"Dear new knights. First of all, I would like to congratulate you on your new beginnings.

　His Majesty's words echo through the silent grand auditorium.

　It's a powerful voice that shakes you from the depths of your stomach.

''Young men who have knocked on the door of the Order on their own. I am delighted that you have volunteered to become knights in the service of your nation. It is no exaggeration to say that our country is sustained by the existence of knights. That is why we are always in need of your young strength.

　His Majesty chooses the right words of encouragement to raise the spirits of the young men and women who make up the majority of those in attendance.

　These young men and women, who have achieved their immediate goal of being knighted, and who are likely to be full of enthusiasm for the future, receive words of encouragement in person from the leader of the continent.

　There are only a handful of people who are not fired up.

　These speeches may have been written in advance, and they may have been prepared by an official rather than by His Majesty himself, but it was only because of His Majesty's overwhelming presence that they were made.

　The same statement by the man who had just been presiding over the event would never have had the same effect.

And those who have been recommended in return for their great achievements. I can only thank you for your contribution. The title of knight is the least we can give you.

　Is this one called an honorary knighthood?

　In contrast to those who are ordained through a knight's apprenticeship, many of them do not seem to be of an age where they are capable of doing knightly physical work.

　In their case, a knighthood is not an admission ticket to perform official duties and contribute to the kingdom, but rather a kind of reward given to them after they have made a contribution.

　There was even an old man who was about to get a pillowcase called ...... in honor of his contributions over the years.

'Or - some of you may not have wanted to become a knight all along. The inner reason for your acceptance of my recommendation is unknown to us. But I am convinced that your determination is genuine. I beg you to continue to help us.

　-- Hearing those words, I was almost under the illusion that they were directed at me.

　But I'm sure it's just hubris.
　It's not surprising that there are so many candidates for knighthood, that there are those who have become knights for unavoidable reasons.

''Now then, let's get the anointing ceremony going.
Yes, sir.

　The presiding man returns to the altar, bowing reverently, and begins to preside over the ceremony.

'I will now read out the names of the Knights and their last names!　Those whose names have been called, take the stage first!

　It began with a reading from the Kingsguard unit, the Knights of the Dragon King.

　Drake, Foreman, Hyndman--
　Since it is said that the policy is to only recruit new members from their relatives, the family name called for is limited to a specific one, and several new knights carrying the same family name have also taken the stage.

''(As expected of a child of a knight's family, they're all young and calm. ......)

　Carefully observe the ritual procedures so that you don't get in trouble when it's your turn.

　First of all, the number of people called at one time seems to have no law.

　Sometimes only one person is brought up to the stage, and sometimes five or six people are called together.

　I don't think it's random.
　The order of the call is determined based on a condition I don't know about.

　It's just my imagination, but the person receiving the appointment alone may be a candidate for a special position.

　For example, maybe it's a recommendation from a knight's executive, or they've completed their apprenticeship with excellent grades.

' (The ritual is ...... still has a great atmosphere. It's like an art in itself. ......)

　His Majesty stands in front of the new knight kneeling on the platform and sends words of encouragement while tapping his shoulder with the side of his ceremonial sword.

　Although the time allotted to each person in this large group is limited, His Majesty is still not in a hurry and uses up the time allotted to each of them to the end.

　--Suddenly, as I casually followed the new knight down the altar with my eyes, I noticed a line of faces in the front row that I had seen somewhere before.

　In that seat where the guests of royalty, dukes, frontier counts, and other high-ranking royalty and aristocrats seemed to be in attendance, there was a pair of boys and girls.

　It took me a little while because they were dressed differently than usual, but I was able to remember who those two were and where they were from.

　It was Ezell the Brave and his brother Eddie.

　As I recall, Garnett said that they were the children of some influential nobleman, but they were actively working as brave men.

　I'm sure he's attending the ceremony not as a brave man, but as a member of a noble family.

''The Purple Jade Order, Mark Easton.

　After the anointing of the four senior knights to the newcomers, it was the turn of the remaining eight knights to take their turn.

　A young man in his early twenties climbed on the stage when his name was called.

　He is by no means well versed in the customs of knights, but he has learned a few things from his considerable experience so far.

　If a family has been knighted for generations, they can start training as a knight while they are still a child of less than fifteen, so the age at which they become a knight is often very young.

　For example, in Garnett's case, as can be seen by counting backwards from the fact that he is a full-fledged knight at only fifteen or sixteen, he must have started training as a knight when he was ten years old or younger.

　Even at this joint ordination ceremony, there are a few faces here and there who are below the age of fifteen, which is generally considered to be an adult, and the ratio is not small.

　On the other hand, there seemed to be a good number of candidates for knighthood who were clearly over the age of twenty as well.

　Probably they are the ones who were born into the homes of ordinary people and left their homes and became apprenticed to knights after they crossed the age of fifteen, just like I did when I left my hometown and became an adventurer.

　I'm sure it's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for, but I'm not sure what you're looking for.

　Of course, it may take longer than that, and for various reasons, it may take a little longer to become an apprentice.

　--The reason why I suddenly started thinking about this is because I have a family member who fits this description.

'(No way, that guy is ......)

　Mark of the White Wolf Forest.
　One of my brothers and sisters, who was less than ten years old when I left my hometown and was absent just recently when I returned to my hometown because he was training to become a knight.

　The name Mark is not an uncommon one, in fact, it would be one of the many categories of the same name.

　It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for when you're in the marketplace.