Masked Knight

A charming serenade reverberated within the hall of the palace. The nobles, men and women, invited by the king danced to the music in the banquet hall. The envoy that came from the Radiant Continent, Earl Rody’s identity, had already been made public officially. Either way, they were already prepared to face-off against the Temple. That was why matters like peace negotiations no longer needed to be done surreptitiously.

Rody and Mouse did not dance but only stood on the sidelines. Mouse calmly held Rody’s arm, but she was looking at the others dancing and looked rather eager to dance as well.

Rody gave Mouse a glance and whispered, "What’s wrong? Could it be that you have never danced before?" Rody immediately realized he had just asked something stupid the moment the words came out of his mouth. Mouse was a Saint of the Temple. As a practitioner of the Temple, she would never have the chance to live like a noble.

Thinking of this, Rody laughed and stood in front of Mouse. He gently stretched out his arm and asked her to a dance.

"May I?"

The expression in Mouse’s eyes changed. The Black Veil Saint who could confront a mighty force without batting an eyelid looked confused at that moment. Still, she held Rody’s palm.

"Follow me, I will take you dancing."

And so, the most dazzling man and woman in the audience finally entered the dance floor.

Mouse did not know how to dance and Rody was not much better than her. Rody had gone through special training to learn how to dance in the Duke’s Mansion and only learned simple steps. However, the two still danced to the music as they gently embraced each other. They only saw their tenderness for each other in their eyes.

Together with Rody’s identity as the envoy, the two of them became the focus of the audience.

"What? Are you envious?" Seth laughed as he glanced at Nedis.

Nedis fiercely glared at Rody. She gritted her teeth and hmphed at Seth. She sternly said, "Are you trying to make me angry? Does it benefit you if I am angry?"

Seth immediately kept quiet.

In a way, Seth had finally met his nemesis.

The originally proud playboy did not have a good opinion of Rody. Even though Mouse had made him miserable, Seth always thought that Mouse had simply used her overwhelming strength to force him into that situation.

However, Nedis, who returned alongside Rody, made the playboy hit a wall.

In fact, ever since he learned that they were about to return to the Radiant Empire, Seth had actually thought of a few ways to escape. However, his plans failed every time, not because of Rody or Mouse but because of the cunning woman, Nedis.

Two days ago, Seth had climbed out of the window in the middle of the night. He thought of a plan and took a bit of the fragrance of the dark orchid. This fragrance could hide the traces of people’s movement and make them invisible. This fragrance might be useless against masters like Rody and Mouse but was enough to deal with the Royal Knights guarding the palace.

However, Rody had earlier said that Seth must not be allowed to escape. Nedis had been paying attention. Nedis was aware when Seth had gone and collected the dark orchid fragrance, so she kept silent and did a devious trick.

"In fact, there was nothing complicated." Nedis later explained to the surprised Rody and Mouse. "I only added a fragrance that could attract bees on top of the dark orchid fragrance."

Seth, who had put on the fragrance and was ready to escape, went to the gardens and was chased by the Sauron Kingdom’s local poisonous bees. It was a spectacular sight where ‘Miss Nicole’s’ long sleeves fluttered while bees buzzed about her.

Fortunately, Mouse, the powerful sorcerer, was there and treated Seth’s red face. Seth only experienced some pain.

After Seth had recovered, he tried to escape again the next night. However, he was too conceited. Even though he wanted to leave, he wanted to take revenge on Nedis first. The result was a failure.

Nedis was as cunning as Seth and had already expected Seth would try and run away again. She had also expected him to try and take revenge before running away. That was why she was already on guard.

Unfortunately, the Gods did not help Seth. Seth had used a low ranked magic stone to summon a few black bats.

The result could be imagined. Nedis was a genuine vampire, so the black bats brought by Seth had been commanded to go rush back to Seth with a single wave of her hand. As a result, the playboy’s body turned red again and lost a lot of blood. It should be known that bats summoned by dark magic were simply cute animals to the vampires.

After these two experiences, Seth had given up escaping. He now also considered Nedis his archenemy. Although Mouse had healed Seth, she was unable to help him recover from the blood loss. Seth, having lost a lot of blood, was frail and thus was unable to escape.

