Stan walks excitedly around the castle, still showing the seriousness and reserve of a knight. Ever since he was sensible, entering the Royal Castle of Doyle had been an eternal dream in his heart, and today, his dream has come true.

The castle is intricately intricate, each walkway looks similar, and the dim light of the fire doesn't fully illuminate the surroundings, and Stan suddenly finds that he can't find his way back to his room. He hurriedly turned a few corners, searching for a similar hallway near his room from memory.

The sound of footsteps echoed in my ears, the crackling of torches flickering from time to time, and the light of the fire flickered erratically. The bitter cold of the Far North invaded every corner of the castle, and Stan tightened his cloak, no longer enjoying wandering in this environment, but only wanted to hurry back to his room.

Finally, after turning a corner again, the aisle in front of him seems to be the same as the one he set out from, and a wave of happiness warms up Stan. He found the door and reached for the handle, only to hear the sound of two people talking through the door.

"Did you agree to let those four people into the source of magic? Are you crazy?" a woman's voice said, mixed with anger and unease.

"I'm pretty sure I'm not crazy, no matter how you look at it, it's good for us. The voice that said this made Stan feel a wave of trepidation, and it was Byron's calm and majestic voice.

"Favorable? I wish you could justify it. The woman's voice was disdainful.

Who would dare to speak to the king in such a tone? Stan pondered that Doyle's queen had died more than twenty years earlier, and King Byron had never remarried, which had become a good story among Doyle's mouth. And now, who is this woman who is at odds with the king?Stan feels a little dizzy and wants to get out of here immediately, but the topic is about himself and his companions, and the confusion and worry keep him from moving.

The King's voice came again, "First of all, if they can find any information about the Dark Tide in the source of magic, it will definitely be of great help to us in the fight against the Dark Tide. ”

"That sounds a bit of a point, but what about next?" the woman asked.

"Secondly, we also have very limited knowledge of the source of magic, so why not let them go in and learn more?" Byron said unhurriedly.

"Really, aren't you worried that they'll find out about Sarah's raid and Doyle?" the woman asked Byron contemptuously.

Sarah!!Could Sarah's demise have something to do with Doyle?!Stan feels a wave of dizziness, caught off guard by the conversation across the door.

"What does this have to do with the source of magic?" said ......," there was a hint of sarcasm in Byron's tone. "What do you think are the odds that they'll make it back alive?"

"Even if there is only a one percent chance, you can't take it lightly, this secret must not be known to a third person besides you and me!" the woman's tone increased considerably, and she could tell that she was very worried that her so-called secret would be discovered.

"You don't have to worry about this, no one will know, or rather, no one else will know about it. Byron's words make Stan's brain thump. "You just have to care about the agreement between us, remember, you have to make sure that nothing goes wrong!"

Stan didn't hear a word from the conversation that followed, and his whole body shook violently in shock. Is this the true face of the King of Doyle, Adra XVII?

At this moment, there is a sound of messy footsteps in the distance, and Stan does not know whether it is out of panic or fear, he begins to subconsciously run with all his might, his confused eyes cannot see the road clearly, and his chaotic mind cannot think at all, so he can only bump around without direction.

After stumbling around an unknown number of corners, his eyes finally lit up, and Stan desperately rushed towards the light, revealing a clearing in front of him, in the middle of which a group of knights were practicing swordsmanship.

Stan was wheezing on the handrail of the clearing, beads of sweat still oozing from his forehead in the bitter cold.

"What's wrong with you? Fern appears next to Stan and asks, confused.

Stan looked up at Fern, who had just come back from his trance and breathed a sigh of relief. "I didn't ...... Nothing, got lost in it......"

"There's no need to be so flustered when you're lost, right?" Fern looked at Stan suspiciously, knowing that Stan wasn't the one to be so flustered because of something as trivial as getting lost.

"Really...... It's really nothing. Stan turned, sat down on the ground with his back to the armrest, and stared blindly at the knights in the clearing. At this moment, the knights in silver-white armor in front of him seemed to be the embodiment of demons, which made Stan shudder.

"Well, feel free to come to me if you need to, I'll hear you. Fern didn't ask any more, although he knew what must have happened, but since his companion didn't want to say, there must be a reason for him.

