At midnight, the monks were still praying, and the others were still whispering among themselves.
The men talked about the mysterious soldiers and Flying Dragons. The women worried over whether life would ever settle down again. The knights, however, were the most excited of all.
After giving a rough assessment of the army that had just entered the city, they began talking about a man named Nolan, once their comrade and now a Lord.
"I really don't know how Nolan did it. He actually made a Demigod submit to him, and even brought back an elite army." Cleanrot Knight Arl crossed his arms and shook his head in amazement.
"What an enviable bastard. If a Demigod were willing to be my daughter, I'd like to see who would dare bully me after that. I wouldn't even be afraid of Finlay."
"No wonder people talk about you. Do you look anything like a champion? You actually need to rely on your child to stand tall. And why a daughter instead of a son?" one knight asked in confusion.
"Boys are naughty little troublemakers. How could they be as cute as daughters?" Arl said with a pout.
"You're the only naughty little troublemaker here, aren't you? Just because you ran all over the streets bare-assed when you were little doesn't mean every boy in the world was like you," the knight said with a laugh.
"..." The smile on Arl's face dimmed slightly. "That was a very long time ago."
Just like parents who hope their sons become dragons and their daughters phoenixes, most of them were not dragons or phoenixes themselves. And just like most champions' parents were not champions, Arl's family was no different.
Parents, siblings, and other kin could not withstand the passing of time in the end.
The bards of the Lands Between often said that a champion's greatest enemy was time, and his best friend was loneliness.
Arl thought about it carefully and felt that perhaps this had been one reason he had chosen to become a Cleanrot Knight.
Aside from admiring His Highness like everyone else, it was also because there were people here just like him.
The knights did not laugh at the embarrassing childhood memory Arl had admitted to. Such memories were rare and precious, and if they were being honest, their own childhoods might not have been much better.
Their reminiscence did not last long. The sound of clashing armor and cheerful conversation soon reached their ears.
They saw the Lord holding a young girl's hand as he followed Malenia into the hall.
Many people said that Miquella and Princess Trina had been bewitched by that man. Their favor toward the Golden Needle Knight was because the Empyrean's Lord had already been chosen from the very beginning.
The Cleanrot Knights and Golden Needle Knights had never once thought of reaching for the throne.
Yet in a legend that had somehow spread through the Haligtree, that man was said to be the one destined for the Saintess, a gift from the Haligtree. In the future, he was certain to become the Lord who would sleep beside the Goddess.
Of course, they had only half-believed that legend before. Compared with those Demigods at the height of their fame, that Lord had simply seemed far too weak. But now, they had no choice but to believe it.
Not only had he returned with ten thousand troops, but a Demigod worshiped by countless people followed behind him like an obedient child.
And that child truly was obedient. Messmer stayed at his father's side and said little from beginning to end, his gaze resting on Nolan and the sister he was meeting for the first time.
He had left this land far too early. He had not known he had gained so many younger brothers and sisters, and he had to admit that all of them were outstanding.
That red-haired sister even made him feel threatened. She was completely different from the harmless Trina. Her threat was like a blade resting against his throat.
Trina had still been chatting and laughing earlier, asking her younger sister Malenia whether she had missed her, then saying how much she herself had missed her. Yet as they talked, she seemed to grow less happy.
"You want my Great Rune. As it happens, I also want to fight you and see whether you can truly bear the title of Lord now," Malenia said.
Nolan gently placed his hand on Trina's head. "Don't worry. Malenia is only joking with us... right?"
"Mm-hmm. So it really was a joke? Malenia." Trina nodded. "Why go to all that trouble? I don't want you to hurt Nolan, and I don't want Nolan to hurt you."
"Sister, you're too naive." Malenia turned her head away, as if she could not bear to look at Trina's blinking eyes, and could only stare at the man instead.
"Nolan, after Godfrey was exiled, who was the Lord of the Golden Order Dynasty?"
"Marika," Nolan said. Though the Demigod before him had a father who had married a Goddess, everyone knew that after the Warrior King, the Dynasty had only one Eternal Queen.
No matter how powerful Radagon was, how exalted his status, or how many people worshiped and revered him, a Lord Consort was still only a Lord Consort. The Lord Consort of the Eternal Queen.
"A Lord and a god ruling together. It certainly sounds like a harmonious and beautiful tale, but do not forget who drove Lord Godfrey into exile, and because of whom Father was unable to ascend the throne."
Malenia's voice was cold.
In a corner on the other side, the Serpent Demigod was still watching his father and sisters talk. With great concern, he handed a cup of fine wine to Melina, probably afraid she might choke from eating too quickly.
The Kindling Maiden showed no reaction to her brother's concern. Though she sat in this bustling hall, she seemed to be sitting alone in a corner at the end of the world.
As his partner, she should have been beside Nolan, but the Valkyrie had placed her very far away, with several people between her and that man.
She had long since grown used to staying by that man's side, so this arrangement felt strange to her, and she did not like it.
Messmer could not read such complicated feelings from his sister's expressionless face, just as he could not see how heated the gaze of the female knight beside him had become.
But the instant he heard Malenia declare war on his father, Messmer's hand paused as he was handing over the wine. He even reached into his spirit ring and drew out his war spear.
Yes, they had clearly been talking happily just moments ago, and then the blade of the gentle Goddess suddenly declared war on the Goddess's Lord. As for the reason...
"Between you and my sister, who will lead the future Dynasty?" Malenia asked.
"The greater situation still isn't settled. Isn't it a little early to talk about that?" Trina sighed.
Malenia looked at Trina's expression and could not help shaking her head.
If it were her brother becoming a god, that would be one thing, but this sister of hers was too naive.
If they let that bastard flaunt his Lordly authority and do as he pleased while they did nothing at all, would there still be a place for the two sisters in the future?
Since he was their Lord, they had to keep him firmly in hand. As for those Lunar Princesses and Kindling Maidens, they should be kept farther away.
If they did not rein him in now, who knew whether the future Order of the Lands Between would be "Gentleness" or the "Dark Moon." Or perhaps he would simply rebuild another golden age.
"So you want me to answer with the sword in my hand?" Nolan sighed.
He exchanged a look with Trina, as if he could read "don't bully my sister" in her eyes, while Miquella said nothing at all.
"Yes. Though you have returned bearing the Lord's mandate, Elphael has not yet acknowledged you. I do not care about the Great Rune. I can give it to you. But how will you make the people submit?"
Malenia paused, then continued, "It's simple. Defeat me. Once the blade is broken, my brother and sister will have no strength left to resist."
"What a provocation. If you want to fight, just fight. You're even using tactics on me now?" Nolan grinned. "But that's fine. I've been thinking the same thing for a long time."