Chapter 148: It’s Just That He Has to Show Off, Right?

After Jaffman delivered the message, he entered and placed a small gift on the table between Hall and Lorraine. Without another word, he left.

Lov glanced at Hall with some concern.

She knew that Hall and Lucy had a good relationship, although she didn’t know when their relationship had started to get better.

But if it was exposed that he had a good relationship with a vampire, as an investigator of the Judgment Bureau, Jaffman would surely not have this attitude.

As for Lorraine, she didn’t feel much.

She felt that it was a normal event for her brother to report to the Black Knights.

She remembered that when Hall was a child and went out, the adults of the Black Knights would all surround her brother.

But at that time, her brother would not accept the flocking.

He would signal that it was not necessary and that everyone should go and do what they had to do.

Hall himself, after giving a preliminary reply of “alright” to Jaffman.

He didn’t say much more.

So the two of them continued their meal.

Until the meal was over, Hall and Lorraine had a simple discussion about “Lorraine wanting to become a Saintess Candidate,” and then he said he was a little tired and went back to his room to rest.

When he returned to his room.

Only then did he begin to think about the origin of this matter.

The cardinals must have known about his return on the Child family’s special train.

In other words, the cardinals also knew that he had gone to Sunset City.

“Forget it, don’t overthink it. I’ll know when I go and see tomorrow.”

The next morning, because he had to go to the headquarters of the Black Knights in Saint Louis.

Lov dressed Hall up well.

At the same time, she took out the black, light-type knight’s armor that had been stored in a box in the past.

Because it was very light, at first glance, it didn’t seem to have much defense.

It was more like it was to show the wearer’s knight identity.

But Lov still preferred to wear a more daily-type suit for her young master.

As for Hall, he didn’t care.

But this morning should be his first official report to the Black Knights in three years.

“My memory of the Black Knights is very strange. There is no Hela, but there are indeed some memories… it’s probably some of the things that Hall should have experienced in the original plot of the game. I am clearly a transmigrator. Are those memories real?”

With Lov’s voice saying “come back early, Young Master.”

He left the Faxtius estate.

Before he left, he had also specifically taken many recent newspapers.

He was preparing to find out what had happened in the month he had been away from Saint Louis on the way.

“Someone is denouncing me again… how boring. Is the Faxtius family’s status something you guys can shake just by wanting to?”

As long as he showed a little of his ability, he could stabilize his reputation.

Being a playboy and promiscuous could be labels, but they would not be major drawbacks in Saint Louis.

It was even not impossible that some young noble scions would take him as a role model.

Then it was this morning’s newspaper.

It said that Christine had safely returned to Saint Louis by Holy Train last night.

She had been a great success in the Bal Empire, allowing the oldest country in the Western Continent to be blessed by God again.

“But, there are also reports about the divine revelation that descended in West Town that night, and it’s all attributed to Christine. Although that’s not bad, I’m afraid this will push Christine to the most prominent position…”

Hall was a little worried.

There were three cardinals in the Papal State.

Originally, Roan, Saint Gregory, and another cardinal were all doing their own thing.

This time, Ilora, who was under Saint Gregory, was completely crushed by Christine.

It was inevitable that the other cardinal would also stand on the opposite side of Roan.

In addition, another familiar name could be seen on the newspaper panel.

—Himan Von Braun.

The vice-captain of the White Knights, Lucy, said that Himan’s performance during her trip to the Bal Empire was very perfect.

She had obtained decisive and important intelligence, and had also been brave on the night of the demon army’s surprise attack on West Town.

She would be awarded the [Honorary Knight’s Shoulder Epaulette], and it was also released that she intended to make Himan her future successor.

“Decisive and important intelligence… what is that?”

Hall couldn’t help but be puzzled.

But Himan had indeed chased Parousia.

Parousia had said that she and Himan had first met at Frida’s residence.

Then according to her personality…

Could it be that Himan had submitted the report that Frida had secretly received the support of the vampires?

This was indeed decisive intelligence.

