Riding and Slashing

Chapter 126 The Last Paladin

The Dawn Knights were originally the National Knights of the Buckley Empire.

Of course, this is no longer the case—they were condemned as illegal knights by the Buckley Empire a few years ago, and expelled from the Barkley Continent.

Because their devotion to the Lady Justice is truly fanatical, and in the minds of members who are overly obsessed with the goddess, the standard of blasphemy has reached the point of carping.

They committed unimaginable atrocities--they burned countless innocent merchants, farmers, and even nobles at the stake in order to cleanse them of their sins.

And those so-called sins are actually some daily trifles—such as spitting, horses defecating everywhere, distraction during prayer, the altar of the goddess is not facing the direction of the sunrise, or there is dust on the statue of the god...

These things are heresy in their eyes!It's all blasphemy against the goddess!
Anyway, to put it simply, everyone is guilty. As long as there is any doubt in this regard, the suspect should be sent to the stake for the goddess to distinguish.

Of course, there may also be political reasons for this.

The Buckley Empire is transforming from a purely feudal country to a capitalized country. Since the musket was introduced into the army by Emperor Buckley and he started to implement the civilian regiment system, the status of merchants and civilians has actually been greatly improved.

Because, with the existence of muskets, a farmer who has only trained for two weeks can easily kill a knight who has practiced martial arts for 20 years...

And how cheap it is for farmers to use...

Therefore, traditional knights based on blood, martial arts, horses and armor are no longer the first choice for the Buckley Empire to guarantee combat effectiveness.

Now that the source of troops has changed from knights to farmers, and the source of military expenditure and weapons has also changed from nobles to merchants, the status of peasants and merchants, the common people, will naturally be improved—although it may not seem obvious, the nobles must have felt it .

For example, when class conflicts arise, His Majesty the Emperor may protect the rights and interests of civilians and businessmen; for example, most of the policies promulgated will benefit the growth of the civilian population and the development of commerce, but the nobles may suffer losses.

The traditional cavalier class, whose peace has been gradually decaying for a long time, naturally cannot sit back and watch this happen.

The behavior of the Knights of Dawn, in addition to fanatical beliefs, is likely to be the last madness these traditional noble knights set off in order to maintain their own privileges-implement their 'justice' in the name of the goddess of justice, and clean up those who support the New Deal The 'heresy'.

But their behavior of opposing the New Deal was so extreme that Emperor Buckley couldn't accept it—who knows if these fools would put His Majesty the Emperor who implemented the New Deal into the palace for reasons such as not washing their hands before and after meals? Also sent to the stake?
Therefore, the Buckley Empire expelled them, abolished this powerful armed force, and even started a civil war for this.

Sir Roland was once a member of the Knights of the Dawn.

Sir Roland was not actually a Barkley. He was born in an obscure village in the Bacchus Empire, where the Snake Cult was once rampant, and the Snake Cult followers often raped the villagers and sacrificed their blood to the evil god Az Dahaka.

The young Roland was unlucky. He had witnessed the followers of the Snake Cult taking away his parents in the dark when he was only ten years old.

But he was also lucky. After becoming an orphan, Roland received the selfless help of a follower of the Goddess of Justice, who sent him to Barkley to join the Knights of the Dawn, where he received good education and training in combat skills.

At Barkley, Roland grew into an outstanding knight.

But he's an outlier in the Knights of the Dawn - he's been helped by the Lady Justice, and he's more devoted to the Lady Justice than anyone else.But he believed that the goddess did not give anyone the right to judge others without permission, and he did not want to kill innocent people indiscriminately for power and profit.

For this reason, Roland swears by his honor that he will not pursue wealth and status in his life, but wholeheartedly fight against evil, and take maintaining justice and justice as his duty.

He made a great wish in Astalia's temple, and was officially named a paladin.

'Paladin' is not a noble status or title in the ordinary sense.

It is actually a pious knight who swears allegiance to the goddess, is willing to abide by the rules and regulations throughout his life, fights only for faith, and aims at sacred ideals.

Can also be considered ascetic.

Of course, becoming a paladin of the goddess of justice means that he must not have any moral flaws, and that he will not aim at wealth and land in his life, but practice justice all his life.

There are naturally very few such people, so paladins will be respected by most people, and their social status is much higher than that of ordinary noble knights.

But in fact, there are very few people who can become paladins, or who are sincerely willing to become paladins-swear to fight for the goddess, abide by virtue and strictly abide by all precepts, which can indeed be respected by the world, but they don't get any benefit……

In the Barclay Empire with a strong commercial atmosphere, capital consciousness has risen, self-interest and colonial mentality have gradually prevailed, paladins who do not seek their own personal gain will even be considered fools.

Especially when the fanaticism of the Dawn Knights has ruined their reputation-because of their overly fanatical behavior, the Knights are actually secretly called the "Dawn Fools" in Barkley.

