The Path to Knighthood

"Becoming a knight, huh?" Norn stroked his chin thoughtfully.

Although he was a knight himself and could technically knight someone right here and now, the current environment was far from the standards of knighthood.

Plus, he didn't even have a sword for a proper ceremony.

No point in making a joke out of it.

"My family does have some connections in Genoa. We could introduce you to some nobles. But..." Norn's mind raced through several plans, trying to see which one might fit this guy.

"Jinn, do you have any noble ancestry?" It was a long shot, but he had to ask. As expected, Jinn shook his head.

Norn wasn't discouraged. He continued, "Do you have..." He stopped mid-sentence, realizing that Jinn's cabin was pretty much empty. "Guess buying a knighthood isn't an option either." He shook his head, ruling out the easiest solution.

Jinn's eager expression immediately dimmed.

"Anyway," Norn looked Jinn up and down curiously, his eyes gleaming with a strange light, like a butcher eyeing a pig ready for slaughter. Jinn felt seriously creeped out.

"I'm not selling my body," Jinn crossed his arms and took a step back nervously.

"Who said anything about that? You'd have to catch the eye of a noblelady first!" Norn scoffed. "With your pretty-boy looks, that's a tough one."

After being here for a while, Norn had noticed that the local aesthetic leaned towards more masculine features. Even someone as good-looking as Patrick had sharp angles and well-defined muscles. In these troubled times, noble ladies probably preferred a strong, capable man to protect them and their estates.

Of course, being wealthy or well-educated would be a different story. But clearly, the country boy in front of him didn't fit the bill.

"What I'm asking is, can you fight?" Norn figured if this kid had any combat skills, there might be a way to make something work.

"Well, I'm pretty strong!" Jinn replied cautiously.

Norn looked at Jinn's build. He wasn't exactly scrawny, but he was far from being a muscle-bound warrior. Norn just shook his head again.

"The six knightly arts: swordsmanship, horsemanship, swimming, lance work, chess, and poetry. Are you proficient in any of them?" Norn pressed on, hoping for some hidden talent.

Judging by Jinn's dejected expression, Norn knew the answer was no.

"Ever been to a university? Can you read, write, or do arithmetic?" Norn thought that if Jinn had any of those skills, he could maybe get a job as an administrative official for a lord. After years of service, even if not for merit, sheer hard work might earn him a knighthood.

But when Norn snapped out of his thoughts, he saw that the once-dreamy young man had turned into a forlorn figure. Norn felt a pang of guilt. He had just crushed the dreams of an ambitious youth.

"So now, there's only one way to become a knight," Norn's words sparked Jinn's last glimmer of hope. The light of dreams rekindled in Jinn's eyes. Although he didn't say anything, Norn could easily see the eagerness on his face.

"Send you off as a squire to a noble knight. Learn from them for a few years, and you'll likely be knighted," Norn smiled, revealing his final solution.

Jinn still looked miserable, holding his head in his hands. "But where do I find a noble knight willing to take me on as a squire?"

As Jinn was calculating whether his savings could convince a knight to take him in, he heard Norn clear his throat.

Seeing Norn's nonchalant expression, Jinn immediately caught on. "Enno, you have a way, don't you?" Jinn jumped up excitedly.

"Nope!" Norn watched as Jinn's face went from hopeful to devastated to resigned.

Seeing that the joke had run its course, Norn added, "That's impossible."

Hope flickered back into Jinn's eyes. He had been through too many ups and downs today. Jinn clutched Norn's hand tightly. "Really? Enno, you can introduce me as a squire?"

"Ouch! Hey, that hurts!" Norn winced. The kid had a strong grip.

"Sorry!" Jinn quickly let go, his face flushing slightly. But he still looked at Norn firmly, afraid he might change his mind.

"Don't worry! My family is close with a knight named Patrick. With my family's influence, he'll take you on as a squire," Norn reassured him.

Norn figured that once they got to Genoa and contacted Uncle Otto, he could just hand Jinn off to Patrick. In a few years, when Jinn had honed his skills, he could be knighted. It would be a way to repay him for saving their lives.

