As the Knight Order charged, Roland felt his blood surge, as if a familiar BGM had started playing. Maybe "Star Sky" would have suited the moment perfectly.
"Kill!" Roland roared, slicing off a troll's left calf with one stroke. The troll's enormous body crashed to the ground and was immediately trampled mercilessly beneath Iron Hooves.
"Running Shot!" a Badenia Archer shouted. Skill: Running Shot! Activated!
Running Shot was an extremely practical skill that greatly improved shooting accuracy while running or riding.
Whoosh! A steel arrow shot into the troll's eye socket. The troll immediately clutched its wounded eye and howled as it spun in place. Its suffering soon ended when two Knights skewered it high into the air with their lances, then flung it aside. It rolled a few times before going still.
"Kill!" Golden Battle Qi Flame covered Reno's body, radiating holy light. Like a figure cast from gold, he thrust his lance straight into the troll. A massive burst of Battle Qi erupted, blasting the troll into fragments. Black blood and bits of flesh scattered wildly through the air, while Reno remained as sacred and noble as before. Behind him, Lagrange Knights brandished their weapons and poured onward with the torrent of steel...
"Damn it! These filthy things!" Roland cursed as he looked at his foot, which had sunk into some unidentified organic matter. Fuck, this foot is beyond saving! He nearly gagged himself to death.
"My lord, let me rinse it off for you." Caslo eagerly grabbed a waterskin and ran over.
"Don't! Stop... Urgh!" Roland was splattered from head to toe by unidentified matter kicked up by Caslo's rushing footsteps, along with mud mixed with rotten, stinking blood.
"I'm going to kill you! Kill you!" Roland went berserk.
"Purification!" A flash of golden light swept over him, washing away the filth on Roland's body.
Whoa, that was extravagant! Using Purification to clean himself—Lord Reno's Battle Qi reserves were seriously abundant!
Troll Disturbance: Completed! Reward: Holy Battle Qi. You may change class to Paladin! Reward issued.
Roland was about to speak when a holy aura suddenly erupted from within him, choking off his words. Golden Battle Qi Flame surged around him, and Roland felt strength unlike anything he had ever known. Even his skills had changed.
"Lagrange be blessed! Congratulations, my lord, on awakening as a Paladin!" Reno said excitedly. At that moment, he felt that the Empire's revival was finally within reach. (The system had implanted the memory that the Lagrange Empire had fallen and that Roland was its last remaining lord.)
"Paladin!" Gandalf said in surprise. Not just anyone could become a Paladin. Throughout history, Paladins and Black Knights had always gone together. Where did Black Knights come from? They were what Paladins became after falling. The birth of a Paladin could bless an entire region, but it could also plant the seeds for that region's destruction. This was interesting—there were actually two Paladins among more than a hundred people. If either one lost it and fell, they would all be screwed. Forget the expedition; they could just pack up and run. Paladins were hard to kill, after all. Holy magic and skills came one after another, making them nearly impossible to put down. You could not hurt them faster than they could heal themselves. Black Knights were even worse. Not only could they heal, they could drain blood to restore both mana and health...
Gandalf gave the two of them a deep look and quietly wiped away a cold sweat. For the first time, he felt that organizing the expedition to Erebor had been a mistake. As a wizard who had gained divinity, he had lived for thousands of years and seen all manner of things. Sauron's nine Nazgûl were fucking Black Knights! When the Witch-king of Angmar, the foremost of the Nazgûl, ravaged the Kingdom of Arnor, he had swept through it like a force of destruction!
"Trolls cannot appear during the day." Gandalf looked at the rising sun.
"That means there must be a cave nearby!" Thorin's eyes lit up.
"Everyone, search the area!" Roland called loudly from atop his warhorse.
Before long, someone found the troll cave nearby, and everyone hurried after them.
"Fuck! The smell in this place is so strong, it's fucking intoxicating!" Roland covered his nose and nearly ascended on the spot.
"Oh, look what I found?" Gloin emerged carrying a small chest.
"Wow! It's full of Gold Coins!" Nori exclaimed delightedly.
"Oh, there's a whole pile scattered over here too. These trolls really didn't know how to treasure their wealth." Roland clicked his tongue in amazement.
"Quick, gather it all up." Roland's face broke into a wide grin.
"Hm?" Gandalf murmured. He walked over to a pile of weapons covered in cobwebs and lightly poked through them with his staff.
Clang! A crisp longsword-drawing sound rang out. Silver light gleamed beneath the torchlight, dazzling the eye.
"Fuck, Foe-hammer—Glamdring." Roland cried out. He had been searching for the three Elven swords just moments ago. Though they could not compare to the Dragon-slaying Sword, they would still be nice to keep as collectibles. Yet Roland really had no fate with this sword.
"Hm? You know it?" Gandalf asked in surprise.
"Of course! It's the Forest King of Gondolin's personal sword." Roland answered without thinking.
"Mm..." Gandalf gave Roland a long look but said nothing, casually drawing out another sword.
"Pfft! Fucking Orc-cleaver—Orcrist..." Roland's face went dark. Of the three Elven swords, these were the two he wanted most. After all, Master Baggins's personal Sting was no different from a bread knife in Roland's hands; it was simply too short... Yet Gandalf had still dug them out, just as history had recorded.
Roland's face darkened as he waved a hand and ordered his men to carry away every weapon. It was a bit shameless, but Sting would still make a useful dagger for self-defense. As for his pride? He could put that in his pocket for now.
"Dwarf brothers, do you want to upgrade your gear? These weapons were forged by the Noldor Elves. They're quite good," Roland kindly reminded them.
"No! We are leaving this filthy place!" The moment Thorin heard they were Elven weapons, his hackles rose. He turned and led his men away.
Gandalf shrugged and said helplessly, "Thorin, this is Orcrist. It's the best weapon we can get right now!" He gave Thorin a meaningful look.
Thorin thought it over. Then he looked up at the mithril hammers on the Knights carrying weapons, as well as Roland and the others' adamantine weapons and armor. He swallowed and ultimately failed to escape the lure of it. He obediently accepted the weapon, while the other dwarves happily rushed over to pick through the weapon pile, looking just like old ladies shopping for vegetables at a market.
"Bilbo! This is for you!" Gandalf, climbing out of the cave, handed Bilbo a shortsword.
Roland took one look and nearly passed out. I fucking ordered people to empty the place, and I still couldn't stop you from getting the three Elven swords? How exactly am I so fated not to have these three weapons? Can't a One Ring fan collect some famous swords? Roland muttered to himself, his mind filled with nothing but bad luck.
"No, I can't take it. In fact, I've never used a blade before." Bilbo frantically waved his hands in refusal.
"Baggins, this is a Magic Weapon forged by Elves. When Orcs draw near, the blade will emit a dim blue glow..." Gandalf explained.
"I hope you never have cause to use it... But when you do, remember that the true meaning of courage lies not in taking a life, but in sparing one."
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