Chapter 20: Reunion (I)

— Boydel —
Boydel is a city directly under the commercial capital of Oryoles, with a population of 35,000 residents and around 20,000 troops stationed there. It has only developed into a major city in recent years.

Three years ago, after Argus took control of Sassen, the merchants of Oryoles formed a knightly order called the [Golden Knights of the Free Wind], abbreviated as [Free Wind]. As the name suggests, to resist Sassen’s royal knightly order, the merchants of Oryoles spent heavily to create this army. Most of its soldiers were renowned and skilled mercenaries from various places, along with soldiers secretly trained by the merchants’ association—undoubtedly of top quality.

In terms of equipment, they spared no expense, even using precious metals like silver to enhance the army’s combat capabilities. Thus, some jokingly referred to this army as a true “Golden Knights order,” meaning an army forged from gold.

During the months-long stalemate, Sassen’s royal knightly order once fell into chaos because rumors of the truth behind the Sassen incident spread within the ranks. These rumors involved Prince Gran colluding with the dark mage Argus and Jerry Belford, the vice president of the royal mages, to secretly harm the previous king and frame Prince Theo, the first prince, for these acts of rebellion.

Royal knights are knights who value honor and tradition. Their rigorous training makes them fiercely loyal to the imperial family, willing to sacrifice their lives for them. But after hearing these rumors, their resolve wavered, as they were unsure whether they were true.

As a result, nearly 10,000 royal knights withdrew despite Sassen’s orders. This allowed Oryoles’ newly formed knightly army, the Free Wind, to breathe a sigh of relief. After all, a large amount of money can indeed create an invincible army, but compared to the royal knightly order, the top army of the empire, its soldiers still lag in quality.

After the royal knightly order withdrew, Oryoles took control of Boydel and some nearby cities. Three years later, it has become the frontline for the Free Merchant Alliance to resist Sassen, as well as a crucial hub connecting the city of astrology, Sgdel, and the commercial city of Oryoles.

Over the past few months, the Free Wind Knights stationed in Boydell have engaged in several small-scale battles with the Death Knight forces sent by the Saxons, achieving good results that greatly boosted the morale of the fearful residents of Boydell City.

Yet no one expected that the commander of this army was a young boy of only fifteen or sixteen years old—Allen Skand, the only son of the president of the Operris Merchant Association and one of Thors’ closest friends.

Three years ago, after witnessing the collapse of Heliorox, Allen considered inviting Thors and Dia to Operris. After being rejected, he returned to his hometown with his companion Lisa and helped establish the knights’ order. As the only son of the Skand family, he carried an undeniable responsibility.

Allen had only learned the magic of enhancement at the Heliorox Academy, but over those three years, he managed to secure his position as commander relying on these enhancement spells and his natural talent. He shaped the army in his own style, of course with the help of his family’s influence and the merchant association.

This time, he took advantage of the temporary lull in hostilities to go to Vandel to discuss strategies against Argus with the Free Dark Magic Alliance. After all, Argus’s activities had grown increasingly aggressive, severely disrupting the empire’s operations. If possible, the merchants of Operris planned to unite with Vandel, Altak, Galk, Lorn Fortress, and various local city forces to besiege the Saxon imperial capital under Argus’s control.

Unfortunately, Altak and Galk chose to remain neutral for now. Thus, Allen’s father wanted to win over the dark magicians of SgSgDel as much as possible. After all, SgSgDel housed two thousand dark magicians—a truly immense and irreplaceable force.

However, Allen wasn’t so self-aware. Rather than saying he went there with the intention of winning over the dark magicians, it was more like he had stayed too long and decided to go out for some fun to relax. For example, he would look at the beautiful ladies on the streets of Boydell and strike up conversations with them. If lucky, he might even invite them for an afternoon tea…

This way of relaxing made the middle-aged man dressed as a bodyguard beside Allen find it hard to cope…

