The Three Elven Swords Appear

As the knights charged, Roland felt a surge of hot blood, as if familiar background music was playing. Perhaps a rendition of "Star Sky" would be fitting.

"Kill!" Roland roared, slicing off an ogre's left leg with his sword. The ogre's massive body toppled to the ground, only to be mercilessly trampled by the Iron Hooves.

"Volley shot!" the Badenia Archers shouted. Skill: Volley Shot! Activate!

Volley Shot is a very practical skill that greatly improves shooting accuracy while running and riding.

"Whoosh!" An steel arrow pierced the ogre's eye socket. The ogre immediately clutched its injured eye and howled, spinning in place. Its suffering was soon ended as two knights impaled it high into the air with their lances, then flung it aside. It rolled a few times before its breath ceased.

"Kill!" Golden Battle Qi enveloped Reno, and holy radiance diffused from him. Like molten gold, Reno charged forward with his lance, crashing into the ogre. A powerful surge of Battle Qi erupted, blasting the ogre into fragments. Black blood and gore flew wildly through the air, yet Reno remained as divine and noble as ever. Behind him, Lagrange knights brandished their weapons, following the steel torrent as it poured down...

"Damn it! These filthy things!" Roland cursed, looking at his feet stuck in an unknown organic mass. He swore he couldn't keep this foot! Roland was almost disgusted to death.

"Sir, let me rinse it for you." Caslo eagerly picked up a waterskin and ran over.

"No! Stop... Ugh!" Roland was splattered by unknown substances and mud mixed with rotten blood kicked up by Caslo's hurried approach.

"I'm going to kill you! Kill you!" Roland was furious.

"Purify!" A golden light flashed, and the filth on Roland vanished with the cleansing golden light.

Wow! So extravagant! Using Purify to clean himself? This Lord Reno's Battle Qi reserves are quite substantial!

"Ogre Uprising: Achieved! Reward: Holy Battle Qi, transferable to Paladin! Issued."

Just as Roland was about to speak, a divine aura erupted from his heart, cutting off his words. Golden Battle Qi surged, and Roland felt an unprecedented power, even his skills had changed.

"May Lagrange be blessed! Congratulations, Lord, on successfully awakening as a Paladin!" Reno exclaimed excitedly. At this moment, he felt hope for the empire's revival. (The system had implanted memories in them of the Lagrange Empire's decline and Roland being the sole surviving lord of Lagrange.)

"A Paladin!" Gandalf exclaimed in surprise. After all, not just anyone could become a Paladin. Historically, Paladins and Dark Knights were counterparts. Where did Dark Knights come from? They were the fallen state of Paladins. The birth of a Paladin could bring prosperity to a region, but it also sowed the seeds of destruction. This was getting interesting – out of over a hundred people, there were two Paladins. If one of them became disillusioned and fell, everyone would be in deep trouble. Forget the expedition; they might as well pack their bags and flee. Paladins were hard to kill, weren't they? With endless divine magic and skills, they were practically unkillable. You couldn't heal faster than they attacked. Dark Knights were even more formidable; they could not only heal but also drain life, mana, and spirit...

Gandalf looked deeply at the two, secretly wiping a bead of cold sweat. For the first time, he felt that organizing an expedition to Lonely Mountain was a mistake. As a wizard who had attained divinity, he had lived for thousands of years and seen all sorts of things. The nine Ringwraiths under Sauron were practically Dark Knights! Back when the chief Ringwraith, the Witch-king of Angmar, ravaged the Kingdom of Arnor, his power was utterly devastating!

"Ogres shouldn't appear during the day," Gandalf said, looking at the rising sun.

"That means there must be a cave nearby!" Thorin's eyes lit up.

"Everyone search!" Roland commanded loudly from his warhorse.

Soon, someone discovered an ogre cave nearby, and everyone hurried to follow.

"Holy crap! The smell in this place is so pungent, it's intoxicating!" Roland covered his nose, almost being converted.

"Oh, look what I found?" Gloin emerged, carrying a small chest.

"Wow! All gold coins!" Nori exclaimed in surprise.

"Oh, there's a pile scattered here too. These ogres really don't know how to cherish things," Roland said, clicking his tongue.

"Quick, put it all away." Roland's face broke into a wide grin.

"Hmm?" Gandalf gave a soft hum and walked over to a pile of cobweb-covered weapons, gently nudging them with his staff.

"Clang!" The crisp sound of a sword being drawn echoed, and a sliver of silver light gleamed under the torchlight, dazzling the eyes.

"Holy crap, enemy sword—Glamdring." Roland exclaimed in shock. He had been searching for a long time for the Elven blades. Although they couldn't compare to the Dragon-slaying Sword, even having them for collection would be nice. Yet, Roland and this sword seemed to have no fate.

"Hmm? You recognize it?" Gandalf asked in surprise.

"Of course! It's the sword of the Forest King of Gondolin," Roland blurted out without thinking.

"Hmm..." Gandalf gave Roland a deep look and said nothing, then drew another sword.

"Pfft! Damn it, Orcrist—Orcrist..." Roland's face turned dark. Among the Elven blades, Roland had his eyes set on these two. After all, Master Baggins's personal Sting was no different from a bread knife in Roland's hands; it was too short... But as history dictated, Comrade Gandalf had found them again.

Roland's face darkened, and with a wave of his hand, he ordered his subordinates to carry away all the weapons. Although it felt a bit shameless, Sting would be quite useful as a defensive dagger. As for his reputation? He'd tuck it away for now.

"Dwarf brothers, do you want to re-equip? These weapons were forged by Noldor Elves, and they are quite good," Roland kindly reminded them.

"No! We are leaving this filthy place!" Thorin's ears perked up at the mention of Elven weapons, and he immediately bristled, turning to leave with his subordinates.

Gandalf shrugged and said helplessly, "Thorin, this is Orcrist, the best weapon we can get right now!" He then looked deeply at Thorin.

Thorin pondered for a moment, then looked up at the Mithril hammers worn by the knights carrying the weapons, and the Adamantine weapons and armor of Roland and his companions. He swallowed hard, unable to resist the allure of "true fragrance." He obediently accepted the weapons, and the remaining dwarves happily ran to the weapon pile to pick out their own, like housewives at a vegetable market.

"Bilbo! This is for you!" Gandalf, emerging from the cave, handed Bilbo a short sword.

Roland took one look and almost choked. I commanded people to clear out everything below, and you still managed to grab the Elven blades? What is my fate with these three weapons? As a fan of the Ring System, can't I collect famous swords? Roland muttered to himself, his mind filled with bad luck.

"No, I can't accept it. In fact, I've never used swords or blades before," Bilbo said, waving his hands in panic.

"Baggins, this is an Elven-forged magical weapon. When Orcs approach, the blade will emit a faint blue glow..." Gandalf explained.

"I hope you never have to use it... but when you do, please remember that the true meaning of courage is not in taking lives, but in forgiving them."