Chapter 46: Chapter 46

Graduation? Out of nowhere?

It didn’t make sense. Even though the training program was nearly complete, there were still several months left before graduation. And to have it announced so suddenly?

There had been cases of early graduation before, but it was never this abrupt.

Baek Seol asked, “Is it a general appointment?”

That was the only explanation she could think of. Maybe there was an urgent need for knight forces from outside, prompting Military HQ to make a request. In such cases, they might graduate outstanding trainees early, depending on the situation.

The training director grinned widely.

“It’s an even greater honor.”

“?”

“Congratulations, Baek Seol. You’ve been selected as a ‘Knight of One.’”

“!!!”

Everyone was stunned by the director’s words.

A Knight of One. It meant being a knight for a single individual, not bound to any organization but to serve one person alone.

Being able to have a knight at one’s personal service indicated someone extremely powerful. And typically, a Knight of One implied becoming the personal knight of someone from the Go Group owner’s family.

“Wow, a Knight of One…!!”

“That’s unbelievable! It’s an incredible honor! Don’t they usually assign active duty knights to that?”

The drill grounds buzzed with excitement. Most of the trainee knights, after 15 years of indoctrination, considered serving the owner family as the highest honor.

‘A personal slave… that’s what I’ll become?’

But for Baek Seol, this meant nothing. She already thought of knights as “slaves of the elite,” and becoming a personal knight only reinforced that belief. It was slavery in its purest form.

If the person she would serve was a woman, that would be more tolerable, but if it was a man…

‘…’

She could only imagine a future where she would have to follow orders, spread her legs, and moan for some man’s pleasure.

So this was the outcome of 15 years as the top trainee? It was utterly anticlimactic.

The training director looked on, satisfied, then raised his hand to quiet the crowd. The noise died down.

“Knight Baek Seol will be granted a promotion to Major General and a personal craft. The Military has already begun production.”

“…”

To start as a Major General was already several steps ahead of others. A personal craft? I want one too. I’ve heard it costs at least a trillion won to produce one of those, but such an investment…

Voices filled with congratulations, jealousy, and envy echoed around her.

But Baek Seol felt as if despair was sinking into her bones.

Yesterday, she had finally made up her mind. Yesterday, she had finally resolved to start something, and now, just a day later, this happens.

She let out a small, bitter laugh.

‘I knew it… never get your hopes up...’

She berated her previous self. Foolishly, she had allowed herself to hope, only to be betrayed by reality. She should’ve just continued fulfilling her assigned tasks as she had all along, without getting carried away.

‘Yeah… let’s not forget. I’m a slave. I need to remember my place, Baek Seol.’

She resolved to never entertain foolish hopes again.

“Seol! Congratulations!”

The man approached.

“A Knight of One, can you believe it?!”

He was just like the others, viewing the honor of becoming a personal knight, essentially a private slave, as something to be proud of.

‘…’

So he was brainwashed too.@@novelbin@@

She turned away with a sigh.

“W-Wait! Baek Seol?! Hey!”

“My Master will be arriving here personally. I need to prepare, so don’t talk to me.”

“You… you agreed to date me yesterday!”

She stopped dead in her tracks.

“Date?”

“Yes! You said yes!”

“…So?”

“What?”

She turned to face him, frustration boiling inside her.

“Do you even understand what becoming a personal knight means?”

“…”

“I’m going to follow my Master everywhere for the rest of my life, performing all kinds of duties. Do you think we’ll even have a chance to meet?”

“Even so… can’t we at least stay in touch?”

“What if my Master is a man? Do you think he’s just going to let me be?”

“...!”

The man’s face hardened.

“He can lay his hands on me whenever he wants, he can take me whenever he wishes… If you were him, wouldn’t you?”

“!!”

If he could reach out and touch Baek Seol… If he could do whatever he wanted with her…

In an instant, he imagined 194 different positions in which he could dominate her.

Then, a wave of nausea surged up as the grotesque thought sickened him.

