The Lich of Glory Knight Spirit: Moving towards Krimasha!
Chapter 120 - 07: The Name of the Holy Knight (2)

Chapter 120: Chapter 07: The Name of the Holy Knight (2)

Slowly approaching Gray, the two commanders each returned their seals of appointment to him.

The soldiers of both armies quietly gazed at Gray.

Putting away the two seals, Gray asked bluntly, "Did this war of yours receive the Pope’s approval?"

That question left the two commanders completely dumbfounded.

Silence—a long silence.

"Uh... ahem, no. But..." Lusien V awkwardly replied, "But the Church also didn’t oppose it. No opposition means tacit approval."

Gray responded sharply, "I believe wars born of such so-called ’tacit approval’ shouldn’t exist in the first place. Either you agree, or you oppose. There’s no middle ground."

"Sir Holy Knight," Gene II raised his head arrogantly, his expression stern, "You’re not thinking of intervening in this war, are you?"

"Yes," Gray turned his face slightly, "To be precise, I am not here to intervene in the war, but to prevent it from happening. After all, wars lead to casualties, and if it can be avoided, it should be. If there’s a conflict between you two, I hope I can act as an arbiter to help you resolve it peacefully."

"An arbiter? Is he joking?"

"Even if he’s a Holy Knight, it’s impossible for him to arbitrate a war, isn’t it?"

"Even the Church couldn’t manage that."

"After all this preparation, coming all this way, is he expecting us to just accept arbitration and leave? Absurd!"

Hearing Gray’s words, the soldiers began to whisper among themselves. It was clear that no one supported Gray’s suggestion. However, the two commanders had different thoughts.

At this very moment, they both remained silent.

After a long pause, Lusien V spoke softly, "Sir Holy Knight, as for your proposal, allow me to consult with my advisors."

"Of course," Gray nodded politely.

Lusien V turned his horse and left.

"Sir Holy Knight, I, too, need to discuss this with my advisors," Gene II said.

Gray nodded cordially as well.

With the two commanders gone, the centerline of the standoff was left with only Gray and the Silver Moon Banner.

In the distance, members of the Silver Moon Knight Order craned their necks to watch.

"Do you think Gray will succeed?" Shelley asked.

"Who knows?" Andrew shrugged, "That depends on how scared those two lords are of him."

"But didn’t Gray say he came to borrow food from them? Why has this turned into arbitration now?" Shelley frowned.

"Ask him yourself," Andrew replied helplessly.

Gray remained motionless in the centerline while the two commanders dove into fervent discussions with their advisors.

"Does he think he can end a war with just his words? Ridiculous!"

"But it’s not just his words. He brought the entire Silver Moon Knight Order and some dwarf slaves from who-knows-where. In Lion King City, he defeated Benedict II and Duke Fernandes. I don’t think we can withstand that kind of warfare."

...

"I believe we can win. Arbitration? That’s something only the weak consider!"

"But if we refuse arbitration, and he sides with the other party because of it, won’t we inadvertently push Holy Knight Gray to our enemy’s side?"

...

"We can’t overlook that possibility. If we carelessly drive Holy Knight Gray to the other side... we may still win the war, but that’s only if he doesn’t get involved. If he does, we’ll be in serious trouble."

...

"Over a hundred—this means the entire Silver Moon Knight Order is here. Bringing the entire order to this place can’t be coincidental."

...

"So far, it seems the other side is also surprised by Holy Knight Gray’s arrival. But what if? What if this so-called arbitration is just a trap they’ve set? Fearful of our strength, they’ve invited Holy Knight Gray to arbitrate. They’re pretending not to know one another, luring us into also accepting arbitration."

...

"But that doesn’t seem realistic. If the other side had already been in contact with Holy Knight Gray, they would have launched an attack by now. We investigated the raid on Lion King City—the Silver Moon Knight Order is indeed terrifying. If they truly had the Silver Moon Knight Order’s support, they wouldn’t even need arbitration."

...

Amidst all the discussions, the military chaplains of both camps became the quietest, almost entirely ignored. After all, with a Holy Knight present, what need was there for a priest? Despite the blemishes on Gray’s reputation, his title as Holy Knight had not been revoked.

Each side quietly dispatched messengers to send letters to their rear.

...

"What are you trying to do? Why not just straightforwardly ask for food?" Black Cat asked.

"I want to stop the war first. This is undoubtedly an unjust war, and somebody has to stop it," Gray replied softly.

