The Lich of Glory Knight Spirit: Moving towards Krimasha!
Chapter 75 - 10: The King’s Suspicion

Chapter 75: Chapter 10: The King’s Suspicion

Midnight in Lion King City was quiet. Almost all the shops had closed, and the streets were already void of pedestrians.

A drunken man staggered out of a tavern with a bottle in hand. He walked to the wall, loosened his belt, and began urinating carelessly while whistling.

"Pop." Just a short distance behind him, a pair of petite boots landed on the ground.

"Hey, you drunk!"

"Hmm?"

"I’m talking to you!"

The drunk turned around and saw Vivian standing at a distance. She was wearing a long red dress, her cloak draped over her shoulders, watching him with a blank expression.

The smile on the drunk’s face gradually grew strange: "Well, hello there, little miss?"

He hurriedly finished urinating and pulled up his pants.

Vivian stood silently, her expression unchanged, still watching him.

"It’s too late for a kid to be wandering alone on the streets, you know. Even if it’s not dangerous, won’t you catch a cold? How about letting Uncle take you home? Uncle’s bed is big and comfy, you know." The drunk rubbed his hands together and started walking toward Vivian.

Vivian lowered her head and silently fastened a steel cuff onto her left wrist.

A minute later, the drunk was lying on the ground with his head injured and bleeding profusely.

Vivian removed the cuff, exhaled slowly, and said, "Much better. You were the one who tried to attack me first, so I didn’t violate the contract, you see."

With that, she walked off without looking back.

...

She silently landed on Gray’s balcony, pushed open the glass door, and returned to the room.

Gray sat at his desk. The Black Cat lay curled up at the corner of the table. Jones and Dora sat obediently on the sofa. Catherine stood holding an open Bible.

The old room had already been destroyed beyond recognition. This was the new one arranged for Gray.

Catherine glanced at Vivian and asked, "Where have you been? You’ve been gone a while."

"Didn’t I say I went to the bathroom?"

"Do succubi need to go to the bathroom?"

"Of course. You’ve never been a succubus, so how would you know?" Vivian rolled her eyes as she spoke and sat back in her seat.

Jones, sitting nearby, nervously sneaked glances her way.

"What are you looking at? Do I look good to you?"

"No!" Jones quickly bowed his head in fear.

"Are you saying I don’t look good?" Vivian slowly revealed a sweet smile.

"No! I mean— I mean you look extremely good!" Jones buried his head even lower, sweat beginning to pour from his body.

Dora sat there, too afraid to make a sound.

Turning her head, Vivian said to Catherine, "You may continue now, my dear Angel."

Catherine sighed helplessly. "Where were we?"

"The seventh verse!" Gray, the diligent student, raised his hand and replied.

"Alright, then let’s continue with the seventh verse."

...

Meanwhile, there was another person secretly "studying" inside the Lion King Palace.

"What is this... Why do I feel so sleepy whenever I read this? It’s really boring." Shelley clutched the Bible, locked in the toughest intellectual battle of her life: "No, I have to try harder. I’m the fiancée of the Holy Knight; how can I fail to finish reading the Bible?"

"But... it’s so boring. Why would a book be this boring? If I fall asleep, how will I continue chasing Gray’s footsteps?"

"Maybe I should read a little romance novel to wake myself up?"

"No, no! I can’t slack off! That’s not right!"

"Huh? Why is there a romance novel in my hand? Is the Holy Spirit hinting that I should rest for a while? Thank you, Holy Spirit! In that case, I won’t hold back!"

"Hehehe, romance novels really are way more interesting!" Shelley lay on the bed, propped on her elbows, giggling happily.

...

In the stables, Tenidas was reclining against a fence with overt arrogance, enjoying the moonlight. Yes, reclining— leaning against the fence, legs crossed— only a cigarette was missing to complete the pose.

The horses that had come from White City with it, including the two Bone Horses, obediently stood beside it.

Before it, the entire stable’s horses, including the King’s personal steed, bowed down respectfully.

The coachmen gathered in the distance, gossiping.

"Did you hear there was a fight just now?"

"A fight? And you didn’t stop it?"

"Who’d dare stop it? That’s the Holy Knight’s horse! Haven’t you heard? Against weaker opponents, say only one or two hundred people, the Holy Knight doesn’t even need to act— his horse can handle it."

"But the King’s horse was involved— wouldn’t that be a problem?"

"Who’s higher up, the King or the Holy Knight?"

"Uh... the Holy Knight."

"Then there you go."

Indeed, Tenidas had just beaten the whole stable’s horses to a pulp.

A child, looking around eight or nine years old with golden, curly hair, filthy and holding a shovel used for mucking out horse stalls, stared in awe at Tenidas’s display of dominance.

