Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

Chapter 98: Wound and Fissure

A faint glow reflected the horses’ hooves that tread upon the dew-covered grass leaves.

The knights battalion advanced towards the location where the meteor fell at a pace that was neither fast nor slow. The difference between the temporary knights and the regular knights gradually became apparent—

At first, the excited temporary knights whispered amongst themselves, discussing the miracle they had witnessed not long ago. After continuing on for three hours, no one was in the mood to talk anymore. As the horses moved up and down, they began to feel a dull pain in their loins and butts, and their legs grew increasingly stiff and sore from maintaining the same position for so long.

As a Lich, Nol naturally didn’t suffer from these physical details. He kept a calm facade, looking straight ahead without uttering a word the entire time.

His pale golden hair, golden pupils, fine features, and a relatively slender figure made “Drake” stand out among the temporary knights, like a porcelain idol mixed into a bunch of rough clay figurines.

What no one knew was that this seemingly quiet knight hadn’t shut his mouth since the early morning.

Nol leaned into Teest’s embrace, muttering madly in his heart as they went over the details of the battle with Lich Valdorlock. In the end, they began to organize the snippets of information revealed by the candle.

[You are the creator of the system. It’s only natural for it to want to protect you.]

Even though the gaze had vanished, Teest still held Nol tightly, hands resting on his waist.

[Think about it. If we hadn’t been cursed at that time, you would have become a real Lich—powerful, but not unique, with well-known attributes and weaknesses. Once targeted by a being skilled in light magic from the Temple of Life, you’d stand no chance.]

The Mad Monk speculated with interest.

Nol didn’t respond immediately.

Suppose the system’s actions were indeed out of goodwill. By cursing him, making him a unique entity… perhaps that was only part of the reason, Nol thought.

If he had taken the straightforward path to leveling up, he would have had many choices and wouldn’t have focused on the unorthodox method of “slowly increasing attributes”—wouldn’t it be faster to grab some rare equipment instead of spending time fighting powerful monsters?

In that case, he might not have acquired the [Fallen Death] mutation skill.

Nol had a vague premonition that, because of this skill, he would embark on a completely different future.

[…The system gave me the ‘God’s Forsaken’ skill, making the gods unable to watch over me and binding you and me together, perhaps also to protect you.] Seeing that Nol didn’t continue, Teest eagerly went on.

[No, that’s not it.] Nol immediately refuted.

[Hmm?]

[When we first met, we didn’t know each other, and there was no guarantee that we would get along. No one was forcing you to protect me.]

Nol stared at the seemingly endless green grassland ahead, analyzing carefully.

[Even if the curse prevents us from divorcing, we could still ignore the marriage contract and separate… There’s too much uncertainty in such things. I tend to believe that ‘God’s Forsaken’ is there to protect you personally.]

Nol was very serious in his thoughts. [This means that in the eyes of the system, you are special enough—special to the point of needing to be hidden from the sight of the gods.]

The only native with Player privileges. The “White Demon” who could use the system’s power even before the Players arrived.

To say the system merely picked up Teest as a tool was something Nol was the first to disbelieve.

[That’s one interpretation.]

Teest was far from modest. He rubbed his chin against Nol’s shoulder. [According to your idea, we are both very important to the system, and it doesn’t wish for us to fight each other.]

Nol nodded almost imperceptibly, continuing to analyze. [Kando said that if it speaks of certain things, it will immediately draw the attention of the ‘gods’.]

[I have a guess—at certain special moments, the ‘gods’ inspect the situation in the world. Like Eugene’s sacrifice, like Kando’s secret… like when a Player uses inconceivable methods to clear a high-level dungeon for a rare profession beyond their level.]

If there hadn’t been any curses at the beginning, they might have been targeted by some malicious “god” the moment they stepped out of the dungeon’s teleportation point.

But the system made two severe curses take immediate effect, so even if the “god” couldn’t pry, the curses would cause them to overlook the matter—”Physical Destruction” and “God’s Forsaken”. The targets of the curses were essentially useless accounts that wouldn’t affect the big picture.

Cold sweat broke out on Nol’s back belatedly.

From the beginning, the system was quietly protecting them under the “gods’” nose… It all made sense.

[Ah, how touching. Your system has had so much nonsense added to it, but it still tries hard to be on your side,] Teest murmured happily. [It seems that the so-called ‘gods’ can’t fully control the system. How interesting.]

[I’ll let that pass. I’m more concerned about why the system wants to protect you so much,] Nol muttered back.

[Because I am your lovely husband? Your reliable knight? Your venerable pope?]

Nol, unable to tolerate any more, turned his head slightly, glaring at him with the corner of his eye. […Or a detestable narcissist?]

[Adding that to the list is fine too,] Teest expressed generously.

……

After several days of traveling through the cold dew and the wilderness, they finally reached the foot of the Brick Mountains.

The mountain range was dark and steep, like black waves frozen in mid-air. The slopes were shrouded in mist, making it difficult to see clearly. By comparison, the knight’s procession seemed like a line of ants walking beneath a city wall.

They followed the mountain range for a long time, gradually feeling the illusion of not moving at all. The mist atop the mountain lingered, and the sides of the range were too similar, like a fixed loop in the background.

To find a specific location in this featureless wilderness was difficult enough, let alone return the way they came.

Fortunately, the Investigation Knights had noted the direction of the meteor. After half a day’s journey, the location indicated by the meteor was within reach.

“Halt. Make camp,” Eugene ordered.

For the past few days, Eugene had never allowed the troop to pitch camp. They wrapped up in sleeping bags to rest, and meals were dealt with in an hour’s stop or they simply nibbled on dry rations while mounted.

Such high-intensity progress made the Investigation Knights seem relaxed, but the temporary knights were somewhat unable to bear it.

Most of them collapsed on the ground like rotten meat. Even the decorous Sean couldn’t keep his footing, stumbling and kneeling after a few steps. Damori crawled off his horse, plopping onto the grass, then yelped and jumped up, clutching his backside.

Nol thought, without looking, that the kid’s legs and butt must be chafed raw.

The robust “Drake” naturally didn’t have this problem.

His expression was unfazed, as if stubbing his little toe on a table corner wouldn’t change his color. In fact, he was secretly refreshing his butt every day—Nol realized for the first time since coming to Tahe that the convenience of an undead wasn’t to be underestimated.

Teest, accustomed to exercise, cared even less about these things. Taking advantage of the fact that others didn’t notice him, he warmed up with one foot stretched on the horse or would stand on his head from time to time. If not for Nol’s gravity magic keeping him safe, the warhorse would have kicked him off long ago.

When Nol was tired, he just relaxed and leaned against Teest’s chest. After Teest had his fun, he would lie on Nol’s back, sleeping soundly.

These past few days, the two hadn’t missed any rest and could be said to be in excellent condition.

“These past few days have been hard on everyone.”

Eugene came to the temporary knights group to offer his consolations. His complexion was rosy and healthy and his tone sincere and friendly, showing no sign of his recent near-death experience from “summoning the miracle”.

“I’ve instructed the logistics knights. They will prepare a hearty dinner for you all. Someone will come to distribute diluted fruit wine and mint tea later. Please rest well.”

“Thank the Goddess for Her grace.” Sean crossed his fingers like heads of wheat, making a prayer gesture.

“Time is precious. We need to scout the area near our destination first,” Eugene said, shifting the tone of the conversation. He scanned the room with a smile, his gaze pausing briefly on “Drake” who was standing upright.

“According to the rules, I need to bring three temporary knights with me—those willing to go will immediately receive ten gold wheels, and I invite everyone to apply as they see fit.”

“It’s alright if we don’t have enough people. Even one is sufficient, as we need a fair witness. Don’t worry about safety. I will accompany you personally. The safety of the camp will be the responsibility of my two deputy commanders.”

As the only person present who could still stand upright, Nol nodded at Eugene. He stepped over his contorted comrades-in-arms and stood quietly by Eugene’s side. While Eugene wasn’t paying attention, Nol looked regretfully at the steaming mint tea.

Teest draped over Nol like a fur coat. [I’ll make some hot chocolate tonight. Let’s drink it together.]

