Who is the strongest, most revered person in Kazimierz?
If you ask the fans of the Knight Tournament, they would definitely name the chief Grand Knight of their club, and then fight with fans from other clubs over combat power, a battle of wits that often ends in brawls—there are plenty of Knight Tournament hooligans.
But if you ask the veteran Crusader Knight nobility, there would only be one answer.
—The Knight King.
The great, the one and only monarch, though later generations only recorded a few short sentences about her, her achievements were unparalleled.
"However, everyone knows the legend of the Knight King starting from scratch, rebelling against the Gods People, and establishing the Knight Kingdom, but few know what truly made her great—Margaret, my dear granddaughter, are you really not considering my suggestion from earlier? I really want to see my great-granddaughter before I die."
Inside the Nearl Family's old Western-style house, as a hidden mechanism was activated, a passage extending downwards slowly emerged from beneath the stairs leading to the second floor.
"Bah, bah, bah, what inauspicious words are those! I only know that I've lived in this old house for over ten years and never knew such a secret passage existed—Grandpa, if you dare to talk about setting me up with Goki again, I'll give away all your collection of liqueurs to others!"
Standing beside Goki, Margaret, with her golden ponytail swishing behind her, puffed up her cheeks and watched her grandfather warily.
"The old ways are over, Grandpa. Nowadays, love is free love. Goki already has Skadi, so you don't need to worry—hurry up and tell me what you're talking about; I'm completely in the dark!"
The upright Margaret's pretty face was flushed. Although she didn't know why Grandpa had so readily sold her out after a fight, she knew she absolutely could not poach Skadi's man!
When asked, the answer was—Loyalty!
"If you keep talking nonsense, Grandpa, I'm not going down with you—solve your own problems!"
Margaret pouted, her small ears twitching on top of her head, making Goki find her especially adorable.
Zofia was not a direct member of the Nearl Family, and Maria was still underage. What Marse was about to introduce was the Nearl Family's mission and responsibility, so naturally, only Margaret could come.
"Alright, alright, Mr. Marse, stop teasing Margaret. Let's get to the point, to the point."
Patting Margaret's head, Goki coughed lightly, his old face also flushing.
Although he could say he was battle-hardened and had seen a lot, he had never, from childhood to adulthood, experienced being directly propositioned by an elder for their beautiful granddaughter.
How to put it… truly a wicked feudal etiquette! Arranged marriages are the worst—hehe~~
"Alright, alright, the old man was just talking. We've only known each other for half a month; it's not time to talk about marriage yet."
Goki reached out and patted Margaret's pouting head, gently stroking her soft golden "mane," calming her down.
No marriage talk, but love—increasing trust is still possible!
Then, Goki lit his arm like a torch, intending to enter the hidden basement.
At the same time, he looked at the badge in his hand, which glowed with a brilliant white light.
[Shining Sword Hunter Badge (Redeemed)
One of the badges crafted by the Healing Church, the Shining Sword represents the inheritor of Ludwig's will.
These hunters are also known as Holy Swords; they are the remnants of ancient heroes, a faction that can be traced back to the initial years of honor and chivalry.]
[Honor and chivalry, no wonder. It seems there is an inevitable connection between all of this, and… redeemed?]
Looking at the two familiar, yet unredeemable, awesome weapons in his mind after obtaining the medal, Goki felt regret and confusion.
Currently, he had a large reserve of blood echoes points. Besides spending one point on agility, increasing it from 15 to 16, which caught the old man off guard, he still had plenty left.
And now, although he unexpectedly obtained the Shining Sword Hunter Badge, he couldn't redeem that weapon, which was like a 'daddy' to him, which made Goki somewhat regretful.
However, he was still looking forward to what surprises the Nearl Family could bring him—of course, he had more or less guessed it.
"Hmm, of course I know…"
Margaret nodded, looking at Goki's back, but couldn't help but lower her head, her golden eyes downcast, and whispered.
Her tone seemed slightly lost.
"Heh~~"
Marse, keenly aware of his niece's emotions, smiled almost imperceptibly, then stepped into the basement first, leaving the opportunity to go together to the two young people.
"Legends once mentioned that the Knight King established the kingdom of knights in Kazimierz, defeated the great enemies created by the god's people, and finally handed over the crown, embarking alone on an unknown journey—no one knew where she went."
With a faint glow emanating from his longsword, Marse walked into the basement, introducing this universally known information in a relaxed tone.
"But in reality, quite a few people know where the Knight King went—the King, from beginning to end, never left Kazimierz, this Knight Kingdom she loved so much."
The passage in the basement was not long, and soon, the three arrived in a somewhat narrow basement. But for some reason, it was exceptionally dry, with no hint of mold or dampness.
"Let me guess, your King fought against a true god, and those Great Ones worshipped by the god's people are now trying to summon their god back… that's roughly the plot, right?"
During the half-month he stayed at Margaret's house, besides going out daily to eradicate cultists, Goki also consulted a large amount of relevant historical data, and even accompanied Skadi to a Knight Museum.
Based on detailed historical records and stories that became vague at crucial points, he deduced the inconsistencies in Kazimierz's founding history.
Clearly, the whereabouts of the Knight King had been deliberately concealed.
"The question now is, who is waiting for me? And how did you know about 'the one with eyes as pale as the moon,' and that you could keep waiting?"
In fact, even Goki hadn't expected that the Nearl Family's mission… was to wait for him?
"Heh, perhaps it's because our Nearl Family are all a stubborn, old-fashioned bunch of blockheads, and only we could pass down that phrase—just to wait for someone whose existence is unknown."
The old Knight chuckled, clenching his fists abruptly, and a brilliant golden light instantly illuminated the small room.
"Legend has it that the Knight King said that when Kazimierz faced peril, she would return to help the people of Kazimierz through their darkest times—this statement is not entirely accurate. It won't be her who saves Kazimierz, but someone else."
The room contained few objects, and Goki's gaze was instantly drawn to one particular item.
"Yes, our King never stopped fighting, and even never left Kazimierz. With power beyond Mortals, she brought a future to the people of Kazimierz and brought us peace—at least, it was largely peaceful."
The old Knight approached a heavy iron chest, picked up a heavy scabbard from its top, and directly tossed it to Goki.
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