Knight and Wand

Chapter 317: Serian

Following the only memory he had of the structure of the Holy Sun Church's sanctuary, Leon tried his best to analyze the route out of the temple.

The last place they were in before they opened their eyes was the Orlandon Palace which was in great crisis in the middle of the night. But now it was broad daylight and they were in a large temple of the Holy Sun Cult that was suspected to be in the territory of Serian. The huge difference in environment made the two of them feel very emotional.

Considering the scene of the environment exploding at the end of the memory, Leon had some guesses in his mind based on his imagination from the fantasy novels he had read in his previous life.

Could it be that the ancient secret ritual beneath the Holy Sword Courtyard is actually a magical portal?

Did I just accidentally trigger its original function last night, and was "blasted" from the Kingdom of Orland to the Kingdom of Serian by that magic?

Leon temporarily put aside his speculation. The most urgent thing was to leave the temple as soon as possible. He would know whether this place was Serian or not once he got out.

Listening to the movements around him, he frequently avoided the occasional Holy Sun priests who passed by, and like a lurking assassin, he tiptoed through the wide halls and corridors with Ines.

Suddenly, he saw several acolytes of the church coming out of a remote little room carrying piles of robes and sundries. Leon pulled Ines and hid in the corner. After the priests walked away, he went forward to listen through the door. After confirming that there was no one inside, he used his magic to unlock the door and rushed in.

The small room was piled with new and old robes of church monks. Leon found two suitable ones and put them on himself and Ines respectively.

Helping Ines pull down her hood, the two of them looked much less suspicious.

Unfortunately, Leon couldn't find any shoes, so he could only lower the hem of his simple robe to cover his feet.

Disguised as an acolyte, he quietly passed through the passage and left the side door of the palace, and even when he passed by other acolytes, he did not arouse suspicion.

Carefully, they walked along the side courtyard and out of the side door, following a few priests who were leaving the temple from a distance. Leon and Ines walked out of the temple safely in full view of the guards.

Although the temple is a holy place, it is not a forbidden area. There are many believers and priests coming in and out every day. They did not pay too much attention to the two monks, one big and one small, who were leaving the temple with their heads down.

Walking down the long steps of the high platform, away from the religious area and coming to the secular street, Leon looked at the sunny blue sky and the clean and tidy prosperous streets, and couldn't help feeling dazed.

Looking at the pedestrians coming and going outside the side door of the temple, as well as the Serrian-style buildings on the streets and alleys, from the original owner's memory, he couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity as if he had returned to his "hometown".

Was I really "blown" to the Kingdom of Serrian?

Ines looked at the exotic streets and gently tugged at Leon's robe sleeve: "Where are we going now?"

Leon came back to his senses, looked around the street, and took her away from the temple behind him. He said calmly, "Let's find a place to rest first, and then ask the locals where this place is."

Ines nodded and followed the pace, and couldn't help but ask sideways: "But, do you have money?"

Leon was stunned for a moment, and his steps slowed down as he walked down the street. He raised his hand and touched the inner pocket under his acolyte's robe. Inside was only the Neti card that he kept close to his body, and no other valuables.

He hadn't been troubled by money for a long time and almost forgot about it.

I was in such a hurry to rescue Ines last night that I didn't even put on my coat, so where would I get the money? My valuable sword was taken away when I entered the palace, and the long sword I stole from the palace guards was destroyed as a magic bomb during the battle. As for the Neti card and Gungnir, they certainly cannot be pawned.

Unless he used magic to "first pawn and then steal" to defraud the merchant who accepted the pawn, otherwise, except for this set of clothes, he would have become a penniless pauper.

Leon tilted his head and said awkwardly: “Your Highness, what about you? Do you have any money on you?”

"No, I seldom carry money with me." Ines sighed. She seldom traveled alone, and she was always accompanied by Agatha or other guards, so she never needed to carry money with her.

