Chapter 539: Act 287 – The Princess and the Knight
With a crisp ‘bang,’ the glass of the arched window shattered like colorful butterflies. Cultists surged in, some dressed in monk-soldier robes, others in the attire of noble guards. Unanimously, they wore expressions as cold as iron, with blades flashing in their hands. Two hundred years prior, in the era of enlightenment, the nobles of Erluin fought alongside their prince Eke, all skilled in archery and horsemanship. Yet now, most of the kingdom’s nobility lived in debauchery and indulgence, retreating like a wall tipping backward, their terrified screams and howls echoing in unison when confronted by such ferocity.
Only the princess and her party stood unmoving in the crowd, like rocks amid a receding tide; the nobles still remembered the majesty of the royal family, and even as they shrank back, they made sure to steer clear of Princess Grifian. Similar circumstances were seen around Duke Anlek and a few other high-ranking nobles, making them especially conspicuous in the hall. The cultists, like a tiger among sheep, carved a bloody path through the crowd with their knives, as if severing not human limbs but thorny branches; soon blood flowed in a river, and the frightened screams turned into heart-wrenching wails.
The half-elf maiden’s expression was as solid as iron. All present had once been subjects of her father, yet now they had become helpless souls beneath the blades of the madmen. On one hand, she felt anger at the Temple’s inaction; on the other hand, she gently squeezed the hand of Sir Wolf beside her. “Lord Overwell.”
“Your Highness.” The palace’s grand mage raised his snow-white eyebrows and, preemptively, spoke up, “I know what command you wish to give, but please retract your order and move to safety at once. This place is not suitable for prolonged stay. This area is under the jurisdiction of the Temple, and the High Priest will naturally provide an explanation. We need not overstep our bounds.”
“The kingdom’s subjects are bleeding and sacrificing themselves; when did Erluin’s internal affairs become a matter for the Cruz people to comment on?” Princess Grifian turned her head and asked coldly, her demeanor now akin to a drawn sword, pressuring Makarolo, who was about to speak, into silence. The sly fox’s expression changed, realizing that this princess was truly as formidable as her reputation suggested; her seemingly delicate exterior often misled those who only saw the surface.
“Lord Overwell, part the crowd!” Grifian ordered, unperturbed. She received a longsword from her guard, her silver hair pulled back with one hand, her movements sharp and clean.
The nobles were only too eager to clear a path, but as they did, the ferocious cultists behind them became visible. Makarolo, unarmed and defenseless, could not help but silently curse; it was at this moment they realized that those who had charged into the hall were all at least at the peak of silver rank, with a few having reached gold level prowess.
But retreat was no longer realistic. The former sly fox of Erluin reacted quickly, immediately roaring, “Overwell, take the princess away! Leave this to us!”
Before he could finish speaking, a long, slim black sword caught his eye.
“Ah, where did your sword come from?” Everyone was startled to see Brendel draw a nearly half-human-height sword from under his cloak; attendants were not allowed to carry weapons, not even Lord Livwz, Lord Overwell, or Makarolo, yet this fellow managed to discreetly produce such a weapon, leaving them unable to refrain from cursing the Temple’s security measures.
Of course, they had misjudged the Temple; Brendel possessed a dimensional pocket inherited from the dark priest Amann. Not only could he carry a mere Earth Sword, but even a powerful ballista would not be beyond him.
Indifferent to their gazes, Brendel caught a familiar scent in the air, instinctively stepping in front of Grifian and making a slicing motion with his sword. Everyone froze, as Brendel’s strike seemed aimed at empty air, but before they could react, a thin metallic clang cut through the air, and suddenly, the space before Brendel distorted, transforming into a gray-robed assassin wielding a long sword.
The assassin appeared just as astonished, clearly unaware of how he had been discovered.
“Invisibility spell!” Makarolo’s complexion changed.
But Livwz remained silent; he recognized that this was not merely an invisibility spell, but some special ability. As a grand mage who had entered the elemental realm, he constantly maintained several detection spells, and a mere invisibility spell would not deceive him; yet just moments ago, he hadn’t even been aware of the assassin’s presence. ‘But how did this guy notice him?’ He glanced at Brendel, a deep confusion reflected in his gaze.
Brendel certainly would not volunteer that he had dealt with these cross assassins before. He furrowed his brow, noting these assassins were not cultists but a special military unit from some duchy near Erluin. That duchy was a vassal of Cruz, and if anyone here could call upon these assassins, it would likely be the Temple of Fire.
However, he did not slow down his movements; he swiftly deflected the opponent’s weapon with both hands and executed a straightforward downward strike—this style vastly differed from standard swordsmanship, catching the assassin completely off guard. An instant later, unable to raise his sword in time due to his shock, the rogue was cleaved in half.
With a splat, blood and entrails scattered across the floor, and the cultist’s long sword clattered to the ground. It was only then that those around reacted: Lord Overwell gazed at Brendel with shining eyes while Makarolo and Livwz simultaneously gasped in shock. They had seen the refined military swordsmanship of Nemeses and Freya, but this direct and incisive swordplay was something they had never witnessed before.
“You are Brendel, the Brendel from Toniger, right!” The princess, exceedingly intelligent, immediately recognized the distinctive characteristics of his Earth Sword and, now witnessing his sword skills, harbored no doubt. She frowned and inquired.
