The Holy Maiden's chest rose and fell sharply, her heavy breath striking Daniel's face. She stared at him for a long moment before regaining her composure.
"What are you talking about? Succubus? You're desecrating the Holy Maiden! Don't you know that with just one word from me, you'll..." The Holy Maiden whispered through gritted teeth, her pupils suddenly flashing with malevolent intent.
Daniel chuckled lightly. "Holy Maiden, if you're not afraid, then why don't you dare to speak loudly?"
His words caught the Holy Maiden off guard.
This was Goruna City, the bastion of humanity, and they were bitter enemies of the Demon Clan.
Her gaze swept across the square, a sea of people surrounding her. If her identity were exposed, the consequences would be catastrophic.
Before her stood a heretic bound by ropes, yet her heart raced uncontrollably.
She had worked so hard to become the Holy Maiden. If she were to be discovered, she would have nowhere to turn after parting ways with the Demon Clan!
The thought of such a terrifying outcome nearly made her lose control.
The Holy Maiden's expression darkened as she struggled to understand where she had exposed herself and what cards Daniel held.
"You all, get down!" The Holy Maiden suddenly shouted at the knights on the platform, completely abandoning her usual calm, pure, and kind demeanor.
The knights were taken aback and hurriedly fled the platform, not daring to ask what had gone wrong.
The crowd, who had been shouting for the heretic's execution just moments ago, was now left in confusion.
Why hadn't the Holy Maiden made her move yet?
Daniel smiled. "Alright, now it's just the two of us. Can we negotiate a deal?"
The Holy Maiden took a deep breath, straightened up, and coldly replied, "Do you really think you have the capital to negotiate with me? Do you honestly believe anyone would take your absurd claims seriously?"
"Why not?" Daniel raised an eyebrow. "As long as the seed of doubt is planted, even the Holy Maiden could run into plenty of trouble, right? You've certainly angered your share of aristocrats. Do you think they wouldn't find a way to cause you some problems?"
The Holy Maiden began to lose her composure.
She was being threatened.
The humanity race could sometimes be more despicable than the Demon Clan, and she certainly didn't want to find herself bound to the guillotine one day.
"Humanity and the Demon Clan have been fighting for so many years and have devised many ways to deal with the Demon Clan… Holy Maiden, do you understand one thing? Knowledge is the source of power! The Succubus species is the most fearful of glittering gold."
The Holy Maiden took a step back, her eyes wide, feeling as though the man before her was even more demonic than she was.
"How do you know that Succubi fear gold? What gives you the right to see through my identity?" The Holy Maiden couldn't hold back and questioned him urgently.
Daniel smiled. "Is it really that hard? It's all in the library. As for how I see through you, well, that's another matter."
"Enough of the nonsense. First, give me a legitimate reason. I don't want to become some ridiculous heretic. Second, if you want to know where I've seen through you, then from now on, whenever you see me, you'd better lower that arrogant head of yours. If I'm in a good mood, I might tell you."
Thinking for a moment, Daniel nodded. "Alright, let's keep it like that for now."
The Holy Maiden gritted her teeth and replied coldly, "So, just like that for now? What else do you want?"
Daniel shook his head. "Holy Maiden, you should act quickly. The people below are already talking."
Though the Holy Maiden was burning with frustration inside, she had to keep it under control.
Below the platform, a surging crowd was gathered.
Among them were the aristocrats who had nothing better to do but watch the Promotion Ceremony.
Those overindulged men and elegant, magnificent women did not look at the Holy Maiden with the same innocence as the knights did.
The Holy Maiden let out a heavy breath, feeling the pressure. She needed to find out what had gone wrong; otherwise, if a few more people learned of her identity, just the thought would drive her mad.
"Alright then." The Holy Maiden nodded and turned sharply to face the thousands of apprentice knights.
Daniel watched her pure silhouette, realizing that from this moment on, he would begin to take control!
"My warriors, it seems there has been a misunderstanding," the Holy Maiden said, gesturing towards Daniel with her hand.
"This knight is not a heretic, but rather a rare resistance to magical energy. If he were in another high city, he might have had other opportunities to become a powerful knight. But I believe his future will surely be devoted to the glory of Goruna City!"
