Chapter 19: A Path of Choices

Knock knock.

“Professor, it’s Elysia.”

After lightly knocking and waiting for a moment, I heard a response from inside.

“Come in.”

As I opened the door and entered, Professor Ferrent, my advisor, stood up from his desk and greeted me.

“Ah, please, have a seat.”

Ferrent suggested I sit on the sofa in the middle of the room, then went to the back of his desk to prepare tea and continued speaking.

“As you know, student consultations are mandatory every semester, so that’s why I called you in.”

Ferrent brought two cups of freshly brewed tea, placing one in front of me and the other in front of himself, before sitting down at the main seat.

“Well, I’ll call in the other students too, but I called you in first.”

Gulp.

I didn’t have much to say, so I picked up the cup in front of me and took a sip.

The smooth tea spread across my mouth, and I could immediately tell it was made from high-quality tea leaves.

This luxury was something I could never have imagined during my assassin days.

“How is it? Are you keeping up with your studies?”

“Yes. So far, I can manage just fine.”

In truth, I haven’t had major problems with either theoretical or practical studies.

Once I move on to more specialized topics in the higher years, I’m not sure, but for now, self-study is more than enough.

“Hmm. Elysia, you’re doing well, so I’m not too worried. By the way, have you decided on a major for after the second year?”

“Well, I’m still thinking about it.”

Ferrent took a sip of his tea and then continued.

“Well, with your talent and diligence, you’ll do well no matter what you major in. But if I were to give a suggestion, personally, I wouldn’t recommend the military. You seem more suited to something where you can take action directly, rather than focusing on tactics.”

Soldiers and knights. In fact, the distinction between them isn’t very clear.

However, if one chooses a military career and becomes an officer, their main role will be to lead a unit.
On the other hand, knights are more individualistic.

If you had to compare, they would be more like special forces. Each knight is far more powerful than an ordinary soldier.

Of course, from the position of knight commander upwards, the distinction changes.

By that point, the line between officers and knights is almost nonexistent.

To rise to the position of knight commander, one must be perfect in every aspect—skills, tactics, strategy, achievements, reputation, and even politics.

There are also knights who don’t belong to a knight order.

They may be called wandering knights, freelance knights, and various other names, but with very few exceptions, most of them weren’t good enough to join an order.

Although Ferrent discouraged me from pursuing a military career, I never had any intention of becoming a soldier.

Now that I’ve gained my freedom, I have no intention of wasting it in the military. If I were to choose, I’d probably go with becoming a knight.

After all, knights have more freedom. And besides, it just looks cool.

“I’m also thinking about becoming an adventurer.”

And if I had to choose the most free path, it would definitely be adventuring.

Adventurers can be seen as mercenaries. Under the system of the Central Adventurers Guild, they take on contracts freely and make a living from it.

Of course, some people look down on them for chasing only money, but such opinions are easily ignored.

After all, even among knights, there are those who treat chivalry lightly, and not all adventurers are without a sense of honor.

It’s just an issue of personal character.

Griffin Academy is the continent’s top academy, so once you graduate, there’s a minimum level of assurance no matter which path you choose.

Even before graduation, they scout students, but many graduates who weren’t discovered or who postponed negotiations until the last minute find that influential people from all walks of life gather at the graduation ceremony, which has become an annual event.

In the military, at least the position of a captain is guaranteed, and if the background is good enough, one might immediately rise to a general.

Knight orders fight near wars to scout better talent.

In the adventurer guild, just graduating from the academy guarantees at least a silver-tier adventurer status.

“Hmm. I see. It was a good idea to prepare ahead of time.”

Ferrent stood up from his seat, grabbed a few documents from his desk, and returned to me.

He placed the stack of papers neatly on the table and organized them before setting them down in front of me.

I looked at him with a puzzled expression, and he extended a hand, encouraging me to take a look.

Since reading wasn’t difficult, I picked up the papers and began examining them one by one.

“I was originally going to suggest this later, but I figured if I waited too long, someone else might snatch it up, so I hastily prepared these for you. What do you think?”

The papers Ferrent handed me were straightforward.

It was an offer to be scouted by the Imperial Third Royal Knights.

Of course, it was less famous, lower in rank, and had less influence than the First Royal Knights, but it was still part of the Royal Knights.

