Chapter 17: The Knight’s Resolve and a Jealous Kiss

“—The future you, you must become the knight who saves all.”

Those were the words Wade’s grandfather spoke to him when he was a child.

At that time, he was just over ten years old, yet his astonishing combat talent had already earned him a reputation in the region.

“A knight?”

“Yes, a knight. A knight who brings peace to humanity.”

“Hmm…”

Young Wade dangled his feet from a high platform by the street, his grandfather sitting beside him, mirroring his actions. The old man and the young boy each held half of a broken ice pop.

His grandfather was already a venerable Pope nearing retirement. Compared to his own peace-loving faction, the incoming Pope was a radical who prioritized human justice above all else. To prevent any uncontrollable conflicts, the Pope, before his retirement, leveraged his connections to place Wade—who was already aligned with his faction—into the Knight Order. It was a means, however small, to stabilize the situation.

“Then what should I do?”

Little Wade looked up at the Pope beside him, a man still far taller than himself despite his advanced age. Someone offered him food and drink, a path to survival in exchange for his loyalty. It was an undeniable bargain.

Wasn’t life simply about the word ‘live’? If his grandfather could offer him a chance to live, then he was willing to be obedient for that opportunity.

His grandfather smiled at his words, extending a calloused palm to gently pat Wade’s small head.

“You only need to stay by my side, and then, act according to your understanding and do what you believe is right.”

This was his grandfather’s trust in Wade, and his confidence in his own teachings.

He had no intention of forcing the child to resort to any means necessary for a single obsession. He merely wished for Wade to observe him, emulate his conduct, and pursue what he deemed correct.

He believed Wade was a good child, and he believed Wade would become everyone’s hero.

****

Yet now, Sir White Knight, our hero, found his Adam’s apple bobbing and his breath quickening. He still adhered to his grandfather’s expectations, yearning to save even more people.

There were many ways to protect everyone.

Defeating enemies was the most common method. Beyond that, however, there was naturally another approach.

—That was to keep the threat close to oneself.

Much like a Demon-Suppressing Pagoda, as long as the demon remained by one’s side, no one else would be imperiled.

Though it sounded somewhat peculiar, if one were to reframe the thought, it was indeed the truth.

‘Will I die?’

This thought had surged into Wade’s mind the moment he had abruptly grasped Lamia Talia’s hand yesterday, agreeing to her proposal.

After all, he was facing the Dark Lord. Who knew what the future held? He might very well have to sacrifice himself.

But… he was the White Knight, and he had to bear such a responsibility.

So…

Alright—alright—!

‘I understand!’

‘If this is what must be done, then I’ll throw caution to the wind—!’

Taking a deep breath, Wade steeled his resolve.

‘It’s just a kiss… I even kissed that big yellow dog when the church kept pets! What’s there to be so worked up about?’

With no other choice, Wade leaned down. He looked at the maiden who seemed as if a gentle embrace would draw her into his arms. Her hair was a pale lavender, with streaks of white highlighting parts of her fringe.

It was precisely because of her lighter hair color that her flushed cheeks stood out so clearly.

‘Her face is red… is it out of shyness?’

‘Hehe… finally couldn’t resist kissing me, could you? I knew it, with my charm, a mere human male is no match for me! Come, kiss me, and then be unable to leave me~’

‘…Of course not.’

It was purely out of excitement, the kind that came from a successful scheme.

Conversely, Wade’s face, burning crimson, was absolutely due to bashfulness. Just a few seconds of eye contact had brought a thin layer of sweat to his brow, plastering his long golden hair to his forehead.

‘A kiss… alright…’

‘If you want it, then I’ll—’

“Whoa…! Watch out—watch out!!”

“—?!”

Just as Wade, eyes closed and resolution etched on his face, was about to kiss Lamia, a scream suddenly pierced the air from behind him. Wade’s eyes snapped open, and he instinctively reached behind him. With a sharp *whiz*, a piercing sound cut past his ear, and a training spear materialized in Wade’s tightly clenched hand.

The spear wasn’t aimed at them; its intended landing spot was a nearby bush. Nevertheless, Wade had instinctively caught the flying object. After all, it was no difficult feat for him, and it could prevent any potential danger.