Brendel was taken aback, turning to look at the de facto future ruler of Erluin; Grifian’s beautiful face radiated a certain expectation. Thinking of the future that awaited this princess, his heart softened, and he nodded. The half-elf maiden was momentarily stunned; the knight from her letter had joked about coming to Ampere Seale to protect her, and she had believed it merely flattery. To her surprise, her knight she had never met had truly arrived.
“I can’t believe you really came…”
“Of course, I keep my promises.” Brendel turned to face the cultists advancing toward them while replying.
“Then, are you here for me?” Princess Grifian asked softly, with no reason for embarrassment. It was the most romantic thing for a knight to fight for a beautiful princess. Whether in Erluin or Cruz, among both commoners and nobles, this was the stuff of legendary tales; moreover, Grifian had never doubted her own charm. However, both Makarolo and Livwz behind her frowned.
“Perhaps there is such a reason,” Brendel hesitated, not hiding, “but this time I am here for Erluin.”
“For Erluin?” Grifian was taken aback.
“I do not trust others,” Brendel raised his sword and replied, “to be able to reclaim the banner of Prince Eke; it is too glorious for one who wallows in filth to endure.”
The half-elf maiden smiled slightly, unable to resist nodding, her eyes bright with unusual brilliance.
“We will talk later.” Brendel kept his gaze steady in front of him, his expression unchanged as numerous cultists charged through the gap in the crowd. At this moment, he had realized something; the cultists attacking other directions where Duke Anlek and Duke Siphai were stationed were markedly fewer, while a majority of those who had stormed the hall were clearly heading straight for them. He understood the underlying plot and couldn’t help but smile coldly; fortunately, he was here. Had he not arrived today, this future regent princess might indeed have faced danger.
It was common knowledge that palace mages were less powerful than warriors when unprepared, and Makarolo and Livwz, being unarmed, were evidently no match for these ‘assassins.’ The opponents had counted on the princess staying behind and the current situation; these cultists were not just any ordinary attackers; what unfolded before them was clearly a premeditated assassination. Brendel’s frown deepened, and he even began to suspect High Priest Wood was involved.
Brendel knew that the Ampere Seale Congress in history could not have witnessed such events; history had changed, but he had no clear idea of the root cause. Nonetheless, he was not anxious; these cultists sought to win through numerical superiority, unaware that group combat was his specialty. With this thought, he glanced toward Duke Siphai and Duke Anlek not far away—although he was unclear on the specifics, it was clear that these two were undoubtedly the orchestrators. Brendel scoffed, “Since you wish to play, I shall offer you a welcoming gift.”
At this moment, the number of gold-tier cultists had reached eight, a significant figure in Erluin, nearly equating to half of the top-tier combatants vying for royal power. Even including Lord Overwell, none present believed they could win; adding Brendel into the mix changed nothing, for there were only three gold-tier fighters beside the princess.
“Brendel, can you buy me some time? I can summon those things from that night…” At this moment, the countess beside him tugged at Brendel’s sleeve and whispered.
Brendel glanced at the pale-faced Dierphir, suddenly feeling a pang of guilt. “If you summon those things, the Temple will come after you.”
“It’s fine, I can summon otherworldly beings,” Dierphir whispered back. “If we don’t summon something, we’ll all die here.”
“Unfortunately, I lack a wand,” Livwz couldn’t help but lament. “Otherwise, dealing with these guys would be too simple. But even now, as long as you can give this old bone a few minutes, I can easily take care of them all.” The elderly man couldn’t help but inwardly blame the Temple of Fire; had it not been for the Temple’s reputation, he could have prepared better and wouldn’t have found himself in such a precarious situation.
“A few minutes is simply impossible.” Makarolo shook his head. “Unless there are weapons involved, it might be plausible.” He glanced at Brendel, and just when Brendel thought the guy would try to sell him out, he was surprised to hear the former sly fox of Erluin let out a sigh and ask, “Brendel, how is Xi?”
“She’s fine. She came along this time as well,” Brendel replied, taken aback.
“You shouldn’t have brought her,” Makarolo shook his head. “Well, I also have no right to scold you. Although we’ve only met once, I entrust this princess to you. Please ensure her and the countess’s safety while leaving the rest to me.”
Brendel was stunned but suddenly realized what was happening. Makarolo had seen his potential; he clearly exhibited appreciation for the royal faction and had reached the gold domain at under twenty. The sly fox recognized his future prospects and backing, hence choosing to stay behind to let him go. Brendel had no doubt that if his talent were only average, Makarolo would have pushed him to take the fall without hesitation.
Even so, he felt somewhat moved by this man’s actions. After all, those who had convictions were always worthy of respect; indeed, the royal faction was not made up of cowards. Somehow, Brendel felt as if he had returned to the time when he fought alongside old friends for Erluin.
He felt his blood burning, smiled faintly, and said, “Actually, you needn’t go to such lengths, Sir Fox.”
“Eh?” Makarolo was startled, turning back just in time to see two shimmering portals opening beside Brendel.
“Andrigraphis, Medephis, eliminate these guys!”
Brendel swung the Earth Sword forward, causing ripples of invisible force to radiate through the air—elemental power. Everyone gasped; entering the gold tier and touching the elemental wall were two entirely different concepts. Only those with extremely high talent had the opportunity to come close to the realm of elements, while many would spend their entire lives lingering at the peak of gold without grasping even the minutiae of elemental understanding. Yet, Brendel was evidently among the rare elite.
Simultaneously, two silver figures stepped through the suddenly opened white portals, instantly turning the tide of the battle.
……(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