After another attempt at conversation, the middle-aged man could no longer hold back. Ignoring the surprised looks of the beautiful girls, he dragged Allen to a corner and said reluctantly, “Allen, we’ve been here for three days already. The army of the royal city might turn against us at any moment. What’s most important now is to unite with Sgder’s black magicians and discuss a counterattack…”
“I know,” Allen replied irritably, giving the middle-aged man a disdainful glance. “But don’t worry, Uncle Argi. Argus won’t do anything to us for now. In fact, he’d prefer us to unite and attack Thassan! I heard last time I was in Vandel that Argus is building an altar that requires a large amount of pure soul energy…”
“Oh? Is that so?” The middle-aged man named Argi said thoughtfully. “No wonder they’re bringing so many civilians to Thassan… That bastard Argus actually dares to do such cruel things!” He shook his head and said seriously, “Anyway, we must prepare as quickly as possible. We need to unite the forces of Sgder, Altak, and Galik to bring this country back on track! We can’t let that demon run wild any longer!”
“Well, it’s urgent, but we can’t rush it,” Allen said, looking at the people passing by on the street and scanning for beautiful girls. After giving a few appreciative comments, he added gravely, “Rather than those armies that don’t even seem human, I’m more concerned about Argus himself. His power has far exceeded what humans can achieve. Add in those demons, and if war breaks out, our chances of winning… are minimal, practically non-existent!”
“Is there no one who can defeat him?”
“I’m not sure. Whether it was our former dean or Professor Hode, both had the power of archmages when fighting Argus. Yet even so, Argus still survived, and those two…”
“Hmm… Even the elders of the Vandel Mage Tower can’t do anything?”
“Absolutely not. Though I don’t want to show disrespect toward them, their power is really… Maybe they once had great strength, but they’re old now, and having spent so much time researching, they’ve long forgotten how to fight…” As he spoke, Allen’s eyes lit up as he stroked his chin and said in admiration, “That lady in the long dress is quite nice… Don’t cause trouble this time!”

Three years later, he had become much more mature. His once youthful face now had a hint of firmness, and a small patch of thick, fine beard had grown on his chin. Combined with his already handsome appearance, it was indeed a great asset for approaching girls his age.

“…” Watching the eager look on the young man’s face, Argi sighed helplessly and said irritably, “Allen, please show some sense as a husband! The young lady will cry because of this!”

Instantly, Allen’s enthusiastic expression drooped. He rolled his eyes at Argi and said resentfully, “I don’t want to be scolded by you, even if it’s someone else. I’ve heard there were quite a few women in your legendary stories…”

“Uh…” Argi couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

Argi Eiden—that was his name. A very ordinary name; perhaps not many people would know it. But if his real name, Lannard Eiden, was mentioned, it would definitely be a well-known legend in the empire. He was a legendary knight who had been featured in knightly novels for twenty years. The magic knight sword that Allen had secretly taken from home, enchanted with wind, ice, earth, and fire elements, had once belonged to this legendary knight.

However, during one adventure, this legendary knight injured his right hand severely, to the point where he could no longer lift a long sword. Fortunately, Allen’s father saved him, and he then changed his name to Argi Eiden. To repay this kindness, he settled in Operiales to handle some business matters for the guild and served as Allen’s knightly training instructor—also Allen’s most admired figure.

But it was said that this legendary knight had been quite promiscuous in his youth, having intimate relationships with many noblewomen of his time…

“Why not learn something useful…” Looking at Allen’s mocking gaze, Argi shook his head, half-laughing and half-crying, and defended himself, “But don’t forget, your situation is different from mine back then. I was single, so I lived a bit carelessly… Ahem! But you’re married now, you know, Allen? A good knight would never do something that makes a woman cry, especially the woman he loves! — Come on, I’ve prepared horses near the city gate. Let’s hurry to Vandel!”

“Okay, okay…” Allen listlessly lowered his head and sighed. Just as he was about to walk toward the city gate with Argi, suddenly he saw a large crowd gathered in the distance, seemingly involved in some kind of argument.

