Raise Joan of Arc to be an empress, then discard her.

“His Majesty won’t care. I know His Majesty better than you do in this regard,” Aaron said.

"In the end, it all comes down to your attitude."

The Knight King didn't say much and walked away; that was his attitude.

Seeing the Sword of Omniscience depart, Aaron breathed a slight sigh of relief.

The king always trusted the Sword of Omniscience, and as long as the Sword of Omniscience didn't mention it, the king wouldn't doubt it.

Besides, Aguir has already killed most of the demons on the list, and those dead demons are enough to satisfy his mission.

As for the others, Agil was in charge of dealing with the traitors, so as long as Agil didn't say anything, they wouldn't dare to ask any more questions.

However, there were still some troublesome things, such as them seeing him and the Knight King exchange sword blows at the city gate, seeing Joan of Arc escape in Esgard, and seeing Joan of Arc being chased by the Knight King.

If they go back now as if nothing happened, it will definitely cause a stir and various speculations among others, but such things are inevitable, and Aaron can't change anything.

Aaron turned around and saw Joan of Arc standing in front of him, but she looked at him from a distance like a bewildered deer, not daring to come closer.

Aaron understood why. After all, he had just transformed into a demon in front of her. Although he had transformed back and believed he had not left any dark aura, that image must have left a deep impression on the girl. It was normal for the girl to fear or even hate him from then on, since the girl was now a saint of the Sacred Heart Cathedral.

Just as Aaron was thinking this, a soft body rushed over and hugged him. Aaron was slightly taken aback, then held the girl's soft shoulders. A familiar voice rang in his ears: "Welcome back, teacher."

It turns out the girl wasn't afraid. Her hesitation stemmed from the fact that they hadn't seen each other for a while, and she didn't know how to start the conversation. But in the end, she felt that a hug was the best answer.

"Yes, I'm back," Aaron replied.

This embrace lasted longer than any before, seemingly because Aaron had been gone for so long; it wasn't until much later that Joan of Arc released Aaron.

*

The impact of this event is more serious than Alan imagined.

First of all, almost all the knights received a portrait of Joan of Arc while hunting down the traitor. Joan of Arc was now completely famous in the three major knightly orders. Before, people only occasionally heard that there was a saint in the Sacred Heart Cathedral, and three years ago there was a girl who received three blessings.

But now, everyone has heard that a young girl has escaped the pursuit of the Knight King and returned unscathed. Her name is Joan of Arc, a saint of the Sacred Heart Cathedral, who has received three blessings. Once this rumor, which is both embellished and based on true events, breaks out, it can no longer be stopped and is poised to spread throughout the entire Asgard. Joan of Arc may become the most famous saint in history.

Fortunately, Aaron, Enzo, Aguirre, and the Grand Master of the White Knights who were not present in the incident all stopped the matter, preventing it from spreading completely. However, some well-informed people still heard about it, and they talked about Joan of Arc, the young saint, over tea or in private, discussing how she escaped the King of Knights' pursuit. In short, Joan of Arc's fame was inevitable.

But Joan of Arc's affair was not the most serious matter; the most serious matter was Aaron's affair.

Because many knights on the city wall witnessed the clash between Aaron and the Knight King that day. When they saw it, the knights got goosebumps all over their bodies. They all thought they were about to witness history. After ten years, a new knight was going to challenge the Knight King.

Then a mysterious twist occurred: Aaron and the Knight King flew to another place and disappeared without a trace. Apart from Aaron, the Knight King, and Joan of Arc who was with them, no one knew exactly what had happened.

All they knew was that the Knight King returned to Asgard with a gloomy expression, and when they inquired about Aaron, they learned that Aaron had also returned to Asgard unharmed, only later than the Knight King.

This has sparked endless speculation: what exactly happened? Did they fight or not? If not, why did the Knight King spare Aaron?

You must understand that Aaron's actions at the city gate were a real challenge to the Knight King's position. That incident could not possibly be ignored. They all thought that Aaron was doomed, or that a new Knight King would be born, but in the end, nothing happened.

