Chapter 115: Before the Dawn Arrives, Someone Has to Light Up the Darkness (7k)
“Lord Cain, is this good here?”
A respectful voice came from outside the door.
Shaya pushed the door open, only to see a line of knights neatly arrayed outside his room.
On the tall horses behind them were carried boxes upon boxes of neatly arranged jewels and gold and silver.
The knight leading them looked handsome and resolute, giving a feeling of spring breeze.
But at this moment, his eyes on Shaya held an indescribable complexity, making even his bright silver knight’s armor seem a bit dim and lusterless.
“Thank you for your trouble, Lord Gawain, and all of you.”
Shaya smiled faintly, pointed to the floor in front of him, and said, “Just put them here.”
He was now a pure role-player, every word spoken with concern for the country and its people.
He was all about being the Jack Sue to counter the Mary Sue.
*Clink, clink…*
Boxes of money and jewels were carried into Shaya’s room.
There were more than a dozen large boxes, and each was packed to the brim.
Looking at the mountains of gold and silver, Shaya couldn’t help but whistle, “The King is truly generous… to bestow so many things, he’s practically emptied the treasury.”
“Please convey this message to the King, Lord Gawain…”
“The King treats me as a national scholar, and I shall repay him with the same loyalty.”
However, in the face of Shaya’s words, the leading handsome knight’s expression remained complex.
He waved his hand, signaling the other knights to retreat, and then closed the door.
After completing these actions, the leading knight looked at Shaya’s face, or more accurately, at his vortex-shaped mask, and spoke in a deep voice.
“Stop pretending, Cain.”
This sentence made Shaya pause, and he narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the handsome knight before him.
Sun Knight, Gawain.
One of the most renowned great knights under the King of Knights, a titled expert with the moniker “Sun Knight.”
Simultaneously, he was also one of the future Knights of the Round Table.
A legendary figure written in later historical records.
Could it be that his role-player persona had been seen through by the other party?
Shaya didn’t think he had shown any flaws, but he knew Gawain was also the type whose muscles were filled with brains, relying purely on instinct to charge forward.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have the nickname “Gorilla.”
With such an instinct, suspicion didn’t require logic or reason.
Thinking thus, three silver moons silently appeared in the pitch-black eyes beneath Shaya’s vortex mask.
Although the other party was a Sixth Ring expert, his illusions had always been the bane of brutes.
The next moment, Shaya saw Gawain take a step forward.
“Although the King concealed it from us, only issuing orders for us to split up and break through…”
“However, I saw the fleeting sadness in his eyes when he mentioned you.”
Gawain spoke in a deep voice, his usually sunny face clouded with gloom.
“Cain, you’re not planning to stay behind alone to cover our retreat, are you?”
For a moment… I really believed this Gorilla could see through my disguise.
Shaya glanced at the Gawain with a complex expression before him and said calmly, “The King kept it from you all so you wouldn’t worry.”
“But I didn’t expect you to figure it out.”
“Remember not to reveal this to anyone else, otherwise, if it causes the army’s morale to waver, you should know the consequences.”
“Of course!”
Gawain’s expression was agitated, “Although I am not as shrewd or cunning as you, Cain, or the King, I am not an idiot.”
“I naturally understand the deeper meaning behind you concealing this matter!”
No, no, no, you are just a simpleton.
Shaya suppressed the urge to retort and said calmly, “It’s good that you understand.”
“Although you joined the Allied forces late, Lord Gawain, neither I nor the King have ever doubted your loyalty.”
As he spoke, he turned around and scanned the mountains of gold and silver in the boxes.
A faint, hazy laughter drifted from the vortex mask, “Don’t feel sorry for me, Lord Gawain.”
“Taking someone’s money to solve their problems is only natural.”
“The King has bestowed such generous rewards upon me, and naturally, I must reciprocate.”
“You…”
Gawain opened his mouth, but his voice felt incredibly stiff and awkward.
“With your and the Dawn Organization’s status within the Allied forces and among the populace, as well as the King’s regard for you,”
“Once the entire territory is unified and a new nation is established, you will be second only to the King, above all others.”
