Steelcrest Alliance

The sun was rising, and the carriages had come to a stop due to the tempest that stormed the Great Plains of Death. A few apprentices had fallen ill. From Ourin's perspective, they seemed to have caught some sort of fever, and everyone with vitality below 0.7 seemed to have entered a state of sickness, while preparatory knights seemed immune.

High vitality was not only correlated with stamina and endurance, it was also related to one's immunity system. After all, modern science had proven that cyclists and marathon runners possessed enhanced immune systems due to their sports. Knights were improved versions of athletes, so it was only natural for Ourin to bypass those inconveniences.

*BAM*

"I guess it's time to call it a day. We never know when the next threat will come", Ourin shouted to his subordinates after he finished his last opponent in a sparring session, easily winning against all 8 noble youths who fought against him one at a time.

After establishing himself as the strongest youth in his carriage, Ourin decided to create a small faction. Although his strength and clear hierarchy made most of the youths reluctant to join him, his promise of protection and survival did convince 8 young lads and 5 ladies.

Harry Farbottom, the last one to stand against him, was the strongest subordinate and his right-hand. He came from a minor knight household, and while it was incomparable to the long-lasting history of Ironguards, the Farbottoms were known for their wealth. Harry was a strong preparatory knight, and daily spars naturally stressed his potential to its maximum, his swordsmanship showing quick progress.

However, just as Harry grew stronger, Ourin progressed twice faster. After all, he pushed his body to its utmost limits, knowing exactly when to stop thanks to the body analysis provided by the biochip, and who pushed his training one step further thanks to the memory feature of his biochip allowing him to review his fights and his father's demonstration of killing technique.

Harry sighed: "I can't believe it...My father hired a hedge knight with quite a big reputation, yet his swordsmanship pales in front of yours..."

Ourin smiled at the compliment, but he knew better than expressing vanity. Humility was a common trait among successful men, and probably a requirement of a rising magus. Knowing that achievements followed character, Ourin reflected on himself and revealed a proud yet unsatisfied expression: "It is still far from my father's level"

Offering a hand, Harry grabbed it and laughed, showing the bond between the two men. Seeing this brotherhood, some of the youths who did not join Ourin early on bit their lips, knowing they might have lost an opportunity to forge a worthy friendship. However, knowing that resources were limited and his influence might decrease if too many people joined him, he decided to stop accepting individuals, setting the limit at 15 youths. More than that, and he was afraid that leading them and taking care of logistics would take too much time, and limit the amount of time he could invest in pure training.

[Steelcrest Alliance]

This was the name he had come up with. The name was inspired from his household. Steel was an alloy based on iron, meaning that the alliance was centred on him. As for the other members, they were similar to the other metal that made steel stronger than iron. Ourin was a cautious man, and if it meant increasing his odds of survival, he would gladly enter politics.

Furthermore, having subordinates in this kind of environment provided him with quite a few benefits. One of them being access to the heirlooms of the ladies that were ready to do anything to earn his favour. The vicious Bessita, who had been the cause of Leylin's death originally, was waiting for him with a seductive smile.

Ourin smiled back. He was a hungry man.

And the meal she was holding was enough to make his belly scream.

"Let's eat, shall we?", Ourin said

Harry was a bit shocked, seeing that the members who were lying on the ground, groaning in pain, suddenly stood up at the nice melody of an incoming meal; Youths were youths...