Chapter 111: Shaya Egut, the Holy Knight (10,000 words)
Consciousness slowly returned.
When Shaya Egut opened his eyes again, he was met with the sight of a vast and magnificent church. He saw a radiance, like the dawn, rippling above the church, exuding a holy and pure aura.
“Did I spawn inside some order?”
Judging by the holy aura, it wasn’t some twisted cult that would turn believers into mere flesh shouting praises to ashes at the slightest disagreement. It had to be an organization that worshipped a True God.
“The Holy Divine Kingdom?”
No, if this Historical Echo truly occurred before the founding of the Holy Calendar, it shouldn’t be called the Holy Divine Kingdom yet, but rather the Dawn Order.
Shaya Egut unconsciously clutched the tattered mechanical pocket watch in his hand. He couldn’t help but be cautious. After all, this was different from the Historical Echo of the Ancient Azure Court he had entered before. Back then, he had spent several years gathering intelligence and was thoroughly prepared before entering. However, for this Historical Echo named “Escarnia,” Shaya Egut knew absolutely nothing. Who knew if his troublemaking System would spawn him into a situation of certain death? There were quite a few protagonists of Web Novels these days who were thrown into a dungeon or even onto a stake or guillotine right at the start.
However, after observing for a moment, the hand gripping the pocket watch relaxed slightly. His initial identity in this world was not that of someone about to be judged as a heretic. Instead, he was a Holy Knight. More accurately, he was a probationary knight who had just come of age and was about to be granted the title of Holy Knight.
Within the vast and magnificent church, about seven or eight youths, clad in either plain cloth or metal knight armor, all around twenty years old, stood in neat formation before a bishop in white robes, their faces filled with anticipation. They were all the most outstanding probationary knights in this land. The weakest among them had already reached the Third Ring, and some of the older probationary knights had even reached the Four Rings. They were currently gathered in the Dawn Church of Escarnia, awaiting their investiture as Holy Knights.
“Name?”
“Crab Malfoy.”
“Age?”
“Twenty-one.”
“Following the convention of the Holy See, I will test and baptize your faith through the Sacred Relic of Dawn. If you were merely ordinary followers, then even a less pure faith would be acceptable. However, Holy Knights are the sharpest blades in the Master’s hand, and thus must undergo the most rigorous assessment.”
The white-robed bishop’s expression remained unchanged. A relic shaped like a badge appeared in his hand, and a radiance like a morning star shone out, falling upon the forehead of the youth in knight armor before him. The youth’s expression became dazed, lost in thought for a long time. A moment later, the radiance of dawn faded, and the white-robed bishop said faintly, “Your faith is not pure enough to become a Holy Knight.” The youth’s face instantly turned pale, but he dared not retort and left dejectedly.
The test proceeded one by one. Some rejoiced, while others were dejected. Soon, it was Shaya Egut’s turn.
“The last one.”
The white-robed bishop raised his eyes slightly and saw the black-haired, black-eyed youth in plain cloth before him. His expression softened a little. Candidates eligible to become Holy Knights could be roughly divided into two types. The first type came from local noble families who believed in the Dawn, having received excellent knightly education in affluent families since childhood… These candidates, with the advantage of family resources, generally possessed good strength, equipment, and familiars. Their weakness, however, was often an impure faith. The second type consisted of orphans who, due to war or famine, were taken in by the Holy See since childhood. These individuals lacked family support, and the Holy See provided only the most limited resources. Therefore, their current strength and rank were often unremarkable, but they generally had good talent. Moreover, having been sheltered by the Holy See since childhood, their faith was more devout. Differentiating between these two types was simple: those wearing knight armor were basically noble children, while those wearing plain cloth were orphans taken in by the Holy See. In times of chaos, metal armor was a scarce resource. Compared to the probationary knights from noble families, the bishop clearly preferred the latter. Especially the black-haired youth before him, who, despite such hardship, had reached the Four Rings at just seventeen or eighteen years old, clearly revealing his talent.
“You were adopted by the Holy See since childhood and do not have personal names, but are referred to by numerical designations. However, now that you are about to become a Holy Knight, it is somewhat inconvenient to be without a name.”
“Have you thought about what kind of name you would like to give yourself?”