If the church was willing, with this evidence, it could have the Judgment Bureau launch a surprise trial against Frida at a suitable time.

In the thousand-year history, the church had even judged a monarch.

His heart tightened.

If Frida was judged, then his and Christine’s matter would surely be exposed.

And so he came to the entrance of the Black Knights.

In front of the dim tunnel that led to the underground headquarters in the center of Saint Louis.

The black knight at the entrance, who was dressed differently from most of the knights in Saint Louis, had been waiting for a long time.

He bowed to him and said.

“Captain Hall, Acting Vice-Captain Sergei and Lord Istar are already waiting for you in the conference room.”

“So it’s Vice-Captain Sergei and Lord Istar who are looking for me?”

Hall knew the great names of these two.

According to the setting, Sergei was one of the top eight in the Four Nations Swordsmanship Tournament twenty years ago.

And the Four Nations Swordsmanship Tournament was held once every ten years, gathering the young talents of the various countries of the Western Continent.

It was not an exaggeration to say that he was among the top thirty of the human race in the Western Continent in the past thirty years, besides some people with special bloodlines.

His game swordsmanship talent was [S-], and his constitution was [S].

He had already surpassed the initial values of some of the heroines and could rival many noble pure-blooded races with his human body.

His level cap was also very high.

In the late game, his stance was unstable.

Sometimes he was a firm guardian of the church, and sometimes he would let the heroines attack the church.

He was the acting vice-captain, and his main job was not this.

If the Black Knights were reorganized, he would resign from this position.

At the same time, he was the highest mentor when the Black Knights were first established.

As for Istar, she was even more ridiculous.

She was the research-mad cardinal among the cardinals.

But as one of the six cardinals who were not cardinal-bishops, she naturally also had very terrifying abilities.

Her magic talent was on par with the Red Queen’s, [S+].

Her constitution, as a mage, was also a terrifying [A+].

Her other various attributes were relatively comprehensive.

There were no obvious weaknesses.

But her creativity was as high as the extremely rare [S+].

She was known as the [Cardinal Witch].

She was an easter egg heroine with a very short route, completely for the player’s fun, researching the production and creation of various ridiculous materials.

This heroine could not be conquered in the routes of other heroines in the game, and would generally not be an enemy.

She would only appear as an achievement task with little impact.

Compared to the other heroines who had to have a mission, lick blood from the edge of a knife, and had new and old grudges.

It was very difficult for her to die.

Just like the vampire empress, who was also an easter egg heroine.

Even at the end, at most a scene of an impending great war would be shown, letting the player guess what would happen to her in the future.

But Hall thought that this was not a game, but reality.

He was not a player and couldn’t just have fun.

If she found out that he could replenish magic now, he would surely become Istar’s research toy.

So he asked tentatively.

“I didn’t expect both Vice-Captain Sergei and Istar to be here. I wonder what they are looking for me for?”

“I don’t know either, Captain Hall. You’d better go and see them quickly.”

The little knight urged.

So he could only brace himself and walk into the dark tunnel.

After a journey of about several hundred meters, he came to a corner and followed the stairs completely underground.

Only then did he suddenly feel the space open up.

The Black Knights were originally built on the underground palace established by the Demon God in the past.

The underground area was very large, and the facilities were also very luxurious because of the church’s funds and the Child family’s strong support.

From here on, magic lamps and magic traces used to isolate the force waves generated during training could be seen everywhere.

Pitch-black weapons and armor were placed on both sides of the corridor, looking like they could be taken and used at any time.

But he also faintly felt that there was a familiar power residing in these weapons and armor.

“A weakened version of the Demon God’s power?”

Hall did not dare to directly use the Demon God’s power in his body to compare with the power in those weapons and armor, and just continued forward.

Until he reached the conference room at the end.

There were only two people inside.

To be precise.

In the headquarters of the Black Knights in Saint Louis, there were only two people this morning.

He hadn’t seen anyone else on the way.

The light in the conference room was a bit pale.

At the end of the long table, on the left and right sides, sat a man and a woman.

The middle-aged man, about forty years old, with a cold and arrogant look, was wearing a black trench coat.

