Chapter 128: The Knight’s Heart

Late at night, in the bushes behind the relief home, the orb of the Lesser Light Spell emitted a bright glow. Ancestar sat on a high branch, vigilantly watching the surroundings.

“Ollie, I really don’t understand what an imaginary number is. Why do imaginary numbers exist?” Arno scratched his head, looking troubled and distressed at the exercise book.

For Arno the poor student, being able to perform meditation with the Minimal Meditation Spell—the single-rune Spell Model of Lesser Mana #3—was already a huge improvement. He did genuinely feel his body and mind improving during meditation, which made him overjoyed.

But he still couldn’t escape the terrifying Elementary Mathematics series. He heard that a man named Ace had compiled the books. It is simply too terrifying.

Ancestar, watching Ollie absorbed in studying and Arno forced into studying, said, “The logic and mathematics study that is almost openly conducted among the Wizard Apprentices—although no one has leaked the secret because of the covenant—this behavior clearly proclaims that Scholar Ace is a Wizard, doesn’t it?”

“It is certainly possible. He might even be His Excellency the Torch-Bearer. He created this intricate Grimoire to cultivate us. He must have his reasons. We just need to wait patiently,” Ollie said while correcting Arno’s exercises.

Ancestar said no more. He didn’t actually dislike the feeling of becoming a Wizard Apprentice. Just like the Thought-Flow Knight school in the past, Wizards were a pure group that already showed signs of cohesion.

The spontaneous, research-focused attitude of the Wizard Apprentices toward the supernatural was somewhat similar to the cultivation attitude of the Thought-Flow philosophy—both were so pure.

“Perhaps, it wouldn’t be bad for me to be a Knight among the Wizard Apprentices.” Ancestar murmured softly. The question that had long perplexed him suddenly found its answer in an instant.

He had transitioned from a wandering knight, the last inheritor of the Thought-Flow philosophy, to a Wizard Apprentice, a part of a collective of apprentices. He finally had his own faction.

“The path of Knightly Virtues is not entirely selfless. Virtue still contains self-interest, and that self-interest is one’s own faction. Noble qualities cannot transcend one’s faction, or they lose the meaning of guardianship. I will guard the Wizard collective and the weak mortals. All other hostile supernatural forces are my enemies!

A Knight must have an object of allegiance. This is our faction. This is our leader!

From today, I am no longer a wandering knight but a Guardian Knight of the Wizard faction. I will use the creed of Compassion to guard everything around me!”

His intention gradually clarified, and his creed became distinct. His continuous attempts to merge his creed with his Inherent Mana finally yielded a change at this moment.

“Guard my own faction until death! The Eight Virtues are the standard, and Compassion is the banner! I am now the Knight of Compassion among the Wizards.”

Ancestar leaped from the tree branch. He felt a surge of warmth, which sprouted from his soul—it was the path of the Knight he had always followed, the path of Compassion.

The Compassion creed is a power of will. It requires the Knight to truly understand the creed he believes in, undergo tempering in the mortal world, and ultimately realize his own heart!

This is will, it is emotion, and it is humanity!

Without the light of humanity, one can never embrace this power!

This is the will of humanity, the will of mortals, coupled with a deep self-awareness and an understanding of the path. Guardianship is not unconditional. One must guard their own faction. When necessary, one can raise the butcher’s knife against any hostile force.

Compassion is also conditional. Even when facing an opponent, one must respect their efforts after killing them, pity their weakness, and aid the weak who do not threaten one’s faction.

The entire Compassion creed essence soared into the air, transforming into a pair of gigantic wings of light, imbued with holiness and the will to guard. It merged into his Inherent Mana.

The surrounding Mana boiled. His Inherent Mana, after integrating the essence of the Compassion creed, became entirely different. It boiled and pulsed, transforming Ancestar’s body, especially his beating heart.

This miraculous power utterly changed his heart, and simultaneously, used the transformed heart to alter the power itself. From this moment on, Ancestar was no longer a mere Wizard Apprentice, but a Knight.

Born from the Wizard, perfected by the self, and glorified by the path of the Knight.

The Mana was boiling, seemingly cheering the birth of the new Knight.

The Heart of Compassion!

The embryonic form of the Knight’s supernatural path emerged at this moment.

“It comes from the intention and will, merges with Inherent Mana, and resides in the heart. I shall call this power Heart Force.”

Ancestar closed his eyes for a long time. When he opened them, his gaze was piercing, imbued with resolve and the will of Compassion.

“Melancholy Uncle, are my eyes deceiving me? Why do I feel like you suddenly grew wings?” Arno, struggling in the mathematical problems, looked around and noticed Ancestar’s transformation by chance.

“Brother Arno,” Ollie’s voice was sweet and gentle, but it made Arno’s hair stand on end. Her eyes flashed with displeasure. The cute girl said:

“Don’t lose focus! Study must be done with concentration! Brother Arno promised to always protect me. Without knowledge, you cannot gain the power to protect on the path of Wizardry, the path of Magic!”

Her tone was gentle, yet it sent a shiver down Arno’s spine.

Arno suppressed his curiosity. He grabbed his head and returned to the anti-human mathematics knowledge, secretly cursing the Torch-Bearer under his breath, wishing he would fall flat on his face!

Ancestar quietly watched the two. The melancholy in his eyes receded somewhat.

In truth, Compassion was not his initial creed. Due to certain people and certain events, he had switched his creed.

This was an extremely serious matter for a Thought-Flow Knight. A creed is the path to be followed throughout one’s life. It is not to be changed lightly, or one might never achieve greatness.

“If it weren’t for her, I might not be alive today. I miss her so much. I wish I could return to that night.”

His gaze grew wistful. He seemed to see the flickering bonfire, the dozen last Knights fleeing, and the black-robed scythe-wielding pursuers chasing them like hounds.

The Knights mounted their half-Monster hybrid horses, raised their lances, and roared: “In the name of virtue, these enemies are worth a fight!”

The timeline shifts back to the fleeing hooded figures. The mirror image Ace, transformed into a Night Owl, was monitoring them from afar. The hooded figures moved through the shadows of the night, entering a mansion in the fortress.

“Grand Leader, we went to Kit’s node but couldn’t find anyone,” the leading hooded figure said in the Abyssal Tongue, bowing to the person seated in the main chair of the mansion hall.

“Kit must have been discovered and captured by the legion. He tried to betray the Great Lord of Darkness and was incinerated by the Shadow Fire within him. Were all the people at his node killed?” The hooded figure in the main chair said in a low, calm voice.

“All of them were killed. We left no untrustworthy individuals alive.” The leading hooded figure replied coldly.