Chapter 341 – The Exchange.

Roland glanced at the status screen of the person that had arrived. His level was above Emmerson and just like the other Knight Commander he had a spirit variant of a class. It seemed that Theodore Valerian didn’t just allow anyone to become a knight commander, having at least a somewhat prestigious class was a requirement.

Usually, classes like High Knight were more prevalent among tier 3 class knights but both of the people he was hiring had prestigious variants of already more prestigious class versions. This made him believe that whoever was the Head Knight might actually match his own Overlord class or at least be somewhat close.

‘I’m not sure if Spirit variants have any multiplier advantages but it could be possible.’

His knowledge of tier 3s ended at the names. All the books that he read before didn’t really explain the skills or advantages they brought. It was a brand new world on which he could only speculate after going through the names. This Alphonse person, for instance, was clearly focused on swordsmanship while wearing heavy armor.

Just like any other knight, he was wearing full plate armor but it didn’t look as heavy as the one Emmerson arrived in. It was clearly made out of Mythril and probably had a higher concentration of it due to the magnified silvery sheen. His helmet came equipped with a blue comb on the top and hid away eyes of the same color behind two slits. The design was quite intricate with a lot of blue outlines that fit together well with the silvery metal.

The weapon of choice was a regular one-handed longsword that didn’t possess the bulk as the one he grabbed from the other knight. It radiated magical energy and was clearly enchanted, his mana sense didn’t allow him to figure out the exact magic but it had several layers to it. This time around, it was an actual runic enchantment, and even without being able to glance at the runic structures, Roland could feel it through his enhanced mana sense.

On the left side, he was holding onto a kite shield with the Valerian crest on the front side. It was a lot smaller compared to the heavy oval shield his other opponent arrived with. This item had obvious runic traces and even some runes on the front. Even without using his eye skill, he could quickly decipher the defensive spells it was equipped with.

‘It’s a tier 3 version of the mana shield and has several layers to it.’

To a magical craftsman like Roland who didn’t have the leisure of having a proper teacher, this was more interesting than the scene that was playing out now. The runes were of the charged variety and they seemed to have three versions of a similar shielding spell on it. With the help of the debugging skill it was possible to figure out most of the uses and that the defensive item was based on renewable charges.

‘I’ll probably have to focus on charges when making weapons for the other knights, their limited mana pool won’t be able to sustain the higher-tier spells…’

While deliberating on some future tasks he continued with his assessment of the situation. This man was probably more nimble on his feet than Emmerson. His focus was swordsmanship with some added defenses thanks to the shield and armor. This was a bit concerning as his latest skill that allowed him to see the world’s Manaflow had its limits.

When against a somewhat slow class like a guardian it worked fine but when the movements became too fast, even Roland’s heightened reaction speeds might fall short. He wasn’t really sure but this was the conclusion that he came to after the last duel. This didn’t mean that it was totally useless, with time he expected to get a better grasp on it. Then even speedy opponents wouldn’t be able to hide their intent during combat.

“Bring forth the prisoner for the exchange.”

Roland called out while stepping to the side. Behind him were the other two official Valerian knights, Sir Gareth and Sir Morien. They were sticking to Emmerson like two ticks, the man had a greater size than both of them and even without the armor, there was a stark difference in power. Only thanks to the collar around his neck were the two able to drag him forward.

“Hmph.”

The shackles that he was also wearing around his wrists rattled slightly as he walked forward. His gaze almost instantly fell on the hovering sword that previously belonged to him. Roland could see his facade of the stoic warrior drop as his eyes widened but somehow the man was able to stop himself from speaking out in anger.

This trade was taking place outside. To a knight that lost a duel presenting himself to the public was a big hit to their pride. Yet there was a need for this little show everyone was allowed to see. There needed to be made an example before all the other Knight Commanders and nobles. They needed to know that if they went against this city and their lord, this could happen to them.

‘I thought they would start shouting about now… Are they actually afraid of me?’

This was something new to him, even though he could feel some of the anger coming his way, no one uttered a word. His presence seemed to weigh heavily on the people here. Even the platinum adventurer party that was here to back him up wasn’t getting as much attention. The enemy had also come forth with their own group of adventures and his side was outnumbered when it came to tier 3 class holders.

‘Eleven against six, on the surface, it looks like we are at a disadvantage, they also brought a higher level mage and a few tier 2 mages. To counter a magic user, another magic user is usually needed but, it should be fine…’

Subterfuge was part of this game. Many runic turrets were placed in this compound and they were pointing at the enemy combatants. Roland was in control of them and made sure to make their cannons point right at the enemy Knight Commander’s head. With an unknown amount of firepower on his side, he didn’t believe that this exchange would fall through.

“As you can see, Sir Emmerson is well, I hope that you have brought the agreed upon gold for the trade, Sir Alphonse?”

“I see that thou have done thy due diligence, Sir Wayland, was it? I’m pleased to make thy acquaintance.”

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“The pleasure is all mine.”

He nodded while exchanging a few words with the other man. While the two Knight Commanders were talking no one dared to raise a word. This knight’s voice sounded somewhat gentler and not filled with much animosity. Yet it also carried a sharpness with it, this was a man with a lot of experience.

“Just as the two Lords have agreed on, a thousand gold coins for the Knight Commander and another five hundred for the others.”

The man clapped his hands to signal some of his soldiers to move forward. Two men brought forth a heavy-looking chest in front of the man wearing the silver mythril armor. This was quite the sum of gold, a normal person could retire and live a good life with that amount. Yet someone like Theodore could just wave his hand to produce this amount instantly.

When the chest appeared all the adventurers in the vicinity instantly started stealing glances. Even to tier 3 class holders, this was a large sum of money that would allow them to get some powerful magical weapons. They continued to watch it as it was brought to the middle of the courtyard where the exchange was taking place.

“I’m sure you won’t mind if I check the contents of that chest. Sir Alphonse?”

“Are thou implying that we brought an incorrect amount? Sir Wayland?”

“The chest will be accepted by my lord, it must be examined beforehand, I’m sure you understand the procedures.”