Chapter 1111 - 169: The Cursed and Mighty Eternal Light Knight Order (Part 4)

Chapter 1111: Chapter 169: The Cursed and Mighty Eternal Light Knight Order (Part 4)

Su Li’s gaze swept over this mighty reinforcement and finally settled on Bradley. He could feel the man’s forcibly suppressed humiliation and fury, and beneath that, a deeper sense of helplessness in the face of something like destiny.

Su Li did not hesitate. He strode forward, without so much as a glance at the traces of the pit, without any perfunctory pleasantries, and walked straight up to the man.

"Welcome to the Eternal Light Knight Order, taking station in our Territory!" Su Li’s voice was clear and steady, bearing the authority a Lord ought to have, yet without any air of condescension.

Bradley raised his head, his hawk-like eyes locking onto Su Li’s, prepared to receive any gaze—be it sympathy, doubt, or mockery. He was Virena’s Sharp Sword, but at this moment, he felt like a clown toyed with by Destiny. Once, he had been at odds with this Lord, the two sides crossing blades on the field of battle. Now, he was forced to station himself in the other man’s Territory, living under another’s roof.

Yet Su Li’s next words were beyond everyone’s expectations.

"Welcome to the Hesse Territory!" Su Li declared, his voice echoing across the grounds. "I have just heard of the misfortune that befell you before your arrival. On behalf of the Hesse Territory, I mourn the loss of such a magnificent warhorse from your Order. The loss of that warhorse is the loss of the Hesse Territory!"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the silent steel ranks of the Eternal Light Knight Order, and his tone suddenly grew impassioned and sincere: "However! Deputy Leader, honored Eternal Light Knights! Your very arrival is the greatest blessing bestowed upon the Hesse Territory! You crossed perils and hardship to come in answer to Princess Philis’s command—this bond and this commitment weigh heavier than a thousand burdens! The Hesse Territory needs the edge of your blades, needs your Strong Shields, needs your fearless faith in the struggle against Chaos and Darkness! As for that damned accident?"

Su Li’s voice held a note of ironclad resolve. "Let it go to hell! On the true battlefield, where you are needed to charge and plunge into the fray, the stables of the Hesse Territory will forever stand open to you! I pledge that for the Eternal Light Knight Order, we will make good any warhorse you require!"

At the end, he reached out his hand—not in a light, ceremonial clasp, but to deliver a heavy slap upon Bradley’s mud-stained armoured sleeve, echoing with a dull thud.

"Deputy Leader, and all you valiant warriors! Forget the mire along the road! The soil of the Hesse Territory remembers only the blood and glory of fighting side by side! Let us win that glory together! What say you?"

Bradley’s body jolted. He stared into Su Li’s eyes, and in the gaze of that young Lord he saw not the slightest trace of ridicule, pity, or scorn. He saw only sincere regret, unreserved esteem, and a fierce confidence that seemed capable of cutting through the mists of ill fortune—and... respect!

That crushing sense of humiliation that had nearly broken him loosened under the weight of Su Li’s ringing words and that hand upon his armoured sleeve. In its place rose a long-lost, almost chest-rending surge of emotion! Yes, the battlefield! Only upon the battlefield, with the enemy’s heads and the radiance of victory, could all things truly be washed clean!

He drew a deep breath, straightened his spine, and in his eyes once more blazed the undying fire that belonged to Virena’s Knights. He clenched his fist and smote it heavily against the Holy Emblem on his chest, his voice loud and resolute, bearing a do-or-die determination:

"As you command, my Lord! The Eternal Light Knight Order is willing to lay down our lives for the order and glory of the Hesse Territory! Until the Curse is dispelled, or we all lie dead!"

"This is the personal letter Princess Philis bade me bring to you. You may inspect it; the sealing wax and impressions are all intact."