Warhammer Divine Throne

Chapter 438: Chapter 187, Blood Knight Appears_2

After about half a day’s journey, Laine and his group reached the edge of the Boldro Duchy.

Normally, Holy Grail Knights are scarce, and the vast majority of them guard the Lake Fairy Cathedral and the Holy Land of Fairy Lake. It’s rare for Holy Grail Knights to appear before the commoners, but whenever they do, they are met with great cheers and enthusiastic reception from the peasants.

However, upon reaching this small village named Leji, the situation was somewhat different.

Seeing a Holy Grail Knight appear, the village elder appeared in the distance and quickly knelt before Laine: ”Lord Holy Grail Knight, there’s a major situation, a major situation!”

”What major situation?” Laine signaled the group to stop.

The village elder, accompanied by dozens of militia from the village, all knelt before Laine: ”Master Holy Grail Knight, it’s the Blood Knights, those blood-red devils—they have reappeared! A Mission Knight ventured to confront the Blood Knights after hearing about this, but...”

”But...?” Laine’s expression became stern.

”Lord Holy Grail Knight, please come have a look!” the village elder pleaded, bowing repeatedly.

Holy Grail Knights are the peasants’ hope, Blood Knights are the most powerful among the Undead Knights, and after some thought, Laine decided he should stay.

”We’ll stay here tonight! Veronica, come with me to see what’s happening. The rest... Kasenberg, you and Surya lead the others back to Gene Territory, make haste, you’ll arrive before nightfall,” Laine decisively instructed as he dismounted from his steed.

”Yes!” Kasenberg immediately responded: ”Understood, my baron.”

”Laine, I want to come too!” Surya followed suit, but Laine shook his head: ”Surya, Blood Knights are not ordinary foes.”

The Duke’s daughter hesitated, but even though Laine hadn’t finished speaking, Surya understood his implication.

Blood Knights are not opponents that ordinary people can handle, and the female knight’s strength was still somewhat lacking.

”I’ll wait for you in your territory.” Surya said no more, but expressed her determination.

”Alright.” Laine watched a few people depart, then turned and signaled the village elder to continue speaking.

”Noble Lord Holy Grail Knight, please this way.” The village elder gestured for Laine to follow him into the large house of the village.

”Offering aid to everyone you meet? That’s not like you.” Veronica, holding Laine’s hand, curiously asked.

”It’s not about being a bleeding heart.” Laine’s expression remained grave: ”The presence of Blood Knights is a grave threat to Brittania. These powerful and terrifying knights unleash endless carnage whenever they appear. As a Holy Grail Knight, enjoying the nation’s tribute and the people’s reverence, I must confront them when Blood Knights show up.”

”You have many reasons, it’s alright, I’ll accompany you.” Listening to Laine’s explanation, Veronica said no more.

The two followed the village elder inside the large house. The interior was very simple, with a dirt floor, the room filled with various miscellaneous items, and a small amount of stored grain. There was also much chicken droppings on the ground, but Laine paid no attention to these things.

In the middle of the space on the floor lay a straw heap, atop which a body was enshrined—this was a Mission Knight.

This Mission Knight’s body bore many large wounds; one side of his face was sheared open by a blade, his chest, shoulder, and abdomen were marked by blade wounds, his hands tightly gripped a broken longsword, and it was unclear where his shield had gone.

”When did you discover this?”

”Lord Holy Grail Knight, we found the Master Mission Knight in the nearby small woods a day ago. He was already dead when we came across him.” The village elder began narrating the story from the beginning.

In the past week or two, traces of the Blood Knights began appearing near Leji Village. These fearsome beings riding Nightmare Horses had been haunting the area around the village, attacking it, and each time they appeared, they would take away one villager, only for the unfortunate villager’s desiccated corpse to be discovered in a nearby field days later.

The entire village was engulfed in panic, the village elders reported to the knight lord nearby, but even the knight lord who went to investigate mysteriously disappeared.

Perhaps it wasn’t a mysterious disappearance, but rather...

In the villagers’ despair, a Mission Knight riding a Half-Elf Warhorse came to Leji Village.

He came in pursuit of the Holy Grail, and upon hearing and understanding the villagers’ pleas and accounts, proclaimed loudly that he would administer righteous justice upon the arrogant villain.

And then it ended up like this.

”Lord Holy Grail Knight, I beg you to save us! In over a week, the wicked Blood Knights have taken away four of our children and one adult. If this continues, we’re doomed!” The village elder knelt once more, pleading for help.

”I see.” Laine solemnly accepted this promise: ”I will take care of the Blood Knights.”

This was the promise of a Holy Grail Knight.

”We toil for you, we clear land from the forests, harvest and deliver crops, we never rest except on legal holidays, we build shrines, we arm ourselves. When Beastmen emerge from the forests, when Green Skins rampage from valleys, when the Undead prowl at night, when the people of Chaos return, we will take up arms and fight back, chanting your name and hoping you will appear to save us from devastation, my Holy Grail Knight.”