Chapter 65: The Sacred Knight's Relic

  Dadanier, however, seemed to care little for these things, and he even crouched down to examine the knight's body more closely, pinching his wrist twice.

  "He won't last more than two days." Dathanil stood up, frowning. "Look at his wounds... what kind of thing can cut a 4th-level Knight in half?"

  "And this!" Du Wei frowned, pointing at something placed alongside the knight's corpse.

  That was a long sword, obviously the weapon worn by this knight when he was alive. But this sword also broke into two pieces!

  "Perhaps during the battle, the opponent suddenly cut this guy into two segments along with his sword. Is that right?" Du Wei furrowed his brow.

  "It's very likely." Dada turned his head and glanced at Du Wei: "This guy was buried by someone. Look, this snow pile is his tomb. If it were a magical beast, the magical beast wouldn't bury the corpse, but would drag it away to eat. Only humans would do something like this."

  Duvilio thought for a moment and then looked at Dardaniel: "Dardaniel, what level of warrior are you?"

  "I have the title of a third-class swordsman. My swordsmanship isn't high, but I'm confident in my archery skills." Dandan replied.

  "I know." Du Wei said seriously: "Friend, then you should have experience. Take a look at this broken sword... The cutting edge is very neat. It's not surprising that a fierce beast bit off the warrior's sword with one bite. But the cut is so neat, it's clearly been chopped with a sharp blade! I don't think this was done by a beast, obviously, this knight wasn't killed by a beast, but by a person."

  Dadanier listened to Duwei's words and immediately gathered his mind, carefully examining the broken part of the sword.

  After a long while, he lifted his head: "Not bad, what you said is right, I was too careless. In this kind of place, I only paid attention to the magical beasts."

  "Still that question...... Dada Nile. You are a third-level warrior, what kind of master do you think can cut off a fourth-level warrior along with his sword in one sword or one knife?"

  Dadanier's face became even more solemn:

  "A fourth-level knight has already mastered the art of Dou Qi. A knight who has mastered Dou Qi is not to be underestimated in terms of strength. If one were to cut it off with a single sword...” Dandanier thought carefully, staring at the sword... Suddenly, his eyes lit up!

  "Look! Harry! Look at this knight's breastplate... look at this place!"

  Dadanier seemed to have discovered something, he supported the corpse with force, then pointed at a shallow mark on the knight's chest armor: "Look, it's here. Do you see?"

  Du Wei walked over: "Hmm, it seems like something was originally hung here, probably a badge or something... but it's been taken down."

  "Yes." Dandanier nodded: "This is usually where a knight wears his emblem. But, you see that he already has an emblem on his chest, it's the fourth-level knight emblem issued by the Knights' Guild... On the continent, what kind of knight would wear two emblems?"

  The two of them looked at each other and shouted in unison: "Holy Knights of the Temple of Light!"

  On the continent of Roland, where religious forces are strong, the Temple of Light has a significant religious influence, and in some ways this authority almost threatens the imperial monarchy. The temple has its own tax collection and certain armed forces, which is the Holy Knights of the Temple.

  The Temple of Light cultivates some people from a young age, and when they reach a certain age, they are divided according to their talents. Those with martial arts talent are trained in martial arts. After coming of age, having undergone baptism and trials, the most outstanding martial artists and those with the strongest faith are selected to join the Temple's Holy Knights. Their mission is to defend the Temple's honor and dignity with their lives, dedicating themselves to the Temple and the gods.

  Across the entire continent, only the Holy Knights of the Temple of Light wear two knight badges on their chest. One is the Knight Rank Badge of the Knights Association, and the other is the Glory Holy Knight Badge, which symbolizes the identity of a Holy Knight.

  And similarly, when a Holy Knight dies in battle, his companions will take down the dead Holy Knight's emblem and bring it back to the temple, where it is stored in a place called the "Sanctuary" to commemorate the sacrifice of the fallen knight.

