Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 172: Knight and Knight

One by one, memories belonging to Drake floated beside Nol.

If they wished, they could peer even deeper. For instance, how Drake babbled as a baby or the first time he tasted rice cereal. If the knowledge and experience belonging to “Kando” were just tender flesh, then those memories of “Drake” were more like the skeleton that makes up a person—they were perfectly extracted.

Out of respect for privacy, Nol didn’t continue to look.

He could touch Perradat’s seal. It was soft and tough, yet very thin. It lightly and carefully covered over Kando’s memories, not damaging any detail, showing that it… or perhaps “she”, had carefully considered the issue of lifting it.

[If this Perradat also harbors ill intentions, she’s doing a pretty good job acting.]

Teest muttered, [Are you sure you want to return these memories? That guy might undergo a huge change in temperament—like suddenly spouting melancholic drivel. If that’s the case, I’d rather put up with the current Kando.]

Nol: [Return the memories to him.]

This was what Kando had been seeking; as outsiders, they had no right to decide for him. To be honest, Nol was somewhat apprehensive. Seeing the hero he had poured his heart into, his mouth tasted bitter.

Not just for the suffering Kando had endured, but also for their alliance, which was about to be shaken.

By now, Kando was clear about his identity as the Creator God. Even more specifically, he had mimicked Drake in front of Kando several times, demonstrating an understanding that was adequate to excessive.

With Kando… Drake’s abilities, he could definitely guess that he was a specific creation of a Creator God.

What would he… think of his creator, who arrived two hundred years late?

And how would he respond to this character he had personally crafted, the spiritual symbol of Tahe?

Your childhood tragedy was just rows of characters I wrote down. You were pulled into darkness before you could witness the glorious path I had laid out for you.

Nol gazed at the memory space, resembling a snowy plain, and took a deep breath.

‘Forget it,’ he thought. Anyway, he couldn’t continue to write Drake’s future.

[Return the memories to him.] Nol repeated.

Let Drake decide for himself.

To his surprise, Teest didn’t seem any more relieved than him. His knight had never shown much affection for Kando, yet there was a hint of trouble between his brows.

[Since you say so.]

Teest was silent for a dozen seconds before placing his hand on the seal. [I’ll do it.]

The black seal gradually dissipated, and Kando’s consciousness became clean and intact, while unusually… silent.

The spell ended, and the cool, moist air brushed against their skin again. Nol opened his eyes, his gaze meeting Kando’s directly.

Kando looked more bewildered than ever, staring at them with the confused expression of someone just awakened.

Soon, the bewilderment turned into a fireworks-like explosion of fragmented sorrow. They streaked across the bottom of his eyes, eventually settling into calmness.

“Fuck,” he whispered, with a hint of self-mockery in his voice. “It’s a hundred times worse than I imagined.”

The single eye turned towards them, its gaze now more piercing.

Nol’s heart stirred—he recognized that look. Through that eye, he saw the hero Drake for the first time.

“Kando… no, Drake, I…”

“Alright, alright. All’s well that ends well.”

Teest clapped his hands forcefully, abruptly interrupting Nol’s words. “How does it feel, Great Hero? Perradat handed you over to me. Now you are my thing.”

His tone was a bit strange, and Nol couldn’t quite pin down the flavor. It wasn’t malice, but it was certainly not goodwill.

Kando rolled his eyes, the confusion returning. However, when he spoke again, he was the familiar, foul-mouthed candle they knew.

“Because Perradat knows someone obediently wears the collar—Lord Nol is soft-hearted. Being his knight, you obviously won’t do anything to me.” He chuckled. “Say ‘thing’ one more time, and I’ll teleport you into a pigpen while you sleep.”

“You’re really good at finding excuses for her. You didn’t like her that much before.”

Teest bared his teeth. “Just a few threats, and she abandons her knight. The moment you regain your memory, you’re eager to praise—”

Nol frowned slightly. Teest seemed unusually irritable today, for an unknown reason.

“Loyalty is not a commodity. I remain her knight. She saved my life. That will not change.”

Kando clearly didn’t take Teest’s provocation seriously. “And as I said, she knew I would be safe, that’s why she agreed to hand me over to you—I entrusted my fate to a god. Naturally, I’m enlightened about these matters.”

After saying that, his eyes curved meaningfully. “It seems someone doesn’t quite understand ‘loyalty’. You wouldn’t think it’s like a gold wheel, where you give it out expecting to buy something in return.”

“Well, impressive memories.”

Teest said with a subtly different tone, “What a brand new Drake·Kando. What a loyal Candle Knight!”

Painter withdrew the protective magic around. “…Wait, who?”