“A classic orphan start, but I like it. Come to think of it, is this the third consecutive orphan start for me?” Shaya Egut thought to himself, secretly relieved. After all, he hadn’t pulled any stunts like inscribing his name in the family genealogy this time. If asked for his name, he would have been completely clueless. During this time, he had discreetly observed the entire interior of the church. This church was grand in scale. Based on Shaya Egut’s understanding of the Holy See, this place could already be called a Grand Dawn Cathedral… its scale second only to the Holy Court, the headquarters of the Holy See, located at the center of the Holy Divine Kingdom. A Grand Dawn Cathedral of this caliber would typically be presided over by a Legendary Cardinal. The white-robed bishop before him alone was already at the Sixth Ring Titled level, according to Shaya Egut’s senses. If he showed any flaws in front of them, it would be quite troublesome. Shaya Egut pondered for a moment and then said, “Then… Jesus?” He had decided this time that he absolutely would not use his real name, Shaya Egut, in a Historical Echo again. It would be best not to reveal his original appearance easily either. Otherwise, given the System’s wickedness, if a mistake were made and he were sought out for revenge by his enemies, just like in the Ancient Azure Court, he would be finished. This was an era before the Holy Calendar was established. If any character from a Historical Echo could survive to the current point in time… Shaya Egut couldn’t even imagine how powerful they would be. Even Sylvia’s magnificent support might not be enough to protect him. The white-robed bishop recalled for a moment and said, “There was once a priest with that name, but he died young. During a dinner, he was poisoned by a spy from a cult and passed away prematurely.” “Good heavens, even that name has been taken. No wonder he died early.” Shaya Egut grumbled inwardly, “Then… Zeus?”
The white-robed bishop took out a simple roster and flipped through a few pages, “Some people have taken it before. Died of lightning strikes in their thirties.”
“Chaos?”
“Taken.”
“Odin?”
“Also taken. He was a knight, stabbed to death by the enemy in battle.”
Shaya’s face was full of black lines, giving him a sense of déjà vu of constantly being told his online game nickname was taken in his previous life.
“Cain.”
“This one is fine.”
“Novice Knight—Cain.”
The white-robed bishop looked at Shaya in front of him and slowly spoke.
“Although I have great confidence in the purity of your faith, as per tradition, you must undergo the test of the Dawn Sacred Artifact before becoming a Holy Knight.”
“The entire Holy See, including myself, has high hopes for you, so don’t disappoint us.”
‘You have great confidence in my faith, but I myself have none at all.’
Shaya grumbled in his heart, but outwardly maintained a righteous appearance, “I will surely live up to the expectations of Bishop.”
He was not too worried about the so-called test of the Dawn Sacred Artifact.
After all, sacred artifacts were not much different from the pollutants of those Evil Gods; they were merely vessels for a wisp of divinity.
While a sacred artifact of a True God was undoubtedly stronger than those dabbler false gods and Evil Gods, Shaya had even directly faced a demi-god of the Twilight Ancient God before. He was quite experienced when it came to dealing with divinity.
The white-robed bishop lifted the sacred artifact, and the faint radiance of dawn shone upon Shaya’s forehead.
“What do you believe the God of Dawn is?”
A gentle yet undeniably majestic voice sounded in his ear.
This was a question that directly addressed the mind. For ordinary testers in their third or fourth ring, the sacred artifact’s question would suppress their subjective consciousness, allowing them to directly reveal their truest inner answers.
However, facing Shaya, an old hand who had toyed with countless pollutants and was also a beast tamer specializing in illusions, the deterrent effect was greatly reduced.
Shaya cleared his throat and spoke piously in his heart.
“In my heart, He is the Master who created everything, the omniscient and omnipotent God of all gods, the source of all greatness.”
“He is the One and the Many, the beginning and the end.”
“He is more sublime than the starry sky, more ancient than eternity, the King of the Void, the Emperor of the Seas.”
“He is the instant and the eternal, the inextinguishable light in darkness, and even more so, the start and end of all things. All beings in this world will eventually return to His embrace.”
Shaya’s gaze was clear, “We walk in the human world as if walking in His kingdom.”
Shaya felt that the gentle holy light distinctly solidified for a long moment.
After all, this was merely a wisp of dawn divinity instilled within the sacred artifact. The original intention of asking this question was merely to confirm the purity of faith.
