Volume 5, Chapter 11 – I Am Still A Paladin

“So this is Yunchou?”

“Just him?”

Before Tianyin actually laid eyes on Yunchou, when it came to this person, she had just always thought that Yunchou should be someone who looked vicious and ruthless the moment you saw him.

Although she did have some previous impression of him, that had only been a single brief encounter. As for what Yunchou would be like now, Tianyin had basically been guessing based on what the Light Orb of the System had told her.

And now, Yunchou had finally appeared before Tianyin.

What surprised her was that Yunchou… actually just had the appearance of an ordinary boy.

Not only that, just speaking of Yunchou’s strength, Tianyin could already tell at a glance.

“Is this… really Yunchou?”

Doubt.

Confusion.

He clearly just looked like an utterly ordinary boy, wearing clunky armor that did not match his build at all.

Not only that, a boy like this was standing in the Paladin Temple with an awkward smile plastered on his face as he tried to appease everyone.

No matter how she looked at it, it was hard for Tianyin to link this image of Yunchou with the mysterious player the System had said possessed a huge threat.

「Even though this person looks very ordinary, Xiaoyin, people who look ordinary like this are either really ordinary, or else… they really are dangerous…」

「Mm…」

Even though questions still lingered in her heart, Tianyin also knew that what Samael said made sense.

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After all, you could not judge a person by appearance alone. If she kept letting herself be bewitched by harmless-looking faces… sooner or later there would come a day when she regretted it…

Mm… after all, that was exactly the kind of thing Tianyin had already experienced herself…

『Mm… don’t worry, Samael… I’ll stay on guard…』

Even though she was still wondering why Yunchou would have such a harmless appearance, thanks to Samael’s words, Tianyin still raised her guard in time.

At this moment, up at the very front of the crowd in the Paladin Temple, Yunchou was still wearing that appeasing smile as he explained to the Epic-tier Paladin who had been reading the names why he was late.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry… I really did just get up a bit late… since today is such an important day for the King of Knights election, I got so excited last night that I couldn’t fall asleep… and only dozed off groggily when it was almost dawn… I’m really sorry…”

So everyone saw Yunchou standing there, apologizing in all earnestness.

Seeing that Yunchou’s attitude as he apologized was at least sincere, the Epic-tier Paladin pondered for a brief moment, then nodded with a look of sudden understanding.

“Alright, your attitude in admitting your mistake is sincere enough. We Paladins aren’t that rigid. We’ll let you off this once.”

“Thank you, thank you…”

Having been forgiven, Yunchou expressed his gratitude over and over.

“Mm… alright, no need to keep thanking me. Since you have the qualification to inherit the position of King of Knights, that means you’re one of the outstanding knights among the Paladins. Just do your best from here on.”

“Mm, mm.”

Seeing how Yunchou looked like a student who had just been properly taught, the Epic-tier Paladin gave a gratified smile.

“As long as you understand in your heart…”

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Then, speaking as he moved, he picked up the list in his hand.

“Ahem—next, hm?”

When he reached the next name, the Epic-tier Paladin paused for a moment yet again.

His eyes swept the surroundings with a strange look, finally lingering on Fisiel’s face for a moment before he slowly spoke.

“Legendary Paladin Fisiel!”

“Fisiel, it’s your turn!”

Hearing Fisiel’s name, Tianyin excitedly patted her on the shoulder.

“Mm… ah… it’s finally my turn…”

Even though she had mentally prepared herself early on, at the instant her own name was called, Fisiel still felt a bit dazed.

She had always been insisting that she was a Paladin, but standing in front of so many Paladins, it would have been strange if Fisiel felt no guilt at all.

Her heart was a little stirred, but even in that excitement, Fisiel still gripped the knight’s sword in her hand tightly and walked toward the very front of the crowd.

“Fisiel?! What kind of joke is this? Why would a Paladin who was stripped of her name appear at such an important gathering!”

The moment Fisiel stepped out from the crowd, most of the Paladins present began to stir.

“Someone who betrayed our kingdom’s faction still deserves to be called a Paladin!?”

“Wasn’t she stripped of her name? How can she take part in this election!?”

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“Someone who betrayed our faction and handed over the Northern Fortress doesn’t deserve to inherit the power of the King of Knights!”

Clearly, most of the Paladins were already highly resistant just because of Fisiel’s status as someone who had been “stripped of her name.”

Of course, the Legendary Paladins present were still able to sit tight. When the Paladins in the entire temple began to clamor, each one of them just kept an expressionless, indifferent face, as if it had nothing to do with them.

As for Yunchou—

Tianyin noticed that Yunchou, who was obviously being treated as a fringe figure by everyone, was just looking at Fisiel with a puzzled expression…

For the moment, she could not see anything wrong with him…

Pulling her attention back from Yunchou, Tianyin once again focused on Fisiel, who had already reached the very front row and was now being condemned by so many Paladins.

『Samael, those Paladins’ reaction seems kind of intense…』

Tianyin was a little worried about how Fisiel was holding up.

「We can’t help her with something like this, Xiaoyin. Right now, aside from choosing to believe in Fisiel, we don’t have any other option…」

『Mm… believe in Fisiel? Mm, I believe in Fisiel!』

At this moment, the knight girl Fisiel standing at the front finally slowly drew the knight’s sword in her hand.

“I am the Paladin Fisiel!”

“What, just because you stripped me of my name, I’m no longer a Paladin?”

In the next instant, dazzling Holy Light began to shine along the blade in the girl’s hand.

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“All of you, watch closely. What am I holding in my hand!”

The girl lifted her head, her gaze incomparably stern as she swept her eyes around her.

“In my hand is a knight’s sword!”

“In my hand is the Holy Light!”

“In my hand is also the faith of the Paladins!”

“Tell me this—I still hold a knight’s sword, still hold the Holy Light, still hold my faith. How am I not a Paladin!”

Fisiel’s words, imbued with Legendary power, directly drowned out the voices of all the Paladins in the temple.

But just as the many Paladins fell silent, a voice rang out.

“So what! You’ve already been stripped of the name of Paladin by us. You’re no longer a Paladin!”

“What a joke! How am I not a Paladin!”

Even as she was refuted, Fisiel still held herself with unshakable resolve.

“Do I need you to acknowledge that I’m a Paladin?”

“I believe in the Holy Light, and the Holy Light still looks kindly upon me. And I’ve always thought that I, Fisiel, am a Paladin!”