Read Novel Full Chapter 33: The Test
Chapter 33: The Test
“Huh, well…”
Andersen, the Count, stroked his casually groomed beard and asked again.
“Did His Highness the First Prince ask to take part in the test of the North?”
“I tried to dissuade him, but he wouldn’t budge. I’m sorry.”
Linfield, the Knight, couldn’t even lift his head.
‘This is awkward. I don’t know where he heard it from, but this is troublesome.’
The Count was also in a difficult situation.
He didn’t give any special treatment to the First Prince, but only within reasonable limits.
He intended to prevent him from taking advantage of his kindness and generosity, not to treat him like a regular knight.
But the Count’s judgment was quick. It was hard to blatantly refuse the First Prince’s request anyway.
“There’s nothing we can do. Let’s do as he wishes.”
“…”
“You won’t suffer any harm. Surely His Highness won’t go back on his own words?”
—The First Prince will take part in the test of the North!
This rumor spread quickly among the knights in the fortress.
“Is it true? Did Knight Linfield hear it wrong?”
“This is a big deal.”
“The outcome is obvious, isn’t it? He won’t last a few hours.”
The opinions of the knights in the fortress were divided.
“The test is supposed to be secret, but since he’s the First Prince, maybe they’ll make an exception? He’ll probably just pretend to do it.”
“Do you know what kind of person the Count is? He’ll probably be furious as soon as he sees the method of the test.”
The side that rated Eurius highly thought that he would just act as a model for the sake of being a Crown Prince.
The general opinion was that Eurius would either throw a tantrum or give up after a few hours of doing the test.
Heinz, the Count, also looked doubtful.
“I heard there’s a rumor about the test. Does Your Highness really need to do it?”
He had some sense. It didn’t sound like an ordinary ordeal.
“I know what I’m doing. But I have to earn some respect in this fortress, don’t I? You and I can’t ignore the rules here from the start.”
Eurius was calm as ever.
“I respect Your Highness’s decision.”
‘Count Heinz, please hang in there. I also had a hard time when I first came to the North.’
Eurius silently clicked his tongue and sympathized with Count Heinz’s worries.
And finally, the day of the test came.
“Usually, knights of the rank of Earl take turns doing it, but since His Highness is participating, I’ll do it myself.”
The person who spoke with a loud voice was none other than Andersen, the Duke.
He decided to do the test himself since the target was important.
Snow was piled up in one corner of the training ground in the fortress where cold wind blew.
‘It’s damn cold. What bad luck, coming all the way to the North.’
‘What is this test?’
The knights who followed Eurius stood behind him with complaints in their hearts.
The first stage of the test!
“Bring me a bucket of water.”
Some knights brought a large wooden bucket from one side of the training ground.
Thud.
Then, the Duke casually took off his upper garment and threw it on the ground. He scooped up water from the bucket and poured it over his body.
Splash!
‘Gasp!’
‘You’ve got to be kidding me. Is he telling us to do that?’
The knights who followed Eurius couldn’t help but be shocked. Taking off your clothes and pouring water over yourself in this weather where snow falls and cold wind blows!
But Andersen, the Duke, acted as if nothing happened. He shook his body once to get rid of some water and opened his mouth.
“This is the first stage of the test. From now on, you have to do this every morning for a week and run around the training ground for an hour.”
‘They’re crazy!’
That was what the knights who followed Eurius thought. Of course, they were knights who had gone through harsh training.
They wouldn’t get sick from doing something like that, but that didn’t mean their stamina could block out the cold.
‘He can’t be serious. There’s no way His Highness would agree to such a test.’
Splash!
But their desperate hope was dashed.
Eurius took off his upper garment without a word and poured water over himself like the Duke did.
“It’s quite refreshing. So we just have to run now?”
His lightning-fast action stunned everyone: The northern knights, Eurius’s knights, and the Duke.
But one person seemed to think differently.
Splash!
Quickly, Count Heinz also followed him and poured water over himself. There was no hesitation in his action. It was filled with endless trust in Eurius.
‘His Highness chose to do this. He’s truly an amazing person to do this despite being a royal.’
‘You made the right choice.’
Eurius also smiled faintly at Heinz’s loyalty and looked at the other knights behind him without a word.
‘What are you waiting for? I’m doing this, so you should too.’
It was an unspoken command.
‘We’re screwed.’
‘How did we end up in the North?’
The other knights also hurriedly took off their upper garments and poured water over themselves.
The water that was poured over them froze in an instant in this weather where snow fell. The cold wind added to that, making them feel chilled to the bone.
“Heh.”
To be honest, even Count Anderson was taken aback.
He had thought that the first prince was not completely unaware of the announcement ceremony when he mentioned it, but he had never expected him to comply so easily.
“Then I will begin the ceremony.”
The first announcement ceremony of Urius, which was not easy from the start, began like this.
‘Really, it’s cold.’
Eurius had only seen the announcement ceremony himself, and this was his first time doing it. But he thought it was a necessary step to win their hearts.
‘Open help.’
[Open help – Do you want to view information related to leadership?]
