Knight and Wand

Chapter 291 After the War
Wearing a beast-head belt fastening a leather cloak trimmed with dark gray wolf fur, a rough cold-proof thick leather vest, and a heavy silver-gray wolf fur collar cloak, Leon, dressed in winter clothes, walked on the streets of Avalon after the snow. He saw not only soldiers shoveling snow and college children playing in the snow, but also many noble guests strolling on the streets admiring the snow scenery as his wedding celebration was approaching.

While responding to the greetings from many Orland nobles, Dineshien knights, and eastern lords of Kantadar who spoke Feru with various accents, Leon walked towards the upper area.

The long boots left a series of shallow prints in the snow. Leon lifted up his cold-resistant cloak, although he felt that he was not afraid of the cold wind this winter. After all, the temperature was not as cold as when flying rapidly on the Death Claw. But Olivia "felt cold" and wrapped him tightly before going out.

He knocked his deerskin-gloved knuckles on the hilt of the sword at his waist, and replaced his sword with a new one.

Since it has not experienced fierce battles, this ceremonial sword carved with a griffin, made by the dwarf swordsmith of the "Edel Chamber of Commerce", has accompanied Leon for nearly a year. It also set a record for the longest time that it has remained intact among the dozen or so swords he has handled since his awakening.

There is no way. No matter how good the sword is, as long as it is made of ordinary iron, it is destined to be a consumable in a fierce battle.

Not only herself, Olivia also changed to a new daily sword. As for the original "Sword of Victory", it was also chopped by the girl and was full of dents and gaps. It was only because of its thickness and weight that it could be polished over and over again, but sooner or later it would no longer be able to be sharpened.

However, during the Battle of Rolandar, the sword was stained with the demonic blood of a powerful terror, and before it was scrapped, it underwent some incomprehensible changes.

The original steel-patterned sword blade became as black as ink as if stained by the devil's blood, and the sword body also became extremely strong.

Although Olivia seemed to have no feeling, most people in Avalon could not even hold the hilt of the sword for long before dropping it in trance and panic, and might even have continuous nightmares afterwards.

Leon didn't know whether this change in the sword stained with the blood of a high-level demon was a good or bad thing.

However, now, except for Olivia, he and Lockhak will not be affected by this Demon Blood Blade. He considered for a long time and decided not to destroy the sword for the time being. But when there is no war, he still locks it deep in the treasury and seals it with a sealing spell, forbidding anyone except Olivia to approach.

As for his own sword, which was used to confer titles on more than 1,500 holy war knights before the Rolandar crusade, he now left it in the "Finleytown City" in Baldim County.

The ordinary long sword, now called the "Holy War Oath", was given to Ivan by Leon as a symbol of power and glory for the Baron of Finleytown and Shatai, who was in charge of the headquarters of the Holy War Alliance.
If nothing unexpected happens, the sword will completely escape the fate of an ordinary weapon and be passed down from generation to generation as a historical memorial that has witnessed thousands of noble heroes.

Arriving at the circular plaza in the upper area, the fountains of the living water system still splashed down beautiful water curtains. However, what spoiled the view of the upper area was that at the end of the long steps leading to the "rock cliff" platform to the north, there was an unfinished construction site of a moderate size on the open platform.

A small group of half-finished buildings, which are Gothic-style palaces, buildings and courtyards, is the "Avalon School of Magic" which has not yet been built.

Half a year ago, when the funding and supplies and building materials from the royal territory arrived at the barony, Leon immediately responded to the king's request and established a new training ground for court mages for the royal family, in the hope of replacing some of the northern warlocks with a special status in the kingdom's court in the future.

But so far, the famous Lord Dumbledore Aung, the Dean of the Ministry of Magic of the Orland royal family, now has only four wizards including himself, Corvis, two foreign civilian assistant teachers from Kantadar, and a mere magic apprentice.

It has to be said that compared with this great mission appointed by the king, the Avalon School of Magic, which has not yet been built, has very few teachers and students.

Walking past the fountains and statues and climbing up the long steps, Leon suddenly spotted a familiar round figure.

