Uncle here isn't your average office worker!

Where there are Candle Knights, there will be the grandest stage. This statement, made by a famous Kazimierz knightly esports commentator in the guest commentary booth, is undoubtedly the greatest praise for the Candle Knights and the best statement of reality.

Blood Knight is powerful, but he is burdened with the despicable identity of an infected. Left Knight is a veteran on the battlefield, but he is stuck in the top 16 and can't turn things around. Almost no knight has the graceful figure, elegant swordsmanship, and gorgeous and romantic Originium Arts as Candle Knight. If it weren't for the sudden appearance of Meteor Knight, Candle Knight would undoubtedly be the brightest star of this tournament.

She never became proud of this. In contrast to the extravagant life of the Red Wine Baths and hundreds of male servants that the Red Wine Newspapers slandered, Viviana anonymously donated 90% of her salary and bonuses to a charity account every month. As the illegitimate child of a Letanian nobleman, she cared more about homeless children than anyone else. Although she never appeared in any orphanages in person, orphanages established and maintained with her funding were spread throughout every corner of Casimir.

She doesn't care about other people's slander, but she can't deny that her own emotions are becoming increasingly numb.

She idolized heroic knights and aimed to do good and save lives, but aside from donating her prize money, she didn't know what else she could do. Suffering, for her, was a real yet abstract concept. Because, as she herself said, whether in Letania or Casimir, she lived in the upper-middle class. She had never stepped down from the tower, much less into the midst of the suffering on earth.

In her quest to understand the nature of suffering, she did venture beyond the Great Knight's territory to observe the lives of those outside the city (details can be found in the Skyburst Chronicles). However, this "scholarly research" approach, while revealing more concrete hardships, only deepened her confusion. She could clearly abandon the life she currently enjoyed, but that would be pointless. Her current life as a competitive knight at least allowed her to earn substantial funds for charitable causes, but giving it up would only make her one of those people, without improving their lives in any way.

She was gradually becoming numb, wanting to teach others how to fish but feeling lost and directionless. She could only give them fish, but couldn't change the broader reality. When poetry and novels clashed with reality, she suddenly realized that even the most "realistic" content could not ultimately withstand the "absurdity" of reality.

But amidst this confusion, she suddenly saw a ray of light.

That beam of light was originally the Radiant Knight, but now it belongs to Roy.

The Radiant Knight used her brilliance to tell all the knights in Kazimierz who still held ideals that true knights still existed in this land of knights. But her life was far too short, fleeting. When she, lost and confused, wanted to see the Radiant Knight with her own eyes, she was still branded with evil and deception, and sentenced to exile.

Viviana thought she would be lost again, but as if the heavens were finally smiling upon her, she soon met someone similar to the Radiant Knight, yet completely different—Roy.

Viviana still remembered the scene when she first met Roy. It was a night when even the two moons were hidden from view. She stood alone in front of the hotel's floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the bustling earth below. It was then that Roy appeared behind her.

At that moment, she didn't even turn her head, but calmly asked the man who had deliberately made some noise, "I heard from the spokesperson that the Business Federation has methods to control disobedient competitive knights. Those methods come from an ancient legend. Are you here to kill me?"

“No need to be so nervous, ma’am,” Roy said politely, deftly taking two bottles of wine from the room, which was laid out almost identically, and putting them in his pocket. “I’m your neighbor who lives next door. I saw you at the window, so I came over to say hello. I think you must have a lot of questions to ask, and I think I can help you answer them.”

“Answer?” Viviana was skeptical of what the man behind her was saying, but her confusion urged her to speak. “I simply want to witness the glory of knights in this era. True glory.”

“Then you must have seen her already,” Roy said, as if he had the magic to see through people’s hearts. His words were as incisive as they had been countless times in the future: “You became a competitive knight because of the Radiant Knight. Her radiance must have influenced you.”

"But how can those who have witnessed the light endure the darkness again? Even the Radiant Knights, when they tried to destroy the tower that ruled Kazimierz, suffered a crushing defeat."

“Because she didn’t lose to the tower, but to the people,” Roy replied. “People only see her as another winner in a game, not as a revolutionary. That’s not surprising, nor should we be too harsh. People from the countryside might hesitate at a traffic light when they suddenly come to a big city like Cavalliaki, and similarly, people from big cities might not be able to distinguish between wheat and rice when they go to the countryside. They simply live in different social environments, so they can’t understand what the Radiant Knight has done.”

"The Radiant Knight's direct disruption of the system cannot eliminate the hostility and discrimination in people's hearts, and it will also ruin many people's lives. What she really wanted to do and should have done was to awaken people's honor and virtue. Unfortunately, even she herself did not realize this at that time."