The girl reached out and gently stroked her long hair that had been undone inside her hood due to a night's rest. If the hair accessories she usually wore were still there, it would have solved her urgent problem.

Fortunately, she lowered her head and tugged at her acolyte's robe, and still found something that was barely valuable on her body.

"My inner coat is made of fine material, and my boots are inlaid with gems. We should be able to get some money by pawning them. After selling them, we can buy some cheap ordinary clothes." The girl suggested.

She looked back at the strange foreign environment around her. She didn't know where she was exactly at the moment. She just felt that before returning to the familiar land, she should hide her identity and dress simply and low-key.

He turned his head and looked at Leon's bare feet walking on the cobblestone road under the hem of his robe.

Although she saw that he didn't care about the abrasions on his feet, Ines still wanted to change some money as soon as possible and buy him a pair of shoes to protect his bloody soles.

Leon thought of the gorgeous women's coat under Ines' robe and he was relieved. Indeed, as the princess of Orland, any equipment she dropped was worth a lot of money. The money that Ines' coat and boots could be exchanged for would definitely be more than "a little" for ordinary people.

"Thank you, Your Highness. I was inconsiderate. I should have taken a few silver candlesticks out of the temple." Leon apologized.

Ines raised her eyebrows upon hearing this, and said jokingly, "Stealing is against the knight's creed, Lord Leon, and as a Serrian, aren't you afraid of desecrating the Holy Sun?"

Leon shrugged helplessly. He was an Earthling, born in the mud, and only one generation into the nobility. There was no need to be so particular. Unless it was a matter of principle, he would not be fussy about trivial matters under special circumstances.

"We took emergency measures. This was an emergency retreat for our own safety, just like I had to steal two robes to help us sneak out and avoid questioning and trouble."

Lion smiled and said, "Besides, we helped the Church of Serian to recapture the Holy Land City of Rolandar, and we haven't asked the Church for compensation yet. If we really take something from the temple now, we can just consider it as a reward for our hard work."

"~You really know how to talk~" Ines was amused by this high-sounding statement and laughed softly with her hands covering her mouth.

Leon felt relieved when he saw the girl smile calmly and elegantly again.

In any case, at least he and she were out of danger for the time being.

As for the current situation of the other people in the palace, Leon knew that it was useless to worry. He hoped that the ancient magic that was accidentally activated would paralyze those warlocks.

Besides, it was already daybreak, and the troops and officials in Orlando might have discovered something unusual in the palace.

As the two of them walked around the corner, Leon saw a few children playing and chasing each other through the alley, and suddenly reached out to stop one of them.

"Child, I am a traveling monk. Can you tell me the name of this city?"

Leon bent down, with a friendly smile on his face, and tried his best to restore the original owner's Serrian border accent and asked the name of the place.

It is better to ask such common sense and strange questions to ignorant children than to ask them to adults in the city to avoid suspicion.

"Good day, priest." The boy who was stopped was stunned.

He looked at the church robe on the young man in front of him, feeling a little nervous and confused: "Don't you know where this is? This is Rolandar! The holy place where the prophet rests!"

The child's answer was like thunder.

Leon was stunned.

what?
——Rolandar???
He straightened up suddenly and looked back at the street he had just walked through.

Looking at the high ground in the distance, the memory of the silver-white Holy Sun Temple shining in the sun suddenly came to Leon's mind.

He was surprised to find that this place was indeed very similar to the part of the Great Temple Palace area that had been restored to its original appearance after the Battle of Rolandar.

It was no wonder that he had a sense of déjà vu about the surroundings just now.

But wait.

It has only been over a year since the victory of the Battle of Rolandar.

This city that returned to the real time and space was severely damaged, especially the temple complex in the Great Temple area. The structure twisted by the devil caused a collapse when the cursed field dissipated. Now, it was rebuilt and recovered so quickly?