"Huh? Strange, I clearly saw it. Where did it go in the blink of an eye?" The round figure was peeking around in the half-built courtyard building site, as if looking for something.

Seeing the fat man in fancy clothes acting sneakily, Leon immediately walked over and greeted him: "Good day, Count Ackerman."

Hearing the voice behind him, the son of Duke Wester of the Sea Dragon family shuddered and turned back embarrassedly.

"Good day, Lord Leon."

"Why are you here instead of accompanying Princess Ines and the other nobles?" Leon asked in surprise.

"Ah? I just admire Nami."

Ackerman raised his hand and coughed lightly while talking. "Ahem, I just admire the Eagle of Avalon and want to have a good chat with that noble lord about the exotic landscape of the distant East Continent."

"The Eagle of Avalon? You mean Corvis?"

"Ah, yes, yes, it's the legendary noble prince of Villania, Your Highness Arundel, have you seen him?" Ackerman nodded with a smile.

Although the son of the Duke of the West had a kind and approachable smile on his face, Leon always felt that this smile and eyes were inexplicably familiar, as if he had seen them somewhere.

"As for Akao, he just went down. I have official business to arrange for him to go to another town." Leon pointed to the stairs behind him.

Of course, this is a lie.

If Akau was not giving Brandon morning lessons at this time, he must have gone to the wizard tower hidden by the magic curtain to read. However, this certainly could not be told to Count Ackerman.

The reason why he chose to build the magic academy around the ancient wizard tower was to hide the existence of this secret place, so that he could better cover up the traces of himself and others disappearing from the eyes of outsiders when entering and leaving the wizard tower in the future.

"Oh, so that's how it is. Well, it seems I can only wait until the banquet you host to become close friends with His Highness Arendelle."

Ackerman showed deep regret on his face. His fat body could not stand the coldness at such a high place, so he tightened his cloak, said goodbye and walked down the platform.

Leon watched the Duke's son leave in a hurry. After making sure that there was no one around the construction site, he came to the illusion of a cliff created by the magic barrier, cast a spell and stepped into it.

Pushing the door and walking into the hall of the Mage Tower, Leon bowed to the empty Mage throne.

After paying his daily tribute to the mysterious pink-haired wizard who had given him the Neti Card, Leon entered the elevator that had been repaired by Corvis on the right side of the hall corridor.

With a clanking sound of hinges and a click, he took the magic "elevator" to the big library and met the director of his own small think tank.

Corvis was wearing that tight leather knight's vest, but on the outside, he wore a coat-like wide-sleeved wizard robe.

Combined with the enchanted sword on the boy's waist, to be honest, when Leon looked at him, he looked neither like a magician nor a knight. Instead, he looked a bit like a Jedi Knight.

Hearing the movement of the elevator outside the library, the blond boy put down his book, stood up from behind the table, and greeted Leon who walked in.

"Good morning, my Lord."

"Didn't you go to teach Little Gold Coin today?" Leon wondered.

Corvis shook his head. "I have recently figured out how to make a magic 'detector' like the one used in the ancient Mage Empire. I need to concentrate on researching it. Since your wedding is coming soon, I will simply give Brandon a few days off and let him study at home."

Leon nodded, moved closer to Akau, and glanced at the ancient magic book he was reading.

The above discusses the principles of detecting the spiritual frequency of living beings and the magic element circulation system.

What Corvis was studying was the most important thing for the Avalon Academy of Magic in the future.

An ancient instrument that can be used to search for people with hidden magical talents among Muggles.

Leon remembered that this was also the reason why he confidently took on the task of establishing the magic academy in front of Redwin III.

Um.?

He put aside the strange feeling in his heart and started talking about Ackerman who had just been wandering around the construction site.

"Just now when I came here, I met the young master of the Sea Dragon Family, Earl Ackerman, the son of the Duke of West. He seemed very interested in the East Continent and wanted to talk to you."

After hearing this, Corvis thought of the great nobleman who came to Avalon with Princess Ines to attend the lord's wedding banquet. He couldn't help but frown and smiled bitterly.

