Chapter 533: Act 281 – The Lady Knight
”Forgive me, sir, the demon was summoned by my mistake…” Brendel turned at the weak voice, inwardly praising the sight of a beautiful youth. The boy on the stairs was wearing moon-white silk pajamas and was leaning on the wall that had turned to charcoal, his chest rising and falling slightly — the youth had a pointed face that was rather delicate, with black shoulder-length hair under which were starry eyes that shimmered with a hint of purple. His skin was snow-white, and his thin lips were as fresh as roses. The boy bit his lips, his sword-like brows slightly furrowed, as if questioning the origin of Brendel and his companions.
Brendel couldn’t help but sigh in his heart, reminiscing about the silver elf Naminez who lay asleep in the Emerald Forest. However, at this moment, he begrudgingly admitted, there were indeed some humans in this world who could be more beautiful than elves. He soon noticed the boy’s pointed ears — an indication of his half-elven heritage. Relieved, Brendel exhaled, at least the boy hadn’t shattered his last shred of dignity as a human.
”Lord Earl, are you alright?”
Rong Ning slightly bowed behind Brendel. The boy glanced at his knight captain and nodded, confirming his identity — this no more than sixteen-year-old lad was the Earl of Swallow Castle? Brendel couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow, narrowing his eyes and scrutinizing the overly youthful face.
The youth was also examining Brendel. His star-like eyes flickered with slight confusion — most disguising spells would automatically dissolve if the caster engaged in combat or used any other skills. Right now, Brendel and his group no longer resembled patrol knights, instead appearing as cloaked figures, cloaked in smoke, resembling goat-faced cultists.
Goat-faced cultists were natural allies to demons and would never undertake such an action. The youth didn’t appear afraid or anxious, but then the stairs echoed with banging sounds as a golden-haired lady knight descended like lightning. Seeing Rong Ning along with Brendel’s group, the knight couldn’t help but reveal a look of surprise, drawing her long sword, raising her eyebrows, and angrily questioning, “Rong Ning… who are you people!?”
Gold Rank.
Brendel smirked. It seemed this young lady was the Earl’s second Gold Rank subordinate, though his gaze inadvertently fell on her bosom; the knight, dressed in Erluin’s military uniform, had a well-developed physique that was somewhat exaggerated, bringing to mind a cow — she was indeed a beauty, and if beauty equated to justice, this lady was certainly a top-tier candidate on the side of justice. She appeared no older than seventeen or eighteen, making her outstanding among the young generation of Erluin’s elite at this level.
The knight’s hair was curly, her uniform worn in disarray, indicating she’d just gotten out of bed. Noticing Brendel’s gaze, she blushed and covered her yet-to-be-fastened buttons with her left hand, scolding him, “What are you looking at?”
”Nia.” At this point, the beautiful youth Earl stopped the knight, and looked up at Brendel.
”Lord Earl?” Brendel asked.
”I am Diliferi de Audinale, the sole heir of the White Egret family, and the current Earl of Swallow Castle,” the youth introduced himself softly. Brendel saw no signs of panic on his face, just weariness. Placing his hand on his collarbone, he politely answered: “…first of all, thank you for helping me subdue that demon.”
”No thanks needed, but making deals with demons as a nobleman isn’t really the right thing to do, is it?” Brendel narrowed his eyes, countering.
The youth hesitated slightly, as the knight beside him angrily yelled ‘rude’ and leaped forward with her sword aiming towards Brendel. Brendel had no weapon in his hand, but by spreading his thumb and index finger, a vortex-like dimensional hole appeared between the magical triangle. With his right hand, a smoke-enshrouded Earth Sword materialized.
Brendel drew out the Earth Sword and deflected the knight’s sword with his, his strength far surpassing hers, causing the “cow knight” along with her sword to be thrown back, colliding with the charred staircase. With a loud crash, the staircase disintegrated into ash. Meanwhile, Brendel himself silently cursed, having just realized that even with his strength augmented to 500 under the effects of ‘Frenzy’, nearing the peak of Element Manifestation, he still felt his hand go numb from a single strike. This female knight, if placed in his game world, would be a pure strength warrior — a freak.
The freakish knight soon climbed from the rubble, her face full of teeth-gnashing frustration as if preparing to fight again. But the young Earl called her off; Diliferi had his own concerns, and already realized his people were no match for their opponent.
He suddenly turned his head, staring at the estate’s dilapidated walls, “Sir, I don’t know where you all come from, but I hope you can help me, will you?” Diliferi asked, looking towards the woods beyond their estate.
At this point, Brendel could also hear the noisy sound of armored boots on muddy ground interspersed with horse whinnies — a nearby town’s guard force, the sound of which was all too familiar. Looking in that direction, sure enough, the knight leading the guard soon appeared at the estate’s front gate.
”It’s the town guard,” Rong Ning quickly frowned.
Brendel turned back, fully understanding the youth’s meaning. However, he narrowed his eyes and responded: “I need a promise, Lord Earl.”
”Diliferi bit his lower lip. “What do you want? I can only promise you things that won’t harm my family’s interests.”
”So, you’re the sole heir of Swallow Castle in this generation?” Brendel suddenly questioned.
