Enlightenment · Four (Continued)

At that moment, Bordeaux charged into the battlefield—this Great Knight Gwyndolin believed to have already died in battle, yet for some reason still alive, wielded his warhammer and broke through the encirclement. He possessed immense strength and an indomitable physique; even wounded multiple times, pierced by arrows, crossbow bolts, and spears, he could still swing his arms, unleashing powerful ice miracles with a resounding battle cry, creating obstacles and concealing his presence.

The purpose of concealing the truth is to buy time.

The delay was to allow Gwyndolin to cast her light magic again to conceal her presence, thus enabling the three who had nearly met their deaths beneath the city walls to escape.

No, correction. It wasn't three people, it was four.

When the escape tactic was used, Kal'tsit controlled the emerald green dragon-serpent to sweep away the Great Knight who had originally intended to cover their retreat. After all, even with his armor and imposing physique, the knight's weight wouldn't exceed half a ton. While this would certainly add some risk, none of the others present thought there was anything wrong with doing so.

They escaped successfully, fleeing back into the wasteland, to an area far from the border High Wall. After that, the knightly order, with the undead pulling the strings behind the scenes, intensified its pursuit considerably.

That happened a week ago.

On the night of the escape, Gwyndolin shared some secret information known only to the royal family.

"They are Soul Eater." The young Princess forced a melancholy smile. "Long ago, in ancient times, before the First Lord of Cinder ascended the throne, there was a nation called Small Londor that coveted the dark power deep within the earth—they subsequently fell, transforming into twisted undead, and the knights of the kings of Small Londor became soul-devouring monsters. They could use a special technique to forcibly extract the souls from living people and use them for their own purposes. The First Lord of Cinder ended Small Londor, but a very small number of Soul Eater still remain on the earth."

"This means they are all battle-hardened veterans." Fedorlink nodded, repairing the slash marks on the Dusk Shield. "The Season of the Firelink failed to eliminate them?"

"Not all undead will come back to life when the season of linking the fire is over," Gwyndolin said with a regretful expression. "Some dark creatures hide in secret places to avoid the corrections of the season of linking the fire. And some people with strong willpower can withstand the order of the First Flame and retain the Undead Curse on their bodies... Have you heard of 'Unflinching Patches'? He is the only one in the records of Lothric who, even after the linking of the fire has just ended, walks the earth as an undead."

"I've heard a little about it," the Paladin of the Dusk Kingdom replied.

Miss Kal'tsit fell into deep thought... She seemed to have heard the name from Surtr before. She even seemed to have seen it from afar before she left.

But, immortals... huh?

The three survivors turned their gazes to the knight who should have been dead long ago. The knight then gave a bitter smile. Without any attempt to hide it, he dug out the arrows from his body, arrowheads and all, right in front of them.

No blood dripped from the wound.

This is also why Gwyndolin's light magic was able to carry him away without being exposed by the blood spilled on the ground.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness." Bordeaux knelt on one knee before Gwyndolin after hastily treating his wounds. "I should have died on that battlefield. But the curse of immortality has befallen me—I am the only one who has not died. And this time, I will certainly fulfill my duty."

He has transformed from a living being into an immortal dead being, and the obsession that drives him to act and prevents him from turning into a living corpse is his unfinished duty.

"I forgive your mistake, Knight Bordeaux." Gwyndolin reached out to help the Knight Captain to his feet. "Many perilous battles await us. And your strength is an indispensable part of them."

Her words were sincere and heartfelt.

However, the immortal knight avoided her hand.

"Please do not touch me, Your Princess Highness," the knight said in a deep voice. "The curse of immortality will gradually spread with frequent contact. Even the living have a high probability of being forcibly infected into undead before they die, who may turn into living corpses at any time—please let me protect you from afar, Your Highness. I am a knight of the kingdom, and I have long been prepared for my fate."

The knight's stance was resolute. If refused, it might simply leave and continue to offer its protection far from Gwyndolin, or rush forward as a willing decoy if the enemy attacked.

Faced with this situation, Princess Highness Lothric could only sigh and then acquiesce to its actions.

Kal'tsit did not try to dissuade her, because she had no right to interject her own words there.

As for Fedorlink, being a paladin, he had been wary and attentive to this powerful knight who could fall into the dead at any moment from the very beginning.

The first night passed.

Kal'tsit analyzed the current situation and concluded that the undead force couldn't have infiltrated all the border fortresses, but there must be an ambush at the one closest to their group. If they could remain hidden in the wasteland long enough, even misleading the enemy into thinking they were taking another route, then a surprise attack strategy could be considered viable.

Her logic was clear, and she had outlined a complete plan— Lothric was not some weak nation that could be bullied by just anyone. An attack on the Princess and the loss of the border might be understandable with a surprise attack, but given time to react, the ensuing retaliation and purge would inevitably force this force, which couldn't afford to reveal its undead background, to back down.

"As long as I can return to Lothric City alive, then all problems will be solved. But..." Gwyndolin spoke confidently in the first half of her sentence, but hesitated and weighed her options in the second half. "I hope... I can get back as soon as possible. Otherwise... something bad might happen."

She didn't want to go into too much detail.

