The Lich of Glory Knight Spirit: Moving towards Krimasha!
Chapter 122 - 08: The Name of the Holy Knight (3)

Chapter 122: Chapter 08: The Name of the Holy Knight (3)

The Church.

A solemn hall.

The candles scattered all around did not bathe everything in light; instead, they created a distinct sense of division between light and shadow.

A clergyman walked hurriedly down the long corridor with a bowed posture, holding a tray with two letters. His steps were so light that they made no sound. He quickly approached the pope and kneeled down.

"Your Eminence, these are two urgent letters from the Ailuo Peninsula."

The pope sat quietly with his eyes closed. The cardinal standing next to the pope bowed to him, then turned to the clergyman, reached out, and picked up the two letters. He opened them and began to read one by one.

A gentle breeze blew in from outside the hall, causing the candles within to flicker. The interplay of light and shadow in the entire hall seemed to sway with the wind, much like the current state of the Church.

Upon reading just one letter, the cardinal’s eyes widened, and he drew a sharp breath. He hurriedly opened the other letter. After reading it, cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

"What’s the matter?" the pope asked with his eyes still closed.

"They are letters from the Fides Church and the Bert Church," the cardinal replied respectfully. "For some unknown reason, Holy Knight Gray has appeared on the Ailuo Peninsula with the Silver Moon Knight Order, and he happened to appear on the battlefield. He has now intervened in the war between the two countries, ordering a ceasefire and promising to host a duel to bring a fair resolution to both parties’ grievances."

The other seven cardinals present were stunned upon hearing these words.

The letters were passed around among the cardinals.

"Why did he go to the Ailuo Peninsula? Wasn’t he supposed to stay in the Beishier Duchy?"

"Does he think he’s lost in Isaac and wants to shift the focus to the Ailuo Peninsula? Does he really intend to contend with us until the end?"

"It’s unbelievable that King Fides and Duke Bert have actually accepted his conditions."

"That’s because he has the Silver Moon Knight Order, and now the entire continent knows about his glorious exploits in the Lion King City. No one dares to challenge him."

"This is truly a huge problem. The crisis with the Isaac Royal Family just got resolved, and now he’s extending his reach to the Ailuo Peninsula. As long as he remains, we’ll have endless troubles. Can’t we revoke his title of Holy Knight?"

"Is there no news from Grand Master Andrew yet?"

"No, absolutely no news."

The cardinals began to discuss amongst themselves. Among them was the former Bishop Anthony III, who had initially strongly recommended making Gray a Holy Knight. However, he merely hung his head in silence.

The pope slowly opened his eyes and extended a hand.

The two letters were swiftly gathered and handed over to the pope.

The pope lowered his head, half-squinting, and carefully read them, softly saying, "If Andrew is indeed in trouble, then his hostility towards us is undoubtedly confirmed."

"Assuming he harbors strong hostility towards us..." one of the cardinals hesitated as he spoke, "then his appearance in the Ailuo Peninsula to intervene in the war becomes understandable. Perhaps he intends to completely sever ties with us and replace the Church."

At these words, the cardinals present were all taken aback.

"In the past, arbitration between countries was always our role. Of course, the vast majority were quashed in their infancy. When it developed to the point of troop gathering, we couldn’t manage it either. He halted an ongoing war; that alone demonstrates his ambition. He’s sending a message to everyone: his prestige surpasses that of the pope and the Cardinal Court."

"What is the purpose of his actions?" someone asked.

"Of course there’s a purpose. Right now, our control over the various nations is rapidly diminishing. Why did the war between the Fides Kingdom and the Bert Duchy occur? Isn’t it because we’ve already lost control over the Ailuo Peninsula? He’s humiliating us. Or rather, he’s filling the void left by our waning prestige."

"But in the end, he’s just one man, with no clergy loyal to him. Even with the highest of prestige, it’s still only his personal prestige."

"Send a Holy Knight to the Ailuo Peninsula," the pope suddenly spoke.

Immediately, everyone fell silent, quietly gazing at the pope.

The pope gently placed the two letters he was holding onto a nearby desk, and with a deep, focused gaze on the empty ground in front of him, softly stated, "No matter what his intentions are, every move he makes is causing us immense harm. This is something we cannot bear. At the same time, we cannot completely sever ties with him. Since we cannot communicate with him, we should attempt to let the Guardian Angel make contact."

"Let... the Guardian Angel make contact?" The cardinals present were stupefied.

"Every Holy Knight has a Guardian Angel. If I remember correctly, his Guardian Angel is named Catherine. She’s not a particularly powerful angel. In fact, you could say she is the weakest among the five Guardian Angels."

"How... is that possible? Is there a mistake?" a cardinal interjected. "His Guardian Angel is the weakest, yet he is obviously the strongest among all the Holy Knights. At least, that’s what we’ve seen. At times, I even felt that the Holy Spirit was biased."

The cardinals in attendance widened their eyes, silently awaiting the pope’s explanation.

After a slight pause, the pope remarked softly, "All that was his own strength, not granted by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit did not reveal to me the source of his power, only reminding us that he is a special Holy Knight, different from any previous one. We need to learn how to coexist with him. Regrettably, so far, we seem unable to find a way to do that. Since we’re unable to communicate with him, let’s try having the Guardian Angels communicate among themselves. This matter cannot be delayed any longer; whether it’s war or peace, a conclusion must be reached."