  Dathanil's eyes flickered as he quickly rolled up the deceased knight's sleeve. The clothing was stiff from being frozen, making it difficult to roll up, but when the sleeve reached the elbow area, Dathanil let out a sigh: "It seems my judgment was correct, look at this scar, it was branded with holy oil. This is a kind of baptism in the temple for holy knights. Every holy knight has such scars on their arms."

  Du Wei walked over and indeed saw a branded mark on the corpse's arm, this mark was very unique, as if it were a jumping flame.

  "The young holy knight, when baptized, would have a large pot of scalding sacred oil placed beside him. The ceremony would be presided over by the high priest of the temple, who would hold an iron sword with an inlaid seal on its tip... The sword and seal together represent the mission of the holy knights to defend the authority of the divine in the secular world, using 'force and power'. During the ceremony, the high priest would personally dip the sealed sword into the scalding sacred oil, then brand it onto the arm of the baptized knight! This mark is a badge of honor for every holy knight... and also their glory. Conversely, if a holy knight were to betray the divine, become a rebel, violate his faith, or commit a serious crime, he would be punished by the temple... Even before being put to death, the temple would scrape off this mark from his arm with a knife! This represents that even in death, his soul would not receive forgiveness from the divine!"

  What Dathanil said, Duwei also knew. He nodded: "Yes, so although it's usually said that a Holy Knight wears two badges, the Holy Knights themselves think they wear three. The third badge is this scar on their arm."

  "So you knew all along, Harry." Dandanil sighed.

  The two of them silently reburied the deceased knight, and both of their expressions turned somewhat solemn.

  A holy knight has been killed! And it's a fourth-level knight with impressive martial skills!

  This is no longer a simple matter!

  The Holy Knights hold a special position in the Empire. They are responsible for protecting the divine power of the gods on earth, and they form a unique group. These people have been training hard since childhood, possess great strength, and have devout faith. Moreover... it must be said that most Holy Knights have noble character.

  And most importantly... no one dares to assassinate a Holy Knight!

  Even if it is a Holy Knight who has violated the law or a Holy Knight who has betrayed his faith, he can only be judged and punished by the Temple itself.

  Not to mention being a sinner... Even if it were an ordinary Holy Knight, killing one would be equivalent to challenging the authority of the Temple of Light! Challenging the authority of the divine envoys on earth!

  It's just making an enemy of the entire Temple of Radiance!

  To be an enemy of the Temple of Light... Not even the Emperor of the Empire or the Magic Guild would dare to do so!

  Anyone who dares to be an enemy of the Holy Knights and even kills them are those infamous, powerful, and evil guys.

  For example, decades ago, a powerful and evil magician had killed tens of thousands of civilians in order to study the magic of the dead, even turning a small town into a ghost town overnight. This move enraged the temple, which sent out temple knights and paid a heavy price to kill the magician.

  There have been many similar events throughout history, all of which were carried out by holy knights.

  But that's all!

  Apart from this, Sacred Knights will absolutely not do any other boring things!

  Wouldn't even run into the ice-sealed forest to hunt and kill magical beasts!

  The Holy Knights are not mercenaries!

  In this accursed land, the appearance of a Holy Knight can only mean one thing: the Holy Knights have come to carry out their mission! They are here to hunt down some evil powerhouse! With their swords, they will defend the honor of the temple!

  "I'm afraid our journey won't be peaceful from now on." Du Wei and Dada exchanged a complex glance.

  •；

  After a brief rest, the two of them reburied the deceased Holy Knight and continued on their way.

  However, one day later, they found the tomb again!

  This time, there were three tombs! The three tombs buried the dead Holy Knights! And this time, one of the corpses made Dandanier take a look and was stunned on the spot!

  "Brother... Lord Gevurah!! This is Lord Gevurah!!"