“Stop arguing.” Nol pinched the bridge of his nose. “Drake, I’m sorry. I…”

“I have no complaints about my fate, if that’s what you mean.”

Kando interrupted him again, his tone becoming calm with a hint of his former arrogance. “What, should I blame you for not arranging a birth with both parents alive, wealthy, and happy? Or for not arranging a smooth life for me? Oh, believe me, by that standard, most of the world would despise you.”

“I coped well with my fate. I did what I could to my limits. Whether gods exist or not, the world will always have happiness and misfortune.”

The candle burned, the blue flame flickering.

“To me, a god is like a ‘natural disaster’. I won’t despise you, just as I won’t resent the ancient Demon King.”

Saying this, Kando’s tone suddenly became more “Kando-like”. “Running in front of me with malicious deception—that’s a different story. I usually call that kind of thing ‘scum’.”

Nol looked at that eye, feeling relieved and sad at the same time. Even if he became mad, Drake was still Drake.

He was the hero Drake he knew—just, tolerant, and—

“Don’t look at me like that! It’s awkward as hell, damn it!”

The candle shrieked in dissatisfaction. “First of all, I remain loyal to Perradat. You’d better not have any unrealistic ideas!”

Nol: “……”

Seeing Mr. Drake’s current mental state, he wasn’t sure whether to feel less guilty or more guilty.

Painter: “Hello, can someone clarify? You guys seem to call this ‘Drake’? …How many Drakes are there in Paradise?”

Kando: “See, that’s a proper question.”

Saying so, he glanced meaningfully at Nol. His gaze was still unsteady, showing that he needed more time to digest reality—perhaps, to think calmly in a place with a lower divine presence.

“You explain to Painter. We’ll go out for a walk first.”

Nol understandingly grabbed Teest.

The usually deft Mad Monk was caught by him, and with a nonchalant hum from his throat, Teest was dragged out of the cave by Nol.

Outside the cave, it was the time of sunrise, with orange light spreading across the sky. Teest found a rock to sit on, his legs dangling quietly, looking a bit sullen.

Nol thought for a few seconds and sat down next to Teest. His knight leaned over unceremoniously, as if all his bones had melted away.

“Drake is more tolerant than I imagined.” Nol started the conversation. “Star Stealer Sol also created a family tragedy for you, and you are still investigating it.”

“Whether there’s malice or not, we can still distinguish that.”

Teest said, “If you’re considering easing the conflict, I must say, this is a terrible opening topic.”

Nol paused for a moment, then decided to get to the point. “Are you unhappy?”

Teest: “Perradat didn’t just abandon a magical artifact; she sold her knight as merchandise. She should learn a lesson. At least, I expected Drake to have some backbone.”

“But instead, he’s all about loyalty. If that’s what ‘loyalty’ is… Do you still keep the loyalty I gave you in your pocket? I suggest you check the merchandise.”

Teest gazed at the brilliant dawn sky, his eyes not looking at Nol.

“‘Loyalty’ is not a term of contract.” Nol thought for a few seconds. “Perhaps, in Drake’s view, obedience is one of the expressions of ‘loyalty’. As long as their common goal remains, other things can be compromised.”

To put it bluntly, following a gasping, immobile loser or a new god bound with the Creator God, the latter is obviously more beneficial and promising.

Perradat knew this, and so did Drake.

For Nol, this wasn’t something to overreact to. He didn’t expect Teest to be so irritated by it.

“I am also your loyal knight, and we have common goals.”

Teest said, “But don’t even think about selling me out—just say directly what you need from me, so I’m telling you now.”

‘Perhaps what you offered isn’t real “loyalty”,’ Nol thought. Peeling away that golden coat of loyalty, what was wrapped inside wasn’t gold, but chocolate.

Sadly, his Mad Monk hadn’t understood this yet and was still confused here.

“I promise I won’t,” Nol responded decisively. “So you just disagree with Perradat’s method…?”

“Not just that.”

Teest still stared at the burning twilight. “Kando had plenty of complaints about Perradat before, but after regaining his memory, he’s blindly loyal to her. I don’t like this kind of… total change. Fortunately, I’m not friends with that guy.”

This time, Nol didn’t reply.

Silence spread between them as they quietly watched the sunrise burn out, and the sky gradually turned to pure blue. The silhouette of a dragon crossed the sky, casting an almost invisible shadow.

“We should go see Subelbot now.”

Teest stood up and reached out his hand to Nol, as if nothing had happened. This time, he didn’t make any demands.

Nol looked at that hand, guessing it was as warm as ever.

Actually, his knight is pretty dull, he thought. The Mad Monk used to love setting up all kinds of rules and entangling himself like gold threads. Now, Teest was extremely cautious and careful about it.