“Rebel mercenaries?” Alji frowned. As he was about to step forward to stop them, he halted suddenly when he saw a person in a red robe resembling that of the Church at the center of the mercenaries. Surprised, he said, “A cleric from Salonia? A magic robe of this design… Could it be a cardinal? Why would a Church cardinal be here?”
“A cardinal?—Whatever he is, if he dares cause trouble here, he won’t be able to leave unscathed…” With a mocking smile, Allen watched intently in the distance. Suddenly, his expression changed slightly, and he said in a tone of surprise and disbelief, “Thos… It’s Thos!”
“Thos?” Alji looked at Allen, confused.
Meanwhile, on the other side, the mercenaries who had deliberately started the trouble had already taken action. Poor Father Bang was surrounded by them, casting desperate looks at Thos from time to time.
Perhaps noticing Father Bang’s gaze, one of the mercenaries glanced at Thos and, seeing that he was just a teenager, sneered, “Kid, you have nothing to do here. Get lost!”
Father Bang clearly saw a flash of coldness in Thos’s eyes and feared the worst.
Before he could do anything, Thos raised his head, revealing silver and dark golden pupils. In a tone devoid of any emotion, he said calmly, “I don’t want trouble. Get lost!”
“…” The mercenary was clearly stunned, then his face twisted with anger as he raised his right hand to strike Thos in the face.
Suddenly, with a crack, the mercenary’s right hand bent at an unbelievable angle.
Staring blankly at his useless, dangling hand for a while, the mercenary finally realized what had happened and let out a cry of pain. The sudden agony caused beads of sweat the size of beans to appear on his forehead.
“You little brat, how dare you…” The mercenaries surrounding them flew into a rage.
They didn’t realize that this was already very lenient on Thos’s part, as he had only used physical strength. Lifting his right hand and wiggling his fingers, Thos said calmly, “Weren’t you the ones who started this trouble? It’s too troublesome. Come at me all at once!”
“You little scoundrel!”
Provoked, the mercenaries charged at Thos in anger. Unfortunately, Thos’s half-demonic physique was far beyond their ability to resist. He didn’t even need to use any magic—just the strength of his right hand was enough to knock them down.

In just over ten seconds, those dozen mercenaries all collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain as they clutched their left or right hands.
“Next time you cause trouble, make sure to keep your eyes open!” As he spoke, Thors suddenly felt a gentle breeze behind him, which alerted him immediately. He turned around and quickly grabbed the knight’s sword that was right in front of him with his right hand.
But strangely, the moment his right hand reached out, the sword seemed to lose much of its strength, which puzzled Thors greatly.
At that moment, a surprised voice reached his ears.
“Hey, it’s been three years! Have you switched to being a knight or something?”
“Hm?” Thors raised his head in shock and saw a familiar face. Stunned, he murmured, “Allen?”
“Who else could it be but me?” Allen laughed arrogantly. Then he glanced at Thors’ right hand, which was tightly gripping the sword, and said oddly, “I wanted to say hello to you, but your reaction really took me by surprise!—That was way too chaotic, wasn’t it?” He tried pulling the sword out, but since it didn’t budge, he was secretly surprised.
“Oh,” Thors instinctively released his right hand and said irritably, “Can’t you just say hello properly?—How did you end up here?”
“Hey, that’s the question I should ask you,” Allen said, handing the knight’s sword to Algi, who stood nearby with a surprised expression. He habitually put his arm around Thors’ shoulders and smiled, “I heard you’ve been hanging around Salonia these past few years?—Three years, buddy! You didn’t even come back to check in. I thought you planned to stay there forever! So, are you willing to come back now?”
Thors dismissively pushed Allen’s hand away, sighed slightly, and said, “It’s not that I didn’t want to come back. It’s just… Never mind. I came back this time to settle the score with Argus from three years ago…”
“Argus?” Allen froze for a moment, frowned, and said, “I heard from that incompetent vampire, Ulric, that you fought Argus three years ago and lost, right?”
“It’s obvious,” Thors said with a bitter smile, taking a breath before adding calmly, “But not this time!”
Allen nodded, seemingly understanding but not fully. Seeing more and more onlookers gathering, he casually pointed to an inn and said, “You just arrived in Boydel, right? Come on, I’ll buy you a drink as a welcome gift!” As he noticed the city guards approaching, he shouted to Algi, “Uncle, I’ll leave this to you!” Then he walked toward the inn, still arm-in-arm with Thors.

