Chapter 259
Chapter 259
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 259
Chapter Title: 73. Blossoming in Turbulent Times (5)
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"It's the Soul Oath."
It was a pact backed by their very souls.
"Souls, you say?"
Vincent and the others frowned at the mention of souls.
The idea of a soul-backed oath was utterly foreign to them.
It wasn't all that strange.
The oaths spoken of by the knights of this era held different meanings from those of knights from centuries past.
The ancient knights, who valued accumulating mana in their hearts to achieve great feats and ascend to lofty realms, viewed habitual lies and breaking promises as acts that would shatter the very stature they had built for themselves.
Naturally, knights of old spoke sparingly, and once a word left their lips, they upheld it no matter the cost.
Even so, not every knight spoke only truth or treated promises like their lives. Some even risked tarnishing their hard-earned stature for greater gains.
Yet even those without honor had one promise they could never break.
That was the pact with the king.
The kings of old had used the knights' souls as collateral, placing shackles on the necks of the untrustworthy.
"If they broke the pact, those with great feats and stature lost it all, while those with meager achievements suffered devastating blows to their very souls, leading to ruin."
Thus, they could not dare break the oath, ensuring no great harm came to humanity through them.
The kings bound the untrustworthy and the unruly in this way.
That was the Soul Oath.
My words made Vincent and the others stiffen.
It wasn't fear of the horrific consequences of breaking the pact.
Just a hint of resentment.
Their eyes were telling me:
Did we really need to go this far?
Wasn't the firm trust we had in each other enough?
They probably thought I'd demanded a soul-backed oath without explanation because I didn't trust them.
Of course, it was a misunderstanding.
I knew these people before me would never betray me, that they'd charge at enemies bare-handed without hesitation for my sake.
"You didn't think it was just empty words, did you?"
That Ilai bastard said, looking at me.
A face full of grievance he'd never shown, even after all the bullying.
Vincent and Kals felt the same, though to varying degrees.
Truly straightforward men.
That was why their presence brought me such joy.
I chuckled softly.
"It's just one of its effects. I never said that was all there was to it."
To clear up their misunderstanding, I explained the true nature of the Soul Oath.
"Not all soul-backed oaths are the same."
Some were forged under coercion, others willingly.
In the former, only one side pledged their soul as collateral. In the latter, both did.
Just like now.
"Binding souls together is no light matter. Like it or not, you'll influence each other. If one amasses evil karma, the other can't escape the responsibility or effects."
"Ah!"
That Ilai bastard let out a groan at my words.
True to his lineage from the House of Ilai—which had steadfastly clung to martial odes and heart mana even when the world dismissed them as outdated—he grasped the meaning instantly.
But Vincent and Kals, who had only recently come to appreciate the value of martial odes and heart mana, still looked puzzled.
"In simple terms, if we do something foolish, Your Highness's power could weaken."
Only after that Ilai bastard's explanation did they realize how grave soul-binding was for heart-mana knights, their eyes widening.
"Why take such a risk...?"
They who'd been resentful moments ago now looked at me with reproach, deeply worried their actions might harm me.
Seeing their faces, I just smiled and said,
"Because I trust you."
Kals shuddered at my words. That Ilai bastard snorted and grinned broadly.
Vincent's scowl deepened.
"That's not an answer. Why invite unnecessary danger? What's the gain?"
He questioned the real reason for courting risks we could have avoided without the Soul Oath, even blaming my recklessness.
But I hadn't acted rashly.
"The ancient kings selected the most trustworthy, skilled, and promising knights and shared their souls with them."
I was merely fulfilling a long-contemplated plan, delayed only by lack of talent.
"Those knights who received the king's soul wielded power beyond their own abilities and achieved feats they couldn't alone. United, they aimed for even greater heights."
Agnes's indomitable knights, the Sky Sovereign's mighty Flying Dragon Knights, and countless others who served the king.
"The world called them knight orders."
That was the origin of knight orders—the strongest sword and shield humanity possessed.
I firmly believed humanity triumphed over other races because of them.
And I hoped the same now.
