Chapter 78 - Sudden Change

Knights uphold loyalty, honor, and justice. The knightly spirit is a belief centered on personal glory, embodying certain positive aspects of the warrior spirit in humanity. 

The so-called eight virtues of knighthood are Humility, Honor, Sacrifice, Valor, Compassion, Honesty, Justice, and Spirituality. If one were to ask what the opposite of a knight is, there would be no doubt that it is the freewheeling adventurer.

Grand Knight Wade Bolton has always maintained that the most unruly individuals in the kingdom are adventurers. Princess Renner hiring the Last Defender of the Way adventurer team to protect her safety is truly a last-resort measure.

In his view, EeDeChi, despite appearing righteous and solemn, always wears a "blank expression," dons somber black clothing, and carries a peculiar giant sword, which makes her look like the leader of some suspicious heretical sect.

Barrett, on the other hand, is the type of person he despises most. This seasoned adventurer, who has been in the industry for twenty years, is like the popular deep-fried treat churros—fully immersed in the boiling oil of adventurer life, soaked with all the "virtues" of the adventurer, including laziness, unreliability, breaking rules, contempt for authority, and greed.

But when real monsters attack, it's these adventurers that are indispensable. Knights are suited for fighting on the battlefield to protect the kingdom and the princess. When faced with unknown monsters and beasts, the kingdom's army is completely powerless, only able to charge forward and sacrifice their lives. At such times, experienced professionals—seasoned adventurers—must be called upon. That's why he particularly despises people like Barrett!

Of course, in the grand knight's eyes, this adventuring team isn't without merit. Apart from EeDeChi and Barrett, the two people Wade likes are Sean and Stella, the young man and woman.

They both seem like good kids who stumbled into adventuring out of necessity and haven't yet been tainted by the industry's grime.

Wade also noticed that during their morning journey, Sean and Stella always kept their distance from the rest of the team, seemingly unwilling to get close to EeDeChi. It seems they also recognize the captain as a dubious character.

Wade sees a reflection of his younger self in Sean. As a young man, he was just a trainee knight. With exceptional talent in martial arts, he was recommended by his lord to the capital, where he roamed alone, honing his skills, and eventually joined the prestigious Royal Guard.

But since Sean and Stella remained quiet and reserved, Wade decided to make the first move and try to understand the true nature of the Last Defender of the Way adventurer team. Perhaps he could guide them as a mentor and correct their path, steering them away from becoming seasoned, cynical adventurers.

"Where is your hometown?" Wade asked, his face adorned with a warm smile.

Opening with a question about their hometown was a good way to build rapport and avoid coming off as intrusive. Wade was quite proud of his emotional intelligence and eloquence.

Sean and Stella's faces turned pale immediately. They shrank into their chairs, looking terrified and speechless.

The mysterious smile of the grand knight suggested he might have sensed something off, and he had come specifically to ask. Although most countries and tribes on the continent spoke a "common language," accents varied significantly from region to region.

If they spoke up and revealed a hint of their origin, the grand knight might notice and react severely, possibly pulling out a spear from his spatial ring and skewering them.

It seemed this young pair was feeling quite anxious. Wade, understanding their nerves, patiently waited. It was natural for ordinary young people from Kingdoms to feel nervous meeting the esteemed grand knight, and it showed they hadn't yet become the kind of adventurers who disdain royalty.

Wade gave a kind smile and patiently awaited their response.

Sweat broke out on Sean's forehead as he stammered for a while before croaking out three words: "Sheep Horn Village."

"Don't be nervous, young man," Wade nodded. "And what about you, Miss Cleric? Where is your hometown?"

Stella kept her head down, unable to look at him. She focused intently on a bowl of cold soup on the table, gripping a silver spoon so tightly that the handle was nearly bent.

"She... um, she... is also from Sheep Horn," Sean croaked out a few more words.

"So, you're from the same place!" Wade said, a bit surprised. Stella's demeanor didn't seem like that of a village girl, and a small village wouldn't likely produce a female cleric. He began to doubt Sean's answer.

"Sheep Horn, with a name like that, it sounds like a place with plenty of cattle and sheep. Which town is it near? I might have been there," Wade continued.

Sean reviewed his memories of the journey and finally recalled a place name.

"Te... Tepno," he said, forgetting to keep his voice hoarse, revealing his original accent.

"Tepno!" Wade clapped his hands. "I was stationed there for five months when I was still a low-level knight. That city has a border fortress near Baharuth. I thought your accent sounded a bit like someone from the south of Baharuth."

Wade reminisced, "I remember back then, in just two months, the idiots from Baharuth organized five or six raids, but we beat them so badly they couldn't sit straight.

"Later, they wised up and didn't dare invade our borders, even when Sorcerer Kingdom went to war with us. Only by becoming a knight or soldier can you ensure the safety of your homeland. Isn't that right?"

"Yes, yes, yes, yes," Sean and Stella nodded like chickens pecking at the ground.

Barrett wiped the last drop of gravy from the edge of the plate with the final piece of white bread and then popped the bread into his mouth. The chef who was qualified to serve the princess certainly had skills; he was completely satisfied with this meal.

He stood up and looked around, only to realize that in the corner of the dining hall, Sean and Stella were huddled together like two frightened little rabbits, while a tall knight sat next to them, sitting upright and stern, as if interrogating prisoners.

Barrett felt a chill run down his spine. He knew that Sean and Stella's nationalities couldn't be revealed, but from the looks of it, had they been discovered?

He approached the knight and cleared his throat. "If you have something to say, just tell me. I'm their…" Mentor? Too old; Uncle? Too old; Senior? Even older.

Barrett paused, then suddenly recalled the list of titles EeDeChi had given him, and continued, "I'm their deputy leader. If you have anything to discuss, just speak to me."

To his surprise, Wade didn't even glance at Barrett. He pulled out his chair, picked up his plate, and walked away with a confident stride. As he left, he coldly said, "It's a great honor to be chosen by the princess. Please do your best. I suggest you read the knight's code."

Barrett frowned, watching Wade's retreating figure with a smirk. Another knight with a screw loose. Just four moves, no, three moves, and I could take you down, showing you that my fists are more useful than the knight's code.

Suddenly, the tall knight's figure hunched over. The silverware he had been holding clattered to the ground, and he collapsed, writhing on the floor, his back arched like a lobster, twitching uncontrollably.

Barrett was stunned. He had only thought about taking down the arrogant knight in his mind but hadn't done anything. Could it be that he had accidentally mastered the skill of "mind-punching"?

PAIN!

SO MUCH PAIN!

Before Barrett could recover, a deep, bone-crushing pain stabbed through his abdomen. It came out of nowhere, as if someone had punched his stomach hard and then twisted his intestines into a knot.

Cold sweat broke out on Barrett's forehead. Holding his aching stomach with one hand and clutching the edge of the table with the other, he grit his teeth and half-squatted.

He looked around, and everyone in the dining hall was clutching their stomachs, curling up, writhing, rolling, and twisting on the floor, like shrimp about to be steamed alive…