Nol, with his indifferent expression, thought happily, [Great!]

Sean, watching Nol’s relaxed posture, also struggled to his feet and staggered in front of Eugene like a cripple. “Please allow me to contribute my strength for the Goddess.”

“The Goddess will reward your loyalty,” Eugene said, patting his shoulder as the glow of a healing spell passed over him. “Any more volunteers?”

Even after witnessing the healing spell, the temporary knights present still hesitated.

At that moment, Nol particularly understood their feelings—it wasn’t just about their physical condition—

It was like working overtime for three or four weeks straight, with everyone’s spirits at their limit. Just when a holiday was in sight, the boss announced voluntary overtime.

Even with overtime pay, not everyone would agree.

Sure enough, after a long while, only Damori struggled to come over—or perhaps “hopped over” would be more accurate—he held his backside with his face contorted. “Please take me… hiss!”

Eugene chuckled, patted Damori’s shoulder, and intentionally enhanced the healing effect. Damori let out a long sigh of relief, and his standing posture improved considerably.

“We’re already familiar with each other. It’s good to have someone to look out for one another,” Damori said in good spirits.

Nol suspected this was only half the reason. The other half was the ten shiny gold wheels of overtime pay. Thinking of his colleagues with families and mortgages, he looked at Damori with a bit more sympathy.

By Nol’s side, Eugene withdrew his observational gaze, his smile a few degrees more sincere.

Ten minutes passed, and Damori’s mood didn’t improve.

It was somewhat cold at the foot of the Brick Mountains, still within the range of “autumn cold”. Once they ascended the mountain, the temperature plummeted toward that of a freezing winter. Coupled with the thin oxygen, it felt as dry and brittle as frost, cold from the inside out.

The Investigation Knights were considerate, but they didn’t go so far as to conjure warm winds and oxygen for the three “temps”—everyone walked on snow and ice and melting it would be more dangerous.

Like the other knights, Nol was tied with a rope around his waist, quickly climbing up the cliff, keeping pace with the full-time Investigation Knights.

In this group, only he, “Drake”, looked steadfastly forward, never once looking back.

It wasn’t that the office warrior had suddenly become coordinated, but in the unseen corners, there was always a dark furry ball with paws reaching out from the shadows, providing Nol with footholds.

His determined gaze wasn’t that of the Creator’s aura—Nol was certain that if he dared to look down even once, he would scare himself stiff and slip down the mountain.

[Honey, your coordination is terrible, and your joints are a bit stiff.]

Three or four meters ahead of Nol, Teest perched on a rocky spire like a snow eagle, without dislodging a bit of snow.

[In my previous world, this kind of activity was called extreme sports—extreme sports!] Nol emphasized. [I haven’t even climbed stairs for this long…]

[I didn’t expect you to be afraid of heights.] His Holiness Pope Teest openly mocked his god.

[I’m not usually afraid.]

As they neared the summit, the chilling wind became fiercer, and Nol’s thoughts seemed to become discordant. [Damn, with Eugene here, I can’t freely use magic… There’s not even a railing here, and you’re not by my…]

Teest raised his eyebrows proudly. [Not by your what?]

Nol exhaled a large cloud of mist, ignoring him. Teest hopped down from the cliff and stopped beside Nol, his hand smoothing Nol’s back—before Teest, the slippery, icy rocks seemed to turn into a living room floor.

[Don’t be afraid. I’m right by your side,] he said with a chuckle.

The wind was too strong. Nol adjusted his stance and felt his back touch something. It was a layer of light yet tough netting, which, amid the wind and snow, subtly supported his back.

The Mad Monk’s golden thread.

Nol closed his eyes and took another step upward. The mountain rocks were still wet and slippery, but his fear had been swept away clean by the cold wind.

The other two temporary knights weren’t so lucky.

Damori, being more robust, managed to push forward. Sean, originally a mage, now resembled a cocoon wrapped in a blanket, being dragged upwards by an Investigation Knight.

When they reached the summit, the sunset dyed half of the sky red, and the clouds near the mountain were also tinged with gold.

But no one was there to appreciate this magnificent scene.

Apart from Damori, who was gasping for air on the ground, and Sean, whose consciousness was blurry, everyone noticed the anomaly not far away—

A string of gray-black castles suspended in the air.

It was described as “a string” because the castle seemed to have been brutally dismembered, its fragments falling from top to bottom. Yet, these fragments were connected by sinew-like links of black and red, reminiscent of rotting flesh, just hanging there in midair.

At the very top, in the largest piece of the castle ruins, all windows were lit, clearly indicating habitation. The clouds churned endlessly below the castle, like a stormy sea of gray and white.

This was the rumored “The Manor”.

Nol narrowed his eyes. He was 120,000 percent sure that Siren Fischer was in one of those ruins.

[Look below.] Teest tugged at Nol’s wrist, his voice serious again.

Surrounding them was a sea of clouds, black rocks, and snow, and what caught everyone’s attention first was the castle lights. But looking down was even more horrifying.

Directly below the castle was a hellish, long, narrow fissure.

It was deeply hidden in the shadows, parallel to the Brick Mountain Range, stretching far at both ends, its length and depth impossible to gauge.

In comparison, the castle in the air was like a drop of blood ejected from the massive fissure.

Nol hung his head, fascinated by the crevasse.

It was like the eyes of a dead person that hadn’t fully closed. Nol felt that something in the depths of the fissure was looking back at him.

Suddenly, an abnormal chill seeped into the cold wind.

Nol subtly moved forward a step, shielding Teest behind him. Eugene, making a quick decision, plunged his longsword deep into the snow. Golden light spread, and the twelve present were encased in a semi-transparent golden dome.

The White Night came, for the third time.

This time, Nol saw its source.

From the depths of the fissure came a heavy, chaotic, spine-chilling rumble. It was like the sighs, groans, and wails of thousands. A shadowy blackness surged up from the depths of the crevasse, the scene truly resembling blood oozing from a wound.

The darkness surged, branched off, crawled over the mountains, and raced in all directions. The Manor’s castle, situated higher up, remained unharmed in the rampaging White Night.

The darkness surged around the protective shield. Perhaps due to Eugene’s strong defense, this time it didn’t have the previous “thousand hands grasping” anomaly that occurred with Siren.

After several minutes, the darkness ceased, and the crevasse, like a wound, temporarily “healed.”

The booming became distant and the surging darkness vanished beyond the horizon. That darkness would become the White Night that corrupted the lands, took countless lives, and eventually dissipated in the wind.

Above the sky, the castle’s light remained as usual, as if this was just an ordinary moment on a mundane day.

[In your setting, there probably wouldn’t be this castle, let alone this fissure.] Teest sighed inwardly. [You wouldn’t create something so… despair-inducing, I guess.]

Nol instinctively reached out and firmly grasped Teest’s hand, which was within reach.

It was the closest and only source of warmth.

The author has something to say:

“How to Refresh Away Your Awkwardness and Fatigue” — Nol

Eugene: Truly a master of great physical fitness.

Fact: Refreshing butt.jpg

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

Chapter 97: Theism

Eugene led Nol all the way to the church’s parlor.

This place had been converted into Eugene’s temporary office. Nol noticed the incongruous desk and the excessive number of magic candles.

Besides Eugene, there was a young knight standing guard in the room. Nol recognized him at a glance—it was Manley, the knight they had rescued in Whitebird City. He had recovered well. One couldn’t tell he had been so gravely injured.

Seeing a familiar face lightened Nol’s mood.

If it were just Nol by himself, he might have been on high alert. But now, with Teest swaggering up to Eugene’s desk, taking liberties to sneak peeks at the documents, Nol couldn’t muster up any nervousness.

“Please.” Eugene gestured towards the sofa in the meeting area. A teapot floated by itself, pouring a cup of hot tea for Nol.

“No need. It’s late. Please speak directly,” Nol said dutifully, playing the role of the “Dragonblood Hero Drake” from his impression. He couldn’t deny there was a bit of joy in treating his temporary “superior” this way.

Out of the corner of his eye, Nol saw Teest plopping down in Eugene’s office chair, stretching his neck to look at the documents on the desk. There was a map with many letters and manuscripts on it. Teest was nearly reaching for a cup of tea to drink while he read.

