Volume 5, Chapter 14 – The Meeting of Gazes

『So… Paladins are actually just a bunch of stubborn, narrow-minded lunatics, Samael?』

「Not necessarily~」

In response to Tianyin’s words, Samael instead denied it.

「What I was talking about was the vast majority of Paladins I have seen, Xiaoyin.」

「Admittedly, Paladins are all a bunch of obsessive madmen.」

「But among Paladins there are also some who see things clearly. They notice the problems that the other Paladins deliberately ignore, or they see the flaws that exist within Paladins themselves.」

『Eh? Paladins have flaws too?』

Tianyin asked back in surprise.

「Of course they do. The flaws of Paladins are often the weak points that people with ulterior motives use against them. For example, even though Paladins clearly hold most of the military authority in the major kingdoms of the Kingdom Faction, their control over that military authority is weaker than ever.」

「Not only that, most Paladins are willing to give up their lives for the ideals they yearn for. You have experienced that yourself, right.」

『Wuu…』

Samael’s words could not help but send Tianyin into her memories.

What surfaced in Tianyin’s mind was that nameless canyon from back then, the Legendary Paladin called “Karl” and those unnamed Paladins who followed one after another…

Yes.

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Sometimes Paladins were just a group of fools like that. Even knowing full well there was no way to save anyone, they would still sacrifice their lives with complete disregard for themselves…

『Paladins… really are a bunch of obsessive people…』

Tianyin muttered to herself and, as she recalled that incident, she unconsciously looked toward the “instigator” behind it back then. Now he stood in the very front as a candidate Holy King of Knights, watching the Legendary Paladin explaining the way of the knight with an earnest expression on his face.

Whether it was intentional or not, as Tianyin’s gaze moved over, Yunchou, who had been staring at the speaking Legendary Paladin, withdrew his gaze at that exact moment and looked back toward her.

In that instant, their two lines of sight met for the very first time.

“…”

The moment Tianyin met Yunchou’s eyes, her heart was suddenly filled with cold.

It felt like seeing some kind of terrifying existence, and that feeling made her body tense up on its own.

However, no matter how nervous she was inside, Tianyin could not just show it on her face. So, after meeting Yunchou’s gaze, Tianyin refused to back down and glared back with what she believed was a “fierce” look.

When he met Tianyin’s so-called “fierce” gaze, the originally expressionless face of Yunchou in the distance suddenly showed the most ordinary smile a young man ought to have.

After giving Tianyin a gentle smile, Yunchou then took the initiative to withdraw his gaze and once more looked toward the Legendary Paladin speaking up ahead.

“…”

Silence.

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It was not only Tianyin who fell silent, Samael in her mind did as well.

『Samael… he saw me…』

「Mm… I saw it too…」

Even though that moment of eye contact had lasted only for an instant, Tianyin felt as if, in that instant, an entire century had passed…

What burned itself deepest into Tianyin’s memory was that calm gaze of Yunchou’s, as deep as an abyss, those pitch-black eyes that did not hold even the slightest hint of light.

Even though afterward Yunchou had politely given her a smile, all of Tianyin’s attention was still caught by those pitch-black eyes…

Because…

Tianyin instinctively felt, in those deep black eyes, a cold killing intent that made it hard to breathe.

「He is not ordinary… that person… Xiaoyin, I am starting to believe what you said, that Yunchou is a very dangerous person… because that cold, merciless gaze of his, like a venomous snake, is not something just anyone can have…」

『Mm… Samael… it seems our plan to stop Yunchou really was the right choice…』

Her heart still pounding with lingering fear.

To be honest, in that brief instant Tianyin had felt like all of her thoughts, everything, had been laid completely bare in front of Yunchou.

And that had been nothing more than two lines of sight intersecting, something that could not have looked more ordinary on the surface…

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「Xiaoyin, no matter what, we cannot let Yunchou obtain that King of Knights’ Throne-tier power… I have a feeling, Xiaoyin, that if Yunchou gains the King of Knights’ Throne-tier power, he will become an existence even more troublesome than the Abyssal Lord…」

『Mm… I understand…』

Samael’s words undoubtedly confirmed what Tianyin felt in her heart. After she looked toward Fisiel in the distance, who still had her eyes closed and seemed to be resting, Tianyin slowly took a deep breath.

『If Fisiel fails,… then, Samael, we will keep a constant watch on Yunchou from that point on…』

『If Yunchou manages to win the inheritance, we will act directly to stop it. And if Yunchou fails, we still cannot let down our guard…』

Yes, from nothing more than a mere crossing of gazes, Tianyin and Samael’s sense of caution had been pushed to the highest level in that moment.

While Tianyin remained on edge, the Paladin who had been explaining his way of the knight stepped down from the platform amid loud cheers.

And as that Paladin left the stage, Fisiel, whom Tianyin had just seen with her eyes closed as if resting, suddenly spoke up.

“Paladin Fisiel, I ask my fellow comrades for your guidance!”

After saying something that sounded strangely out of place, the knight girl Fisiel walked to the spot where they spoke.

Brilliant holy light shimmered along the sharp knight’s sword, and at the same time the stern knight girl fixed her serious gaze on the sword in her hands.

“Just now, I listened to what my fellow comrades had to say… I admit, each of your ways of the knight has its own logic, but in my view… that is all it amounts to…”

At this point, the knight girl suddenly drove the sword in her hands hard into the ground at her feet.

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With a metallic clang, the sharp knight’s sword pierced through the hard stone floor. As the floor split, that shining knight’s sword stood upright in front of everyone’s eyes.

“Because what you said is nothing but utter nonsense!”

As the girl’s resolute voice fell, the entire Sanctuary of Knights erupted like a stirred-up nest.

“What!?”

“Fisiel, how dare you!”

“For you to say something like that, do you still count as a Paladin!?”

Faced with the accusations from the many Paladins, Fisiel gave a faint smile.

“What, I am not allowed to speak? Fine, in my eyes, the Paladins of today… that is, all of you, every one of you is far too hidebound. And the things you hidebound people say are nothing but gibberish.”

As the knight girl’s words fell, the Paladins present grew even more enraged.

Different from those outraged Paladins, Tianyin’s face showed a look of disbelief mixed with deep worry.

As for Yunchou…

He was wearing a thoughtful expression.