The entire city suffered so badly, but in just over a year, the church restored the Holy City to its bustling appearance?
The governance capabilities of the Holy Sun Church are truly amazing.

Leon still clearly remembered that after the spiritual field dissipated in the battle of the Holy City, the entire city of Rolandar was full of broken walls, bloodstains, and corpses everywhere, like a tragic scene of a dead city.

This was also the reason why he had subconsciously not considered that this would be Rolandar since the beginning.

The boy looked at the strange reaction of the priest, and seeing that there was no problem, he quickly ran away timidly, caught up with his friend and continued playing.

Ines followed Leon's gaze and looked back at the streets of the Holy City they had just walked through. She sighed softly, "So this is the Rolandar that you led the Holy War Army to recapture. No wonder this place looks more prosperous than Orlanton City. It is worthy of being a holy city that has stood for thousands of years."

But when she turned around, she saw the suspicion in Leon’s eyes, and tilted her head in confusion: “What’s wrong? Leon, is there anything wrong with your expression?”

Leon withdrew his gaze and shook his head silently. He was not surprised that Ines did not feel the same surprise as himself.

After all, the Third Princess led the main force of the alliance to guard the Kilmerton Pass Fortress and had never been to Rolandal. She had never seen the tragic situation of the Holy City after the war.

Leon suddenly felt a strange sensation in his heart. He did not dare to delay and quickened his pace to find the market in the city.

The two found a secluded dead end alley, and Leon stood at the entrance with his back to the girl, keeping watch for her.

After Ines took off her nightgown and wrapped herself in the acolyte's robe again, they quickly asked passers-by about the nearest market and went to a shop that pawned valuables in exchange for money.

After that, the negotiation with the pawnbroker was completely handed over to Ines, who was more eloquent.

Leon quietly watched the little princess skillfully negotiate the price with the merchant, and was stunned by the final amount of money she got.

That elegant and luxurious little coat, plus the beautiful jewel-studded boots on Ines' feet, were actually pawned for 20 Serian gold coins.

This is equivalent to nearly 24 Orland gold crowns. You should know that the price of a complete set of ordinary noble plate armor customized from top to bottom is only 38 gold crowns.

The two waited for a while while the merchant counted the payment for the goods, and finally solved the dilemma of having no money.

20 Serian gold coins is a considerable sum of money for ordinary people.

After tying the heavy purse around his waist, Leon returned from the counting counter to Ines, who was sitting on a chair in the front hall.

Seeing the girl bending her legs and leaning lazily against the back of the chair, with her white feet hanging to avoid touching the ground, Leon hesitated for a moment and asked, "How about I carry you to buy shoes?"

But after hearing this, Ines looked up meaningfully, tilted her head, and smiled slightly: "Carry me? Lord Leon, haven't you touched me enough just now? Be careful, I will report to Miss Olivia when I go back~"

Leon was startled when he heard this, and waved his hands quickly: "Ah? Of course not! Then, Your Highness, please wait here for me. I'll go buy two pairs of shoes and come back soon."

After saying that, he walked out of the shop somewhat embarrassedly and "fled" to the nearest tailor shop.

Hearing the silver bell-like laughter coming from behind him, Leon felt a little annoyed.

I was just naughty before I woke up, and now this little girl has taken advantage of me.

Leon didn't dare to think about it. If Olivia knew about it and got angry, how would he comfort her? He couldn't break their record of being a model couple who had never blushed for such a thing.
With his extraordinary observation skills, Leon recalled the size of Ines's little feet, bought her and himself a pair of shoes, and hurried back to the girl to give them to her to change into.

The two then bought a set of ordinary casual clothes in the market and quickly found a nearby hotel to change clothes.

He had been running around wearing an acolyte robe with the Holy Sun pattern on it. If he were to be questioned by people from the church, there would always be a risk that he would not be able to explain himself clearly. After all, neither he nor Ines had anything to prove their identity.