“We have noticed your outings and are aware that you are volunteering to deal with the corrupted monsters,” Eugene began straightforwardly. “Your vigilance is also high. You neither go to the places where knights are stationed nor let our people witness the scene… We can only speculate that your method of dealing with corrupted monsters is very special.”

“I like to act alone,” Nol said. “I ran out on my own. If I involve others, precious time would be spent explaining.”

“As for special, I don’t know what you mean?”

Nol was genuinely puzzled. Teest dealt with the bodies entirely using the methods of the Temple of Life. Before this, Nol had only heard a few “last wishes” from the corrupted—nothing more.

The content of those last wishes was very similar—confused pleas for help, expressions of pain and despair, murmurs of wanting to see family. It was normal human sentiment—nothing out of the ordinary.

“The abandoned house in the east of the city, the space under Colt Tower, the cobblestone path in the city center, the mill on Fluorite Street… Tonight, you’ve dealt with four corrupted monsters, right?”

Eugene continued with a smile, “The corruption of the Demon King is very stubborn, and even after being thoroughly purified, that land will be somewhat colder than other places.”

“The places you’ve cleaned are as warm as normal land. Do you mind telling me how that is?”

Nol: “……”

He had been careless. Indeed, he hadn’t known this detail about the temperature difference.

A few steps away, Teest lifted his head, innocently looking towards Nol, his head shaking like a rattle. [Honey, do you think the former me would have been so kind as to help clean up corrupted monsters?]

At that moment, Teest was on tiptoes, peeking at scrolls on a shelf. As he turned his head, the stack of scrolls he was secretly fiddling with almost collapsed. Fortunately, the Mad Monk was quick and managed to steady them in time.

…Before Nol could pass this buck, his “only Pope” preemptively set up defenses, ready as if beating the drum to pass the blame. This relationship of faith was really too healthy.

Nol tried to discard the thought of “spouses are like birds of the same forest*” from his mind. Eugene wasn’t an easy man to deal with, so he decided to be a bit more honest. “I really don’t know how I did it.”

*The line following after is: When disaster strikes, they fly separately. It’s a proverb used to describe a situation where a couple may seem to be close and committed, but when a serious challenge arises, they may abandon each other and act selfishly.

“Don’t know, huh…”

There wasn’t much disappointment in Eugene’s voice. He casually changed the topic. “The background of all temporary knights has been checked except for yours. You and I are both children of God. It’s better not to keep too many secrets.”

He lifted the teacup, the moss-green color of his eyes floating at the edge of the cup.

The inevitable still arrived.

Nol launched the [Bloodline Suppression] that stemmed from the dragon without hesitation.

Merely affected by the aftermath, the young knight inside the room stumbled, almost falling in place. Eugene, being the target, didn’t even shake the hand that was holding the teacup. He lowered his gaze, set the cup down lightly, and clapped his hands twice.

“No wonder you are also called ‘Drake’.” Eugene’s tone was somewhat relieved. “Another person with dragon’s blood. That’s a good sign.”

“So that’s how it is.” Nol said, “Many people still have concerns about mixed bloodlines, which is why I hide my identity on normal days. I change my appearance every time I take on a task.”

“I understand your worries.” Eugene nodded, his posture relaxed. “Your bloodline is as outstanding as your appearance, but indeed, both can bring trouble.”

“You don’t mind? The duty of the Investigation Knights is clearly to eradicate monsters and the darkness.”

“As long as you are willing to exert effort for Lady Tilia, that’s enough. In the eyes of the Goddess, nobility and commonality are equal—there is no difference between monster mixed-blood and human pure-blood… Wasn’t the Dragonblood Hero from two hundred years ago also a hero among humans?”

Eugene cast a heating spell on Nol’s tea, causing the cool tea to steam once again.

Interesting. As devout believers, Knight Eugene and that Sean had completely different interpretations of the “rules”. Nol was somewhat surprised. Eugene wasn’t as difficult to communicate with as they had imagined.

“Then I’ll just say it—the anomaly in the purification might be due to my special bloodline. Dragon’s magical talent is stronger than humans. Perhaps my purification is more thorough.”

The timing was right. Nol gave the excuse he had prepared in advance.

“Perhaps.” Eugene said, “You may go back now, Mr. Drake. I look forward to your performance. May your life be full of vitality.”

“May the Goddess forever bless you and me.” Nol nodded, and Teest, having completed his snooping, hurried back to his side.

The young knight Manley moved to the door, politely opening it first.

Could the anomaly be related to that [Lost Last Wish] skill? Nol walked on, thinking to himself.

Those corrupted people had expressed their grievances fully before death, removing their resentment? …No, this line of thought was too reminiscent of ancient Country C style. Nol doubted it was that simple.

Teest curiously turned his head to spy on Eugene’s actions.

Whoosh!

A flash of sword light came from behind Nol.

It brushed past Teest’s temples, stopping within two fists’ distance of Nol’s shoulder. Teest dodged just in time, or else he would have lost a large tuft of hair.

Nol stopped but didn’t turn around. “Captain Eugene, what’s the meaning of this?”

“I just sensed hostility and surveillance near you,” Eugene answered nonchalantly, his expression revealing no ripples of emotion. “That feeling didn’t seem like you… Ah, perhaps it’s still too late. My judgment was flawed.”

“You didn’t dodge.” Seeing Nol continuing towards the door without a word, Eugene casually added.

‘That’s the reflex of an office warrior. Even if you were to stab at me head-on, I wouldn’t be able to dodge,’ Nol muttered to himself internally but still didn’t turn back, nonchalantly responding—

“You are a knight favored by the Goddess. You wouldn’t attack someone from behind.”

“Hahaha, indeed!” Eugene swiftly sheathed his sword. “I hope we will have the chance to work together.”

No, my family likes to dump corpses in front of the Evergreen Church. I guess you wouldn’t accept this. Nol took heavy steps, walking towards the midnight corridor.

[We need to stay away from him,] Nol thought to himself after leaving the room.

[He really is a troublesome guy. Just now, I only cursed him in my mind.] Teest internally ranted nonstop. [Worthy of the renowned Chosen One.]

[Do you know his prophecy?] Nol became interested.

[Only the higher-ups of the Temple of Life know.] Teest snorted. [Next time you can inquire about it from that Annakin. I am also curious.]

[Mm…]

At the same time, inside Eugene’s office.

“The Chosen Ones and servants of the Temple have all had their identities confirmed,” Eugene muttered as he scrolled through the scroll. “In recent years, no new oracles have emerged…”

But that Drake was clearly not an ordinary person. Eugene prided himself on his intuition. The feeling he got when he faced Drake was no different from when he faced other powerful Chosen Ones… In fact, Drake seemed even more exceptional.

…Could it be that the Goddess didn’t favor him? Drake was evidently a decent pantheist.

…Or was it that Drake wasn’t as simple as he appeared on the surface?

Right, the hostility he sensed earlier was almost inexplicable… Standing there, Drake seemed like the mix of two extremes of good and evil, exuding a very inconsistent aura.

Eugene drew his longsword, and the firelight turned its blade into a mirror. Eugene gazed at his own puzzled eyes reflected in it.

…It should also not be a Supplement Demon. The Eternal Church didn’t have the capability to obtain a fresh, complete dragon corpse to make potions. If they dared to do so, the angry dragons would have flattened the Eternal Church long before.

Eugene thought hard but couldn’t come up with an answer.

In the end, he could only pull out the battle force arrangement chart, placing Drake under the close watch of the Investigation Knights.

“You should rest early,” Knight Manly reminded him. “After all, tomorrow you have to…”

“Thank you for the reminder. I remember.” Eugene cut him off.

……

The next day, outside the city.

After returning yesterday, Teest boasted about the intelligence he had gathered—

On the big shared bed, Nol pretended to be asleep with his eyes closed. Teest crawled under his blanket, chirping non-stop inside the bulging blanket.

Indeed, he had gathered quite a bit of information, such as the multiple conflicts between The Manor and Eternal Day City, and the rough battle plan of the Investigation Knights’ mission.

