Chapter 29: The Golden Lion
Twin Lion Castle—of course, that's what the people of York Territory called it.
In the eyes of Pegiraov and Aivas, this "castle" was essentially a military fortress adorned with some noble embellishments.
Pegiraov dismounted from his horse.
"Knight Wolf, please stand guard here. I do not wish for our conversation with Sir Helvin to be disturbed."
"…Your will." Knight Wolf paused for a moment, then knelt on one knee and spoke.
Without paying further attention, Aivas pushed open the fortress's main gate with his wooden staff.
The three of them entered, immediately seeing an armored knight in the courtyard.
It was Knight Zorn, the only knight who had not betrayed them thus far.
He held a longsword, breathing heavily, his sword hand trembling slightly.
"A knight who upholds the honor of unwavering loyalty must not be insulted," Pegiraov said. "Dean, bid him farewell with knightly etiquette."
The knight who had accompanied Pegiraov stepped forward, drew his longsword, gripped it with both hands, and held it upright before him.
This was the ritual preceding a knight's duel.
Zorn naturally understood. He positioned his longsword upright before him in return.
Then, he suddenly charged at Dean, stirring up a violent gust.
"Clang!"
The swords clashed, the metallic collision resonating. Using his sword for support, Knight Wolf knelt on one knee and closed his eyes.
Every knight had reached the pinnacle of human potential in body, mind, and skill.
The dirt ground was trampled into pits, and the hard stone walls bore sword marks. In the battle between the two knights, the courtyard was instantly devastated.
However, their fight did not approach Pegiraov and the others, as a faint membrane enveloped the two combatants. Moreover, the battle was dominated by Dean from the very first clash.
"I do not wish to see filth," Pegiraov said before pushing open the door to the fortress hall.
"Your will." Aivas nodded slightly, then said, "The filth has been cleaned up; nothing will disturb you."
"Very well." Pegiraov nodded, then pushed open the door.
Candles burned atop the fortress hall, their light filtering through the stained glass on the walls, illuminating the red carpet laid in the center of the hall.
It was spotless, as if it had just been cleaned.
"Just now, my Mary was enveloped in golden flames before my eyes. These flames were as alluring as gold," Helvin sat on the lord's seat in the center of the hall.
"She did not scream in pain, not even a groan, but seemed to enter a beautiful dream, no longer feeling any pain."
"Then her body was completely incinerated."
"And the golden flames did not stop; they continued to burn."
"Burning on the carpet, spreading, covering the entire carpet, reaching my feet, burning my body."
"I was terrified, I was afraid, but these flames only made me feel warm, like my father's embrace when I was a child."
"I understand why my Mary died with a smile."
"Even for me, I would willingly indulge in such warmth."
"But the golden flames disappeared, and I saw the filth on the carpet had been cleaned."
"Then I understood, in your eyes, my Mary was filth."
Helvin's voice echoed, sounding very old.
"You're not much better, reeking all over," Aivas said with some disgust.
Pegiraov raised his hand slightly in a gesture.
Aivas bowed and stepped aside to the door.
"Physical filth is the power of time, but spiritual filth requires purification," Pegiraov said.
"Mary fell in love with your child, so she expressed her love. Is that what you see as filth?"
"You mean she had someone capture my child and forcibly brought him to her room as an expression of love?"
"One must seize what they love. Mary was the daughter of a viscount, accompanied by guards, while your child was merely the son of a lord, and without any guards."
"But she didn't expect my child to be protected by magic."
"Yes, otherwise, you could have tasted the pain of losing a child."
"So you do not regret invading Lundex Territory?"
"Regret? Why should I regret?" Helvin spread his arms and laughed. "The strong dominate the weak; that's the law of this world."
"When I had more knights and warriors than you, of course, I had to devour you."
"And now, when your knights and warriors outnumber mine, isn't it the same that you want to devour me?"
"You're right; that's the law of the world," Pegiraov nodded. "So, do you have anything else to say?"
"Hahahaha." Helvin stood up. "Why do you think that after winning over those knights, I've lost?"
He said.
"My Elbert Family has survived on this land for seven generations, and among our direct descendants, not a single knight has emerged."
"In the collateral branches, the knights over the past two hundred years can be counted on one hand."
"Yet such a weak Elbert Family has still ruled this land for over two hundred years."
"Do you think it's merely relying on these rebellious knights?"
He raised his right hand high, revealing a lion-head ring on his middle finger.
"Behold, this is the honor of the Noble House of the Twin Lions!"
Golden light burst forth, accompanied by the roar of a lion. Within the light, a massive golden lion shattered the lord's seat and coiled around Helvin.
"Roar!"
The golden lion's roar spread like a tangible soundwave, shaking the fortress hall. A transparent membrane flashed in front of Pegiraov, blocking the soundwave.
"Golden Lion?" Pegiraov said in surprise. "I didn't expect it to be with you."
"You do know," Helvin reached out to stroke the lion's mane, and the golden lion lowered its head.
"Of course I know. However, such a high-level fantasy species as the Golden Lion was believed by scholars to have gone extinct after the end of the divine era."
"Then you should know the power of the Golden Lion," Helvin chuckled softly.
"Of course. In my youth, I wanted to capture one, but unfortunately, I never found one," Pegiraov said with some regret.
"Hahaha, Lord Lundex, you jest. This is the highest-level fantasy species, the Golden Lion that can easily kill knights," Helvin sneered.
"Yes, if it were still alive," Pegiraov nodded calmly. "It's just a pity that it's already dead and has been made into a low-level mystical artifact."
Helvin's expression changed slightly. "Even so, with the Golden Lion, my Elbert Family can still rule this land."
He waved his hand, and the Golden Lion roared, pouncing toward Lundex.
"Sir Helvin, since your family possesses the Golden Lion, then you should know that lower-level mysteries become ineffective in the face of higher-level mysteries."
Pegiraov spoke calmly, taking out a ring and putting it on the little finger of his right hand, then gently threw a punch.
This punch landed directly on the Golden Lion's teeth.
"Roar~"
The Golden Lion let out an angry roar. However, its body froze, then twisted, like molten gold surging, gradually converging toward its forehead, gradually transforming back into a lion-head ring, and fell onto the carpet.