Saving the ruined Knights’ Order

Episode 8

I was sure. It was the same light I saw back then.

A faint glow surrounded Karen.

Yes, no doubt. It was the same light I saw when recruiting Charlie.

But Karen didn’t seem to notice it. If she had been the one emitting the light, she should have realized it. Just like Charlie, she stayed completely calm.

It almost felt like… I was the only one who could see this light.

And that light…

I had thought it was strange back then too.

Charlie, who had that light, was my synergy character.

This was my chance to confirm my theory.

I considered the possibility that something had changed this time and decided to test Karen.

“Captain, please accept me!”

—Wait, since when was I a captain? Call me Sir Isaac.

“Sir Isaac! Please accept me!”

A female knight, Ellery, bowed deeply as she made her request.

I carefully opened my mouth, just in case.

“Karen Ellery, was it? Do you even know who I am? And yet, you still want to join my order?”

“Of course. You’re the patricide, after all.”

Karen answered immediately, without hesitation.

So she knew.

And yet, she still wanted to join my order?

Things were starting to fall into place, but I wasn’t completely sure yet.

I stayed silent for a moment. But Karen took that as her chance and started talking nonstop.

“You think I don’t know anything about the order I’m trying to join? I graduated at the top of the academy!”

“Then you should be able to make better decisions. Sorry, but go look somewhere else. There are plenty of good knight orders. Honestly, the thought of being in the same order as a patricide is disgusting.”

“No! I’ve already made up my mind to join Sir Isaac’s order!”

Even after my firm rejection, Karen stubbornly stood her ground.

“…I’m the captain. Why are you deciding whether you get to join or not?”

And another thing…

Her eyes looked weird.

From the moment she arrived, something about the way Karen looked at me felt off.

Was she always like this? She seemed different from her original character.

The uneasy feeling inside me grew stronger.

And then Karen opened her mouth again.

“Sir Isaac, you’re the most knight-like knight I’ve ever seen! That’s why I must join your order!”

“…I already said no. And what do you mean, a ‘real knight’?”

“You executed your father, a corrupt knight, with your own hands. Even though people scorn you as a patricide, you never gave up! That’s what a true knight is!”

“…What?”

“Facing the world head-on, unshaken like an iron fortress—that is what makes a real knight!”

What kind of nonsense…

Was she rewriting my life into some dramatic hero story?

This was insane.

Karen was staring at me with unwavering determination. There was no doubt. This was her pure, 100% honest belief.

I closed my eyes.

…This is hell.

At that moment, my uncertainty turned into certainty.

I had crossed the point of no return.

So, this wasn’t just the usual story.

This was a bonding event.

Just like Charlie, Karen was a synergy character for me.

And the proof? That faint glow surrounding her.

That settled it. The light came from characters who had synergy with me.

Synergy characters were special.

Every time they appeared in Knighthood Chronicles, they made my heart race.

They were far stronger than regular knights and triggered unique events.

But this time, my heart wasn’t racing from excitement.

To be honest… I was terrified.

I bit my lip and looked down at Karen.

She was smiling brightly, completely unaware of my fear.

And that’s exactly why I was scared.

The problem wasn’t Karen.

The problem… was me.

Isaac Wood—what kind of messed-up character was I?

Because Karen… she wasn’t supposed to have synergy with any knight commander.

***

Let’s break it down.

Unlike Charlie, who originally had no synergy, Karen was a popular synergy character.

She had a friendly personality, cute looks, and impressive skills.

She worked well with almost every character.

But there was one exception.

She had never—not even once—formed synergy with a knight commander.

And yet, here she was, glowing with synergy for me.

This only happened because I was Isaac Wood.

That realization made my head hurt.

I had planned to reject Karen immediately.

I was a veteran player. I didn’t need her to clear the game.

But synergy with a high-performance character like Karen?

That changed everything.

The thought alone sent chills down my spine.

Even I, after playing Knighthood Chronicles for thousands of hours, couldn’t predict how this would unfold.

One thing was certain—if Karen was my synergy character, her potential would be terrifying.

At the very least, she’d become so overpowered that even the hardest trials in the game would be laughably easy.

And most of all…

The real reason I couldn’t reject Karen right away—

It was curiosity.

As a player who had dedicated his life to Knighthood Chronicles, I needed to know.

If I let Karen go now, I might never see her synergy storyline again.

Karen was famous as a character of love and hate.

Despised by her noble family, tormented by the Ellery household…

And yet, players never abandoned her.

Because she was just that captivating.

And right now—

I had the chance to see a hidden story no one had ever witnessed before.

For someone like me, who had devoted years to this game—

This was an offer too tempting to refuse.

From the moment I realized Karen was my synergy character, the answer had already been decided.

I closed my eyes and let out a bitter laugh.

“Fine.”

“Sir Isaac?”

To put it dramatically—

It felt like drinking poison from a golden chalice.

I was about to extend my hand in surrender when—

“Oh, and I brought something that might help you, Sir Isaac!”

“Hm?”

Karen pulled out a small pouch from her pocket.

It looked like an ordinary money pouch at first.

But then, I noticed something shimmering inside.

A faint, golden glimmer.

Karen blushed slightly and opened the pouch.

“I heard the order was struggling financially, so… I gathered some of my allowance. I want to help!”

The moment she opened it, a blinding golden light flashed before my eyes.

Gold.

It was pure gold.

Gold coins!

Not silver. Not copper.

A pouch full of gold coins.

…As expected of a noble family.

A family that gave their daughter enough pocket money to stuff a pouch with gold—definitely on another level.

I swallowed hard and grabbed the pouch.

With this much money, I could finally fix the knight order’s broken dorms.

I wouldn’t have to worry about waking up every morning to rats chewing on my boots.

In Knighthood Chronicles, synergy was everything.

Feeling the weight of the pouch, I let out a deep sigh.

“If you had this, you should’ve shown it from the start.”

“Sir Isaac?”

“Why are you calling me ‘Sir Isaac’ like we’re strangers? Just call me Commander.”

Karen’s eyes widened slightly, and then—

Her face lit up with pure joy.

“Ahhh! I knew it! I knew the Commander would accept me!”

…Did you?

Because I sure didn’t.

But honestly, if you had pulled out this money earlier, I might have accepted you without hesitation.

Of course, I couldn’t say that out loud.

Instead, I tucked the heavy pouch into my coat and spoke as calmly as possible.

“I was testing your resolve. Welcome to the Palentier Knights, Karen Ellery.”

“I, Karen Ellery, vow to serve you until my dying breath, Commander!”

…Well.

I guess the tutorial was officially over.