As Nol expected, Eugene’s arrangements didn’t include a “negotiation” phase. What they couldn’t understand was the absence of an “investigation” phase as well.

The Investigation Knights were unable to confirm the location of The Manor, only knowing that it was on the edge of “Brick Shadow”, and for some reason, divination magic had no effect on it.

Through the captured Siren Fischer, Nol knew the approximate location of The Manor. He had planned to find an opportunity to reveal it to the Investigation Knights, but who would have thought that Eugene would lead the team out of the city so directly, appearing exceptionally confident.

As a temporary knight, Nol was given a horse and was currently squeezed on it in tandem with Teest. To avoid the horses getting too dissatisfied, Nol even kindly used gravity magic. Aside from his back being entirely covered by Teest, warm enough to be irritating, the situation was still under control.

[Are the Investigation Knights always this confident?] Nol asked. [Or is it that they are just accustomed to acting first?]

[No, Eugene Malloy is a very cautious person.] Teest rested his chin on Nol’s shoulder, lazily hooking the reins with his fingers. [He would only make a move when he’s certain of the target. He probably got the news from some other channels.]

With the addition of temporary knights, the expedition force was a full two hundred and ten strong. Each member of the Investigation Knights troop was elite, and this force was equivalent to an elite combat group of a large guild.

Eugene led them to a stop on a vast grassland.

He galloped out of the formation, stopping before the crowd, ensuring that everyone could see him. Nol curiously leaned closer to Teest, their heads cocking as they observed intently.

“In the midst of last night, the Archbishop has returned with the results of the divine revelation,” Eugene said in a loud voice, as the rustling sound of the morning grass surrounded them. “Even the most powerful divination cannot pinpoint the exact location of The Manor.”

“Surely, you must have noticed something special about The Manor recently. Its members come and go without a trace, and with The Manor’s activity, the occurrence of the White Nights has increased more than tenfold… This is a very dangerous adversary. Listen well, everyone. Underestimating the enemy on the battlefield is a grave mistake.”

“Eh? No divination results?” Damori exclaimed in surprise. “Then where do we go?”

Confusion wasn’t exclusive to him. Aside from those like Sean who fully trusted in the Temple, the rest of the temporary knights were more or less puzzled, and whispers began to spread.

“To resolve the issue of The Manor as swiftly as possible, I have decided to request the Goddess’s mercy.”

After two minutes, Knight Eugene spoke again. “I will make a sacrifice here, to let the omnipotent God guide us and reveal the way to us.”

Nol clenched the reins in his hand, and behind him, Teest’s body tensed up slightly.

A direct request to God? What does that mean? A magic trick, or truly summoning a god?

Nol’s mind rapidly sifted through various divination spells, his gaze unflinchingly on Eugene. The rest of the temporary knights gradually fell silent, looking toward Captain Eugene with reverence.

Eugene smiled at everyone and waved to his own team. Two knights approached on horseback. They stopped, one on each side, flanking Eugene squarely in the middle.

With a swish, Eugene drew his longsword.

In the early morning, everything was dim and hazy, as if a thin veil of gray-blue was draped over all things.

The pale light of the sword pierced through this softness, and Eugene’s actions were decisive—he thrust the sword directly into his own chest.

Simultaneously, the knight to his left swiftly drew his sword. Two swords pierced through the armor, and Eugene’s upper body was marked with a cross made by the swords. His body was penetrated, and blood gushed out rapidly.

It soaked the armor and the horse’s fur and drizzled onto the grass. Eugene himself didn’t move; his face quickly turned pale, but his smile remained unchanged.

The scene fell into utter silence.

[There’s definitely no magic like this in my ‘Tahe’.]

[He avoided the vitals, but he will die from blood loss soon.]

Nol and Teest almost simultaneously voiced their thoughts internally.

[This is more like black magic that requires a sacrifice…] Nol was about to add something to his mind when suddenly both of them heard a rustling system noise.

[Attention….. Player Teest, please… hold the person next to you……]

[Attention…… Player Teest, please… hold the person next to you……]

[Attention…… Player Teest, please…… hold the person next to you……]

The system’s voice was distorted and stuttered, faint to almost non-existent. Teest hesitated for less than a second, then fiercely hugged Nol, with such force as if to embed him into his body.

Seeing the system’s abnormality for the first time, Nol didn’t dare act rashly, cooperating with Teest’s movements, pressing close to him.

In the next instant, he thought he knew the reason for the prompt’s trigger.

The air nearby suddenly became immensely heavy, and something… almost like a vision, surged from all directions. The feeling of being watched by a pride of lions on the grassland, amplified a million times, was probably close to what Nol was feeling now.

…Something, something extremely powerful, cast its gaze upon them.

The wind stopped, and all bird and insect noises vanished, the breathing of hundreds of people around was barely audible. In this terrifying silence, Eugene curled his lips upward. With his arms drenched in his own blood, he reached out to the void, as if yearning for an embrace.

“O beginning of the world, sovereign of all things, Supreme Goddess Tilia.”

He called out with a voice full of joy.

“Please guide the way for your devoted knight. Let your loyal sword slay the enemy… Please tell me the location of The Manor.”

The feeling of being watched persisted for a dozen seconds before gradually disappearing.

The next second, Demori, a few steps away, let out a suppressed cry of surprise. Sean dismounted and knelt to pray on the spot—

In the early morning sky, an emerald green meteor descended from the heavens. It trailed a long tail, slowly falling towards a certain location in the Brick Mountains.

Amidst the pool of blood, Eugene ignored the two swords in his chest and performed a proper knight’s salute. “Praise be to Your Grace.”

His complexion was paler than fresh snow, looking as if he might fall off his horse at any moment.

The knight to Eugene’s left quickly acted. With two puffing sounds, the blood-covered swords fell to the grass. The knight on his right immediately cast a prepared healing spell, dousing Eugene with a healing potion that soaked him through.

Knight Eugene then caught his breath. His face was still frightfully pale, but his breathing gradually returned to normal.

Meanwhile, the emerald meteor at the edge of the sky had just vanished.

“Rest for ten minutes, then advance towards The Manor,” Eugene instructed. “The Goddess watches over us. We will surely prevail!”

“Yes!!!” Dozens of temporary knights erupted in cheers. Even the nominally faithful Damori’s cheeks were flushed with excitement.

Passing through the forest-like raised arms, Eugene’s gaze fell on Nol’s direction. “Drake” responded to his look seriously and calmly.

At this moment, the tumult within “Mr. Drake”, or Nol’s heart, was perhaps only known to his templar knight.

[That location is absolutely fine.] Nol muttered frantically in his mind. [That was definitely not normal magic just now. I didn’t feel any magical fluctuations, but the location indicated by that meteor is indeed correct, matching exactly with where the siren is located… Teest, do you know this spell?]

This might have been their closest encounter with the so-called “God”.

Unexpectedly, Teest didn’t respond to him excitedly. The Mad Monk remained silent, both in body and spirit.

[Teest?]

[I was thinking about the system prompt just now.] Almost half a minute later, Teest finally responded. [It wanted me to stay as close to you as possible.]

Nol was stunned. The impact of the “divine” intervention was so great, he almost forgot this detail.

[I have an interesting hypothesis.] Teest stroked his chin, his tone a bit… peculiar. [Do you remember the curse on me? The one left by the Lich.]

[Of course, I remember.]

[Deceiving God with unworthy means, God will no longer watch over you. There’s a line in the system description of “God’s Forsaken” that says this. And that candle said, God must also absolutely obey the rules of the system.]

Teest took a deep breath, his tone losing its usual lightness.

[That is to say, “God’s Forsaken” isn’t only binding me. With this curse, God is equally unable to watch over me.]

[Nol, was the curse placed by the system really to “curse” you and me?]

The author has something to say:

Here it comes!!! The story is in the middle phase, gradually filling in the gaps~

System: Urgent request, stick together! (voice breaks)

Kinky Thoughts:

Making an erratum. For those who have been reading along, note that God’s Abandonment is now changed to God’s Forsaken as I think that sounds better. Earlier chapters have been fixed to correct this change.

