Chapter 184: A Tremendous Boost for Petilil

Holding Petilil in his arms, Aven slowly stepped down from the carriage and stood beside the Rhydon, gazing at the knights, veterans, and women and children gathered before him.

Before he could even greet them, a sound of synchronized kneeling echoed in the air. Everyone before him had knelt down in unison, performing a standard knight's salute. This was a symbol of their loyalty—and of their recognition and approval!

Aven didn't stop them. At this moment, his identity was already that of a noble—the Earl of the Southeastern Border! For knights, pledging loyalty to a lord was their most honorable fate, especially for these wounded knights. This was their chance to reclaim their lost knightly honor.

"As the Earl of the Southeastern Border of Aspiration City, I accept your loyalty!"

Upon hearing Aven's words, the hearts of all the knights trembled. A warm feeling surged to their eyes.

"In the name of knighthood, we shall defend the Earl and guard the southeastern border of Aspiration City."

As they recited their knightly oaths, the knights felt their spirits sublimated, as though they had found new purpose.

Aven's gaze swept across the kneeling knights, pausing slightly on one who struggled through his salute. Though he had lost a leg, he completed the salute entirely on his own strength, earning a gentler look from Aven.

"Stand, my knights," Aven said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, the knights rose to their feet, standing tall and straight, awaiting inspection from their new lord.

"Fessen was right... There really is a lord willing to accept disabled knights like us…"

Jorah held back tears, pressing his hands to the ground and trying to stand using only his remaining leg. At that moment, he felt a hand support him. Looking up, he froze—before him stood the very lord he had just pledged allegiance to.

"Welcome to my knight order," Aven said.

Hearing these words, Jorah was momentarily stunned, then pressed his lips together and gave a firm nod.

After the brief loyalty ceremony, Aven allowed the knights to rest in place and then approached Fessen.

"You've worked hard these past few days," Aven said with a smile.

"It was my duty, my lord," Fessen replied with a slight bow, handing over a notebook containing detailed information about the knights he had recruited.

A total of 97 people were preparing to travel to Fruitvale Village—48 knights and 49 veteran soldiers. All were originally from the Southeastern Patrol Camp and were well known to Fessen.

"That many?"

Aven was slightly surprised. He hadn't expected Fessen to gather so many people.

He had glanced over the list and noted that about half the knights had serious injuries, but some were only lightly wounded. He also noticed that several knights had no injury notes at all—likely those who had left their orders for other reasons.

"My lord, this still isn't all of them," Fessen added.

"Many people in Aspiration City haven't arrived yet. If they had, the number would be even greater."

"After all, you're now the Earl of the Southeastern Border—someone truly worthy of being followed. Don't underestimate your reputation among knights!"

"If you hadn't limited the number and instructed me to only recruit those I knew well, even more would have come—including fully capable knights."

Fessen smiled as he spoke. Truthfully, even he had been surprised by how highly Aven was regarded among knights when seeking followers in Aspiration City.

"I see," Aven nodded thoughtfully.

He was certainly tempted by those willing to follow him. A territory's development couldn't happen without people, and high-level talent was the most crucial of all.

Unfortunately, his funds were incredibly limited. Supporting even these knights would be difficult, especially since his current plan was for them to serve primarily as knight instructors.

Forming a fully armed knight squad was out of the question for now—armor, weapons, and especially mounts posed major challenges.

The current patrol teams in Fruitvale Village didn't even have proper knight mounts—they relied on Pokémon like Gloom and Mightyena to maintain order. Aven had no plans to form a traditional knight order for now. If a knight had their own mount, that was acceptable; if not, they would need to train up from the rank of apprentice.

"My lord," Fessen added, "I also contacted some friends."

"They're similar to me—trained in knighthood, qualified as reserve knights."

Aven was surprised to hear this. Reserve knights were equivalent to apprentices—they had received knight training but hadn't yet been formally knighted.

"Yes, reserve knights. Like me, they want to achieve something meaningful in life. By following you, my lord, they'll have a better chance to do so. I didn't reject them on the spot—I asked them to wait for news."

"You did well," Aven said, nodding. "Once we return to Fruitvale Village, notify them to come."

"However, I wonder—rather than knights, would they be willing to serve as officials in my territory? That might help them achieve their ambitions even faster."

The mention of officials made Aven frown slightly. Recruiting knights was one thing, but trained administrators were another matter entirely—yet absolutely essential for territorial development.

"I believe they would be more than willing," Fessen replied. "They've received some noble education and are fully capable of handling basic administrative tasks."

Fessen bowed slightly in thanks. Having achieved his own goal under Aven, he now wanted to help others in similar situations.

Aven and Fessen discussed further details about recruiting more followers, but Fessen began to notice that Aven seemed to be waiting for something—or someone.

Before he could ask, the ground suddenly began to tremble. A Rhyhorn came charging toward them from the distance.

The resting knights stood up immediately. Though retired, their instincts remained sharp.

"She's here," Aven muttered, eyes narrowing.

Fessen looked toward the Rhyhorn's back, spotting a figure with long purple hair billowing in the wind—Phyllis, the Flower of Aspiration City.

"Looks like I'm not late," she said, jumping off the Rhyhorn with a Shinx in her arms, dressed in sharp, androgynous clothing.

"You're early, actually," Aven replied with a smile, his gaze shifting to the Rhyhorn beside her.

This Rhyhorn wasn't very large—clearly still young—and, to Aven's surprise, it bore no riding equipment.

Rhydon growled lowly.

It moved slightly closer to Aven. Before being captured, Rhydon had worked for the Daly family, pulling carriages—so it remained wary of Phyllis.

"Rhydon, we meet again," Phyllis greeted it calmly.

Despite her composed face, waves were crashing in her heart. She remembered the Rhyhorn caged and wounded, never imagining it would evolve into a mighty Rhydon with such overwhelming strength!

Rhydon stared at her silently, then shifted slightly closer to Aven.

"Hello, Miss Phyllis," Fessen greeted her politely.

He was puzzled. Why was the Flower of Aspiration City here? And why did she seem so familiar with Aven?

Faintly, Fessen felt something was off. Had something happened between them while he'd been away recruiting knights?

"Fessen," Aven said, "Miss Phyllis will serve as an official in Fruitvale Village. She'll manage the berry and potion businesses. You two should coordinate your work."

Aven introduced Phyllis to Fessen and explained Fessen's role as a clerk.

Officials were still scarce in Fruitvale Village, so Fessen was handling most of the territory's affairs.

Upon hearing Fessen was the scribe, Phyllis smiled, but her heart stirred. If she wanted to seize financial control of the village, this scribe would be her first rival.

"Miss Phyllis, please take a rest," Aven said. "We'll set out for Fruitvale Village soon—just waiting for one more person."

Phyllis nodded and returned to her Rhyhorn, gently stroking its head. She glanced discreetly at Aven, eyes narrowing.

"My lord, who are we still waiting for?" Fessen asked.

"There's still one person," Aven replied. "He hasn't confirmed if he'll come, but I believe he will."

As Aven looked toward the direction of Aspiration City, a carriage suddenly appeared on the horizon, heading swiftly toward Fruitvale Village.

(End of Chapter)