Knights and Magic Wand
Chapter 537 - 537 257 Being with Her

537: Chapter 257: Being with Her 537: Chapter 257: Being with Her “…The great Illaril carved the Wound of Omlos upon the earth, splitting the continent in two and halting the ancient calamity that devoured all beings…

She descended like a radiant sun falling from the heavens, into the Holy Lake, where she bathed in its waters, cleansing the divine flames rising from her sacred body….

The guards encircled the Holy Lake, safeguarding the great Savior.

Six days later, Illaril emerged from the lake…”

When asked about the origin of the knight order, Commander Irem solemnly began narrating the myth of Dinexion Holy Lake to the Land people.

“When Illaril returned, the commander of the guards, Gervin, left behind a group of the first guards to watch over the Holy Lake, preventing the powerful energy contained within its waters from harming mortals, and deterring unworthy individuals from stealing the sanctified waters imbued with divine power.

And these early Holy Lake Guards are the predecessors of us Illaril Knights today.”

Listening to the ancient records of the knight order, a tale passed down through descendants of the Holy Lake Guards and generations of successors, Leon couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow, surprised to hear a familiar name within this myth.

…Gervin.

Olivia, too, was momentarily dazed by the name, which sounded identical to her ancestor’s name, yet she did not interrupt the conversation, merely glancing at Leon beside her.

Nodding to the young girl, Leon promptly sought confirmation from Irem: “Lord, the ‘Gervin’ you mentioned—is it by chance the Dusk Knight Gervin?”

“Indeed, it is none other than the ancestor of your Orland Kingdom’s royal family, the Drakemar Family—the founder of Klonia, the ancient hero sung of through the ages.” Irem affirmed that it was not a mere namesake, but then continued: “However, at that time, at least according to our knight order’s records, Lord Gervin, as the commander of Illaril’s guards, had yet to earn the title of ‘Dusk Knight’.

When he left behind the Holy Lake Guards, he had not yet achieved the unparalleled feat of slaying the Demon Dragon.”

Leon, hearing this, was halfway convinced by Irem’s words.

After all, Lola once mentioned that Gervin had been the commander of the Flame Sun Guard before she dismissed him.

Though this slightly differed from the account provided by the Holy Lake Knights, the core details were largely consistent.

It’s worth noting that neither folk legends nor the Church’s writings had ever mentioned Gervin holding such a position.

Yet this record alone was enough to prove that the knight order before him indeed carried the legacy of an era a millennium past.

However, Leon recalled Lola stating that Gervin was never part of her Forbidden Guard.

…That was peculiar.

Leon pondered this, considering that Lola, as Illaril herself, was unlikely to be mistaken.

So perhaps the Holy Lake Knights’ historical records contained slight inaccuracies, distorted by the passage of time.

Nevertheless, having confirmed the credibility of the Holy Lake Knights’ identity with the Dinexion Rangers, Leon found it needless to dwell on the specifics of their divine pronouncements.

Ultimately, he concluded that these extraordinarily wealthy knights posed no threat to his domain.

After all, given the astronomical costs they had incurred over the past year, marching across the land in search of traces of the Holy Land, even stripping his Baron Domain three times over wouldn’t suffice to cover their expenses.

Who would go to such lengths, traveling across the western reaches of the continent to foreign lands, to covet a mere Baron Domain?

Even if they harbored designs, Orland’s army was no trifling force.

Lydwen was by no means so foolish as to permit a small foreign military contingent to annex the territory of a noble within his own kingdom.

This thousand-strong force, no matter how elite, could never contend with an entire powerful kingdom.

For all their wealth, the Holy Lake Knights couldn’t subsist on gold coins alone—they certainly wouldn’t risk turning the land beneath their feet into an enemy by causing unrest in a foreign nation.

After much deliberation, Leon decided to stop hesitating.

A greater crisis loomed on the horizon, and he couldn’t afford to pass up such a valuable ally, especially when the price was merely granting them a pilgrimage to Avalon.

He decided to temporarily station them at the borders of Glade County, and if Lola raised no objections when he consulted her, escorting them to Avalon for their prayers wouldn’t be a problem.

Moreover, according to whispers from Holy Court Rangers, the Holy Lake Knights apparently did not answer directly to the Holy Sun Church and lacked enthusiasm for proselytizing, which reduced the chance of them clashing with the native religious practices of the western continent.

Alongside Irem and his companions, Leon returned to the residence of Marquis Deyatuk, where he vouched for the safety of the Illaril Knights.

“…Even with Baron Pendragon’s assurance, without a royal decree, I still cannot permit you to enter the depths of the King’s Domain,” Hedrian advised the foreign knight commander, proposing a compromise: “However, I can allow you to traverse my land, exiting through Dragon Claw Fortress and following the route Lord Pendragon took when entering Klonia Kingdom, on the condition that, while marching through Deyatuk County, your troops must accept the ‘escort’ of my forces and refrain from wearing armor or carrying any weaponry beyond swords.”

Admiring Olivia’s “uncle” for his caution, Leon turned to await Commander Irem’s response.

The Grand Master of the Holy Lake frowned slightly upon hearing the Border Marquis’ conditions, weighing his options.

Marching unarmed and under watch by unfamiliar troops posed significant risks.

However, with the Holy Land nearly within reach, he could only silently accept this as Illaril’s test for the knight order.

Of course, even as he agreed to these stringent terms of passage, he wouldn’t abandon basic precautions: “Then, if it pleases you, we will proceed through your territory in three separate groups.

How about three hundred people at a time?”