After concealing the entrance to the ruin with a spell that camouflaged it among the surrounding flowers, Théodore set off with the knights. Their arrival in the capital of Lionnes did not go unnoticed, attracting the admiring gazes of citizens gathered at the city gates.
Once at the gates of the Royal Academy, Roland addressed a servant of the tower: "Can you take care of this horse for me? Someone will come to fetch it. It's a robust man accompanied by a little girl."
The servant nodded vigorously and took charge of the horse. Théodore and the five others entered the academy and descended a staircase leading to a lower level. Inside, they found Alistair and Lucien, two eminent mages of the academy, seated around a large table.
Roland and the four other knights bowed respectfully before them. Théodore instructed them: "Approach one by one; they need to check if you have been affected by anything."
The knights nodded, trusting the academy's reputation. A few minutes later, after leaving the examination room, Alistair commented calmly : "It seems everything is in order."
Théodore sighed in relief, though he couldn't help but worry about the potential danger posed by the mysterious worm.
Lucien broke the silence: "Now that this matter is settled, let's move on to our mission. Knight Roland, we need your help to track down the culprits responsible for your apprentice's death."
Roland's eyes lit up at these words, expressing his desire for revenge. He nodded determinedly: "Tell me what I need to do so we can make them pay."
Lucien gave a satisfied smile: "We want you to disguise yourself as an apprentice knight, wearing a helmet. We don't know if your enemies have seen you, and they decided not to act upon discovering you are a sacred knight."
He paused, then added: "Of course, we won't put your life at risk. We lack information to gauge the strength of these wrongdoers; if they are disguised sacred knights, it could be fatal."
"We'll be hidden not far from you on the path to remain as discreet as possible. As soon as we hear sounds of combat, we'll intervene. You need to hold out until we arrive."
Roland nodded, eager to put the plan into action.
Lucien, with a barely perceptible smile, concluded: "It will happen today."
They couldn't afford to delay any longer. Naturally, if the bait didn't work, they had a plan B, albeit more complex to implement.
***
Meanwhile, as Xiao Yao galloped along the path, he noticed a much more bustling activity. Numerous merchants traversed the road, their curious glances directed at Xiao Yao, infusing a new liveliness into the once silent forest.
Sensing that he was approaching a town nestled in the heart of the forest, Xiao Yao tucked his map into his sleeve. It was then he heard whinnying behind him. Turning around, he saw a merchant with a fruit-laden cart pulled by a horse.
Xiao Yao stopped, prompting the merchant to do the same. The merchant eyed him warily, fearing a robbery. But Xiao Yao, indifferent to this mistrust, dismounted and led his horse to the merchant, handing over the reins as if to say, "Take this horse." The merchant, initially confused, watched in astonishment as the young man climbed into his cart and lay down among the fruits. Then, realizing what had just happened, he became ecstatic, unable to believe his unexpected fortune.
A well-maintained horse usually cost between five hundred and a thousand copper coins, and the white horse Xiao Yao had just given seemed even more valuable. The merchant, amazed by this windfall, didn't mind seeing the young man lying among his fruits, even eating some. Despite his amazement, he couldn't help but think the young man was a fool for giving up such a treasure.
Xiao Yao, indifferent to the merchant's thoughts, would have calmly responded if he could: "If I wanted to, I could give you a dragon and still lie on your cart."
Over the years, Xiao Yao had become very nonchalant about things he deemed trivial. The horse or the fruits held little value to him. If he wanted to taste the fruits, he didn't bother comparing the value of the horse and the fruits. To him, neither had any real importance.
Conversely, when it came to his interests, a different side of him emerged. He could become fierce and relentless, not allowing anyone to obstruct his path. His calm indifference hid a fierce determination, a steely will that only manifested when his objectives were at stake. For him, everyday things were minor distractions, but his ambitions and goals were sacred, pursued with relentless intensity.
As with the previous event, he didn't take the knights' arrogance to heart, especially after discerning a certain serenity mixed with praise in the old woman's gaze, likely the leader. Her acceptance of him taking one of their horses showed she wasn't narrow-minded.
If there had been hostility or a hint of resentment from the old woman, the peaceful forest might have gained a few more graves, an outcome he preferred to avoid.
Despite his apparent indifference, he had developed a habit of reading the personalities of those around him.
And so, amidst the jolting of the forest path, a young man lay among fresh fruits in the cart. His presence, a stark contrast to the surrounding rural simplicity, evoked an effortless tranquility. He savored the fruits with nonchalant relish, as if each bite brought him the same delight as a gourmet enjoying a rare dish. Beside him, the cart driver, focused on the road ahead, occasionally cast perplexed glances at this unusual passenger, juggling between disbelief and a resigned amusement towards the strangeness of the situation.
***
Along a path winding beside a sparkling river, a knight proudly adorned with the crest of the Lionnes kingdom, a blue fabric adorning his shoulder, galloped with an almost meditative grace. His horse, with measured steps, seemed enchanted by the serenity of the surrounding nature. The knight attentively watched the shimmering reflections of the river under the sunlight, absorbing the peaceful beauty that surrounded him. Each hoofbeat harmonized with the soothing murmur of the water, creating a silent symphony in this bucolic scene.
