The Lich of Glory Knight Spirit: Moving towards Krimasha!
Chapter 88 - 21: The Whole World as Enemy (2)

Chapter 88: Chapter 21: The Whole World as Enemy (2)

Here is the translated text:

"Next time you do something like this, can you at least tell me first? No, wait—just don’t do it again! What if you never woke up?"

"I... I’m fine."

"You call lying there for three days ’fine’? Do you know how scared I was that you might never wake up!"

"But I really am fine..."

"Also, why on earth did you have them guard you and not allow even me, your fiancée, to get close? What’s the meaning of that?"

"Uh..."

"Are you worried I might pull off your mask?"

Gray didn’t know how to respond.

Shelley continued, "As long as you don’t agree, I swear I won’t pull it off. Or maybe... just a tiny peek, just one small look. Pas said you might be from the northern Barbarian Clan or even the Elf Clan—that’s why you insist on wearing armor all the time..."

"Ahem!" Pas, standing to the side, let out an awkward cough.

"You did say that though!" Shelley angrily turned her head to glare at Pas before turning back to Gray and continuing, "We’ve been thinking about it a lot these past few days, and honestly, everyone else has probably guessed it too. Don’t worry—whether you’re an elf or not, I wouldn’t care! None of us would care!"

The Black Cat had already covered its face with its paws.

Gray looked at Shelley and still didn’t know how to respond.

Lowering her voice, Shelley blinked at him and whispered softly, "So... can I?"

Gray shook his head frantically, terrified.

"It’s fine! I actually like the Barbarian Clan! And elves too!"

Gray kept shaking his head.

"Okay, okay. But one day, you’ll have to take it off, won’t you? Watching you injured and lying in bed, still wearing your armor—it breaks my heart. My Holy Knight bears justice for others but shoulders immense pressure himself..."

As she spoke, Shelley’s eyes grew moist.

"Even if you turned out to be a demon, I would still marry you. You have to trust me!"

...

Outside the door, Yilin and Count Gruglu were conversing quietly.

"It’s definitely Gray, thank the heavens Gray’s alive." Yilin made a cross over her chest in gratitude and said, "The Saint Spirit hasn’t completely abandoned him. But what do we do next?"

"Surrender," Count Gruglu said expressionlessly. "If it were up to me, surrender is the only option."

"Do you think that’s going to happen? Gray would surrender?"

"What other choice do we have? He’s offended the most powerful people on the entire continent. Although the Church hasn’t officially declared war on Gray, the difference is negligible. It’s like the Battle of White City all over again. Gray might stand a chance against the coalition of the Allen Kingdom, Benedict II, Duke Fernandes, and Duke Tangjis. Of course, it would require a miracle. But the key problem is that he cannot defeat the Church. As long as the Church hasn’t been beaten, they’ll keep provoking other nations into warring against us."

Yilin rubbed her forehead and said anxiously, "The worst part is that Gray doesn’t even realize what he’s done."

"You think he doesn’t know?" Count Gruglu asked.

"You think he does?" Yilin shot back.

Taking a deep breath, Count Gruglu continued, "Before, I thought the same as you—I thought he was just... someone without any guile. But the reality is before us: one hundred elite Silver Moon Knights. None of us know where these people came from, just like none of us know where Gray himself came from. He’s been here for six months now, and aside from his pure knightly spirit and holy ideals, he seems... like a fool. And yet, no one has managed to get his real identity out of him. Is that the behavior of someone without guile?"

Yilin listened quietly.

Count Gruglu continued, "He’s hidden many things from us—so much. Before the incident, Lion King City was rife with hidden schemes, with everyone plotting something, yet he seemed utterly oblivious to it all. But at the crucial moment, right before the King’s coronation, he single-handedly brought down the King using a reason we all understood—Prince Bob’s justice. He disrupted everyone’s plans. Do you really think that was just impulsiveness or a moment of passion? A hundred unknown elite knights suddenly appearing in Lion King City overnight..."

Yilin listened quietly, her eyes slowly widening.

"Normally, it would take cavalry at least two days to travel from White City to Lion King City, even if they rotated horses and rode day and night. And that’s assuming the fastest route, which would still take a day if we’re lucky. Cavalry can’t possibly charge straight through the swamps, though. What does this mean? It means these knights were already on their way, not summoned at the last minute. Why do you think he summoned the Silver Moon Knight Order to Lion King City ahead of time?"