But Kal'tsit sensed the hidden truth—it was clear that Gwyndolin was not alone in Lothric. She possessed her own power base, and her very existence maintained a certain balance of power. In other words, Gwyndolin likely rarely showed herself, as she needed to maintain respect for the princes' authority. And if Gwyndolin's abduction wasn't with the princes' tacit approval, then Gwyndolin disappearance would undoubtedly be kept secret by the Twin Princes.

Gwyndolin's disappearance is a major event, and if her disappearance isn't a major event, then her death would be a very serious harbinger of disaster. The undead force will likely use this to their advantage.

Having figured out the cause and effect, Kal'tsit remained silent and presented a new plan that would shorten the execution time to within seven days. It was still about hiding and inducing, but the execution would be much bolder and more aggressive.

Gwyndolin did not object to this, but simply thanked her and then fell silent again.

On another night of hiding the following day, Fedorlink deliberately chose an opportunity to contact Kal'tsit, avoiding the Princess's notice.

"I plan to leave Lothric when I escort Princess Gertrude into the royal city," the old paladin said, his voice carrying a hint of persuasion. "And you, Miss Kal'tsit? If you don't mind, you can come with me to the Land of Twilight. I have a granddaughter, Silith, who is about your age. You two will surely become good friends."

His words were earnest, but his wishes were not fulfilled.

"I'm sorry, but I still intend to go to Lothric City." Miss Lynx shook her head slightly. "I have reasons why I absolutely must go there."

—I want to stop this war. Whether it's the war between Lothric and Irithyll, or a war within Lothric itself, I want to stop it as much as possible... even in Rundall, I... at least I want to ensure that, once the charge of instigating this war is established, those undead who are merely afflicted with disease don't suffer too much.

—Linking the First Flame... So, is linking the First Flame the only way to save this world, this era? Ah... When I was with Surtr, I always felt that linking the First Flame was something she could easily accomplish, so I never paid much attention to it. But I never imagined that when I was actually in the thick of it, I wouldn't even know where to begin.

—Surtr, I...

"Then you'd better become Gwyndolin's knight." The paladin sighed, as if he had anticipated this. "The situation within Lothric City... is very complicated. The Azure Cult, the Dragon Knight, and the King's Hunters each form their own faction, while the Twin Princes and the Princess represent different powers. And the Old King's embers still burn, no one knows when he will make a move. Moreover, outside of these factions, there is a Grand Princess in the royal family who, though never appearing in public, wields immense power and status..."

—Ah, I know that Grand Princess well. She's quite the smooth talker when it comes to insults.

"By joining them, you are drawn into the vortex of this power. And even in the current situation... which is rather special, these forces will not cease their battles against each other."

Kal'tsit did not answer. However, the very act of not answering was itself an answer.

The paladin sighed and ended the conversation. In the days that followed, he gradually distanced himself from Gwyndolin and reduced his contact with the Princess Highness.

We're all smart people. Some things don't need to be said too clearly.

Gwyndolin could see that Fedorlink intended to leave, and she could also see that although Miss Kal'tsit was willing to go to Lothric Castle with her, she did not intend to kneel down and pledge allegiance to her.

Thus, the Princess Highness was still quite inexperienced in many ways but had a keen sensitivity to power, took some actions during the strategic maneuvering over the next few days.

On the last night before the plan was to be carried out, Kal'tsit, who had been deliberately avoided by Fedorlink and Gwyndolin, encountered Bordeaux, who had always kept his distance from the trio, while on night watch.

"I hope you will succeed me." The burly knight got straight to the point. He handed Kal'tsit a signed letter of recommendation and some knighthood credentials. "This is a deal. I have no way to return to Lothric. But I have family to take care of... I need a glorious death in battle, and I need an heir to look after my family. Take my rank of high knight. You only need to swear allegiance to the kingdom itself."

It was said in such a blunt way that it left no room for ambiguity.

"...The Undead are not without options." Miss Lynx gave a helpless smile, but still accepted the token that the knight had been clutching tightly before handing it over—she knew she didn't need to take care of Bordeaux's family, because the one who would truly fulfill this promise was Princess Gertrude, who was fast asleep at the moment.

"I know." She saw the burly knight nod. His tone was heavy. "I will not die, but 'Bordeaux' must die in battle. His Highness has given me a chance to clear my name. You have inherited my legacy, and your contribution is to share this merit of saving the Princess with me, the 'deceased' one."

Kal'tsit carefully put away the token, which represented her tacit approval and recognition.

"Is there anything I need to know?" she asked.

"Not many," the knight replied. "What you need to know is that Lothric has three pillars—the knightly class that controls the Dragon Knights; the priestly class of the Azure Cult that controls the common people and their faith; and the sage class that controls the Grand Archives and the transmission of knowledge. They are all loyal to the princes. But the princes are still just princes. The hidden fourth pillar, the King's Black Hand and the marginalized White Cult, remains loyal to King Oceiros."

"Besides, there is Princess Highness —who once received a favor that allowed her to glimpse angels and pass down the miracles and faith of the angelic lineage. In Lothric, Gwyndolin's followers formed the Winged Knights. In order to maintain the authority of the princes, Princess Gertrude voluntarily resided in a birdcage, claiming to the outside world that she lost her sight and speech because she glimpsed the secrets of mythology."