HLnovel Chapter 64 : Investiture, Quasi-Knights
Chapter 64 : Investiture, Quasi-Knights
Chapter 64: Investiture, Quasi-Knights! Banquet!
Eve wore a silver-armored cloak and slowly knelt on one knee.
The five knights, clad in full armor and holding slender ceremonial swords, all pointed them toward her left shoulder.
Five-person investiture—this was the highest standard in Blackstone City, unprecedented in history.
Laforin spoke loudly, his voice rumbling like thunder, “On this day, in this place, under the witness of the Father of Light and the Holy Light Knight, I bestow upon you the honor, duty, and authority of a knight.”
Immediately after, the five swords moved to Eve’s right shoulder.
Eve responded in her most resounding voice, “I, Eve Sova, swear upon my life————from this day forth, my blade shall serve only to protect loyalty and honor, and my shield shall guard the land and the vulnerable! ”
The sword tips finally moved to above Eve’s head, hovering steadily.
Silver radiance shimmered on Laforin and Ray, while black aura surged from the other three. “Rise, Knight Eve. May your blade never know disgrace, and may your soul forever be illuminated by the Holy Light.”
Thunderous applause erupted throughout the hall.
Everyone was witnessing the birth of the sixth knight of Blackstone City.
Eve stood up and received a longsword specially prepared for today from Laforin.
“My daughter, from now on we fight side by side as knights. This sword is my gift to you.” Laforin’s eyes twitched slightly—this moment had been rehearsed countless times in his mind.
Eve solemnly accepted the longsword.
It was a pale blade shimmering with a deep blue glow. The blade was broad, its edge curved with a fierce arc. Near the tip, it was lined with jagged edges like fractured glaciers, while near the hilt were engraved runes from the sacred texts.
The material seemed like thousand-year cold iron from deep underground, constantly emitting threads of chilling frost.
She had never seen a sword of such quality.
“Aside from this small flaw here that doesn’t affect its use,” Laforin pointed to an extra scratch near the runes, likely left during forging, “otherwise, it could be considered a legendary-quality sword.”
“Thank you, Father.”
“Such a fine blade deserves a name.” Anthony smiled at Eve.
Eve stared at the sword in her hands for a long time but did not speak. For a moment, she could not think of a word worthy of it.
Under everyone’s gaze, she sheathed the sword at her waist.
At the same time, the investiture ceremony for Leo and the other two as Quasi-Knights was also completed.
“Take a good look.” Ross walked to the back, looking at the three sheets of parchment laid out before them.
At the top were the words Knight’s Covenant.
Compared to Eve’s grand knighting ceremony, their investiture as Quasi-Knights seemed rather shabby.
They had just recited the oath during Eve’s ceremony, then were given a covenant—once they signed and stamped it, the investiture was complete.
No audience, no applause.
“Alright, alright, just skim it. They’re all printed copies, same content.” Ross grew impatient seeing them hesitate. “I’ve checked—none of you have any noble titles to inherit, so there’s no procedural issue. Originally, there was supposed to be a small oath-binding ceremony today, but Sir Laforin ordered everything simplified. Just press your handprint and you’ll officially become Quasi-Knights. These are your Quasi-Knight items. ”
Ross handed them a cloth bundle containing an armband symbolizing their status and a key.
For this ceremony, Fidis had deliberately gone back to change into a silver ring armor he brought from his hometown. As he moved, it clinked loudly—now it seemed somewhat unnecessary.
Rog didn’t care much. As long as he had the status, it was enough. With the identity of a Quasi-Knight, his voice would carry much more weight when he returned home as the second son.
Of course, his goal was to become a knight.
Leo, meanwhile, wore only a cloak. He decisively pressed his handprint down.
Originally, Leo had thought the investiture ceremony would be extremely complicated.
But in the end, it felt no different from the process of becoming a delivery rider in his previous life.
All just signing and stamping.
As for ceremonies, Leo didn’t care.
The simpler, the better. What he cared most about was the reward—after all, he had taken first place in the assessment.
“Oh right, since you three ranked at the top of this assessment, I’ll have your rewards delivered to your rooms.” Ross wore a mysterious expression—it was clear the rewards would be substantial.
Leo noticed Ross seemed to keep sizing him up.
But he had no interest whatsoever in this muscular, married older woman type.
With the signing completed, the brief banquet began.
All the Quasi-Knights, including Leo and the other two new ones, gathered in the grand banquet hall.
The Knight’s Squires were arranged at smaller tables in the adjacent room.
Inside the grand hall, a long table was filled with all kinds of delicacies—roasted meats, stewed vegetables, and chilled fruits taken from the cellar.
Well-dressed maids moved about, pouring wine.
Everyone took their seats one by one, with Leo’s group placed at the very end.
Leo first glanced at the seating—Zoro’s seat was empty.
After the deaths of Burton and Eddie, Leo had begun paying attention to Zoro.
But the deaths of Burton and Eddie were flawless—no one could openly pin the blame on him due to the assessment.
For now, Leo didn’t dwell on it and turned his gaze toward the food on the table.
He noticed several meat dishes seemed to be made from Beastkin meat.
“I must eat more of these later.”
Leo didn’t particularly enjoy banquets like this—the procedures and etiquette were overly complicated.
Moreover, much of the time was spent on socializing.
“Knights, raise your glasses. ” Laforin solemnly lifted his cup. “ To the Father of Light.”
“To the Father of Light!” Everyone raised their glasses and drank in unison.
Then came the appetizer course, followed by another toast.
“To the Holy Light Knight!”
Then the cream soup was served.
After only a few bites, a third toast followed.
“To the people of Blackstone City!”
Leo followed along like a machine.
Before even properly eating, he had already downed three glasses of red wine.
Fortunately, the wine was light—likely limited by brewing techniques.
Finally, it reached the free toasting and dining phase.
Leo observed that the six knights were surrounded by crowds holding glasses, offering toasts.
Especially Laforin and Eve—they were constantly busy dealing with people lining up to toast them.
Leo felt being a knight was quite miserable—unable to even take a proper bite, surrounded like this. If it were him, he would already be annoyed to death.
Leo, however, didn’t care about any of that. Aside from Fidis insisting on sharing a drink with him, no one else bothered him.
So he carried his plate and began wandering.
It had to be said—the annual year-end banquet was truly lavish. Leo spotted several dishes made from Beastkin meat.
How could he pass up such a good opportunity?
Leo looked at those poor people busy drinking.
What was the difference between them and fools who went to a seafood buffet only to drink beverages?
Ignoring everything else, Leo had already locked onto a dish that looked like fish.
One bite—indeed, exceptionally delicious.
Moreover, it was likely Level 2 North Sea Merfolk meat.
Such a fine dish, yet no one was eating it.
Leo used his knife and fork to scoop a large portion onto his plate and began indulging himself.