Knight and Wand

Chapter 292 Adding fuel to the flames
Brandon noticed someone sitting down next to him, he looked up, his eyes slightly red.

"Teacher Leon."

The young Kantadar greeted in Feru and stood up to bow to the lord.

Leon reached out and held Brandon's shoulder, asking him to sit back in his chair. "I heard from the priests of the Holy Lake that in the eyes of Ilaril, the souls of all things are equal, even the prophet himself. In the temple that gives people peace, there is no need to bring in secular rituals, not to mention that I am one of your teachers."

"Yeah." The young man knew the adult's humility, so he sat down again with peace of mind.

"Are you praying for Knight Ron? Are you still missing him?" Leon asked.

Brandon's eyes couldn't help but turn red again: "I regret it so much. I clearly had such a nightmare. I should have gone to him earlier. He shouldn't have left like that. I haven't repaid him yet. If only I could learn faster and be more useful."

Leon patted the boy on the shoulder.

"You saved many people in Gladeshire, which is remarkable, but Sir Ron's sacrifice is not something you can change, and he would never want you to face the dangers of the Battle of Kilmerton."

Before setting out on the expedition, he had promised the child that as long as he could use the Holy Lamp, he would allow him to go to the Baldim battlefield to help Uncle Ron.

That was just to let the young man feel at ease staying at the rear, to have a spiritual goal and not be so anxious.

Unexpectedly, after returning to the territory of the Thorn Flower family after the war, he learned that Little Gold Coin had actually controlled some magic elements in his body during the Undead War and successfully activated the Holy Soul Guardian Lamp.

Although it could only last for a short time, after the young man achieved this, he immediately found Brian who was guarding the barony and informed him of the verbal agreement between them.

Brian knew that the coalition forces on the front line were extremely short of spellcasters, so he agreed to this and sent two cavalrymen to escort Little Gold Coin south.

However, it was already the eve of the Battle of Kilmerton.

Leon heard that the tide of undead that rushed in from Mamor County at that time not only defeated the kingdom army of Redwin III, but also tens of thousands of undead invaded the border of Glade County.

The raging waves of zombies and dark clouds completely cut off the road between Glade and Baldim.

Even the army of Thornflower could no longer pass through the area occupied by the Undead Army, and the two Avalon cavalrymen could not safely deliver the small gold coins to Baldim County.

Baron Marcello and Baron Redo, who led the Glade garrison at the time, learned that Brandon was a spellcaster, so they kept Brandon, who was unable to go to Baldim, in the Thornflower Army.

The soul-guarding holy lamp lit by the apprentice boy successfully helped the Thornflower Knights guarding the Earldom to defeat some invading zombies. However, the powerful undead army still made it difficult for the Thornflower defenders to resist.

It was not until the beginning of February of that year that the cursed area covering Rolandar dissipated, the dark cloud of undead disappeared, the army of corpses fell into chaos, and even began to kill each other. Only then was the passage between Glade County and the east of Kantadar connected again.

It’s just a pity that when the wave of undead on the earth retreated, Leon was unable to bring any good news to the child.

Knight Roan and many warriors of the Shatai Griffin Regiment died in the bloody battle in the inner city of Kilmerton to cover the retreat of the survivors.

When Brandon finally arrived in Baldim County in March after the war, Ron's remains had already been cremated and buried in the Allied Martyrs Cemetery in Finlaytown.

Baron Ivan met the young man and fulfilled the late Ron's wish before his death, recognizing little Brandon as Ron's adopted son and heir to the territory.

If the boy had not yet completed his magic studies in Avalon, Ivan would not have been reluctant to knight him.

Brandon Ron, this is the current name of this former civilian boy. He chose to use his adoptive father's name as his surname to commemorate his existence.

"Uncle Ron's courage and conscience will be remembered. His sacrifice saved many people. You must pass on his deeds. As long as you live well, his soul will rest in peace." Leon said softly.

Brandon nodded: "Thank you, Mr. Leon."