"That Lord Ackerman. I have been avoiding him these past two days. My Lord, I am not slandering you behind your back, but I am afraid that Lord Ackerman is not interested in the customs of the East Continent. He is more interested in how to get me to lie in his bed." - Huh? !
Leon choked on a breath that nearly hit his trachea.

".You mean, that guy is the same as Pilieno?"

Leon frowned immediately. He believed that Akao would never make such a move unless he was sure of the facts.

Corvis sighed and nodded. "Lord Ackerman's eyes are very special. He also indirectly asked about the relationship between you and me, which made me so angry that I wanted to throw my gloves at him. This guy may not be as vicious as Pilieno, but his habits are as twisted as that old guy. Didn't you notice that his servants all look 'special'?"

Hearing this, Leon patted his buddy on the shoulder and said, "Leave it to me. I'll go talk to Ines and tell that guy not to harass you again in the future."

After saying this, he stopped disturbing Akao who was concentrating on studying ancient magic instruments.

"Remember to go back for lunch at noon. Don't hide in the tower and forget about food and sleep like you did a while ago."

Leon rubbed the boy's golden hair, then left and went to find the third princess to ask her to warn the gay who was targeting Corvis.

After leaving the Mage Tower, Leon found a few Crusade Knights from the Sea Eagle Knights of Xiwan County who were strolling on the roadside in the middle area. He asked about Ines's trip to the "Ilaril Temple" in the lower area, thanked them, and hurried over.

Looking from afar, in a corner of Avalon Castle, stands a brand new temple, similar in style to the Holy Sun Church, but very different.

The towering spires, the simple sun relief, and the sharp lines of the flying buttresses support the walls, which are simple but solemn and heavy.

This temple dedicated to the ancient prophet Ilariel was not entirely built by Leon, but was mainly funded and built in Avalon by the Knights of the Holy Lake using the financial rewards obtained from the Undead War.

The Knights of Ilaril originally had a size of a thousand people, but after the war, only less than four hundred people remained.

Unfortunately, Grand Master Irem died in the battle to stop the blood demon.

But after the tragic Battle of Rolandar, although the Knights of the Holy Lake were sad about the death of their comrades, they did not feel depressed at all.

The victory of the holy war, in which the demons and undead that occupied the holy city were successfully eliminated and the holy land was recaptured, made the Knights of the Holy Lake very excited and proud after the war.

After the war, although the Knights of Ilaril, who had completed their pilgrimage, decided to return home, more than a hundred devout believers among them chose to stay.

Among the one hundred people, some were holy war knights who participated in the final battle. They gladly accepted the coalition forces' enthronement of their territories after the war.

Leon did not live up to his promise, he joined forces with Runaf and other local surviving nobles, and in the name of the Eastern Alliance, distributed large tracts of the most fertile unowned land in the post-war Sobornitz territory to all the holy war knights.

Many warriors from various countries who were promoted in the Undead War also received fiefs worthy of their respective military achievements and became new lords of the Sobornitz region.

As for the other part of the Holy Lake Knights who chose to stay, they wanted to stay in Avalon, which was the land of holy words in their eyes. They wanted to protect this place and spend the rest of their lives here.

So these Holy Lake monks applied to Avalon, wanting to build a Holy Lake "Ilaril Temple" here, and promised not to actively preach and disturb the ancient polytheism of the local Orland people.

They just hope to have a shelter to bury the ashes of the victims of the Knights of the Holy Lake, and also serve as a monastery for the monks of the Holy Lake who remain in Avalon Castle and Sobornitz Territory to gather and worship in the future.

Leon did not refuse. After a brief internal discussion, he agreed immediately.

These Holy Lake believers who helped him with their souls and blood had such a small request, which was totally disproportionate to their efforts. Leon even took the initiative to provide funds to help them cover 40% of the cost of building the temple.

The main building of the Ilaril Temple was only recently completed, leaving only some sculptures and murals inside depicting the Undead War and the Rolandar Holy War, which will take a long time to complete.

