Knight: from Apprentice to the Almighty

Chapter 329: Chapter 316: Abandoned Piece

The River Domain.

Inside a spacious yet modestly furnished manor, a sudden roar shattered the usual silence.

The servants exchanged glances before quickly lowering their heads and dispersing.

In the room, Graham’s chest heaved violently. His graying hair glinted silver in the sunlight, but it did nothing to soften the furious rage on his face.

"Derek, what are you still hesitating for? There’s no way Reggie would do something like this! The students selected for the study tour would never go looking for trouble... especially not with Roland there to watch over them!"

"I understand, Graham. I understand all of it."

Seated at the desk, Derek finally lifted his gaze from a thick stack of documents, his eyes tinged with helplessness as he looked at his old friend.

"If you understand..."

Graham cut him off bluntly.

"Then you should immediately issue a statement questioning the Golden Valley Kingdom’s one-sided slander! Then, through diplomatic channels, bring Reggie and the others back as soon as possible! Not just sit here like this..."

He watched Derek lower his gaze once more and couldn’t help but let out a few heavy coughs, his voice thick with suppressed irritation.

"Doing nothing, staring blankly all day at your blueprints for those so-called ’Demon Wells’ that are supposed to provide ’unlimited Magic Power’!"

"Doing nothing?"

Derek sighed deeply, his gaze returning to the blueprints on the desk, which were covered in complex patterns.

His fingertip traced one of the deeply etched lines, his voice low but clear.

"Graham, don’t you see?"

He looked up, meeting his old friend’s gaze.

"The tides of Magic Power are returning, but the ancient boons of this land are fading. Our crop yields are far worse than in previous years, and the fishermen’s catches aren’t even enough to cover the cost of setting sail."

"All this time, we’ve relied on our abundant resources to foster relationships with other nations, maintaining this fragile balance... but that path is about to reach its end."

He gently tapped the stack of "Demon Well" designs.

"But this," he said, "can convert the increasingly dense Magic Power in the air into usable energy. It can free us from our absolute dependence on the land and rivers, give us a new bargaining chip. It can change everything... but I need time."

Graham’s anger seemed to subside slightly at these words. He frowned, his voice still harsh, but he was no longer shouting.

"So what’s your plan? We can’t just leave Reggie and those kids to die."

Derek’s gaze fell back to the blueprints, his tone calm to the point of being cold.

"I will issue a formal response to the Golden Valley Kingdom, admitting to all the faults they’ve accused us of, and I will place the blame on Reggie and his team’s unauthorized actions."

"We will express our deepest regrets and promise to severely punish those responsible... This will temporarily appease their anger and buy us the time we need."

A deathly silence fell over the room.

Then, Graham slammed his hand on the table, making the blueprints jump.

His face flushed red, his eyes filled with incredulous fury.

"Derek! You... how dare you say such a thing! You’re going to sacrifice them? Sacrifice Reggie and those loyal students just to buy time to fiddle with these blueprints? This is betrayal!"

"It’s a necessary measure!"

Derek raised his voice as well, a flicker of anger showing on his face for the first time.

"For the future of the River Domain, sometimes difficult choices must be made!"

"That’s not a choice, it’s the act of a coward!"

Graham roared.

The two men faced off intensely, the air thick with the scent of a coming schism.

Finally, Graham spun around, ready to storm out.

"Graham."

Derek’s cold voice sounded from behind him, void of its earlier agitation, leaving only unquestionable authority.

"Don’t forget, the one sitting in this position now, the one shouldering the fate of the River Domain... is me."

Graham’s steps faltered.

His back to Derek, his graying beard trembled with his ragged breathing.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, a thousand unspoken words turned into a single, heavy exhale.

He didn’t turn back. Filled with gloom and indignation, he strode out of the room, the heavy sound of the closing door echoing in the hallway.

Derek stood alone.

After a long moment, he slowly sank back into his chair, forcefully massaging his throbbing temples.

But the ruler of the River Domain, still lost in his thoughts, did not notice.

In a sliver of shadow outside the window, untouched by the sun, a slender figure flitted past.

......

......

Roland let out a long sigh and slowly opened his eyes. A heavy exhaustion washed over him like a tide.

His gaze fell upon the frightened, uneasy faces of the students, their young features etched with hardship and fear.

The surrounding walls were mottled and dilapidated. The smell of damp mold mixed with dust filled the air, and he couldn’t help but shake his head.

Nearly a month had passed since the brutal battle with Leonard.

Just as he’d expected, they hadn’t gotten far before wanted posters spread like a silent wildfire to every town and outpost in the Golden Valley Kingdom’s Eastern Domain.

To evade the ubiquitous pursuers, they were forced to hide by day and travel by night, moving through barren hills and dark, sunless forests.

The roads were muddy and rugged, the weather alternating between unbearable heat and cold, pouring rain.

Everyone in the group was injured, and they staggered onward.

Pained groans often broke the silence. Simple bandages could not hide their worsening wounds, and their pace was excruciatingly slow.

A journey that should have taken only half a month at a brisk pace had ended up taking them a full month. They had dragged their nearly broken bodies and minds to finally reach the desolate region bordering the Golden Valley Kingdom and the River Domain.

However, it seemed that all Hope ahead had been cut off...

Recalling what he had sensed at several of the mountain passes, Roland couldn’t help but be secretly astonished.

Auras surged there, a clear sign of heavy troop deployment, including numerous Transcendents of all shapes and sizes who radiated dangerous auras.

It was like an invisible net, sealing off their path of escape.

After much struggle and many detours, they still couldn’t find any way to break through the heavy encirclement.

Exhausted, they had no choice but to hide in a remote village near the border, finding a temporary resting place in a nearly abandoned old house to catch their breath for a moment.

And during this arduous escape, the only good news was...

He temporarily pushed aside his chaotic thoughts and turned his attention to the Professional Panel that only he could see.

The [Nameless Breathing Technique], which had shown no activity for a long time after he took up the [Knight] Profession, was now showing signs of loosening.

’I wonder what the Level cap for the [Nameless Breathing Technique] is?’

Roland mused to himself.

’Maybe after I reach the Full Level, I’ll be able to touch upon that... transformation of life’s very essence that Master Graham mentioned?’

Just as he was lost in thought, the light but clear sound of footsteps came from outside the house.

Before the person could knock, Roland stood up and spoke first.

"Is that you, Teresa? Come in."

The door was pushed open in response by a slender hand.

Seeing the solemn expression on the silver-haired woman’s face, Roland’s brow gradually furrowed.

"What’s wrong? Have we been discovered?"

"Not exactly... It’s just..."

Teresa took a deep breath, her voice sinking even lower.

"The pass ahead... like the other places, is garrisoned with a large number of Transcendents. There are almost no openings to be found."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over the young faces in the room, which were gradually turning pale, and continued.

"But the worse news comes from the River Domain..."

"Lord Derek has issued a formal public statement."

Teresa looked at Reggie, who stood to the side with a tense expression.

"Mister Reggie, the statement places all the blame for Earl Auston’s death and this entire diplomatic incident... on us. On your ’arbitrary decision-making’ and the study tour group’s ’unauthorized actions.’"

The room fell deathly silent, with only the heavy, suppressed panting of the students to be heard.

"The River Domain has denied our official status."

Teresa’s voice was almost a whisper, yet it struck everyone’s heart like a heavy hammer.

"They’ve announced... that we will no longer receive the Kingdom’s recognition or protection. We... have been cast aside."

As her words fell, despair descended like a tangible shroud, quickly enveloping the entire dilapidated room.