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

Chapter 96: Lost Last Wish

Nol felt relieved to find that, after an intensely stressful day, he no longer needed to put on an act in front of the king.

The temporary knights—referred to as “devout warriors” by the Temple—represented more than one person. For this audience with the king, Eugene specifically selected six temporary knights, all of whom had decent appearances and well-proportioned figures that were pleasant to look at.

Of course, the palace was no comparison to Whitebird City, and Nol, being a commoner, couldn’t catch a glimpse of the king at all. These six representatives were seated at the very end of the banquet, their view partially obstructed by the bustling servants.

Nol quietly surveyed the hall.

The palace here couldn’t be said to be particularly luxurious. Its interior was mostly built of white stone. The ceiling was high, supported by thick stone columns, with the decor consisting only of lush green plants, brightly colored tapestries, and small fountain fixtures.

The windows in the royal palace were smaller than any Nol had seen before, and there were fewer of them. They had large panes of glass and could be closed with wood panels wrapped in white leather. The material of the curtains was a bit odd, and beside each windowsill stood a jar filled with water.

[That’s used to seal the windows,] Teest, who was leisurely eating food from Nol’s plate, explained. [When the White Night comes, the servants will close the wooden panels and dampen the curtains with water—they’re made of silk from swamp spiders. When touched by water, the fabric becomes sticky and gelatinous, just like jelly.]

[You seem to know quite a bit.] Nol quickly rescued a piece of cheese.

[There was a high-ranking official from the Eternal Church in the court of New Gemino,] the Mad Monk expressed with a smile.

Well, it turned out to be experience gained from a past murder. Nol silently ate the piece of cheese—now bearing the imprint of someone’s teeth.

Eternal Day City had been at a standoff with The Manor for a long time, and resources within the city were scarce. One couldn’t find such good food in the taverns outside—rich goat cheese, fresh fish that hadn’t been cured, exceptionally tender roasted quail and braised lamb chops, as well as fruits and vegetables that were neither shriveled nor spoiled.

The royal chefs weren’t stingy with spices—their touch rather heavy, giving the stew a unique flavor.

Compared to other civilian representatives, Nol ate with relative elegance.

“I heard they recruited sixty people.”

To Nol’s left, a young man with dark brown skin and a cheerful face began speaking. He was still busily chewing on fish making his voice a bit muffled.

“Yes, it’s a tradition of the Temple. In every city, they recruit ‘temporary knights’ locally. It’s a favor, and also makes it convenient for the locals to understand the course of events.”

The young man to Nol’s right responded seriously. He was the most refined eater at the table. He wore a light-colored robe and appeared to be either a mage or a healer.

His tone was quite devout. Nol picked a ripe sweet apple and cut a half for Teest. He remained silent, pretending to be just a puff of air.

[Hypocrisy.] Teest crunched on the apple. [They recruit followers of the Goddess of Life, and they still talk bad about the Investigation Knights?]

Nol shrugged.

If it were him personally, it would be difficult to speak ill of the Temple of Life—

According to the contract, half of the temporary knights patrolled the city with the local Temple knights, while the other half joined the front lines with the Investigation Knights. If the battle dragged on too long, they would rest and rotate personnel every seven days, with compensation paid again at each rotation.

What was this concept equivalent to? It was like earning a weekly salary of twenty thousand in City A, with room and board included… The Temple of Life really spared no expense in winning people’s hearts.

Thinking of this, Nol lost his appetite somewhat. Along the way, he and Teest’s “little family” had no worries about expenses. But to support the large family back in Paradise, he still needed to work hard to earn money.

[What are you thinking about?] Teest immediately noticed Nol’s distraction.

[It’s hard to provide for a family.] Nol sipped his milk stout glumly, his toes idly flicking the shadow wolf’s mouth under the tablecloth. [Just taking care of a dog is stressful enough…]

Teest: [……]

“Speaking of which, this brother here saved someone from the Blanco family last night.” The man with brown skin clapped Nol on the back familiarly. “I heard about it. One person against a group of monsters, and he came back in one piece!”

“What a pity not a single monster was left behind,” the young man in the long robe said indifferently.

Nol put down his knife and fork and spoke the truth. “I wanted to pursue them, but they seemed to vanish into thin air. Do you think The Manor might have some sort of teleportation magic item?”

“Impossible.” The young man in the robe snorted. “Reusable teleportation magic items are very rare. The monster manor wouldn’t have such treasures. According to the records we have, only the Temple of Life and the Eternalists have such items.”

Nol shifted uncomfortably, adjusting his posture to prevent Kando from bulging out in his arms.

“Maybe The Manor found it washed up from the sea!” The brown-skinned man guessed cheerfully. “When the Dragonblood Hero set out with his fleet to defeat the Demon King, they never returned. They prepared so many magical items. Maybe one or two washed up on shore…”

The young man in the robe rebuked, “I don’t think they would be stupid enough to sink their ship midway. It’s more likely they were all killed by the Demon King.”

After speaking, he paused. “Drake’s failure was inevitable. His faith in the Goddess was never devout. He couldn’t even be considered a nominal believer.”

Ah, my fists are itching.

Nol was about to interrupt when he saw the Mad Monk scoop up some pepper and blow it towards the nose of the young man in the robe. The latter’s face stiffened rapidly, and he hurriedly covered his face with his sleeve, sneezing incessantly.

Nol stretched out comfortably with a smile and gently touched Teest’s arm, who curved his eye at him.

“I heard your name is also Drake.”

The brown-skinned man, obviously the type who would die if he didn’t talk, turned to Nol with enthusiasm. “Do you have a girlfriend? My sister is especially beautiful, and she likes your type of look the most…”

“I’m married,” Nol said, pulling a bit of his wedding ring out from his chest.

“Oh, oh, sorry, I didn’t see you wearing it.” The brown-skinned man hurriedly raised his hands. “Is your wife also in Eternal Day City?”

The more one spoke, the more mistakes one made. Nol pondered for a moment. “My lover will always be by my side.”

The brown-skinned man looked at the still sneezing young man in the robe and shook his head first, then his expression became sad as he looked at Nol.

“Condolences. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have brought this up… May the Goddess bless her. She must always be watching over you.”

Teest: [……Such a heartless husband!]

Nol: [I’m telling the truth.]

[You’re too bad.]

[Likewise.]

The young man in the robe finally finished sneezing. Perhaps feeling it was undignified, he rubbed his red nose and changed the subject. “You two seem like nominal believers. Are there other reasons for joining?”

“Hey, I want to make more money. Business has been bad recently. I need to support my family,” the brown-skinned young man said with a grin.

“A person I know was taken by The Manor,” Nol said succinctly. “What about you—purely out of devotion?”

“……” The young man in the robe had a wooden expression. “I used to be a healer for the Kesh family.”

The brown-skinned young man’s expression shifted slightly. “Ah…”

“My entire family were servants of the Kesh household. Recently, when the Grimm house was attacked, Mr. Kesh had me go and treat the wounded mercenaries.” The young man in the robe looked more haggard. “Now it seems the Goddess blessed only me.”

Nol’s heart sank. He remembered that the Kesh house was attacked at the same time as the Blanco house, and not a single survivor was left.

[So, it turns out to be an avenger,] Teest murmured.

“So, I will apply to be in the first group to go to the front lines,” the young man in the robe said.

“Me too.” Nol picked up his knife and fork again.

“I plan to do the same! I heard there’s an extra reward for going to the front line.” The brown-skinned man said, “Then we’ll be comrades-in-arms. I’m Damori. I know you’re called Drake… What’s your name, healer?”

“Sean,” the young man in the robe said.

The brown-skinned man—Damori—smiled and picked up his glass as if to toast with them. Just at that moment, a loud bell rang out from the palace.

The sound was deep and resonant, numbing the viscera of anyone who heard it. The floor trembled non-stop as if an earthquake were occurring. The attendants immediately quickened their pace, rushing towards the windows.

They saw wooden boards falling and water bottles overturning. The window curtains, like spider webs, sprawled across the window frames, with every window sealed tight.

“A White Night?” Damori’s smile vanished. “It just happened a few days ago, and now again?!”