Generally speaking, as long as the tested person included praise and worship of the God of Dawn in their answer, they would pass.
As for a response as magnificent as Shaya’s, this was the first time the wisp of divinity residing in the sacred artifact had heard such words.
It struggled to even comprehend the extravagant descriptive vocabulary, becoming momentarily stuck.
However, soon, the wisp of divinity within the sacred artifact recovered from its sluggish state and, following the established procedure, asked the next question.
“There are other beings in this world who claim to be gods. Other True Gods… as well as false gods, Evil Gods, or even demigods who deem themselves gods… what is their status in your heart?”
This question was meant to test whether the examinee had been misled by other Evil Gods and whether their faith was singular and devout.
“There do exist other so-called deities in this world.”
“Some gods command thunder and storms, some command agriculture and abundance, while others govern twilight, darkness, even the scorching sun, and law…”
Shaya’s answer rang out.
Such a reply made the wisp of divinity slightly displeased.
Although it had been gratified by the preceding praise, it had not expected him to be so indecisive.
The Holy Knights were already considered middle to high-ranking officials within the Holy See, and the God of Dawn naturally would not allow His followers to have multiple beliefs simultaneously.
This wisp of divinity was just about to declare the test a failure.
However, the next moment.
Shaya’s answer once again caused the divinity within the sacred artifact to stiffen in place.
“The powers spoken of by those so-called deities—”
“Be it destruction, storms and thunder, the cycle of day and night,”
“Even destruction and rebirth, are merely cycles within this small world.”
“Three thousand such small worlds are needed to form a medium world, and three thousand medium worlds are needed to form a great world.”
Shaya conjured a handful of sand in his spiritual ocean, letting it flow down like a waterfall.
“As for the number of great worlds, it is as numerous as the grains of sand in the Grant Sea, and the immeasurable land that encompasses so many great worlds—”
“was created by my Master—the God of Dawn.”
…
The divinity within the sacred artifact was stunned.
It envisioned the “three thousand worlds” and “immeasurable land” described by Shaya, and for a moment, it was bewildered.
‘Does my main body know it’s this powerful? If it’s really this powerful, then what’s the point of systematically collecting faith? Wouldn’t it be more satisfying to simply sweep through all dimensions of all worlds?’
And within the church, the white-robed bishop was equally stunned.
This was the first time he had seen this sacred artifact, used to assess Holy Knights, glow for so long without extinguishing. For a moment, he even suspected if the Dawn Sacred Artifact had malfunctioned.
But he immediately suppressed such disrespectful thoughts. How could a sacred artifact bestowed by the Master malfunction?
Regardless, this also meant that Shaya had passed the test.
“Then, from this day forward, Cain, you are a member of the Holy Knights.”
He looked at Shaya and couldn’t help but say, “With your talent, and the special circumstances during the test, staying in the Grand Cathedral of Escarnia might be a waste of your potential.”
“The Holy Court would be more suitable for your development. Would you like to go to Ferenget?”
Shaya’s eyes lit up.
He had finally heard a familiar place name.
Ferenget was the future capital of the Holy Divine Kingdom, and also the location of the Holy Court.
And if he remembered correctly, the Holy Court was established in Ferenget about decades before the founding of the Holy Divine Kingdom.
In other words, the time period of this historical echo should be within a few decades before the establishment of the Holy Calendar.
“I grew up in Escarnia, and Ferenget is too far from my hometown. I have no intention of leaving my homeland.”
Shaya said.
“However, I have been busy with my knight training and have rarely had the chance to understand what is happening within Escarnia.”
“Therefore, I would like to ask Bishop for some advice.”
Half an hour later, the bishop in white robes left with satisfaction.
The Templar Knights, as one of the Holy See’s main military forces, held a significant position.
The Grand Templar Knight even held a higher status than a typical Cardinal.
And this young Templar Knight named Cain’s talent was visibly outstanding, so he was naturally willing to spend some time getting to know him.
Shaya, through their pleasant conversation, managed to probe for the information he desired.
It was indeed the last decade or so before the end of the Old Era, before the establishment of the Holy Calendar.
And Escarnia was the name of the future empire’s territory in the Old Era.
The current situation in Escarnia was extremely complex.
It had once been a prosperous kingdom, but more than a decade ago, a Prince named Vortigern rebelled against his own brother.