Someone dared to ask Agil, but Agil refused to answer and even warned them not to mention the matter again. Agil's cold attitude attracted even more attention. What happened after they flew away? What caused the Knight King's attitude towards him to change so drastically?

The most crucial moment was when Aaron received the sword strike from the Knight King at the city gate. Many people were amazed by the strength Aaron displayed. Could he really be qualified to become the new Knight King? However, some people said that Akiel did not show his full strength at that time. If he had used his full strength, Aaron would have been reduced to ashes.

Everyone had their own answer to this, and some even went to Aaron to verify it. However, Aaron didn't have time to deal with these matters at the moment, because he had more important things to attend to.

Esgard, the Royal Palace.

The royal palace is holding an award ceremony, and the recipient of the award is Aaron.

Aaron knelt on one knee, bowing his head reverently. Knights surrounded the room, and an old man in a red cloak stood before him.

The old man placed his hands on Aaron's shoulders, and Aaron slowly stood up. The old man looked at Aaron's face with satisfaction, took a medal from the tray and tied it to Aaron's chest, and then began to applaud. Aaron said expressionlessly, "It is my honor."

The knights in the room also clapped along. Many of them had witnessed Aaron and the Knight King's duel. Many of them were also speculating about how the Knight King or the King would deal with Aaron afterward. After all, Aaron had committed a heinous crime, and even if the Knight King didn't kill him on the spot, he would still suffer the consequences.

But the result was beyond their expectations. Aaron was not punished at all. Two days after Aaron returned to Asgard, he went to the palace to receive the king's bestowal of a knighthood, which was considered the highest honor for a knight.

Chapter 63 Noble Alliance

This incident also had some impact on Aaron. Originally, Aaron could have publicly received the medal, but because of the incident, the public awarding of medals was changed to a private awarding in the palace.

The reason for the awarding of the medal is said to be that Aaron presciently resolved a serious invasion by an enemy nation, protecting not only the kingdom's important mines but also the safety of the nobles.

The kingdom was very pleased with this. No one saw the king hold anything accountable or blame the incident in Asgard, and the Knight King didn't say anything either. It was as if the incident had never happened. If the public awarding of medals hadn't turned into a private one, people would have even doubted that the incident had ever occurred at all.

This reaction was expected by Aaron. He was frequently summoned to the palace and had done secret missions for the king, such as bringing Joan of Arc back, on more than one occasion. He knew the king's temperament very well.

The king never paid much attention to what happened in Asgard. Asking the King of Knights to eliminate traitors was as simple as asking someone to clean a room. Whether the room was thoroughly cleaned was the supervisor's concern, not the king's. He might even forget about it the next day.

However, the mineral deposits in High Cliff Valley were a major concern for the king. If the mineral deposits in High Cliff Valley were stolen, it would be a hundred times more important to him than the disaster that occurred in Asgard. That is why the king showed such an attitude, and Aaron was also somewhat fearless.

But the other knights were too far removed from the king and worshipped him like a god. They did not understand the king's character and thought Aaron would be in trouble, but the outcome was beyond their expectations.

"What exactly did Aaron do? Did he rescue the princess?" someone asked at the end of the awarding ceremony.

"Fool, didn't you hear what the king said? He stopped the enemy from invading!"

"To deal with an enemy invasion? He went to the border? But I haven't heard of any country wanting to attack us recently..."

"I don't know... but I heard something... it seems that Castleland wants to..."

Aaron listened to these discussions without paying them any attention. Even though these knights had entered the upper echelons of the country, they were still far removed from the country's true secrets. The king would not explain to them; they could only guess. But no matter how they guessed, the truth remained very far away from them.

It's normal for them to hope that Aaron will suffer misfortune. The three major knightly orders are nominally equal, but it's obvious that violent organizations are not usually close and friendly with each other.

As the earliest established violent organization, the Omniscient Knights naturally did not accept that the two major knight orders were on the same level as them, and they discriminated against the Blazing White and Obsidian Knight orders equally.