“…”

Lamia, standing beside him, glanced at Wade as he turned, then at the spear in his hand. The spear was unsharpened and blunt-tipped, its trajectory skewed, and entirely devoid of any killing intent. Thus, Lamia felt no alarm, merely observing with curiosity the several youths now running towards them.

“Ah—! My apologies—apologies, apologies, apologies—!”

The leading youth was the first to reach Wade’s side, bowing repeatedly and profusely apologizing. His flushed face clearly conveyed his deep remorse.

Several others, presumably his training companions, carried spears, swords, or bows slung across their backs. They instinctively swept their gaze over Wade standing before them, then at the insignia and style of his uniform, and knew they were doomed.

“Are you training?”

Wade returned the spear to the youth’s hand, observing him from head to toe. The youth, still bowing his head, had also noticed the patterns on Wade’s clothes, realizing his dire situation, and dared not look up.

“Reporting, yes… yes.”

“Speak up!”

“Yes—yes! We are training! But we used too much force during training, causing the spear to fly out of our hands. We are extremely sorry!”

“…”

Wade looked into the distance. Indeed, there was a training ground where knights were practicing parrying and disarming. Such long-handled weapons did have brutal techniques that involved directly flicking an opponent’s weapon away, but for it to fly this far… ‘What strength this fellow possesses!’

“Which squad?”

“…Ah… I…”

“Which squad?”

“Reporting! Third Squad!”

Seeing Wade ask again with emphasis, the youth immediately stood at attention and called out his squad number. Well, now he was surely in for a harsh lecture from his squad leader.

“Alright, go back. Be careful next time.”

“Yes—!”

Once Wade gave his assent, the youth quickly fled with his companions, not daring to look back. Wade, too, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, the spear was a harmless accident, having been flung sideways. By the time it reached him, aside from the startling whoosh of air, it carried virtually no force.

If it had truly been aimed at Lamia and triggered the Dark Lord’s instincts, that would have been disastrous.

However, such immense strength was a definite advantage; after all, raw strength could overcome many techniques. He should discuss it with their squad leader. This individual seemed like a talent worth nurturing.

‘Are these new recruits to the Knight Order? To be able to flick that spear so far is quite a feat.’

Lamia’s thoughts mirrored Wade’s. Her attention was also drawn to the abilities of the young knights, as both of them were keenly interested in matters of combat.

‘The prowess of these young humans is quite interesting. Perhaps I should get closer and observe them. The White Knight is getting old; perhaps I should seek out younger individuals. Those youths just now seemed to be under twenty, at least ten years younger than the White Knight. Perhaps they are the batch of young people I should pay more attention to.’

“…”

Hearing Lamia’s inner thoughts, Wade frowned slightly.

‘What do you mean, I’m getting old? I’m not even thirty yet! I’m not old at all! I still have forty years until I can collect my pension, you can’t call me old…!’

However, Lamia clearly paid no heed to Wade’s silent protests. She took two curious steps forward, as if she were more interested in the young men than in Wade himself.

‘After all, young people are strong and vigorous. In another ten years, the battlefield will be their domain. Should I scout them out first, get to know them—?’

“—!”

Just as Lamia was about to bypass Wade and head towards the training ground, Wade, feeling a sudden, inexplicable surge of annoyance, seized her hand.

‘What’s this about young people being strong and vigorous… Who are you looking down on?!’

“Wade—?”

The next second, before Lamia could react, Wade cupped her face, leaned down, and pressed a forceful kiss upon her lips.

In that instant, breath was neither rapid nor held, but something in between. Faintly, he seemed to taste blueberries again, and the scent of blueberries from a nearby basket swirled between them, carried by a breeze that had sprung up from nowhere.

How long did the kiss last? Perhaps an instant, or possibly a few seconds.

Only when breathing began to grow difficult did Wade finally release her lips, watching as a shimmering thread of light *snapped* between them, parting from Lamia’s rosy mouth.

“Lamia.”

His breath still trembling, he looked at Lamia, whose face he still held cupped in his hands.

“You already have me as your husband… so don’t look at anyone else…!”

‘Your target is me; you’re not allowed to go causing trouble for others!’