Under the trench coat was a light black knight’s armor similar to Hall’s.

It could be seen that the owner of the armor did not expect the armor to be of much use.

The dagger and the sword at his waist were his life-saving tools.

The woman looked to be in her early twenties, with a beautiful face.

Her long, wine-red hair seemed to be tied into a capable ponytail for convenience.

And the special gold-rimmed glasses made her look even more capable.

Her good figure was covered by a white one-piece coat, and her skin below the knees was wrapped in black stockings.

She sat with her legs crossed and looked at Hall, who was walking over from outside, as if she were sizing up a little white rabbit.

Compared to Himan or Ye Wangxue, they had a vague sense of mature charm.

But if the other party changed her clothes, she could completely pretend to be a cute girl.

But at this moment, Hall could not feel Istar’s charm at all.

This person was more dangerous than any heroine he had met so far.

But he did not act as he usually did and greeted her.

“Good morning, Vice-Captain Sergei, Istar.”

“Good morning, Baron Hall.”

Sergei’s reply was relatively official.

Istar, on the other hand, said, “You don’t look nervous at all, Baron Hall. Ordinary noble scions, when they see a cardinal, either stand up too straight, or they put their hands in their pockets or somewhere else, at a loss.”

“I think this is not the first time Istar and I have met. Since it’s not the first time, why should I be nervous? Istar won’t eat me.”

Hall stood at the door and did not move rashly, but just answered calmly.

Then Sergei took out a cigar from under his coat, a product of the rainforests of the ancient kingdom, and lit it.

“Sit down and talk, Baron Hall. You should have heard that the cardinals intend to regard you as one of the future leaders of the Black Knights. Maybe my position now will be yours in a few months.”

“My reputation seems to be not very good, and the evaluations of me in the Black Knights are mixed. But if you can do better than me, I will have no complaints.”

“My reputation seems to be not enough to be the vice-captain of the Black Knights. After the reorganization, the elites of the four branches should also all gather in Saint Louis.”

Hall made a simple refusal.

But it was just a verbal one.

He knew that Istar had come to see him, and this time it would surely not be simple.

“Little Hall, you’re being too modest. Your older sister often tells me that you are an excellent boy. Although rumors have been swirling around you for the past three years, the cardinals have never changed their view of you. They wanted to see how you could get rid of the public opinion. Now you have a great reputation among the young nobles of Saint Louis again…”

Istar said with a smile, “The eldest son of the Howard family, who is also a marshal and duke, was stepped on by you. The Empress of Cateline looked at you with new eyes. If all these can’t show that you have never lost your ability, then it would be too disrespectful to the cardinals’ judgment.”

“Big sister? Is she alright?”

Hall said as if out of concern.

He didn’t care too much about the cardinals’ attitude.

Looking at the newspapers of the past three years, the cardinals had indeed not expressed their attitude.

If he had the ability, he would solve it himself, and then they would throw him an olive branch again.

If not, it didn’t matter.

The Papal State was not short of talents.

At present, it was obviously the first situation.

“Of course she is very well. She is a genius whose talent in research is no less than mine. Should I pass on this cardinal’s position to her in the future?”

Istar’s cardinal position was rather special.

She herself was not a citizen of the Papal State, but from the ancient Kingdom of Elan.

Her age was also far beyond her actual age because she had been trapped in a certain demon lord’s ruins where the flow of time had changed in the ancient Kingdom of Elan for a hundred years.

Of course, this hundred years was rather vague in the cardinals’ own account.

Only Hall, who had understood the game’s settings, knew that she was actually a human from the time of the first East-West continent war a hundred years ago.

And the reason she could become a cardinal was because the Papal State had taken a liking to her unprecedented creativity and research ability, as well as her mastery of the ancient ruins and secrets buried in the yellow sand of the ancient Kingdom of Elan.

She had once single-handedly unlocked the secrets of the [Raging Wave Demon Lord]’s treasure trove.

Her nature was similar to how the Child family could get a seat in the cardinals with their powerful money ability.

