Chapter 79: Three Gold Knights

Raymond returned to the castle with the System Shop still occupying far too much of his thoughts.

Four hundred and eleven thousand System Points had felt like a fortune until he discovered prices measured in millions, but the Shop could wait.

There was another reward he had been deliberately avoiding because using it carelessly would create exactly the kind of problem he did not need.

By midday, he had sent word for Jonathan, Garret, Tristan, and five other Silver Knights to report to the castle courtyard behind the western storage wing.

Boris arrived as well, naturally suspicious the moment he realized Raymond had gathered that many high-ranking Knights in one place.

"Should I be worried?" he asked while following Raymond through the inner passage.

Raymond glanced back. "That depends entirely on how emotionally attached you are to feeling strong."

Boris stared at him for two seconds, then muttered, "I already dislike this."

The courtyard Raymond chose was small, enclosed on three sides by old stone walls and screened from the rest of the castle grounds by a tall storage building.

It had once been used for wagons and feed, but the space was empty now except for a few stacked barrels and patches of dirty snow melting along the edges. More importantly, nobody outside the castle staff had any reason to pass through it.

Raymond stopped near the center while the Silver Knights formed a loose half-circle several paces behind him.

Jonathan stood closest, calm as always, though his eyes moved across the empty courtyard with obvious curiosity. Garret rested one hand near the rim of his battered shield, while Tristan leaned against the wall with the relaxed posture of someone pretending not to be interested.

Boris folded his arms. "All right, my Lord. You dragged half your strongest men behind a warehouse. What exactly are we doing?"

Raymond smiled. "Testing something."

That answer satisfied absolutely nobody, which was precisely why Raymond enjoyed giving it. He opened his inventory while pretending to inspect the courtyard.

The familiar list appeared.

[ Bronze Knight Summoning Tickets: 65 ]

[ Silver Knight Summoning Tickets: 20 ]

[ Gold Knight Summoning Tickets: 3 ]

[ Specialized Civilian Summoning Tickets: 10 ]

His attention settled on the third line. Even after seeing the reward several times, the words still carried weight.

Gold Rank. One Gold Rank Blackstone Ursar had required eighteen Silver Knights to kill, and several of those Knights had been injured despite numerical superiority, preparation, and Raymond’s entire town helping shape the battlefield.

Now he was about to summon three warriors from that same rank. Raymond selected the tickets.

[ ×3 Gold Knight Summoning Tickets ]

[ Use? ]

[ YES / NO ]

He chose yes and nothing flashed.

There was no pillar of light, no thunder, no heavenly choir, and no dramatic burst of mana announcing that something extraordinary had happened.

One heartbeat the courtyard was empty in front of Raymond, and the next three men were standing there.

The reaction behind him was immediate.

Jonathan’s posture changed first. His shoulders tightened, his chin lowered slightly, and the easy composure he carried even during dangerous fights disappeared.

Garret’s hand moved toward his weapon on instinct before stopping halfway, recognition and absolute shared loyalty overriding the reflex.

Tristan straightened from the wall without realizing he had done it.

The other Silver Knights grew equally alert. Boris did not reach for his sword, but Raymond heard the faint scrape of his boot against stone as he shifted backward half a step.

The three newcomers were not releasing killing intent. They were not flexing mana, threatening anyone, or even moving. Yet the air around them felt heavier simply because Raymond’s Bronze-ranked senses could now recognize how much power those bodies were containing.

It reminded him of standing near the Blackstone Ursar, except this pressure was controlled rather than wild.

The man in the center appeared to be in his late thirties, tall without being enormous, with dark brown hair cut short and a narrow scar running from the edge of his left eyebrow toward his temple.

His armor was practical rather than decorative, blackened steel over layered leather, and a longsword hung at his waist beside a shorter command blade.

His eyes moved across the courtyard only once, taking in Raymond, the exits, the surrounding walls, Boris, and every Silver Knight with a speed that felt less like looking and more like assessing a battlefield.

A panel appeared above him.

[ Cassian Rourke ]

[ Rank: Gold Knight ]

[ Specialization: Battlefield Command / Formation Warfare ]

[ Combat Profile: Balanced Vanguard Commander ]

Raymond immediately understood that this was not merely a powerful swordsman. Cassian was built to command powerful swordsmen.

The second man made Garret look small. He stood well over six feet with a thick frame that seemed designed to occupy doorways offensively, and the heavy plate covering his torso and shoulders looked dense enough that Raymond wondered how an ordinary man would even walk in it.

