Chapter 45: The Big Guy

The sewer still seemed to retain a trace of sacred aura. 

A figure tremblingly emerged from the darkness. 

Under Maximus’s sword, it had been shivering in the darkness, waiting until now. 

The great knight had left the Royal Capital Sewers, after being scorched by the All-Father’s fury. 

But it was under this veil of sacred aura that a small hobgoblin, which had been fleeing with it from the very beginning, had survived—this goblin mage.

It must have been some deity’s blessing that neither Maximus’s perception nor the All-Father’s flames had touched it.

Now the chieftain was dead, leaving only this skeleton.

Driven purely by instinct, it crawled to the skeleton’s side.

Gajiga’s not-so-bright mind felt little sadness.

He looked at the chieftain’s skeleton, then at the crude bone staff in his hand.

Gajiga reached out and picked up the chieftain’s skull. 

“Crack.” 

The rat skull on the bone staff spontaneously shattered, and Gajiga fitted the chieftain’s skull onto the staff.

A black mist suddenly rose from the chieftain’s skull, and black flames flickered in its eye sockets.

Gajiga grabbed the bone staff, stood up, and began to yell and jump wildly.

The goblin chieftain’s skeleton crumbled into dust, as if all its power had been drained.

Power—it felt power!

If it ever ran into that little elf again, its power would surely be enough to take her down directly.

After letting off steam, a glint of cunning suddenly flashed in Gajiga’s murky eyes.

He looked down at his own attire, then silently retreated into the darkness.

His laughter echoed through the sewers, then vanished along with a puff of black smoke.

***

“Great… We shall await your arrival.”

Luo En, clad in heavy armor and leaning on his longsword, stood in the center of the Grand Arena, brimming with confidence.

The other knights around him looked enviously at the gold tassel ribbon on his blue armor.

As the champion of both infantry and cavalry combat, he had earned this right.

The king did not attend the knights’ promotion ceremony; instead, a paladin of the Church of the All-Father presided.

He was also a great knight.

Lucius Sextus Pius, a paladin of the Church of the All-Father, was also a great knight.

Apart from Maximus, he was one of only two great knights in the entire human kingdom.

He was much more proper than Maximus—at least, he hadn’t secretly kept an elf.

Like Maximus, he was also blessed by the All-Father, but he was far more serious.

Lucius’s voice was very gentle, like velvet brushing against the ear.

His features were also very soft, and with his snow-white hair, if he wore women’s clothing, no one would doubt he was a woman.

But regardless of his appearance, Lucius was a great knight after all.

He was also no less tall than Maximus, though his muscle definition wasn’t very pronounced.

At that moment, Lucius, wearing the white robe of the Church, raised the longsword in his hand, and golden light blossomed from his body.

“By the grace of the All-Father, today you shall take up your swords. You shall defend humanity and fight for the All-Father.”

The light was not as dazzling as Maximus’s; on the contrary, though the essence was the same, the light he emitted was very gentle.

Those bathed in the light felt as if they were enveloped in boundless warmth.

Astraea in the box seat felt dazed.

She couldn’t help but say to the gentle figure on the stage, “Mom?”

Then she snapped out of it and shook her little head to regain her senses.

No wonder he’s a paladin.

With a stunt like that, he must have the believers completely in awe.

A strange thought suddenly flashed through Astraea’s mind.

‘What if that paladin just put on women’s clothes and became a saintess? Look, he’s so good-looking, and his muscle lines aren’t obvious… If he wore a saintess outfit and smiled at the believers, wouldn’t he completely bewitch everyone?’

The little elf thought this had great potential.

“Stop your blasphemous thoughts at once, elf.”

“I didn’t! No I didn’t! Don’t talk nonsense! Wait, who are you?”

Astraea, who reflexively denied upon hearing someone else’s voice, turned around and found…

The paladin’s voice wasn’t loud, but it carried throughout the entire venue.

All the audience on the stands stood up, gazing at the paladin who was raising his sword high and emanating light.

“Today, swear here: uphold virtue, walk in the ‘light’.”

The knights on the field followed Lucius’s lead, raising their weapons high and swearing in unison: “I shall uphold virtue, stand up for the people, protect the weak, for this is what pleases the All-Father!”

In an instant, golden light shone from the knights, and Luo En was the brightest bulb among them.

