The Headless Knight's Revenge

Chapter 41: The Headless Knight's Revenge

The palace glittered with gold. This was the Judicial Council of the Lyne Empire, where James Watson, editor-in-chief of Legendary Spell, sat at his desk, carefully reviewing a thick stack of reports.

Perhaps, at a time like this, he should be addressed as His Excellency Watson, Supreme Adjudicator of the Lyne Empire.

Being editor-in-chief was only a sideline. James Watson's main duty was still to judge the heretics within the empire.

The only legal faith in the Lyne Empire was the worship of the Lord of Dawn. Any act of worshipping another god within the empire's borders was heresy.

Recently, however, the Lyne Empire had expanded its territory considerably. Many of the newly incorporated Freemen couldn't immediately adapt to its strict religious laws and still held on to their faith in the old gods.

But they were all human, fellow countrymen who could be taught. James Watson didn't send them all to the stake in one fell swoop. Instead, he carefully read the investigation reports and devised religious outreach plans suited to the circumstances in each new territory.

Whether conciliatory or harsh, each approach was deliberate and effective.

The work might look burdensome, but for James Watson, a devout believer who had risen from the ranks of the local clergy, it was already second nature. He believed that in a few more years, the people in those regions would all become steadfast followers of the light.

Problems that took others ten days or half a month to solve took James Watson only half a day. That was why he held on to the office of Supreme Adjudicator.

Only after his official duties were finished would James Watson turn to his sideline as a manuscript reviewer. He generally treated the work as a bit of entertainment, reading articles by heretics and gleefully rejecting them. To him, it was the most delightful game.

After casually writing rejection notes on several submissions by Dwarves and Elves, James Watson's attention was caught by a peculiar article.

<My Paladin Friend Allen—A Brief Discussion on the Influence of Faith on Young People>

"What is this?"

The title made it clear that the submission was for Legendary Spell's supplement. These pieces, more like gossip and made-up stories, had been very popular lately. James Watson usually paid them little attention; no matter how many they sold, they couldn't rival the influence of Legendary Spell's main journal.

James Watson even hoped the heretics would write more gossip and fiction for the supplement, and keep sinking into decadence, leaving Legendary Spell to become a true scholarly treasure of human magic. So he was very lenient when reviewing the supplement, usually giving a submission a cursory glance before approving it.

But this name—the Paladin Allen?

James Watson looked at the author's name: William Harvey. He'd never heard of him. Either it was a pen name or he was an obscure nobody.

But after reading only the opening lines, James Watson's expression changed.

The Supreme Adjudicator frowned deeply and rubbed his ring. A screen of light unfolded before him, but the communication image, which should have been clear, showed only a mass of flickering sparks.

It was the communication ring he used to contact his son, Allen, allowing them to speak at any time and from anywhere. Now, however, the connection was gone.

The article was probably telling the truth. His son, Allen Watson, really had been captured—and by a lich.

James Watson picked up the article again and carefully read every sentence. Before long, his face had turned livid.

The article portrayed James Watson as an irrational, fanatical believer who brainwashed his son with distorted doctrines of light and used all manner of inhumane methods to torment people both physically and mentally. If it had only twisted the facts like that, so be it. James Watson had endured countless slanders and smears in his life; one article wouldn't affect him.

What truly enraged James Watson was the article's analysis of the faith of the Lord of Dawn from a different perspective. The author wrote as an outside observer, arguing that the Lord of Dawn was not all that different from other gods. The Lord of Light and the God of Nature had similar doctrines and similar followers, and even seemed to share the same enemies: both hated the undead. Yet the followers of the Lord of Dawn were even more exclusionary than the Druids.

The author argued that this was a blasphemy against the Lord of Dawn and a distortion of the doctrines of light. Under this twisted faith, the Lyne Empire was creating countless tragedies and conflicts—and the blame lay with James Watson, Supreme Adjudicator, whose personal ambition had brought them about.

This analysis made James Watson look grim. The Lyne Empire had recently been expanding aggressively, and war was inevitable. The article's claims were absurd and backed by no substantial evidence, but they reeked of conspiracy—and readers loved conspiracy theories.

James Watson was certain that if the article were published, its conspiracy theories would spread quickly, leaving the Lyne Empire in a damaging public-relations crisis. They might not affect the outcome of the war, but they would certainly do no good.

However, if he didn't let the article appear in print, his son Allen might lose his life.

"I told him to go to Silver Moon High Court. How did he end up in Alchemy City? That brat—did he also hear about that ridiculous prophecy?"

James Watson wanted to drag Allen in front of him and give him a good scolding. The Paladin's journey was already planned out. Allen must have changed his plans on his own and gone straight to Alchemy City.

The prophecy that a divine treasure lay in Alchemy City's sewers had been circulating in the Lyne Empire for a long time. But James Watson, a Legendary Tier powerhouse, had never given it any credence. Allen wasn't an ignorant boy either. How could he have believed the prophecy and gone to Alchemy City?

But there was no point dwelling on it now.

"Foolish! Reckless! You've no idea how high the heavens are..." James Watson cursed furiously.

The author had made it perfectly clear: if James wanted Allen to live, he had to publish the article, then reply in the comments to say whether he was willing to pay the ransom. The ransom wasn't a problem; a few million gold coins were nothing. But the article could have too great an impact on the empire. It absolutely could not be published, or he would become a traitor to his country.

After a moment's thought, James Watson said sadly, "Allen, forgive me."

James Watson held out his hand and pressed it against a crystal embedded in the desk. A flash of holy light appeared, and a Paladin clad in silver armor materialized before him, dropping reverently to one knee.

"Supreme Adjudicator, your orders?"

"Choose ten men from the Order of the Guilty Knights and send them to Alchemy City to find my son, Allen. If he's alive, do everything you can to rescue him. If you can't, then destroy the lich who kidnapped him. Be cautious. You may be facing an undead creature of Legendary Tier."

The Paladin replied with absolute confidence, "Rest assured, my lord. The Order of the Guilty Knights was established to fight Legendary foes. That humiliation will never be repeated."

At the mention of that humiliation, James Watson couldn't help thinking of the old tale. Before he was born, the Lyne Empire had sent an entire order of Paladins to hunt down a Headless Knight. The result had been catastrophic: the Paladins suffered heavy casualties, while the Headless Knight fought his way out of the empire and eventually vanished without a trace.

It was a major historical disgrace, carved into the empire's pillar of shame. After that disastrous hunt, the empire had established the Order of the Guilty Knights specifically to deal with unusual enemies like Legendary undead. Unfortunately, the order had existed for many years without its elder Paladins ever getting the chance to redeem themselves. They had all returned to the divine kingdom of light. The new generation of Guilty Knights gritted their teeth and trained every day, hoping to avenge their predecessors one day.

Even if this time's opponent wasn't the same old enemy, facing a Legendary undead was still the kind of challenge the Order of the Guilty Knights dreamed of.

They would offer the undead creature's soul to the Lord of Dawn. May that evil soul be purified.

James Watson stood up and clenched his fists. "Remember, whatever conditions they offer, do not accept. The Lyne Empire never gives in to threats."

"As you command, Supreme Adjudicator."