You are all my wings!

Chapter Fifty-Nine: I Indeed Cannot Criticize

Let's rewind to a few minutes earlier.

Markla and the other three knights stepped aside and began to seek a consensus:

"Gentlemen, I simply cannot tolerate that mage any longer. His arrogance, conceit, and overbearing behavior are in serious conflict with my code of chivalry. If it weren't for the presence of the Holy Maiden, I would have already challenged him to a duel! Karl, you swore before that you would cause him trouble, so why are you so subservient to him as soon as you arrive in the dungeon?"

Karl: "Mark, although the enemy's command was decent, I still approve of their previous retreat. On the contrary, you were clearly bound by personal emotions when facing battle, which is a characteristic of the most useless knights."

He wasn't really trying to protect Lyon, but rather because he felt that Lyon hadn't made any mistakes so far.

During this period, although he was very eager to perform, he still maintained a good level of discipline in combat.

Of course, being straightforward and lacking in emotional intelligence, he doesn't always speak with proper tact.

"Useless Knight? Karl, I never expected you to think of me like that. As a friend of many years, I feel deeply disappointed!"

Mark was shocked.

He knew Karl was outspoken and sometimes even enjoyed seeing Karl offend others, but now that it was his turn, he felt utterly absurd.

He held very special feelings for Karl!

He turned to look at Milo: "Milo, what's your opinion?"

Milo: "Indeed, Carl, you were far too honest this time. I was really looking forward to your performance, but why did you..."

Karl: "Honest? I just haven't found the opportunity to show the Saintess my full strength yet. Once I prove my strength, I will naturally tell the Saintess that there is no need for this guy to command me."

He looked completely calm.

In reality, he looked down on Mark and Milo, who didn't try to prove themselves with their abilities but instead sought recognition from their teammates.

Mark sighed, then looked at Bovary, who had remained very quiet and detached from the conversation:

"Bovary, what about you? What do you think?"

Upon being called upon, Bovary seemed to snap out of his reverie:

"What do you think? My opinion is that there's no right or wrong in this matter. And I feel that everyone has underestimated Lord Lyon's strength."

"Misjudged their strength? What do you mean?"

Bovary's words caught the attention of several people.

He continued:

"First of all, aren't you wondering why he, as a mage, moves so fast? I feel like I can't compare to him."

Karl: "After all, she is someone chosen by the Holy Maiden. If she doesn't have any special skills, she will only bring shame to the Holy Maiden."

Mark: "That's right. After all, he was personally chosen by the Holy Maiden. I don't believe he's really useless."

Bovary couldn't help but complain, "Mark, since you know he's extraordinary, why are you opposing him?"

Mark: "Let's put that aside for now. You're saying we misjudged him, based solely on his high agility?"

Bovary: "There's one more thing you've forgotten? Since he entered the dungeon, he's fought with a sword, not magic. Don't you find that strange? He's a mage!"

Mark: "Being a magician doesn't mean you can't use a sword, right? What's so strange about that? I can use a fireball spell too, it's perfectly normal."

As a knight, he specializes in various physical combat skills.

However, to broaden one's repertoire, learning one or two simple, basic or micro-level spells is still achievable.

Warriors primarily focus on physical strength, power, and agility, but magic power is also enhanced, although the increase is far less than the former three.

Moreover, their target class is Paladin, a powerful class that combines both warrior and spellcasting abilities.

Carl: "It is indeed strange, but since even a piece of trash like Mark can do it, it means there's nothing special about it."

Mark: "Karl, if you hadn't said that, I would have challenged you to a duel!"

Karl: "It doesn't matter. We'll be ready to fight anytime after we leave the dungeon!"

Bovary was increasingly speechless.

He wasn't usually this honest, but with teammates who were impossible to reason with, he had no choice but to become taciturn.

He was afraid that if he talked too much with them, he would get so angry he would die.

He spoke up again today to express his doubts to the group, hoping things would change.

Unexpectedly, we still lost to them.

But considering that this was a very important training exercise, Bovary interrupted the two arguing men, saying:

"What do you guys think of that pure-blooded elf?"

Upon hearing this question, Milo's eyes lit up:

"Yes, very beautiful! It's a pity I've already made up my mind to follow the Holy Maiden, otherwise I would have definitely invited her for a drink after leaving the dungeon."

Karl casually smoothed his hair: "Indeed, she lives up to the name of a pure-blooded elf—beautiful and powerful. It's a pity I've already met the Holy Maiden and sworn to uphold the doctrine. Otherwise, I would have shown that elf what happiness is."

Mark: "...Karl, while I admit you're very charming, saying that is a bit presumptuous of you. You're not good enough for him."

Karl snorted: "Character is the highest standard for judging a person!"

Mark laughed: "It seems you don't deny that you look unworthy of the other person."

Bovary couldn't help but glare at Miró, who had steered the conversation off-topic:

"I'm talking about strength, not appearance! Don't you think she's incredibly strong? She can easily kill a third-tier monster with a basic spell. And this long-lived creature is so obedient to Lord Lyon! This means that Lord Lyon must have something extraordinary about him! Therefore, his orders must also have some deeper meaning that we can't comprehend!"

This statement indeed prompted several people to ponder.

After a moment, Mark said, "It should be his face. He has a terrible personality, but I really can't criticize his face. It's very unpleasant, but there's nothing I can do... No, so that's why you changed your attitude, Carl?"

Knights are indeed the warrior class that places the most importance on appearance.

Karl sneered: "Superficial! Only those with great character and lofty ideals like the Holy Maiden can impress me."