The knights who participated in the oath all felt something missing inside them restored, and their physical condition had never been better.

The golden light continued to shine, and the priest choir of the Church of the All-Father loudly praised this sacred moment.

Astraea in the box blinked her eyes, curiously staring at the golden figure in front of her.

The little elf recognized the golden figure for what it was at first glance, but she no longer bristled at the All-Father.

After seeing the black mist, she actually found the All-Father’s golden light warmer.

Still, upon seeing the golden figure, she naturally compared the two.

Why did she associate it with black mist?

Astraea didn’t know.

The golden figure spoke.

Its voice was indistinct and fuzzy, but Astraea could still understand the meaning of the words.

“Your thoughts are blasphemous, but thank you for giving that boy the Forest Holy Liquid.”

“What? The All-Father himself came to thank me?”

Astraea didn’t have much reverence for gods.

She was the type to take an inch if given a mile.

Now that the All-Father had come specifically to thank her, naturally she wouldn’t hold any awe for him.

“Forget about rewards or anything. Can you first give Luo En and me a batch of divine artifacts to play with?”

“Heh heh, you little elf sure dare to think big, bringing up a batch of divine artifacts.”

The All-Father was not annoyed.

Truth be told, there were not many people who could talk to him like this, and he hadn’t had fun in a long time.

“A batch is not possible, but the divine power in this incarnation of mine can forge a low-grade divine artifact for you. Let me see…”

The golden figure suddenly transformed into a ray of light, which passed through Astraea’s cloak and straight into her whistle.

“Remember, beware of corruption.”

The All-Father’s voice gradually faded away in the box, leaving behind the little elf who looked confused because everyone was being so cryptic.

‘Corruption? What corruption?’

Astraea had no idea what the All-Father was talking about.

Compared to this “corruption,” Astraea was more curious about what the All-Father had done to her whistle.

Unfastening the pouch from her waist, the little elf took out the whistle that had been with her for a long time.

Now the body of the whistle had some additional golden patterns compared to before, but otherwise nothing seemed strange.

Bringing the whistle to her lips, Astraea tried playing it for a moment.

A cheerful tune came out, no different from the one she had played on the bridge at Port Tils.

There was no golden glittering scene in the box.

After fiddling with it for a while and getting nowhere, the little elf finally put the whistle back into the pouch at her waist.

“Divine artifact, divine artifact, where is my flute divine?”

Forget it, whatever.

She wasn’t really into divine power anyway.

This time, she’d just consider it a dye job for her whistle.

Compared to the whistle, Astraea was more concerned about Luo En’s condition now.

“Welcome back, Luo En!”

From the feeling transmitted through the guardian knight contract, Astraea sensed that Luo En could grow taller again now.

At two meters tall, he was already a giant in the little elf’s eyes.

Next, Luo En might grow into a behemoth.

“How does it feel to be promoted? Can my little Luo En grow taller again?”

Luo En bent down, scooped Astraea into his arms, then straightened up and lifted the little elf.

Seeing the little elf snuggle comfortably in his arms, Luo En gently scratched under her chin like petting a cat.

The little elf let out a purr of contentment under his touch.

Though Astraea wasn’t a cat, Luo En’s technique was really comfortable…

Astraea remembered what the golden All-Father figure had said to her just now, and casually asked Luo En, “By the way, Luo En, have you sensed anything like corruption?”

After all, Luo En was blessed by the All-Father; maybe he would know something.

“What?”

“Corruption, like something abnormal and grotesque.”

Luo En was silent.

He himself seemed pretty abnormal—what kind of apprentice knight and full knight were the same height?

Oh no, he was now a full knight.

“Teacher Astraea, I can’t think of anything that fits your description for now.”

“I see.”

Astraea fell into thought.

She felt like she was missing something, but if she couldn’t remember, it probably wasn’t important.

In that case, she wouldn’t think about it!

As the saying goes, if the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up.

She had plenty of elf big shots above her.

Matters like this weren’t for a little elf child to worry about.

She just needed to live her life well with her little Ron~

Come to think of it, two months had passed since leaving Port Tils.

According to the agreement, Baron Ili should have paid her thirty silver coins.

She would stop by the post office to collect them on the way back.

Though Luo En’s current salary was very generous, every bit counted.

Besides, thirty silver coins was not a small sum.

Let’s go.

Their story in the royal capital was just beginning.