It was more of an honorary nature and an object that the Papal State needed to win over and keep in the Papal State for certain specific events.

“How could that be? Lord Istar looks even younger than my older sister.”

Hall answered noncommittally.

“Hey, little Hall is really joking. I could be your grandmother.”

Istar seemed to be amused and then said with a smile, “But Hall is more concerned about why we called you over, right?”

“Yes, please tell me in detail, Vice-Captain and Cardinal.”

He acted very calm.

At this moment, Vice-Captain Sergei took another puff of his cigar and then said, “Most of the reservists we recruited back then in the Saint Louis Black Knights were the children of nobles, and there is almost no difference from the White Knights next door, which are now just for show. The only difference at present is you, Hall Faxtius, and the boy from the Cavendish family. He is currently studying in the East, learning the swordsmanship of the Easterners and understanding their characteristics. It is unlikely that he will come back immediately. And you used to fight, and you always won.”

He then threw out five stacks of documents from under the table and continued, “These are the personnel lists of the Bal branch, the ancient Elan branch, the Elan branch, the Cateline branch, and the branches outside of Saint Louis in the Papal State. In my opinion, their overall strength is actually stronger than the headquarters. In other words, even if they are integrated, they will not easily obey the captain and vice-captain chosen by the headquarters.”

“But I have been fooling around for three years and have not received any systematic training. Now I am just an ordinary duke’s son.”

Hall’s “ordinary” was relative.

And he used some of the information he knew to tentatively say, “Perhaps we should choose the person who destroyed the Snow Elf race back then to be the captain. She has cooperated with the elites of the Elan and Cateline branches, and the people of those two branches will be subservient to her, which is easier than me.”

Regarding Hela’s information, he knew it was no use looking at it in detail before the integration.

At this time, Sergei’s face became serious.

He put out the remaining cigar and looked at Istar.

Istar, on the other hand, said with a grin, “But little Hela is gone. She’s gone. Shouldn’t you be the one to take her place? Back then, when she was discriminated against as a commoner recommended by the Child family, wasn’t it our Young Master Hall who protected her with a tree branch and a stone?”

“Now that she’s gone, shouldn’t little Hall inherit her will?”

“She’s gone?”

Hall asked with a hint of surprise in his tone.

“Yes, she’s gone.”

Istar nodded.

“Then where did she go? Did she die?”

There had been no news of Hela for three years.

“She probably died.”

Istar glanced at Sergei as she spoke.

The truth could not be told to Hall.

“Oh…”

Hall did not completely believe her.

But Istar’s answer could confirm one fact from the side, which was that Hela was not in the Black Knights system at present.

Could it be that she had defected?

He felt it was possible.

As a court hero who had brought back the branch of the Snow Elf tree, Hela’s achievement was quite explosive in the seven hundred years since the last Hero had appeared and the Demon Lord had fallen.

If this kind of thing got out, it would damage the prestige of the Papal State.

“So, little Hall, you have to work hard. Your strength seems to be over eighty, right? It’s much higher than when you were in the swordsmanship performance to welcome Her Majesty of Cateline to the Papal State. Keep it up, I know you can conquer those boys from the branches.”

Istan said.

Sergei then continued her words, “So you need to represent the headquarters and visit the branches of the four countries. At present, the most restless is the Cateline branch. The person in charge there seems to intend to use the elites we have secretly cultivated with the funds of the Papal State to become his private army. If we make a move on him openly or use the people from the Judgment Bureau, it may cause him to immediately defect to the Cateline royal family when he hears the news.”

“Then how should I deal with him?”

Hall asked with feigned concern.

Actually, he wanted to slack off.

It was so dangerous, and it didn’t have much to do with him.

But he also needed to gain the trust of the cardinals.

He couldn’t just shirk it.

Otherwise, if it was investigated in detail, it would be hard to say what would happen to him in the short term.

“Deal with him as you please. As long as you can do these things, they are all just your subordinates, little Hall. You were born to command an army of ten thousand.”

Istan looked at Hall’s eyes, and the latter always had a strange feeling of being uncomfortable.