"Thanks......" Stan propped his sword on the ground and stood up with both hands. "This is ......"

"Driving range, are you interested in trying your hand at it too?" Fern crossed his hands on his chest with a relaxed expression on his face. "I've been watching it for a while, and these knights' swordsmanship is very high, and it will definitely be an exciting competition. ”

Stan looked back at the knights in front of him, and they were back to their heroic appearance, and the demons were gone. "Let's see, these are the Imperial Knights, I don't think we can defeat them. ”

"How do you know if you don't try?" Fern tried to encourage Stan, "Don't forget that you fended off the dead bodies of the entire ship on the Princess Merry." ”

"But it's just unconscious walking dead, and these are ......" Stan still worries, having heard about the heroic deeds of the former knights since he was a child, and these best knights of Doyle are his ultimate goal.

"Well, whatever you want. Fern interrupted him, and stepped forward to talk to a knight in front of him, and the two immediately took up their weapons and began to compete, and for a while, the strength was equal, and there was no difference between victory and defeat.

Stan watched as Fern was engrossed in the battle, and began to get ready to move, but he was concerned that he wasn't even a full-fledged knight. He envied Fern for not having to think about the complicated etiquette and restraint of knights, but he thought that this was the characteristic that set knights apart from others.

"Why, why don't you go up and try it out?" a ** voice appeared behind Stan. "Your friend seems to be enjoying the close competition. ”

Stan turned his head to reveal that the speaker was none other than the white-haired knight on the right behind the previous king. "I haven't asked for the name of my predecessor yet. Stan nods to the other party.

"Boyd Lundsel, Grand Knight. The white-haired knight nodded back to Stan. "If I'm not mistaken, you're called Stan. ”

Stan hears his name and feels like he's almost stopping. Boyd, the commander of the Imperial Knights, is not an exaggeration to say that he is the first knight of Doyle.

Stan respectfully replied, "Yes, Stan Black, I'm from Doyle. ”

"Good. Boyd smiled and said, "You must be a knight in your demeanor, right?"

"No, I learned on my way to Canrito that there was some trouble, so I had to come back for the time being. Stan replied with a shy shake.

"Rituals are important. But a knight's heart is crucial. Boyd walks over to Stan, who has completely gray hair, but is still in good shape, even half a head taller than Stan. "Pick up your sword, Stan, and let me see if you're ready to be a true knight. ”

A rush of blood rushed to Stan's brain, he had never imagined that he would be able to fight the Captain of the Imperial Knights, not even in his dreams. But now, Boyd was standing in front of him, and he couldn't believe it was happening so quickly.

Boyd picks up the practice sword and shield on the rack and walks to the center of the field, looking at Stan. The other knights retreated to the surroundings, waiting for the good show to come. Fern also stood aside, only to find that Rui was also standing beside him at some point, watching everything on the field with great interest.

Stan tried his best to suppress his excitement, picking out a lighter sword and a slightly larger shield, apparently preparing to focus on defense, before nervously heading to the center of the driving range and nodding at Boyd.

There was silence all around, and Boyd and Stan each lowered their weights, holding their swords in their right hands and raising their shields in their left hands to cover the lower part of their faces, revealing only their two eyes, and their postures were identical.

Boyd attacked first, his sword flashing in a quick triple hit. Stan resisted with all his might, waving his shield in his left hand to quickly defuse the attack.

"Very good, accurate block. Boyd applauded, followed by an even more stormy combo.

Stan keenly observes the way and direction of his opponent's sword, and defuses Boyd's attacks again and again. Suddenly, Byron's conversation with the mysterious woman swells into Stan's mind, and his impermeable thoughts are disrupted.

After a moment's hesitation, the sword was already in front of him, and Stan hastily used his shield to block the attack, although he blocked the sword's attack, but it was already half a beat slower in his moves, exposing an obvious gap in front of him.

Boyd, of course, won't let go of this opportunity, and slams his left shield into Stan with a slam. Stan has no time to dodge, so he has to use his right hand to make a useless defense. Stan is knocked to the ground by the shield, and his right hand goes numb with shock, and the sword falls to the ground.

The knights around him let out an exclamation, and Fern couldn't help but applaud.

