I Will Be the Greatest Knight
Chapter 156: At the End of the Long Road

Chapter 156: At the End of the Long Road

When they were finally able to leave the northern village, they faced a few more days of easy travel. While Arthur would have preferred to face action considering the stagnancy his life was about to face felt a bit suffocating, he was happy that Irene wasn’t going to be put in front of danger any longer.

He was able to meet with the Crown Prince and Princess early the day after his arrival, but he hadn’t seen much more of them. As always, those children were treated like fragile porcelain. They were never required to fend for themselves.

It was interesting the dynamic of the heir and only princes compared to the third much less known child of the King. Considering the second prince was set to be a Royal Knight one day and not permitted to attend trips such as that, Sir Arthur knew who would likely be best adjusted out of all of them.

As his thoughts drifted to children, he considered his own child who would undoubtedly be scarred from all she had experienced so far.

Climbing closer to Earl Auden’s home that sat atop a foothill and guarding what was the start of his family’s world-renowned mine, he could tell the apprentices were getting more excited. They would drift further ahead and realize they weren’t in their guarding formation so they would correct their speed.

The knight witnessed this happen a handful of times. Inside his helmet, his eyes crinkled as he witnessed them still being children despite all of the trials they had faced that far.

The travel party made it through the first gates and furthest out checkpoint on Earl Auden’s land. While he did have a township a short way from his main residence, it was clear the man kept himself far from commoners, going so far as to separate them with a fence and guards.

Immediately the guards recognized the carriage and royal coat of arms, but one of the Royal Knights still pulled an identification plate from the carriage and they were then sent on their way once more.

Irene felt it important not to look clueless so she tried to make sure her eyes didn’t linger on the knights guarding the property. Looking at all the niceties all over the Auden’s Estate was far more entertaining anyway.

While most noble homes in the north were fortified with thick brick because that’s what had survived the multitude of monster attacks, Earl Auden and his family had built their house in a style more suitable for the south. The colors were light and pale. The towers were tall and dramatic but certainly not for much use.

It wasn’t a house that seemed very tough, but it seemed the many knights guarding the place indicated the Earl already knew that but he was insistent on keeping things just the way he wanted them.

Even from a first glance at the gate, Irene was surprised to see that the road to the front of the large house was completely devoid of snow. It must have taken the Auden’s workers ages to pull off such a feat.

The horse’s hooves were clicking against solid ground for the first time since the start of their travel. It was almost a foreign sound by that point even though snow had only been around for a couple of months.

Rather than being forced to take care of their knights’ horses, other stablehands wearing uniforms that indicated the Auden house rather than a knighthood offered to take the horses from the travelers. They were also older than most squires or apprentices who did the stable duties for knighthoods all across the kingdom.

Despite the freezing cold temperature, the Earl was immediately at the front of their large home to greet the guests after their arrival was announced.

Sir Arthur was already off of his horse and walking forward to the Earl whom he was so familiar with already having only seen him nearly a week before when he brought his wife there.

"Wonderful to see you’ve made the journey once again, my Lord," the Earl stated smoothly and he offered his left hand, clearly already having been privy to the fact that Arthur had no right hand to shake. "Except this time I understand your other child has made the journey."

Arthur’s smile was easygoing despite everything. It was clear that being around even the most highly esteemed nobles in the kingdom didn’t phase him.

"Yes, my son Iro who is training to be a knight under the Knights of Tenetium," he confirmed. "Iro, over here."

Irene cast a sideways glance at the others who were giving her smirks which she didn’t appreciate whatsoever.

"Lord Auden," Irene greeted and bowed deeply with a hand over her chest. "I’m pleased to meet you."

"What an obedient child," the Earl greeted gleefully. "A bit calmer than the youngest despite training to be a knight. The pleasure is mine child."

The Earl wasn’t finished as his eyes went over the travelers.

"There are plenty of guest rooms for all of the knights and apprentices," the Earl announced. "The Royal Knights and His and Her Highness shall stay in my guest house up the hill a bit for privacy. Please, apprentices, take advantage of my library. I have been building a collection from as far north and as far south as you can possibly imagine. There are a few days until festivities truly take off, after all."

It was also then that the Prince and Princess decided to make their presence known.

Earl Auden’s attention was immediately taken away from those he deemed of slightly lower priority than the main guests. When he heard that His Majesty planned to burden him with his children, the Earl had been preparing their stay for months.

In fact, before they were announced to be visiting that winter, the Earl didn’t have a guest house at all. He thought that building them a home with all of the most modern fixtures in the south would earn him points in the eyes of His Majesty.

A Royal Knight whom Irene hadn’t learned his name considering they seemed insistent on staying away from the others announced, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Alfred the Second of Peroda. Her Royal Highness, Princess Marie of Peroda."

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