“The Demon King is about to awaken. Disaster is imminent,” Sean murmured. “The Manor must be an outpost for these demons… Tomorrow, there will be a lot of work in the city. It won’t be any easier than being on the front line.”

[The army and the Temple knights will execute creatures corrupted by the Demon King. Otherwise, they will turn into deformed monsters. Honey, you’ve seen those Thousand-Hands Nightmares.]

Teest explained thoughtfully. [It’s kind of giving them a quick end, but it’s always their relatives who will try their best to obstruct, and that’s the difficult part.]

The tip of Nol’s fork touched the silver plate, and he completely lost his appetite.

[…Eternal Day City is very experienced in handling these matters. In my opinion, it’s mostly homeless people and stray animals that end up dead,] Teest added after a light cough.

After that, even the talkative Damori said no more. At the far end of the room, Eugene finished communicating with the king, and the group silently returned to the Evergreen Church.

The White Night was over. The buildings on the street themselves had no color to fade, seemingly unchanged as always.

In the hazy moonlight, Nol spotted someone… No, that wasn’t a “person”.

That thing still vaguely maintained the shape of a person, with blue-black skin, an extra pair of arms extending from its chest and waist, and a foot protruding from its face as if someone had forcibly mashed several different people into one body.

It made a sound between a groan and a cry, struggling on the ground like a wild beast. Sensing the approach of the Investigation Knights, the creature let out a shrill scream and hurried over.

Tears and hope filled its skewed eyes, but what it met was a burst of holy fire.

Within the white flames, it twisted silently, turning to dust in an instant. A series of purifying spells then blasted through the area, scattering the dim black miasma in the air.

From the moment Nol saw it to the complete disappearance of the Demon King’s corruption, the whole process took no more than ten seconds.

Sean lowered his head and made a gesture of prayer.

“Do you think, if God really is omnipotent, why doesn’t He just destroy the Demon King?” Damori whispered to Nol. “…Or is this the trial that God has given to humanity?”

“This isn’t a trial.” Nol looked at the place where the person had vanished. “I guess, maybe God is not all-powerful.”

For some reason, this scene reminded Nol of the novice village.

That gigantic headless girl, who had also destroyed every living being in the novice village in the same way. It was an event from just a few months ago, yet it felt as distant as if it had happened generations past.

“Forget it. Let’s not talk about God. People like us won’t see the Demon King in our lifetime,” Damori sighed. “Better to just live our own lives.”

“Yeah,” Nol said.

……

“So this is your way of ‘living a good life’,” Teest said through a yawn in the dark of the night. “Do you really like to work late into the night? My evening prayers…”

“I want to see the different states of the Demon King’s corruption. After all, I have only encountered the Nightmares,” Nol said.

They were going to leave the city with Eugene tomorrow, and Nol didn’t want to miss this opportunity.

“Oh,” Teest responded listlessly. “Here, White Nights aren’t so rare. You really didn’t have to rush… Ah!”

Nol moved closer to Teest and planted a kiss on his forehead.

“Helping you complete your evening prayers,” Nol said.

Teest instantly perked up. “That’s the form for morning prayers. Evening prayers need to be more formal.” After saying this, he quickly kissed Nol’s cheek while Nol was still close. “That’s more like it.”

“Where do you come up with all these rules?”

Teest declared with righteous indignation, “I’m your only believer, which means I’m your pope, and I have the right to interpret all forms of prayer.”

“……” Nol was speechless.

He sped up in the darkness and soon found his target—a dying old woman.

The old lady huddled in a ruined, abandoned house, trying to wrap herself with cloth and leather but still failing miserably. A faceless torso protruded from her chest, like a deformed conjoined twin.

She sat silently against the wall, occasionally twitching, her chest heaving faster than a heartbeat, the half-body trembling incessantly.

“Ah… Ah…”

Although Nol had activated the effect of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, she seemed to see him, stretching out her hand straight towards him, her eyes pure black.

Nol quickly stepped forward to inspect her condition of corruption. The power of the Demon King was even more sinister than he had imagined—if it existed alone, it could be destroyed by a purification spell. But attached to a living being, its effect was like unknown radiation, continuously rewriting the original life form of the creature, which would then mutate and perish due to this unreasonable rewriting.

Nol tried to remove the corruption, but it seemed to have become a part of her, utterly inseparable. He also tried to heal the old woman, but to no avail.

The mutation had destroyed her heart and lung functions. Her death was just a matter of time.

“Ah…” she reached out to Nol in despair.

They had encountered the Thousand-Hands Nightmares before. Touching shouldn’t be an issue. Nol reached out a hand and touched the old woman’s wrinkled, darkened skin.

The moment they touched, the old lady grabbed Nol’s wrist tightly, and Teest grabbed the “Betrayer”.

“Don’t move!” Nol called out to stop him.

He was shocked to find that the skill [Lost Last Wish] had become usable at the moment of their touch.

…Right, [Lost Last Wish] was born from the Demon King’s corruption, and its description didn’t include “not usable”!

Nol immediately activated the skill.

The old woman’s body shuddered strangely, and a sign of life appeared on her blue-black skin. She trembled, barely able to articulate her words.

“I… am afraid…”

“Save… me…”

Nol shook his head at Teest. He moved forward and embraced the old woman—despite the deformed humanoid on her chest, which made the action particularly difficult.

He held the old woman tightly and cast a pain-relieving spell on her. Her body relaxed, light and dry, like a cracked pine branch.

“I… am afraid…”

She stuttered as if her tongue wasn’t under her control. “I don’t want… to die like this…”

“My family… my family…”

“I’m sorry,” Nol said gently, patting her back.

“Save me…”

“I’m sorry…”

She murmured these words over and over until, gradually, she became silent and still. The old woman leaned on Nol’s shoulder, slowly closing her eyes.

She gradually grew cold.

Finally, Nol released the old woman. She collapsed on the ground, lifeless, her contamination stilled alongside her.

No miracles occurred.

Even as a Creator, he was unable to remove the Demon King’s corruption, nor could he understand exactly what effect [Lost Last Wish] had.

…It had been a long time since Nol felt such a sense of powerlessness. He slowly stood up.

“Although I’d really like to ask what you just did, I suppose you’re not in the mood to explain,” Teest whispered. “You go and be alone. I’ll take care of the body.”

“Thank you, Teest.”

“God is not all-powerful. That’s what you said, and you should remember it well,” Teest said from behind him as Nol turned away.

“I’m fine.” Nol’s tone was unexpectedly calm.

“If I were all-powerful, I wouldn’t be acting together with you… Shall we make up for evening prayers later?”

“Let me guess, a hug?”

“Yes, the lady’s body temperature was too low. I’m a bit cold.”

“My pleasure.”

For the next while, Nol seriously took several samples of the corrupted flesh and hid them in Teest’s belt pouch. Afterwards, they decided to sneak back to the church unnoticed and fall asleep in each other’s arms.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go as smoothly as they had hoped.

As soon as Nol returned to the large communal room, he saw Sean sitting by his own bed.

“Drake, where did you go?”

“Couldn’t sleep. Just took a walk,” Nol said, with Teest standing beside him, wrinkling his nose at Sean.

“Lies,” Sean said hoarsely. “You have the smell of a dead person on you.”

“Couldn’t sleep, just took a walk and incidentally killed some monsters.” Nol didn’t need to act sullen. It was genuinely how he felt. “Do I need to report my actions to you?”

“Private outings at night are forbidden.” Sean said, “Since you’ve joined the knights’ group, you should follow the rules.”

“That’s the Temple’s rule, not God’s.” Nol sat back on his bed. “Rather than lying around doing nothing, I’d prefer the corruption to disappear sooner.”

“You…”

“Well said.” A pair of boots stopped not far from Nol. He turned his head and saw Eugene’s eyes brimming with smiles.

“The will of the Goddess is above mundane rules. If indeed you acted for the will of God, then it is justified.”

He said warmly, “Just to be safe, please hand over the location of the kill so we can verify the status of the corruption clean-up. How about that?”

Sean’s expression stiffened. “No objections, Sir.”

“I don’t mind either,” Nol said.

“Very good.” Eugene smiled. “Drake, I have something to discuss with you—please come with me.”

