?


    Years had passed, and life had changed so much for him. From the small Pitfall Town to now walking in the corridors of power with his head held high. Being respected and valued by powerful men and women, kings and queens—the Pope.


    Once known as Dungface, now Zeke, had seen more in his life than any othermoner would have imagined in their entire lifetime. He knew he wasn''t very smart, and certain things were very challenging, such asplex decision-making. Hence, the name Dungface was awarded to him by the people of the town, not only for his usage as themon odd-jobs guy but also for hisck of wit.


    Yet, for some reason, life as a Knight felt as if it was made for him. All he had to do was follow the instructions to the teeth, and for that, he was always praised. If ordered to train and repeat an exercise, he did it until he copsed from exhaustion. If ordered to practice swinging the sword, he did it until no dummies were left.


    Protecting Mother Xavia was the greatest task he had. But he never felt like an outsider, as Mother Xavia treated him like a child, always giving him tasty food, new clothes, and various potions. Even the finest armor he had in his inventory was a gift from Mother Xavia. He cherished her and was prepared to protect her with his life if needed.


    But nothing exciting ever happened. Dangers rarely appeared in Xavia''s life, as for the rest of his time, he could only train to get stronger. However, it had been over six years since he had started his training—he had mastered almost everything his intellect allowed him to.


    "Zeke, stop swinging your sword and pack your luggage. Max has invited us to the New Holy Land." Xavia''s voice rang in his ears as he stood on the wide balcony and practiced his sword swings.


    He had never thought he would, but he had been living in the Hignd royal family''s royal castle. The luxury he had seen over the years had made him appreciate life even more.


    "Understood, Mother Xavia." Zeke ced his sword down and wiped his face clean with a towel. But still, his mind remained muddled with confused feelings as he nced at the sky in the distance.


    He nced at his palms then and frowned deeply, "What should Zeke do now? There is nothing to learn anymore."


    Atst, when he looked at his cherished sword, he couldn''t help but question, "I have be a Diamond Knight. Now what?"


    …


    The entire Pope''s Pce was in turmoil. Various divisions of Clergymen were at work. The whole focus had been shifted to defense instead of offense, and the weapon that Sylvester had nned was given the green light now. New armors were also going to be built with a more efficient method called production-line.


    Practicality took priority. As for the embellishment of the armors, there were plenty of women without jobs in the city. They did the job of painting, carving, or etching things. With Prince Jinn''s help, steam-powered machines were also built to make chainmail armors. Along with the steam-powered hammer press, the speed of smithing increased manifold.


    Through automated processes, Sylvester managed to lessen the burden on the dwarves and utilize their expertise to create items of greater importance. The Srium-Light cannon was a brilliant tool against Bloodlings, but its destructive power was enough to disintegrate a Skygem—the strongest known substance. So the idea of strengthening it with Elder Runes, dwarven magic and smithing, and higher-grade Srium Crystals was tempting.


    "I want five hundred of these small cannons ced on the walls of Miraj City. Additionally, build ten bigger versions. I''ll take them with me." Sylvester instructed Elder Elrog and Prince Jinn, his principal designer and student. "Put a halt on every other project until the end of the war."


    "Your Holiness—Why not create a Srium recharging device for the Srium Crystals? To use them on the cannons will require hundreds of thousands of crystals," Prince Jinn suggested, presenting a design he had already prepared.


    [A/N: Prince Jinn was the second prince of the Masan Royal family. The elder brother of Princess Fernis, the goodest girl.]


    Sylvester assessed the designs and marveled at them in silence. ''Recharging Srium into the crystals using turbine-generated electricity—this is brilliant. All energy is Srium; electricity should be able to charge emptied crystals.''


    "If this works, we won''t have to depend on the sunlight," Sylvester muttered but held his own doubts. "But this machine is still experimental. We only have six days, so let''s not waste our time. Guardian Aurora will be arriving by tonight. She''s a master of lightning. Experiment with her to charge the crystals first, and measure the efficiency. If it all works, go ahead and make the machines in bulk. But I need the first trial cannon built by morning—we''ll test it in the mountains."


    Dwarf Elder Elrog agreed with him. "You''ve etched the Elder Runes already, Your Holiness. Half of the work is done. We''ll present the cannon at the first light of the sun."


    Sylvester nodded, allowing them to focus on their tasks. He left the underground dwarven workshop and arrived at the open area outside the pce, to oversee the joint training of thoseing with him.


    "Father!"


    Just as Sylvester was headed to join the training, he noticed a soft call. There was only one girl who''d ever call him father, so he didn''t have to look back. "Xylena—How have you been? I hope you haven''t been cking off on your studies. Great Mother Grace was a hero of the Thousand Year War, she may be strict, but she knows everything about battle and politics."


