Zion must have used holy water he created himself to control Exceed Rain.
He might have used tricks or even committed misdeeds in secret.
But if he could handle Exceed Rain, it deserved some understanding.
‘Exceed Rain stirs up desire. The stronger the desire, the stronger its grip.’
Darkness exists not only in monsters but also within humans.
To avoid being consumed by this darkness, one must strive toward the light.
But light is far away and often unreachable, so one must face the darkness within.
Exceed Rain uses this darkness to make one obsessed with desires, leading to destruction and slaughter.
‘…Zion Laird did not succumb to desire.’
Anyone who held Exceed Rain would be overwhelmed by desires and corrupted by evil.
Zion Laird must have hidden desires or dreams he wanted to achieve.
Yet, he resisted Exceed Rain’s temptation and showed no signs of wavering.
‘It must be one of two things.’
Either he was immune to Exceed Rain's influence, or his desires were pure and noble.
The former was less likely, but the latter seemed quite plausible.
Zion Laird was a man tied to destiny and had voluntarily come to the borderlands.
‘He said he came to gain experience.’
He might have lied or had other motives.
But Zion Laird stayed in the borderlands, continually participating in battles.
Moreover, he acted with his fiancée, showing he had a plan.
‘He didn’t seem like a scoundrel.’
He knew Hanette Adelaira was called Crazy Young Lady in the capital, but it didn’t matter much.
She was Zion Laird’s fiancée and held the title of Ma-Dosa.
Additionally, she hid the Flame Magic Sword, raising more questions.
‘Is she a bit special?’
Even Enrite, the Light Magic Sword, couldn’t hide the presence of other Magic Swords.
One must be the same type of Magic Sword to sense its presence, but the Flame Magic Sword even hid that.
It was as if it wanted to keep a distance from the other Magic Swords.
‘Zion Laird didn’t know either…….’
It was unclear whether she had been hiding the Magic Sword or if it had just now manifested.
If she had hidden it, why? If it had manifested, how did she obtain it?
Moreover, the fact that Zion Laird was involved with her felt significant.
‘Destiny intertwined to create another destiny…….’
“Can Zion Laird help you for a long time?”
“Zion Laird doesn’t belong anywhere. If the two families were to step up, they would have increased the number of knights. He is strong now but will grow stronger. Having a Ma-Dosa as a fiancée means he can be seen as a strong ally.”
“What if he doesn’t cooperate with you?”
“That’s why we are negotiating now.”
“Hmm… there were more reasons.”
Caden was disappointed but held no regrets.
There were many who sought Zion Laird.
He must have chosen the White Apostle after careful consideration.
‘The Purple Archer might be rejected like me.’
Caden chuckled softly, thinking of a woman.
He didn’t care much about Zion Laird but wanted to be chosen by that woman.
He would be satisfied even if she chose someone else.
‘…Couldn’t she step in like before?’
Brandish had faltered when faced with the two fiancées.
That’s why she offered him a drink, worrying as Brandish, not the queen.
Maybe with a bit more effort, she could achieve what she wanted.
‘If the Lihinis Knights gain merit, they will go to the palace. Then with Lady Brandish…….’
Caden, full of hope, started making a small plan.
The outcome was uncertain, but it was worth a try.
If he helped the White Apostle, the Lihinis Knights would also gain merit.
“White Apostle, I have a proposal.”
“…I’m listening.”
“How about including me in the alliance? I can help occasionally, if not always.”
“You’re willing to take a loss?”
“I don’t do things that make me lose.”
Darkness and silence fell together.
Enrite couldn’t read Caden’s thoughts.
Why was he trying to help her?
‘Even if you help me, you won't win the queen's favor…….’
In the borderlands of Alain Kingdom.
The Sylase Knights were fighting monsters as usual.
Zion and Hanette were merely observing the battle, but now they had to stay out of it.
Enrite had asked them not to interfere unless a strong enemy appeared, so they decided to comply.
“Is she offended because we stepped in?”
“That’s not it. She wants to preserve their strength by excluding us.”
“…Won’t they be weaker without us?”
“They need to handle it themselves. If we keep stepping in, the Sylase Knights won’t learn to fight on their own. What do you think will happen then?”
“Hmm… They’ll depend on us and get weaker?”
“Exactly, that’s why they are handling the hunt on their own.”
Zion tried to align with Enrite’s intentions.
