Being a knight is not easy

Chapter 198 Free People

"And you, too, have the same opportunity!" Robin brandished his Dragon Slayer Spear, its tip slicing through the night sky. "As long as you fight bravely and personally slay five enemies, you will gain the status of free citizens! What does this mean? It means you will no longer have to live in chains, no longer have to be subservient to nobles! You can walk proudly on the streets of the city, own your own houses, and send your children to academies to receive an education!"

A commotion arose in the crowd, and the slave soldiers looked up, their eyes gleaming with disbelief.

Robin's words were like a ray of light in the darkness, illuminating their previously hopeless lives. "Not only that," Robin paused, his eyes filled with encouragement, "if you perform exceptionally well, you will have the opportunity to receive knightly training! Becoming a knight is something countless people dream of! You will be adorned in glory, protecting this land, and becoming heroes revered by all!"

"Perhaps you'll ask, why should I believe you?" Robin shouted. "Look at the warriors around you! They were once serfs, just like you, looked down upon. But now, they are the pride of Viscount Wilke, warriors who strike fear into the hearts of their enemies! They earned their dignity and status through their hard work and sweat! You can too!"

"Here, there is no distinction of status, only the difference of effort and courage! As long as you are willing to fight for your freedom and your future, Viscount Wilke will give you opportunities and support! Our blacksmith shops will work day and night to forge the sharpest weapons and the strongest armor for you; our academy will always open its doors, waiting for your children to come and learn!"

“You lowly people, freedom doesn’t fall from the sky, and dignity isn’t something given to you by others! You have to pay for them with your blood and your lives! The nobles have enjoyed their privileges for too long. They oppress and exploit you. Now, it’s time to let them know that you are no longer lambs to the slaughter!” Robin’s voice grew more and more impassioned.

"When you fight bravely on the battlefield, when you fight for freedom and dignity, you are not fighting alone! Everyone in Viscount Wilke's territory will be your strong support!"

"Think of your families, think of your children! Do you want them to continue living like slaves? No! We want to create a better future for them! To free them from slavery and oppression! And it all begins when you lay down your fear, take up arms, and fight for freedom!"

The slave soldiers below the stage were deeply moved by Robin's words, and a surge of passion welled up in their hearts.

They clenched their fists, their eyes burning with fierce fighting spirit.

An older slave soldier stepped forward, his voice choked with emotion: "Sir, can I...can I really become a free man? Can my children really go to school?"

Robin stepped down from the platform, came to him, grasped his hand, and said firmly, "I swear in the name of Viscount Wilke's heir, everything I say will come true! As long as you believe in me and believe in yourselves, we can create miracles!"

"Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!" Someone shouted this first, and then more than 1,700 slave soldiers shouted in unison, their voices shaking the sky.

Their voices were filled with a longing for freedom and a vision for the future.

The voice seemed to pierce the sky, proclaiming to the whole world that they were no longer slaves, but warriors fighting for freedom!
In the firelight, Robin looked at the enthusiastic crowd before her and a smile of satisfaction appeared on her lips.

From this moment on, a brand new force was born in Viscount Wilke's territory.

And this is just the beginning. In the future, they will write an even more glorious chapter together, making the entire Western Regions tremble with awe.

The campfire cast a long shadow of Viscount Wilke, which twisted and swayed on the mottled bricks of the city wall.

He leaned on his gold-inlaid oak cane, gazing at the spirited Robin on the high platform, a complex light swirling in his cloudy eyes. It was a mixture of relief, awe, and an indescribable sense of unfamiliarity.

He suddenly realized that the boy he had always wanted to protect had already grown into someone powerful enough to shake the very foundations of the kingdom.

“Father, these newly reorganized slave soldiers can begin training tomorrow.” As Robin stepped down from the platform, the gilded patterns on the Dragon Slayer Spear still emitted a faint glow. “I plan to build a magic watchtower at the valley entrance to complement the range of the composite pulley bow.” His voice trailed off as he saw the old nobleman staring at him.

Viscount Wilke raised his hand to interrupt, his aged hand trembling slightly: "Allen, do you know what you're doing?" He pointed to the slave soldiers cheering in the distance, holding up wooden signs that read "Freedom," "Pardoning slavery and promising knightly training—this is a blatant challenge to the ironclad class rules established by the royal family!"

Robin was silent for a moment, the dragon scale patterns on his skin faintly burning: "All I know is that my hands, bound by chains, can't hold the longsword properly." He looked up at the starry sky, where a shooting star was streaking across the sky. "Only when the serfs of the Westerlands can fight for their dignity will this land truly become strong."

The old nobleman's cane struck the stone slab heavily, making a dull thud.

“If we fail,” Viscount Wilke’s voice was as low as a night drum, “our family will be doomed.”

“If we hadn’t fought, Wilke would have perished under the iron hooves of Minnesota long ago.” Robin’s silver hair was blown by the night wind, reflecting the distant, flickering campfires like a burning galaxy. “When you took me in, weren’t you also gambling on a future?”

The old nobleman's Adam's apple bobbed.

He recalled Robin's calm demeanor when he first commanded the militia, and the fatal arrow that pierced the legendary knight on the battlefield of Aspen Valley.

He suddenly laughed, a laugh filled with relief and madness: "Good! Good!" He opened his arms as if to embrace the entire night sky, "Let Wilke's battle flag be planted atop the tower of the capital!"

Robin looked at his father's face, which was flushed with excitement, and felt a warm feeling well up in his heart.

He hadn't expected his father to be so supportive.

From this night forward, the Wilke family will no longer be merely a viscountcy in a remote corner, but will become the fuse that ignites the flames of change.

As the first rays of dawn pierce the darkness, those slave soldiers shouting "freedom" will become the sword that rewrites history, and he will lead them to glory or destruction.

The candlelight flickered in the Viscount's mansion, staining the brocade curtains throughout the room blood-red.

When the seventh vassal stumbled in, her hands could no longer be contained and began to tremble. The usually arrogant nobles were now crowding at the door like frightened birds, their heavy breathing mingling with the clanging of armor.

(End of this chapter)