  Looking at the man lying in the snow, wearing a silver armor... In this ghostly weather, he didn't wear leather armor, but wore a metal armor, which is absolutely crazy for ordinary people! Metal things are more likely to freeze people to death in such cold places! Far less useful than leather armor!

  But the deceased was wearing metal armor... If he wasn't a madman, then it can only be said that his strength is extremely powerful, to the point where he is no longer affected by this cold weather!

  This guy's face is very clean, and there isn't even a single speck of blood on his body. This point is different from the other corpses found by Du Wei and others. It's clear that the people who buried him also treated him with special courtesy because of his identity. Even when burying this knight, someone helped him shave off the beard on his face, and his hair was neatly arranged.

  He lay quietly in the snow pit, his hands clasped to his chest, and a beautiful long sword with a silver glow lying quietly on his chest. The man's appearance was very handsome, although he had already frozen to a dark purple all over, but Du Wei could still imagine how majestic he must have looked when he was alive.

  "Lord Coffret... a high-ranking holy knight of the temple." Dandanil's face turned gloomy after his initial surprise, saying: "He is also an... eighth-level knight! Hary, you should know that knights above level eight are already known as great knights! To kill a great knight... I really can't imagine what kind of person has such strength, and yet, dares to be an enemy of the temple!"

  Dadanier stood up, then bowed deeply in front of the corpse of the knight called "Gofrette": "Lord Gofrette, I didn't expect to see you here... The last time I saw you was by the side of the Marquise, that day thank you for driving away the evil guy who cursed our lady."

  At this point, a hint of sadness appeared in Dada's eyes.

  Du Wei remembered it clearly, Dada Nie had mentioned this name when they first met... The Marquise of List had encountered an evil magician during a picnic in the suburbs, and at that time, there was a Holy Knight by her side to protect her. That Holy Knight was none other than the deceased Geffort. Geffort represented the Temple to meet with the Marquise of List, thanking the Marquise for a huge donation to the Temple.

  Du Wei looked into the distance... except for the sound of the wind, it was quiet and still, without any movement.

  In the distance, the lake was still covered with ice, and on the vast snowy ground, there wasn't even a ghostly figure.

  "Capable of killing an 8th-level knight and a holy knight, with the help of several companions by his side..." Dandanier said in a low voice: "Someone with such abilities can already be considered among the top strongmen on the continent! When did the Roland Empire produce someone who dared to challenge the Temple and possessed such powerful strength?!"

  Du Wei was lost in thought, seemingly unaffected by Dada Nil's words. However, he soon seemed to remember something and suddenly squatted down, picked up Geffort's corpse again, and started digging vigorously under his body!

  "Hurry! What are you doing?" Dathanial said somewhat displeased: "Please don't disturb the slumber of Lord Gofrette!"

  "Dadanier, didn't you know... When Holy Knights bury their companions, they also bury the items that their companions carried with them under the body!" Duwei replied, his hands not stopping: "It just so happens that I've heard that those devout Holy Knights often have a habit of keeping diaries. Because they need to pray every day, and when they're outside, they can't pray in the temple, these knights will often choose to write diaries to record their inner voices."

  Soon, after digging a hole under the corpse, Du Wei let out a low cry and pulled out a bundle of cloth from underneath. After opening it, inside was a small silver pendant with a small carving of the Goddess of Light on it, as well as a dagger...and also, a small notebook!

  "Look, this is the diary of Knight Geofred." Duwei raised his head and glanced at Dandanier: "I think, what happened after all, there should be an answer on it."

  Dadanil didn't say a word, he furrowed his brow: "I don't think this is a good idea. Lord Gofrette certainly wouldn't want anyone touching his things... Harry, put it back."

  But Du Wei didn't listen to him and instead opened the diary, flipping through it. After a while, Du Wei exclaimed loudly: "Look..."

  －－－－－－－－

  Pay attention to this book at any time, and add it to your bookshelf. Finally, please give me more votes and support!