"Hehe!"
An eight or nine-year-old boy raised a wooden sword high, exhaled loudly, and stepped down to strike.
BAM!
The boy on his opposite side, who was about his age, blocked the attack with his sword. The two swords collided in a dull noise.
Under the scorching sunlight, the two boys were sweating hard, with water dripping from their cheeks to their necks. Even so, they were still gritting their teeth and practicing their sword arts attentively.
On the stairs nearby, a man with blond hair and brown eyes nodded, expressing his satisfaction at the two boys' practice. He looked young and handsome, and his temperament was mature and steady. It was hard to tell his exact age.
However, his eyes were in a trance at this moment, as if he were looking at something far away through the children before him.
"John, what are you thinking about?" A tall and slim beauty walked to him from his back. She was gentle and had blond hair and blue eyes, which was different from the common style of Holm.
John's eyes were clear again. He turned around with a smile and said to his wife, Kalie, "Seeing the children practicing sword arts so diligently reminded me of my childhood. At that time, Lucien and I practiced in the same way in the empty space of the slums of Aalto. However, his body was not as strong as mine, and he did not have any food to cooperate with me. So, I knocked away his wooden sword every time …"
Standing behind him, Kalie hugged his waist and smiled gently. "Who could've known that one of the two children in the slums of Aalto would become a Count of the Imperium, a Knight, and the deputy captain of the Sword of Truth's Knight Legion, and an even more terrifying one. He's a demigod, a grand arcanist, a prince of the Imperium, and a great musician …"
"Yes. Life is like a play." John patted his wife's arms and said with mixed feelings, "At first, I only wanted to be an official Knight to change the life of my family and protect them and the duchy. I never dreamed of becoming a Knight or having a wife like you."
Karen was tall and could rest her chin on John's shoulder. After hearing his words, she couldn't help but smile.
John looked at the front and said with a smile, "Lucien never thought that he would achieve what he has today. At that time, his greatest wish was to become a civilian with a fixed income. Fate is truly a miracle. Even astrologers cannot predict it. I remember that Lucien and I often stood outside the Psalm Hall, dreaming that one day, we would be able to attend a concert inside. Hehe, I almost forgot what the Psalm Hall looks like …"
"Thinking of Aalto?" Catherine asked sharply.
John smiled calmly, "Yes. I miss the Psalm Hall, the old house, the Black Forest where I trained as a Knight, and the bards and street performers on the street. Hehe. Old people always miss their hometown and their childhood."
"Old? Are you saying that I'm old too? I'm only a few years older than you. " Karen pretended to be angry. "Do you regret not choosing the territory near Aalto but staying in Renstadt?"
When he became a Count, John had a chance to choose a hereditary territory. At that time, Natasha was already the Grand Dukes Of Orvarit and could've granted him the territory near Aalto. However, John eventually chose to stay on this side of the Storm Strait.
John did not reply. He clapped his hands and hinted the children to stop. Then, he said something to them and led Karen upstairs.
"It's time for my routine patrol," John said unhurriedly.
Karen nodded. "I've already prepared your Knight suit and armor."
When they passed the hall, John pulled Karen and pointed inside. "Listen. Beautiful music. Mother is holding a salon again."
"Yes." Karen did not quite understand what John meant. Was it strange that his mother often invited noble ladies to the salons?
John pointed at the library upstairs. "Father must've gone to the Musicians' Associations."
"Yes." Karen was still confused.
John said with a smile, "Renstadt has a magic gramophone, a magic air conditioner, a home TV, a magic refrigerator, an alchemical car, and many other alchemical items that have changed our lives. It's a place that's at the forefront of the popularization of magic. Father and mother are already used to such a life and enjoy it. They have their own hobbies. It will be torture for them to return to Aalto. Besides, with the direct airships, we can reach Aalto in a couple of days without teleportation arrays. So, I never regret my choice."
In the end, he added, "For me, home is where you are. I'll choose wherever you like. Just now, I was just missing my childhood, not Aalto."
Karen blushed but did not say anything. She pulled John back to the master bedroom on the second floor and helped him change his clothes.
Bang!
When John was adjusting his clothes in front of the full-length mirror, a dull explosion echoed from the other end of the corridor.
Neither John nor Karen had any unusual reaction, as if it were as common as opening and closing the door.
"Something went wrong with Elwyn's experiment again …" John listened carefully and heard footsteps in the laboratory. Then, he sensed that Elwyn was still alive. Then, he sighed helplessly. "He became a second-circle sorcerer with the help of potions, but he never studies arcana with his heart."
