I was a knight in the Middle Ages

Chapter 529 The Shadow of the Temple (Page 12)

"Now, can we live in peace?" Alpha sheathed his sword, as if nothing had happened, grabbed Orlando by the collar, and dragged him out of the secret room like a dead dog, escorting him all the way to the council table in the main hall.

At this moment, the battle outside mysteriously ceased because the commander-in-chief had been captured.

The atmosphere in the hall was extremely oppressive.

Alfa sat arrogantly in the main seat, while Orlando sat trembling beside him like a timid little wife.

Athena and the others, blades in hand, coldly stared at the Templar Knights and the old steward below, who stood frozen in anger.

"Don't just stand there, everyone, sit down." Alpha picked up a piece of fruit from the table, took a bite, and said indistinctly, "Once the Knights Templar return, those Dark Knights will naturally retreat, and the Duke will be safe."

"Now, can we serve the food?" Alpha looked at the terrified servants. "We are guests, is this how the Duke's mansion treats its guests?"

At Alfa's "enthusiastic invitation," several servants nervously served a table full of delicacies.

The Knights of Light showed no restraint, picking up their knives and forks and feasting as if this were not the enemy's lair, but a grand banquet.

Of course, to prevent being poisoned, Knight King thoughtfully brought in several servants to act as poison testers.

“By the way, Duke,” Alpha wiped his mouth and looked at Orlando again, “where’s that elf I mentioned? Why hasn’t he arrived yet?”

Orlando shuddered and quickly waved his hand, "Quick! Bring that newly captured high elf up here! Hurry!"

A moment later, two servants dragged up an elven man and woman who were almost exhausted and had a numb expression.

The male elf's once bright eyes were now dull and lifeless, and his body was covered in whip marks.

Alpha merely glanced at her before looking away, his eyes devoid of any emotion, as if he were looking not at a stunning elf, but at a piece of wood.

His glance wasn't to admire the elves' beauty, but to ascertain their condition.

“Your Grace, your life is worth far more than this elf.” Alpha whispered in Orlando’s ear, his voice so soft it sent chills down one’s spine. “So, pray that your knights move quickly. Otherwise, I’m afraid I can’t guarantee that the Dark Knights won’t break in again, and it wouldn’t be good if Your Grace were to ‘die unexpectedly’.”

Orlando was limp and could only stare in despair at the hourglass on the table, each grain of sand seeming to toll the death knell for his life.

"Athena, this fatso is in your hands now. Make sure you keep a close eye on him." Alpha wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

He glanced at the unfathomable old butler with a flickering look, then turned around and unequivocally entrusted Athena with the important task of guarding Duke Orlando.

Alpha knew very well that as long as Athena could keep that old monster in check, Orlando would be nothing more than a fish on a chopping board.

After giving his instructions, Alpha grabbed the two elves who had been presented as gifts and dragged them out of the suffocating standoff like chicks.

Behind them, the two sides were still locked in a standoff, the atmosphere extremely cold, while Alpha led the two elves into a relatively quiet side hall.

With a bang, Alpha slammed the door shut and threw the two of them onto the soft carpeted floor.

He crouched down, looking at the two elves before him who were once noble but now resembled broken dolls.

The male elf had empty eyes and bruises of humiliation on his face;

The female elf huddled trembling in her brother's arms.

Her once lively ears now drooped limply, and her thin clothes were already soaked with tears.

"Listen up, whatever disasters you've been through, pull yourselves together now!" Alpha's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority.

"The future of the Elven race depends on you survivors to rise up! Don't tell me you've been defeated; if you have, you don't even deserve to be called warriors!"

Alpha tried to awaken their dignity as a race with words, but this time, he failed.

Faced with Alpha's provocation, the male elf simply shook his head numbly, while the female elf buried her head even deeper.

The kind of deep-seated torment and humiliation cannot be erased by a few empty slogans.

Alpha sighed inwardly, knowing that conventional methods were no longer effective.

He suddenly grabbed the male elf's wrist, brought the ring on his left hand, which had been emitting a faint green light, close to the other's face, and a resolute glint flashed in his eyes.

Alpha hissed in the most ancient Elvish language: "In the name of the Elven King, I command you: Raise your heads! Behold this Royal Ring!"

The male elf raised his head blankly, and when his gaze fell on the ring, his pupils suddenly contracted.

The ancient patterns flowing on that ring exuded a pure and natural aura.

And that oppressive aura emanating from the depths of his bloodline made him tremble all over.

"This...this is impossible!" the male elf screamed, his voice hoarse. "You're human! How can a human become the Elf King? This goes against the laws of nature!"

The elf struggled frantically to break free, wanting to check if it was some kind of poor-quality counterfeit.

But no matter how he sensed it, the ring's material, aura, and runes were all flawless, making it the legendary symbol of elven royal power.

Alpha, seeing the other's horrified expression, slowly withdrew his hand, his tone as calm as if he were stating something trivial: "Because the former Elf King wanted to see a new world without racial barriers, without social hierarchy, where all things are equal. She believed I could help her realize this dream, so she chose me. From the moment she gave me this ring, I became the new Elf King."

These words struck the two elves like a thunderclap.

