Become a knight starting with synthesized entries.

Three days later

remote fortress,

Luo An slowly opened his eyes, and after a long while, he got out of bed and let out a long sigh.

My whole body aches terribly.

Since acquiring dragon blood, Luo An has never experienced pain lasting a whole day.

Licking his dry lips, Luo An saw the cold iron kettle by the bed, raised the kettle high, tilted his head back and opened his mouth.

As ice water dripped from the spout, Luo An realized that the kettle had frozen solid.

"Damn it." Luo An cursed. He didn't have the strength to spit out the dragon flame. He casually threw the pot into a corner, gritted his teeth, stood up, and limped out of the tent.

The tent flap was lifted, and the guards stationed there saluted Luo An.

"Lord Roan, it's time to depart. The lord is waiting for you."

Tomorrow is His Excellency Levi's funeral.

Luo An nodded. "I understand."

The sound was very soft, and regardless of whether the guards heard it or not, he walked to an open space in front of the fortress outside the camp, where the griffin was yawning listlessly.

After waiting for a while, Heather came over. She was dressed in a solemn black travel outfit and robe, with Yayan in a black nun's robe and Jackie, the apprentice knight, behind her.

As they walked, Heather instructed Jackie, "Maintain the established patrol routes according to Levi's plan. If possible, recruit some villagers as militia and put them on the training schedule. Any problems?"

Jackie nodded quickly, bowing deeply. "Yes, Your Excellency, no problem."

Heather turned to Ya Yang, "Ya Yang, I'll have to trouble you with things here."

Ya Yang lowered her eyes, then looked up at him and forced a smile: "Mm."

As they spoke, the three approached Roan. Jackie nodded to Roan in greeting.

Heather lightly leaped onto the griffin's back, sat sideways, and nodded to Roan. "Let's go."

"Yes, Your Excellency." Roan took a light breath and sat down behind Heather.

Just as the griffin was about to flap its wings, Ya Yang raised her head and called out to Luo An.

"Wait, Roan!"

Upon hearing this, Heather gently patted the griffin, and the griffin immediately retracted its wings.

Luo An looked down at Ya Yang, his once beautiful eyes now clearly red and swollen.

"What's wrong?"

Ya Yang gritted her teeth slightly, "Luo An, I—I don't understand, why, Lord Levi, he was so good, deeply loved his mother, and was deeply loved by his mother, why did he die?"

Why couldn't even you, under your mother's watchful eye, save Lord Levi?

Luo An was speechless for a moment.

Heather suddenly spoke up: "This is the fate of knights. We are not called knights because of our strength, and we will not die in our beds, Goddess Knight Yayang, you should know that."

After saying that, Heather patted the griffin, and the griffin immediately took off. The remote fortress rapidly shrank in the field of vision, soon becoming a small dot at their feet.

It had just snowed, and the sky was filled with turbulent currents that whipped Heather's golden ponytail, making it flutter wildly.

Luo An silently stared at the direction the ponytail would point, trying to guess which way it would point next.

"The church contacted me yesterday," Heather said without turning her head.

"You attacked the church in the Pong territory, and so many people were watching."

"Fortunately, you attacked a cult member. Father Gregory defended you, saying you were preventing a cult member from escaping."

"Considering you are a knight watched over by the Great Mother, the Church has decided not to pursue the matter. Just go and apologize to the guards who were attacked."

Luo An hummed in agreement, silently thanking the church in his heart. He thanked Father Ge Gao.

Heather was silent for a moment, then spoke again. "Is it related to Levi's death?"

Roan shook his head. "It's alright, Your Excellency. You know that Lord Levi's character is noble, and the corruption of cultists has no effect on him."

"So he went to steal the dragon's flesh and blood?!" Heather's voice suddenly rose a few decibels.

"I found Levi's suicide note, or more accurately, his confession."

"He had already planned his fate when he was stealing. You understand, Roan?"

Heather handed a letter to Roan.

"Levi knew he was going to die all along. He's a fool. If he wanted dragon flesh, he could have just asked me, asked you. Neither of us would have refused him. Especially since you're an alchemist."

But he's a fool to think that gaining power from external forces is a disgrace.

We are knights and warriors. If we are strong enough, even if we plunder, bards will still sing our praises.

My father, Levi's, and my ancestors were all equally stupid.

That's why I hate chivalry!

Luo An took the envelope, silently put it away, and realized there was no point in reading the letter again.

Heather was silent for a moment, then spoke again: "Sorry, Roan, for making you listen to my rant."

You are an upright knight, unlike me, I'm sorry.

The two remained silent for the rest of the journey.

They didn't return to Lorton until the morning of the second day, a full day and night later.

The griffins landed directly at Lorton Castle.

Roan and Heather rode in a carriage to the church.

Reeves had already foreseen his impending doom in his letter. He requested that the funeral be simple, without disturbing anyone or having any outsiders present, and that the news be kept secret.

Therefore, apart from the familiar Mayor Hagrid, Father Gogg, and a few guards, there were only Roan and Heather.

Even so, Levi's funeral was still the highest-level funeral in Lorton.

Reeves' coffin, draped with the Lorton flag, lay in the center of the church on the stone platform in front of the statue of the Great Mother.

Candles burned quietly on all sides, casting a dim light, and the air was filled with the scent of cool frankincense.

Father Gogo chanted a prayer.

"Lord Levi is of impeccable reputation."

He wields his sword not to conquer, but to protect; he stands not in the rear, but in the perilous spot.

He knew that a knight's glory lay not in his title in life, but in dying without shame upon the oath he had sworn.

He never bowed to evil nor profited from lies throughout his life.

He was known for his integrity, and he ended his life in the same way.

May the earth accept his remains, and may the wind carry his last breath to his mother's throne.

The living should remember: A true knight is not one who is immortal, but one who, knowing death is inevitable, still chooses to go on.

After reciting the prayer, his voice was soft and echoed slowly between the stone walls.

The priest made the sign of the holy emblem, and everyone bowed their heads.

Then, several guards carried the coffin to a high point in the churchyard and buried him beneath the tombstones of the knights of the Age of Gods, in the same spot as the lords of Lorton.

Roan and Heather walked in front, while the others followed behind, each carrying a white candle, their eyes downcast and silent.

As the earth sealed the grave, the wind blew from the direction of the wasteland, briefly sweeping across the withered grass in front of the church.

The crowd put down their candles one by one. They tossed in the fine soil they held; there were no bugles, no speeches.

In the end, Luo An threw down a handful of fine soil and silently murmured, "Great Mother, may you always watch over Lord Levi."

The ceremony is complete.

The near-satellite filled with soil.

Luo An placed a candle in front of the tombstone.

This light will guide the great mother to find Levi and lead her soul back to the temple of the gods.