Being a knight is not easy

Chapter 202 Trapped Beast
Suddenly, the silence was broken by the rapid sound of horses' hooves.

The messenger dismounted and handed over a sealed letter sealed with wax.

Robin unfolded the letter, and Lady Aisha's rose mark glowed eerily red in the moonlight: "Leo has set off, and Bauhinia is willing to lend you a hand. But the matter of the marriage alliance needs to be discussed in person."

Robin gripped the letter tightly, a cold glint flashing in his silver eyes.

As dusk settled over Alina's silver cloak, she gripped the magic communication crystal tightly, her fingertips turning white from the force.

As the news of "Leo leading the Order of Knights south" exploded in the crystal, a sudden sound of clothes rustling came from behind. Before he could turn around, a cold sword was pressed against his neck.

"Teacher?!" Her pupils contracted sharply as she looked at the familiar face under Odom's hood.

The old knight's bronze gauntlets trembled slightly, as if she was trying her best to suppress some kind of emotion, and the "Dawn's Sigh" sword at her waist, which had once taught her to wield, was now radiating a chilling killing intent.

“Come with me.” Odom’s voice was hoarse, unlike his usual self, but his sword was as steady as a rock. “The plan has changed. You must leave Wilke immediately.”

"Alan is in danger!" Alina struggled violently, drawing a runic dagger hidden beneath her cloak. "Leo has the Knight's Code's sanction! He's going to..."

"A sanctions order?" Odom suddenly sneered, his sword flashing as he deflected her dagger. "That's nothing but a fig leaf for the nobility! Do you really think Leo is upholding the code of chivalry?" His voice held a rare hint of resentment. "The Bauhinia Organization has long since reached an agreement with some high-ranking knights of ordinary birth, attempting to break down the power of class."

"Impossible!" Alina's eyes instantly reddened. "Alan did it to give civilians dignity! His warriors are on the battlefield."

“Dignity?” Odom interrupted her, his sword pressed against the magic crystal on her chest. “When you see the secret messages transmitted through those crystals, the mountains of corpses of liberal knights piled up in the Knights Guild dungeon, the slave children pierced by chains,” his voice suddenly choked, “you will understand that some truths are far more cruel than you imagine.”

Alina's lips trembled violently, and tears finally welled up in her eyes: "So you're just going to stand by and watch Ellen get..."

"I'm saving you!" Odom suddenly roared, his aged face contorted with pain. "I couldn't protect your parents back then, but this time..." His sword slowly lowered. "Come with me, and wait for the better."

"I'm not leaving!" Alina suddenly sprang to her feet, her life force blazing in her fists. However, Odom reacted with lightning speed, the hilt of Dawn's Sigh striking her heavily on the back of the neck.

The moment the girl collapsed, the old knight caught her and sighed softly.

Just as he turned to leave, he heard familiar footsteps outside the camp.

Robin held the Dragon Slayer Spear, its dragon scale patterns gleaming eerily in the night. His silver eyes swept over Alina's pale face: "I'll leave Alina to you."

Odom hugged the girl tighter, his Adam's apple bobbing. "I won't interfere. Be careful." He paused, then pulled a bronze badge engraved with starlight from his pocket. "If you encounter dire straits, go to the Bauhinia."

“No need.” Robin raised her hand to stop him, a resolute smile curving her lips. “Wilke’s future can only be in his own hands.”

As Odom's figure disappeared into the night, Robin clutched the magic crystal left behind by Alina.

Deep within the crystal, the banners of the Order of Order, led by Leo, fluttered in the gale, like the black wings of death unfurled.

The candlelight twisted eerily between Robin's fingers, casting a ghostly glow on the silver runes on Fengling's purple robe. As Fengling stepped into the room, the hem of her cloak swept across the floor, leaving behind a fleeting trail of dark purple light, as if countless tiny demonic butterflies were fluttering about.

A few days ago, Fengling broke through again and became a wizard in the late stage of the first ring.

"Lady Aishar's reinforcements have set off. You only need to hold off Leo for half an hour." Fengling raised her hand and brushed the candle flame, which instantly turned into a ghostly blue and condensed into a rotating magic rune in her palm.

Robin abruptly stood up, sparks flying from the tip of his Dragon Slayer Spear as it scraped the ground: "Aishal? Is she a helper or a hindrance to my cause?"

The wind chimes emitted a soft, silvery laugh, and the runes at her fingertips suddenly exploded, projecting a distorted human figure onto the wall: "Leo is a defender of the old order, while Lady Aisha" she paused deliberately, a strange smile curving her lips beneath the mask, "...what she wants is to completely overturn the chessboard, not to make minor repairs."

Robin gripped the twenty knight rings at his waist, the coolness of the metal seeping into his palms.

He suddenly remembered Aisha's secret letter bearing the mark of a rose, which now connected with the appearance of the wizard before him, forming a dangerous clue.

“You wizards always treat intrigue as art,” he scoffed. “But Leo’s iron cavalry won’t play your games of intrigue.”

“That’s why we need your warriors as the spark.” Feng Ling’s voice suddenly turned cold, and a magic wand wrapped with snake bones slid out from her sleeve. The black crystal inlaid on the wand head emitted an eerie red light. “When the slave soldiers defeat the knights with their flesh and blood, the slave soldiers of the entire Western Frontier will be engulfed in flames.”

Robin's pupils contracted slightly as he realized that the wind chimes before him were not simply conveying a message, but rather carrying a far more insane plan.

"Are you so sure I'll cooperate?"

Wind Chime walked behind Robin and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Because you and Lady Aishar share the same fundamental goal: to break the ironclad rules of class." She lightly tapped the ground with her wand, and a massive magic circle suddenly appeared beneath Robin's feet. "How many of those slave soldiers possess magical talents hidden in their blood that you haven't even discovered? Lady Aishar's divination crystals have already..."

"Enough!" Robin swept his dragon-slaying spear, shattering the magic circle.

But he had to admit that the wizard's words struck a chord with him.

The images of those slave soldiers who fought bravely on the battlefield and those who suddenly awakened strange powers during training flashed through his mind.

The wind chime gently touched Robin's face, and his cloak glowed with a dark purple light once more: "At dawn three days from now, Lady Aishar's magical airship will appear above Poplar Valley. Before then," her voice suddenly softened, "remember to keep a close eye on your knights; Leo's letter of defection is probably already on its way."

As the last syllable faded away, the wind chime transformed into a cloud of purple mist, leaving only a faint sulfurous scent in the air.

Robin clenched his fist.

"It's always like this. Why do I always inevitably become a pawn in someone else's game?"

At this moment, he finally tasted the bitterness of being trapped like a beast. He held the Dragon-Slaying Spear in his hand, yet he couldn't even hold his own destiny in his own hands.

"It seems I'm still not strong enough. If I become a third-tier Order Knight, both Leo and Aisha will have to grovel at my feet."

(End of this chapter)