I want to be a faded person for life

The fully armed knight stepped out of the shadows and casually threw the corpse to the feet of the beast demon warrior. The greasy blood left a wet arc on the ground.

The old knight tapped his shield with the tip of his spear, and the blood-stained gray feathers on his helmet shook slightly.

"You are not the only one playing the role of hunter. I, Storm Knight Eric, have been waiting for this day for a long time."

"Vile beast ghost."

Chapter 15: The Knight Returns

With Eric's appearance, the outcome of the battle was no longer in doubt.

The beast demon retreated in panic, pointed the weapon in its hand at the knight, and let out a roar that the two men could not understand.

Xiangzi and Eric just held their weapons tightly and remained silent.

The beast demon immediately abandoned the girl and set its sights on the old knight.

If it could kill Xiangzi quickly and then have a one-on-one duel with the old knight, it might have a certain chance of winning.

But the beast ghost didn't dare to expose his back to the old knight Eric at this time. When fighting with such a powerful knight, just exposing a little flaw was enough to be fatal.

What's more, now that the siege plan has failed, there is no point in killing the Faded Ones who can revive the Faded Ones at the Blessing Point once or twice.

"Look here, Ms. Toyokawa... Storm Blade—this is how you use it!"

Eric thrust his iron spear into the ground, took the greatsword from his back and assumed an attacking stance. Storms surged from all directions and converged on the tip of his sword.

The old knight took a sharp breath, and even the plates of his heavy armor made noises due to the squeezing and colliding with each other. Then he roared angrily, and slashed at the beast ghost with his greatsword with a sharp airflow.

The beast ghost immediately raised his weapon to block the powerful sword, and his body could not stop retreating.

The knight's broadsword collided with the beast ghost's rough iron sword. The fierce metal collision sound almost became a continuous roar. Sparks and iron chips flew in all directions and swept into the depths of the cave, forming a terrifying storm.

Blood and hair kept splattering from the beast ghost's body. Xiangzi squinted his eyes and barely saw what was happening.

The storm still wrapped around the old knight's weapon. Every time the weapons collided, although the beast ghost could barely resist the physical knight's sword, the invisible blade wrapped around the sword's edge could still penetrate the defense and cause damage to it.

Not only that, driven by the storm, each sword of the old knight was extremely heavy, suppressing the beast ghost that was taller than him and forcing it to retreat continuously.

As expected of Stonewell's Storm Rider, his proficiency is decisively different from Xiangzi's, who merely used spirit ashes to replicate this technique.

Xiangzi had never thought that the Storm Blade could be used in this way, but with her physical strength, she could not withstand such unscrupulous consumption as Eric.

The beast ghost was covered in blood and had been forced into a desperate situation. It spun its body again and swept the sharp blade under its cloak towards the knight's face.

Sure enough, it’s this trick again!

Xiangzi, who was watching the fight from the side, seized the opportunity and threw his weapon. The dagger flew out and pinned the beast ghost's cloak to the ground.

The beast ghost's body was pulled to the ground by his cloak and he let out a terrified roar. Such a flaw was enough to be fatal.

Under the greatsword, the metal pieces on the cloak scattered everywhere, hitting the iron armor and making a tinkling sound.

A huge wound cut open the entire back of the beast ghost, extending from the left shoulder to the waist and hips, and the blood was like a scarlet flag unfolding in the air.

The old knight lowered his shield, and the heavy shield made a dull sound as it collided with the ground.

The desolate and heroic war cry lingered in the depths of the empty cave.

-

"It was a delightful battle, Miss Fader."

The old knight took off his helmet and sat on the abandoned camp.

Toyokawa Shoko didn't say anything.

"Hey...I really should have apologized first."

The old knight put his hands on his chest, made a standard knight's gesture, and bowed deeply.

"I have to stay and guard the camp...it's really just an excuse."

"I'm not confident I can handle both the Beast Swordsman and the priest at the same time. Actually, I've been following you since you entered the cave, waiting for the right moment to strike... I'm sorry for using you as bait."

The beast ghosts' corpses were piled up at the entrance of the cave, burning fiercely in the flames, and the fat and hair were ignited, giving off an unpleasant smell.

The old man took out a pipe from his breastplate and lit it with a flint to dispel some of the surrounding smell.

"I concealed the true number of cave beasts and gave you false information... I was worried that if I revealed the true situation in the cave, you would refuse to accept this commission. However, these are not excuses. The name of the knight has been tarnished by my despicable actions."

The girl finally breathed out, her expression becoming a little more relaxed.

"It's okay. After all, I accepted your benefits in advance, and now I have the runes I need... There's no need for you to apologize."

The knight shook his head.

"These are two different things... Those are just the rewards for the commission. I have no complaints even if you chop off my head for doing something like this."

He felt around his body again and pulled out something else.

"As we agreed before, if you need it, you can always use the camp in front of the pass as a temporary base. As for these things... consider them as additional compensation."

Xiangzi took a roll of parchment and two strange coin-sized emblems from the other person.

"This is a map of the interior of Stonewell City. It shows all the major areas and the city's defense layout when I was on duty... It should only be used as a reference now, after all, Lord Greg has recruited other soldiers... But I think it should still be useful if you want to go into the city to rescue your companions."

This was indeed what Xiangzi wanted most now, and his resentment of being used as bait was swept away.

But...Xiangzi asked with some confusion.

"...You're a knight loyal to Greg, right? Is it really okay for me to give you something like this?"

The old man smiled silently, as if he had unloaded some burden and became relaxed and free.

"Don't misunderstand me. I have no intention of betraying Lord Greg. I'm simply willing to help you find friends in the city... And from your description, the other girl probably isn't a formidable warrior. Lord Greg wouldn't need to use a child like that for a limb-reattachment ritual."