Viviana was slightly taken aback. For the first time, the idea of ​​"enlightenment" came to her mind. The man's words sounded so simple and easy to understand, but upon deeper reflection, they were so profound.

She was already somewhat tempted, but she still suppressed the urge to turn around. She was afraid that if she turned back, the mysterious "neighbor" would disappear like a wise sage in a novel who answers questions. She could only continue asking questions, as if she wanted to pour out all the doubts in her mind at once:

"Then do you think Kazimierz still possesses virtue and honor?"

"Yes," Roy answered readily, a faint aroma of wine lingering in his voice.

"Where?" she pressed.

“Isn’t that what’s in front of me?” he replied.

Viviana was slightly taken aback. The feeling of being moved overwhelmed her barely held willpower. For the first time, she turned around and, with the help of the flickering candlelight, cast her gaze upon the face of the man in the room.

Handsome, elegant, and with a somewhat cynical smile, he was quite different from the person who uttered what could be called "philosophical" words in the book. He was not a wise old man with a white beard, but rather a young man who did not look much older than himself.

Viviana thought of the sages or fools in chivalric romances who knew the truth, and with anticipation in her eyes, she continued:

"But she feels that everything she's doing is meaningless, and might even harm those around her. Even so, should she still do it?"

Roy reached out and picked up the oldest and most popular collection of poems in Kazimierz on the table. He turned to the last page and began to read aloud the poem that was known to every household in Kazimierz:

"Ah, last knight, you charge into the waves, do you think you can conquer this land?"

This was his answer.

When that knight charged into the boundless waves, do you think he was thinking of conquering this land?

Idealists don't do things just to achieve them. If you yearn for light, then go after the light. You may never be able to imprison the light in your own hands, but at least on the way to the light, you will be constantly enveloped by its light.

Viviana may come to understand these principles in the future, but Roy is simply informing the confused girl in front of him in advance, which can be considered as doing a good deed for the day.

But for Viviana, it was a great salvation.

If the Radiant Knight merely passed by the Candle Knight in a dashing manner, showing her that there was still light on earth, then Roy truly pointed out the direction of that light for her.

At the time, she didn't understand the flutter in her heart, only thinking it was the excitement of finding the answer. But today, she can tell herself clearly that she likes this young mentor.

The high heels clicked rhythmically on the ground, and as the Candle Knight stepped onto the field, cheers and screams never ceased.

"I am so glad that even my tiny candlelight can emit such a blazing light."

She described herself in this way, and it was also a way of paying tribute to all the audience members and her opponents present.

Immediately afterwards, she looked up at the front row of the audience, where a suspicious person was sitting, wearing a baseball cap, sunglasses, a face mask, a scarf around his neck, and dressed in sportswear, fully armed.

But Viviana could still recognize him at a glance.

"You've finally come. Are you afraid of losing to me in the next match?"

"Then let me show you how much I've improved over this period of time, Mr. Roy."

The candle sword flickered with light, and Viviana sang softly, her gentle voice like a bard's lament, piercing through the howling blizzard of the Winter Knights and striking straight into the hearts of everyone present.

Letania's unique sonic magic was now revealing just the tip of the iceberg of her elegant yet powerful nature.

P.S.: I took on a project, a Pokémon game written by hxd. Feel free to check it out.

Having lost their memories, they opened their eyes in the era when the Pokémon League had just been established. Humans and Pokémon had not yet fully accepted each other, most of their history had been lost, and even the legendary gods no longer turned their gaze to the earth.

"Excellent! This is the perfect opportunity to instigate a great rebellion!"

Having inherited the power of the Creator's Shadow, the Lord of the Reverse World, and one of the Mythical Pokémon, Tsukasa Kamikawa, who for some unknown reason was able to open the Reverse World portal, believes that the unification of the world is today!

Until he discovered that those legendary Pokémon all had wingspans of hundreds of meters, and could tear apart continents and create giant whirlpools that swept across the entire ocean with a single stomp of their claws.

—Kamikawa Tsukasa believes that he is essentially a pacifist.

"I, Giratina, refuse to rebel!"

I, Giratina, refuse to rebel.

Book 1: Chapter 87 Roy: I will never lose

"??——!"

Even though there was no musical instrument in his hand, a short melody suddenly appeared in the air, and the candlelight outlined musical notes in mid-air, which then transformed into countless shapes and shot towards the Winter Knight.

The Candle Knight and the Winter Knight have excellent compatibility. Fire magic is inherently more effective at suppressing ice magic in actual combat, not to mention that the caster is Viviana Drost, one of the top sorcerers in Kazimierz.

