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    Alaric beckoned to Fredrinn and the other two. "Come here. We need to get those things off of you guys."

    When they heard his words, they were flabbergasted.

    Looking at their stunned faces, Alaric chuckled. "Stop dawdling and come here."

    Fredrinn nodded to his wife and whispered. "We can trust him."

    His wife hesitated for a moment, but she still chose to listen to her husband. "Alright."

    She walked nervously towards Alaric and bowed to him. "Greetings, sir."

    Alaric nodded to acknowledge her greeting. "What''s your name?"

    "M-My name is Elaine, sir." She responded without daring to look at him in the eye.

    Alaric used the key given by Roy to remove the locks on her chains.

    Clang!

    As soon as the chains were removed, Elaine felt like she could finally breathe again.

    "Thank you, sir!"

    Alaric beckoned to the man standing beside Fredrinn. "What''s your name?"

    The former hunter was a bit nervous. He didn''t know what kind of person his new owner was. His only hope was that he would be treated well.

    "My name is Mark, sir."

    "Not bad. You managed to become a Knight Apprentice. Did you receive formal training from someone?" Alaric asked while observing the man''s expression.

    "I live in a small village, sir. We were only taught how to hunt. As for Knight training..." Mark shook his head.

    Oh? He managed to become a Knight Apprentice without formal training?

    He couldn''t sense any falsehoods in his words so it was most likely true.

    "Do you want to become a Knight?" Alaric asked with a smile.

    Hearing this, Mark widened his eyes. "Absolutely! That''s my longtime wish, sir!"

    Alaric grinned at his enthusiastic response. "Alright. If you''re willing to follow me, I will have someone train you to become a Knight."

    Without hesitation, Mark kneeled on one knee and muttered. "I''m willing to follow you, sir!"

    Alaric tapped the man''s shoulder and said. "Get up. There''s no need for you to kneel before me. Let''s get those chains removed first."

    Click!

    A clicking sound echoed as soon as the key was inserted into the keyhole.

    After having his chains removed, Mark felt light as a feather. Unknowingly, tears streamed down his cheeks as emotions welled up in his heart.

    Finally, it was Fredrinn''s turn.

    Henry who was standing behind Alaric stared intently at this beggar-looking man.

    If Fredrinn revealed a trace of hostility, he was ready to pull out his sword.

    On the other hand, Alaric remained calm. He knew Fredrinn''s personality very well. He was a man who would never break his promise. That was the kind of person Fredrinn was.

    "I will do as I had promised. I will follow you, sir!" Fredrinn solemnly uttered.

    Alaric nodded and smiled faintly. "Let''s get this over with so we can get something to eat."

    He glanced at the chains tied to Fredrinn''s limbs.

    They really used mithril chains to restrain him.

    Mithril was a rare metal that can only be found deep into the earth. Only a Transcendent Knight can forge something using this material. That was how durable it was.

    This fortress city was Astania''s first line of defense against the monsters that come from the Enchanted Woodlands. It also boasted a huge number of warriors who were ready to protect the empire''s borders.

    At this moment, the group had just passed by the heavily fortified gates. The huge ballistas sitting at the top of the walls made them feel safe and secure.

    They had to constantly keep a lookout when they were traveling outside. Now, they felt that they could finally rest easy.

    The group traveled for another hour to find a suitable inn. They didn''t choose a famous establishment and selected a relatively unknown place. This was to keep their identities hidden.

    At the inn''s dining hall, the group gathered for an afternoon snack.

    "We should get some rest tonight and resume our journey tomorrow," Alaric said while looking at Yvanna.

    Her face was still covered with only her eyes and mouth visible.

    Yvanna nodded. "I''ll listen to you."

    She was excited to return to her home. She has been gone for a long time and she missed her family and friends.

    Just a little bit more.

    She muttered in her heart.

    She was grateful to Alaric and the rest of the group who came to accompany her, especially Alaric. If it weren''t for him, she might have frozen to death a long time ago.

    Thinking about this, she looked at his side profile, her gaze softening.

    As if sensing her eyes, Alaric turned his head. "Why are you looking at me like that?" He raised his head and chuckled.

    "Thank you. I wouldn''t have gotten this far on my own." The elf responded while staring straight into his eyes.

    Alaric almost fell into a trance. He quickly looked away and muttered. "That''s what friends do."

    Friends?

    Yvanna''s lips curved upwards.

    That''s right. I have a human friend now.

    Alaric was the first human she had fully accepted as a friend.

    Sensing the unusual atmosphere between the two, the others could only pretend like they were statues.

    Alaric realized what was happening and immediately cleared his throat. Ehem!

    "You don''t need to feel embarrassed, my lord." Henry tapped his back and sent him a knowing glance.

    Alaric ignored his teasing glance and opened the cyan screen to check his progress.

    Alaric Silversword [Knight] EXP: 444/500

    Potential: B

    Traits: Horseback Riding (C), Swordsmanship (SSS), Close Combat (C), Archery (F), Hunting (E), Tracking (F), Sixth Sense (F)

    Strength: 100

    Stamina: 34+

    Agility: 43+

    Vitality: 27+

    Endurance: 42+

    Mana: 48+

    Battle Points: 3140

    Stat Points: 47

    (Requirements for next advancement: 500 EXP, 100 in all attributes, and 5000 Battle Points)

    I still have a long way to go.