Seth looked at Nedis and saw no unusual expression on her face. He sighed in relief and quickly stood further away.

The song ended. Rody was still holding on to Mouse. Both of them seemed intoxicated. The song then changed to a cheerful rhythm. Mouse’s cheeks turned red and she breathed heavily. It was not clear if that was because she was tired or in love. Rody held Mouse with his strong arms.

Nedis almost broke her teeth from gnashing too hard as she watched this. She finally sighed and turned to Seth before coldly asking, "Hey. Transvestite. Do you want to dance?"

"Hm? What?" Seth immediately became vigilant.

"I asked if you wish to dance!" Nedis glared at Seth.

Seth pursed his lips and softly said, "Right now, I am dressed as a woman. Is two women dancing together fun?"

At this moment, Concubine Ruolan came in from a corner of the hall with large strides.

The concubine still had an alarming vigor. She deliberately wore a warrior’s robe for men, giving her a valiant appearance. However, the way she was dressed made her really look like a man.

Concubine Ruolan seemed to be looking around. She saw Mouse and Rody dancing cheerfully and looked disappointed but then saw Seth. Her eyes lit up and she walked over in large strides.

Seth reacted quickly. He had already seen Ruolan from afar. When he saw her eyes seemed to glow in red, he subconsciously shuddered and quickly replied to Nedis, "You want to dance? Okay, let's dance!"

"Hm? Didn’t you…" Nedis sneered.

"Just keep dancing. Don't talk so much!" Seth quickly said. He then grabbed Nedis’s hands and went to the middle of the hall.

The two stunning beauties went to the middle and started dancing to the song. The surrounding people could not help but be surprised. Fortunately, the people had gotten used to behavioral extremes by Concubine Ruolan on normal days. That was why they did not have a huge reaction to this.

Only Ruolan saw ‘Miss Nicole’ ran away. She became a little angry and glared fiercely.

After some time, the music changed again. The dancing style also changed. In accordance to the music, the dancing partners would be exchanged. Originally, Rody and Mouse were a pair and Seth and Nedis were another. During the exchange, Nedis wanted to pull Rody and give Seth to Mouse. However, in a hurry, she pulled the wrong person. Once she pulled the person, she found that the person in front of her was Mouse.

As a result, Seth and Rody were dancing arm in arm...

The dance continued, and they could not stop immediately because of etiquette. Seth was dressed in woman’s clothing and Rody was helpless. Rody resisted the urge to laugh wildly as he held Seth’s hand, and made Seth spin under his hand…then spin the other way...

Nedis was surprised for a brief moment but soon calmed down. Her original purpose was to separate the affectionate couple. Although there was a slight error, she had achieved her objective. Mouse did not think too much when she watched Rody put on a helpless expression as he danced with Seth, who looked like an endearing young girl to others...

The two girls then laughed at the side...

When the song ended, the two men separated quickly from each other. Rody had quickly rushed out of the hall. His speed was slightly faster than the time he fought the Dragon warrior—his objective was obvious. He wanted to wash his hands at the pond outside.

Seth felt agonized as well and he could not help but fiercely rub both hands.

"I wonder if there is a spell that could re-grow limbs that have been cut off…"

...

Rody was standing at the pond outside the palace. He had washed his hands several times, but his heart still felt cold. Suddenly, a simple and honest voice came from behind him.

"Excuse me. Are you Rody, the Earl of the Radiant Empire?"

Rody turned his head around. He saw a tall middle-aged man standing not far behind him.

The man had a squarish face. His gaze was firm and also upright like a soldier. His clothes showed that he was a noble of a lower rank. Compared to the other brightly dressed nobles, his formal clothes were simple and trim.

The man approached Rody and gave a slight smile. He then stretched out his hand and said in a pleasant voice, "My name is Tiger, commander of the Sauron Kingdom’s knights. I am also the commander of the current Roland Coalition."

"Oh?" Rody was a little bit surprised.

It was rather inconceivable. The commander of a hundred thousand soldiers had fought so long in the war between the two continents but the two had not met each other. Even though the coalition surrendered after that, Rody had not attended the surrender ceremony.