"Attention ensures that you will survive longer on the battlefield than others. Boyd holds out his left hand to Stan, who is lying to the ground.

Stan grabbed Boyd's hand and stood up, picking up his sword and getting back into his stance. "Focus, don't be distracted!" Stan said silently.

Boyd attacked again, and Stan had a general idea of the routine after defending just now. He slammed his left hand away from Boyd's sword, apparently not expecting Stan to take the initiative to catch up, and the sword was bounced away.

Stan took advantage of this opportunity and slashed his right sword at Boyd's left shoulder, and he raised his shield to block the attack. Stan slashes his sword from the other direction again, and the other man resists with his sword.

With the force of his sword, Stan's shield in his left hand crashed into his opponent, and Boyd took a step back and leaned back to avoid the impact. Stan doesn't pause in his movements, he continues to turn to the left in a circle, and slashes at his opponent with his sword in his right hand.

Several attacks are defused by Boyd one by one, and Stan becomes impatient, his newly concentrated attention begins to be distracted.

"No one will know, or no one alive will know. Byron's words creep into Stan's mind again.

A moment's hesitation was enough for the seasoned Boyd, and the knight counter-attacked at breakneck speed after blocking Stan's absent-minded attack with his shield. Stan came back to his senses before he could barely start his defense, and after only three blows, the sword was already in front of Stan's door.

"You're not in the right place to compete, so let's wait until you've cleared your doubts. Boyd straightened up, ready to end the fight.

"I'm sorry, I'm ...... Disappointed you. Stan bowed his head in remorse.

"It's not important to disappoint others, it's important not to let yourself down. Boyd's tone was majestic and flat.

Stan straightens up and salutes Boyd. "Thank you very much for your teaching. ”

Boyd nodded in return and turned to leave.

"Senpai!" Stan suddenly mustered up the courage to stop Boyd. "What would you do if you found out that what you had always believed in turned out to be not what you thought it was?"

Boyd turned around and looked at the junior with a confused expression. "Defend your faith itself, not entrust it to someone. He threw his sword and shield to one of the knights beside him. "Remember, a knight guards a faith, not a person. ”

Boyd's figure disappears into the hallway of the castle, and Stan sits limply by the wall, looking up at the sky. "A knight guards a faith, not a person. He muttered to himself.

The driving range was noisy again, with the clashing of weapons and the chatter of the knights.

"Stan, what's wrong? not like he usually is. Rui frowned and asked Fern puzzled.

Fern sighed. "He must have known something he shouldn't know, and now even I am worried about whether it has something to do with us. ”

"That's not good news, and we're leaving for the source of magic tomorrow. Rui bit her lip worriedly.

"Yes, I hope the knight's words just now enlighten him. Fern shook his head helplessly. "Now we can only see the move. ”

Rui snorted and tilted his head to look at Fern. "I've always wondered, where did you get the confidence to take all the dangers away? ”

"And what advice do you have?" Fern turned his head to Stare at Rui as well. "Tie up Stan?" and torture him about what he sees.

"Well, I didn't come to you to argue with you about this. Rui turned his head to look at Stan in the distance. "I hope you promise me something. ”

"Say it. Fern watched the two knights play. "I can agree to anything other than let me help you kill the king of Doyle.

Rui looked at Fern in surprise. "How do you know I hate Byron?"

Fern pursed his lips and crossed his hands over his chest. "Some of your anomalies have revealed some information to me, such as in that abandoned village, and when you saluted Byron. The corners of Ferne's mouth arced. "Not only that, but I know why you hate Byron"

"What a mercenary for Deville. Rui sneered, grabbed the sides of the cloak with both hands, and wrapped himself in the cloak. "I would be grateful if you could keep these secrets for me. ”

"Of course, I don't find a reason to tell anyone about this. Fern walked into the driving range, took a few steps, and as if remembering something, he turned his head to look at Ray. "In any case, Rui, you must know that you are our companion. ”

Rui looked at Fern expressionlessly, but a warm current flowed into the bottom of his heart. "Thank you. The mage tried her best to keep it indifferent, but she was only a young girl, and she had been through too much to bear for her age.

Rui quickly turned around, afraid that Fern would see that his eyes were red.