Elwyn was an eccentric person. He was not interested in boring arcana and magic studies. Instead, he pursued versatile spells and colorful popularized alchemical items. In Lucien's words, he was more like an inventor than an arcanist.
Karen comforted him. "Elwyn is very smart, but he's only interested in popularized alchemical items. When he understands that he can't carry out his modifications effectively without a solid foundation in arcana and magic, he'll work harder."
Karen was a level-two arcanist and a fourth-circle sorcerer herself.
"Okay." John nodded and put on the last part of the armor.
… …
Above the Stroop forest, John asked his subordinate Knight to patrol in the aircraft, while he strolled in the sky and observed the situation in the forest carefully.
Because many elves had integrated into human society, the protection of the abyssal gap was shared by the Elven Court, the Elder Council of Druids, and the Congress of Magic. The few major Knight regiments of the empire, on the other hand, were responsible for dealing with the demonized creatures and the escaped demons in the forest.
The treatment of the abyssal gap had always been controversial. The elves wanted it to be completely sealed, and so did the nobles and civilians in the few counties nearby. After all, even the most thorough protection could be avoided. Not only was the area of the polluted forest slowly expanding, but some demonized creatures and escaped demons had also entered villages, towns, and cities. Although they were taken care of in time every time without causing too much damage, some people were still disabled or killed because of them.
However, most sorcerers and Knight hoped to keep the gap and the Town of the Anonymous, because the strength of the invading demons was limited. They did not need to worry about the terrifying beings such as Demon Lords and Dukes. It was an ideal place for them to harvest many senior-rank materials. It was much better than going into the abyss directly.
As far as John knew, the Highest Council had already made a decision to establish a research team. The goal was to separate the two worlds and keep a buffer zone on the first level of the abyss for the convenience of adventures and training.
Ah!
A painful groan came from John's communication earpiece. His expression immediately became serious, and he swooped down like an eagle.
In the forest, several Knight were standing back to back against the attack of a beautiful woman. She had small and cute demon horns on her forehead, and part of her body was covered with a layer of light black scales. Her body was curvaceous and charming, just like a powerful succubus.
The Knight was injured. They were caught off guard just now. Some of them were seriously injured and on the verge of death. They were in urgent need of rescue.
Holding a whip that was full of thorns, the succubus attacked quickly. Her naturally-endowed spells spread out into pink and black mists.
Suddenly, a longsword that was enshrouded in vague light slashed from the sky, dispersing the mists and dispelling the effects of the spells that the succubus cast.
John did not turn into elements or light. He was as plain as a regular Great Knight, but wherever his longsword pointed, all the extraordinary abilities were reduced to mediocrity!
"Bloodline Elimination!" Shocked, the succubus flapped her wings and turned around to flee.
However, her speed had been significantly reduced. She was caught up by John and slashed to the ground.
"No, don't kill me. I can acknowledge you as my master and serve you well!" The succubus intentionally twisted her attractive body in exchange for a chance of survival.
"You never thought of not killing my teammates when you attacked them." John's eyes remained unchanged. His longsword fell and executed the succubus directly.
The succubus' shock was frozen on her face. The few Knight who were attacked in the rear also had regret on their faces.
Rumble!
The earth suddenly shook so violently that the Knight almost couldn't stand still.
"What's going on?" John looked in the direction of the shaking in shock. He saw that a Scarlet Plain appeared in the sky. The space in front of it was twisted and intertwined with each other, forming an exaggerated and hideous gap. Behind it, there were layers of different abysses.
In front of the prominent abyssal gap, a young man wearing a black double-breasted suit was floating there. He wore a black bow tie and wore a monocle on his right eye. He was handsome and gentle, surrounded by darkness that twisted like an abyss.
"Lucien?" Seeing the familiar figure, John blurted out.
At this time, Lucien stretched out his hands and his whole body became blurry. It was as if he was in another world that could not be touched or approached. Behind him, the boundless starry sky appeared, vast and boundless, dazzling and dazzling.
BOOM!
The black fog around the gap was thick. There was no telling what happened. John only saw that the space around him collapsed, and the Scarlet Plain and the abyss behind it slowly separated from the gap!
In the meantime, an enormous storm swept across the Scarlet Plain and completely enshrouded it. The thick, long, silver electric snakes separated it from the second level of the abyss like a forest!
Did he just push the abyss away?
Looking at Lucien who was like a god in the sky, John was speechless for a long time. Vague sorrow suddenly filled his heart.
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