"Are we to initiate a war among angels?" someone asked softly.

The pope did not answer.

The wind blew gently, the flickering candlelight cast shadows, marking the aged face with lines — the traces of time.

...

The wind on the plains stirred gently at night, causing the flags to flap loudly.

Gray’s group set up camp on the hillside.

In sight from their camp was a small town called Buck. A very ordinary small town, yet it was the focal point of this war. At this moment, the entire town seemed only dotted with scattered lights. Most people must have gone to sleep by now.

Gray’s camp was located on the east side, with the town to the west. To the north and south were the camps of Lusien V and Gene II’s armies, respectively. The two sprawling camps appeared even larger than the town, maintaining high alertness with bright lights even at night.

Shelley, exhausted from the day, had already fallen asleep inside the tent. Beside her was a pile of "trophies" she had brought back after going on a "shopping spree" in Buck with Jones and Dora in the afternoon. Of course, they were just some ordinary items, as Buck was just an ordinary small town, incomparable to the White City, let alone the Lion King City.

Gray stood on the hillside, leaning on his sword, gazing silently into the distance, with Carl standing behind him, holding the fluttering Silver Moon Banner. The bloody red moonlight spilled over them.

Behind them, the dwarfs were singing and dancing around the bonfire.

Boomstick insisted on talking endlessly with a Silver Moon Knight.

"Our... Our Lord Gray is really that formidable? One of the only five Holy Knights on the continent? My god, no wonder he can stop a war just like that. Damn, it seems we’ve followed someone extraordinary. I always thought he was mysterious. Well, actually, you all are mysterious too; you never take off your armor and don’t even need sleep. But if you’re favored by the divine, such things must be trivial, right? We dwarfs usually worship the Dwarf War God. As a subordinate of a Holy Knight, should we convert to worship the Holy Spirit?"

"Boss, the Dwarf War God is our faith; how can we easily change that? Ouch!"

Turning his head, Boomstick casually gave Bucktooth a knock on the head and said fiercely, "What’s the use of worshiping the War God? We can’t even return to the Dwarf Valley, but the Holy Spirit can bless them to win in battles. Winning battles isn’t powerful enough? It’s incredibly practical!"

Bucktooth rubbed the back of his head with a helpless look, while Boomstick was full of intoxication as if he had found the true meaning of life. Next to him, Jones, fully aware of the truth, looked at him expressionlessly without exposing him.

Gray continued to silently survey the terrain in front of the camp.

The vast plain bore no trees, no buildings, no obstructions. Everything was visible at a glance. Gray gazed at the distant two military camps, without a doubt, people in the distant camps were also watching him. This added a peculiar ambiance, akin to three fully armed swordsmen staring at each other, waiting to see who would draw their sword first.

...

"Father." Arthur, now dressed in casual attire, approached Lusien V from behind as he was gazing at Gray’s camp. He spoke softly, "All the messages have been sent out, and they are on their way. But time is exceedingly tight. Even if they can arrive as planned, there won’t be enough time for rest. This means when the duel happens the day after tomorrow, their condition may not be optimal."

Turning around, Lusien V looked at his son with a flicker in his eyes and said, "It seems he really intends for us to have a fair duel. Replacing war with a duel is absurd. But such an absurd thing has happened, and we have no choice. Think again, aside from finding the best mercenaries to represent us, is there any other way to increase our chances of winning?"

Glancing at Gray’s camp from afar, Arthur whispered, "I think we can focus on the Holy Knight himself; he is the judge."

"Focus on him? He seems completely impenetrable."

"Impenetrable, only because we haven’t found the real flaw yet. In this world, no one is truly impenetrable. Coming to the Ailuo Peninsula, he must have his motives, right? I could bring gifts to visit him. If he is willing to reveal them, then we’re in a position to figure it out."

Lusien V gently patted Arthur’s shoulder, "Alright, give it a try."

"Yes!"

...

At the same time, Gene II was also staring towards Gray’s camp.

A cloaked woman, her face obscured, approached him, lifting the hem of her skirt as she curtseyed.

"Father."

"You’ve come?"

"Yes. Upon receiving your command, Father, I came immediately," her voice like a silver bell, yet warm and gentle, as if heavenly hymns.

Pointing far into the distance, in the direction where Gray stood, Gene II said, "Have you seen that man standing beneath the flagpole?"

"I have."

"That is Holy Knight Gray, renowned across the continent, a constant headache for the Church. I don’t know why he’s here, but he’s here nonetheless. Perhaps this is an opportunity. I’ve always disliked your mingling with those minor nobles, as I believe they aren’t worthy of my daughter. In fact, even the prince isn’t worthy of you. You are a gift from the heavens to the Bert Duchy; you are Bert’s treasure. Now I want you to handle him for me, using any means you can think of."

The woman cast a distant glance at Gray, then lowered her head and said nothing.

Under the moonlight, Gray’s silhouette was blurred and indistinct, though the Silver Moon Banner behind him stood out.

Gene II took a deep breath and continued, "If he can be entirely on our side, then it’s not just this small town. We could potentially seize the entire Fides Kingdom, and the White Fox Family could become the rulers of the Ailuo Peninsula. So, this matter is of utmost importance, even more crucial than our own lives. Do you understand?"

After a long hesitation, the woman replied softly, "I understand."