Bovary was speechless; he actually thought that Mark was right, both the first and the second part of the sentence.

"Actually, there is another aspect of His Excellency Lyon that deserves everyone's respect."

Undeterred, Bovary continued to point out what he saw in Léon:

"As you all know, monster meat, especially the meat of powerful monsters, can easily boost basic attributes such as stamina, strength, and agility if you eat too much of it. However, there are some monsters that are physiologically unacceptable to us. But Lord Leon was able to endure the nausea. Isn't this drive to become stronger commendable?"

Mark got angry at this and snorted:

"That depends on the priorities! What's the point of trying ordinary monsters? Wouldn't it be more efficient to find a few more powerful monsters? Look, the Holy Maiden has never even tasted the monster meat that Lyon roasted, which shows that she doesn't approve of this practice!"

Just then, they heard Britta suddenly walk over to Lyon and say:

"I just thought this roasted bear paw looked pretty delicious, and I wanted to try your cooking."

Mark was immediately proven wrong as soon as he finished speaking, and his face turned embarrassed.

Chapter Sixty: Lord Lyon is unfathomable!

Lyon glanced at the group of people talking on the periphery.

They thought they couldn't hear, but in reality, with his agility of 47, his senses were extremely sharp, and since the two weren't too far apart, he clearly heard the conversation.

In particular, Bovary's repeated defense of him stirred something in Lyon's heart, and he knew that an opportunity had come.

The reason he deliberately provoked the team members during this trip was partly because he was speechless about their behavior and wanted to correct them.

As a knight, it's not enough to just be good at fighting and reckless.

On the other hand, it is also, of course, to find a target that suits one's own "trust halo".

His main purpose in entering the underground city this time was twofold.

First, he needs to find suitable upgrade items for the Shadow Walker class, preferably the main casting organ of a powerful Shadow-type monster. He already has a preliminary goal in this regard.

Secondly, help Iris find upgrade items to help her reach Tier 4 as soon as possible. Once she reaches Tier 4, the difficulty of casting intermediate magic will be reduced, which will greatly increase the chance of completing the side quest "Fallen Dark Elf".

Of course, if Britta could join in, the chances of removing Hamra's curse would be much higher.

There are two incidental purposes.

Firstly, by leveraging the strength of these prospective paladins, explore more side areas, consume various monsters, and find monster meat suitable for increasing different attributes, thereby maximizing your attribute limits.

Secondly, I need to find a way to advance to my third profession, fraudster. My initial strategy is to use this core skill more often and see what changes occur as my proficiency increases.

Bovary, who just praised Lyon, is undoubtedly the most suitable candidate for the "halo of trust".

Leon activated his magic, unleashing the [Trust Aura]!

An invisible halo radiated out and landed on Bovary, who was not far away.

Then, Lyon set aside a portion of the roasted bear paw and casually handed it to Britta.

"Not bad, it looks more and more presentable."

"Then let's eat it while it's hot. The roast meat is most fragrant when it's freshly roasted, and the magic power is also the least lost."

Britta ate gracefully in small bites, a look of pleasure on her face.

However, she quickly concealed her delight.

[Character Britta's affection level increased by 1%, current affection level 41%]

Lyon discovered a problem: although Britta's initial favorability was much higher than Iris's, it seemed difficult to increase.

Logically, it should be the easiest time to increase favorability in the early stages.

What are the difficulties?

Could it be that Britta's identity as a messenger of the gods, or rather her faith, affected the increase in favorability?

Lyon pondered silently that if his favorability rating wasn't high enough, doing Britta's main quest, "The Chosen One," would likely be a thankless and difficult task.

Brettita then finished her meal gracefully but quickly, and praised it, saying:

"The craftsmanship is good, Lyon. Although the level of refinement cannot compare to the top chefs in the capital, the ingredients are fresh enough, which surpasses everything else."

"That's right, freshness is the best, and the best cooking is to bring out the natural flavor of the ingredients."

Lyon didn't think too much about it and decided to focus on learning more about Britta first.

Although I had taken this route in my previous life, some things just can't compare to living people.

He then went on to talk about his views on food.

Although adding various spices would make it taste even better.

But having grown accustomed to the seasonings of his past life, he now enjoys the original flavor of this food.

Simply remove the bloody smell, and it will be delicious enough.

Coincidentally, he could use a miniature suction wind to suck up all the monster's blood, which could be used as an alchemical material or to make the monster meat taste better.

Iris pouted as she watched the two interact, then ate her meat in big bites.

The bear is one of the less physically repulsive monsters. Although it looks terrifying and its fur is like steel needles, it doesn't look too bad after it's dismembered.

So both Iris and Britta enjoyed their meal without needing to do much mental preparation.

Incidentally, the bear's fur is of very good quality. We can consider commissioning a magician to make it into needle-like magical items. Leon plans to keep it for himself as a defensive item for his future residence.

As the speed of making money increases and all sorts of rare items accumulate, it's time to consider finding a bigger house.

the other side.

When the four of them saw that Britta had also joined in the tasting, they all began to waver.

Carl mocked Mark: "Mark, it seems you're not only useless, but you also have no discernment."

Mark: "I accept the 'no sense' excuse, but you should take back the 'useless' one. That's the only word I don't want to hear from you."

Carl: "Then I'll choose another one."

Mark looked satisfied: "That's more like it."

Carl: "Then let him be incompetent, incompetent Mark! Haha, not bad! It goes well with the name. I never thought I had such a terrifying talent for giving people nicknames."