"But they’re already in a hostile state, the perfect time to coerce them. This is their weakest moment. To keep you from intervening, they’d willingly hand over food. That would achieve our goal. Fine, I know what you’re going to say. You’ll say it’s wrong to coerce someone in a moment of crisis. But you have to understand, asking them to give us food without reason was never an easy task. If we miss this chance, we might not find another way to make them hand over supplies."

"I don’t think it’s that difficult. If we truly believe we’re doing something righteous, we should act righteously from beginning to end, without any stains. Furthermore, as a Holy Knight, I cannot allow an unjust war to unfold before my eyes and cause tragedies. The stronger the power, the greater the responsibility. This is my duty," Gray answered firmly.

The other two voices in his mind remained silent.

It had to be said—Gray was becoming more resolute. Whether to advise or protect, the two whisperers found themselves less capable of intervening in his decisions.

...

In the midst of the commotion, someone by Lusien V’s side was staring intently at Gray.

It was a young man, handsome and upright, clad in a knight’s armor. His golden curls and gentlemanly demeanor marked him unmistakably as a prince. His crescent-shaped eyes seemed always on the verge of smiling, exuding a peculiar charm.

He was Arthur, the eldest son of Lusien V. And he was fixated on Gray with a faint smile.

...

Finally, after some time, the two commanders returned to the centerline.

Lusien V spoke cautiously, "Sir Holy Knight, we are willing to accept your arbitration. After all, our aim is to reclaim what should rightfully be ours, not war itself. But first, we would like to know how you plan to arbitrate?"

"As do we," Gene II said, raising his head proudly.

For once, the lifelong enemies found themselves in rare agreement.

Gray spoke softly, "You may each state the reasons for your war, and I will judge the justice of your respective motives. If this still doesn’t resolve the issue, then I suggest determining the outcome through a contest."

"A contest?"

"Yes, have your knights duel instead of launching a full-scale war. That way, casualties can be minimized."

"But what if, after my side wins, the other party refuses to honor the obligations of defeat?"

"Then I will step in personally to ensure the victorious side receives justice. In other words, this duel will be guaranteed under the name of the Holy Knight. Does that work?"

Lusien V glared at Gene II on the opposite side, gritting his teeth. "The rules?"

Gene II likewise raised his head high, teeth clenched. "The rules?"

"The rules are that each of you selects your finest knights, with a limit of ten participants. A duel. When one side either perishes or surrenders, the other side is declared the victor. Does that work?" Gray asked.

"I’ll need some time to prepare. Let’s duel three days from now," Lusien V said.

"That’s too long," Gene II objected.

"Then the day after tomorrow. Two days is my bottom line." Facing Gray, Lusien V continued, "If there’s no agreement after two days, then it’s not I refusing your suggestion, Sir Holy Knight—it’s the other side clearly demonstrating bad faith."

Gray turned to Gene II.

Nodding, Gene II said, "Alright. Two days from now, here, under the witness of the Holy Knight, we will settle this once and for all!"

"Agreed!"

"Agreed!"

"Are you not planning to state your reasons for waging war and defend your actions?" Gray asked.

"There are too many reasons, but I feel there’s no point in discussing them anymore," Lusien V said, shrugging.

Gene II expressed a similar attitude: "I have no interest in a mere war of words. Let’s skip the justification phase and move straight to the battle."

With a metallic clang, both sides unsheathed their swords, the blades meeting in a symbolic clash. Gray also drew his sword, resting it against theirs.

"Very well. The agreement is made! Since you both agree, then the day after tomorrow, at dawn, here. I will, under the name of the Holy Knight, oversee this duel and deliver a fair judgment!"

"Deal!"

"Deal!"

With that, the commanders sheathed their swords and rode off in their respective directions. Gray lifted the Silver Moon Banner and turned his horse back to his camp.

All three parties withdrew their forces.

Watching Gray’s retreating figure, Arthur, the eldest son of Lusien V, couldn’t help but exclaim, "What a commanding figure, this Holy Knight. In my memory, even at its peak, the Church never wielded this level of clout. To halt a war with words alone—after all, might truly is power."

Back among his troops, Gray drove the Silver Moon Banner heavily into the ground and declared softly, "We’ll camp here and ensure they don’t break the agreement and start fighting in secret."

"Yes!" The Silver Moon Knights pounded their breastplates in unison.

The dwarves, who had been observing the entire exchange, stood utterly dumbfounded, staring blankly at Gray, completely awestruck.