"That lord is a noble demigod. Even I am no match for Lord Greg... Once you find your friend, leave Stonewell as soon as possible. It's too dangerous for you."

The other two metal badges, one is made of gold with a red fire dragon pattern engraved on it, and the other is made of black iron with a storm and arrow engraved on it.

"These two are amulets. The Fire Dragon Emblem Amulet can help you resist fire damage, and the Far Arrow Amulet makes it easier to use some skills... It's also effective against Storm Blade."

"...This is all the help I can give you. I hope you can find your lost friend as soon as possible."

Xiangzi sensed something was not right from the old man's words.

"you..."

"Nothing, I just don't need these things anymore."

The old knight got a cart from somewhere. The bodies of the soldiers in the cave were indeed difficult to deal with, so Eric had no choice but to burn them into ashes and transport them back to the camp along with their armor. Only the three soldiers who were tied to the tree by Xiangzi at the beginning followed him.

"It's time to go home."

The old knight said in a low voice.

Humming an out-of-tune ballad, the old man pushed a broken cart filled with ashes and old armor, moving towards the direction of the golden tree.

It is a very old song that reminds people of huge golden trees, windmills on the plateau, and the golden city in the afterglow.

...

A long time later, when Xiangzi went to the camp to replenish supplies and wanted to chat with the old man, he had turned into a zombie.

-

【Iron Arrow Amulet】

This amulet, shaped like three iron arrows, belongs to Eric the Storm Knight and reduces stamina consumption during long-range attacks.

Legend has it that a knight can harness the power of the storm to defeat a hundred enemies alone.

【Fire Dragon Emblem Amulet】

An amulet with a red ancient dragon pattern painted on it that can increase resistance to fire attributes.

In the prehistoric era before the Golden Tree appeared, it was said that the ancient dragon was the ruler of that era and the iron wall that protected the king.

Chapter 16: Moonlight, Dolls, and Missing

"In this era of disarray under the Golden Rule, many people are already dead. The only thing keeping them going is their obsession and mission."

"Losing your obsession and becoming a zombie is perfectly normal. It's not an embarrassing ending."

Melina's voice remained ethereal as she stared at the dancing flames on the campfire, seemingly unmoved by the story.

"Is our agreement okay?"

Xiangzi, who was sitting by the campfire, raised his head and asked back with a somewhat ferocious expression.

"What questions can I have?"

Melina didn't say much and remained calm.

"...I hope this doesn't slow you down."

"you..."

Even at times like this, he looks like Wakaba Mu, but this is the only thing that makes people particularly angry.

Xiangzi didn't say the second half of the sentence. It was not wise to vent his nameless anger on Melina, who had nothing to do with him.

What's wrong with me?

Xiangzi felt a little strange, as she and the old knight did not actually have such a deep friendship.

We had only known each other for two or three days, and he had nearly killed me twice in a row.

Although he had gained a lot from that man, he shouldn't be so upset about his fate. Recalling the old knight's hometown tune humming towards the golden tree and his lonely back, Xiangzi felt something inexplicably welling up from the depths of his nose.

Could it be because I miss home too?

I don’t know what happened to my bastard dad. Without me... I guess he can’t even afford the cheapest wine now.

I don’t know what happened to the real Mu... But she doesn’t regret her original choice, because it was indeed her mistake that caused Deng’s death.

There is still a chance to make amends now. One day in the future... I will definitely be able to return to the original world with Deng.

Xiangzi sniffed hard, hiding his weak self deeply, and his eyes became sharper.

At some point, Melina, who was sitting by the campfire with him, disappeared.

Although I have long been accustomed to the other party's elusiveness, this is the first time that he suddenly left while talking to me in the Church of Eile. Did I say too harshly just now?

Even the bonfire had become much dimmer at this moment, and Kale, who was leaning against the stone pillar, had fallen into a deep sleep.

Xiangzi finally realized that the situation here was abnormal. She stood up and grabbed the hilt of the knife at her waist.

A cool mist filled the Aire Church, and the surrounding environment became brighter after the bonfire dimmed.

Xiangzi looked up and was surprised to find that a light blue full moon had obscured the color of the golden tree.

It is so bright and so huge that even the ringed mountains on the surface of the moon can be vaguely seen. The cold moonlight covers the ground as if it has snowed white.

It turns out that this world has a moon.

My mood became strangely calm, and even the boredom and anger I had just felt disappeared.

Xiangzi looked around and suddenly found a girl in white clothes and a wide wizard's hat sitting on the dilapidated wall of the church.

The aura of the other person made her feel somewhat familiar. It seemed that he was not a living person but an exquisitely shaped doll. Was this the one causing the current abnormal situation?

Xiangzi plucked up her courage and took a few steps closer. The puppets that came to life under the moonlight... were very much in line with her childhood fantasies and stage aesthetics. Sure enough, all kinds of things could happen at the border.

When she got a little closer, she could see the other person's overly delicate face, long eyelashes, blue eyes, bloodless skin, ball joints and four strange arms.

It’s really a puppet, Xiangzi thought.

...It would be nice if I could bring my mother's doll into this world as well.

Xiangzi was lost in thought and his hand had touched it unconsciously.

"Please take your hands off me. Fader."

"...Can we have a normal chat for a few minutes?"

The puppet spoke!

Shoko Toyokawa was startled and quickly retracted her hand, but the other party did not make any extra movements. He just lowered his head and looked at her with some disgust. Apart from that, he seemed to have no ill intentions.

The doll turned its head slightly away from her, and its blue lips moved slightly as it spoke, as if made of some soft material.

"Nice to meet you, Fader... I'm Witch Reina."

"I heard there was a Faded One riding a spirit horse. It took me a while to find him... Looks like it was you."

"That spirit horse named Torret—you can summon it, right?"