Chapter 252: Knight Assessment!

"Hail, my Lord!"

"Hail, my Lord!"

The square of Wheatfield Town was packed with people.

The townsfolk had learned there would be a knight assessment today, and all came to watch.

Entertainment in this world was already scarce, and in this remote corner of Stormhold, it was even rarer.

So for the townsfolk, watching a contest was no different from seeing a grand performance.

Amid a chorus of greetings, Gervas took his seat on the raised platform.

"Are you all ready?"

"Ready, my lord!"

There were twenty-six knight attendants in total, and twenty-two of them participated in today's assessment.

These twenty-two were confident in their strength and sword skills, so they all chose to take the test.

Though he knew only ten would pass, Gervas did not mind.

"Then begin!"

"Yes, my lord!"

Upon hearing this, Migen immediately grinned wickedly and walked toward a nearby alley.

Knight assessments come in many forms.

But they usually test courage and combat skill.

After all, strength can be measured by stone-lock tests—just meet the standard.

As for the other two, it all depends on performance under pressure.

No matter how beautifully you train daily, if you fail the live trial, you still fail.

Only when one reaches the Great Knight realm does it become simple—aura can determine whether the requirement is met.

Amid the tense wait of the knight attendants, not long passed before Migen returned.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Then, two reptiles nearly two meters and seventy-eight centimeters tall followed him onto the square.

Of course, these were not ordinary lizards—they were Ironscale Fire Lizards.

Though juveniles, their terrifying appearance was already taking shape.

Combined with bodies larger than adult crocodiles, the crowd on the square erupted into panic.

The crowd, which had barely been contained by guards, immediately scattered to the sides, clearing a wide open space in the square.

"Good heavens, it's a beast! Does today's knight assessment mean fighting a beast?"

"It seems so—this is too hard!"

"Yes! Even if this beast lizard looks like a juvenile, it's still a beast!"

"Hah! The harder the challenge, the more exciting the show! You don't understand…"

Murmurs spread through the crowd.

Meanwhile, Lei Meng, as captain of the knights, spoke.

He confirmed that today's assessment was to fight the Ironscale Fire Lizards.

Of course, the knight attendants were not expected to defeat them—this was truly too difficult.

Instead, the knights needed to survive five minutes under the attacks of two Ironscale Fire Lizards.

During this time, they must not leave the designated area, and they were forbidden to use weapons—only a small round shield was allowed for blocking!

Roar! Roar! Roar!

As Lei Meng finished speaking, the Ironscale Fire Lizards cooperated immediately, letting out two roars that revealed their already formidable fangs and bloody maws.

Swish!

Instantly, the knight attendants who had been eager to step forward were startled.

Several of them turned pale, their hands trembling.

Compared to human enemies, people often fear monstrous alien races with grotesque faces more.

This was not due to cowardice, but a subconscious instinct ingrained in their genes.

After all, this world still had mostly ordinary people—those without aura could die even from encountering a wild wolf!

So when people saw these large, ferocious alien races, fear came instinctively.

This was true of humans on Blue Star too.

For example, humans and snakes have spent tens of thousands of years in love and war.

Snakes became the species humans feared and hated most.

In the wild, you often notice a long, slender shape in the grass at once.

Even while riding, if a similar long shape suddenly appears on the road, it startles you.

This is the fear of snakes embedded in human genes.

Of course, Gervas and Lei Meng exchanged a glance and silently judged those few pale, trembling knight attendants as failed.

This assessment tested courage and skill.

Since courage failed, they still needed more training.

But they were not immediately eliminated—Lei Meng ordered the assessment to begin.

To speed things up, the knight attendants would enter in groups of five.

This slightly lowered the difficulty.

Still, those who deserved elimination would be eliminated.

First to go were those most terrified.

The more afraid they were, the slower their reactions, the more their movements faltered.

The next moment, they were directly tossed into the air by the Ironscale Fire Lizards.

Of course, to add some spice…

The Ironscale Fire Lizards didn't just toss them—they opened their mouths and bit.

They tore into the knight attendants, leaving them bleeding.

This only made the already timid attendants even more terrified.

Only those with unwavering will could pass the assessment.

Of course, the Ironscale Fire Lizards bit with restraint—Lei Meng and Migen, as their masters, had already given instructions.

They would not bite off limbs.

Only flesh would be torn, wounds bleeding profusely, looking terrifying but not fatal.

In the end, of the twenty-two knight attendants, only ten passed.

Among them, the standout was Sain, son of the chief blacksmith Lu Kasi.

Sain not only inherited his blacksmith father's sturdy build, but also showed exceptional courage and skill.

While the other knight attendants merely dodged during the assessment,

Sain actually tried to counterattack the Ironscale Fire Lizards.

For example, he leapt onto one, gripping its neck tightly, trying to flip it over.

Unfortunately, the Ironscale Fire Lizards were immensely strong, and had a companion.

Instead, Sain's arm was bitten, bleeding heavily.

Yet even so, he endured the full five minutes with his wound.

"Now, I, Gervas Gail, Lord of Stormhold, declare: you ten have officially passed the assessment, earned my approval, and from this day forward, you shall be my personal knights!"

"Thank you, my lord! We swear to guard your life with ours!"

One by one, the knight attendants stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and received their investiture.

Sain was kept for last.

"What is your name?"

"My lord, I am Sain!"

"Ah, I remember—you're Lu Kasi's son, right? Lei Meng's knight attendant?"

"Yes, my lord!" Sain nodded eagerly, surprised that Lord Gervas remembered him.

But what came next thrilled him even more!

"Sain, your performance today was excellent. To honor your bravery, I grant you a reward!"

"Thank you, my lord!" Sain's eyes blazed with excitement.

The other knight attendants had passed, but received no praise from Gervas.

Only he—not only praised, but rewarded.

To him, this meant immense honor.

Gervas immediately gestured to Lei Meng beside him.

Lei Meng stepped forward quickly and handed over a brand-new longsword.

"Sain! For your bravery today, I award you this Starfall Blade—it is yours from this day forward!"

"This…?" Sain was stunned.

He had expected a reward of beast meat or coins.

But he never imagined it would be the Starfall Blade.

He was no stranger to this Sword of Falling Star.

Both Knight-Marshal Lei Meng and knights like Mi Gen each had one at their waist.

These knight attendants had also witnessed the Sword of Falling Star's sharpness.

Thus, the Sword of Falling Star was unquestionably the dream weapon of all knight attendants.

They all longed to possess one in their dreams.

And now, this dream had come true!

The Lord had truly bestowed one upon him.

"What are you standing there for? Quickly thank the Lord!"

At Lei Meng's reminder, Sai En finally came to his senses, his eyes red as he looked up at Gervas: "Thank you, my lord, for this grace! My lord, I swear to protect your safety with my life henceforth!"

Clearly, for Sai En, the Lord's favor was a debt he could never repay.

Gervas smiled in satisfaction.

He knew full well Sai En's lowly status, but now that he needed to bestow grace, he must enact the noble's self-discipline.

Then, Gervas personally inspected Sai En's wounds, ordered a servant to bring healing elixirs and bestow them upon Sai En, and further instructed him to rest well.

Only then did he conclude the assessment, amid the reverent gazes of Sai En and the knight attendants, and returned to the castle.