"Thank you so much, Enno," Jinn was overjoyed, seeing a clear path to knighthood.

"You saved my sister and me. It's nothing," Norn patted his chest, feeling a bit relieved. If Jinn had been a bad guy, weak as he was, Norn would have had trouble dealing with him. But since Jinn was an idealistic young man, he could help him out.

"Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle!" Norn's stomach interrupted their conversation.

"Are you hungry? I'll make some porridge!" In a great mood, Jinn hopped back to the cabin and started cooking.

Looking at the cheerful Jinn, for some reason, Norn thought of a golden retriever his colleague had back in his old life. Because he used to feed it, every time it saw him, its tail would wag like crazy, and its eyes would look so pitiful.

Yeah, Jinn kind of reminded him of that golden retriever.

Norn picked up the porridge Jinn had carefully made, which included some salted fish and dried meat that Jinn considered treasures. He gently tested the temperature, then with one hand, he propped up Anna, and with the other, he brought the wooden bowl to her lips.

"Naan, my dear sister, time to eat," he said.

Anna, being the smart one, didn't say a word and just quietly sipped the porridge. But seeing her slightly furrowed brow, Norn couldn't help but sigh.

This bowl of porridge, which made Jinn's mouth water, was really hard for Norn to swallow. Coarse barley, overly salty fish, and tough dried meat, all a bit burnt.

But given the situation, Norn and Anna didn't have much choice.

Looking at the dark, unappetizing porridge in his hand and hearing Jinn's swallowing noises, Norn told himself he'd have to endure it until they found Otto and the others.

"How did you figure it out, Enno?" Jinn asked, his curiosity piqued.

"No matter how much the guards collect in taxes, it all goes into the lord's treasury. Not a single coin ends up in their pockets," Norn explained with a hint of disdain, looking at the naive young man.

"If you were them, would you diligently work to make the lord rich, or just look the other way?"

Norn's words kind of shattered Jinn's worldview. In his idealistic mind, corruption wasn't even a thing.

"But if the taxes are short, won't the lord punish them?" Jinn quickly followed up.

"Who cares about us little guys? As long as the guards collect taxes from the caravans, the lord won't say anything," Norn's disdain grew stronger.

"Come on, let's get this stuff sold."

With Norn's urging, Jinn pushed his cart to a tailor shop he frequented.

"Jinn, what've you got this time?" The shop owner greeted him warmly as soon as he saw Jinn.

Jinn laid out the three deer skins, three rabbit skins, and one otter skin he had hunted on the counter. The owner casually inspected each piece, pointing out every flaw in the otherwise perfect, shiny furs. Jinn could only nod along.

Finally, Norn had enough.

He picked up the otter's skin and shouted, "Look at this fur! Smooth and perfectly plush. And..."

He gently ran his hand over the surface. "Each pore on this skin has at least six hairs, making it incredibly dense. What's more, it's a uniform, flawless coffee color."

Norn glanced at an unfinished luxurious coat behind the counter and said with a smile, "That coat of yours needs a furry collar, doesn't it?"

"I'll take 100 copper pennies for it!" Norn boldly named a price that left Jinn in disbelief.

Jinn usually sold a whole deerskin for only 30 copper pennies. He never imagined that a small otter's skin could be worth 100 copper pennies.

He thought for sure the owner would kick him out, but instead, the owner looked Norn up and down, seemingly considering his offer.

"Too expensive! 80 copper pennies!" The owner, eyeing the well-dressed kid, wondered if he was some merchant's child.

Norn shook his head regretfully. "If the boss doesn't recognize quality, then forget it. There's a caravan coming in a few days. I'll just sell it to them."

"Just wondering how long it'll take to finish that coat. It'd be bad if it's delayed," Norn said nonchalantly, making the owner nervous.

"Deal!" With the delivery date for the coat approaching and the lord's steward breathing down his neck, the owner reluctantly agreed to Norn's price.

Under Jinn's admiring gaze, Norn sold the other furs at high prices as well. Finally, looking at the flustered owner, Norn generously offered, "Oh, and boss, I'll sell you this silk shirt off my back. Trade it for some linen clothes."