To usurp the throne, he did not hesitate to borrow the power of the Abyss, causing myriad Abyssal creatures to rampage across the land of Escarnia.
However, although he overthrew the old king with the power of the Abyss, Vortigern’s actions, corrupted by the Abyss and using Abyssal creatures to harm the populace, were met with resistance from the entire populace of Escarnia, who condemned him as a “despicable king.”
Therefore, although he now occupied the royal city along with Abyssal creatures, rebel forces were emerging everywhere within Escarnia. Various lords carved out their own territories, and together with the roving Abyssal creatures, they formed a chaotic era of disaster.
Besides Vortigern and the local rebellious nobles, there were two other forces within Escarnia.
One was the Dawn Holy See.
Perhaps to suppress the Abyssal creatures and re-establish order, or to gather faith, but regardless, the Dawn Holy See and its believing nobles had indeed established a haven where the people could live and work in peace.
The other was the “Millennium City.”
And within Millennium City, the Blood Race, though originating from the Abyss, seemed to be in a different position than other Abyssal creatures.
“As expected of a formal mission, it’s indeed different from the newcomer mission…”
Shaya organized the intelligence he had gathered through conversation in his mind.
The Historical Echo of the Azure Court Duchy previously only involved events within the Royal Capital of the Azure Court, and the only truly named villain was that double agent, Norton.
Furthermore, what happened in the Azure Court Duchy, apart from the later emergence of Sylvia, the Lord of the White Tower, was merely a minor interlude for the entire Western Continent, with no Legends even involved.
The Historical Echo of “Escarnia” this time, however, had a significantly increased level of complexity and difficulty.
The Despicable King Vortigern and the Abyssal creatures, the Dawn Holy See, the Blood Race of Millennium City.
And then, the King of Knights, who would shine in history, eventually uniting the chaotic land in the darkest era and establishing the Freista Empire.
Since Shaya had never heard of the Blood Race of Millennium City or the name of the Despicable King Vortigern in later history, there was no doubt that they had ultimately become losers in the strife of this chaotic era.
Shaya’s thoughts stirred slightly.
The Next Moment.
Lines of text appeared on the sapphire-blue light screen in his mind.
[Historical Echo – Escarnia]
[Mission Objective 1: Leave a notorious reputation in this Historical Echo. The higher the negative Legendary Reputation gained, the higher the mission reward.]
[Mission Objective 2: Gain favor with important figures in this Historical Echo, and before the settlement of the Historical Echo, convert it into Hatred. The greater the difference between favor and hatred, the higher the mission reward.]
“I knew it, this damn System is up to no good.”
Shaya’s expression darkened.
As expected of the Destiny Great Villain System, it was forcing him to be infamous for eternity.
And, the favor and hatred towards important figures…
Since this was a Historical Echo before the founding of the Freista Empire, the most important figure in this Historical Echo was undoubtedly the King of Knights who established the Freista Empire.
Fortunately, he had prepared the persona of Cain specifically for this.
Otherwise, if the Historical Echo became reality, and news of him playing the first emperor of the empire spread… he and Little Ai might have to pack up and flee the Imperial Capital.
That is to say, if Shaya remembered correctly.
This first emperor of the empire, bearing the title of King of Knights, should be a male…
And in history, this King of Knights had already passed away, unlike Sylvia who was in a missing state.
This way, he wouldn’t have to worry about being pursued across time and space for a romantic entanglement and potential violence like last time.
But upon closer thought, he somehow felt a slight regret?
Shaya’s thoughts flickered.
The Next Moment, his gaze paused slightly.
Because Shaya saw a new line of text.
“Fourth Soul Pact (Shaya Egut)”
“Soul Pact Information Unlock Condition: Experience one true death.”
The Silent Forest.
This was a rarely frequented forest inhabited by high-level demonic beasts.
But few people knew that the headquarters of the renowned Shadow Council was located here.
In the deepest part of the Silent Forest, within a gloomy garden beside a lake.
Augustina, dressed in layered yet unadorned dark long dresses, suddenly raised her eyes and looked towards the south of the continent.
That was where the Freista Empire’s Imperial Capital, the most prosperous human nation, was located.
No one knew the exact origin of this leader of the Shadow Council, the “Queen of the Night.”