Yilin continued listening quietly, Count Gruglu’s words steadily dismantling her previous perceptions.

"He called in the knights days in advance, yet on the day of the incident, he spent the morning attending a theater with Benedict II. I sent someone to question one of Benedict II’s attendants, and he said the Holy Knight and the King seemed to get along well. Yet by nightfall, the sword was drawn—and it was a premeditated strike."

Count Gruglu sucked in a cold breath and said, "Gray can only be one of two types of people: either he’s exactly what most of us think, someone without any scheming. Or... he’s someone with deeper schemes than any of us. He has deceived us all, and to this day, we still believe in him wholeheartedly. Honestly, I now think he’s the latter, and I hope he is the latter."

"Why?" Yilin hesitated to ask.

"Because if he’s the former, then all we can do now is run—and running won’t help us. There’s nowhere to go, and even White City isn’t safe. If they defeat Gray here, they’ll undoubtedly extend their march to White City and carve up our territory. But if he’s the latter, then Gray must have already prepared other plans. We just need to follow him, because... someone who can deceive us all wouldn’t make such a simple mistake as recklessly antagonizing the Church without a plan, would he? Also..."

"Also what?"

"Also the Saint Spirit." Count Gruglu pointed upward seriously. "He has a Guardian Angel—we’ve all seen it. He claims his actions are sanctioned by the Saint Spirit. How does the Saint Spirit approve of actions that even the Church opposes? How does he communicate with the Saint Spirit? To this day, the Church hasn’t declared him a heretic, which is utterly out of character for them. Maybe Gray stands at a vantage far beyond us, sees things we can’t, and based on that, has made the most correct decisions?"

Yilin fell silent.

She stood there motionless, pondering for a long time before softly saying, "I understand. I will stand steadfastly by Gray’s side. Let’s go in."

"Alright." Count Gruglu nodded.

...

"Don’t mention that Priest again! He’s such a coward!" Shelley exclaimed. "How could he possibly be my Holy Knight’s mentor? All he ever suggests is running away!"

"But isn’t he simply following his heart? Maybe he has a more important mission?"

"I think he’s just plain afraid to die. A person like that—I despise him!"

"You can’t say that. He’s a kind and upright Priest, devout in his faith in the Saint Spirit." Gray said earnestly.

Shelley blinked and hesitated, then said, "Fine... I’ll just despise him a little bit—just a little bit."

When Yilin and Count Gruglu pushed open the door, everyone in the room paused for a moment.

After coughing lightly twice, Yilin said softly, "I’ve already sent someone to fetch Bob; he should arrive soon. Perhaps you’d like to see him."

"Bob?"

"Yes. I’ve arranged for him to stay in Lion King Palace. The King has fled, and the entire palace is empty now. After all, he’s a prince—the cause of everything. I couldn’t let him remain here. We need everyone to know he’s completely autonomous and wasn’t coerced. Of course, I’ve stationed Mike to protect him over there; no one can harm him. You can rest assured."

"Thank you." Gray said softly.

From the distance came a commotion, and those in the room turned their heads to look.

"Those are the people rushing here to see that you’re awake," Yilin said.

"To see me?"

"Yes, they want to see if you’re well. It’s not really necessary, since... you’re wearing armor, and impersonating you wouldn’t be difficult. But for morale, you should let them see you—briefly. Let them know you’re alive. You don’t need to discuss anything."

Gray nodded.

"But before that, could you share your thoughts with us? I mean, what’s your plan moving forward? We need to coordinate with you, don’t we? The situation is worse than ever—far worse than during the Battle of White City. As your companions, we shouldn’t be left in the dark."

Everyone’s eyes turned to Gray, quietly waiting.

Gray tilted his head back, thought for a long time, and then said resolutely, "We will defend justice. If anyone challenges that, we’ll fight until they yield. Either we die in battle, or they surrender. The Saint Spirit is still undecided. So let us win, and force the Saint Spirit to choose between us and them!"

"Yes!" The Silver Moon Knights standing around thumped their breastplates firmly in unison.

"Force the Saint Spirit to choose..."

Everyone except the Silver Moon Knight Order looked stunned. Only Shelley smiled sweetly and said earnestly, "I will stand steadfastly by my Holy Knight, whether we win or lose, whether we live or die! I will never abandon him!"