“This mere sum of money now, what is it compared to that, it’s practically a drop in the ocean…”
Gawain’s words trailed off, unable to continue.
Frankly, the vast majority of feudal lords and nobles chose to follow that King of Knights as an investment. If that King of Knights truly managed to unify the entire territory of Escarnia, they would be the ones who had followed him from the beginning.
And the most significant among those who had followed from the beginning was Cain. Within the Allied forces, anyone could see the King’s high regard for Cain…
Yet, at this very moment, Cain was voluntarily giving up his incredibly bright future to exchange it for a greater chance of victory and survival for others.
“Yes…”
Shaya’s voice remained calm.
“Everyone is thinking of being among the first to support the King.”
“Everyone is thinking of being rewarded with territory and promoted after the victory, receiving a hundredfold return.”
“But… in this chaotic world, if we seek change, if we seek victory, how can we possibly not pay a price?”
“We have been too smooth sailing on this journey.”
“So much so that many have forgotten that war is not a child’s play, and from the beginning, there has never been an optimal solution for a perfect clear.”
“Without sacrifice, there is no victory.”
He turned his body, looking out at the dark, dim night sky outside the window.
Only the silhouette of his robe with a black background and red clouds remained, fluttering in the night wind.
“But, aren’t you afraid of death?”
Gawain couldn’t help but ask.
However, the response he received was still just that vague and hazy voice.
“Afraid, of course, I am afraid.”
“Even ants cherish life, let alone me.”
Shaya paused slightly.
“It’s just——”
“Before the dawn arrives, someone has to light up the darkness a little.”
“Some things are more important than others.”
…
Even though the figure in the Robe of Dawn was not particularly imposing.
Yet, in Gawain’s eyes at this moment, it appeared so grand, stretching infinitely against the backdrop of the night.
In a trance, he stood with his back to all beings.
“Lord Cain, please let me accompany you in covering the retreat…”
Looking at Cain before him, Gawain felt a burning flame ignite within his heart.
Even though his title was “Sun Knight,” a scorching sun illuminating the battlefield…
From beginning to end, Gawain had always used this as his goal, adhering to the virtues of a knight, wanting to illuminate more people with the radiance of a knight.
But now, before Cain, he felt his own radiance was so insignificant, like a firefly compared to the bright moon.
Only at this moment did Gawain truly understand the real meaning of the Dawn Organization.
However, as if he had predicted what Gawain was about to say, Shaya interrupted him as soon as he spoke.
“Lord Gawain, you are also a knight. You should understand that the battlefield is not a stage for hasty decisions, nor is the more, the better when it comes to covering the retreat.”
“I know you are powerful, and you have contracted with a powerful sword-type Holy Relic. Moreover, under the sun, you can gain significant enhancements.”
“However, this is information known to both friend and foe. Do you think the enemy will not make targeted preparations?”
“Their encirclement will inevitably occur in darkness. At that time, your combat effectiveness will be reduced by more than 30%.”
“To put it bluntly, staying here to cover my retreat would only be a burden to me.”
“I…”
Gawain opened his mouth, but found himself completely unable to refute.
“The area for frontal breakthrough is where your main battlefield lies.”
“Without your combat power, it may lead to more casualties.”
Shaya waved his hand, “Alright, go back and report to the King.”
“If you don’t go back, he might even worry.”
“Besides, in this final period, I want to prepare properly and adjust my state.”
“Perhaps, I could have found a chance to escape, but with your delay, if I didn’t adjust my state to the best, I might die in battle…”
These few high-sounding arguments instantly overwhelmed Gawain, leaving him with no way to retort.
He flushed, his eyes complex, and he wanted to speak several times, but ultimately suppressed it.
Indeed.
If he were to cause Shaya’s slim hope of survival to vanish because of him, he would regret it for the rest of his life.
Watching Gawain give him a standard knight’s salute before turning to leave, and not forgetting to close the door handle as he left, Shaya couldn’t help but heave a sigh of relief.
Finally, he got rid of this Gorilla.
If he had insisted on staying to cover the retreat with him, it would have been quite troublesome.