The boy felt comforted by his teacher’s concern. He clasped his hands together again and closed his eyes to pray to the statue of Ilarial on the altar.

Seeing that the boy looked much calmer, Leon stopped disturbing him and stood up to continue looking for Ines.

"Sir Van Lang, is Princess Ines still in the cathedral?" Leon asked a monk from the Knights of the Holy Lake who was passing by in the corridor on one side of the chapel.

"Marshal." The Knight of the Holy Lake and the Knight of the Holy War who survived the Battle of Rolandar bowed slightly to Leon.

Nowadays, most of the coalition soldiers who participated in the Undead War are still accustomed to calling Baron Leon the Marshal. In fact, at the Finlaytown City Conference after the Battle of Rolandar, the coalition organization was officially renamed the "Holy War Alliance" and has not yet disbanded.

Knight Van Lang saluted and replied, "Her Highness Ines went to visit the sacristy with the officiating priest. After listening to the priest's lecture on the holy lake, Her Highness was very curious about the holy lake water we brought from our hometown."

After finding out where the little princess was, Leon thanked her and walked towards the inner hall behind the altar.

Normally, one needs the approval of the priest to enter the sacristy, but Leon can freely enter and exit all places in the church.

This is not because he is the local lord, but because he is a living walking "holy vessel" to the Knights of the Holy Lake.

Walking into the inner hall where the precious relics of the Crusade Knights were displayed, Leon saw Ines. She stopped in front of the altar in the innermost niche, admiring a huge silver cup.

The guard Agatha stood by her side, holding the exquisite cotton hat that the princess had taken off.

The high priest who manages this temple is introducing the water of the holy lake in the silver cup to Princess Orlando.

Ines listened quietly to the story of the Holy Lake and the sacred nature of the water in the Holy Grail.

The war had been over for more than half a year, and the princess took off the fine armor she had worn in the army and changed back into her everyday attire as a princess.

But she did not wear the white dress she wore to the Achesburg Banquet. After all, the palace dress was inconvenient to travel and not warm enough.

At this moment, she was very sensible, wearing black gloves, and a slim-fitting blue velvet blended dress inlaid with gold embroidery. A purple shawl was wrapped around her shoulders and tied in front of her chest. The high collar and cuffs were wrapped in black velvet. The waist was fixed with a silver chain. Underneath, the long petticoat extending from the hem fell to her calves, revealing a pair of thick-soled short boots that were convenient for walking on snow.

The climate in the central part of the Western Continent is abnormal this winter. The little princess, who knows no martial arts, does not have the strong physique of martial artists. If she does not wrap herself warmly in this winter, her body will probably be frozen into an ice sculpture.

"Her Highness Ines, Officiant Mathias, Lady Agatha."

Leon greeted him and stepped forward to salute.

The priest of the Holy Lake stopped talking, saluted Leon, and stepped aside.

Ines returned the greeting gracefully and asked with a smile, "Master Leon, I guess you are not here to visit. So, do you have something to talk to me about?"

Leon looked at the priest and the princess's guards. Considering that it involved the reputation of the noble West, he really didn't want to talk about Ackerman's harassment of Corvis in front of other people, so he hesitated to speak.

He wanted to suggest going to another place to talk to Ines in private.

However, the priest of the temple saw Leon's hesitation, so he took the initiative to say goodbye: "I have another ceremony to preside over. My Lord knows the story of the Holy Lake, so I ask you to continue to introduce the allusion to Her Highness Ines."

With the living saint favored by Ilaril here, the high priest was not worried about the safety of the water of the holy lake and turned around and left.

Agatha also tactfully bowed and left, walked out of the sacristy and waited outside the door.

Looking at the quiet secret room where they were alone, Ines couldn't help but fold her hands, stroke her chin, narrow her eyes, and become playful.

