Hoban, the political center and capital of the Northern Holy Kingdom, also houses the 'Grand Temple,' a spiritual hub, making it an extremely sacred place in the hearts of both the populace and Magic Casters of the faith.
In the central area of this city stood the palace, predominantly white.
In the open-air courtyard on the second floor of the main palace, three women sat around a round table, seemingly holding a private tea party for noble ladies.
Seated at the head of the table was a woman with long golden hair and a crown. Her face was as beautiful as a flower, and she wore a white robe with black patterns. She was Calca, the Holy Queen, the highest-ranking person in the entire Holy Kingdom.
Beside her sat Remedios, the Commander of the Holy Kingdom's Knight Order, a woman with short brown hair, dressed in silver full plate armor and a white surcoat, and Quirat, the High Priestess of the Temple.
Calca brought a cup of black tea to her lips, took a small sip, and asked, "What do you two think about this matter?"
"That goes without saying! Attacking the Great Wall garrison is a serious crime; of course, we should just arrest all those disrespectful ruffians directly! Remedios declared with a clenched fist, her voice decisive.
Calca gave her a helpless look. Why was she not at all surprised by this answer?
Although her close friend possessed immense talent as a warrior, her personality was still a bit too straightforward, and she disliked thinking things through, always preferring to act on her first instinct.
Ah, she really worried about what would become of her in the future.
The Vice Commanders of the Knight Order must have a tough time!
"Sister, didn't you read the border garrison's description of the other party?" Quirat casually remarked, her gaze fixed on the document in her hand, meticulously savoring every detail. "Two individuals capable of defeating the Kingdom's nine colors are not just ordinarily strong."
Remedios seemed to dismiss this, or perhaps had absolute confidence in herself, saying, "That's because he hasn't met me! If it were me, I could easily defeat him!"
As the Commander of the Holy Kingdom's Knight Order, Remedios possessed two generations-old magic items and was the wielder of Safalicia, one of the Four Holy Swords.
This Holy Sword was the counterpart to the four Demonic Swords held by the Black Knight, one of the legendary Thirteen Heroes.
Although she personally felt she had not yet reached the level of the Thirteen Heroes, with the blessing of this Holy Sword, she should not be far off.
"It's best not to underestimate the enemy before engaging them in battle." Quirat knew her sister's personality; she might not mean it, but she always gave off an impression of excessive arrogance, making people feel compelled to remind her. "The other party also has a powerful magical beast mount, capable of leaping over city walls. According to Orland, one of the nine colors, he himself might not be a match for that mount."
That fellow, who claimed to be from the 'Holy Sanctuary,' possessed powerful sword techniques that could unleash potent sword energy, which also warranted attention. However, from the report, Quirat analyzed that the powerful magical beast mount might be the key.
"I understand." Remedios nodded. If someone else had told her this, she might have dismissed it, but she could still take her sister's advice seriously.
Because of this, she developed a slight interest in this suddenly appearing armored knight, looking forward to engaging him in battle and then soundly defeating him and sending him to the Kingdom's prison.
Calca looked at the Temple Priestess, who had always served as her strategist, with eyes full of trust. Compared to Remedios, Quirat was clearly more communicative.
Quirat quickly noticed her unspoken question, putting down the intelligence report in her hand. "Since the other party claims to be an envoy coming for an audience, and although we don't know what this 'Holy Sanctuary' he speaks of is, I believe that out of respect for his strength, we need to give a positive response."
"How about this: Sister will lead a portion of the Knight Order members to the fortress to meet the other party."
"Leave it to me!" Remedios patted her chest, a look of confidence on her face.
"My intention is only for you to probe the opponent's strength. If you can defeat him, then temporarily detain him. But don't go too far. Such a suddenly appearing strong individual won't have a background. Before everything is clear, we cannot completely offend the other party." Quirat instructed, then considered another possibility, hesitating for a moment. "...If the opponent's strength is too great, then treat him with the etiquette befitting an envoy and invite him to Hoban."
Calca nodded and said, "That's right. No matter what the other party's purpose is, even though he made such an inappropriate move, he still claims to be an envoy. We can't let people laugh at our Holy Kingdom for not understanding etiquette. If he comes to the Royal Capital, with the three of us here, even if he has some ulterior motives, it shouldn't be an issue."
At this, the other two couldn't help but smile.
Since Calca's controversial succession to the Holy Throne, the three of them had together overcome countless difficulties, all ending perfectly. They believed this time would be no exception.
