I Will Be the Greatest Knight
Chapter 212: Convincing

Chapter 212: Convincing

The apprentices sheathed their weapons and followed the mage into the house when he gestured for them to come forth.

Since the house was large, there was plenty of space for them as they entered.

It was immediately clear that the house was also abandoned before they arrived. The cobwebs and dust everywhere were a sure sign. However, the part that made it most obvious was the holes in the roof that showed a bit of daylight shining through.

Since Irene desperately needed them to go to the encampment with them, she couldn’t help herself as she spoke up.

"You’re planning on staying here for the winter?" she asked. "Then what will you do after that?"

"We have only made it this far, but we will soon go to Idona and never have to face snow again," Stanley explained.

"I won’t deny that the impending snowfall does sound awful, but we promise to protect you through the season and offer warm tents to stay in as well as food and fire," Irene persisted. "Whatever you need from us is yours. If you are lacking in warm clothing, we can find cloaks for all of you. We have been given money to do whatever it takes to ensure you return with us, mister."

Stanley stood and scrutinized the girl for a few moments. The other mages, who were further in the background and looking down from an upper level that was open to the rest of the house, were also observing the conversation.

"As their leader, I have taken it upon myself to ensure these mages never have to face the dangerous black magic ever again," Stanley explained. "To go back to that place, what good will we be to you then? If black magic persists, our mana is weakened."

Since Irene had been doing all of the talking, Felix thought that he should speak up.

"Stanley, we are no longer in the Duke’s Tower," he explained. "The wall segment is where our camp has been set up. Any closer to that, and we risk the black poison or the monsters who have taken over the place. Our goal is to fight and strategize a way to take back what is ours. If you never want to set foot in the tower ever again, we will not force you to do that, but it isn’t what we’re asking of you."

Siverly, who was more rebellious than the others, took to the ladder that brought them to the second floor, and he climbed down so he could stand in front of the apprentices.

"How much money is on the table?" he asked the apprentices with his thin arms crossed over his chest.

However, there was something Irene knew the mages would want more than the dukedom’s wealth. It was one of Sir Gunnar’s suggestions if money and protection couldn’t make the mages waver.

"That is to be determined," Irene admitted. "We can’t go into the Duke’s Tower and check on the treasury that has been ransacked and spread throughout without being killed by poison. Beyond that, there is also an abundance of mana stones that weren’t used in the building of the mana pillar. I believe it will be more useful to mages than mere money. I believe Stanley was able to see this collection."

Since Siverly’s eyes turned to Stanley, the oldest mage tightened his robe over his body uncomfortably.

"How much, Stanley?" Siverly wondered.

"Dozens of large ones," he explained. "Hundreds of pebbles."

This gave all the mages in the room pause. Stanley said it, it had to be true.

Since Siverly was a mage directly from Nickron, he had a lot of use for mana stones. His entire life, he had been researching and testing, but his lack of adherence to rules was what had him booted from the island where his people lived. Even his uncle, who was one of the head mages in the place, couldn’t save him.

It was better for him outside of there. Even with all the people in Peroda claiming he was a heretic because of the mana running through his body, he was free to experiment as he wanted.

The spoils of war, combined with the mana stones, were of interest to him. He could have the life he wanted to if he could just find a house somewhere quiet and experiment to his heart’s content. He sought shelter as strong as what he had in Nickron.

"I will go," Siverly decided, "but I can’t be the only mage to go."

There was shuffling from upstairs before the apprentices saw another mage head for the ladder and climb down, so she was on equal ground with the others.

Her hair was brown, but her pale skin and thin body were certainly those of a mage. She bowed to the apprentices.

"I want to go as well," she decided. "My name is Mella."

Siverly’s demeanor changed, and he gently patted the girl’s shoulder.

"You are smart," Siverly complimented her, but his cold demeanor quickly returned as he looked at the others.

Considering Stanley had just lost his best mages in a few seconds with coins and mana stones hung in front of them, he decided he didn’t have a choice. How long could the battle possibly last? Monsters didn’t go out much in the winter. He imagined that once spring rolled around and they saw the full extent of his elusive monster party that had taken over the Duke’s Tower, they would be able to take it down efficiently.

"Protect us from the humans and monsters as you did before," Stanley finally decided. "Then you may have our magic. But if there is ever a threat that the black magic in the tower is weakening us, you must guard us until we reach our next destination."

Irene looked at the other apprentices. Leif merely shrugged. Felix didn’t seem all that opinionated.

Since they weren’t going to outwardly disagree or say anything further, Irene turned back to Stanley.

"It isn’t an unreasonable request," she decided. "I’m sure Sir Gunnar will agree with this."

"You may sleep here tonight," the old mage decided. "We will leave tomorrow."

Compared to how they were living before, sleeping indoors next to a fire made them feel like royalty.

Of course, before they could leave the following morning, Stanley had a list of demands of what they needed before they would follow the apprentices to the Duke’s Tower.