Enforcer Manual
Chapter 651: Grand Event_1

Chapter 651: Chapter 651: Grand Event_1

This night seemed exceptionally long.

Apart from Song Lan, it seemed that no one else in the castle could get a good night’s sleep.

He was woken up the next day by Isabella’s personal maid, who seemed surprised that he could sleep at all that night. If someone else had been invited by the mistress to attend the knighthood Ceremony, they would probably have been too excited to sleep at all.

The little maid gave him many instructions to pay attention to.

For instance, he was to stay among the Gilvez Family’s servant staff during the event, which was far from what Song Lan had imagined; he had actually thought he might have the chance to go to the VIP stands.

The journey from the inner city area to the outer city area took almost ten minutes by carriage. Lu Xiang couldn’t help but sigh once again at being part of such a large household. The distance was about the same as his daily commute to work. After arriving at the square, the little maid placed him at the back of the line and hurried back to Isabella’s side.

Today, Isabella had her makeup delicately applied, sitting at the main seat of the stands like a queen inspecting the Knight Groups below her with her left hand supporting her cheek.

By his side were the future heirs of the Monk Family and the Capello Family, who were representing their families at this grand event.

This was their opportunity to make an appearance before the consortiums.

Colin Capello maintained the aristocrats’ pride and elegance, but our good friend, Young Master Franthing Monk, was lacking somewhat.

Despite the servants’ best efforts to dress him up before leaving, his pale complexion and frail appearance made him the most eye-catching of the three. Knights whispered to each other, inquiring about what exactly was wrong with Young Master Franthing.

Soon those knights, who were originally unaware of what had happened in the inner city area, learned about Young Master Franthing’s recent transformation into a plume Lord.

"You’re actually still alive!"

The servants were astonished by Song Lan’s arrival, "We all thought you had been secretly executed by Young Master Franthing!"

He received a hero’s welcome.

The servants had their own cliques too. The mistress’s servants had long been outraged by Young Master Franthing’s behavior during the past period, and now, at last, someone had stepped forward to douse the arrogance of Young Master Franthing and the Monk Family.

"Don’t slander Young Master Franthing—he is kind-hearted. How could he possibly trouble me, a nobody doing odd jobs, over such a trivial matter?"

Song Lan stood up for Franthing, "If he took action against me, wouldn’t that just confirm his shallowness and pettiness, and show that he’s someone who’s butt’s on fire?"

"Mr. Lucky, you’re really something. We need to learn more from you in the future!"

...

Song Lan ignored the servants’ flattery; his gaze had already passed through the crowd and landed on Lu Xiang among the new recruits.

Distinct divisions had formed among the new recruits.

The largest grouping was headed by Cain, who planned to join the Scarlet Knights and swear fealty to the Capello Family, while the others stood together in small groups. Lu Xiang stood apart from everyone else.

According to what Song Lan had learned, the knighthood ceremony was somewhat similar to the Hogwarts sorting ceremony. When the ceremony began, they would each take the stage in turn, and their mentors from their new recruit period would recommend them to a certain Knight Group based on their personality and characteristics.

Of course, the new recruits had the right to decline their mentors’ suggestions and make their own choices.

But this came with risks.

Because every Lord of the Knight Groups had the right to refuse them, there had been instances where recruits changed Knight Groups only to be rejected and ultimately relegated to maintaining the peace in the suburbs.

Lu Xiang, in the crowd, noticed Song Lan’s gaze. She turned her face and took a deep look at the Gilvez Family servants in line.

"Look, that female knight recruit is looking over here!"

"Don’t push, she’s definitely looking at me!"

"Look at that pie face of yours, she’s clearly looking at me!"

The servants started arguing over an utterly trivial matter, and Song Lan couldn’t help but applaud their courage. They were all evenly matched opponents, yet they insisted on quibbling over who was better or worse looking among the poor choices.

As if it really mattered.

However, Song Lan could understand them; he heard that most servants dreamed of marrying or being married to a knight one day. The highly bloodline-conscious aristocrats were out of reach for them, but they could still dream about knights.

Within the castle, the Female Knight was always a hot topic.

As the tally showed, the ratio of men to women in the Knight Groups was 12:1, and often there wouldn’t be a single woman among the recruits at the knighthood ceremonies.

Because of Lu Xiang, Song Lan had also come to like Female Knights.

As expected of a supervisor, she looked good in any attire.

"She must join the Winter Knights."

"I am willing to exchange ten years of your life for her to join the Winter Knights!"

The servants kept chattering non-stop, their demeanor extremely nervous. They seemed much more so than the representatives of the various families.

Song Lan asked somewhat puzzledly, "Why are all of you so tense? What does this have to do with you?"

