Chapter 153: Ennoblement (Part 1)

This wasn't Johnson's first visit to Fruitvale Village, but each time he came, he was struck by the significant changes occurring there.

Now, a vast grassland stretched before him, teeming with magical beasts.

Had he not been forewarned by the Chief Knight about Aven bringing nearly a thousand magical beasts from the front lines, he might have thought a beast tide was attacking the village.

"With so many magical beasts, isn't Master Aven concerned about them going out of control?" a knight asked nervously. Indeed, if these beasts launched an attack, even noble territories might struggle to withstand them.

Johnson replied, "Aven saved them on the front lines. Moreover, the village is guarded by the Mightyena and the Gloom; these beasts might not even breach the village." He carefully led his knights around the beasts towards the village.

The knights were skeptical. Most nobles would expel such creatures from their lands, yet Aven had adopted them.

However, as this area now fell under the jurisdiction of the Southeastern Border Earl, Aven had the authority to set his own rules.

As they approached, a Rhydon with a white ribbon on its head dashed past, causing their Rhyhorn to halt abruptly. The rhinos seemed envious of the evolved creature.

"That's Aven's Rhydon. It evolved recently during a battle with a high-level magical beast," Johnson noted, impressed by Aven's rapid progress.

They noticed the stench from the Gloom had diminished. Just then, Knight Fessen approached to greet them. No longer in his armor, he wore simple linen clothes and carried a notebook, resembling an official more than a knight. During Aven's absence, Fessen had managed the village's affairs efficiently.

"Sir Johnson, had we known of your visit, we would have prepared a proper welcome," Fessen apologized.

Johnson smiled, "The matter was urgent; I came ahead. The main group is still en route." As they conversed, Fessen's expression turned serious upon learning that Johnson's visit pertained to Aven's ennoblement.

He quickly led Johnson into the village, excitement evident in his demeanor. Though they had anticipated Aven's rise, the reality of it was still surreal.

They found Aven at the farm, training several magical creatures.

The Rhydon, due to its intense training, had moved outside, while the leaders of the Mightyena and Gloom had returned to their respective groups.

…

Petilil, Froslass, Cherrim, Vine Monster, Starly, and Shinx were all training according to the plan Aven had set for them.

As a large number of humans approached, a flicker of electricity flashed across Shinx's body. It quickly ran to Aven's side, looking up timidly.

"Don't worry, I'm here," Aven said gently, picking it up and soothing it.

Feeling Aven's comforting touch, Shinx gradually calmed down. Seeing this, Aven instructed Starly and the others to take it to the orchard to play.

Recently, to avoid overstimulating Shinx, Aven had built a wooden cabin in the orchard. Most of the other Pokémon also slept there.

Cradling the Petilil in his arms again, Aven went to meet the finance officer. Seeing Fessen's excited expression, he had a hunch about what was coming.

Back in the study, Fessen, Sutter, and Uncle Mike had also returned. At that moment, all three were staring expectantly and tensely at Johnson.

Aven, in contrast, remained very calm, sipping a cup of nutritious fruit juice as he waited for the finance officer to explain his visit.

"Congratulations, Earl Aven," Johnson said, taking a deep breath as he looked at Aven seated behind his desk.

Everyone in the room was stunned for a moment. Then, Fessen, Sutter, and Uncle Mike slowly widened their eyes in disbelief.

"Earl? Aven is an Earl now?" Mike felt as if he couldn't breathe.

An Earl —his family now had an Earl! He wanted to cry and tell his brother and sister-in-law that their son had made it big—he was a noble Earl!

Fessen and Sutter were also overjoyed, feeling that their early decision to follow Aven had been more than justified.

Originally, they had thought Aven might be granted the title of Baron. They never imagined he would become a Earl —this showed just how highly Her Highness regarded Aven!

"Earl?" Aven nodded slightly.

He wasn't particularly concerned with titles. What truly mattered to him was the land.

"I wonder—where is my fief?"

Hearing this, Johnson took another deep breath, his tone laced with envy. "Your fief is... the entire southeastern corner of Aspiration City!"

As soon as Johnson spoke, everyone in the room fell silent in shock, their mouths agape.

Fessen and Sutter quickly did a rough calculation based on the territory Johnson had mentioned.

The southeastern corner of Aspiration City included Fruitvale Village on the border, and extended across the entire region—now all under Aven's control.

With a rough estimate, Aven's land was among the largest in all of Aspiration City—easily one of the top few in size.

And that wasn't even Earling the adjacent Black Forest. If that were included, his territory would undoubtedly be the largest noble estate in Aspiration City.

"Roughly 40 square kilometers..." Aven silently calculated.

That's about the size of a township in the Pokémon League—a sizable estate by Aspiration City standards.

Moreover, this territory included nine villages, with a population nearing a thousand. The low population meant plenty of unused land ripe for development.

"Congratulations, Earl of the Southeastern Border," Johnson said sincerely as he handed the official document to Aven.

Her Highness clearly held the young apothecary in high regard. Although Aven had played a pivotal role in repelling the Beast Tide, the reward was still incredibly generous.

"Once the items Her Highness granted arrive, we can begin the official investiture ceremony."

Taking the document, Aven recalled the white-haired lady lord. She truly had been generous.

Seeing Aven accept the document, Johnson nodded in satisfaction. After a moment's thought, he said, "Aside from the matter of the title, I have something else I wish to discuss with you, Earl."

"Just call me Aven—you know I don't care much for noble titles," Aven said with a smile.

Johnson froze for a second, feeling as if Aven had seen right through him. Then he braced himself and said, "It's about those nobles."

As expected, Aven nodded, thinking back to Sir Berrin.

When he returned to Fruitvale Village, he had learned that Simon had been injured—because he'd saved the fleeing Sir Berrin.

That desperate cry—"Please save him!"—had come from the noble himself. Aven never expected such words from a once-proud noble.

Clearly, this was the result of reform-through-labor. He was genuinely surprised at how effective it had been in reshaping nobles.

He couldn't help but admire the wisdom of those who had come before—wisdom forged through years of experience. And he had much of that experience still to apply.

With that in mind, he thought for a moment and said, "Those nobles are doing quite well here."

Since Aven didn't explicitly say he'd release them, nor that he wouldn't, Johnson frowned slightly. After hesitating a moment, he said, "The nobles are willing to pay ransom."

Ransom? That wasn't really what I had in mind... Aven nodded, "Alright. You know I like gemstones—two of those will do as bail."

Johnson wasn't sure what "bail" meant, but he understood that Aven had agreed. Thinking it over, he nodded.

He knew nobles treasured gemstones, and most surely had a few in their collections. That shouldn't be too difficult for them. He breathed a sigh of relief.

After delivering the message, Johnson was respectfully escorted out, leaving only Aven, Sutter, Fessen, and Uncle Mike in the room.

As soon as Johnson left, Sutter and Fessen dropped to one knee, raising their knight swords with heads lowered in a formal knight's salute.

It was the official ceremony of loyalty from a knight to a noble. As they saluted, they swore their knightly oath.

(End of chapter)