I looked at the men before me.
Dear Vincent, that irritating yet admirably growing Ilai bastard, steadfast Kals following my back, Adelia who took my words as gospel truth, and Arwen—absent but more reliable than any.
My newly born knight order, pillars without equal.
With them, it would be enough.
To navigate the world's tribulations, topple colossal foes I couldn't face alone, even reach transcendence.
"That's why I shared the Soul Oath with you."
Vincent fell silent.
No more rebuking my recklessness, no voicing worries over what-ifs.
He just parted and closed his lips repeatedly.
Kals and that Ilai bastard were the same.
Pretending nonchalance, or curling lips into awkward grins.
Their expressions varied, but the feeling was strikingly similar.
Faces struggling to suppress overwhelming emotion.
Watching them stirred my own feelings.
Others might ask what the fuss was—just another knight order among many.
But this was utterly different from the mere groups of this era.
That Ilai bastard and Adelia would wield verses beyond their current stature through me.
Vincent, Kals, and Arwen would synchronize deeper in battle for greater effect.
I'd share the burden of martial odes beyond my full control with them.
Above all, the knight order's feats would benefit us all equally.
Of course, past orders formed by oaths had shared grand feats evenly.
The Flying Dragon Knights received part of Skyward Song's power from the Sky Sovereign, and the Royal Knights claimed a brief verse from True Dragon Ode's early lines atop Frostpeak with the king.
But I aimed higher.
I planned to create an entirely new martial ode.
The first knight order uniting mana chain and mana heart knights. A martial ode woven solely for them, merging existing odes and war poems.
A song chanted by ring-mana and heart-mana knights together.
It would be magnificent.
My heart raced at the mere thought.
I longed for Arwen's swift return from her mission.
Only then would the order be complete.
Lost in joyful anticipation,
"Let's name the knight order the Sharp Five Molars of the Golden Lion."
That Ilai bastard doused my mood with his awful naming sense.
"We rank the molars by skill, competing whenever to set the order."
Delighted with his pathetic name, he spun delusions—even slyly hinting at someday ranking above Kals and Vincent to avoid last place.
"We'll decide the name together when Arwen returns."
"Doesn't Sharp Five Molars of the Golden Lion appeal? How about Roaring Lion's Five...?"
"Dismissed for today."
I ignored his prattling.
His naming was disastrously bad, as I'd long known.
I prayed once more for Arwen's quick return to the fortress.
At least in her presence, that Ilai bastard's mouth quieted a bit.
"What about White Lion Knight Order? The kingdom has Golden Lion, Silver Lion, Iron Lion—but no White Lion. It means a lion roaring on harsh snowfields, and it has other meanings too..."
While waiting for Arwen, I tasked Vincent with contracting and organizing the newly arrived mercenaries.
"Having to pore over papers after coming all this way."
Vincent grimaced amid stacks of documents, but didn't argue when I said no one else fit.
Thanks to his sleepless nights over days, the five hundred mercenaries finally became kingdom soldiers.
I selected the most promising as knight candidates, tasking that Ilai bastard with their training.
Hansen, who'd inherited his family's secret art through me, trained alongside them.
Three more weeks passed.
The异種 riots sweeping the kingdom were quelled; no urgent reports reached the fortress.
Peace returned, filled only with the grunts—or screams—of the five hundred mercenaries and Hansen.
Then, a thousand border-crossing mercenaries arrived.
This time, that Ilai bastard greeted them in my stead.
"Welcome to the Kingdom of Leonberger, land of knights."
As he mimicked my welcome word-for-word, I swiftly sorted the mercenaries.
Nearly half were expelled beyond the fortress.
Adelia and the Rangers pursued them.
Days later, carts laden with ragged mercenary banners and weapons returned.
Blood-soaked Adelia and grim-faced Rangers accompanied them.
"Mission complete—returning!"
I patted her shoulder, praising her work. She'd grown accustomed to it.
Soon after Adelia's return, a guest arrived at the fortress.
"So, what business brings you to the kingdom this time?"
I greeted the unwelcome visitor with a slouch and a growl.