Volume 5, Chapter 13 – The Paranoid Way of the Knight

Just like that, the election for the King of Knights had already run into these rather unexpected “incidents” right from the very beginning.

Fortunately, for now they were only minor mishaps, and nothing had happened that could actually interfere with the election moving forward.

“Alright… that was the list of candidates for the King of Knights. Next we will move to the next stage, so would all Paladins please explain your own way of the knight.”

After saying this, the Epic-tier Paladin in charge of reading names stepped down with the list in hand.

Of course, the reason he withdrew was also because there was no further need for him in the election inside the Sanctuary of Knights.

Everything that followed was up to the Paladins who were candidates.

Although they called it explaining their own way of the knight, in practice it was about the same as campaign speeches for competing Paladins.

In other words, those Legendary candidates for the Holy King of Knights would be promoting what actions they intended to take after they became Holy King of Knights.

“In order, let me go first….”

As the Paladin who had announced the list left, the atmosphere in the entire Sanctuary of Knights grew even more solemn.

At this moment, the first Legendary Paladin on the list, Uther, slowly opened his eyes that had been closed the whole time, then walked to the spot where the Epic-tier Paladin had just been standing.

After turning to face everyone, this Legendary Paladin set his knight’s sword point-down in front of him, and placed both hands on the hilt in a stance of resting on the sword.

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“I, Uther, as a Paladin, have come here today specifically to tell everyone my thoughts.”

“As for the seat of the Holy King of Knights, there are many who are more outstanding than me, so I do not harbor many delusions about it.”

“The reason I came today is actually because I wish to speak of my principles to all my fellow comrades.”

“What is a Paladin?”

“In my view, it can be summed up in only a few words, and those are upholding justice.”

“Then what is justice?”

“Helping those who need help is justice, protecting the weak who are oppressed is justice, resisting the darkness and dedicating ourselves to the light is justice.”

“In my eyes, only when Paladins uphold this belief in justice can it be called justice, and for us Paladins, the weak commoners within the Kingdom Faction are the very people our justice exists to protect.”

“Those scum who oppress the commoners and do nothing but prey on their neighbors are the ones our Paladin justice must punish.”

“Yet now, the various nations within the Kingdom Faction launch constant wars of annexation. Yes, unification may draw out the Kingdom Faction’s potential to its fullest, but in this endless war with no end in sight, what I see are scenes of countless ordinary commoners dying miserably.”

“So I believe that from here on we Paladins must unite, carry out the justice in our hearts for the sake of those innocent commoners, protect the people, and wield force to bring this ridiculous war to an end.”

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With Uther’s words, many of the Paladins present began shouting loudly, stirring up the crowd.

“Good!”

“Paladin Uther, you are right, we must go and fulfill the justice in our hearts. Join together, use force to bring this endless unjust war to an end.”

After that, as Uther continued to elaborate on his ideas about uniting to oppose the wars of annexation within the Kingdom Faction, the Paladins on site shouted louder and louder.

If these shouts were compared to waves, then each one could be said to crash higher than the last.

Dozens of minutes later, Uther’s explanation came to an end, and with the conclusion of his way of the knight, the atmosphere inside the Sanctuary of Knights had been pushed to its peak.

“Uther, Uther, Uther!”

Amid one earth-shaking shout after another, the Legendary Paladin Uther walked back solemnly to his original spot.

“Since Uther has finished, then it should be my turn…”

As Uther returned to his place, another Legendary Paladin slowly opened his eyes. Likewise, after striding to the spot where Uther had just been speaking, he began his own explanation of the way of the knight.

Also being a Legendary Paladin, his talk on the way of the knight was exceptionally stirring, and as his speech progressed, the atmosphere on site grew even more heated.

With an atmosphere like this, if an uninformed outsider happened to be here, they might well think it was a group of Paladins holding some kind of gathering…

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Dozens of minutes later, this Legendary Paladin also finished describing his way of the knight, and as he stepped down, yet another Legendary Paladin walked up.

However…

As time passed and she listened to these Paladins talk about the way of the Paladin, Tianyin gradually felt that something was very strange.

『Wuu… Samael, why… why is it that when I listen to what these people are saying, it feels really off to me…』

「Hm? Xiaoyin, what feels off. In my eyes, these Paladins all seem pretty normal.」

『No… it is not a matter of whether they are normal or not, it is that they are far too normal… so normal that it feels really wrong to me…』

Although Samael’s words made Tianyin briefly wonder if she was just sensing things wrong, as time went on, she once again became sure of her own feelings.

『Samael… this way of the knight that these Legendary Paladins are talking about… it might sound very normal to your ears, but… this so-called way of the knight, when I listen to it… it is just far too obsessive…』

「Pfft… so Xiaoyin, you noticed.」

Hearing Tianyin’s words, Samael in her mind could not help but give a small amused smile.

『Mm… eh, wait, Samael, you mean you knew all along?』

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「That’s right, actually I have long known about the problems these Paladins have. But these are all common illnesses among Paladins, I have gotten used to them already~」

『Gotten used to it…』

Tianyin was a bit puzzled.

However, at least Tianyin could tell that Samael understood these Paladins very well.

「Well, Xiaoyin, these Paladins already looked just like this back when I was still the Blood Knight… inflexible, obsessive, enforcing absolute justice. In their eyes, everything in the world is divided into so-called good and evil, and they believe that wherever they stand is absolute good.」

「But Xiaoyin, wherever there is light in this world, there is darkness. As for so-called pure good and pure evil, in my view they are actually only relative to the person who is looking.」

「Different standpoints mean different views of good and evil. In the eyes of those Paladins, the weak commoners are absolute good. But are the weak people they protect really absolute good?」

「In truth there is no absolute in this world, those who are pitiful always have something detestable about them as well.」

『Wuu…』

In response to the Samael in her mind, Tianyin nodded as if she half understood and half did not.