Enrite wanted the protagonist and the Sylase Knights to grow and gain fame.
The protagonist needed to be stronger to wield the Light Magic Sword, and the Sylase Knights needed recognition to operate more freely.
“Do we really need an alliance?”
“It’s better to have one. Our knight order has few members.”
“Hmm… Isn’t the skill gap too big? I don’t mind, but won’t they find it frustrating?”
“Instead of frustration, they might feel secure.”
“Why secure?”
“If they struggle, we can help. They might get hurt, but they won’t die.”
“…That makes sense.”
No one fights with the intent to die.
Knights come to the borderlands with their goals and missions.
The protagonist leads them while Enrite supports, keeping the Sylase Knights in action.
“From our perspective, large knight orders aren’t helpful. They have many people but few skilled knights. Moving together is inconvenient.”
“Mid-sized orders have closer bonds, making a difference.”
“Right, it’s harder to choose from large orders. Picking the wrong one can hurt us.”
“So the Sylase Knights are the best choice?”
“Exactly, if they receive advance payment from lords, it means they are trusted. And… you like the vice-commander, don’t you?”
“What? When did I say that? I just said he is good at holy magic.”
Hanette’s voice rose in defense.
Zion, enjoying her reaction, continued the conversation.
“You always talk about the vice-commander.”
“When did I do that? I just said he is good.”
“When the Sylase Knights appear, the vice-commander always follows.”
“Is that even a point? Of course, he would come!”
“Then, do you mean we can just bring the vice-commander and leave the rest?”
“…That wouldn’t be fair.”
Zion quietly observed Hanette, noticing her hesitation.
Perhaps she valued the White Apostle more than the Sylase Knights.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“…There won’t be a situation where only the vice-commander comes over. Even if he does, it will put us in a difficult position.”
“That’s why I said it’s not possible.”
“Don’t cling to it. It’s not up to me to approve or disapprove.”
“I know that too.”
“It’s not because of the holy knight, right?”
“Haa… it would be good to have him.”
Hanette did have a soft spot for the holy knight.
Having even one by their side would mean quick healing for any injuries.
But the Kinesien sacred sect could only support the kingdom’s forces, and the king had to allow any separate activities.
“Honestly, I’ve thought about bringing the vice-commander alone. But it’s not right, is it?”
“That’s… right.”
“Sure, we can suggest it. Maybe he wants to join us or has issues with their order. In that case, he would have come to us, not proposed an alliance.”
“That’s correct.”
“So, I only thought about it, never said it. If we can’t bring him, we should at least form an alliance.”
Even if the Sylase Knights gained fame in the borderlands, they couldn’t compare to the Setinos Quasar.
The Setinos Quasar were royal knights, unmatched in skill.
That’s why Hanette didn’t oppose the alliance, focusing on the White Apostle.
“An alliance doesn’t mean they will act as we wish. They will help as long as they don’t break the pact.”
“We aren’t short on money. We can recruit knights later. We aren’t weak either. We don’t need help unless it’s urgent.”
“Well… we might have to help them.”
“Why would we help them?”
“What are you saying? We are allies…….”
“Haa… with two Setinos Quasar around, would we need to step in?”
Hanette leaned close and whispered to Zion.
Zion finally understood, laughing.
“I thought you meant something else. So, we don’t need to help?”
“Hey, why form an alliance if not for the Setinos Quasar? We should accept any help offered.”
“Because we gain from it?”
“The White Apostle wants something too, that’s why she proposed the alliance. The Silver Phantom is the same.”
Hanette’s point was logical, but Zion knew why the White Apostle and the Silver Phantom approached them.
The White Apostle sought cooperation as Zion wielded Exceed Rain, and the Silver Phantom aimed to use Zion and Hanette to gain the king’s favor.
‘Better than nothing. If the Silver Phantom can monitor the Shadow Dragon…….’
The Silver Phantom could track the Shadow Dragon’s appearance and movements.
If the Purple Archer and his knights also helped, they could handle the Shadow Dragon more easily.
‘With the White Saint, we can win.’
Light creates shadows but can’t be overtaken by them.
The Shadow Dragon’s shadow magic wouldn’t easily approach the Light Magic Sword.
Moreover, having both the Light and Dark Magic Swords together presented new possibilities.
‘…Combining our powers might bring us close to ultimate strength.’