He changed into casual clothes in the small room of the hotel and simply cleaned the wound on his foot. Considering the minimal magic power in his body at the moment, Leon was not in a hurry to heal the wound. He just wrapped his foot, put on his shoes and left the room.

Coming to the next door and knocking, Leon waited patiently.

Soon, Ines, who had changed into a corseted hunting suit, opened the door.

Seeing the little princess, who usually dresses elegantly and luxuriously, wearing civilian clothes, I have to say that she has a different style from Olivia in casual clothes.

"Shall we go downstairs and eat something first? Of course, if you are tired, just rest in the house first, and I will bring you food." Leon asked.

Ines frowned, patted the short sword she bought from the market for self-defense at her waist, shook her head and said, "I don't dare to be too far away from you alone now, let's go eat together."

Of course, Leon also thought so. The other party was not Olivia, whose appearance was deceptive, but a serious weak girl. Although she had learned a few moves, even with a sword, she was only slightly stronger than an ordinary person with no combat experience. Without the protection of enchanted armor, she would probably be 40-60% defeated if she faced an old farmer who had been a conscripted soldier.

Leading the little princess to the restaurant on the first floor of the hotel, Leon asked her to find a seat, then went to the bar and used the change he earned from buying clothes to order the best food and drinks for the two hungry people.

While he was getting the change, Leon chatted and quietly asked:
"Boss, Rolandar City has recovered much faster than the last time I came here."

The bearded owner of the hotel counted the change and pushed it over with a confused look on his face, but he didn't mind chatting with this generous guest.

".Restore? What do you mean? Restore what?"

Leon frowned slightly, and quickly changed his words ambiguously: "I mean, the city seems to have recovered and is as lively as when I last came here on the Ascension Festival."

Hearing this, the bearded boss grinned and said, "Of course. The king's parade will enter the city tomorrow. How can it not be lively? Your Majesty is also from Rolandar. I heard that when he returns from the royal city for pilgrimage, he will hold a grand celebration in the city that is no less grand than the Ascension Festival. Did you get it from somewhere else? Then you are in time. Let's celebrate together in the city in a few days."

Leon nodded with gratitude and asked, "It seems that your business is more prosperous than in previous years."

The bearded boss leaned against the table and said proudly, "God of Heaven, with the blessing of the Prophet, my business will never be bad in any year."

Leon's heart moved, and the strange feeling deepened. He said naturally: "I really envy you. I travel back and forth to the Northern Kingdom for business, and my life is getting worse and worse. Boss, have you been doing well in the past few years? It seems that I should try to open an inn in my hometown."

The bearded boss stroked his beard and shrugged, saying, "Young man, you have to think it over before you do this. My business is not as easy as it looks, and things are unpredictable. Don't think that my store is doing well now. Six years ago, when the brutal Kantardars came in, I fled in disgrace and thought I would never have the chance to return to the Holy Land City."

After listening to the other party's advice in casual conversation, Leon held his fingers and tightened them.

Six years ago? The Kantardars came to attack?
Six years ago? ?

"Hey, boss, tell me, what year is this? I've been away from home and stayed in Orlando in the north for too long that I can't even remember the calendar." Leon looked away and asked casually.

"Which year? Ah. I really can't remember it when you mention it so suddenly." The bearded boss scratched his chin. He knew the date, of course, but as for age, no one was too lazy to remember it unless there was something important.

He turned around and shouted to his son, who was working in the back room, "Jock! What year is this? Do you remember?"

The man busy in the kitchen turned around and shouted impatiently: "866!"

in front of the counter.

Leon's pupils contracted instantly.

866 of Serrian?
Convert the Holy Sun Church calendar used by Serrian to the Orland calendar, which is 678.
this means
Now it's three years later!!!?
I was "blasted" to three years later from April of the 675th year of the Orland calendar?
This. How could this be so outrageous?

Leon was stunned.

(End of this chapter)