Human Kingdom, Soaring Bird territory.
Traversing the lush forest, four knights atop beast-blood mounts gazed toward the distant Soaring Bird encampnt. They halted at a crossroads, hesitating to go forward.
"Guys, we’ve just gotten one step closer to evil!"
The speaker was a middle-aged knight wielding a lance, clad in silver full-plate armor with a helt on his head.
Right after the middle-aged knight’s quip, the coal knight Galahad rode up beside him.
Galahad looked toward Soaring Bird City in the distance, his brows furrowed with hesitation.
"Galahad, what’s the matter? Have you been here before?"
Galahad shook his head. In his mory, there had been no human encampnt in this region.
"Sir Godfrey, I’ve traveled this road twice, and there was no camp here back then."
The knight addressed as Sir Godfrey was cheerful by nature, wearing a lively, energetic smile.
"That aligns perfectly with what I heard before coming. This territory now belongs to a Baron. Chances are that camp ahead is his newly constructed temporary outpost."
As they spoke, two more individuals stepped forward to stand alongside Galahad and Godfrey.
One of them was Garrett, the blacksmith from the Royal capital.
The other wore a white noble’s outfit, with a strange one-handed sword at his waist that was red and green interwoven.
"In this recent war between the North and South, the kingdom suffered defeat and had to cede a lot of territory. This region lies on the fringes of the Human Kingdom, and it’s no surprise there’s no protective city wall here yet. We should be glad there’s at least a place to rest. Still, Galahad’s concern isn’t wrong. Wherever there are nobles, oppression often follows—too many of them are bastards."
The speaker was the young man dressed in white, Lambert, who was both a knight and a noble.
Lambert lightly squeezed his mount’s flanks, riding to the front. Galahad, Garrett, and Godfrey exchanged glances, nodded, and followed him.
Clearly, these four were among the Eight Great Knights. Their purpose this ti was to bring Princess Ava ho.
Recently, Galahad and Garrett had traveled far and wide in search of other mbers of the Eight Great Knights. Their efforts paid off: they found Godfrey and Lambert.
Open-hearted and uninhibited, Godfrey had joined Galahad’s party without hesitation as soon as he received the invitation.
Sir Godfrey was quite powerful, in the mid-Alpha level, slightly stronger than Galahad himself. Especially noteworthy was his beast-blood mount, an extrely formidable steed.
As for Lambert, Galahad had encountered him in a chapel. Though Lambert was a noble, he was also a knight of the Light. After hearing Galahad’s story, he agreed to join him.
The four pressed on, taking only half an hour to arrive at Soaring Bird City. After paying a few gold coins as a protection fee, they entered Soaring Bird City and rented a tent.
"This area is the Human Kingdom’s closest point to the giants’ territory. An envoy from the Royal capital will definitely pass through here. If we wait here, we’re bound to run into them."
Lambert seed displeased with the tent’s temporary conditions. Unlike the other three, who sat cross-legged on the ground, he remained standing, looking slightly out of place.
"The Rose Knight Regint’s ssage told
to wait here for them. They’ll be traveling with the kingdom’s envoy."
Explore more at .C??m
Galahad repeated the ssage he had received, pulling out a piece of rock-hard bread from his pouch.
Lambert shook his head, declining the bread Galahad offered.
"If what you say is true, then the local lord of Soaring Bird City must know about the kingdom’s plans to bring Princess Ava ho. Asking this baron directly is our best option. You three wait here for
while I pay him a visit."
Galahad, Garrett, and Godfrey exchanged looks, falling silent. After a mont, Galahad spoke kindly.
"Would you like
to go with you?"
Lambert shook his head, smiling faintly. "No need. I’m sure you’d rather not see the typical noble routine, all pretense and empty pleasantries."
With those words, Lambert bade them farewell and left the tent.
"That guy, he’s a noble himself, so he’s the one being pretentious!" Godfrey muttered as soon as Lambert was gone.
Galahad and Garrett exchanged glances without comnt, rely handing Godfrey a canteen of water.
Godfrey took a long swig, then tore off a bite of bread, chewing while he continued griping, "I just don’t get it. How did our knightly legacy end up with a noble? Did God make a mistake choosing him?"
The coal knight Galahad quietly listened to Godfrey’s complaints as his thoughts drifted. He recalled scenes of cave spiders dangling from treetops, ravenous ogres erging from the forest, Arthur lying dead…all those battlefield mories stained with blood that he usually avoided recalling grew clearer in his mind.
For a ti, the tent fell silent.
...
Orc territory, Warhamr tribe.
"Honorable King of Giants, your glory shines as brilliantly as the blazing sun, illuminating the entire continent!"
Orion sat astride his abyssal dragon, surveying the thousand-plus Orcs prostrated on the ground before him. Leading them in their homage was Brakkar, chieftain of the Warhamr tribe.
"Rise."
Orion withdrew his imposing presence, accepting the Orcs’ homage. He turned to look at Dace, leaving negotiations with the Warhamr tribe to him.
Dace nodded and stepped forward, addressing Brakkar.
"Long ti no see, Brakkar!"
Brakkar lifted his head, eyeing the Alpha-level giant before him with apprehension.
"What’s wrong? You’ve forgotten
already?" Dace asked. "Back then, I led a force to conquer your Warhamr tribe. You showed courage and even challenged
personally."
As Dace spoke, recognition dawned in Brakkar’s eyes, and he blurted in surprise, "It’s you—Dace the Guard! You’ve reached Alpha level now?"
He seed both stunned and dejected. Brakkar rembered clearly that in his last encounter with Dace, they had actually exchanged blows, and he could hold his own for a while. But the man standing before him now was an Alpha-level powerhouse, soone he could only look up to.
Brakkar swallowed hard, bitterness welling inside him.
"Chieftain Brakkar, do you still want to go a round with ?" Dace asked with a teasing air.
Brakkar quickly shook his head, refusing Dace’s challenge.
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