"Shouldn't Lord Leon accompany Miss Olivia at such an important time? If you come to meet her secretly, be careful of rumors spreading outside~"

Leon laughed and waved his hands: "Your Highness, please stop teasing me. The rumors outside are slandering my innocence. You are not unaware that I am a decent person. I am actually here for the matter concerning Count Ackerman."

"Ackerman?" Ines raised her eyebrows and in just an instant, she guessed what the other party might be doing.

Leon continued, "Count Ackerman's 'enthusiasm' has caused some 'trouble' to one of my knights."

He was still considering how to put it, but Ines had already raised her hand with a dark sneer on her face:

"Lord Leon, there is no need to elaborate. I understand everything. Please rest assured. I promise that this Earl Ackerman will not dare to disturb your subordinates again in the future."

Hearing the little princess say this, Leon realized that she must know the inside story of Ackerman, which saved him from having to think about how to express it tactfully.

Ines smiled bitterly and said, "I'm sorry to have caused you trouble on a day like this."

She had not intended to bring that disgraceful fellow to the banquet at Avalon, but Ackerman kept begging, trying to avoid the frequent lectures from the Duke of Wester.

Now it seems that the purpose of this "sea pig" coming here is not just to avoid his father.

After a little thought, Ines guessed who the other party had harassed. It was probably when the handsome young knight riding the Hippogriff presented the blueprint of the Holy Spirit Guardian Lamp to his father in Magya, Ackerman had been eyeing him from the side.

No wonder this guy had the audacity to follow me all the way from West.

Leon believed that Ines could properly handle the matter. Now Corvis could focus on his magic research. He relaxed and turned to look at the holy grail on the altar that held the lake water. “Your Highness, are you interested in the legend of the Holy Lake?”

Ines looked in the direction and nodded, saying, "Of course, there are many legends about Ilaril in the ancient books of the palace of Orlandon. Although Orlandon does not believe in the Holy Sun and does not worship the ancient Holy King, according to legend, the ancestors of our Drakmar family seem to have a close relationship with him." After that, Ines asked curiously, "By the way, have you tasted the water of the Holy Lake in this cup?"

"Taste it? Your Highness, you are joking. I have finally returned triumphantly from Rolandar, but I still want to live a few more years." Leon laughed dryly and shook his head like a rattle.

The clear lake water in the silver cup was very beautiful, with a faint and brilliant rainbow light shining through the water.

In addition to the colorful light visible to the naked eye, as a spellcaster, Leon can also clearly feel the extraordinary power flowing within it.

The water contains both surging natural magic and abundant elemental energy.

But there are still some unidentifiable forces.

The nature of that power was neither the chaotic magic from the spirit world nor the life magic. It was truly indescribable with a sense of purity.

No wonder the Knights of Ilarriel have been worshipping the bathing water of the ancient saint for thousands of years. The entire lake is filled with such unique and beautiful water. Even without the blessing of Ilarriel's legend, people would probably worship there spontaneously, leaving behind all kinds of myths.

Of course, this thing is not just for show.

It is said that for devout people, although drinking the water of the holy lake will cause burning pain in their five internal organs, as long as they can endure it, all diseases and disabilities can be cured, and even aging can be delayed.

But for those with evil thoughts, drinking the water of the holy lake would be like drinking poison. They would die miserably in painful struggle, and their internal organs would seem to be burned to ashes by fire.

After hearing this, Leon felt very confused. How could he tell whether the person who died after drinking the lake water was a good person who could not endure the pain, or someone with evil thoughts?
The Holy Lake Priest's answer was simple.

Those who survived were the devout and good people.

Those who died were naturally the ones with evil hearts.

Well, it seems that no matter how peaceful the Holy Lake Sect usually behaves, the Knights of Ilaril is still a religious sect after all, and there is no need to talk about reason when it comes to matters of faith.

Fortunately, the Holy Lake Sect will not use the lake water to judge the good and evil of the world. They treasure this thing very much, and people outside the sect cannot drink it even if they want to.

Only the most devout believers and knights are qualified to be baptized, purify their bodies in the lake and drink the holy water.