Sergei, on the other hand, was still very formulaic and said, “I hope you can complete it successfully. But before that, you have to find a suitable reason to go to the Cateline Kingdom and secretly inspect the Cateline branch in the name of the headquarters. And the cardinals happen to be planning to send a mission to Cateline to respond to Her Majesty of Cateline’s visit to Saint Louis last year.”

“Oh, are we leaving for Cateline soon?”

Hall thought to himself that Holy Light University was about to start.

Would Ye Wangxue not have a chance to come back to class, and with Himan and Himan.

He would directly run in the name of a knightly order mission.

How could he not run?

“Following the principle of diplomatic reciprocity, the scale of the Cateline mission to the Papal State last time was not large, and the scale of this mission will not be too large either. The spots are limited. Although the cardinals can directly name you, the people from the White Knights will raise objections.”

Istan took over Sergei’s somewhat cold and official narrative tone.

And said as if she were looking for fun, “Those people have always hated you and Hela. Little Hall, in the month you were away, a noble immediately jumped out to tarnish your image. This time, before you leave, shouldn’t you let them understand who is the king among the new generation of nobles?”

“I really don’t have that kind of secular interest.”

Hall was numb.

Last month, he could have been stable in front of deputy knight captains and pure-blooded nobles like Arjo and Yekanda.

To show off to this group of noble students who were mostly in their ivory towers on a normal day was really not that exciting.

But there was no other way.

Now that one of the thirteen highest-ranking people in the Papal State was letting him show off, and if he didn’t, someone would still be frantically slandering him after he left.

So he would reluctantly do it.

He would show off for a while first.

However, when he and Sergei and Istan had had a simple chat and were about to leave, he heard that cardinal shout from behind.

“By the way, little Hall. It seems that someone you know has recently joined the Black Knights.”

The next morning.

Himan, in a bright yellow bathrobe, had finished washing up.

She was about to put on her knight’s uniform again and go to the White Knights to report.

She had been waking up very early these past two days and had been very busy.

She kept looking for people to practice swords with, and asked Vice-Captain Lov for advice on swordsmanship.

She wanted to become stronger.

She also wanted to get rid of the troubles in her mind.

She didn’t want to recall the scene of Hall letting the big-breasted vampire suck his blood, nor did she want to recall the words Leticia had said, “I won’t lose him.”

Only by keeping herself busy would she not think of these things.

She had not written in her report about Hall colluding with the vampires, but she also felt that she had to find a suitable time to tell Hall that it was not right.

He was the son of a duke of the Papal State.

Even if it was to become stronger, even if it was for a woman, or for some other thing, he should go through the proper channels.

How could he be so eager for success, let alone be seduced by another race?

But Himan was suddenly a little afraid.

Yes, she was vaguely a little afraid.

She felt that if she communicated with Hall in a normal way, they would surely argue again.

She was afraid that he would say she didn’t understand him, or that he was too lazy to be managed by her.

Himan’s heart did not want to argue with Hall again, but she just couldn’t help it.

Just like her mother would fly into a rage over some of her bad little habits when she was a child.

Although she knew it was a small matter, although she knew she shouldn’t get angry, she would still get angry.

She just hoped she would be better.

Himan also hoped that Hall would be better.

This had never changed.

And so she put on her knight’s uniform and went to the White Knights to report.

But she found that the familiar faces of a normal day were all gossiping about her.

When she entered the captain’s office and was about to say good morning to Vice-Captain Lov.

She found that the other party’s expression was also quite grave.

“Vice-Captain Lucy, what’s wrong today?”

“Sigh, Himan. Hall Faxtius issued a challenge letter in the name of the Black Knights last night. He wants to have a ten-round series of battles with the White Knights alone.”

Lucy Cavendish held her forehead and said, “At present, all the newspapers in Saint Louis are reporting on this matter. Your relationship with him is special, so it’s best for you to avoid it at home for a few days.”

“No.”

The white-stockinged female knight hesitated for a moment and shook her head.

Then she chose her answer.