The First Royal Knights were the elite of the empire, so comparing the two was practically impossible.

“Although I resigned as the leader of the knights, my successor has been nagging me so much. It seems they’re short on personnel these days, and they asked me to recommend some candidates from the academy.”

It dawned on me that Ferrent was a former leader of the Third Imperial Royal Knights.

“This… this is really surprising. I didn’t expect them to approach me from the first year, let alone offer such conditions,” I said, astonished.

The conditions listed in the documents were extremely appealing.

They offered a stipend for living expenses during my studies, and other expenses like dormitory fees, tuition, and meals would be covered.

Moreover, the starting salary upon joining the knights after graduation was beyond what I had imagined.

There wasn’t even any mention of a scenario where I wouldn’t graduate; the terms were clearly only being offered to trustworthy candidates.

“And you are, in fact, the last surviving member of the Frentz family, aren’t you? If you become a royal knight, restoring your family’s name will be much easier, I assure you.”

Being part of the Royal Knights meant being associated with the Royal Family, which meant receiving support from the emperor, even if indirectly.

In such a situation, restoring my family’s name wouldn’t be easy, but it would definitely be significantly easier, as Ferrent said.

I had already decided to restore the Frentz family. Therefore, Ferrent’s suggestion was highly attractive.

“Thank you for your words. However, I would like to think about it a bit more.”

I politely declined his offer, gently pushing the papers back toward him.

I am still a first-year student. There are more than three years until graduation.

I don’t know yet which path I will take, but I am confident that I can double my worth by the time I graduate.

At the very least, I plan to be scouted by the First Imperial Royal Knights or receive an offer with even better conditions than what’s currently on the table.

“Heh. A good choice. As a former royal knight commander, I’d love to scout you right away, but as your advisor, I support your decision. Still, when the time comes for you to choose, I hope you’ll remember that the Third Imperial Royal Knights recognized your potential first.”

“Yes. Thank you. But… by offering me this, does that mean you’re considering the same… or even better conditions for Celian?”

It’s a bit embarrassing to say, but I am definitely a very talented first-year student. However, I’m not the best student. I’m still below Celian, who is a step above me.

“No. I wouldn’t offer her anything. Even if I did, she would never accept it. The Deretia family is expecting a hero from their line, so there’s no need to risk antagonizing them by offering her this first.”

Indeed, whether it’s knights, officers, or adventurers, if one becomes a hero, they become virtually useless.

Heroes are the only ones capable of opposing the Demon King.

Those chosen by the goddess are not the types who would have time to join some knight order.

If a hero successfully slays the Demon King and returns, they wouldn’t be recruited by a knight order—rather, the hero would choose the order they wish to join.

“Celian will surely become a great hero and defeat the Demon King.”

“Then, will you join Celian’s party to fight the Demon King?”

Even though the hero is the Demon King’s only true adversary, they can’t embark on that perilous journey alone. Historically, heroes have always set out with the best companions from various fields.

If Celian were to become a hero, who would she consider first for her party?

It might sound like self-praise, but I believe I’m the most likely candidate.

My skills aren’t bad, and above all, I’m now ‘close friends’ with Celian, so I’m certain she’ll invite me.

The Demon King’s defeat is a difficult task, but the risks come with great rewards.

“That part, I’ll refrain from commenting on…”

However, I did not give a definitive answer.

Honestly, if I had my way, I wouldn’t want to concern myself with the Demon King’s defeat.

The risks are just too great. Even if the world becomes dangerous, it’s not like things will fail without me.

There are plenty of people across the continent who could take my place. But recently, my heart has been swaying a little.

At first, I tried to get closer to Celian out of obligation, but now, I genuinely consider her a friend.

Therefore, if Celian were to ask me to join her, I can’t guarantee that I would refuse her request, as her friend.

“Well, that’s something to think about later. It’s good to reflect on it yourself, but if you ever need advice, feel free to come to me. After all, you’re my student.”

Ferrent said this as he gathered the papers back up.

“Or, how about working as a teaching assistant under me? If it’s you, you’ll probably earn your degree in no time…”

“Thank you for the tea. Goodbye.”

I set down my empty teacup, bowed my head to Ferrent, and left the room.