The priest did say that he was willing to give him some lake water, but Leon immediately declined and did not accept this "good intention".

Such a dangerous thing is like being exposed to nuclear radiation. If you or someone around you dies from drinking it accidentally, there will be no one to complain.

"Your Highness, I wonder if His Majesty Redwin has any opinion on my allowing Ilaril's followers to build a temple in Avalon Castle?" Leon turned to Ines to ask about the king's attitude.

He probably knew that the Orlando royal family had always been wary of the Holy Sun Church.

Ines smiled and shook her head gently: "I haven't heard that my father mentioned this matter in the court, and you don't have to worry about it. It's just a small temple. There are many messy temples all over the kingdom. As long as you don't make too much trouble and preach in the kingdom, he won't deliberately care about such a small matter.

Besides, Avalon was not even part of Orland’s territory more than a year ago. Plus, you are of Serrian origin, so even if your father asks, he will understand your belief in the Holy Sun, and the kingdom will not force a hero with extraordinary achievements to apostatize for the sake of the traditional customs of the Northern Kingdom.”

Leon felt relieved after hearing this, but he did not explain that he was not a follower of Shengyang. The Shenghu Sect did not worship "Shengyang" at all and was considered a heretic in the Shengyang Church.

The difference between them is difficult for ordinary Holy Sun believers to distinguish, and it is too complicated to explain in detail.

"It's been so long, has your Majesty's injury improved?" Leon asked Ines, taking his eyes off the lake of the Holy Grail.

During the Undead War, Ledwin III, who led the army personally, was nearly killed by the sword of a powerful corpse dragon rider. Even the dragon he was riding fell in the fierce battle.

Whenever Leon thought of this, he couldn't help but feel very "hellish". If it weren't for the two great knights of the kingdom and the king's guards who risked their lives to save him and carried the seriously injured Redwin III back
If he had died on the battlefield at that time, Uncle Brian would probably be so happy that his nose would bubble with joy.

And Olivia may have gotten her revenge.

Although the girl who grew up in Selva did not have any real hatred for Ledwin III, after all, for her, her father had always been old Brian since she was born, and the Orland Civil War that ended before she was born was too far away for her.

"My father has recovered, but he looks worse than before. He seems to have aged ten years." When talking about her father, Ines remained calm, with a slightly complicated mood.

If it were three or four years ago, she would have hoped that the guy who had treated her mother coldly for more than ten years, causing her to die of depression, and that he who treated her as a tool for marriage would choke to death while drinking water.

But now, seeing that in just one year, his hair had turned white quickly and he had lost his youthful appearance and was showing signs of old age, Ines felt an inexplicable sadness.

Now the nickname Old Dragon, which he has been called for more than ten years, is truly worthy of its name.

The king's health condition was related to the stability of Orlando's political situation. Even in front of a trusted political ally, she did not want to discuss it in detail. So she put aside her complicated feelings and asked Leon other questions:

"After the spring, my father will host a knight competition in the capital. Will you go?"

"I haven't decided yet, but I will definitely rush to the capital after the spring. The royal court sent a letter urging me to go to the territory of Kronia as soon as possible and look for talented magic apprentices among the families loyal to the royal family." Leon replied.

The celebration and knight tournament to celebrate the end of the Undead War was held by King Orland himself, and notices were sent throughout Orland and Kantadar several months in advance.

The news of the celebration was also sent to other kingdoms in the Western Continent. Perhaps this celebration was attended by more than just the knights of Orland and Kantadar.

"You'd better participate in the competition. The new King of Kantadar, Casso, will go to Orlandon City to watch the competition. If you can win enough honors, or let Miss Olivia help you get an excellent performance in the team competition, then in front of thousands of cheering spectators, Casso will ask to enthrone you. Under the gaze of countless nobles, knights, and subjects of the kingdom, my father will not be able to object.