[Minor Important Character “Sun Knight Gawain” Affection Increased by 20]
[Current Affection: 70 (Respect)]
Azure blue text appeared in Shaya’s mind, causing his expression to freeze slightly.
Seventy points of affection, according to the system’s description, if it were a person of the opposite sex, it would have reached a level where a romantic relationship could develop.
He hadn’t expected this guy to be so simple, believing him with just a few platitudes.
Shaya’s gaze swept across the mountains of treasures piled in his room.
The next moment, with a thought, he stored all these treasures into his shimmering Spatial Pocket.
The King of Knights and the great knights all believed that Cain accepted this money merely for show.
After all, in this chaotic world, tangible territories or extraordinary materials that could enhance one’s strength were far more valuable than this unusable currency.
But only Shaya knew that he genuinely needed this money.
Being rewarded as second only to the King, with territories and such, Shaya could not monetize them at all, and they were useless to him.
Besides, by the time the Freista Empire was established, he might have already incurred eternal infamy and would not be able to receive those things.
On the other hand, these real gold and silver were not of much concern to anyone in this chaotic world, but things would be different when he exited the Historical Echo and returned to reality.
It had a certain aesthetic, like opening a two-world portal and trading goods between different worlds.
“Shimmer.”
With Shaya’s soft call, a fluffy golden-haired monkey instantly appeared in the void.
“Chirp chirp chirp~ (Master, I’ve missed you so much.)”
As soon as it appeared, Shimmer impatiently jumped onto Shaya’s shoulder.
Originally, it and Sister Silver shared a shoulder perch, one on each side.
But with Crimson joining, its position became precarious. Fortunately, Shaya preferred to hold the Star Spirit Body form of Crimson like a pillow, so Shimmer’s seat was somewhat preserved.
But later, another white cat arrived.
Then Shimmer completely lost its seat. The key was that the three who had snatched its seat were: Silver, the senior sister with the longest tenure; Crimson, the current powerhouse and face of its Beast Tamer; and that white cat, a hidden supreme being.
It couldn’t snatch anyone’s seat and mostly spent its time dozing enviously in the Soul Pact Space.
Now that it had a rare chance to get some air, it naturally had to seize the opportunity.
“Shimmer, can you let us exit this Historical Echo?”
Shaya asked.
The little golden-haired monkey on his shoulder was silent for two seconds before nodding.
“Chirp chirp chirp~ (Yes, but it will take some time.)”
“Good.”
Shaya nodded.
Although the “Flashback Pocket Watch” could also force an exit, it was, after all, a one-time life-saving item he had bought with money, so it was better to save it.
Of course, with his Undying Body now, life-saving items seemed to have little meaning.
In the previous Historical Echo, Shaya had followed the mission guidelines and exited after reaching certain mission nodes.
However, as a formal mission, this Historical Echo offered significantly more freedom. Other than the two main objectives, Shaya’s path of action was not specifically restricted, and even the exit node was not provided.
Therefore, the timing of the exit also had to be chosen by him.
And what Shaya told Gawain about needing to prepare properly was not an idle statement.
“This battle… will be the curtain call for the ‘Black Knight’ Cain.”
“It is also a crucial turning point for the Dawn Organization to transform.”
Shaya’s gaze was distant.
Over the past six months, the Dawn Organization had gained fame, and the name of Black Knight Cain had spread throughout the land…
The purple legend and titles, as well as the 50 points of affection from the King of Knights, the Cardinal, and others, were the results of his efforts.
But.
Up to this point, it had pretty much reached its limit.
Artorius, the Cardinal, and other key leaders from various factions were all Legendary Experts or future Legendary Experts.
As supreme beings at the pinnacle of the extraordinary world, possessing their own Spiritual Oceans, Legendary Experts had already achieved spiritual fulfillment. They could examine their inner selves from a higher vantage point, their wills were firm, and their spirits could not be easily moved.
They were far less easily fooled than brutes like Gawain, who could be convinced to revere him with just a few platitudes.
For instance, if Shaya had not met Sylvia when she was still an ordinary person, and left an indelible mark on her heart when she was weak, but instead went through the same events after Sylvia had become a Legendary Expert.
