Benedict, who had been watching the clash between the Kingdom's Knights and the Alrn Knights from behind, sighed and pressed his forehead.
When Lucy said she would participate in the duel, he had already expected this outcome. To have his daughter on the front lines meant someone’s reason was about to be thrown out the window.
Benedict had seen countless knights losing their sanity, swept away by Lucy’s voice, only to later come to their senses with the realization of, “What did I just do to my lord’s daughter!?” He was certain that when Lucy stepped forward, there would be chaos.
Even so, he hadn’t stopped her simply because he was endlessly indulgent when it came to Lucy.
His cute, sweet daughter. Calling him “Papa,” and shouting that she wanted to test the new armor’s abilities—how could he refuse her?
The conversations he’d had with Lucy, filled with teasing and insults, had all been mentally corrected in his mind, leaving only the image of his adorable daughter.
“Lord, is it alright if you don’t join the fight?”
Poseil, the commander of the Alrn knights, asked with his arms crossed, and Benedict chuckled.
“Why, what are you doing then?”
“I think it will help the knights grow,” Poseil replied.
“Same for me,” Benedict said.
The gap between the Kingdom’s First Order and the Alrn knights wasn’t as large as people thought. Despite all the politics involved, the knights of the Kingdom were truly exceptional talents, and they had the strength to match the Kingdom’s sword.
What was especially threatening was the knight commander, Tavol.
The man who survived countless battles with Benedict and was marked by defeat and hardship, who had turned his back on his own family but still remained as commander of the knights—it was no small feat.
He might be foolish in terms of character and politics, but as a knight, he was unquestionably first-rate.
Under normal circumstances, Poseil of the Alrn knights would be a suitable opponent for someone like Tavol.
But today was different.
“That fool is letting someone other than you play with him?”
“...Have I ever played with Tavol?”
“There were many times in the past. When you were in your prime, you completely shattered him. Do you know why he still hates you?”
“Hmph.”
Benedict interrupted the conversation with a cough, then turned his gaze back to the front lines of the battle.
Tavol, the leader of the Kingdom’s knights, was currently being played with by a little girl.
The heavy, guillotine-like strikes of his sword never came close to Lucy’s skin. His attempts to cleave the air in half only passed harmlessly by her, and his usual fierce charges were now turning into a display of wild, uncoordinated brutality.
Lucy Alrn’s steps, her dance in the middle of the battlefield, and her movements, like that of a fairy, had reduced a seasoned knight commander into nothing more than a mindless beast.
Of course, Tavol, even with an empty head, was still threatening. His decades of honed physical training could not be undone, no matter how irrational his actions became.
“When did Cal grow so much?”
“In my eyes, it’s Lady Lucy’s growth that stands out more.”
“Haha. Whose daughter would be surprised by something like that?”
However, Tavol’s monstrous onslaught was blocked by only two people.
Lucy and Cal stood in his way.
Lucy effortlessly avoided or deflected Tavol’s sword with her shield, playing with him. Each time Tavol tried to gather his strength to crush her with his shield, Cal stepped in and stole his breath away.
Whenever Tavol tried to remove him from the equation, Cal seemed to vanish like a ghost, and Lucy would hold him back again.
Other knights from the Kingdom attempted to charge at Lucy, but their swords could never reach her.
Cal, who had chosen to be Lucy’s guard dog, kept all the surrounding knights at bay, ensuring that none could touch her.
“Your patience is impressive. Rather than finishing the opponent, you’re focusing on removing variables. A knight’s sword.”
“That’s the correct choice. Lady Lucy is shaking the battlefield just by existing.”
It wasn’t clear whether Cal was protecting her out of a desire to shield her or from a strategic standpoint, but ultimately, his choice had been the right one.
Lucy’s influence on the battlefield wasn’t limited to just keeping Tavol in check.
The eyes of the Kingdom’s knights were on Lucy, and all their anger was now focused on her.
For them, hurting the little girl in front of them became more important than their duty, their comrades’ safety, or the enemy they should be focusing on.
“Lord, did Lady Lucy possess such immense power?”
