Faneel asked with his voice in intrigue. "Who is Alder-sama?"

  Cloud's eyes shined with a hint of respect and caution as he replied, "Alder-sama is not just a figurehead in the Thrall clan. He's a pillar that only a few within the Sinki can contest. If you are under his protection, you're untouchable.

  But... "Cloud paused, his tone shifting towards caution. Being his subordinate comes with the weight of proving your worth.

  Faneel's green eyes narrowed. "Protection is acceptable, but I'm not here to hide behind someone else's shadow. I need to carve my path and fight my battles.

  Cloud smirked, "Please attend the initiation to the Thrall clan? It's your first step to challenge the strongest in the Sinki.

  As Cloud relays the message and moves on to his destination.

  Mitta bursts into the room, his breath uneven as if he'd sprinted across the entire academy. "Faneel! I heard Cloud was here. Did he invite you to the initiation?"

  The wolf boy replies nonchalantly, "Yeah, he was here, he was kinda powerful and made me land in my ass with a sweep kick."

  Mitta snarkily adds, "Lucky you, I ate a heel kick in my face when I challenged him."

  "Do you want to know what happens in the initiation, or do you want it to be a surprise?"

  Faneel retorts, "Let's keep it low for a while. I don't want to lament if it doesn't meet my expectations."

  Both of them move towards the dining hall for dinner.

  (After some time, while enjoying dinner, their peers were murmuring about the two inductees of the Thrall clan.

  But, popularity was nothing to Faneel; he was always cautious within the walls of Sinki. He was still in a state of conflict. Formidable individuals were lurking in the shadows and could crush him without breaking a sweat.

  Tomorrow was his initiation, he was one step closer to meeting the powers that be in the school of Sinki.

  In the Crescent town in the Valley of Aiteet, Ra'ht limped into the bustling town of Crescent. His shoulder was wounded, and his sword dripped with hot red blood.

  He groaned loudly, drawing the attention of the town's citizens. "People of Crescent Town! Listen to me! The forests of Aiteet are no longer safe! Mana beasts are gathering and growing stronger every moon. If we don't act, they'll overrun us!"

  The feudal lord speaks, "Who are you, stranger? Is what you are saying true? We have lived here for a long time, there has not been an incident of magic beasts breaking through within the confines of the forest."

  Ra'ht asserted his voice, feigning exhaustion, "This is Sir James Benedict, my lord. I am a knight of the Palia kingdom. I barely escaped the beasts after putting my life on the line."

  Ra'ht placed his hand on his chest with a solemn expression. "You have my word of a Knight."

  The Lord announces calmly, "Let's talk into my manor. Don't worry, people, we will understand the crux of the problem and make necessary arrangements."

  The Crescent's feudal lord quelled people's doubts with those few words. People got on with their day.

  After going to the manor, the lord asks his subordinates to provide medical attention to the Ra'ht.

  Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

  Following the treatment, Ra'ht stands in front of the lord. He presented the crest of a knight that Gord had pawned for some money.

  "Sir James, please tell me what happened in the Aiteet's forest." He asked in a concerned tone.

  Ra'ht narrated respectfully, "I was coming off from my excursion from Sinki kingdom's barracks to the Aiteet forests.

  While venturing into the woods, I came across a den of mana beasts who seemed to have gathered due to the increasing propensity of mana within the forest.

  I fear that after depleting their food sources, they will venture out of the forest and into the town.

  The lord took off his glasses and addressed, "It seems we are faced with quite a conundrum. What would be the best idea to tackle the obstacle, Sir Knight?"

  Ra'ht croons, "My lord, it would be best to gather adventures and tackle the obstacle head-on by visiting the forest.

  If you don't mind me being upfront. I lost my funds during my escape. To fulfill my knightly duties, please let me borrow some capital. The Sinki Kingdom administration shall refund your expenses.

  The old lord, in relief, interjects, "Obviously, we will help you out. I will send a few of my soldiers to help you gather the adventurers."

  The lord gathers a few of the soldiers and provides them with a few gold dinars. A gold dinar was worth around a hundred silver, and a silver was worth a hundred copper. The lord provided a pouch of dinars, which was probably enough for Ra'ht.

  A young soldier with a funny-looking helmet excitedly rushes to the knight. With the addition of a few dozen soldiers supporting the mission.

  He was the most promising recruit of Crescent Town. The young brown-haired soldier was excited that he would get to go on an adventure alongside veteran knights and adventurers.

  The young soldier spoke, "Sir Knight, where do you think that we will find the adventures?"

  Ra'ht adds admirably, "Ah yes, young soldier, we are likely to find them by the edge of the town.

  I saw some of the adventurers gearing to go into the forest. If we offer them a couple of dinars, then they would follow up with our mission."

  Merrily, while trusting the words of the knight, they went towards the edge of the town.

  After coming to the forest. Ra'ht swiftly attacked all the soldiers in a blur, with a flurry of punches and kicks. He knocked everyone unconscious with the swift hilt of the sword.

  After gathering himself, he disappeared into the shadows of the woods.

  Ra'ht hissed, "Oh, curses! I forget Gord's crest, he is going to kill me. I have to tell him to stay away from Crescent Town.

  The former Mercenary turned fraud was the proper introduction of Ra'ht. He had completely transformed his appearance before running his ruse. It was a typical con for him; he would arrive in town to fabricate a story, and the feudal lords who resided in peaceful towns often believed him.

  The treacherous man might have looked small in front of Gord, but he was a unit in front of normal humans who would easily believe him to be a knight.

  The old mercenary used different aliases while conning people. But this time, he had left out evidence of his involvement. However, he did not give a thought to it because he was a self-serving individual who quelled his thirst with booze and girls.

  The next day, Faneel goes to the heart of the Thrall clan's quarters. His sharp eyes scanned the room, big pillars, and pictures of various people who had already established themselves in the military of Sinki. The big pillars and wide rooms were much different from his dorms.

  After arriving at the point, he sees some people standing side by side like him. The palpitations of tension and anticipation were in the air.

  In the event, there were members of Thrall clans, ambassadors, and the grade leaders of the clan. However, Alder was missing in the initiation. A minotaur-looking individual steps up.

  He growls, "Greetings, everyone. I am the vice leader of the Thrall clan. I am called Gyro Van Cos.

  As you know, today is the initiation of the latest batch of newbies. We won't admit the new pledges within our ranks without any tussle.

  I want all the new inductees to participate in a spar. You will be given an odd or even number card. The odd-numbered individual should collect an even-numbered badge and vice versa with any means to join us.

  We will give you an hour to accomplish this task."

  There were around twenty members at the event. Faneel was assigned an even-number badge. He had to find an odd number, everyone was squaring one-and-one by finding their even-odd sequence.

  Faneel was having a hard time finding his spar partner. He sees a guy just sitting down and staring at his number badge. He goes up to the spikey-haired guy with one earring.

  Faneel asserted, "Hey, do you want to fight for it?

  The spiky-haired guy says, "Sure! I was waiting?"

  While in the crowd, people were murmuring, Who is this wolf kid, fighting against the best prospect of Thrall clan? Erik is going to give him the worst beatdown.