Being a knight is not easy

Chapter 205 Cooperation
Leo pulled on the reins, and the warhorse pawed restlessly, the ground beneath its iron hooves still reeking of blood.

He stared at Robin's figure on the city wall, his palms, gripping the Sword of Judgment, sweating profusely.

The force that had ripped through space when the Earth Explosion Arrow collided with the Judgment Sword still made his arm feel slightly numb.

As a seasoned knight who had been immersed in the way of knighthood for decades, he knew better than anyone that Robin's current level of knightly cultivation was far beyond that of an ordinary newcomer.

"President, scouts report that the Bauhinia Organization's magic airships are flanking from the southeast." The adjutant's voice trembled noticeably. "Their magic array has begun to charge."

Leo's pupils suddenly contracted.

He turned abruptly and looked at the ominous purple cloud on the horizon.

Lady Aishar's iconic magical airship was faintly visible in the clouds, the runes flowing along its hull like the spitting tongues of a serpent.

He was well aware of the Bauhinia Organization's plan: to reap the benefits while the Knights and Wilke's territory were both weakened.

"Pass down the order: the entire army, form ranks and retreat!" Leo gritted his teeth and spat out the command, his sword of judgment slashing fiercely at the boulder beside him.

Amidst the flying pebbles, he recalled Robin's terrifyingly accurate archery skills.

If we continue our assault, even if we manage to breach the city gates, we will lose more than half of our elite knights.

Without these combat forces, how can he fight against the restless Bauhinia?

"But Chairman," the adjutant hesitated, "are we just going to let that kid Wilke go like this?"

"Fool!" Leo's roar made the surrounding knights' eardrums ache. "Didn't you see that the arrows he controlled contained the life force? Taking the head of a legend from a hundred paces away is as easy as taking candy from a baby!" He tore off his tattered wrist guard, revealing a charred wound. "This is the price of underestimating your enemy!"

The battlefield wind, carrying the smoke of gunpowder, swept past. Leo watched the campfire gradually die down, and a chill ran through him.

He suddenly recalled the warning in the Code of Chivalry: "When those who break the order take control of the rules, the real disaster has only just begun."

Robin not only broke down class barriers, but also rewrote the rules of combat. This kind of variable was far more frightening to him than the witchcraft of the Bauhinia flower.

"Notify all branches to tighten their defenses." Leo's voice was low and cold. "Send men to closely monitor Wilke territory. Report back immediately if Robin leaves the city." He gripped his sword hilt, a ruthless glint in his eyes. "This contest is just the beginning."

Robin leaned against the mottled battlements, his Dragon Slayer Spear propped at his side, the dragon scales gleaming with a cold, eerie light in the fading daylight.

As Leo's black banner with a silver lion completely disappeared below the horizon, a wisp of dark purple mist suddenly rose behind him, and Fengling's figure, wearing a spiderweb-patterned mask, emerged from it. The snake bone wand tapped the ground lightly, producing a teeth-grinding crisp sound.

"This is the best opportunity to kill Leo." The wind chime's voice carried the scent of sulfur, and crimson liquid seeped from the black crystal at the tip of her wand, tracing the knights' retreat route in the air. "His elite knights have suffered nearly half their losses, and their supply lines have been cut off by the Bauhinia's magical airships. Lady Aishar is willing to lend you three hundred elite warriors, as long as you..."

"What does Lady Aisha want?" Robin interrupted her, his silver eyes fixed on the twisted bloodstains on the ground, the handprints left by a warrior before his death.

The wind chimes tinkled softly, and a dangerous smile curved the red lips beneath the mask. She suddenly lunged forward, her icy fingers wrapping around Robin's wrist: "Queen." This answer made Robin whirl around, the tip of his Dragon-Slaying Spear almost touching her throat.

Wind Chime, however, did not back down. Her skin, faintly visible beneath her purple robe, glowed with the faint light of magical runes: "Lady Aisha will sit beside the throne and experience the position of the ruler of the kingdom. And you," she lowered her voice, her breath sweet as orchids, "only need to become the new emperor."

Robin's pupils contracted slightly.

What kind of stroke of good fortune is this?

Besides getting a beautiful woman for free, he can also become the new king of the kingdom.

"What if I refuse?" Robin gripped the gun handle tightly, the dragon scales protruding as if they were alive.

"Refuse?" Wind Chime suddenly threw her head back and laughed, startling the night owls on the city wall. She tapped her wand lightly, and a huge star map magic circle suddenly appeared beneath Robin's feet. "The moment you chose to train slave soldiers and rewrite your breathing technique, there was no turning back. Leo won't let you go, and neither will the royal family. And us..."

Her fingertips traced Robin's taut jawline. "I can give you an army, magic, and," her voice suddenly became seductive, "the chance to make the entire kingdom grovel at your feet."

The night wind ruffled Robin's silver hair, and in the distance came the sound of soldiers packing up their weapons.

He gazed at the twinkling star trails within the magic circle, each point of light representing the power controlled by Aisha.

“Tell Aisha that cooperation is possible.” Robin abruptly shook off the wind chimes binding his wrist, and the Dragon Slayer Spear shot out like a silver snake, sparking blinding sparks on the magic circle. The flying metal fragments landed on the dark purple runes, emitting a sizzling sound.

He turned to look at the territory shrouded in twilight. In the distance, torches rose and fell like a galaxy fallen to earth. The slave soldiers, who had once hunched over, now stood tall and patrolled, their figures appearing exceptionally majestic in the firelight.

“But I only have one year.” Robin’s voice was cold and hard, and the dragon scale patterns on his neck throbbed violently. “After one year, no matter how the war goes, I will leave the kingdom.”

The wind chimes let out a meaningful chuckle. She raised her hand and swept it across the magic circle, and the star-map-like runes instantly twisted into a vortex.

"Don't worry, Lady Aishar won't stay here for long." She tapped the ground lightly with her serpent-bone wand, and beads of blood seeping from the black crystal at the tip of the wand floated in the air, piecing together the blurry outline of the continent of Pavel. "Her target has always been the center of that world shrouded by the stargate."

“So you need a stable rear.” Robin turned around, his silver eyes like knives staring straight at Fengling. “You need someone to suppress the royal family and consolidate power for you, so that the witches can open the Stargate with peace of mind.”

"Intelligent people are always a pleasure." The purple mist swirling around the wind chime suddenly transformed into thousands of butterfly shadows, and the dark purple phosphorescent powder shimmered in the moonlight, like stardust scattered on earth.

She lightly tapped the air with her snake-bone wand, and the blood droplets seeping from the black crystal at the tip of the wand condensed into a miniature magic circle in the air. "Lady Aishar has prepared a gift for you - tomorrow morning, Leo's supply line will be 'unexpectedly' attacked by magic."

Robin stroked the gilded patterns on the Dragon Slayer Spear, gazing at the phantom of the Leo army banner formed by the swarm of butterflies. A wary glint flashed in his silver eyes: "Are you so sure that Leo will take the bait?"

“It’s not Leo who’s taken the bait, it’s the entire Knights Guild.” Wind Chime’s voice suddenly turned icy, and the butterfly shadows abruptly coalesced into sharp bone spikes. “When Leo returns with his remnants, all you need to do is ambush him on his inevitable route. Personally kill this Knights Guild Master.” She paused, a meaningful chuckle emanating from beneath her mask, “Those wavering knights will naturally understand who the new era’s ruler truly is.”

(End of this chapter)