Chapter 65: Reunion with an Old Acquaintance

Chapter 65: Reunion with an Old Acquaintance

It was no wonder Alex was so surprised; just as he was about to subdue the opponent, he got a clear look at the person's face—this was the very knight with a particularly dangerous name who had once fought alongside him. Alex hadn't expected to run into him here again.

"Who are you?"

Hearing Alex's question, Knight Conan was also taken aback, his struggling hands dropping to his sides. He had initially thought the other person was a cultist, but was surprised when this man rushed in and immediately called out his name. And this person's appearance… seemed somewhat familiar?

Thinking this, Knight Conan furrowed his brows, looking at Alex while he racked his memory for the man's name. But soon enough, Alex provided the answer.

"I'm Alex."

"You're Mr. Alex?"

Upon hearing this, Knight Conan suddenly realized who he was dealing with. He widened his eyes, looking Alex up and down, finally recognizing the familiar traces on this young man.

"So you're still alive, Mr. Alex! Where have you been these past few months? There hasn't been any news of you, and you've changed so much…"

Alex understood Conan's confusion. In his original body, he had been around 18 or 19 years old. When reconstructing his body, Alex chose to appear as he did at 20, so the difference wasn't too noticeable. Fortunately, he had been away for several months. If it had only been a few days or weeks, the change would have been much harder to explain.

"It's a long story. In fact, I've only been back for a few days… I didn't realize I'd been gone so long."

As he sheathed his sword, Alex answered. He wasn't worried about his explanation arousing Knight Conan's suspicion. This was a world where magic was highly advanced, and many mages possessed spells that could connect to different dimensions. There were also many stories of people accidentally wandering into other worlds. In fact, Alex had returned with a new, bold plan in mind.

"I see… So that's what happened. Sir Stone and Sir Malt will be very pleased to hear this."

"Let's catch up later."

Since the other party was someone he knew, Alex relaxed his guard. He looked around curiously before asking.

"What exactly happened here? It looks like you were attacked?"

"That's right! Those damn cultists…"

At the mention of this, Knight Conan's anger flared up as he recounted the entire situation to Alex. Finally, Alex learned what had happened in the main world after his departure.

After Alex had defeated the Child of Chaos, the underground cavern collapsed (which explained how he ended up being transported to this strange place). Fortunately, Sir Stone, Sir Malt, and the remaining Paladins had managed to escape. The Lich Lord had also vanished, and the spatial barrier that had been sealing the area was lifted, allowing everyone to return to the temple.

Upon returning to the temple, Knight Conan was relieved of his squad duties. It wasn't because the Council of Bishops was displeased with them, but rather because the squad had been assembled for a temporary mission, which ended when the task was completed. Everyone then disbanded and went their separate ways.

It's worth noting that according to Knight Conan, the Council of Bishops had concluded that the Paladins who had been killed while pursuing the cultists had fallen victim to the Lich Lord. Additionally, the Lich Lord was blamed for the deaths of over a dozen Paladins during the ritual to unseal the Child of Chaos. The Lich Lord was essentially condemned for all of it.

After completing his mission, Knight Conan returned to the Northern Alliance, where he was born and had joined the Paladins. He was supposed to head to the Fortress of Order to fight, but due to the severe injuries he had sustained during the battle with the Lich Lord, and the anti-magic debuff the Child of Chaos had inflicted on him, his body had become quite weak. As a result, Knight Conan was assigned to stay behind, monitoring the supply lines and recovering.

After all, everyone knew that the rear was relatively safer than the front lines, and with Knight Conan's abilities, he was well-suited for the job. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been selected to join that squad and venture into Shadow Canyon.

At first, things were quiet, but as time went on, Knight Conan grew increasingly tense. As a member of the Fortress of Order, he was well aware of the impending Beast Calamity. Although he was stationed in the rear, he ordered everyone to stay vigilant and prepare for the Beast Calamity. He even sent out two cavalry units to patrol between the rear and the front lines.

Then, three days ago, something strange happened.

It was during the first snowfall. Knight Conan noticed that he hadn't received any communication from the Fortress of Order, which puzzled him. According to protocol, the fortress should contact the rear outposts during the first snowfall to ensure everyone was prepared for the Beast Calamity. This procedure hadn't changed since Knight Conan joined the Paladins.

However, even by late night, he hadn't received any word, which made him anxious. He immediately dispatched a cavalry unit to the Fortress of Order to investigate, while he tried again to use the Paladins' communication crystal to contact the front lines.

But there was still no response.

This made Knight Conan realize something was seriously wrong. He immediately reported the situation to the temple headquarters in the rear, but soon discovered that he couldn't establish contact with them either.

At this point, Knight Conan was truly alarmed. He had never encountered such a situation before, but being a seasoned knight who had even faced the Lich Lord in Shadow Canyon, his reactions were sharp. He swiftly ordered the entire outpost to go into full lockdown, initiating Level One battle readiness.

However, the enemy acted faster than Knight Conan had anticipated. Before his orders could even be fully executed, those damn cultists launched their attack. They assaulted the entire outpost. Initially, the temple soldiers fought back against these cultists, but the enemy was overwhelmingly powerful. Among them were Destruction Mages capable of wielding hellfire!