Even fewer knew why such an ancient and mysterious Legend would abandon readily attainable wealth and glory, choosing instead to reside in the shadows, day after day, year after year, collecting and selling information, and accumulating gold.
But at this moment, Augustina’s dark eyes flowed with bright light.
Her plain white fingers held a small, exquisite wine glass. The red wine within was as crimson and alluring as spilled blood.
After a long while, Augustina finally let out a sigh.
The sigh carried a hint of languor and an inexplicable melancholy.
“After a thousand years…”
“Will you still remember me…”
Golden Plains, White Tower.
“I know your decision is made, and my persuasion will not waver it.”
“Whether you admit it or not, in the hearts of every member of the White Tower, the White Tower belongs to you alone, and I am merely a caretaker managing it on your behalf.”
The Vice-Tower Master of the White Tower, “Silent Singer” Isvilda, looked at the witch before her and spoke calmly.
“Since that is the case, using this opportunity to bring the White Tower into the world is a good choice… The current situation in the Freista Empire is relatively stable, with the Royal Family holding the absolute advantage. The White Tower, relying on the prestige of your actions, can form an alliance with them and thus enhance the fame of the Cretaceous Tower.”
“This way, we won’t be lying dormant for too long, and outsiders won’t really think we’re just a group of academics who only know how to teach and have no strength to even truss a chicken.”
“In fact, within the White Tower, there isn’t a lack of factions like Fiolen’s, who are tired of peaceful lives and want to improve themselves through combat… This is a good opportunity to give them some chances while establishing a branch tower in the Imperial Capital.”
“Tower Master, are you listening?”
Isvilda waved her hand in front of Sylvia.
She had been waving for a long time before the silver-haired witch, who had been staring blankly in the direction of the Imperial Capital, finally came back to her senses as if she had just realized something.
The Azure Silver Witch’s expression returned to its usual indifferent gaze that looked down on the world, but a faint blush appeared on her plain white cute face.
Light golden text appeared in the void: “I am listening.”
Listening to ghosts.
Isvilda was speechless for a moment.
If, when the Azure Silver Witch had first awakened, she and Fiolen had been utterly awestruck by the solidified twilight and felt extremely reverent towards this Azure Silver Witch who had emerged from five hundred years ago.
However, after spending many days together, she found that the Azure Silver Witch, who was now famous throughout the Western Continent, and whose Word of Power instantly killed the legendary Rose Emperor, was gradually losing her awe-inspiring aura.
Not only would she often space out during conversations, but she also spent most of her time looking in the direction of the Imperial Capital.
Once, Isvilda even accidentally saw her White Tower Master using Twilight Divine Power to draw a portrait of a certain black-haired youth. She hastily destroyed it when someone discovered her, and refused to admit it when asked.
She was completely like a maiden in love.
But come to think of it, it was true. If you excluded the time she spent in deep sleep, Sylvia’s experience and mindset were no different from a maiden in her early twenties.
When you thought about it that way, Isvilda and Fiolen were the real old ladies.
On the other side, Sylvia did not pay any attention to Isvilda’s wild thoughts.
“Let’s talk about it later.”
The Azure Silver Witch’s graceful figure suddenly faded, and then she disappeared into the radiance of twilight.
The next moment, she appeared in her room.
She still gazed at the distant sky, staring blankly in the direction of the Imperial Capital.
On the table, the thick diary lay open again, and neat yet messy script appeared rapidly on it.
And in Sylvia’s mind, she was repeatedly recalling her feelings from before.
“Even if Brother Shaya only sees me as a white cat… but that’s too… too…”
Although she said she would leave a familiar to watch the house, given Sylvia’s feelings for Shaya, how could she feel at ease if only one familiar was left behind?
That white cat was actually the manifestation of her mental power in reality.
Or, to be more precise, the mental power contained within that white cat was actually more than that of her body in the White Tower.
Speaking of which, Shaya didn’t do much to the little white cat that Sylvia left behind.
He just hugged it, petted it, nuzzled it, and rubbed his face against it…
When Xia Ya used to use Silver as a pillow, he did the same thing.
But when this feeling was synchronized…
Just a slight recollection caused Sylvia’s fair cheeks to flush, all the way to the roots of her ears.
That’s right, although she had successfully disguised herself as an aggressive and lustful experienced woman with the love she had yearned for over five hundred years, Sylvia was, at her core, still a pure virgin.