Suddenly, a shrill whistle shattered the calm from nearby bushes, causing the knight's startled horse to leap along the riverside trail. The knight, surprised but quick to react, deftly dodged the crossbow bolt shot by a man in knight's attire, sporting a long scar across his face.
"Hahaha, I didn't expect a horse from the knight's academy to be so easily frightened." mocked the man's voice.
"You're right, brother. This one isn't too bad; he managed to dodge my big brother's arrow." added another knight, appearing beside the first, his helmet casting ominous reflections in the forest's dim light.
Upon seeing the two "knights" before him, Roland, disguised as an apprentice knight, felt anger rising in his heart, but he suppressed it for the moment, preferring to gather information.
"Who are you ?" Roland demanded, his resentful gaze hidden beneath his helmet.
Sometimes, people reveal more when they feel victorious than under torture.
The man with the crossbow spat on the ground with a sinister smile and replied, "Someone you can't provoke."
Roland retorted firmly, "Do you know the kingdom's punishment for those who threaten a knight's safety ?"
The other "knight," teasingly, retorted, "What? We are knights, and you are just a kid pretending to be one of us."
At these words, Roland cursed their impudence, then gripped his sword firmly before charging.
The scarred man shot a bolt from his crossbow, but Roland, with uncanny precision, parried it with his sword. A glimmer of surprise crossed the man's eyes as he quickly stepped back. Behind him, his companion emerged, sword in hand, ready to confront Roland.
Without wasting a second, the crossbowman reloaded and shot again, forcing Roland into a series of acrobatic movements to dodge the bolts. Each dodge by Roland was followed by an expert parry to counter the swordsman.
The two men engaged in a fierce duel. The clashing of swords echoed in the air, each blow parried with skillful ripostes. Roland sidestepped, narrowly avoiding a thrust and retaliating with a sharp backswing that his opponent struggled to block.
After a minute of intense combat, the two swordsmen paused briefly to catch their breath, while the crossbowman frantically searched his pouch for more arrows. His eyes, once teasing, now betrayed a hint of seriousness. This apprentice knight before them was stronger than they had imagined.
The swordsman, in a sinister tone, remarked, "It seems the apprentices of the knights' academy are not as weak as I thought."
Upon hearing this, Roland could only inwardly chuckle. He had avoided using his sacred knight's power initially, fearing that other hidden enemies might escape upon discovering the trap. Now that a minute had passed, he knew the academy's mages had already surrounded the area. The eerie silence indicated there was no one else.
His eyes hardened, and he released sparks that enveloped his sword, swirling around his hands. The two opponents recoiled, shocked.
"You... You've trapped us!" exclaimed the crossbowman, terror visible on his face.
The swordsman glared at him with anger and declared, "A sacred knight disguised as an apprentice knight. It seems we have been discovered."
Even as he uttered those words, he couldn't understand how this had happened. They had made every effort to remain discreet. What he didn't know was that the day they had killed the wine-loving apprentice knight, if they had turned their heads a little further, they would have discovered a father and daughter couple watching them from afar.
Fortunately for them, by coincidence, a bear's roar had resounded, forcing them to flee hastily through the bushes. The father and daughter, involuntary witnesses, had thus escaped their attention and been able to report what they had seen to the academy.
Roland, now surrounded by crackling sparks, advanced with determined steps. The crossbowman, still terrified, stood ready to fire a final bolt, while the swordsman, anger in his eyes, raised his weapon for one last stand.
"Do you think you can get away so easily?" roared Roland, his voice resonating with the power of his sacred ability.
Silence briefly settled, just long enough for his adversaries to understand the extent of their mistake. Fear mingled with anger in their eyes, but it was too late. The academy's mages were already there, unseen but ready to intervene.
The crossbowman, desperate, attempted one last attack, but a bolt of lightning shot from Roland's sword, destroying his weapon and throwing him backward. The swordsman, realizing the futility of the situation, tried to flee.
A sacred knight was not someone they could provoke, especially one who was not a weak rank 9.
The swordsman, who had started to run, suddenly felt weak. Lowering his eyes, he saw vines entwining around his legs, their thorns piercing his flesh and causing him to cry out in pain before he fell unconscious.
"Not good! Mages!" thought the swordsman before falling into a coma.
Théodore emerged from the bushes, followed by a few young mages. He approached Roland and nodded with satisfaction.
"Very well, Knight Roland. You played your role perfectly. Our mages found nothing, which means there are only two of them."
Roland nodded and asked, "What do we do now?"
Theodore, smiling, replied, "Of course, we will make them talk. There is a small ruined cabin in the middle of the forest, just nearby, that we saw while looking for their accomplices. We will torture them there."
"Master Lucien will join us after receiving an item from Master Alistair," Theodore continued, looking at the two unconscious 'knights' on the ground.
Roland nodded, leaving everything to them. In his heart, he sought only revenge for his comrade.