The author has something to say:

Q: How to play a cold character.

Nol: Just naturally act after working crazy overtime as a modern worker.

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

Chapter 95: Temporary Knight

To re-enter the Blanco mansion, Nol had several choices—

He had carefully memorized the interior of the mansion, allowing him to use Kando to teleport into it. Alternatively, he could opt for a classic approach, disguising himself and pretending to be another visitor.

Nol personally preferred the first method. After the commotion in the dining room, he didn’t want to face the unfortunate staff again for a while.

Teest didn’t intend to influence his choice, but Kando disagreed.

“They say the Fifth Brigade is coming. I’ve overheard that they will arrive the day after tomorrow morning,” the candle murmured from beneath the cloak. “Considering the modus operandi of the Temple of Life—especially that of Captain Eugene—they will surely hasten their troops to suppress The Manor.”

While gracefully eating a piece of orange-marinated chicken, Teest raised an eyebrow, seemingly understanding the candle’s insinuations—

“They will surely gather some young, robust believers from the city to temporarily reinforce their ranks. Since you both need to save people, why not make a scene and infiltrate the Fifth Brigade temporary team?”

Kando prattled on. “This way, you won’t have to bother collecting intel or finding a path. Let the Fifth Brigade handle it all.”

“Wow,” Nol muttered as he prodded a meatball overloaded with potatoes. “I’ve finally discovered who’s the most shameless among us.”

“Thank you. I’m all face and no substance,” Kando humbly responded.

Teest chuckled. “Playing the hero? It does suit you better than attempting to be a rogue.”

Frustrated, Nol stuffed a meatball into Teest’s mouth. As Teest bit down, his mouth was filled with mashed potatoes, and he froze with a look of sadness.

“Let’s be real, the guards will notice my face,” Nol said.

The Mad Monk managed to swallow the meatball. “How do you think I traveled through various countries? A bit of minor disguise magic, and no one will recognize you. I guarantee it.”

“But you can’t guarantee that The Manor will attack the Blanco family again tomorrow,” Nol fretted, dreading the high-intensity role-playing. “What if The Manor gives up…”

“There’s no harm in applying to join regardless,” Kando interjected. “You’re young and strong. Unless Eugene is blind, he won’t overlook such a valuable asset.”

Wanting to save the hostages quickly, this did seem like a more rational plan. Nol slumped in his chair, attempting to escape reality by lowering his gaze.

Laughing, Teest teased. “It’s too late now. Tomorrow, you will follow my instructions fully and get a more decent outfit.”

“Right, you need to come up with a credible alias. I bet that won’t be a problem for you.”

Nol let out a small groan.

That night, they found a dilapidated house to sleep in. Compared to their previous “evening prayers”, Teest held Nol even tighter. The two sat in a corner, covered in thick blankets, with Teest almost leaning into Nol’s embrace.

Despite the fear and chaos below, the stars in the sky remained clear and pure. Nol found himself getting used to the sight of four moons.

He gazed at the sky, contemplating his “character design”. This time, it wasn’t as simple as impromptu roles like “Master of Paradise” or “foolish bandit”; he had to refine his character.

The piece of sky visible through the broken ceiling transformed from starry night to morning twilight, then to the pale blue of dawn. Nol stayed awake all night, occasionally brushing Teest’s hair.

When the Mad Monk woke up, the first thing he did was lean into his god and stretch himself.

“Have you decided on your alias?” he asked curiously.

“Yes. The name is Drake. A magic swordsman of above-average skill,” Nol replied. “I can mimic swordsmanship using certain skills. I have a way.”

“Drake? The Dragonblood Hero Drake?” Teest inquired.

“After him, many named their children Drake. It’s a common name,” Nol explained. “If needed, I’ll claim to be a descendant of Drake—I happen to know the ‘Dragon Bloodline Suppression’, so it’s a gimmick.”

“I thought Drake had no descendants?” Kando interjected from Nol’s embrace.

Nol shrugged. “Distant relatives count, just like Teest’s connection to the Alva family. Since Drake himself wasn’t devout, if I pretend to be a generic believer of the Temple of Life, Eugene won’t nitpick.”

Laying on Nol’s lap, Teest gave a meaningful smile. “So you wish to be a swordsman. I get it now.”

……

In Nol’s original imagination, they should be running towards the truth rather than lingering on the commercial street. Nol wore a hood, bought several sets of second-hand equipment from the bar, and modified several of Teest’s outfits.

Teest paid out of his own pocket, choosing a relatively high-quality sword for him and claimed it was an offering to god.

‘How wonderful,’ Nol thought, holding all the assorted items he had bought, his head spinning—

Intimately looking at childhood photos, having little quarrels, sleeping snuggled up to each other, shopping together. All these things had appeared in his previous “love expectations”, so why did they come to pass in such a twisted way?

When they arrived at the old abandoned house, Teest rolled up his sleeves and specially took out two small wooden stools from his bag. There were suspicious blood stains on the stools, and Nol tried not to think about their original use.

“Sit tight and don’t move later.”

Teest excitedly opened a small wooden box. To Nol’s astonishment, it was filled with all kinds of makeup tools.

“Do you have any special image requirements, honey?”

“My eye color is special. It needs to be changed. Drake has light golden hair and blue eyes. Just choose something similar,” Nol said. “…Is this really okay? I thought you would use magic.”

Teest looked serious and professional. “Using magic is fine normally. But when facing the Investigation Knights, magic to change appearance will be detected in a second. I can only change the color of your hair and eyes thoroughly.”

“A little makeup can subtly change one’s impression. If you can also adjust your facial bones slightly, it will be seamless. I’ll tell you how to do it later.”

Nol didn’t really care. Whatever modifications Teest made, he could “refresh” his body afterward. So he closed his eyes and tilted his head, allowing Teest to work.

Teest’s warm fingertips touched his eyelids. He murmured something under his breath and then dropped a cool liquid on his eyelids, smoothing it out gently.

Then came the scalp—a moist substance brushed against Nol’s scalp and hair, giving off a strong medicinal smell. Nol felt a slight tingling on his scalp, as if sandpaper had been rubbed against it.

“This is a formula improved by Ms. Lynn, so you don’t need to worry,” Teest said in a timely manner. “Next, can you make your skull a bit softer? I’d like to adjust your facial features a bit.”

Nol curled up apprehensively but eventually straightened up and said, “Alright.”

Teest’s touch was gentle, like a craftsman shaping his favorite clay statue. First, there was a light application of the medicine, followed by molding. After about two hours, a gentle kiss landed on Nol’s forehead.

“It’s done,” Teest said.

Nol opened his eyes, and Teest handed him a mirror. Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar face in the mirror, Nol was stunned for a good half minute before saying reluctantly, “You… “

“Is there a problem?” Teest asked with a playful smile.

“No, it’s perfect,” Nol replied, patting his cheeks.

……

The weather was astonishingly beautiful on the day Eugene arrived at Eternal Day City. However, the captain of the knight brigade seemed uninterested in the scenery. He sniffed the air.

“Fires and corpses,” he said gravely.

The knights of the Fifth Brigade didn’t even station themselves in the city. They temporarily rested at the local Temple of Life.

According to Knight Eugene’s request, once they understood the situation in the city, they would immediately go out to investigate The Manor, so there was really no need to settle in.

Within a day, the Investigation Knights were to complete three tasks: gather information, resupply, and recruit local fighters.

On the streets of Eternal Day City, the knights moved briskly; their deep green cloaks never seemed to rest. It must be said that their swift and decisive actions greatly reassured the local residents.

Eugene himself wasn’t idle either.

From the moment he arrived at Eternal Day City, he sent a meeting request to the king of New Gemino. His schedule was packed, moving from one task to the next with frightening efficiency.

For example, now, while waiting for the king’s summons, he was reviewing the temporary recruits.

The young and middle-aged men of Eternal Day City lined up, their faces filled with anger or fanaticism, waiting for the brigade leader to review them one by one. Initially, many in the line hoped to earn some reward, but after a few “interview” screenings, only the strong and robust remained.

The situation in the city was worse than Eugene had imagined, and he looked over the lineup with a frown.

