In the middle of July in the year 996 of the Sacred Calendar, the sun was blazing, and in this steaming month of midsummer heat, the attention of the whole of Olympia was focused on a major event that was as hot as the ever-warming weather, that is, the Empire's martial arts conference.

This time-honored convention has been the talk of the Holy Empire since ancient times, whether it is the princes and nobles or the common people, almost everyone in the streets and alleys of Olympia City is talking about topics related to martial arts conventions.

"Have you heard? man, four of the twelve knights selected for the preliminary round this year are civilians. In the oak bar in the eastern part of Olympia, a plainly dressed young man excitedly banged on the rough wooden table with a wine glass, "I really want to see the faces of those noble lords with fat brains, who said that there could be no great knights among the commoners?"

"It's one thing to be selected, and who knows what's going to be behind it, and who doesn't have a knighthood on the Palatine Council, and they're going to watch a commoner take that glory?"

The man sitting across from him burped and looked listless, "Old Pete on Fifth Street put all his savings on his precious nephew who was lucky enough to participate in the tryouts five years ago, and what was the result? ”

A little girl nibbling on black bread raised her head and said timidly, "But, I heard Sister Cratis say that the most powerful knight of the Palatine Academy this year is also a commoner, and he is quite handsome." ”

"The martial arts tournament is not a fairy tale masquerade party for princesses, my dear little Katie. A man in his early thirties reached out and touched his daughter's head, "Unfortunately, if the world can be solved simply by looking at the face, we humble civilians may be able to live a more nourishing life." ”

"The brilliance is above, since we civilians are also qualified to enter the preliminary round, it seems that those low-class nobles of the upper class society did not do anything in the selection competition this time, and this year's martial arts conference may be very interesting. ”

"I'm more optimistic about Blaze, I've heard of him a few years ago when I was a mercenary in Thrace. An adventurer-turned-commoner poured a sip of ale. "To put it mildly, I think the boys in the Palatine Academy, he can beat ten at a time. ”

"That guy named Rodlis is not easy to hear. ”

"There's also a very quirky player, what's it called... The morning star is coming, wearing a mask from beginning to end, I don't know what it looks like?"

"Perhaps, he is the illegitimate son of His Majesty the Emperor or His Majesty the Pope and some commoner woman, and wants to take advantage of this opportunity to show himself in front of his biological father, and to surprise the world by lifting his mask at the moment of winning the championship. Some people began to talk about the plot in the knight's novel, which fully demonstrated the boundless imagination of the low-level citizens.

In an inn not far from the Palatine Academy, Roland was sitting in his room, gently and patiently wiping his sword.

There was a knock on the door.

Roland didn't look up, "Please come in, I'm unlocked, Miss Cizeriel." ”

The door opened quietly, and a tall woman walked in, dressed in plain clothes, but she could not hide her beauty at all.

"Roland, the preliminary round will start in three days, you ...... Are you ready?" Claudia began, a faint sadness looming over her brow.

"I've been preparing for this moment for ten years, don't worry, if it's okay, please go back first, and prepare for your competition in three days, the preliminary round is not a part to be taken lightly. Roland said lightly.

"You know, I never cared about that. Claudia's gaze was sincere and determined, "I don't care about the rewards of the martial arts tournament at all, I participated in this tournament just to prove to you that I am now a qualified knight and have enough ability to act as your companion." ”

Such a fiery and enthusiastic confession, blurted out from the mouth of a beautiful woman, no one is afraid to resist.

With a "brush", Roland skillfully put the sword into the sheath, without looking at Claudia, his handsome face like a god son was unwavering, and his tone did not fluctuate in the slightest.

"You never need to prove yourself to anyone, Miss Cizeriel, you have always been excellent, there are more knights in the academy who are far more noble than me who are more suitable to be your companions, you don't need to entrust your life to a poor man who has nothing but a sword in his life, as the only beloved granddaughter of His Excellency Archmage Joey, with all due respect, such a decision is too willful. ”

Claudia shook her head, looking at Constantine's back with a look full of grievances, "Could it be that I risked angering my grandfather and came to the academy to study without regrets for two years, and the result was that you refused to even call me by name?"

"Then I'll make it clear, Claudia. Roland turned around, "From the moment I left the convent when I was ten years old, I was destined to have only one goal left in my life: to enter the church of light and become the master of the future church, and I was raised for this purpose, and when I embarked on this path, I was destined to be alone forever and dedicate everything to the cause of the Lord, so, I'm sorry, I can only give back your wishes." ”

Claudia was speechless in surprise, but she quickly came to her senses and said in an extremely dry tone: "However, you can't succeed, everyone in the empire knows that Her Royal Highness Diana is now studying with my grandfather, and her goal is very clear, that is, to obtain the power of the Templar and become a saint in the true sense of the word."

"She is a god herself, and His Majesty the Pope also supports her, coupled with what happened in Quanshui Town a year and a half ago, Her Highness's prestige within the empire and the church is now not what it used to be, and there are many people who support her, even if you are the best knight in this Paladin, do you have the ability to compete with her?"

Roland said: "So I need this contest to prove to the whole empire that I have the ability to become the master of the Templar, Diana is now favored by many people, but there is one thing you may ignore, there are actually more people who oppose her, whether it is the conservative bishops of the church, or the prince of Byron, who is inseparable from the death of her nominal eldest brother and her mother's brother, will not sit idly by and watch her become the next guardian of the Templar." ”

"The Lord is not the Lord himself, and as long as the Lord does not issue an oracle to designate her as the Lord of the Templars, she must first ask me for the sword in her hand if she is qualified to preside over the five thousand Templars of the Church. Roland's fingers lightly clasped the sword, and his calm face revealed unprecedented confidence and pride, and the momentary elegance made the woman in front of him dizzy.

Looking at the entire younger generation of the Holy Empire, the only person who has enough confidence to challenge Diana, the "Imperial Moon", is Roland Austin, who sits on the name of the "Imperial Sun".

Looking away from the departing back of the woman in front of him, Roland stood up and looked out the window, along the line of sight, where he could not see, the magnificent Great Temple of Glory stood quietly, this temple of countless secrets and powers, seemed to be resting quietly, waiting for dozens of days to welcome the birth and arrival of the strongest knight in the empire......

At about the same moment, a teenager stood on the top floor of the Palatine Tower, looking in the same direction as him.

"When I was a child, the big house that the Bishop talked about was referring to this!" Roland thought silently, slowly closing his eyes.

The midsummer sun shone through the window and into the room, shining on his tall and majestic body, gilding his handsome face with a bright glow, like a mythical angel descending on earth......