The Blazing White Knights were founded earlier than the Obsidian Knights, and therefore looked down on the Obsidian Knights. However, they had also been at odds with the Omniscient Knights for hundreds of years, and thus had poor relations with both sides.

The Obsidian Knights were the last to be established and were looked down upon by both of the other two knightly orders, but they were also the most rebellious, and in turn looked down on the other two knightly orders as well.

High-ranking knights like Sirio and Aaron are fine; they clearly distinguish between competition and cooperation. But other knight orders are not like that. Competition between them happens frequently, and knight orders also hope that the other will suffer. This time is a case in point; both knight orders are waiting to see the Obsidian Knight make a fool of himself.

However, this time they were frustrated because the bad luck didn't happen; instead, it seemed like they had done something good.

As they walked out of the palace, they suddenly noticed a group of people outside the palace. Judging from their clothes, they were not ordinary people, but a group of nobles. The palace guards dared not stop them.

Seeing the knights emerge, the nobles' eyes searched for something in the crowd. The knights were puzzled, but then the nobles' faces lit up with surprise as they surged into the crowd, startling the knights.

"What's going on? Who are they looking for?"

Soon the knights heard the name of the person they were looking for; they were all looking for Aaron.

The knights were initially surprised, but they quickly recovered. Aaron had not only resolved an invasion by an enemy nation, but also protected a group of nobles who had come to express their gratitude.

The leader was Duke Augustine. The nobles also had their own channels for receiving information, and they received the news shortly after Lister's caravan was besieged.

Soon, the news spread like wildfire, reaching every noble family with members who had gone to Lister for the summer. Some of them were marquises, some were scions of noble families, and some worked in the treasury. When they all gathered at Duke Augustine's mansion, it was as if a major earthquake had struck the nobles of Asgard.

Although Augustine himself was also panicked, as the leader, he quickly began to reassure everyone, because he had received news that Aaron had gone to Lister a few days earlier to resolve the matter.

Augustine relayed the news to the nobles, who were finally relieved. They all believed that the kingdom's response was timely and that having the Obsidian Knights handle the matter would ensure the safety of the caravan.

During this time, news kept coming from Lister. They heard that Lister and Levant had been attacked, and even that bandits and armies had appeared near Lister. They were very worried. In order to appease them, Duke Augustine even went to the Sacred Heart Church to hold a mass, asking people to pray for the people in the caravan, which finally calmed down the nobles.

As everyone knows, the news came out a day later: the riots in Lister and Levanta had stopped, and the people in Lister's caravan were safe and sound. The Obsidian Knights had successfully protected them, and the caravan was returning to Asgard along the planned route.

Not only were the nobles relieved, but even the usually composed Duke Augustine breathed a sigh of relief. While waiting for news, his wife couldn't help but cry, and he was also very distressed and felt extremely tormented. He and his wife were no longer young, and they dared not think about what would happen if they lost Carol. They might be immersed in gloom for the rest of their lives.

Fortunately, good news eventually arrived. The two were overjoyed and felt that the decision they made three years ago was correct. Aaron kept his word and indeed became a decisive force at the critical moment, protecting Carol's safety.

While waiting for news, they attended Mass and prayers together, comforting each other in the sorrowful atmosphere. After this experience, the nobles seemed to have become a whole. When Duke Augustine shared the news of their safety, many nobles couldn't help but weep with joy and embraced each other like family. It was as if, during this time, they had gradually become a whole, a noble alliance, which is why this happened today.

Chapter 64 Catfish Plan

On the third day after Aaron returned to Asgard, the nobles finally arrived at the palace.

This is in accordance with noble etiquette; rushing to see others on the very first day back is considered impolite by nobles. The proper way is to give the other party ample rest time and then visit them in person to express gratitude on a suitable day. Especially considering Aaron has just returned to Asgard and what happened there.

The day after the investiture ceremony was obviously the most appropriate, which is why such a scene occurred outside the palace. Led by the famous Duke Augustine, many knights were supposed to bow to Duke Augustine, but Duke Augustine did not even glance at them and went straight to Aaron.