But to become a paladin, you can no longer listen to others - paladins will not be loyal to the royal power, but to theocratic power and faith, and at the same time have the responsibility of inheriting the faith and combat skills of the entire knight order.

Since they no longer pursue power and wealth, but only serve the goddess, the paladins don't have to obey anyone's orders, and they can prevent Roland from being ordered to kill innocent people.

After becoming a paladin, Roland also intends to correct the behavior of the Knights of the Dawn—his dedication to true justice and fairness is completely different from that of other members of the Knights of the Dawn.

But that correction gradually turned into disagreement.

The disagreement was so great that it reached the point where swords were facing each other.

When everyone is lying, the only truth is a lie; when everyone is evil, the only goodness is evil.

As a result, Sir Roland was exiled by the Knights of the Dawn, and even offered a reward for his arrest.

Roland had to escape Barkley and return to Pendor.

As a paladin, the black and white coat of arms on his chest was originally a symbol of honor, but now it has become a wanted symbol...

The last paladin of the Knights of the Dawn was hunted down by the Knights of the Dawn as a traitor. The situation in this world is always so inconceivable.

However, Roland did not despair.

During his escape, Sir Roland kept dreaming that Astalia, the goddess of justice, asked him to correct the fallen Dawn Knights and drive away all evils on the earth.

He dreamed that Astalia called him 'the only Rider of the Dawn'.

Justice also told him that when justice and justice reigned over the land, Astalia would return.

It was his lifelong belief, and he never doubted it.

Therefore, he is still firmly fighting against heresy, he will still charge against bandits who harm civilians, he will still help the poor and poor, and he will still maintain his flawless morality.

Although he is still on the run and being hunted down, as long as justice and light do not come to Pendor, he will not fall.

"I believe that after the night comes the dawn. One day, the goddess of justice, Astalia, will return to the earth... I am very glad to fight side by side with you to expel heresy, Your Excellency Leon."

After Sir Roland finished speaking, he performed a standard knight salute and planned to leave.

"Wait, this is your booty, you should bring it..."

The lord handed the two-meter-long broadsword to Roland.

Of course Li Ang respected such a devout believer, this is a true paladin who dared to charge against any heresy alone - and Roland's skills seemed to be worthy of making friends.

As for Roland's story, the lord believed it—because he himself had heard a female voice claiming to be Astalia not long ago.Although he wasn't sure if it was Lady Justice or not.

But Roland shook his head and rejected the spoils: "Although the weapon itself is not a crime, I'm not good at using this kind of weapon... You can keep it, it's not convenient for me to carry it."

"But, Sir Roland, where are you going? You want to correct the Knights of the Dawn...but how can you do it alone?"

Li Ang threw the long sword to Klose, jumped off the horse, took the lance from the cavalry behind him and handed it to Roland.

"To be honest, I don't know how to accomplish this mission right now...but I will definitely do it! Thank you for your gift."

Roland is obviously a person who pays attention to etiquette. Seeing Li Ang get off his horse and talk to him, he quickly turned over, took off his helmet, and bowed to take the ordinary lance.

The lord sighed: "You have to guard against hunting, deal with heretics, help the poor and practice justice, and correct the Knights of the Dawn... Your enemies are everywhere in Pendor Continent, but you are alone without allies— —I guess the nobles in Pendor will not help you, how can you do this?"

Roland bowed his head and fell silent.

But after a while, he raised his head again, his eyes still piercing: "There will always be a way... Maybe, I can re-establish a new Dawn Knights."

The lord shook his head and smiled: "Then you must set up a resident first, right? Besides, establishing a knight order is no different from opening up a territory. It requires a lot of dinars. You don't look like a rich man..."

Of course Roland was not a rich man. In fact, he was almost penniless as a guy who insisted on helping the poor during his escape.

This time, Sir Roland frowned: "This is indeed a problem..."

"I am willing to help you, Sir Roland. But I hope that you can fight for me without violating the will of the Lady Justice. I can guarantee that you can refuse any unjust battle you think. And, you can supervise Me, let me not become corrupt."

Li Ang once again started the solicitation mode. This paladin with firm faith has served the Goddess of Justice all his life, and he will not swear service to any lord.

But as long as he doesn't do anything against his beliefs, it will be more reliable to be around such a person.

The lord would not believe the oaths of most people, but he believed in the beliefs of people like Roland—Sir Roland didn't even want any spoils of war, he was indeed purely to eliminate heresy.

Moreover, what he believes in is justice, and the more friends like this the better, at least he can trust his back on the battlefield.

As for whether the lord will occasionally do some unjust work secretly - Li Ang has countless ways to make his actions at least look just...

Sir Roland thought for a while: "Thank you, Lord Leon, you are right, I really need help. If it is what you said, I am certainly willing to fight side by side with someone like you. But can you lend me a sum of money?" Is it? I have seen terrible things in Seren Meeth to the south...the people there need help."

"Seren Meath? What's going on there?"

