Treatise Of A Failed Knight-Chapter 226: The Freedom Fighters

Just like that, I have become one of the Freedom Fighters.

Traitor of the Northern Empire.

Outlaw of all the Great Nations in the known world. A bastard and fallen Knight who has thrown away his honor to live among barbarians.

Many more words which I can only imagine will be used to describe me in the coming days.

But I do not care about them.

This has always been about achieving my objective. It is something I place above all else when it comes to this world.

Speaking of the world.

’Is this place real or not? Maybe it is like a dream and none of these people actually matter. Some don’t even have names.’ I ask myself while walking among the palace fields, towards the tents that exist up ahead.

This is a question I have found myself exploring these days.

The answer I keep arriving at is "Yes."

These people are real.

They matter.

As long as I am living in this world as one of them, then they are real to me. Even if my decisions here do not affect the world I live in as Javier, it affects this one.

Likewise... This world has affected me.

It has made me think differently in many instances, and it has fostered some growth in my cognitive processes.

Such a thing that offers change to me, a real person, must also be real.

That is my current position.

"Hey, if it isn’t the newcomer!"

"So you finally decided to join us, eh?"

"Welcome to the brotherhood!"

As I walk past tents, heading towards my goal, I am greeted by all manner of friendly faces.

Of course, I wave at them and return their warm greetings. It had only been a few days since I accepted Kalakuta’s invitation, but word has spread to everyone here.

It is no surprise, since Kalakuta practically announced my decision to everyone.

Thus, there is no going back.

One shocking thing about this entire situation, though, is how welcoming everyone is. I mean, I was their enemy just a while back, yet they’ve begun to treat me like their brother.

I suppose Kalakuta’s philosophy has rubbed off on them.

Another surprising thing is that Kalakuta isn’t the only named figure among the Freedom Fighters.

There are actually three others.

I am actually on my way to see one of them.

One is an Alchemist who goes by the name of Kamal. He is an elderly fellow who is skilled in combat and was the one who actually taught Kalakuta how to fight.

In a sense, he is a mentor figure to the mighty Kalaluta, but while Kalakuta treats him as an equal, Kamal actually reveres Kalakuta.

Perhaps he does so the most out of all the Freedom Fighters.

Then there is Garret.

He is a Shaman, and also one of the main leaders of the Freedom Fighter Army. In fact, he was the one who led the forces that attacked us during the start of theTrial Scenario.

Finally, the last named person is a Fabricant who goes by the name of Jeophrey.

I don’t know much about him.

Not yet anyway.

That’s because I haven’t seen him since I joined the Freedom Fighters. Instead, I’ve spent most of my days interacting with the other two as well as the nameless members of this group.

Despite how casual their name might sound, this group is actually an army.

There are tens of thousands of warriors who follow Kalakuta, and each of them is skilled beyond normal standards.

The weakest among them is on the level of a Low Rank Knight in my world.

Warriors of the Mid Rank Knight level are abundant among the ranks of the Freedom Fighters, and they even have a substantial number of men in the High Rank Knight level.

Of course, those I would place at the Royal Knight level are very few. Kalakuta is among them, and is surely at the apex.

All of these only apply to pure skill, however.

When it comes to Armaments and Potions, the Freedom Fighters are severely lacking in those resources.

In fact, this entire world is lacking.

The level of technology and expertise is much lower than what we have, which shouldn’t be too surprising.

After all, this is an era before the Present Age, when things like Armaments and Potions became a lot more commercialized.

Back to the subject matter, though.

I have been learning about the Freedom Fighters for the past few days.

Their stories, their ideals, their behaviors.

They are quite the lively bunch.

Free spirits.

They recognize the difficult hurdle they have to overcome to achieve their goals, and they aren’t naive enough to believe that it will come without great cost.

All of these people are willing to risk their lives in the pursuit of freedom.

They would all die for the cause.

I respect that.

They have all also turned their back on the lives they used to have for the sake of their desire towards freedom.

For example, Kamal used to be the Chief of his village in the mountains. He learned combat from an early age so he could protect his people from wild animals, bandits, and Magivore attacks. He also learned the art of Alchemy to support his village, which was bustling with Special Resources at the time.

Kalakuta entered into the picture at some point, as the lad was weak and injured after escaping captivity.

He stumbled on the village and Kamal helped hide him. He treated his injuries and listened to Kalakuta’s story, as well as the young man’s deep resolve.

From that moment on, he chose to leave his village and follow Kalakuta.

As for Garrett the Shaman, he was a hermit who lived alone and only had the dark arts of Spells and Shamanic Practices to keep him company.

Many feared to climb the mountain he dwelled on because they were afraid he would put a curse on them.

But Kalakuta and his small band of followers needed more members in their small movement and they sought him out. He refused at first, not even hearing them out, but the Ebony Giant would not give up.

It is said that Kalakuta waited outside in the harsh snowy weather for seven whole days, not eating or drinking.

’What sort of man is this? He is able to endure for this long just to have a conversation with me?!’ The reclusive Garrett was so moved by Kalakuta’s persistence, that he finally granted him an audience.

"Thank you. I only ask that you listen to what I have to say. If you refuse afterwards, then I understand. It is your choice, and you are free to live however you please." Those were the words that Kalakuta told him when he asked why he would go this far.

This moved him deeply, and after hearing Kalakuta out, he became even more convinced of the man’s greatness.

Thus, he abandoned his life on the mountain and joined the movement. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

I still don’t know of Jeophrey’s tale, but I have heard that it is the funniest and most amusing one yet.

I hope to hear it during this visit.

The truth is, despite the warnings of everyone regarding visiting Joffrey unannounced and interrupting his work, I have decided to take the risk to see him anyway.

I want to know what kind of man he is.

During these few days, I have gotten along with Kamal and Garrett. With the latter, it was extremely easy since I am a very skilled fighter and I also have a considerable attainment in Alchemy.

He was rather stunned when I spoke his language and even exposed some gaps in his knowledge due to my more modern understanding of the craft.

We brewed potions together and exchanged insights, thus making us very close.

Given enough time, I imagine we’ll even share secret recipes and the hidden mysteries—like strengths and weaknesses—of our respective Potions.

When it comes to Garrett, getting closer to him was also not as difficult as I expected.

Thanks to Nathania and Fernand, the two Shamans I was close to in the past, I was able to relate to the fundamentals of Shamanism, and I even showed him the one Spell they taught me to use.

He was impressed by my depth of knowledge and my interest in the Shamanic Arts, accepting to frequently share insights with me.

Needless to say, I have no worries in that department.

Thus, the only loose end is Jephrey.

The Fabricant.

I knew one in the past as well: a member of the Wandering Nine.

Rupert, the Fabricant Mercenary.

’Since I have some knowledge on the occupation, I should be able to relate with him. The problem is that he is said to be rather eccentric. It might be a difficult venture, but... I need to solidify my position here, especially among the named characters.’ I sigh, bracing myself as I reach the entrance of his tent.

That means, whether I like it or not... I must do this.

’Here I go!’