Then she might have been grateful to Shaya, but she would never have remembered him so deeply, even across five hundred years, as she did in reality.
According to Shaya’s estimation.
In the short term, reaching 50 points of affection from the King of Knights, which meant “a trustworthy confidant,” was already the limit.
If he maintained his current identity, then to go further would require a long time of companionship, taking ten, twenty, or even a hundred years.
By accumulating time, emotions would be sublimated.
Similarly, the reputation of the Dawn Organization and the Black Knight had also reached a bottleneck…
Continuing in the same manner would only maintain the status quo, making it difficult to break through in a short period.
Shaya naturally could not stay in one Historical Echo for decades or even a century, but he was also not satisfied with purple legend and 50 points of affection.
His legend, at the very least, should be gold.
As for the King of Knights’ affection, it should break through 70 points.
Therefore, Shaya prepared to use some more drastic measures.
“After all…”
He smiled silently.
“The living can never surpass the dead.”
As long as a person is alive, they will always be scrutinized and questioned.
Because human nature cannot accept that a living person can achieve something that they themselves utterly cannot.
But, once someone dies, they become invincible.
“Black Knight Cain.”
This name would forever live in people’s memories, constantly mourned, beautified, and fermented in their thoughts…
And people’s impressions would forever remain at his most perfect, most glorious moment, immortalized.
The Dawn Organization could also use this opportunity to retreat behind the scenes and enter its second phase.
Finally, when the cảm xúc and longing in people’s hearts fermented to the extreme…
Then, a reversal would occur.
Half angel, half demon; a thought of divinity or devilry.
Simply perfect.
So…
Shaya naturally had to prepare well for the “curtain call” performance of the “Black Knight.”
Leaving behind the most brilliant, the most dazzling…
A silhouette that shone with immense radiance and was imprinted into the hearts of everyone.
“Chirp chirp chirp (Master, I’ve activated my ability. It will take about tens of seconds to exit the Historical Echo.)”
With Shimmer’s prompt, Shaya felt his body begin to fade bit by bit.
Gradually becoming hazy and illusory, and his presence in this time and space began to rapidly dissipate.
Soon, he returned to nothingness.
…
In the distant Lord’s Mansion.
Isadorella sensed that the Holy Sword she wore at her waist suddenly flickered.
The next moment, she sensed a great mystery surging forth from the Holy Sword once more.
“The Holy Sword’s power is depleted, unable to support my existence in this time and space any longer.”
“It seems I will need to wait for the Holy Sword to fully charge before I can enter again.”
She nodded slightly.
Through her Soul Pact with the Holy Sword, Isadorella could clearly feel.
As she, under the identity of “Artorius,” gradually walked the path of the King of Knights.
The restraints on the Holy Sword had been loosened to some extent.
With this progress, by the time Escarnia was fully unified and the Freista Empire was established, it should be the day the Holy Sword fully recovered its full power, and also the day she ascended to the throne.
The next moment, that immense mystery carried Isadorella and coursed downstream in the river of time.
…
In the study, Shaya slowly opened his eyes.
Perhaps it was because the time spent in this Historical Echo was more distant than in the Ancient Azure Court.
After exiting the Historical Echo and traversing the river of time…
Unlike the dizziness and muddled confusion when he had exited historical echoes in the past.
This time, with Shaya’s own rank increased, and the Sands of Time’s boost to his affinity with space-time laws, he could clearly perceive everything in the river of time.
It was a completely new experience, and it further strengthened Shaya’s understanding of the river of time.
Looking at the familiar furniture in his Black Lily District mansion, Shaya quickly took out paper and pen, writing down the insights and thoughts from his experience of traversing the river of time.
“If the Historical Echo contains real history,”
“Then what would the current reality look like if I directly rewrote past history, for example… killing that King of Knights before the Freista Empire was established?”
“Would the empire directly cease to exist, and chaos ensue… or would there be some historical correction force, such that after the King of Knights was killed, a new great knight would replace him as leader, ultimately establishing an empire and maintaining the general trend of history with minimal changes?”
“Or… before I could even kill the King of Knights in the Historical Echo, I would be directly stopped by the inertia of the river of time that maintains the general trend of history, or even be erased?”