"Almost all the young people there were killed, and the village was looted...I can see that it was done by those heretics who blasphemed the goddess. The flesh and blood armor on the heretics just now may have come from there. It is the goddess I came here after showing me their location. But now there are only a few elderly people left in Selen Meath, and I want to help them, but I can’t do anything.”

The lord's heart sank, and he could realize that it was probably the king's acquiescence to the Prophet Legion to do it!
Ulrik... What is the difference between his method of driving heresy to deal with rebels and what his father, the Mad King, did?
"How much do you estimate it will cost, Sir Roland?"

"It takes about 1000 dinars to resettle them. It is a big village, but there is almost nothing left. At least more than [-] people died... Now there are only a few hundred old people who lost their children."

Sir Roland made up his mind and frowned.

Eight thousand dinars, of course the lord can afford it.

But Li Ang didn't intend to do that.

This kind of charity looks very noble, but in fact it is useless, and it will kill more people. If the dinars are handed over to those old people, it will only take a day or two for the robbers and scoundrels to die. They flocked to them, and none of the old people there could survive.

"Sir Roland, donating money will not solve the problem, it will only allow thieves to run rampant and kill them.

You can bring those people to my territory, and I will let them farm to support themselves. The old people may not be physically strong, but at least they have sufficient agricultural experience, and I just need them.

You abide by the principles of Lady Justice, and that is admirable.

But you should also learn from the law of Eunomia, the goddess of order - let everyone play a role in establishing order, and in this way create orderly groups and laws to protect the people. "

The lord stretched out his right hand: "Every goddess has its meaning, and a single belief will make the goddess fall into the abyss. You have been in the Dawn Knights for so long, and you have seen the deeds of your former colleagues. You should understand these Simply giving money and relief is a kind of arrogance in itself. Sir Roland, you should forget your noble status, so that you can truly understand the mission given to you by the Lady Justice."

Sir Roland was struck by lightning.

After a long time, he reached out his hands and held Li Ang's hand tightly.

"Master Li Ang, thank you for your teaching, I know what to do. The goddess must have guided me to meet you here, and the goddess knows that you will give me real advice!"

This bearded, nearly fifty-year-old uncle had excited lights in his eyes.

like a teenager.

"I am Astalia... Fight for justice, child."

Li Ang recalled the voice of the goddess again.Perhaps, the goddess is indeed guiding him, and also guiding himself, so that he can meet the last paladin of the goddess.

'Sir Roland has joined your ranks'.

……

This battle did not get the best result as expected, and the three prophets were taken away by the Lion Knights.

The Sarleon cavalry and mercenary regiments were also frustrated—the Doombringers were all dead, and they failed to capture a single woman.

Nearly a hundred people were killed and injured, but almost nothing was gained.

Because of their retreat and fear when the three prophets broke through, the lord didn't give them any good looks, and didn't even let them clean the battlefield.

Li Ang asked the troops to take away the weapons of the three prophets and the winged hammers of the Doom Introducers, and searched for most of the spoils, leaving only the bodies of the Doom Introducers to the cavalry and mercenaries.

Those misfortune guides are very rich, and they carry a lot of valuable things on their bodies, such as the night pearl that the lord has obtained, as well as jewelry, gold bars and some Noldor goods on their bodies.

These things are worth at least [-] dinars, which is considered a good harvest.

However, before the lord left, he still generously gave the leading knight under the Duke of Alma a chance: "You should know that I shouldn't have allowed you to get any benefits because of your fear of war just now..."

The knight remained silent. They applied for the battle on their own initiative, but they were frightened on the battlefield. This is indeed a huge stain and a dishonor.

"But now, I can give you an idea... If you lose your troops here, the Duke of Alma will probably find you trouble. But if you bring your troops back to Lion Lake City to swear allegiance to Lord Fawcett, I think he will probably be able to keep you You can even go up to a higher level. I can help you write a letter to Fawcett and ask him to accept your offer."

As he said that, Li Ang took out a bag of jewels: "This is for you. Mrs. Bella is the leader of the heresy under the Three Prophets. Duke Alma did not report it. He will definitely not be able to return to Lion Lake City in a short time. You can handle it yourself." Chance... am I still a friend?"

The knight's eyes widened all of a sudden, and after a few seconds, he accepted the bag of jewels and nodded: "Master Li Ang, I understand what you mean, thank you for your reminder and help, I will repay you!"

That bag of jewels was only worth a thousand dinars, so it wasn't a bribe, the lord was indeed just giving him some money.

What Li Ang really meant was to ask him to take away the troops stationed in Changhe Town, take advantage of Alma's heresy lawsuit, and return to Lion Lake City to stand in line with the young master of the Horton family again.

Li Ang couldn't make any plans for these garrisons. Their families were all in Lion Lake City, and it was impossible for them to stay. Sending them back to Lion Lake City was the best way to deal with it.

(End of this chapter)