Eternal Day City had been harassed by The Manor for a long time, and most capable young men had already fled with their families, leaving behind mediocre candidates.

“My name is Tru, sir. I am very familiar with the Brick Mountains,” said the middle-aged man in front of Eugene, trembling.

Eugene looked up and gave him a faint smile, exuding a slight aura of intimidation. The middle-aged man shouted in fear and wet his pants.

This one wouldn’t hold up on the battlefield.

“I’m sorry for wasting your time. May your life be full of vitality,” Eugene said, shaking his head. A young knight beside him handed over a silver coin.

“Next,” Eugene said.

Next, next, next… None seemed fit for the battlefield.

Eugene didn’t want to just fill numbers. If he haphazardly chose people, they would surely not return alive. The Goddess of Life was merciful, and he couldn’t do such a wicked thing.

“Next,” Eugene said, rubbing his temples.

If he really couldn’t select anyone, he would have to propose to the king to borrow some soldiers. However, this approach was very sensitive. One wrong move, and the king might think the Temple of Life was overstepping its boundaries. He needed a foolproof plan.

When he saw the next candidate, Eugene’s thoughts paused for a few seconds.

The young man wore a cloak and was lean. He carried a small bag on his back and a decent long sword on his waist. Both his leather armor and clothes were modified, making him look more like a swordsman, with evident wear and tear.

“Please remove your hood,” Eugene said gently. “We need to see your face. And your left ear.”

The man silently nodded and removed his hood. The moment Eugene saw his face, his eyes narrowed.

The man was incredibly handsome, almost out of place in this lineup, more fitting to stand before God. His features seemed familiar to Eugene, but he couldn’t recall where he had seen him.

Perhaps he was mistaken. If he had truly met this person, he wouldn’t have forgotten—

The young man had a pale complexion, no earrings, and almost white golden hair that reached his chest. His eyes were pure gold, making him look as if he’d melt in the daylight.

“Specialty?”

“Scout,” the man succinctly replied, his voice soft and deep. “I’m proficient in magic and swordsmanship, good at gathering intelligence, and dealing with small to medium-sized monsters.”

“Weakness of the giant five-eyed raven?”

“The second eye from the left and the joints of both legs. Water magic attacks are particularly effective.”

Eugene nodded. “How does the harpy attack?”

“Mainly with screams, clawing, and a curse that makes one feel heavy.”

“How to deal with lizardmen?”

“Fire attack. Flames make them slow and injure their organs,” the young magic swordsman answered fluently.

“It seems the rumors are true. Just last night, you single-handedly fought and helped the Blanco family repel the invading ogres and lizardmen… The guards have been praising your bravery.”

Eugene smiled and looked to the knight on his right, who poured a suspicious-looking tea and handed it to the swordsman.

“This is the final step,” Eugene said. “Just in case, you need to drink this potion. It will negate any facial altering potions.”

The man nodded, gave a salute of the Temple of Life, and drank the potion without hesitation.

“Do you remember every heretic of the Eternal Church?” After drinking the bitter potion, the swordsman didn’t even flinch.

The swordsman’s appearance remained unchanged, and Eugene sighed in relief. “Yes, I remember every face I’ve seen.”

For instance, this man’s eye color was exactly like that of Teest from Whitebird City.

“Thank you for your loyalty to the Goddess. Please tell me your name and identity.”

This time, there was a hint of laughter in Eugene’s voice. The knight to his left made a move, but this time, he presented not a silver hook but a gold wheel.

“This is the deposit. If all goes well, after the battle, you will receive nineteen more gold wheels. If you unfortunately fall, we will give forty gold wheels to the person you designate.”

“No need to designate. I won’t die.” The swordsman performed a standard prayer gesture. “The Goddess says we must save those lambs lost in panic. I’m willing to illuminate the fate of Eternal Day City with this sword. The Goddess will surely bless me.”

“Such confidence. Your being here today must be the will of the Goddess.” Eugene stood up and respectfully returned the gesture.

“My name is Drake.” The swordsman revealed a faint smile. “Just a regular mercenary, happened to pass by. To avoid complications, I used a fake identity when entering the city. Please understand.”

“It’s a good name.” Eugene’s smile seemed a bit more genuine.

Across from Knight Eugene, the magic swordsman Drake—Nol, had been internally screaming countless times. He didn’t intend to appear so “haughty”, but his face was stiff with tension.

Fortunately, in terms of personality, he modeled himself after the real Dragonblood Knight Drake. Apart from the embarrassment, the portrayal went much smoother than he imagined.

Having dealt with Eugene, Nol couldn’t help but glance at Teest, who was hidden by his side.

The Mad Monk truly knew the Temple of Life inside out. His predictions were spot on.

Eugene’s potion only works on active magical elixirs. Nol’s hair and eyes had been permanently dyed by regular herbs, and his facial bone structure was slightly adjusted.

Now it seemed, not only did the guards of Eternal Day City have no defenses against a Lich, Knight Eugene also didn’t anticipate a Lich who could “adjust bone structure” would apply for the position.

“We just lost an excellent knight not long ago,” Eugene said to Nol. “I’ll be keeping a close eye on you, Mr. Drake.”

[Heh.] Teest smirked internally. [This kid does have a good eye.]

[Support my back,] Nol thought. [I’m so nervous, my heels are tingling.]

Teest slipped behind Nol, supporting his shoulders and even adjusting his posture.

On the surface, Nol nodded calmly. He of course understood Eugene’s hint but didn’t show overly enthusiastic reactions—this response was genuine.

This was the third time he had met Eugene, Nol thought helplessly.

The first time was in Whitebird City, the second time as the Master of Paradise, and now as a descendant of a hero… They say things come in three. Hopefully, he wouldn’t give himself away in front of Mr. Eugene this time.

“If there’s nothing else…” Nol hinted.

“Ah.”

Eugene tapped his forehead. “Next, you need to sign the contract. Your accommodation and meals will be taken care of by the Temple of Life. If you’re dissatisfied with your current equipment, you can also apply to use the temple’s equipment.”

“Thank you for your generosity.” Nol nodded.

“There’s one more thing,” Eugene said. “Tonight, I will lead the knights and the representatives of the ‘temporary knights’ to meet the king. Please prepare yourself.”

Nol, who had just relaxed, tensed up again like fresh meat in a freezer. The good news, Eugene was very satisfied with him. The bad news, Eugene was a bit too satisfied with him.

[Why didn’t you make me look more ordinary!] Nol shouted internally.

[You’re already handsome. Changing too much could give us away,] Teest muttered defensively. [Besides, I like your face. Who could have thought that changing the color scheme would have such a striking effect—I even altered your facial features to make you look fiercer!]

…Never mind.

Pretending to be calm, Nol took a step forward to follow the leading knight to sign the contract.

[I’ve been meaning to ask.] Teest quickly changed the topic. [How do you plan to deal with the contract issue? This is the Temple of Life’s temporary knight contract. They’re sure to verify your true name.]

[Haven’t you forged this kind of thing before?] Nol raised an eyebrow.

[I prefer to forge the entire contract,] Teest declared confidently.

Nol chuckled. [Come, let your False God teach you how to exploit loopholes.]

Facing the contract, shining with magical radiance, and Teest’s equally sparkling eyes, Nol picked up the quill, and with a flourish—

He did sign as “Nol”, but the handwriting was so flamboyant and winding that it resembled “Drake”.

[Sloppy handwriting isn’t illegal,] Nol remarked. [Magic contracts can’t be deceived, but the people reading them can.]

Teest: [………]

He covered his mouth, laughing so hard beside Nol that his shoulders shook.

Nol put down the quill without changing his expression. It was no wonder Teest hadn’t thought of this. After all, this world didn’t have doctors hastily writing prescriptions, nor did it have brash individuals challenging Investigation Knights to their faces.

[You’re really mischievous.]

[Who made me your god?]

The author has something to say:

Showing no reverence for any god in the world, the absolute advantage of the True Creator(?

Actually, thinking about it, Nol truly seems to be the most suitable deity for the Mad Monk(???

Buy one get one free. Two strong combatants! Mr. Eugene, why aren’t you smiling anymore…?

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