Even if Lu Xiang truly chose the Winter Knights, it wouldn’t be possible for him to actually come and talk with them.

"Of course it matters—it’s about the face of the Gilvez Family!"

The servants who had been arguing all spoke in unison on this matter, surprisingly uniting them for the moment, "Listen well, the number of people joining represents whether the family is flourishing or not."

For these servants, if the Gilvez Family gained prestige, they could also hold their heads high in front of other families’ servants; this was closely related to their daily lives.

In previous years, they wouldn’t have worried about these issues, but ever since the young lady had an incident and was sent home from school, the Gilvez Family’s prestige within the consortium had been declining, and they were worried that this year’s knighting ceremony would bring them embarrassment—if not even a single newbie wanted to join the Winter Knights, the young lady would likely lose a great deal of face.

Fortunately, after Song Lan’s maneuvers, the three great families were back on the same starting line.

Among the many Knight Groups, the Scarlet Knight Group had the worst reputation.

The biggest competitor for this year’s ceremony had been the Monk Family, and they had also prepared to further strike at the Gilvez Family. However, Young Master Franthing had faltered at the critical moment and had not yet recovered.

This reignited hope in the servants.

As the ceremony commenced, their discussions ceased, everyone held their breath, and some even closed their eyes, clasping their hands together in prayer.

The first to take the stage was Cain, who, based on comprehensive evaluations, was ranked first in all respects.

For a moment, all eyes were focused on this young knight, and even the lords of the various Knight Groups observed him carefully.

The top scholar of each group of new knights is naturally the center of attention.

Cain’s mentor gave his broad-shouldered student a pat, and after a moment of deep contemplation, he offered his recommendation in a loud voice—"The Knight Group most suitable for you is... the Winter Knights; they are the most fearless warriors on the battlefield and the most steadfast defenders of the consortium. I believe that your talents will shine brightly among them."

Upon hearing this, a faint smile spread across Isabella’s face.

"Cain, starting today, are you willing to become a member of the Winter Knights?"

The servants had prepared to burst into enthusiastic applause. In their eyes, no one would refuse to serve the Winter Knights, as numerous outstanding knights took pride in being a member of their ranks.

But what followed froze their excited expressions.

"Please allow me to decline."

Cain’s voice echoed across every corner of the square, first met with silence, and then the crowd erupted into an uproar, and his next words sent the murmurs soaring to new heights, "Mentor, I wish to become a member of the Scarlet Knight Group."

This request was unprecedented.

Before this, no one had ever voluntarily asked to transfer from the Winter Knights to the Scarlet Knight Group.

Isabella’s grin vanished, and she scrutinized Cain with an indifferent gaze. At that moment, the discussion stirred by Cain turned entirely into pressure weighing on her shoulders.

It made people recall the day they had been put on trial, casting doubt once more on Gilvez’s leading position within the consortium.

Cain’s actions seemed to set an example for the others, as many who followed him filed requests to transfer, save for a few who wished to join the Monk Family. Nearly everyone took pride in joining the Scarlet Knight Group, while the Winter Knights found themselves in an unprecedented situation of being completely shunned.

"Mo Lian."

The last to take the stage was Lu Xiang. The mentor, now numb to the day’s events, faced the audience and made his recommendation, "Starting today, are you willing to become a member of the Scarlet Knight Group?"

Normally, no one would be happy to be assigned to the Scarlet Knight Group, but this was his careful suggestion based on the characteristics of the new soldiers.

Mo Lian’s overall evaluation among the new soldiers was far from ideal, the main issue being her knightly spirit dragging her down.

In the eyes of her peers and mentors, she was an oddity, with a personality so silent and cold it seemed more fitting for an assassin than an honorable and noble knight.

After much thought, he came to believe that the "free and easy" Scarlet Knight Group was most suitable for her.

"I refuse."

Lu Xiang said, "I wish to join the Winter Knights."

Upon hearing this, the already thoroughly disillusioned servants were energized, but they were unsure whether to be happy or sad—for the order of knights taking the stage was determined by the overall evaluation, and Mo Lian had ranked the lowest among her peers. Furthermore, the mentor’s recommendation had been the Scarlet Knight Group.

What kind of new soldier would be assigned to the Scarlet Knight Group?

But this time, they had no choice.

In the end, the Winter Knights accepted Lu Xiang.

The knights of the Scarlet Knight Group, as well as the followers of the Capello Family, erupted into cheers as if they were the main characters of the grand event.

Colin Capello smiled slightly and called out to Isabella, who, with a darkened face, was about to leave.

"According to tradition, the martial display is next, aren’t you going to watch it before you go?"