“The power to incite anger in others, you mean?”
“Yes.”
Poseil, who had spent years training and fighting alongside Lucy, or Benedict, who had observed her closely, understood her power to some extent.
But they both tilted their heads. While Lucy’s taunting ability was certainly formidable, it had never before attracted this much attention.
Could it be... the effect of the new armor?
Benedict looked at the armor Lucy wore with a conflicted expression. The armor, given to her by the legendary blacksmith Inuki, was not something any father should ever let his daughter wear.
To be honest, Benedict still wanted to throw the armor away. Yet, despite his discomfort, there was no denying the armor’s remarkable properties.
Excessive exposure aside, the craftsmanship of the armor was breathtaking. It was clear that a master artisan had poured his life into making it.
Lucy, already praised as the incarnation of a goddess, now wore this provocative armor that revealed so much of her body, causing her to attract attention wherever she went.
Benedict, recalling how Lucy’s fox had tried to look underneath her armor and was kicked away, was sure the knights were sending lustful gazes toward her.
“And Lucy’s newly learned martial arts must be playing a significant role,” Benedict continued.
The dance Lucy had introduced as the “Fairy Dance” was light as the wind and as captivating as the movements of a dancer.
Even the Alrn knights, who had watched her perform countless times, couldn’t take their eyes off her. What would the knights unfamiliar with such a display think?
“It’s impossible to look away. Her playful smile, the insults she throws—none of it can be ignored. To put it simply, Lucy is forcing her power onto them.”
The strength of a knight order comes from the unity of its members, the fact that they have trained to move as one.
If they lose that organic connection, they turn into a disjointed, incompetent group.
That’s exactly what happened today. The First Knight Order, shattered by the variable Lucy Alrn, was now less effective than the fleeing soldiers.
“Not only did we win the battle between the knight orders, but the First Knight Order has also given us the justification we need. Now, they can’t say a word against us.”
“Not only that. We’ll be free from any future accusations of cowardice.”
Recently, Lucy had spoken to Benedict about the royal family. She had asked him to be a restraining force to prevent Queen 1 from doing whatever she pleased. Benedict had no intention of betraying Lucy’s trust.
“I promised to remain a loyal knight of the Kingdom. But now... the Kingdom is secondary to me.”
Benedict let out a wry smile, realizing that the conflict between the knight orders had lost its meaning. He stepped into the midst of the knights and the fighting quickly stopped.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.
The rage-fueled knights lost their reason in mere minutes.
After the meeting in the Burrow Duke's residence, Erginus headed to the Partlan Duke’s estate to assess the level of the mages.
He needed to know if he could entrust them with the tasks ahead.
The Duke’s mages were all thoroughly trained and completed practitioners, just like the Duke and his children.
“Interesting.”
Usually, mages were often eccentric, focusing more on personal desire than on fundamentals. Many would end up achieving nothing due to their inability to focus on the basics.
But the mages of the Duke’s house were different. They valued collective strength over individualism, resembling soldiers more than typical mages.
Though Erginus personally thought mages shouldn’t be like that, he recognized that it worked for this situation.
Managing mages with strong individualistic tendencies was a headache.
The mages of the Partlan house were grounded, disciplined, and followed orders without hesitation, making them ideal for executing plans.
Satisfied with their performance, Erginus led them toward the Fairy Forest.
He needed to check the barriers with his own eyes and verify his plans.
He had already left the other mages behind and stepped onto the cursed ground filled with the energy of the Evil God. Soon, he arrived at the barrier, now tainted with darkness.
“Your Majesty, it’s been a long time, but I’ve come to correct my mistakes. I’ll meet with you soon. Please wait a little longer.”
As Erginus placed his hand on the barrier, pouring out his long-held emotions, he began to gather himself to inspect the situation inside the barrier. But...
“...Huh?”
His attempt failed. Something inside the barrier stopped him from intervening.
It wasn’t the Evil God’s energy. If it had been that, Erginus would have been blocked immediately.
Then, what was it?
Could it be...
“...The Fairy Queen?”
Had she, the one who should be asleep, stopped him?
Why?