The story after that was simple.
The knight blessed by the elf beheaded three Hobgoblins in a single charge, the human side’s morale surged, and the Blue Armor Royal Guard soldiers, who had preserved their formation and structure, drove the chaotic goblins back into the depths of the sewer.
It was a beautiful counterattack.
Aside from one shield-bearing swordsman who was knocked into a drainage ditch by a Hobgoblin and drowned, no other soldiers were lost in the entire battle.
Still, Luo En pulled the soldiers out of the sewer.
After reporting the sewer situation to the Duke, the Duke fell silent for a moment.
In the end, Maximus requested an audience with the already exhausted King and reassigned the City Wall Garrison to enter the sewer and purge the Goblin Nest.
The fallen knight, Tang Deli, along with several soldiers, received generous compensation… at least, that was what Maximus approved. How much actually reached the families was beyond his guarantee.
But none of that concerned Luo En or Astraea for now. They were still too far removed from such matters in the Royal Capital.
What lay before them was the upcoming Kingdom Knight Tournament.
The weather was clear that day. The Royal Capital, decorated two days early, was unusually lively and bustling.
Even the old man next door, the elf neighbor, leaned on his cane and sighed, “It’s been so long since it’s been this lively.”
And indeed it was. Ever since the Great Expedition began, the Kingdom’s economy had worsened year by year. The peasants, who once lived comfortably, now struggled just to survive.
Even in the Royal Capital, grain prices rose higher every year.
The war machine of the Human Kingdom was on the verge of collapse. No matter how hard Maximus tried, he could only delay its destruction. Perhaps the next peasant uprising would shatter this vast nation entirely.
Of course, before that, the Kingdom could at least crush the northern Orcs and Dwarves in one blow and keep the Elves from eyeing the continent for centuries.
Luo En donned the blue armor. Astraea stood on the table and personally placed the helmet on his head.
“Hmm, you look pretty handsome.”
The little elf jumped off the table, looked the tall knight up and down, and nodded in satisfaction.
Handsome—not in a romantic sense, but the armor truly accentuated Luo En’s presence.
And knowing that beneath that imposing armor was Luo En, Astraea’s two hearts couldn’t help but pound.
Her pointed ears tinged red, and the whole elf looked adorably shy.
Luo En, however, was used to it. He often saw the little elf acting coy, and by now he could keep himself under control.
He slung the longsword his father had given him across his back and hung the standard-issue straight sword from the Duke at his waist.
Yes, the tournament rules didn’t prohibit using personal weapons. Theoretically, if you could get your hands on a divine artifact, no one would stop you from bringing it.
After all, when the All-Father first held the Knight Tournament, the straight sword he wielded was instantly elevated to divine status.
Ready to leave, Luo En took the chain from the little elf’s collar as usual, and Astraea pulled on the cloak she always wore.
Still wearing his helmet, Luo En stared at Astraea for a long time until she grew puzzled. Then he asked, “Uh, Astraea-sensei, you’re wearing that?”
Don’t misunderstand—the little elf had proper clothes underneath. But Luo En was curious why she never changed her outfit.
For instance, in Astraea’s wardrobe, there were ten identical green cloaks.
“Huh? What’s wrong with this?”
Astraea looked down. The cloak was no different from usual, and as always, she couldn’t see her toes.
“I mean, won’t Astraea-sensei dress up a little?”
“Oh, that.” Astraea finally understood. “I think this is fine. Dressing up is too much trouble.”
She tossed her shoulder-length hair and flashed a confident smile. “Don’t you think I already look good like this? Why bother putting in the effort?”
True enough. Thanks to the elf’s natural beauty, even if Astraea wore rags and let her hair hang messily, she’d still be prettier than the average human girl from her past life—let alone in this medieval-like world.
Noblewomen dressed up, but it was nothing special. Commoners worked under the sun and wind, so their looks weren’t remarkable. Even without makeup, Astraea could compete in the Royal Capital’s beauty pageant.
With such innate advantages, why would she bother with dressing up?
Luo En thought the little elf’s logic did make sense. So he patted her head, took a step, and pushed open the courtyard gate.
“It’s the knight brother! Such cool armor!”
As usual, the neighbor boy who dreamed of becoming a knight came running up to Luo En, eyes shining, desperate to touch his armor.
