights spoke up, offering words of mixed feelings amongst themselves and not directed to Irene. The apprentices were too afraid to pick a strong side, knowing that the future Commander was going to preside over them, and they remained silent even if their ears were open and their own opinions were starting to form.

However, there was a voice that carried above all of them—the only one that was allowed to because of her position.

"Quiet down," Irene ordered in an authoritative voice that boomed through the room.

Seeing the faces of men far older than her looking towards her in astonishment, but their traditionalist arguments not invalidating a title she earned in battle, fair and square, made Irene admittedly nervous. These men were once above her, and now she was above them. She didn’t doubt herself or her capabilities whatsoever, but she couldn’t help wondering if they didn’t trust her to guide them because of this aforementioned ’silver lining’ she was accused of having.

As if all the pain and horror she experienced in a handful of years were invalidated because of her age.

"Now that I have your attention once more, let me explain something else. Food for thought, if you will," she responded.

"Do as you see fit, dame," the old knight relented.

"Must I give all of you a history lesson?" Irene asked in disbelief. "Chemois used to be a kingdom on its own before it was conquered by Peroda and absorbed. On the very lands we walk today, serfdom was abolished, and peasants were meant to live amongst the commoners with the same opportunities as them. To deny this fact and doubt Sir Henry simply because he isn’t of noble birth, are we no better than the monarch who ignores us now? Are we really going to go backwards in time and go back to the old ways, where we weren’t allowed to seek healing from mages simply because the magic they used made people uncomfortable? We might as well if this is the narrative we’re going to follow. Look at all Commander Lothian has accomplished and how healthy his knights are despite him also being a lowborn."

Cutting off her words at such a point left a heavy feeling over the entire dining hall. Many shifted uncomfortably as the burden of what she had told them struck a chord and led to realization.

"I have my own doubts, yes," she confessed more quietly than the way she was speaking before. "But I am still willing to give him a chance if it’s what is required to move our duchy forward and bring a feeling of safety back to the people. That is all. We will be leaving to tour the duchy tomorrow as we spread His Majesty’s announcement to our people."

Even though she was the one who stopped the knights from leaving first, Irene decided that she needed to be the first to leave the dining hall. It was best to allow the others to speak.

She pulled the door closed behind herself, hearing the beginnings of conversation already ensuing as she stepped out.

She had finally been able to clear her head about Sir Henry becoming the Duke and hoped the others didn’t find it misplaced, considering how absent she had been for a few months.

"Sir Henry, Duke Henry? Commander Henry," she muttered thoughtfully as she went forth and decided to return to her guest room and get a few things organized for the travel ahead.

While she couldn’t remember formally meeting him and their paths only crossed because they were both apprentices during the Monster War at the same time, she recalled hearing everyone sing his praises. His personality was humble—a trait she hoped he retained despite the hefty title given to him. He was as strong as he was fair. Wasn’t that what the duchy needed?

Irene agonized over this for a while. She hoped that she wasn’t blindly singing his praises as others did, but she did fully believe he deserved a fair thought.

That was enough to push her forth into what the journey would require of her. She needed her head on straight as she finally donned a full suit of armor for the first time in ages. Even on the ride between her father’s lands and the Duke’s Tower, she hadn’t put everything on, not feeling the need to since monsters would disappear while unexpected freeze fell over them.

However, now she needed to put forth the appearance of someone dignified enough to spread such a serious message through Chemois. She was a knight and would present herself as such.

After one day more of preparations, Irene was ready to hit the trail with the knights on all sides of her. How she had missed traveling in a large group of rowdy knights. They were truly her brothers when Arne wasn’t there and her support system as good as that of her family.

Feeling authoritative because of Felix’s orders was something she was going to have to get used to, but she was ready for a challenge.

The biggest challenge in front of her for now would be convincing Chemoians to have faith that it could get better.

As awful as it was that she harbored her own doubts regarding his enthronement, she felt that, because Felix was willing to go south and handle the situation head on, she ought to follow his lead.

Felix was her tireless leader before the announcement of a Duke. He was the one doing the backbreaking work of someone far above his means.

For now, he would be her compass, and her compass was telling her to go east and spread the word. So, that was what she was going to do, and she was going to do it well.

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