With a snap of her fingers, a few rays of light swiftly cut through the air near Daniel, and the ropes binding him fell cleanly to the ground.
The Holy Maiden smiled, a hint of mischief on her lips as she whispered to Daniel, "Weak little humanity, at worst, we'll both perish together! Don't think that just because you know a little secret, you can have the upper hand over me!"
Daniel stood up, somewhat surprised.
He hadn't expected this Succubus to dare to act so boldly after just a turn; truly, she was a member of the Demon Clan.
Moreover, that last maneuver had grazed his neck with a sliver of Holy Light. If it had been off by just a fraction more, even with his resistance to Holy Light magical energy, he would have bled.
Daniel squinted his eyes.
"Brave common knight, to compensate for the fright you've received, I shall grant you a mansion." The Holy Maiden proclaimed, and the apprentice knights below erupted in excitement.
A mansion was something only aristocrats and High City Knights could possess!
How could a mere common knight own his own mansion?
Most knights were living in cramped dormitories, and even staying at an inn required a careful check of their wallets.
Amidst the envious and jealous gazes, many praised the Holy Maiden for her wisdom and kindness.
At that moment.
Daniel shone brightly in the eyes of his fellow students and teachers.
Having transmigrated to this Otherworld for so long, they understood that meeting the children of aristocrats was already difficult; for those in the lower class to climb up, they could only rely on military merit!
Yet here was Daniel, who had spoken with the Holy Maiden for so long—she was the only Holy Maiden in the high city. Just thinking about it made them feel that Daniel's future prospects could be significant.
On the platform.
Daniel placed a fist against his chest and performed a knightly salute before descending.
The Holy Maiden watched Daniel's retreating figure with a sly smile.
Her granting him a mansion was not an act of kindness; it was to make it easier for her to keep an eye on him.
She would not allow any humanity to try to ride over her.
Then, the Promotion Ceremony proceeded smoothly, with no further incidents.
In Daniel's square formation, only two were promoted to High City Knight.
The balding senior, James, did not make the cut, nor did the class beauty, Catherine.
Instead, the rather gloomy teacher Donnie and an inconspicuous female student became High City Knights.
Out of the more than half of the school that transmigrated, only two had been promoted to High City Knight.
At last, ten thousand knights donned their armor and set forth.
Those who had become High City Knights were assigned to ride Unicorns, leading the way for the various square formations.
Elite knights on armored warhorses followed behind.
Every few months, Goruna City and the Demon Clan had a tacit agreement to hold a newcomer battle.
Only those who had truly experienced blood and fire on the battlefield and survived could qualify to enjoy all the privileges of a knight.
The same was true for the Demon Clan.
The grand procession moved out of Goruna City.
"Daniel, can I stay at your mansion sometime?" Class beauty Catherine squeezed her way over during the march.
She practically wanted to press herself against Daniel's arm.
Daniel frowned.
The female knight's half-armor was both stylish and sexy, accentuating Catherine's figure, but her Evil Value was only average, so he had no interest in recruiting her.
Catherine's combat abilities displayed during training were also nothing noteworthy.
Daniel didn't want to waste his time.
"Sorry, we're not that familiar yet," Daniel declined.
Catherine's face flushed with anger at being turned down; was Daniel out of his mind? How could he reject a woman coming onto him?
It was just a mansion—wasn't he still a common knight like her?
Not far away, the bald James noticed the scene, his eyes turning red with fury.
Today was supposed to be his moment to shine! But he had only become an elite knight, while Daniel, whom he looked down upon, now had his own mansion!
Thud, thud, thud!
From the side of Daniel's square formation, a High City Knight rode in on a pure white Unicorn.
He pulled on the reins and asked, "Is common knight Daniel in this square formation? I am High City Knight Norn, sent by the Holy Maiden to ensure knight Daniel's safety."
The newcomer was a seasoned High City Knight, wearing a medal on his chest, and his Unicorn was clearly more robust than Teacher Donnie's, adding to his imposing presence.
Teacher Donnie's eyes nearly bulged out; he couldn't believe Daniel was receiving such treatment!
Most of the square formation looked at Daniel with envy.