Knights crossed the courtyard and had nearly reached the estate, but were detained by the estate’s guards. Diliferi couldn’t help but hold his breath, hesitating for a brief moment as he glanced at Brendel before finally nodding. Diliferi could only gamble that this strange man wasn’t an enemy, his heart inevitably anxious.
”Lord Earl.” Rong Ning couldn’t help but interject.
But the youth shook his head at him.
Brendel fully understood what this young Earl was worried about. The Supreme Codex of the Temple of Fire was explicit — nobles colluding with demons would be subjected to the severest punishment, and the family’s honor would be stripped away for three generations. No noble dared to bear such consequences. Though he wasn’t sure why Diliferi would summon a demon, Brendel noticed the youth lower his long eyelashes, realizing this boy had now lost his composure.
The perfect moment. Good luck seemed unexpected tonight, and looking up, he saw the full moon hanging between the Ansely Mountains, shimmering above the forest.
”I hope you won’t participate in the Ampere Seale Assembly.” After pondering, Brendel put forward his demand.
”This is impossible!” However, this time the youth exhibited an extraordinary stubbornness, his eyebrows knitting in anger as he stared at Brendel. “You want to replace me in the assembly of nobles. How can I ensure that you won’t harm Swallow Castle’s interests in the assembly? Offending any Duke will be catastrophic to my family.”
”I pledge on the name of Lady Martha and my honor.” Brendel responded.
”Promises, no matter how loyal, always have loopholes,” Diliferi clenched his teeth in response. “Sir… I have no way out. I hope you don’t force me to fight to the death.”
Brendel and the youth locked gazes, yet Diliferi’s resolve was unexpectedly steadfast. His gaze was pure like the stars, showing no sign of weakness or retreat. However, the Swallow Castle family must have only one heir left, signaling some unforeseen occurrence. Try as he might to recall from his previous world, Brendel could find no mention of the fate of Swallow Castle — it was as if this area didn’t exist in Erluin’s history.
The two faced off, the atmosphere momentarily becoming silent.
At this point, the knights outside had already broken through the guards’ blockade, arriving seemingly upon hearing the explosion. Brendel noticed no battles had occurred outside, meaning Romane and the others hidden in the forest hadn’t been discovered. This eased his tension, but Ampere Seale’s well-known tenacity in guarding its territory meant if he and the young Earl couldn’t reach an agreement, their operation would turn fruitless.
”You want to attend the Ampere Seale assembly?” The knights approached closer, and the youth finally couldn’t hold back, opening his mouth first.
Brendel nodded.
”Can you ensure no conflicts with any party?” questioned the youth.
”Probably not,” Brendel spread his hands and replied truthfully – he wasn’t willing to drag innocent people down just for his gain. “But perhaps I can ensure at least not involving you.”
The youth stared at him.
The knights had nearly arrived at the estate’s gate, they could already see the enormous hole but didn’t see any lights, keeping Brendel and Diliferi concealed in the shadows. After a while, the youth finally spoke: “Then I can bring you to the assembly as attendants.”
After saying this, Diliferi anxiously observed Brendel, thinking this strange man didn’t seem the type to enjoy a subordinate role. But much to his relief, Brendel nodded.
”Alright, deal.” Brendel pulled out a crystal ball from under his cloak, signaling towards the boy: “Recording crystal.”
”Despicable.” The youth couldn’t help grit his teeth.
Brendel helplessly chuckled.
At this point, the knights finally entered the house, and Brendel had already pulled his cloak down, standing quietly with Husher and others acting as Diliferi’s guards. The youth took a deep breath, first checking the corridor. Flour had already cleared most of the demon’s remaining hexagram seal, allowing him to slightly relax as he descended the stairs to meet the knights.
Brendel instantly noticed that the group wasn’t limited to just the guard knights—there were some dressed in deep blue uniforms, intermixed with elegantly armored knights wearing silver armor, red capes, and long-sword equipment.
Huh? Brendel was momentarily surprised — Royal Knights. What were they doing here? He suddenly realized something, lowering his gaze and mentally communicating: “Medisa, ask Sue how far it is to Frostmanor Estate?”
”Lord Earl, is there something we might help with here?” At that moment, a finely proportioned female Royal Knight stepped forward, raising her head to look at Diliferi on the stairs, her voice soft, articulate, clear like a silver bell, yet it caused Brendel’s skin to tingle.
Looking up, he immediately recognized an all-too-familiar face.
Dressed in Royal Knight armor was a certain brunette ponytailed girl, looking utterly innocent. Oddly, she carried several swords at her waist, giving one the first impression that she might practice some strange sword style. But by the Grace of Martha—
Freya undoubtedly practiced pure military swordsmanship.
…
(PS. After a follow-up visit today to the PLA Medical University Hospital, the heart showed no structural problems besides a lack of blood flow. I need to exercise more. Today’s symptoms have lessened significantly. If I can keep this up tomorrow, I’ll be able to resume updates. The doctor asked me to do a 24-hour electrocardiogram on the 15th — seriously, not the 13th or 14th, but the 15th. Doctor, are you really out to get me?!) (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please come to Qi Dian (qidian.com) and show your support with recommendations or monthly votes. Your support is my biggest motivation.)