Their minds, filled with despair, were now a complete mess, and their worldview was utterly overturned at this moment.

"No matter what hardships you have endured, now you are about to embark on a new life." Alpha stopped wasting words.

Alpha extended his right hand and placed it on the male elf's forehead, while the King's Ring on his left hand suddenly burst forth with a dazzling green light.

He began to chant an ancient and sacred prayer in Elvish, a prayer imbued with the baptismal power of the King's Ring.

The gentle light, like warm spring water, flowed slowly into the parched hearts of the two elves, soothing the wounds of their souls.

A moment later, the light faded.

Alpha withdrew his hand, his gaze fixed intently on them, and he activated his "holy" deceptive mode: "Now, in the name of the Elf King, I bestow upon you a new mission. Your task is singular—to live, and to liberate all the trapped elves, and to liberate all the enslaved races of this world!"

"Yes... Your Excellency the Elf King." The emptiness in the eyes of the male elf, Tiksin, finally began to dissipate, replaced by a faint but determined flame.

With a goal, humans (or elves) have a pillar to sustain their lives.

"What are your names?" Alpha asked, his tone softening as he realized he had successfully fooled them.

He scrutinized the two elves, ignoring the slight rise and fall of their chests.

Looking at its exquisite features and slender figure, it's really hard to tell if Alpha is male or female.

“I am Tiksin, and she is my sister Tiklu.” Tiksin’s voice was still hoarse.

But having regained his composure, his eyes burned with suppressed rage. "We were captured while patrolling the outskirts of the Enchanted Forest. That fat man... that Duke Orlando insulted us, and even had his men..."

As he spoke, Tixen's nails dug deeply into his palms, and his murderous intent almost materialized.

“I’ll remember this.” Alpha’s eyes instantly turned icy cold.

"After this mission is over, I will personally hand that fat man over to you for disposal. But until then, you must obey my orders without question, understand?"

“Yes, Your Majesty the Elf King!” Tiksin gripped his sister’s hand tightly and nodded emphatically.

"In front of outsiders, you can call me Knight Lei, or Lord Lei," Alpha cautiously instructed.

"My identity as the Elf King must never be revealed to anyone other than the core members of the Elf race. Our power is still very weak, and we must, like a venomous snake, accumulate strength in the shadows, waiting for the opportune moment to strike decisively."

Seeing the renewed flame of hope in the eyes of the two elves, Alpha knew that he had two more hidden trump cards.

When Alpha pushed open the door to the side hall and returned to the smoke-filled main battlefield, he was met with the disdainful gazes of Knight Jin and the others.

"Tsk, Lei is Lei. Even at a time like this, he's still thinking about bringing two elves to 'appease' them. He's got some nerve." Knight Jin mocked without any attempt to hide his sarcasm, while the other knights of light also revealed lewd smiles that said, "I know."

In their view, Alpha's willingness to enjoy its spoils at such a critical moment was utterly hopeless.

Alpha merely glanced at them indifferently, a mysterious smile playing on his lips, but offered no explanation.

Everything was left unsaid; some powers were beyond the comprehension of these rough men who only knew how to wield greatswords.

Alpha walked straight up to the pale-faced Duke of Orlando and glanced at the gradually brightening sky outside the window.

Alpha's voice was like that of someone from the deepest hell, chilling to the bone:

"It seems, Your Grace, your time has come. Your subordinates don't seem to care much about your life or death..."

"Lord John! The right flank has been breached! The brothers can't hold on much longer!" The messenger, his face covered in blood, hoarsely relayed the battle situation to the rear.

At this point on the front lines, Zhang Yuntian and Best were already covered in wounds.

Despite their desperate resistance, the two were relentlessly suppressed by the Templar Commander Ados.

Each block was accompanied by excruciating pain in his bones, and the wounds on his body kept piling up.

Blood stained the armor, and the disadvantage was irreversible.

At this critical moment, the Templar Knights' communications officer brought bad news.

"Damn it! Give me two more hours! No, just one hour, and I can wipe out this rabble!" Ados was so angry at the Duke's urgent recall order that he almost ground his teeth to powder, but he dared not disobey Orlando's military orders.

"Retreat! The Third Army Corps will stay behind to cover the rear, the rest of you will follow me back to defend the Holy City!" Ados made a decisive move, brandishing his longsword and forcibly forcing Zhang Yuntian and Best back, leading the main force to retreat like a tide.

The Templars' sudden retreat plunged the battlefield into a moment of deathly silence, which was then drowned out by cheers of relief.

In this battle, the Commoner Knights paid a heavy price—two thousand were killed, two thousand were seriously wounded, and countless others were lightly wounded.

But it was this baptism of blood and fire that shed their cowardice and gave them the confidence to face the empire's elite forces.

Even if they didn't win, their courage to fight the Templars to the last moment was enough to make them proud for a lifetime.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, Zahir's battle with the noble knights was nearing its end.

Unlike the brutality of the main battlefield, the situation here is one-sided.

Murat's heavy cavalry stood firm against the noble knights' charge, while Zahir's light cavalry, like nimble vipers, plunged straight into the enemy's center.

Under Zahir's masterful tactical command, the noble knights' formation was thrown into chaos and they were eventually routed. They are now busy cleaning up the mess.