This noble alliance is a very powerful force. The knights saw many familiar faces in the alliance and saw them step forward to express their gratitude to Aaron. The other knights were secretly surprised. Could these nobles become the forces behind the Obsidian Knights in the future?

Indeed, this is the case, and we must thank Duke Augustine for this, as he led these nobles to form an alliance. Now that Aaron has saved Carol, Duke Augustine will undoubtedly support the Obsidian Knights even more wholeheartedly in the future. They will build a deeper trust, and this alliance will certainly become a source of strength for the Obsidian Knights.

As expected of a duke, if you do him a favor, he will repay you tenfold or a hundredfold.

While sighing inwardly, Aaron also breathed a sigh of relief. This could be considered a blessing in disguise. According to Aaron's worst-case scenario before setting off, they might have become enemies. It was already a miracle that the worst had not happened. The subsequent reward was an unexpected joy.

The other knights looked at Aaron, who was accepting the nobleman's thanks, with surprise and even envy. Aaron, however, knew that he had more important things to do after he returned.

The day after the medal awarding ceremony.

Aaron was summoned to the palace not to receive an award, but to be given a new mission.

It wasn't a secret mission, but rather Aaron was tasked with overseeing a military plan.

"The person in charge of Project Catfish," is what others call him.

The reason is that Lister's mineral deposits were delivered to Asgard yesterday, and the king was very pleased with this, so he immediately decided to launch Project Catfish.

The so-called "Catfish Project" is a plan to conduct human self-destruction experiments based on pink crystal mined from the Gaoya Mountains.

The most important material part has been sorted out. What's needed next is technology, people, money, and experiments.

Lucerne has no shortage of technology and experiments, as it is a project that the king cares about, and he also has no shortage of money. What he needs are people, people who are willing to undergo self-destruction experiments.

"Since Aaron has secured the mine, and the valley will need the Obsidian Knights to continue protecting it, let Aaron be the overall person in charge." That's what the king said at the time, showing that he trusted Aaron completely.

And so things have come to this: Aaron and the nobles have appeared at the hotel. These nobles are all either interested in joining Project Catfish or are involved in it. Aaron is naturally the first among them.

It's clear that this "catfish project" is indeed a lucrative opportunity, and the nobles are all eager to participate. It seems that everyone wants to invest, participate, or put their own people in it. Naturally, Aren has become their target.

Aaron was well aware that the plan's success depended on these nobles, and such connections were essential. Aaron had almost always worked behind the scenes, and this was his first time doing something like this, so he specifically brought Enzo in to share the workload.

To Aaron's surprise, they even wanted to plant their own people in the subjects of the experiment.

It should be noted that these experimental subjects would eventually die. Aaron originally planned to select a group of death row inmates from the kingdom's prison to undergo the experiment, but he did not expect that these nobles would be even more enthusiastic than him.

The reason is that they see self-destruction as a risky business. Although the test subjects may die, all test subjects can receive a considerable bounty, which gives them ample motivation.

Among the nobles, there are many heirs who cannot become superhumans. They cannot inherit the title because they have not been blessed. However, they have heard that the self-destruct pattern is also a kind of superhuman power. If the experiment is successful, those who could not be blessed before will also become superhumans!

For this reason, some nobles even went so far as to send their sons into self-destruction experiments, because if the experiments were successful, these experimenters would gain privileges that would benefit their families. Although they would be sent to the front lines to die once the war started, no one knew when the war would begin, so they were willing to give it a try, at worst they could just exchange it for a reward.

Therefore, after careful consideration, they felt this was a profitable deal and all wanted to put their own people in, which gave Aaron a headache.

Because these nobles were stuffing all their unwanted trash into the laboratory, but what he needed were qualified individuals who could complete the experiments.

However, an incident occurred during the discussions with the nobles.

Someone barged in while they were talking, hoping to volunteer to be the subject of the self-destruction experiment.