How to Live as a Genius Knight in a Fantasy World

36.

“Rohan, what do you think of Sofia?”

As usual, it was during a break in the training.

Startled by the Marquis’s sudden question, Rohan, who was about to take a sip, coughed.

“Cough, Cough, Huh? Sofia?”

“Yes. My daughter, Sofia. I’m asking what you think of her as a marriage partner.”

Although they had crossed swords more than a hundred times, the Marquis had never brought up the topic of Sofia before.

Surprised by the abrupt question, Rohan had suspected for a long time that the Marquis knew about his and Sofia’s relationship.

‘He used to take walks near the Marquisate, so he couldn’t not know…’

He had thought there was tacit approval, but being directly asked such a question made him flustered.

At first, being young, Sofia hesitated, but as time passed and their relationship deepened, she could gradually let go of the reluctance stemming from her past life.

Her pure heart and lovely demeanor slowly warmed Rohan’s heart.

Although Rohan appeared much more mature compared to boys his age, Sofia, who couldn’t know his true age, found even that charming.

For Rohan, an important aspect was emotions with the partner, and he had long felt emotions for Sofia.

That alone was enough to consider her as a marriage partner. From Rohan’s perspective, Sofia was by no means a bad match.

By marrying Sofia, Rohan could be integrated into a prestigious noble family and could exert influence beyond the Isel Estate.

Becoming a knight and rising to nobility, acquiring an estate was no easy task.

It was impossible to count how many nobles had been ignored for not receiving an estate in their lifetime.

Although Rohan had exceptional skills, it was uncertain how long it would take for him to acquire an estate.

In such a situation, gaining a place where he could settle and act as a key figure was a tremendous merit.

‘There is nothing stronger than the bloodline…’

Even if he were to gain trust elsewhere, becoming a son-in-law or husband of a lord was out of the question.

Considering various other factors, there was no reason to refuse the Marquis’s proposal no matter how much he thought about it.

No, considering Rohan’s feelings and his background, should he not have kneeled first and asked for his daughter?

However, as he had never been married in his past life, he was unsure how to respond.

After a brief hesitation, Rohan’s choice was to simply kneel.

He dropped the water jug as if it were tossed, quickly lowering himself to the floor to the extent that his chin made a sound.

The Marquis was taken aback by the sudden act of kneeling.

He had only asked for his intentions, yet the disciple he had brought up was displaying an unprecedented determined expression.

It was unfamiliar for a figure like a knight to kneel, but it was easy to anticipate what Rohan would say next.

“Master! Please give me your daughter! I will make Sofia happy for the rest of her life!”

In the sudden turn of events, there was no time to think.

While Rohan regretted the cliché line he had uttered, the Marquis found himself engulfed in a strange admiration.

Living a life exposed to countless media, Rohan, who was often perceived as cliché, surprised the Marquis with words that were not just fresh but shocking.

“To live happily…”

Noble marriages were mostly strategic alliances based on mutual interests.

The Marquis was no exception.

Though he now undoubtedly felt the emotions of love, back then, he was simply bewildered by the sudden arranged marriage.

Of course, it was Lord Kilton, his father and the previous Marquis, who had decided the marriage.

For the aristocratic youths, marriage was not a matter of personal choice.

Therefore, even when meeting the family of a potential spouse, it was all about formalities and discussing future prospects.

“I… said that through this marriage, Ezell and Yeld could be each other’s sturdy shields.”

It wasn’t a time when he was in love with the woman who would become his wife, and it was true that he was caught off guard by the sudden reality.

But even in a perfectly rational state, would the Marquis have given a different answer than the one he provided?

He didn’t think so.

A few words, a few spellings might have changed, but the underlying meaning would have been the same.

Yet, the Marquis was fortunate.

In that hasty marriage, he succeeded in finding the love of his life.

The woman he married was beautiful, wise, and warm.

Therefore, from the beginning, the Marquis had no complaints about the marriage and at some point realized he deeply loved her.

That’s why Rohan’s words now truly resonated with him.

In their not-so-brief married life, the promise to make each other happy as a father of a young woman was endlessly touching.

He hadn’t thought to object from the start, but his answer extinguished even the slightest hint of doubt.

The Marquis nodded without hesitation, and thus, the marriage of Rohan and Sophia was decided.

Unusually swift for a noble event, the marriage was set, yet there was no room for inadequacy in the preparations.

Two weeks since setting the date for the wedding and commencing the preparations.

Although the details of the wedding were kept secret, materials for furniture and decorations for the ceremony had already been ordered.

“There’s more to prepare than I thought.”

The Marquis rubbed his head after reading the report brought by the servant.

As the only daughter and the marriage to a commoner’s apprentice, the wedding preparations were essentially all the Marquis’s responsibility.

“But why does Rohan claim to have no parents?”

As a soldier brought up within the Ezell castle, all information about Rohan was in the hands of Lord Ezell.

His mother had died in her early years, but his father was still alive, farming and living a healthy life.

It was to the extent that he had recently acquired a new child through a second marriage.

Although there was a debate on whether to invite him to the wedding, it seemed that Rohan had no intention of doing so.

“An orphan by choice is quite a novelty.”

The Marquis, thinking about the peculiar apprentice and future son-in-law, chuckled softly.