Destruction Mages are the backbone of the Church of Doom, equivalent in rank to Grand Knights, with similar strength. If Sir Stone or Sir Malt had been there, they might have been able to hold off the enemy's advance. But Knight Conan was merely a Paladin, recently recovered from a serious illness, and stood no chance.

Before he could even make a move, the enemy unleashed a hellfire explosion that destroyed the tower he was in, burying Knight Conan under the rubble. It was a miracle he wasn't killed. When he finally regained consciousness, the entire outpost was deserted. Knight Conan barely managed to crawl out from under the debris.

After tending to his wounds and preparing to track down the cultists, Alex appeared. At the time, Knight Conan didn't know it was Alex. He assumed the cultists had returned, so he hid by the wall, ready to capture one as a hostage. But to his surprise, it was Alex.

"So that's what happened..." After listening to Knight Conan's account, Alex didn't say much, just sighed and patted Conan on the shoulder. "Alright, take it easy. At least you're still alive, and that's something, isn't it?" Especially with a name like yours... I'll just leave it at that.

"Sigh..." But Knight Conan's expression remained grim. "I'm just worried about what might be happening at the fortress. If they're facing the Beast Calamity, there's no way they can hold out. Without supplies from the rear, the fortress won't last a month! And now, our communication with the rear has been completely cut off... Those cultists also captured my men. I'm really worried about what they might do..."

"Won't the rear respond to the outpost's loss of contact?" Alex asked, but Knight Conan just shook his head, his face dark. "Officially, the Northern Alliance should send someone to investigate, but in reality, it's all handled by our temple, and..." At this point, Knight Conan didn't say anything more, just let out a long sigh.

Alex understood what he meant. On this continent, the relationships between countries are very delicate, even more so than on Earth. While this continent is dominated by the Holy Church Nation and a few other powerful states, and other countries can't compare to them, these large nations still can't oppress smaller ones as freely as might be expected.

He had initially thought that the major powers in this world could do as they pleased, but after reading the temple's records, Alex realized this world wasn't as straightforward as he had imagined. The reason is simple: this is a world of magic!

A small, weak country might be bullied and destroyed by a larger power, but its prince, after escaping and experiencing various adventures, could become a powerful legendary figure and return for revenge. This kind of plot isn't just a story here; it has happened multiple times on this continent!

There was even a case where a weak country, driven to despair after being oppressed, sacrificed its entire population to open a Hell Gate, plunging the entire continent into 150 years of darkness and chaos. This isn't just a tale; it's written in the history books!

This is a world where anything is possible with magic! Though these individuals eventually fell for various reasons, and the insane country was ultimately destroyed, these are all bloody lessons. Who's to say another dragon-slaying hero won't rise from some small, oppressed nation?

Even if they don't destroy your entire country, they might kill a few royal members, or launch a fireball barrage on your capital. Would your country's dignity, built over centuries, still be intact? Even without magic, people on Earth have used planes to crash into buildings. Human bombers are still a thing.

In this world, they wouldn't just be bombers; they'd be human nuclear bombs! The kind that could cause trouble for centuries. This is why those small countries haven't been completely annexed by the larger ones. There have been ambitious rulers who tried to wipe out these small nations, but they failed for similar reasons.

After the continent was embroiled in centuries of chaos, the major powers reached a consensus: why push people to the brink? We have vast lands, abundant resources, and stable societies. Why force someone to sacrifice themselves, open a Hell Gate, and drag us all down with them? That would be sheer madness.

Finally, after the last sacrificial incident, all the nations on the continent gathered in Caron and signed the world-famous Violet Covenant. They agreed that no country should declare war on another without a critical reason. The treaty also set limits on alliances between countries.

As a result, the current state of the continent is one of interlocking alliances, with nations connected through economic or military means. The relationship between the Northern Alliance and the Holy Church Nation is similar. The Northern Alliance was originally formed by small northern tribes that sent representatives to ally with the Holy Church Nation.

The Holy Church Nation helps defend their borders, maintain order, and eradicate chaos. In return, the Northern Alliance is responsible for supplying the Fortress of Order with logistics and provisions. The two sides have cooperated well, but Knight Conan knows it's not that simple. The Northern Alliance has its own internal troubles…

But now isn't the time to discuss such matters, so he quickly changed the subject. "Mr. Alex, what do you think?"

"Me?" Alex pondered for a moment after hearing Knight Conan's question. "All in all, we should play it by ear."

(End of this chapter)

🌟 Unlock the World of Stories with Early Access on Patreon! 🌟

Hello, beloved readers and supporters!

I am thrilled to offer you an exclusive opportunity to dive deeper into our captivating stories before anyone else. By joining the Patreon community, you'll unlock a treasure trove of benefits, including:

📚 Early Access to 20 Chapters: Be the first to explore new chapters, experiencing the twists and turns of our tales well ahead of regular readers. Your journey through our stories doesn't have to wait!

💬 Connect with the Community: Join a vibrant, like-minded group of readers who share your passion. Engage in exciting discussions, share theories, and make new friends who love the stories as much as you do.

👏 Support the Creator: Your patronage directly contributes to the ongoing creation and improvement of the content you love. Be a vital part of the creative journey!

Patreon.com/anish_44