Law Knight

A knight?

A Law Knight!

No one in Anville Village dressed like that. The man standing atop the elk's head could only be the Law Knight Linsey knew of.

More than becoming an Awakened, Linsey cared about his own life.

He immediately wanted to leave.

But at that moment, a lame old man standing before the Law Knight caught his attention.

"Village Chief..."

That was Anville Village's village chief, and also one of the only two Awakened in the Borderlands.

Illuminated by the bonfire, the village chief glared furiously at the Law Knight before him. "Bargett, what exactly do you mean by this? Tonight is Harvest Day Eve. Are you going to ruin even a festival like this?"

Law Knight Bargett replied with an indifferent gaze:

"The City of Law decrees that during the autumn harvest, fire rituals in cultivated lands must avoid crops and villages. Everyone may celebrate the festival as they please, but the burning of this elk must be abolished!"

"I'm watching over this place!" The village chief's lame foot stomped viciously against the ground, and the entire Anville Village shuddered as though an earthquake had struck. "Bargett, do you think I can't handle such a tiny flame?"

The Law Knight remained indifferent, his voice now carrying an icy finality. "The law is absolute and must be enforced."

"This law ensures the safety of you and your crops. Refusal is not permitted."

Neither man was willing to yield on this matter.

The conflict was about to escalate.

At that tense, explosive moment, Anville Village's last Awakened, Master Bai Lin, who tended the crops, hurried over from outside the crowd.

"You two needn't argue over something like this."

Master Bai Lin stepped on the burning fuse.

Then, ignoring the cold Law Knight, he walked over to the enraged village chief and began persuading him in a low voice:

"Old friend, look at Bargett. He's clearly become a living law by now, so why get angry at a machine? Just get through tonight. Do you really think that next year, this fellow will fly all the way from the City of Law just to chop down our elk again?"

After Master Bai Lin's persuasion, the village chief's blazing anger finally eased somewhat.

"I'm going home!"

With a snort, he turned away and walked off without even looking back, leaving the Law Knight with only this final remark: "Law Knight, then do as you please!"

The village chief had called him Bargett before.

But now he called him Law Knight.

"This is not my preference, but the law's requirement." The Law Knight answered calmly as ever, then turned his gaze toward the surrounding villagers. "You should obey the law. It is the foundation upon which Civilization operates."

How could the villagers dare respond to such a legendary figure?

Master Bai Lin, who had remained at the scene, was the first to react.

"Everyone supports the village chief's decision too, right?"

With the highly respected Master Bai Lin taking the lead, the surrounding villagers immediately chimed in.

"That's right, we'll behave ourselves!"

"What the village chief says is what we think!"

"That's exactly it!"

Law Knight Bargett gave a slight nod.

The villagers obeyed the village chief, and the village chief's wishes represented the thoughts of these people.

Having confirmed that the law could be enforced in Anville Village, Bargett raised his foot and pointed his sword at the straw elk he had cut down.

"You shall return to the earth and nourish its fertile soil."

The lifeless straw seemed to gain life at that moment. It untied itself from its bindings, then sank into the earth and vanished without a trace.

Linsey, mixed into the crowd, watched the scene with complicated feelings.

The village chief's lame foot had made the earth tremble with a single stomp, while the Law Knight's words commanded straw to return to the earth. Such abilities were beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

More importantly, Linsey was now one of the Awakened as well.

According to the girl at the mill, with his outstanding talent, he could gain power just as formidable as theirs so long as he honed his skills!

"Anyway, take it slow."

"I'm already an Awakened now. There's no need to rush."

Linsey took several deep breaths to calm his thoughts, then turned his gaze back toward the center of the village.

"I sensed that the Law of Laws has been disturbed. I must investigate immediately."

After dealing with the straw elk, the Law Knight headed toward the mill in the north of the village without looking back.

"Everyone, continue the celebration!"

Master Bai Lin gave the villagers a meaningful look and hurried after him.

"..."

The villagers left behind exchanged looks.

Although the elk had been dealt with by the Law Knight, the other things they had prepared for the festival were still there. In the end, they continued their celebration.

The only change was that the atmosphere had become far more subdued than before.

After the crowd dispersed, Linsey moved toward home somewhat absentmindedly.

The shock brought by the Awakened's abilities faded from his mind, and he began to face the problem before him.

"I came into contact with the prisoner and even talked quite a bit."

"But in essence, I only delivered food. That shouldn't have broken any laws, right? And since they told everyone she was a guest, this secret escort must also be trying to avoid unnecessary complications..."

Linsey analyzed the situation.

From the mill girl's words and the confrontation he had just witnessed, he now understood perfectly what kind of person the Law Knight was.

He had absolutely no desire to come into contact with him, much less become one of those legendary heroes from myth.

"He's clearly been completely twisted by power!"

"Besides, that stomp from the village chief definitely wasn't some simple ability. We're all from the same village, so I can learn from him properly."

Linsey muttered quietly.

The plan he had made a few hours earlier had already been shattered and reshaped by a reality that did not fit it.

"Hey, Linsey, you're back!"

At that moment, the other children spotted Linsey. One of the ones closest to him rushed over and threw an arm around his neck.

"So, did you deliver the food to the guest?"

"What did they look like? Was it a man or a woman?"

A beautiful girl was imprisoned in the mill.

And she even bore the crest of the City of Law's ruler!

Of course Linsey could not say that. He put on the manner of a child as well and began roughhousing with his companions.

"How would I know?"

"That person was hiding in the mill. I just delivered the food and came back!"

"..."

Linsey did not want to cause trouble for himself, nor for his family or companions.

So throughout the festival celebration that followed,

he behaved just like an ordinary child and did nothing out of the ordinary.

He honestly attended the feast, chased and played around, and squeezed in front of the adults to do the foolish things children were supposed to do.

Every child in Anville Village was like that.

Except for the girl in the mill and Linsey himself,

no one imagined that a rare self-awakened individual was now in this village of the Borderlands.

As for the Law Knight who had gone to the mill,

it was said that his expression never changed. In the end, he even ignored his conflict with the village chief that evening and went back to the village chief's home to rest!