He did not expect General Tiger to return so quickly. He was most likely repatriated along with the first batch of prisoners.

Rody did not belittle the enemy that had lost to him on the battlefield. In fact, if it was not because of the internal contradictions and conflicting commands of the coalition, it would have been difficult for Rody to win. There were also many signs that showed that General Tiger was an experienced and reliable General.

With that thought in mind, Rody also stretched out his hand. He shook the other person’s hand and smiled, "Yes. My name is Rody. General Tiger, I am happy to meet you. When did you return?"

"Three days ago," Tiger replied naturally. "The first one hundred thousand soldiers have returned three days ago."

Rody nodded and smiled slightly.

Tiger hesitated a little before whispering, "Earl Rody, I heard from others that you have been under the command of the Duke of the Tulip Family. I have a bold request that I hope you can grant."

"What is it?"

Tiger took a deep breath and loudly said, "That time, I was defeated by your country and taken prisoner. Although I was defeated, I am convinced of the Duke’s resourcefulness as a Commander! My only regret is, I did not have the opportunity to meet the Duke when I was in your country! If you meet the Duke when you return, I would like you to help me convey my respect for him! As a soldier, it was my pleasure to meet such a strong rival on the battlefield!"

"Oh?" Rody was slightly surprised but felt ashamed in his heart. He did not expect the enemy he defeated to respect him. He embarrassedly replied, "General Tiger, do not be like this. Victory and defeat are common in the military. You need not be discouraged by a single defeat. I wish to see General Tiger once again be inspired by military might and provide impressive and meritorious military service to your kingdom. On top of that, you must have also understood the current situation. I am sure the King still needs your service to the kingdom!"

Tiger’s eyes glinted. He repeated Rody’s words, "Victory and defeat are common in the military…these are great words! Earl Rody, your words are truly exquisite!"

Rody gave a wry smile and did not reply. These words were originally in Dandong’s notes. Rody felt that it was fitting and had inadvertently said it.

Tiger saw that Rody did not speak. He laughed loudly and said, "No matter what, it was still a defeat. I admire the Duke of the Tulip Family very much. He is worthy of your country’s legend! That is why I have a request. I need your help to express my respect to the God of War of the present era. Otherwise, I would have everlasting regret!"

Rody quickly agreed. "Alright. I will help you convey it."

Tiger seemed very grateful. He said, "You were under the Duke’s command, so you presumably must have personally experienced it?"

"Yes. I used to be an officer of the Lightning God’s Whip. I was the captain of the Duke’s bodyguards," Rody replied with that excuse.

Tiger was immediately in awe. "The Lightning God’s Whip are elites. I have learned this from experience! Your country really has such a powerful and astonishing army!"

Tiger seemingly had a lot of questions in his mind. In fact, after his defeat, he had studied his failure and summed up a lot of things. At that moment, he met a high-ranking officer that had experienced the same war as him. That officer was also someone that had personally defeated him. Hence, he asked the questions he himself could not understand.

Rody had a very favorable impression of Tiger. Although Tiger was a defeated general, he had shown respect for his opponent regardless of his own reputation. This showed that he was a very open-minded person, and he now even modestly asked for advice. This man was indeed a true soldier.

The two talked for a while. It could be said that nobody understood the situation about the war as much as these two. One was the Commander of the Roland Coalition Army. The other was the Commander of the Radiant Empire. After discussing for a while, Tiger sighed. "If it went according to this argument, I am starting to have more questions."

"Oh?" Rody smiled.

Tiger earnestly said, "Actually, since the start, I have thought that the war was very strange! The Roland Continent obviously did not have enough strength to subjugate your country! However, we insistently took the initiative to start a losing war…As soldiers, we were supposed to serve the country. However, I cannot understand being sent to court death! Now, listening to your analysis, I am even more certain of it! This war was doomed to fail for us from the start!"

Rody naturally knew the answer to Tiger’s question. This was all the Temple, or rather, Kara’s plan. However, in respect of each other’s status, Rody could not tell him. Therefore, Rody just smiled and said, "General Tiger, we are both soldiers. These are things we cannot figure out. In that case, we should stop thinking about it. These are not the responsibility of the military but the business of politicians."