And in such an occasion, you have no reason to refuse, and if you get the title in this way, my father will not be too dissatisfied with you. "Inis reminded.

Leon was surprised to hear this. He hadn't received any further news about this matter for such a long time, and he thought that Ines had encountered difficulties and shelved the "promise" she had made at Kilmerton Fortress.

After a little thought in his mind, he felt that the other party's consideration was very thoughtful. Of course, no matter what, he would not expose Olivia to the eyes of so many old nobles in the kingdom. Fortunately, Leon had enough confidence in his current martial arts.

"How did you convince the new king of Kantadar?" Leon wondered.

Ines supported her elbow and spread out one hand: ".Weighing the pros and cons, and the obvious threats from all sides, and his own unwillingness to succumb to the status quo.

The Southern Kingdom is in pieces, and he is not worthy of the title of King of Kantardar. It is more appropriate to call him King of Usato. I gave him a push, so he naturally wanted to use the remaining legal basis of the king and maximize the value of the crown in the hope of breaking free from my father's shackles."

Leon understood and nodded.

Now all of northern Kantadar is in the hands of Orland.

The western part of Kantadar, under the leadership of the Falcon family, was not happy with the new king Casso's allegiance to Orland.

In the eastern part of Kantadar, there are now many former Sobonitz lords and emerging Crusade lords, with an extremely complex composition. It has essentially become an aristocratic autonomous area.

As for the southern part of Kantadar, according to the reconnaissance troops of the Crusades, the Shannan Territory and the Roslava Territory are still occupied by a large number of undead, and there are no living people at all.

After the undead disaster ended, although the tide of corpses no longer swept in in an orderly manner and lost the power of the rolling clouds of eternal night, becoming sluggish and fragile, the huge scale of the undead was not completely eliminated after all.

Now, the severely damaged northern and southern armies do not have the manpower and resources to go south to conquer the "Kingdom of the Dead" entrenched south of Kantadar, which may have a population of millions.

This is why the Jihad Coalition has not been disbanded until now.

Leon is still worried that the undead occupying the south of Kantadar will make a comeback one day.

However, at least during this nearly one year of recuperation, the rangers of the Crusades who had been monitoring the south had not found any signs of the undead moving north. On the contrary, the rangers who ventured deep into the south found that the undead, led by different ghoul lords, were attacking each other.
Putting aside his worries about the south for the time being, Leon looked at Ines.

I don't know how the Third Princess managed to mediate over the past six months to get Cass to agree to this proposal.

The reason why Casso accepted this deal was naturally to re-establish contact with the eastern part of Kantadar. Regardless of whether he could help him in the future, this was his only chance to break the situation under the control of Ledwin III.

But Ines used this action to help herself gain the legal right to lead Sobornitz, which was obviously contrary to Redwin III's idea of ​​annexing Kantadar in the future.

Is Ines at odds with Ledwin III? Why does it seem like they are going against each other?
Although he was undoubtedly the one who benefited the most, he had no right to speculate about the other party.

"Your Highness has helped me so much, how can I repay you?" There were only the two of them in front of him, so Leon asked directly without any hesitation.

During the brief night talk at Kilmerton Fortress, facing the critical situation of suffocation, he did not think too deeply about Ines' suggestion.

But now, the Third Princess was almost about to fulfill her promise, and Leon had to start thinking about what kind of support the other party wanted from him.

Ines put down her arms, put her hands on her hips and chuckled: "For now, it's enough for you to just remember that I helped you."

Looking at the puzzled Leon, the girl's eyes curved into a pair of crescents. Without saying much, she lifted her skirt and left the sacristy.

During this year's investigation, she has carefully understood the other person's experiences and personality inside and out.

Compared to the actual political alliance and exchange of interests, for this brave snake slayer, the Griffin Knight of Avalon, the Marshal of the Holy War Alliance, the liberator of Sobornitz and Rolandar, the great hero who ended the Undead War,
A promise and a debt are more effective than any physical constraint.

(End of this chapter)