As he reviewed the documents and raised his pen to sign, someone knocked on the study door with urgency.

“Come in. Ah, Luth. What’s the matter?”

The one who sought the Marquis was Luth, the steward of Ezell and the only steward.

Luth had dedicated himself to the Marquis for a long time, but it was rare for him to urgently seek the Marquis as he did today.

Pushing aside any ominous feelings, the composed Marquis calmly inquired about the matter.

“My Lord, the expeditionary force sent to deal with the dark sorcerers has defected. Please read the details in the letter.”

Root, who delivered the letter along with a brief message from the messenger, took a step back.

The Marquis, with trembling hands, quickly scanned through the letter on the parchment.

The words written on the rough parchment contained unbelievable content.

From the manifestation of dark magic, the appearance of corpse dragons, armed demons, to the punitive force on the brink of annihilation.

Having read the entire letter, the Marquis furrowed his brow deeply.

It was a result completely beyond expectations.

As a dark mage who had concealed his tracks for a long time, the nobles had suspected that his power might not be significant.

Yet, despite this, the fact that such an excessive force was dispatched, coupled with the expression “crushed” being an understatement for the extent of the defeat, meant the kingdom was facing the worst situation.

Moreover, with the assistance of the clergy, it was as if the kingdom had encountered a catastrophic scenario.

The belated arrival of the clergy’s forces at least managed to save the surviving members of the punitive force, and they had brought back most of the bodies of the knights and mages who had met their demise, providing some solace.

At least the likelihood of encountering high-ranking undead had greatly diminished.

“…Root, have you heard any news about Dennis?”

There seemed to be no possibility of the soldiers being alive, but when it came to the knight Dennis, it was uncertain.

In the Marquis’s question tinged with a glimmer of hope, Root responded with a somber expression.

“…According to the messenger, they haven’t fully identified the identities of all the bodies yet, but it seems like Knight Dennis may have fallen in battle…”

“Ah…”

The Marquis, unable to contain himself, let out a deep sigh.

Publicly, it meant a significant loss in one of Izell’s precious knight forces, and personally, it meant losing a comrade with whom he had bonded over a long period.

The Marquis, who had worn a pained expression for a while, soon regained his composure.

Though his heart ached, as a noble responsible for his domain, he could not dwell on the past.

The Marquis with a grave expression once again checked the end of the letter.

‘Except Lord Byungbaek, all former lords must dispatch at least three knights and over fifty soldiers.’

An unprecedented call for military forces.

The royal seal stamped in the bottom right corner seemed particularly ominous.

‘It seems like postponing the wedding preparations… is inevitable.’

The timing was not right to welcome a new family member.

“Summon all the knights here within an hour. There are many issues that need to be decided.”

Leaning back completely in his office chair, the Marquis commanded in a weary voice.

“Yes, I will inform them as soon as possible.”

As he watched Root leave after the response, the Marquis closed his eyes and buried himself deep in the chair.

The face of the deceased Dennis, the soldiers marching out of the castle gate, and the daughter’s face contorted with worry and disappointment haunted the Marquis, leaving him tormented by various thoughts.

Before thirty minutes had passed, the knights who had been spending their personal time began to enter the Marquis’s office one by one.

Having seemingly heard a brief account from Root, the Marquis, who had a solemn expression moments ago, now greeted the knights who had regained a blank expression.

“You’re all here. Since the matter is urgent, let’s get straight to the point. Dennis, who participated in the dark mage’s suppression, has died recently. The soldiers who went with him have met the same fate.”

“…The steward informed us. It was hard to believe…”

It was a known fact that in a life where you wielded a sword, the uncertainty of when one would die was ever-present.

Even so, the death of a colleague whom they had faced for over a decade was a sad and lamentable event.

“Furthermore, orders have been issued for additional troops. It’s not a request or persuasion. It’s an order. Stamped with the king’s seal.”

“Good heavens…”

The seriousness of the situation seemed to be acknowledged as the knights’ expressions grew even darker.

“Viscount, do you happen to know the size of the summoned troops?”

“At least three knights and fifty soldiers. It was mentioned that if we have knights but do not send them, there will be consequences.”

“Ah…”

To become a lord meant entering into a contract with the king, receiving both obligations and rights.

Given that the most fundamental duty as a lord was to reinforce the protection of the nation, refusing a dispatch order was simply out of the question.

If one were to worry about the loss of power in their territory and refuse to send reinforcements, it wouldn’t be surprising to lose their position as a lord after the war.

“Moreover, time is of the essence. Support troops must arrive in Taloon within two weeks. It seems the kingdom intends to make a move before the Corpse Dragon awakens.”

“…Not an easy task.”

“Indeed, it’s not easy. We must gather all available resources and depart immediately. Once we reach Taloon, we’ll have to face demons head-on. It’s likely we’ll engage in a fight where our lives are at risk.”

“…”

“Nevertheless, it’s unavoidable. Isn’t it our duty to repay what we’ve enjoyed and benefited from all this time?”

Upon the Viscount’s words, the knights nodded in agreement.

Those who received knighthood all shared a common oath of loyalty to the kingdom.

To forsake their duty for the sake of personal safety was akin to renouncing their status as knights.

“Atum, Rohan, accompany me to Taloon.”

At the Viscount’s words, a sense of bewilderment appeared on the faces of the three knights.