Chapter 163: The Knighting Hall
Chloe: I have arrived at the Knighting Hall. Where are you?
Vlad: I’m in the waiting room. They will call for me soon.
Chloe: Are you nervous?
Vlad: A little bit.
Chloe: Don’t be. You will do well. I believe in you.
---
Vlad turned off his phone, his heart beating a bit faster than usual. The curtains at the room’s entrance shifted, and a man in steel armor entered. His unreadable face showed the hardened features forged through years of battle. In his hand, he carried a heavy suitcase of shining crimson color.
"Are you Vlad?" he asked in an even tone.
"Yes," Vlad replied, rising from the bench where he was sitting in the empty room.
"House Cendral sent this for you," he said, extending the suitcase to Vlad. "Get ready quickly. You will be called out within five minutes."
"Thanks." Vlad grabbed the suitcase without showing any emotion, although he was a bit surprised inside.
The knight nodded and went outside.
Vlad opened the suitcase with a click, his eyes widening as he saw the items inside. At the top of them, a small letter was placed.
Congratulations on learning Sword Aura at such a young age. This is just the first step of your long journey. Just remember that House Cendral always stands with you.
I hope my spoiled daughter isn’t giving you a hard time. Be safe, and keep my little Sera safe as well on your mission.
Lucas Cendral.
"Thanks, Lord Lucas," Vlad murmured, the nervousness he had been feeling completely vanishing after reading the letter. Such a humble character, even with the terrifying strength that earned Lucas the title of Pyro Tyrant, was something Vlad deeply admired. When he reached the same level of strength, he wished he could remain as unpretentious as him.
"I should get ready," Vlad said to himself, putting the letter into his storage ring as he took the rest of the things out from the suitcase.
---
While Vlad was getting ready inside the waiting room, preparations were simultaneously taking place in the Knighting Hall.
A plain red carpet was spread across the floor, from the entrance covered by curtains all the way to the raised platform at the end of the hall. Around the railings on the first floor, several spectators stood, likely gathered to witness the promotion of another knight. The news had spread easily since the Knighting Hall was located in the market of the Academy Campus.
Among those spectators, a group of students was easily distinguishable given their influence in the academy.
They were Seraphina Cendral, the Student Council President;
Raphael Starveil, the Discipline Head;
Sophia Leone, the Vice President;
Noah Silva, the famous repeater; and the first-year rising star, Chloe.
’Damn, what am I doing among so many big shots?’ Max exclaimed inwardly, feeling nervous just from the presence of these prodigies around him. ’Vlad’s influence needs to be studied.’
While he was having these thoughts, Chloe asked Seraphina, who stood beside her,
"Why are you also here?"
For some reason, she didn’t like her presence at all.
"Because I was invited," Seraphina replied with a shrug. "Just so you know, House Cendral is the one sponsoring Vlad."
The moment she said those words, Chloe’s brows twitched slightly in surprise before returning to her usual composed expression.
"Thank you for sponsoring him," she said, her tone turning respectful.
"You don’t need to thank me on his behalf," Seraphina retorted, giving her a smug smile.
"I do. He is my family," Chloe replied in the same tone. Although her expression remained neutral, Seraphina felt as if she was boasting about how close Vlad was to her.
"Oh~ family... like siblings?" Seraphina asked with a playful smile, crossing her arms.
"No!" Chloe’s answer came instantly, her plain lavender eyes fixing on Seraphina’s face.
"Then what relationship do you two have?" Seraphina pestered further.
Chloe’s lips parted, but no answer came out. Now that she thought about it, what exactly was she to Vlad? He had always called her his precious family. Did he really only look at her like his little sister?
Chloe’s hands trembled at her sides just from the thought.
"You can ask him that later," Seraphina said, pulling her out of her thoughts by placing a hand on Chloe’s shoulder. "You already must know how dense he is. If you want him to look at you as a woman, you need to step up."
Her words caused an instant blush to spread across Chloe’s face. Seraphina could clearly read her feelings, something even Vlad couldn’t do, which made her an even more formidable foe. She decided not to react to her words, although they did hit her pretty hard. With Vlad’s growing influence, if she didn’t step up, she might always remain his little sister.
She decided to put those thoughts on hold for now, turning her focus to the hall below.
From the door just behind the platform, on the opposite wall from the entrance, several men and women clad in steel armor entered in two disciplined lines. They stood facing each other on either side of the red carpet, their backs straight, their faces unreadable.
A moment later, Victor also entered the hall. Unlike his usual formal academy uniform, he wore silver armor with four stars engraved on his chest plate. His brown hair, which was usually disheveled, was neatly combed, and he even had his beard trimmed into a stubble.
Although Chloe didn’t show it, she was momentarily taken aback by how imposing he looked. For a moment, she couldn’t believe he was the same easy-going professor who always joked around during lectures.
As Victor reached the platform, he ordered in a loud but firm tone.
"Vlad Lumberjack, enter the Knighting Hall."
All eyes shifted toward the entrance, where the curtains shifted as a figure emerged.
Seraphina’s jaw dropped. Chloe’s eyes widened, their hearts beating faster, their gazes refusing to leave the figure.
"Damn! Is he really Vlad?" Max exclaimed, speaking the two girls’ thoughts out loud. "He is looking smoking hot."