After a long silence, Tenidas spoke in "horse language": "To be honest, I am a horse who believes in the Holy Spirit, blessed by the Holy Spirit. Coming here has deeply disappointed me. Today is Sunday, and I noticed that not a single horse here worships like I do. Starting today, I hope you all can turn over a new leaf and become good horses with faith and ambition. Every Sunday, worship. Pray before eating hay. Got it?"

"Neigh~"

The entire stable of horses lowly replied.

...

Overall, the second night in Lion King City was harmonious.

The members of that small group of... err... criminal enterprises, no— gospel-spreading team, diligently carried out their duties.

Gray, Jones, Dora, and the Black Cat were devotedly studying, while the Bone Horse passionately educated the stable horses on how to become faithful and ambitious creatures, despite not necessarily understanding it all themselves.

Even the newly recruited Vivian threw herself into the glorious task of cultivating divine faith, after venting her frustrations on an intoxicated soul.

Oh yes, harmonious— very harmonious.

If there was any discordant voice within the Lion King Palace, it might just be that of the King himself.

"What do you mean? The Bishop says he needs more time?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. Lord Bishop said he requires more time. It seems the Holy Knight is somewhat resistant to our proposal, but he assured you not to worry. He’ll resolve it swiftly."

"How soon is ’swiftly’?"

"Well... he didn’t specify."

"Clang!" The King slammed his goblet to the floor; fortunately, it was made of gold, so it didn’t break, though the wine spilled everywhere.

"Go to him right now and tell him! Only two days remain until the coronation! Just two days! Do you understand?" The King roared, "In two days, I will wear the crown! If I can’t announce at the coronation that the Holy Knight will directly swear loyalty to me, how can he expect me to support his religious reforms?"

"But, Your Majesty, two days really seems impossible. When the Holy Knight returned today, he appeared to throw quite a tantrum, destroying all the furniture in his room. This shows that his resistance isn’t mild— it’s extreme. With this degree of opposition, even Lord Bishop probably can’t resolve it in two days."

"That’s his problem! He failed to persuade my father to accept religious reforms in twenty years. Now that I’m willing to accept them, isn’t that gift generous enough? Doesn’t he need to pay some price in return? Go tell him now! Go now!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The subordinate scrambled out the door.

The King closed his eyes and clutched his forehead, taking deep, trembling breaths as he slowly exhaled.

Beside him, the Queen gently clasped his hand and said, "Things can’t always go so smoothly, can they? Just like you inheriting the throne, wasn’t it? Although you waited many years, the outcome was perfect in the end."

"But I don’t want to wait many years anymore. I don’t have many years left to wait either. Susan." The King stroked the back of the Queen’s hand and said, "I must take action. Otherwise, my throne might not be secure. Do you understand?"

"That’s impossible..." The Queen whispered, "Didn’t you already handle all potential heirs?"

"Two remain. One is Bob, but he’s too young to find any plausible reason to take action against him. I’ve already sent him to care for the horses. The other is Yilin."

"Yilin?"

"Though tenuous, it’s not necessarily impossible." Pausing briefly, the King continued, "This matter may be far more complicated than we think. Why is the Holy Knight refusing? Why reject such excellent terms? Yilin won’t relent, and I’m starting to suspect she harbors ambitions toward the throne. Otherwise, why would she insist on maintaining military power stronger than the Royal Family’s? If the Holy Knight disagrees, does that mean he supports Yilin’s views too?"

"Maybe it’s just the marriage issue? I’ve heard that the Holy Knight is deeply attached to his fiancée, Miss Shelley."

"Do you truly believe in love?" The King asked.

The Queen pressed her lips and quietly stared at the King without responding.

The King chuckled contemptuously before continuing, "Even if the feelings are deep, are my terms not tempting enough to sway him? For a woman? I’ve never heard such a thing before."

"Or perhaps it’s a matter of faith? I’ve heard the Holy Knight adheres strictly to the knightly vow— maybe his attachments to Duke Beisher and Miss Shelley are simply out of obligation to the vow?"

"That’s even more absurd. In this world, it’s impossible for anyone’s faith to be pure. For years, I watched as my father and the Bishop made deals that blatantly violated doctrine. Without the sudden emergence of the Holy Knight, the Bishop would’ve eventually legitimized that bastard’s claim to inheritance. Do you think the Holy Knight’s faith could be countless times purer than the Bishop’s?"

The Queen slightly lowered her head, falling silent.

The King muttered to himself, "I can’t pin all my hopes on the Bishop. Perhaps I should take matters into my own hands. He might be the Holy Knight, but, in the end, he’s still human. And humans have desires— even if suppressed, they remain the strongest. If I can identify his desires, then perhaps... If the Holy Knight voluntarily agrees, I wouldn’t even need to accede to the church’s reform demands. That would be ideal. Wouldn’t it?"