Chapter 161: Light Reading

"Never heard of them. What are they?"

"It's like a fried dough stick with sweet powder. I only got to try it once in Kerman."

"Hmm, that's where you participated in the defense against the orcs and made meaningful contributions, correct?"

"Uh, yeah. Did you investigate me?"

Though it was slightly worrying to know someone investigated his background, Sol wasn't concerned about anything incriminating appearing. He knew he had done a good job of keeping his abilities consistent, and it wasn't like his past would incriminate him for anything. The only person who knew his true reasons for joining the Royal Knights was Amber, and he knew she wouldn't spill anything.

Zaman clarified to ease his worries, "Just the normal check to verify your identity. But imagine my surprise when I sent a letter to the Adventurers Guild of Initium, where you originally registered, and Kerman's Guild. The guildmasters personally wrote back and they both wrote highly of your character, which wasn't what I was even asking for, but it reassured me nonetheless."

A slight smile formed on Sol's face. It wasn't just that he was in the clear, but that the guildmasters were both willing to vouch for him, which was very touching.

"Guildmaster William Deliban also asked me to relay a message to you. He said a certain someone is grumpy you haven't written once and he begs you to send a letter before he loses his sanity."

"Oh no…"

He instantly knew who Guildmaster William was referring to, and it made him feel guilty. With the exception of when he was kidnapped, he had so many opportunities to write Annabel a letter, but it had completely escaped his mind. He knew that Annabel would have sent him a letter if she knew where he was, so it fell on him to send the first message.

Zaman placed his hand on Sol's shoulder and gave him a knowing look, "You have my condolences."

"Thank you…" Sol nodded back, knowing he would have to soon face an unwinnable battle.

Scratching his chin, Zaman spoke, "Maybe I should have left that for the end, but let's get into the real reason I called you in here."

Stifling the dread for later, Sol nodded. "Yes, Commander."

"As the winner of the tournament, you are guaranteed the rank of Knight Captain upon completing your training. This means you also need to be prepared not only for the responsibilities of normal knights but those of a captain as well. Normally, you would mentor under one of the Grand Knights, but four of them are out on missions, and Lawrence is too busy handling the rest of the recruits and filling in for the other Grand Knights while they are away. So that leaves me to fill that role."

"You will be teaching me?" Sol asked, not realizing how incredible of an opportunity it was to learn from Zaman Secondhand himself. Every knight would jump at such an opportunity, as every knight who learned from him eventually became an important figure. The five Grand Knights weren't exceptions; they had each received his guidance at some point in their careers. Even Princess Valerie was currently being taught by him, and if she were asked who among her teachers was the best, she would undoubtedly choose Zaman.

"If you are willing. I don't have a lot of time on my hands either, but I will make it fit into my schedule."

"Of course I'm okay with that. When do we start?"

"I assume you know how to read, but can you write?"

"I can read, but I'm not used to writing, so it looks awkward."

Reading was extremely common throughout the world; after all, they needed to be able to read their system status. What wasn't as common was writing. The further one lived from larger cities, the less likely they were to know how to write. Sol was fortunate enough to have some experience writing from helping around the Adventurers Guild, but that's the extent of it.

"We will work on your writing later, but for now, I can assign you some material to study." Zaman took out four books from his spatial ring and spread them out on the table.

Sol glanced at their titles: Crestelia Court Etiquette, Crestelia Common Laws 1, Royal Knights Origins, Basics of Leadership.

At first, he thought they would be interesting books like those he had read in the Adventurers Guild before—related to monsters, talents, or interesting events—but none of that was found here.

'I can force myself to read them over the course of two weeks…'

"I want you to finish these books by the end of the week."

Sol's eyes shot open. 'That's in five days!'

He couldn't bring himself to openly defy his orders. 

"Yes, Commander."

"Once you finish those, we can begin our first lesson at 7:45 AM. Be prepared, as while we go over exercises, I will be asking you questions over the material."

"Yes, Commander…"

"Because you still need experience with teamwork, you will also participate in Grand Knight Lawrence's large training sessions. Do you understand?"

"...Yes, Commander…"

Zaman nodded in approval and crossed his arms. "That will be all for now. It should serve as an adequate start to your training. Next week, we will go into more advanced material."

'Are you trying to kill me?'

Sol gathered the books into his spatial ring and accepted the task he was given, trying his best not to complain. He bade the Commander goodbye and headed back to his room, knowing that if he didn't start now, he would have no chance of finishing by the end of the week.