When a person has prestige, everything goes smoothly.
Today, I easily had the Sword trainees clean up their own Training Field.
Unfortunately, the Claymore side… still did whatever they wanted.
Ryan held a broom and cleaned up wood chips with Noelle, occasionally teasing Noelle, who kept her mouth shut, afraid of leaking secrets.
"Don't tease me!" Noelle looked at the rose on her gauntlet; these past few days, she hadn't heard any rumors. Ryan had indeed kept his promise.
"Acting Grand Master Jean recognized your swordsmanship; you'll soon become a Knights of Favonius, won't you!" She sighed slightly, watching wave after wave of trainees become official Knights, while she alone was rejected every time.
To whom could she speak of her disappointment?
Years ago, before she obtained her Vision, she had failed seven times.
After obtaining her Vision, she participated every year, and every year she was the unnoticed failure.
Was her strength insufficient? But many official Knights were not stronger than her.
Was her etiquette not perfect enough, were her words not gentle enough, or was her effort… inferior to others?
The one everyone focused on was never her.
But rather, an existence like Ryan.
"Knights of Favonius?" Ryan's eyes saw through people's hearts. After three seconds of thought, he deliberately provoked Noelle with his words, "A useless title?"
"What did you say?" Noelle's emotions were a bit agitated. Her long-standing goal was being belittled by someone else, and the power of Rock Element surged between heaven and earth.
"Noelle, how many of these over two hundred Sword and Claymore trainees do you think can become official Knights?" Ryan was completely unconcerned. Since he had the opportunity, he spoke to Noelle.
"I don't think being a Knight is just a title. If one becomes a Knight who throws chores to girls, then what's the point of that Knight's title?"
Ryan's eyes were full of sincerity, which gradually calmed the wronged and angry Noelle, restoring her etiquette: "Sorry! I… I lost my composure!"
"However, I've seen many, many trainees, and I can guarantee that more than half of them have a chance to pass the Knight selection."
"They have their own strengths, enough to contribute to Mondstadt in the future!"
"Then, Noelle…" Ryan said with Mercy, "This Knight selection, you definitely won't be among those who pass?"
"Do you know why?"
Noelle had expected it, but she still didn't understand.
Could Ryan, after only a few days here, tell that she was destined to not pass the Knight selection?
"Why?" Noelle asked, eager for the answer.
Ryan didn't answer immediately, but instead said: "This official Knight selection is different from before!"
"You think half the people can pass, but in my opinion… these over two hundred trainees might all become apprentice Knights, going out with official Knights to clear out monsters, but to become official Knights, it's a long and arduous Dao."
"You know, the selection of official Knights doesn't just look at combat power. This time, the already strict selection is even stricter."
"With their current performance, fewer than ten people can pass?"
Noelle was silent for a moment: "Did Senior Amber, or someone else… reveal insider information about the selection to you?"
She really disliked obtaining information through such cheating, but she also really wanted to hear it.
Ryan smiled, but didn't say.
"Noelle, you remember the trainees' strengths, so do you remember their weaknesses?"
"You told me a secret a few days ago, so today I'll tell you a secret too."
Noelle became curious!
"But you must remember to keep it a secret!" Ryan pointed at the rose, making Noelle's face flush as she mumbled softly.
I want to become a qualified maid and Knight; I won't leak secrets!
"The secret is…" Ryan lowered his head, leaning close to Noelle's ear, his breath rustling her silver-gray hair.
"Everyone you help will not pass the official Knight selection."
Noelle's eyes widened in disbelief.
"How could this be?"
"Why because of me? Did I do something wrong?"
Ryan looked at Noelle, whose beliefs were shaken and eyes became moist, feeling a little pained.
"You said your Knight's Dao is to help others and serve others!
"There's nothing wrong with that! But you should look at the people you're helping, and see if the task you're helping with is something they are capable of doing themselves!"
"Your excessive help is like a parent's doting on a child, damaging others' self-reliance."
"Can the trainees you've spoiled truly be called Knights in the future? A Knight who is too lazy to do his own things and needs others' help, would he go help other Mondstadt citizens?"
"The Mondstadt citizens remember you, Noelle, the omnipresent, versatile maid, but how many other Knights of Favonius do they remember?"
"If we talk about virtue, you are more like a Knight than any other official Knight?"
"But you still… cannot pass the selection!"
Ryan repeated the cruel fact again, "Besides being overly helpful, you have many other problems? Well, I won't talk about that today!"
"I just want to make a bet with you!"
"Tomorrow, Acquired, or even in the next few days, you come to the Sword Training Field and train honestly with me for a day, ignoring any instructions from anyone else!"
"See how many times those Claymore trainees, whom you've fostered a sense of superiority and laziness in, will call out to you? When they see you not helping, will they become angry and resent you?"
"See how long their ugly and pretentious Knightly etiquette can last?"
"And then see if they will realize their mistakes and do their own things?"
"If they can do it, but still trouble others, is that a quality a Knight should have?"
"They are inferior to a three-year-old child in my world."
He mocked them with the child comparison again.
"If they don't have parents and teachers to teach them, I'll overstep once and teach them a lesson!" Ryan's final words carried the unbearable itch in his hands that he had long suppressed.
The Sword hummed softly.
Noelle listened to Ryan's string of words, her mood complex, digesting them for a long time.
From hearing Ryan's denial of her helpful actions, which was hard to accept; to being happy that he praised her virtue as that of a true Knight; to her dissatisfaction when he pointed out her many other flaws, and finally to her defiance.
Are those trainees really that bad?
Will my voluntary help really make others lose their self-reliance?
I just simply wanted to help!
"I'm not good at debating, at reasoning; I can't argue with you!" Noelle tried to retort several times but couldn't form the words.
She was very frustrated with her own clumsiness.
"If you can't argue, then listen to me!" Ryan threw the broom down, and he walked through the pile of wood chips, scattering and kicking wood chips everywhere!
"Eh—?" Noelle exclaimed.
Ryan walked back once, then kicked another pile of wood chips, like a mischievous child.
"I accidentally took the wrong path!"
"Today's cleaning, that's enough!"
"Noelle, come with me to Eula's house for a big meal!"
Ryan grabbed Noelle's hand and directly ran with big strides.
"No! No! Even if I listen to you, today's cleaning should be finished!"
Noelle's heart had already swayed towards Ryan, otherwise Ryan might not have been able to pull her.
"Who cares?"
Ryan found that Noelle was still holding the broom, so he snatched it away and threw it on the ground.
The Training Field was left in a half-cleaned mess.