“Direct erasure should not happen, but based on the insights gained from the Sands of Time and my experience in the river of time just now…”
“The general trend of history, as well as the corrective force and inertia that maintains the general trend of history, should indeed exist.”
“To modify the general trend of history, one needs commensurate strength. The more it deviates from past history, the greater the corrective force and resistance encountered.”
“Even with a Throne that has space-time affinity, modifying history is extremely difficult.”
“However, this raises a new question.”
Shaya’s pen tip paused slightly.
“Why… did I not encounter any obstacles when entering the Historical Echo of the Ancient Azure Court?”
“Sylvia is a genuine Throne expert, and the White Tower is one of the top extraordinary powers in the Western Continent. This is already a part of the general trend of history. Why was I able to participate in the plot without any resistance?”
“If I had not intervened, Norton’s plan should have succeeded, but history did not unfold that way.”
“Or, am I myself a part of the general trend of history?”
“Or, who… am I?”
Shaya looked at the draft paper written in Chinese characters in his hand and couldn’t help but give a wry smile.
This had escalated to the philosophical level of “Who am I, and who is me.”
There was too little evidence currently, and thinking blindly would not yield results.
Shaya twirled the pen in his fingertips.
The next moment, *tsch—*
The metal tip of the pen pierced his palm, and then was pulled out.
No blood flowed out, and not even a wound appeared.
Almost as soon as the pen tip was pulled out, the flesh on Shaya’s palm healed instantaneously.
Looking at the results of his experiment, Shaya’s gaze paused briefly.
His Undying Body was not exclusive to Historical Echoes.
It was also effective in reality.
It should have been when he broke through to the Fourth Ring that he obtained this curse of immortality.
“This means that I actually already possessed this ability at the Borgia Family’s dinner banquet.”
“In that case, if Sylvia hadn’t intervened and directly suppressed the entire scene… my Undying Body would likely have been exposed when I was surrounded by other Borgia retainers afterwards.”
Thinking thus, Shaya couldn’t help but stand up and quickly return to his bedroom.
Then, he picked up the white cat on the bed, which was quietly squinting in the direction of the study, and petted it fiercely.
“As expected of my precious Sylvia, my first wife.”
“If it weren’t for you, I would have been in big trouble.”
As for why Sylvia was the first wife and Aerora the second, it was naturally based on the size of their chests.
*Meow meow meow~*
The white cat, suddenly hugged, flailed its limbs in a panic.
But then, upon hearing Shaya’s words, the cat’s struggles softened instantly, and its meows became weak.
Shaya didn’t think much of it and returned to the study after petting the cat.
He had returned to reality because there were things to do.
On one hand, it was to prepare for the impending battle in the Historical Echo.
Moreover, during the half-year within the Historical Echo, Shaya’s rank had finally surpassed the Fourth Ring and reached the Fifth Ring.
Although the Fourth Soul Pact had been inexplicably occupied, fortunately, the Fifth Soul Pact was functioning normally.
Because of this, the option for the Fifth Soul Pact’s contracted partner was also time to be put on the agenda.
Shaya had long had plans for his fourth familiar, but the funding had not been secured previously, making it impossible to proceed.
Now, with the sponsorship from that King of Knights in the Historical Echo, the funding gap had finally been filled…
Of course, freeloading off the White Tower was also an option, but unless absolutely necessary, Shaya was reluctant to ask his woman for money.
What if he got suppressed because of this small matter?
“At this hour… Little Ai should still be cultivating, right?”
Shaya glanced in the direction of the meditation room, sensing the long breaths, and then took out a sapphire-blue crystal from his Spatial Pocket.
He injected a trace of mental power into the crystal.
In the Western Continent, whether it was the Empire, the Alliance of Lieges, or the Holy Divine Kingdom, they all had their exclusive portable magic communication technology.
And what Shaya was using at this moment was the communication device exclusive to the Holy Divine Kingdom.
This private communicator came in a pair, and usually, only high-ranking officials of the Holy See could possess one. The owner of the other half of the communicator in Shaya’s hand was… the Saintess of Dawn from the Holy Court.