As if influenced by this noble atmosphere, even the commentator on the commentary stage, who was usually known for his wild style, temporarily abandoned his roaring commentary. He had somehow changed into a tuxedo, which gave him a more upper-class feel. Compared to the big-mouthed Mob, he described the Candle Knight's spells with clear and distinct words:

"What beautiful magic! The Candle Knight is not a blood-soaked warrior, but an elegant musician. Her attacks are not deadly blades, but breathtaking notes and melodies!"

"The Winter Knight is completely captivated, powerless to resist, and is about to be defeated!"

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

The knight standing opposite Viviana suddenly woke up, shook his head somewhat awkwardly, and finally, in front of everyone, took off his helmet and threw it on the ground.

His snow-white silver hair, like his name, symbolized the harshest winter, while his Ursus ears made most of the casual viewers frown. This race, combined with these characteristics, always made them think of something bad.

"What have we just seen? The mysterious Winter Knight has removed his helmet! He's an Ursus!"

"A warrior from the distant border of Uka came because he admired the prosperity and beauty of Kazimir. The tolerant Kazimir—our homeland—also generously accepted his identity. Dear viewers, I think this is a kind of confidence!"

The commentator's upturned head and beaming smile immediately eased the furrowed brows of the Kazimierz man who had been slightly dissatisfied.

Indeed, it's only natural that the Ursus people from the border of Ursus came to the Great Knight's Territory because they admired the glory of Kazimir, and became knights in the spotlight, abandoning the life of mere beasts in Ursus. Where does their sorrow and discontent come from? Shouldn't they, like the commentator, hold their heads high and show a confident smile?

At this moment, Marner, who had changed her tea-drinking and newspaper-reading location from Zofia's house to the Grand Knight Commander's office, turned her head slightly to look at the silent Russell beside her and asked:

"Aren't you angry?"

“I just feel sad.” Russell closed his eyes and sighed deeply. “I thought it was my imagination, but now I’m sure.”

"Bill Winter is just a pseudonym given to him by the Business Federation. His real identity is Ivan Romanovich Ivanov, a centurion of the elite Hundred Battles Vanguard under the Third Army of Ursus. In the last Uka War, his squad besieged and killed thirteen knights."

"Such people can appear in the Great Knight Territory with impunity simply by changing their name and identity, and even become knight idols worshipped by the people of Kazimierz."

Marna scoffed.

"If this is progress, I'd rather not have it."

“I will submit this matter to the National Assembly,” Russell said slowly, but his tone was firm. “But as for this match, Viviana will probably have a hard time.”

Whether she was a proper soldier or a battle-hardened elite centurion, Russell didn't think Viviana would have a chance of winning if they really got serious against a gladiator knight like Viviana who had never been on the battlefield.

These two are definitely not on the same level.

"Although it's not a very handy weapon, it's enough to deal with a little girl like you."

A cruel smile spread across the Winter Knight's face as he thrust his triangular sword, like a bayonet on a heavy crossbow, toward Viviana's heart. Viviana frowned slightly, her rapier lightly flicking at the candlelight. In the blink of an eye, a wall of blazing fire appeared before her. While maintaining the fire wall, Viviana murmured a song, her voice resonating with the candlelight. The spell was activated, and flames, like musical notes, gathered on the candle sword, coating the slender blade with a blazing golden light.

"Go!"

With a sharp shout, Viviana took a step forward, her rapier rising from the lower left to the upper right. Accompanied by a graceful dance-like movement, five musical note fireballs pierced through the wall of fire and shot towards the charging Winter Knight.

"My God, the Candle Knight unleashed a spell combo! First, he used a wall of fire to defend, then he enhanced his weapon with candlelight, and finally he released a ball of candlelight to intercept the Winter Knight's attack. How is the Winter Knight supposed to deal with such an impenetrable combo?... What? He didn't dodge or evade! The Winter Knight just charged straight in!"

With a wild smile on his face, the Winter Knight, or rather Ivan, charged straight toward the direction from which the fireball was coming without the slightest hesitation.

The magic of the Lytanians is unpredictable and ever-changing, and their nation is renowned as a land of art and magic. However, during the Great Conquest of yesteryear, even under the reign of the Witch King, Lytania was merely another stepping stone for the Ursus emperor to establish his immortal achievements. To counter the Lytanians, Ursus had long ago developed magic countermeasures that could nullify all Originium Arts within a certain area. These units are now possessed even by the most ordinary Ursus police officers (collectible: Ursus baton). How could he, as a centurion, not have one?

The unit was currently stored in his triangular sword. Once activated, even a tower sorcerer would be helpless against it, let alone a naive young girl.

"Your spells have no effect on me."

He said dismissively, and thrust his triangular sword at the fireball.