However, even so, this holy temple built by the Knights of the Holy Lake and craftsmen has become one of the famous places in Avalon Castle.

It was also an important attraction that the nobles who came to the banquet visited out of curiosity.

Inside the cathedral, except for the underground tombs where urns are placed, and the sacristy where the relics of the Crusade Knights are placed, most other halls do not refuse visits from anyone.

In the past few months, even Azerien, Lohak, Elena, Celie, Raya and several other Serians in Avalon would often go to the temple to pray to the Holy Prophet Ilarial.

Although the Holy Lake Sect has always been considered a heretic that disrespects the Holy Sun within the Holy Sun Church, in fact, most of its believers are not theologians and cannot debate like the priests.

In particular, apart from Azerien and Miss Sally who had some knowledge of the differences between this small sect in the Holy Kingdom and the church itself, the other people didn't care about the details at all. After all, they all worshipped Saint Hilarius.

At this moment, just like a pillow being given to someone when they are sleepy, Leon chose the temple hall of this cathedral as the wedding venue for himself and Olivia.

There were many reasons. First, the magic academy in the Fountain Square in the upper area had not been completed, and Leon really didn't want to get married with Olivia in front of the construction site.

Secondly, this winter, it was snowing outside and the temperature dropped sharply. Leon had been looking forward to seeing Olivia in a wedding dress for a long time. Even though a strong girl could wear a light gauze dress in the cold wind, he felt it was too cold in the winter and it was too weird to see his wife wearing such light clothes outside.

And after it was replaced by the temple of the Knights of the Holy Lake, it couldn't be more suitable.

The indoor temple hall is solemn and spacious. Around the statue of Ilaril, there are temperature-regulating magic spells engraved by the priests of the Holy Lake Sect, which can dispel the winter chill for all guests.

Moreover, even if he did not believe in Ilariel in his heart, his followers really helped Avalon, and Leon still had a good impression of the existence believed in by these believers of the Holy Lake.

Being able to get married under the watchful eye of this ancient saint will undoubtedly make the ceremony full of sense and leave no regrets.

Arriving at the temple, Leon walked into the hall.

Although the wedding is approaching, the temple has not been closed. At this moment, there are still nobles sitting in the hall to tour and Avalon residents praying.

The interior of the newly built church building is exquisite and new, and does not need any further decoration. The carpet hangings and flags to be used in the wedding have already been handed over to the monks of the church and will be arranged the day before the ceremony. Now everything in the hall remains the same as before.

Leon glanced around and didn't see Princess Ines, but he did see "Little Gold Coin" Brandon sitting on a bench in the corner and praying.

The only magic apprentice in Avalon Academy has been recuperating for more than a year and is no longer as thin.

As for why he is here, it's not surprising.

The apprentice boy was praying for the rest of the refugee leader, Knight Ron, who had saved the boy like his adoptive father and died in the Undead War at the hands of vampires.

Although the Holy Lake Sect has not carried out any missionary work in the past year, the existence of the temple, the deeds of the Holy Lake Knights, and the good deeds of the ascetic priest who heals the sick and helps people without receiving any compensation in the territory of Avalon have brought the Ilarial Temple some ignorant believers who come to worship spontaneously. Perhaps it is human nature to seek spiritual sustenance.

They may not be able to tell the difference between the Holy Sun and Ilaril, but they are still willing to come and pray to the faceless statue of the lady in long robes for gratitude or comfort.

Leon did not stop anyone from coming to pay tribute.

To be honest, the Holy Lake Knights and Holy Lake Priests living in the temple have been of great help to the security, law and order, and medical care of Avalon and the entire barony in the past year.

If all the churches in this world were as noble and selfless as the Holy Lake Sect, Leon himself would be happy to worship the statue of Ilarial.

After all, neither the Holy Sun Sect nor the Holy Lake Sect were like in the previous life, where the doctrines always stated that the world was sinful and needed to atone for their sins. Since Leon had awakened until now, he had always had a good impression of them.

Especially after experiencing the Undead War.

(End of this chapter)