    Bright Mothers had joined Sylvester''s side in the past few months, arriving from the Holy Land—All of them. They had been weed with open arms, and since Sylvester had already expected it, their amodation was already prepared. Of course, he also provided their residence with enough security and istion as he was well aware of their rare, self-entertainment ''activities.''


    Xylena''s ashen-ck hair bobbed as she skipped closer to him. "I''m not cking… I''m just very worried about you. Kimino said you''ll be going to fight the big bad guy."


    Sylvester patted her head. "You''re seventeen already, so use better words than ''big bad guys.'' You''re going to be the Queen of ckhart. You must be prepared to carry yourself regally."


    "Ummm…!" She pouted and hummed. "I only actid-back with you."


    Sylvester smiled, ced his arm around her shoulder, and strolled with her over to Kimino and Hozin, the two Moonwatchers from the Divine Desert. "Forgive me. I''m too focused on the task at hand. How about this? After I''m done fighting, I''ll personally crown you Queen in ckhart."


    "In the Holy Land." She chirped back with a big grin. "A Pope doesn''te to kings and queens. They are the ones to visit the Pope. Ah, I can''t wait to rub it in everyone''s faces, the fact that the Pope is my father."


    "Adopted." Sylvester corrected her. "Let''s not start any questionable rumors about my abstinence, girl."


    "I know, I know… Uncle Felix said you''re the God of Virgins. I doubt anyone would ever question that." She replied.


    ''I need to punch his face.'' Sylvester made a mental note.


    Soon, they arrived in a special room Sylvester had assigned to the father and daughter duo. Since they were Moonwatchers, he had given them a room with a ss dome so that they could look at the sky at night. The two rarely left, meditating in the room every day. Xylena was their only distraction.


    Sylvester had some questions for Kimino in particr. So he approached her as she meditated, sitting on the floor near the window. "Can you tell me anything about my future? Rted to this battle? Any clue that might give me an advantage?"


    Kimino opened her eyes and responded as strangely as ever. "I''ve said it before; the victory is yours."


    "But at what cost?" Sylvester questioned. "Who will survive, and who will see their demise?"


    Kimino shook her head. Her mysterious gray eyes rapidly shifted. "Guide you to Core Temple, he ordered. Beyond that, I cannot see forward. My visions and dreams are now disordered."


    Sylvester sighed and patted Kimino''s shoulder. "So you can''t see further in my future—it''s okay. You have done enough."


    "Forgive us for our inability to help, Your Holiness," Hozin spoke for his daughter. "She wants to help you, but the visions have stoppeding."


    "I can''t rely on visions and God''s intervention forever." Sylvester sounded slightly disappointed.


    He got up and left the room to return to the training field. However, he paused halfway and walked into Gabriel''s office. The man was the head of administration for the time being, and had dozens of assistants working for him.


    Sylvester responded to everyone''s greetings as he walked into Gabriel''s personal room. The man was surrounded by stacks of papers around his table, and a monocle adorned one of his eyes. "I think I should make you my Saint Wazir."


    "I want to retire," Gabriel instantly eximed, joking. However, his face was devoid of any smile. The same was the case with everyone else in the pce.


    Sylvester took a seat and picked up a nk sheet of paper to write on. "We''ve set the time for six days from now, but our enemy is still unaware. I reckoned I should write to him."


    Gabriel shrugged. "I''m sure he has spies in this pce too—Saint Scepter is… too good."


    Sylvester knew that as well and started writing. "Then let this be a mere formality."


    [Saint Scepter,


    ???


    Since you''ve allowed yourself toe out of the shadows on such a grand scale, I can''t help but believe that you''re nearing the final arc of your great tale. I know not what you want from me, or what is your goal—All I know is that in this grand chaos, you''ve yed the leading role.


    We have many simrities, which you are well aware of. Yet, for some reason, you have decided to ignore it and scoff. Your motivations, your decisions, now they matter not. There is nothing left to n, nothing left to plot. If a mindless, pointless battle is what you desire, then to grant it, I aspire.


    But I do not wish for the loss of innocent lives. So I have decided to write this letter and invite you to a fight in six days. I hope you shalle to Colorwood Duchy before the realm further decays.


    For years, you''ve acted perfectly blind,


    I thank your ignorance, for being so kind.


    Even if no sce in his worship you find,


    May the Holy Light enlighten your mind.


    The Lord''s Bard


    ???]


    _________________


    Thank you for reading. Gifts and GT votes are highly appreciated.