[The most emphasized basic of leadership is leading by example. Lower yourself first and show a model to your subordinates. The second is…….]
‘That’s right!’
He had learned this lesson painfully in his previous life. People do not follow a proud or arrogant ruler with their hearts.
‘If I can get the hearts of the northern knights with this much hardship, it’s cheap.’
Eurius nodded silently in his mind and completed the kubo splendidly that day.
There was a buzz among the northern knights.
“Did he really do the first stage?”
“Is he really going to do the second stage himself?”
The next thing was the second stage of the northern announcement ceremony.
Thud thud!
Several field tents were set up in the training ground where Eurius and the knights had run for an hour.
The explanation of the Count began in the same solemn tone.
“The second stage is to stay here for a week. During your stay, you are not allowed to enter indoors at all.”
The Count also had some doubts this time.
He had said that the first prince was a knight with excellent martial skills.
He could endure the cold for an hour a day, but sleeping would be a different story.
Unless they were very noble, most people would never sleep anywhere other than a soft bed in their lives, let alone in a normal knight’s field tent in this weather for a week!
“It feels like I’m on a picnic. I can bear it for a week!”
The first prince joked as he entered the tent and asked about various things.
“…….”
For a moment, both the northern knights and the knights brought by Eurius became mute as honey.
‘Is he really going to stay there for a week?’
‘Nah, at most it will be one or two days.’
But the unlikely became reality.
Eurius had been doing that for more than three days.
He ran hard in the training ground after wetting his body with water in the morning. Then he listened to a detailed explanation of the north with the knights sent by the Count in the tent.
“I’m really ashamed. This is not something that the emperor should do.”
“Haha, didn’t we agree not to talk about that anymore? I’m doing this because I like it. And it’s not so bad to live like this.”
Eurius was talking with Sir Linfield in the same tent and even comforted him.
“Aren’t you staying here on purpose because of me? I have a rough idea of what this announcement ceremony is for.”
What was the biggest headache for the knights who came to the north?
It was the constant threat of cold. No matter how well-trained they were, the climate of the north was not an easy enemy.
Even though the cold did not affect their combat power immediately, the unfamiliar cold slowed down their bodies and became a fatal weakness when they were injured.
The knights who had to fight with the barbarians of the north from time to time needed to get used to the cold to some extent.
That was why this announcement ceremony was prepared.
Wetting their bodies with water in the morning was to learn how to dry and remove moisture from their bodies to prevent frostbite in the blizzard of the north, and setting up field tents was a preliminary learning for knights who had to live outside for days or sometimes months because of their missions.
In fact, Eurius had been listening to Sir Linfield’s explanation of how to deal with various situations in the north for three days.
“Ouch, the fire went out.”
Sir Linfield looked at the embers and took out a small stone with a dull blue glow from his pocket.
Crackle crackle.
Surprisingly, just by putting that stone on it, the embers came back to life and warmth rose again in the tent.
“[Dite ore]. I vaguely remember hearing that it is used as an important supply for knights in the north.”
“You’ve heard of it before.”
‘Dite ore.’ This stone looked like nothing but a dull blue pebble at first glance, but it was an ore that emitted a considerable amount of heat when someone who could use even a little force injected some force into it.
It was an ideal fuel for heating purposes because it had high efficiency even with very little amount, but unfortunately it was a rare fuel that was only distributed for knights who went on operations because of its scarce reserves.
“The truth is, ordinary soldiers also suffer a lot. I want to give it to everyone, but that’s not possible with our budget.”
Sir Linfield finished his words as if passing by with a regretful tone, but Eurius had something in mind about that point.
‘If I meet Nuada, maybe that will be possible.’
He had not been able to do it in his previous life, but now he could.
Meanwhile, Linfield, the knight, was also watching Eurius, who was lost in thought as he stared at the fire.
‘He is an amazing person.’
Linfield was from a noble family that was well-known in the central region, but for some reason, his family had fallen into ruin and he had been exiled to the north.
That was why he was more familiar with the customs of the nobles than the other knights of the north.
And in his eyes, Eurius was no ordinary person.
First of all, he had the dignity of an imperial. Eurius had a natural aura of authority that only high nobles or imperials could have. He acted with grace and elegance.
But at the same time, he was friendly and approachable to anyone without discrimination.
‘No wonder he is so popular. He has a reason for it.’
Linfield felt not only loyalty as a knight to the imperial family, but also admiration for Eurius as a person.
…
A week passed by quickly.
The ceremony was finally over.
“I can finally rest in a warm room. You all did well.”
The other knights were exhausted from the unfamiliar life, but Eurius came out calmly.
Outside, there were knights lined up to greet him, led by Anderson, the count.
“Your Highness, you have worked hard.”
The count bowed his head deeply and saluted with his sword as a knight.
“I congratulate you on passing the trial.”
“Congratulations!”
The other knights of the north also raised their swords in unison and saluted him.
It was a magnificent sight.
Usually, only the knights of the unit that he belonged to would welcome him with this ritual, but Eurius was special. All the knights came out and saluted him.
“Thank you all.”
Eurius smiled and waved his hand to them.
This was how he won the hearts of the people of the north in his first step.