Nol took that hand, kissed Teest’s palm, and then stood up.

Teest looked down and raised his eyebrows.

“Let’s go,” Nol said. “To see Subelbot.”

“…Whatever you’re worried about, I won’t let it happen.”

……

When Lynn entered the cave, her mind was all over the place. In a way, this significantly reduced the tension of facing a dragon.

Her teammate might be a crazy god. Everything he says could be a lie… Compared to this, dragons were just minor problems with scales.

…However, regardless of Nol’s true situation, at this moment, she had to protect the interests of her compatriots.

“As per our sacred agreement, Paradise has maintained the dignity of the dragons. As you see, Telistam is unharmed and still sleeping on the hillside.”

Lynn cleared her throat and reached for Dorothy beside her.

“We have brought the representative of the challengers. We look forward to peace and cooperation.”

For Dorothy, it was her first time observing a dragon up close since entering the game. Under the dragon’s imposing presence, her muscles tensed, and her gaze locked on Subelbot.

“As per our sacred agreement, to reward you, we will not pursue this offense further.”

Subelbot lifted his huge head. “But I smell an ominous stench. That voyeur, that distorter of all… You carry its scent.”

“Exactly.” Lynn quickly responded, “It tried to directly bewitch these innocent warriors, inducing them to attack the Dragon’s Lair. You are free to probe. I assure you, there is no hostility towards the dragon race among those present.”

Subelbot exhaled a scorching breath, smoke swirling around his nostrils. “Of course, I’ve probed. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have the life to step in here.”

Then it fell silent.

‘Cunning old bag.’ Lynn pressed her buzzing head. This old dragon was slipperier than an eel, promising only a “peace” that was a matter of course, nothing else.

He still had doubts about their “God”. But Lynn couldn’t blame him, she thought melancholically. She now had a full basket of doubts about Nol herself.

“As the sacred White Dragon said, peace is the basis of negotiations.”

Painter cheerfully took over the topic. This guy had a long chat with Kando, unsure what they talked about. But facing Nol and Teest, his demeanor remained unchanged. Nol deeply doubted, even if Painter knew this world was made of cheese, his expression wouldn’t change.

“Peace—precious peace, what a noble promise! Miss Dorothy, I think you should thank Lord Subelbot.” The former Pope continued in a hymn-like tone.

Subelbot, Dorothy: “?”

“The dragon race agrees to coexist peacefully with you all.” Painter emphasized “coexist”. “Miss Dorothy, I believe you understand the dangers of this world. Near the Dragon’s Lair is the safest.”

“Exactly.”

Teest, resuming the appearance of “Drake”, immediately climbed the pole. “You all can camp near the Dragon’s Lair. This is the reward I give to the warriors.”

Snatching something from the dragons, the system would certainly be happy to accept such a deception.

Sure enough, the next second, the system happily popped up a “Quest reward issued” notification.

Subelbot’s eyes widened slightly. He was deeply shocked by the shamelessness of the humans present. The problem is, the promise was given, and it seems a bit cheap to explain now.

Had it been someone else, he wouldn’t mind killing them all to vent his anger at being fooled. The problem is, Painter alone was troublesome, not to mention that boy with the aura of destruction… If a fight really broke out, Subelbot wasn’t sure he could win.

The most troublesome part was, he couldn’t see through that Dracolich, “Nolerwin”.

Allocating a piece of empty mountaintop for these outsiders to camp on wasn’t impossible, although the idea made it uncomfortable. Anyway, it’s not for long. He could just consider this a sacrifice to fight against the False God…

“I’ll allow it.” Subelbot gritted his teeth.

“A praiseworthy alliance.” Painter smiled. “By our God above, we’re not greedy. I appreciate the concession you’ve made and will not ask for more.”

“As for the details of ‘peaceful coexistence’, we can discuss them gradually.”

Subelbot looked at him coldly, seemingly wishing to smash the former Pope with his claw.

“Yes.” Teest immediately followed up. “Let’s first talk about our private agreement. I need your assistance, remember?”

Subelbot bared his teeth. “Boy, you—”

The smile on Teest’s face faded slightly, and for a moment, he looked a bit like Kando resolved to regain his memory.

“You just need to help me complete a spell.”

He said, “I will bring you into contact with the God you’ve been chasing.”

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The author has something to say:

Shocking! The first competition in shamelessness in Paradise, with Mr. Painter joyously claiming the championship.

Let’s congratulate Mr. Teest, the runner-up, and Miss Lynn, the second runner-up.

The Demon King didn’t even make it to the podium… You still have to work hard, Nol.

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