‘I’m not… I’m not Baek Seol’s Master…’

In his mind, the man violating Baek Seol was no longer himself but some unnamed man. Baek Seol, even while being violated, remained obedient to him.

Baek Seol glanced down. The man’s crotch was visibly bulging. Even though it was slight, she felt disgusted.

“Now you understand? It was over between us before it even began.”

She turned away coldly.

That morning, I boarded the AV at dawn and headed to Nonsan.

The message from one of my grandfather’s personal secretaries rang in my head.

“Chairman Go has prepared a small gift for you, sir.”

A small gift, he said.

He’s bestowed a knight on me…!!

I could hardly contain my excitement. This was a jackpot.

To my grandfather and his secretary, it might just be a ‘small gift,’ but to me, it’s a massive treasure. For someone who has almost nothing, a knight is worth far more than everything else I own.

In the original game, knights are minimum mini-boss or full-boss level characters no matter which route you go. Especially Baek Seol, who appears in the late game—she’s known as “The Greatest Knight in Human History” and is unbeatable as an enemy.

Her loyalty is so absolute that no matter what happens, she won’t betray. Essentially, she’s a foe you can never make your ally.

Even if you crawl through the corporate world under a colossal corporation, you wouldn’t even share a meal with a knight. They’re tools to the owner family, but to anyone else, they’re death incarnate.

And now, I would own a knight.

I insisted on going to receive her personally, despite the offer to have her delivered to me. I figured I might as well tour the training grounds while I was at it. It would likely throw the place into chaos, but that’s part of the fun.

After about an hour, we finally arrived at the Go Military Knight Training Grounds in Nonsan. A large assembly of troops had gathered and were lined up.

“We’ve arrived, sir.”

As the AV door opened, Sua gracefully bowed. Her skills at proper etiquette seemed to be improving by the day.

I stepped out.

“Present… arms!”

The honor guard lined up along the red carpet lifted their rifles in perfect synchronization, while the military band played a grand piece. I don’t know what it was—some kind of martial music, I suppose.

“Major General Kwang Jeongil! It’s an honor to have you here!”

Some older men hurriedly came over to salute, which I returned casually.

“I’m no soldier. No need to be so formal.”

“When meeting such a distinguished figure, this much is necessary.”

Distinguished bloodline, huh? What is this, North Korea?

“Follow me, please.”

I followed. Sua, with a professional expression, clicked her heels in place beside me as we walked.

Soldiers lined the path, saluting with military precision as I passed, only lowering their arms once I had moved on.

We walked a bit further and soon came upon a different group. Around a hundred trainees in uniform were assembled on a field the size of a high school track. Nearby, giant robots—easily twenty meters tall—stood with their cannons aimed skyward.

‘Are those the trainee knights? And are they preparing to fire salutes?’

My guess was correct. As I took the stage, the massive mechas fired their cannons, shaking the earth and sky. The shockwaves were almost visible as they tore through the air, with dirt and grass scattering in waves.

The sound was deafening. I was caught off guard but did my best not to show it.

They fired 19 shots in salute.

Our chairman would probably receive 21 shots, and I, as his direct descendant, received 19. If the president or a foreign dignitary visits, they get 21.

Honestly, I’m not sure if all this is necessary, but considering the Go Group’s stature, it’s understandable.

After enjoying the salutes, I gave a short speech. I hadn’t prepared anything, so I just made it up on the spot. But the crowd looked at me as if I were a god.

‘Knights are artificially engineered humans. To control their immense power, loyalty is embedded in them at the genetic level, and they undergo extensive indoctrination.’

I nodded, remembering the lore. None of this is bad for me.

With the welcome ceremony concluded, I finally got to meet my knight.

A woman with long, violet hair tied back in a ponytail stepped onto the stage.

‘Damn…’

She was stunningly beautiful, almost hypnotic.

“Salute! Major Baek Seol, reporting for duty as your personal knight, sir.”

It won’t be long before I make my own “deployment” in her.

Wait, Baek Seol?

Is that her name? Baek Seol?