She had no experience in this regard.
Correspondingly, although Shaya was also pretending to be an experienced player, he at least had Little Ai providing benefits every day, so he wasn’t lacking in experience except for the final step.
As a result, Sylvia’s image of a strong and experienced woman instantly broke down.
Of course, if necessary, she could completely cut off this perception and retain only the information she needed.
But for a well-known reason, Sylvia naturally didn’t do that.
If she hadn’t wanted to get closer to Shaya using the identity of a cat, she wouldn’t have lied to Shaya, saying she left behind a familiar, instead of directly revealing it was her spirit body.
“And… what Brother Shaya said to me.”
“Riding…”
“Riding position, and washing face, good morning, etc…”
“In fact, you could have just told me directly… I wouldn’t have minded.”
At this moment, the messy and hurried strokes on the diary suddenly paused.
“Brand new, fluctuations of Historical Echo…”
On the Azure Silver Witch’s plain white cute face, her beautiful brows furrowed slightly.
Although she was the one who was saved by Shaya through Historical Echo, and her life was given new meaning.
But precisely because she had been rained on, she would tear up others’ umbrellas and then kick them fiercely into the ditch.
Since she had already crossed the river, the bridge was no longer necessary; she had to burn the bridge after crossing.
After all, Little Ai came first… After witnessing everything at the dinner party and personally feeling Shaya’s unshakable feelings for her in the Spirit World.
Sylvia could actually accept Aerora’s existence in her heart.
However, if another woman were to imitate her and do that one more time, she would absolutely not tolerate it.
She must investigate thoroughly!
…
Imperial Capital, Camelot.
On the mountains and fields on the outskirts of the city, in a peculiar mansion.
Isadorella was intently reviewing proposal after proposal and piece of information under the light of a magic lamp used for illumination.
Stern and icy orders were issued from her mouth, and through the special channels of the military, they were rapidly transmitted to the entire Empire.
Then, the authority that rightfully belonged to the Royal Family but had been encroached upon by the Old Nobles, as well as the territories and industries where control had been lost, were taken back bit by bit and brought back under the Royal Family’s control.
As the Second Princess, Isadorella knew very well that she couldn’t afford to be a woman of excessive compassion right now.
With Goodrian Borgia’s sudden death, the White Tower’s emergence, and the Old Nobles in disarray… this was the best time to launch a full-scale attack and re-unite the disintegrating and dying Empire through a reshuffle.
If she didn’t seize the opportunity to launch an offensive now, she would fall back into a long tug-of-war once the Old Nobles recovered.
However, it was at this moment.
Isadorella’s action of reviewing information paused slightly.
She made a gesture.
The next moment, several figures in the shadows quickly retreated.
After dismissing her retainers and guards, Isadorella turned her attention to the source of the anomaly.
Her thoughts shifted slightly.
The next moment, the resplendent Golden Sword appeared, its pure starlight illuminating the distant, dim sky. For the past two years, she had been trying to fully revive the Holy Sword, wishing for it to unleash its full power. This way, Isadorella could also use the feedback from the seventh Soul Pact to break through the limit of the Throne.
Although the Azure Silver Witch of the White Tower was also a Throne, she was an outsider. Even if she was friendly towards the Empire because of Shaya, she was ultimately not the Empire’s own strength. Only when Isadorella herself broke through to the Throne could the now precarious Empire be considered truly stable. However, no matter how hard she tried, the last constraint on the Holy Sword could never be truly broken, making it difficult to take that final step.
But at this moment, Isadorella distinctly felt the constraint on the Holy Sword waver. She calmed her mind and poured her mental energy into the Soul Pact with the Holy Sword. Immediately, Isadorella felt her consciousness enveloped by an ancient and mysterious power.
The next instant, an eternal river appeared beside her.
“Does it involve the laws of time?” Isadorella was slightly startled but did not resist. Instead, she allowed the immense mystery that the Holy Sword transformed into to carry her forward in the illusory river, drifting uncertainly.
After a long time, the illusory river slowly faded. What came into view was a brand new world. She felt as if she had entered a completely new realm, not belonging to the current space-time, yet incredibly real and clear, like another plane.