“Sigh!” Alji shook his head helplessly, instinctively glancing at Thors’s back. He thought to himself that although Allen had weakened his force at the last moment, this young man had still managed to grip the blade of that knight’s sword with just his right hand. Could a human really do such a thing? It was utterly incredible…
While he was negotiating with the guards, Allen and Thors had already entered the tavern, along with Father Bon, who followed closely behind Thors.
“Snap!” Sitting at the tavern counter, Allen snapped his fingers to call the owner over, then said to Thors, “What do you want, buddy?”
“A glass of ice water!”
“Ice water?” Allen looked at Thors in surprise, then turned to Father Bon beside him and asked, “What about you, Father?”
“Uh, I’ll have ice water too…”
Shrugging, Allen said to the tavern owner, “Two glasses of ice water and one glass of cider!” Then he casually pulled out a gold coin from his pocket and placed it on the counter.
“Sure!” The tavern owner nodded with a smile.
A few minutes later, after taking a sip of the cider, Allen glanced at Father Bon and said politely, “You’re a priest from Salonia, right? A cardinal? I’m sorry to have you encounter such things as soon as we arrived in the city. May I ask your name?”
“Uh… yes, my name is Bon Hamsworth. I’m honored to be a cardinal. Are you a friend of Lord Volmon? Just call me Bon!” Father Bon replied politely.
“Lord Volmon…?” Allen looked at Thors in astonishment. As far as he knew, a cardinal was the highest position in the Church after the Pope. How could such an important person still address his friend as “Lord”?
Perhaps noticing Allen’s expression, Father Bon smiled and explained, “It’s like this: I was fortunate enough to be promoted to cardinal recently, while Lord Volmon, before stepping down, was also a cardinal…”
“You? A cardinal?” Allen’s eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Thors. “Not bad, buddy! A cardinal—no wonder you don’t want to come back…”
“Stop talking nonsense! —These are two different things!” Thors glared at Allen irritably and frowned at Father Bon, saying, “And shut up! —Stop bringing up irrelevant matters!”
“Okay, okay…”
Seeing Father Bon’s awkward expression, Allen’s eyes widened again, and he burst into laughter. Slapping Thors on the shoulder, he said, “Anyway, it’s great that you’re back! —We haven’t heard from you in three years. Senior Dia has been very depressed, though she never says anything…”

“Dia…?” Thors let out a soft sigh.
“By the way,” as if remembering something, Allen lowered his head and said with a smile, “You know what? I got married!”
“Huh?” Thors raised his head in surprise and asked curiously, “Weren’t you going to learn from that legendary knight in the novels?”
“I had no choice…”
“Oh!” Thors looked at Allen’s expression amusedly and said teasingly, “Who on earth is so unlucky?”
“Hey, that’s too hurtful!” Allen rolled his eyes irritably.
“Alright, then who is it?”
“Someone you know well…”
“Lisa?” Thors was somewhat surprised. After all, Allen was the only son of the president of the Operrials Merchant Association, while Lisa came from an ordinary noble family—there was a significant gap between the two families.
“What’s that look?” Allen glared at Thors irritably as he recalled, “Don’t think every place values family influence. At least my old man is quite tolerant on this matter. He says bearing family responsibilities makes one more of a man… In short, he didn’t object. Scott was way luckier…”
“Scott?”
“Yeah. I met him once last year in Vandel. He quietly got engaged to Leryla. Those two are a real hassle. As you know, Scott’s father is a duke. Though he doesn’t say it, he actually doesn’t approve. Noble marriages are that troublesome. Anyway, Scott’s relationship with his father has never been good…” He paused and added with a hint of emotion, “Do you remember during the school anniversary event? The three of us happened to run into Avi and her group. It was kind of fate, I guess. But then again, I thought you’d choose Avi. You know how she feels about you…”
Shaking the ice water in his cup, Thors asked softly, “How is she?”
“Her?” Allen gave a strange smile, then took out a necklace made of wolf fangs hanging around his neck from his armor and chuckled, “How about that? Envious? It’s a symbol of the ‘Warrior’ of Altak!”
“You really went?”
“Yeah. Anyway, I had nothing to do at the time! —We kept going to Vandel because of you. We met Avi there too, so we took the chance to go to Altak and participate in that trial… Scott has one too. Oh, right, Avi has one too. You can’t underestimate her! —Only you’re left!”

“What the hell!” Unable to decide whether to laugh or cry, he downed the ice water in his cup in one gulp. Thors let out a soft sigh and changed the subject. “I heard you had a few battles with Argus. How’s it going lately?”
At Thors’ mention of this, Allen’s tone turned serious as he shook his head. “It’s not optimistic. Argus somehow acquired an army of soldiers who almost possess immortality. During our first encounter, we suffered heavy losses. If it weren’t for Sister Eibel and the magicians arriving to help, we would have been completely wiped out… That’s why we don’t dare engage Argus in a large-scale conflict now. If possible, I plan to unite the armies from regions like Sgeldel, Altak, and Galic to surround Thassan together. What do you say? Would you be willing to help me?”
Looking at Allen’s hopeful gaze, Thors said indifferently, “Another glass of ice water!”
“Uh… Hey, you guy!”