"In that case, I will lead the Knight Order and depart." Remedios stood up, bid farewell to the two, and left with confidence.
"That's wonderful! Seeing her always like that makes one feel very reliable." Calca couldn't help but sigh as she watched her retreating figure.
Quirat, however, raised an eyebrow and said, "If only she would use her brain a little more."
"Heh heh, you're right! But isn't that just Remedios?"
Holy Kingdom Border Great Wall Fortress.
The southwest corner of the fortress, originally a watchtower for soldiers where soldiers lived, had now become the most vigilant spot in the entire outpost.
Two days ago, a mysterious knight defeated the two strongest warriors in the fortress with his formidable strength, entered this military stronghold, and was arranged to temporarily reside here.
All soldiers passing by would glance at it with apprehension, then quickly walk up the city wall to begin their daily garrison duties.
At the opposite corner of the watchtower, sentries were also secretly stationed to monitor, and any unusual activity was to be reported immediately to the Commander.
It could be said that the knight squad brought immense pressure to the main person in charge of this fortress.
Yet, there was one person who seemed not to be nervous about it at all.
"Hey! Balun, is your boss in?"
A young man in mithril armor walked out of the watchtower, preparing to fetch some clean water from the water point, but before he had taken a few steps, he was immediately stopped by a loud voice.
Balun couldn't help but look in the direction of the voice. A muscular man was grinning as he walked towards him.
This burly man was, of course, Orland.
Although he had just been severely beaten by the leader the day before yesterday, this man would show up almost every day and stay for most of the day, seemingly having abandoned his own guard duties. And he came not for anything else, but simply to find someone to fight.
Perhaps because his strength was too low, the leader had no interest in him, so he always let others deal with him.
In fairness, Orland's strength was quite formidable; at least Balun felt that if he fought him, his winning rate would only be about forty percent.
"Our boss went to graze the horses. Orland, why are you here again?"
"Haha, it's not easy to find people I can fight, and there are seven of them at once. If I don't take this opportunity to have a good fight, you'll all be leaving once the higher-ups arrive, won't you?" Orland said without any reservation.
He often fought in the army not only because he disliked the nobles but also to improve his martial arts, which required opponents of equal strength or stronger than him.
Before this knight squad appeared, the only one in this fortress who could contend with him was Pavel. But fighting familiar opponents for a long time did not significantly help his own improvement, as he already knew all of Pavel's attack methods by heart.
These knights in front of him were simply the best sparring partners. Although each of them had somewhat unpolished sword skills, their physical abilities were incredibly strong.
This reminded Orland of the Demi-human Tribes beyond the Great Wall.
He had once fought against the elites of the Demi-human Tribes, whose racial characteristics granted them greater physical capabilities than humans.
So far, Orland had already fought all six, including Balun.
Among them, one could fight him to a draw, while the others would eventually lose to Orland after a prolonged struggle.
However, through constant battles, these young men were rapidly growing, and perhaps one day they would surpass him.
But for now, Orland was more interested in their leader, the armored knight who could easily crush both him and Pavel.
After the fierce battle two days ago, Orland felt that he had seemingly seen a path forward for himself.
"If you want to practice with us, we'd be very welcome. The leader said that constant fighting makes us stronger. To become excellent warriors and serve that great one, we still need to keep fighting." Balun smiled slightly at Orland, then his face showed an expression of longing.
"That great one? Is that the master you serve? Who exactly is that person?" Orland asked with some curiosity.
He knew that he was considered one of the top warriors in the Holy Kingdom, but he didn't really feel much loyalty towards the Holy Queen.
The Holy Kingdom implemented a strategy of universal conscription, and his presence here was entirely due to military service.
Perhaps after completing his service, he would choose to leave the Holy Kingdom and embark on his own cultivation journey.
And the one who could command the loyalty of Balun and the armored warrior must be some important figure!
"This is a secret of the Holy Sanctuary, don't ask too many questions. Orland, knowing this won't do you any good!" Balun's face instantly became serious, and he spoke in a threatening tone.
This made Orland pause slightly, then shrug and laugh, "Alright, I won't ask. So, want to fight?"
Balun hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay, but wait for me."
Clip-clop!
Just then, a sound of hooves rang out. Orland and Balun couldn't help but turn their heads. A knight riding a Dragon Blood Bicorn was slowly approaching them.
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