A massive rectangular shield was strapped across his back, with a broad-headed war hammer hanging from his belt. His head was shaved, his face square and almost expressionless, and an old break had left his nose slightly crooked.

[ Bram Havel ]

[ Rank: Gold Knight ]

[ Specialization: Heavy Vanguard / Defensive Breakthrough ]

[ Combat Profile: Fortress Assault / Shock Defense ]

Raymond read the last line twice. Defensive breakthrough was a deeply unpleasant phrase when attached to someone who looked capable of walking through a wall instead of using the gate.

The third Gold Knight was the opposite. Lean, slightly shorter than Cassian, with ash-brown hair tied back and simple dark armor that avoided anything likely to catch or rattle.

Two narrow blades rested at his hips, and unlike the others, he wore no heavy protection around his arms. His expression was quiet, almost bored, but Raymond noticed his eyes never stopped moving.

[ Silas Harlock ]

[ Rank: Gold Knight ]

[ Specialization: Pursuit / Reconnaissance / Priority Elimination ]

[ Combat Profile: High-Speed Assassin ]

Tristan’s gaze remained fixed on Silas longer than on either of the others. Raymond almost smiled. Of everyone present, Tristan probably understood best what that specialization meant.

Then all three Gold Knights moved at once.

They dropped to one knee before Raymond with perfect control, fists resting against their chests.

"We greet the Family Head," Cassian said, the other two echoing the words immediately afterward. Their voices were calm, without theatrical devotion or exaggerated reverence.

It sounded military, disciplined, final. Raymond looked down at them and, for a brief moment, forgot to answer.

During the Beast Tide he had watched eighteen Silver Knights struggle against one Gold creature while buildings collapsed around them. That fight had taught him more about the power gap between ranks than any explanation ever could.

Now three Gold Rank warriors were kneeling in front of him because the System had decided they belonged to House Althoff.

"Rise," Raymond finally said.

The three stood. Cassian inclined his head. "Awaiting orders, Family Head."

Raymond nodded, trying not to look as impressed as he felt. Behind him, Boris had become suspiciously quiet, which usually meant a question was preparing itself. Sure enough, the captain stepped closer and studied the three newcomers with narrowed eyes.

"My Lord," he began carefully, "I’m going to ask something, and I’d appreciate an answer that does not create three more questions."

Raymond turned toward him. "That sounds restrictive, but go ahead."

Boris gestured toward Cassian, Bram, and Silas. "Where were these men during the Beast Tide?"

"Unavailable."

Boris stared at him.

Raymond stared back. "Unavailable where?"

Raymond continued looking at him.

Boris continued looking back.

Jonathan, standing directly beside them, suddenly found the northern wall of the courtyard fascinating enough to deserve his complete attention. Tristan lowered his head, unsuccessfully hiding a smile. Even Garret’s mouth twitched.

Boris exhaled through his nose. "One day, my Lord, I am going to receive a normal answer from you."

"Dream bigger."

Raymond turned back toward the Gold Knights before Boris could continue. He needed more than System labels.

He needed to understand what Gold Rank actually meant when placed beside his existing forces.

"Jonathan," he called. The Silver Knight immediately faced him. "You fought the Ursar. You know what Gold Rank feels like better than almost anyone here. Test Cassian for me. Nothing lethal. I only want a comparison."

Jonathan nodded once. "Understood."

Cassian stepped forward without objection and removed his sword, but instead of drawing it, he placed the sheathed weapon on the ground beside him.

Jonathan noticed and frowned. "You’re not using it?"

"I won’t need it."

That earned several raised eyebrows.

Jonathan drew his blade.

He did not treat the exchange as a joke. Silver mana gathered around his body, tightening through his legs and shoulders as the courtyard stones cracked faintly beneath one boot.

Raymond barely had time to register the movement before Jonathan crossed the space between them, sword cutting toward Cassian’s shoulder with enough controlled force to make the air snap.

Cassian lifted one hand.

Two fingers closed around the blade.

Jonathan stopped not because he chose to but because Cassian did. ℯℯ𝘭.

Raymond stared.

The sword trembled between two fingers, Silver mana still burning along its edge, while Cassian stood exactly where he had been.

Even Boris, who had survived mutiny, famine, and the Beast Tide beside Raymond, could only stare at the impossible sight before him.