“Jimmy, don’t bother the knight, okay~”
A sweet voice rang out. A fairly pretty tall girl stepped out from the neighboring yard.
The boy called Jimmy reluctantly withdrew his hand and grumbled, “Sis!”
“Sorry, Sir Knight. Jimmy caused you trouble.”
The girl ignored her brother’s complaints and quickly bowed to Luo En.
“It’s fine, Amy. Let little Jimmy touch if he’s curious. A knight doesn’t refuse a child.”
Luo En’s voice came from under the sealed helmet, sounding a bit muffled.
Amy offered a faint smile.
But that smile vanished as soon as she saw the little elf being led by Luo En.
Though it was only for a moment, Astraea noticed the change in Amy’s expression. Determined to keep Luo En firmly in her grasp, the little elf reached out, grabbed the knight’s big hand, placed it on her own head, and even stuck her tongue out at Amy, who was much taller.
“Nyah~”
Astraea made an infuriating sound, then smiled in satisfaction as she saw Amy clench her fists.
Hmph, trying to steal Luo En from her? No way!
“Tch… just a pet…”
Amy muttered under her breath. She didn’t realize Astraea had heard every word. Even if she had, she would probably still look down on the little elf—she just wouldn’t say it out loud.
Little Jimmy stood there, confused, watching his inexplicably angry sister. At his young age, he didn’t understand why she was upset, but his attention soon returned to Luo En’s equipment.
‘Maybe Sis is jealous of the knight brother’s gear?’
Young Jimmy guessed.
“Amy, the knight is going to the tournament today, right? Don’t bother him.”
The old neighbor with the cane understood the tension between Amy and the little elf, but he didn’t have much faith in his granddaughter.
After all, what right did a soldier’s daughter have to catch the eye of a knight? If Amy and Luo En had grown up together, that would be one thing. But in just one month? Beating that beautiful pet of the knight’s? That was too fanciful.
The old man recalled the lovely flute music often drifting from the neighboring courtyard and lost even more confidence in his granddaughter.
He’d lived a long life. The highest-standing person he’d ever dealt with was Luo En, who for some reason lived here. As a man, he knew exactly which one Luo En would prefer.
Even if he had to choose, he’d pick Astraea over his own granddaughter.
And what about race? All-Father above, he’d lived this long without becoming a religious fanatic. If he did now, he might as well jump in the river.
Besides, a different race was more exciting. People said one thing in church, but in reality, who wouldn’t want to come home to a soft, fragrant, beautiful elf at night?
Anyway, his son was in the Royal Capital Guard and had no feud with elves.
“May you achieve victory, Sir Knight.”
A smile spread across the old man’s face, as wrinkled as a resurrected War Treant. He offered his blessing.
A sincere one.
“Thank you.”
Luo En nodded, then led Astraea toward the Royal Capital’s arena.
Along the way, Luo En said nothing, just walking in silence. The crowd on the streets was used to it and automatically parted to make way.
Knights weren’t rare in the Capital. The residents were accustomed to these hulking figures. Many even practiced the knightly path themselves.
Of course, commoners without resources couldn’t make much of a name.
Seeing Luo En remain silent, Astraea, eager to chat, spoke up first. “So?”
“So what?”
“How does it feel to be blessed? I could tell the old man was sincere.”
Astraea grinned, staring at the slit in Luo En’s helmet.
“Not bad? But what did I do to deserve his genuine blessing?”
Luo En didn’t understand. He had an average reputation in his father’s territory—he didn’t oppress the common folk, but no one had ever sincerely blessed him either.
So he couldn’t grasp why the neighbor would do so.
“Want to know why?” Astraea’s smile turned teasing. She tempted him like a devil in a story.
And Luo En willingly fell for it. Though his face was hidden by the helmet, his intent reached the little elf through their guardian knight pact.
Astraea stopped dragging it out. “It’s because you fixed the roof for the old man’s family a few days ago.”
“Just that?”
“Just that.”
Luo En remembered a light rain a few days ago when he helped fix a leaky spot on his neighbor’s roof.
It was just a small favor for him. But he hadn’t realized that for commoners, such a trivial act was a huge help.
Feeling Luo En’s thoughts through their bond, Astraea’s heart soared.
Her Virtuous Champion Knight plan was going smoothly.