Amber Sword

As soon as the little girl left, Brand finally gained freedom. He quickly created a Water Ball and threw it at his face; the icy temperature finally calmed the accelerated blood flow somewhat, and only then did he put on a coat and rush outside.

As he stepped out, he saw Antitina in the courtyard. Antitina was sitting on a stone chair reading a geography book, but her mind was obviously not on the book.

"The Princess seems very angry." The Staff Lady approached Brand, put down the scroll, and asked worriedly. "It’s nothing," Brand sighed. "Where’s that fellow Alorz?"

"Are you talking about the Dragon Clan’s eldest lady, my Lord? I haven’t seen her; has she left?"

"No, never mind." Brand turned around to chase after her. "Wait," the Staff Lady stood up and grabbed him. Seeing her Lord’s puzzled look, she thoughtfully reminded him, "Straighten your attire, my Lord."

Brand’s usual habits didn’t account for much concern about dress formality. He casually threw on a coat and ran out. Antitina blushed at his disheveled appearance and reached out to straighten his collar.

In Tonyger, Brand didn’t put much emphasis on appearances. If not for his demonstrated bearing, one would doubt his noble identity. However, no civilian could be so erudite. In fact, Furlo usually handled his daily affairs—though the carefree Miss Merchant was usually in a daze herself, not to mention taking on the responsibilities of a Lord’s fiancée—this is why the older of the Wild Elf sisters was jokingly referred to as the ’Maid Chief of the Lord’ by mercenaries.

If Furlo was the Maid Chief, then Antitina’s role was more akin to a Housekeeper. She helped Brand straighten the edges of his clothes, gently dusted off the black velvet, and said with slight annoyance, "When can my Lord pay attention to his own dignity?"

Dignity was something Brand never thought of as inherent, and he didn’t care about it. Antitina helping him dress up wasn’t the first time. Truth be told, he couldn’t see the difference before and after straightening things, only feeling it was redundant. However, he didn’t refuse, simply asking:

"Antitina, how long was I unconscious?"

"We’ve been in Ambeser for half a month, my Lord." The Staff Lady fastened the buttons on his chest, looked around left and right, and nodded in satisfaction.

"That long!" Brand was startled; he thought he was only unconscious for two or three days. "What happened after I fell unconscious that day? What about Duke Xifah and those henchmen of his?"

"The Duke is already dead."

"What!?" This news was completely unexpected; Brand never dreamed that one of the most important figures in Erune’s history would die.

He was stunned for a moment before asking, "Antitina, what exactly happened after I fell unconscious that day? How did the subsequent battle go? Tell me in detail."

...

An endless number of Demons seemed to surge forth from the darkness. It felt like being swept into an endless nightmare from which there was no waking. Torrential rain poured down and lightning traced brilliant silver chains across the sky.

Princess Griffith turned pale—

"Mr. Stephen... cough, cough... I’ll leave the Princess to you."

"Sir Reld, I promise you, in the name of a Knight."

"No, Sir Reld! I order you not to do this; I want to stay here!" In that nightmare, she screamed. But with a stern expression, the Old Knight grabbed her shoulder and threw her out. She floated lightly, flying over the heads of the Demons, her final vision fixing on that kingdom’s lion looking proudly northward in the rain.

That ice-covered Highland tundra was where the honor of the White Lion lay.

That was the battlefield where countless White Lions laid to rest, where generations of Heroic Souls slumbered. Perhaps every Knight eventually returns home, but only the White Lion will forever guard this land.

This was a legend passed down the ages; they swore an oath under the Sword and followed that oath.

The kingdom’s lion Armor was scarred, but the rain quickly washed away the bloodstains. Princess Griffith was already in tears, as Templar Stephen grabbed her hand and carved a blood-soaked path through the Demon Army.

𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Why didn’t you let me die there, where my people are!" she remembered shouting, as if she had lost her mind.