Isadorella closed her eyes slightly, sensing the passage of time around her. After a long while, she opened her eyes again, her crimson beautiful eyes flashing with divine light.
“The cycle of time shows that this was nearly a thousand years ago.” She stated.
“That is to say, the end of the old era, the time node before the Freista Empire was established.”
“With the power of the star-forged weapon, in its complete form with all thirteen constraints unbound, it possesses the power to touch and even rewrite the laws of space-time. It is not surprising.”
“It’s just… why did the Holy Sword suddenly break its last constraint and bring me into such a peculiar world?”
“This means the last time the Holy Sword appeared and revived was a thousand years ago during that chaotic era…”
“Could it be that the test for this last constraint is to make me personally experience the path walked by the Holy Sword’s previous master, the former Emperor?”
“To test if I can do better than the former Emperor at the end of that disaster-ridden old era?” Isadorella’s thoughts raced, and she quickly made a judgment.
If it were anyone else, hearing about the test represented by the Holy Sword’s final constraint would surely fill them with apprehension.
The founder of the Freista Empire—
The King of Knights.
He was a figure who truly lived in legend.
A hero who ended the era of darkness, a savior bathed in glory.
An invincible god of war, a symbol of knightly brilliance and virtue.
His martial achievements were unmatched in the world, his glory incomparable, spanning ancient and modern times and forever immortal.
In terms of reputation and prestige on the current Western Continent, only “Golden King” Rhine, who established the Holy Calendar, was qualified to be compared with him. He was a myth that made countless legends feel inadequate.
However, Isadorella calmly allowed the immense mystery of the Holy Sword to immerse her consciousness into this world bit by bit.
“That’s right.” she mused.
“Everyone says that in the nearly thousand years of the Empire’s history, I am the closest to the former Emperor.”
“I am the one who has the chance to revitalize the Empire and restore its former glory.”
“Then let me see my own mettle as a sovereign.”
…
When Isadorella opened her eyes again, she only felt that the Holy Sword, carrying immense mystery, had disappeared. In its place were fragments of memory, images flashing before her eyes. The shouts of soldiers, the spurts of blood rising into the sky, the clashing of swords and spears, the neighing of warhorses. And the blazing radiance of magic and Familiar Skills.
This was the land named Escarnia. The old king was overthrown by his brother, Vortigern, in league with monsters from the Abyss. Thus, the once peaceful and quiet Escarnia instantly turned into a vast land of disaster. Disordered monsters from the Abyss roamed the land, slaughtering lives and feeding on the flesh of humans.
The city known as Millennial City was built, located deep within the secluded and quiet forest. The arrival of the Blood Race also drew the attention of the Dawn Holy See. At that time, the Dawn Holy See had already emerged on the Western Continent, establishing the Holy Court in Ferelden and gradually building a fragmented order on the chaotic continent. However, even that Holy See struggled against the Abyss Monsters that permeated Escarnia. They could only barely establish a somewhat ordered town alliance centered around the Great Cathedral, but clearing the entire territory and pacifying the chaotic world seemed unattainable.
This was the worst of times, but also an era where heroes emerged in great numbers. Knights made a name for themselves on this disordered land, saving refugees, pacifying monster tides, and achieving their own merits. Isadorella’s body in this world grew up in such an environment.
From a young age, she was entrusted with high hopes. For some reason, Isadorella’s adoptive father held earnest expectations for her, hoping she would become the king who pacified the chaos of Escarnia. However, in such a chaotic world, a female king would find it difficult to command obedience. Thus, while receiving rigorous knight training from childhood, Isadorella was also taught the art of cross-dressing. In the eyes of outsiders, she appeared as a somewhat handsome and beautiful young male knight.
Days passed one by one. Until this day, Isadorella felt that the accelerating space-time suddenly began to decelerate. Isadorella’s self-awareness also recovered, no longer from an observer’s perspective, but able to personally participate in everything.
Simultaneously, two pieces of news came from the surrounding towns, one good and one bad. The bad news was that the wandering Abyss Monsters seemed to have formed a monster tide, overwhelming the outer cities and threatening to invade this area at any moment. The good news was that a prophecy was spread:
“The one who pulls the divine sword stuck in the stone.”
“Shall be the new king of this land’s future.”
…
Seeking monthly votes!
Ten thousand characters delivered, just in time to adjust my schedule.
