What was a knight? A sword and shield forged to protect the empire.

——Remember a battle between Legrand and Bressi in 1422

The sky was gray and a summer rainstorm was coming.

A team of cavalry moved under the clouds, passing through the grassland and low ridges, heading towards the Moon River Fortress. The cavalry team held up flags with cold and chilling iron roses on a dark red background. Johan was riding a horse, closely following his father, the Duke of Buckingham. He was sixteen years old this year and followed his father on the battlefield for the first time.

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The armor visor rubbed Johan’s forehead. He had heard many stories about his father.

His father, the Duke of Buckingham, was described by the maids as the lion of the empire and the most glorious knight in the kingdom. Their words gave Johan a picture of his father on the battlefield, majestic, brutal, and victorious in every battle. Everyone told him that when he got to the army, he would know why his father was called the “Knight of the Empire.”

In the hot humid air before the rainstorm, the Duke of Buckingham remained looking solemn. He asked everyone to arrive at the scheduled place before the rain started. This was Johan’s first march. He tried hard to keep up with his father’s pace, but it gradually became difficult. However, when he looked around, he found that no knight asked for a rest. Everyone rode through the scorching air waves in solemn silence, like a silent torrent of steel.

What guided the flow of the flood was the will of Duke Buckingham.

Johan gritted his teeth, not wanting to show any signs of fatigue and cowardice. He told himself in his heart, you are the son of a lion, and you must behave like a knight of the Rose family.

Finally, before the first drop of rain fell, they arrived at the Moon River Fortress.

The drawbridge was lowered with the sound of the noose, and the knights stepped into the fortress, which had always served as a solid barrier for Legrand in response to Bressi’s expedition.

“We must deal with their heavy cavalry battalion before their reinforcements arrive.”

After arriving at Moon River Fortress, Duke Buckingham did not rest at all. He took Johan and several officers directly to the combat command room to discuss the current situation.

The garrison officers of Moon River Fortress looked at each other. Duke Buckingham’s decision could be called quite risky.

Because Bressi’s expeditionary force had just arrived and had not been exhausted by a long siege, and although Bressi’s heavy cavalry was too stubborn in terms of knightly code, no one could deny their power in frontal charges——otherwise the war between Legrand and Bressi would not have been a stalemate for so many years.

However, no one could raise any objection.

This year, Legrand encountered a rare drought.

Bressi seized this opportunity and launched another expedition. At this time, the wind direction and ocean currents in the Abyss Strait were favorable to Bressi’s fleet. Not long ago, the Duke of Buckingham had just suppressed the Five Ports Alliance in the southeast and forced them to withdraw their overstretching hands so mow they also held a grudge. They must end this fight quickly. The King was still young at this time, and the royal council could only deal with the drought for a short time. Once the Duke of Buckingham left the court for too long, it was hard to say what trouble those nobles would take the opportunity to cause.

They could only choose to believe in the Duke of Buckingham and the prestigious imperial cavalry led by him.

“For the glory of the Rose.”

The Duke of Buckingham raised his hand to beat his heart. He did not have the time to take off his armor, so the iron gloves collided with the armor and made a crisp sound.

Everyone in the command room suddenly looked solemn, and they all clenched their fists and saluted: “For the glory of the Rose.”

——For the glory of the Rose.

When these words were spoken by the Duke of Buckingham, it meant that his decision was irreversible and that the battle was related to the dignity of the empire.

It wasn’t until late at night that Johan had time alone with his father.

Unlike how the Duke of Buckingham was quick and decisive when making decisions, once the combat goal was determined, he almost obssessively considered every possible detail in the battle. From the weather tomorrow, to the impact of heavy rain on the battlefield, to the condition of each soldier’s armor and weapons.

Johan dared to say that no one in the world was more familiar with his army than the Duke of Buckingham.

The Duke of Buckingham could clearly remember the names of all the knights and everything about them… He knew the army well.

“Are you scared?”

Johan accompanied his father up the wall of the fortress. The Duke of Buckingham put his hand on Johan’s shoulder and looked at Bressi’s garrison in the distance.

Johan thought for a while and said frankly: “Somewhat.”

While the Duke of Buckingham was carefully preparing the details of the entire battle, Johan was sent by him to visit the wounded in the fortress. For most of the night, Johan looked at the soldiers who had lost limbs and whose wounds were festering and moaning in pain–—with some even dying. For the first time, he truly felt what war was.

War was not just the glorious achievements of his father in the stories by other people, not just the majestic armor.

There was also maggots, pustules and rotten flesh, as well as corpses.

The excitement of just setting foot on the battlefield was suddenly diluted, and Johan smelled the scent of death.

“It’s normal.” Duke Buckingham patted his son on the shoulder, “Everyone will feel fear, but you have to learn not to be afraid. One day, you will replace me and become the general of the empire. Remember, when you become a general, you have to turn yourself into a fearless lion so that your army can turn into a pack of lions.”

Johan nodded silently.

The Duke of Buckingham looked at his son who had grown taller and smiled slightly: “Do you know the knight’s code of chivalry believed in by the Bressi heavy cavalry?”

“I know.”

“In fact, there is only one code for knights.” Duke Buckingham said, “That is to protect. When we draw our swords, we must always know why we are fighting. It doesn’t matter whether the enemy we kill is strong or weak. There is nothing worth boasting about. Only by guarding what we want to protect can it be considered true glory.”

What was a knight?

The sword and shield forged for the empire.

They could charge or they could guard.

Johan nodded. He still couldn’t clearly understand what his father was saying, so he could only keep it in his heart.

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As early morning approached, the fortress gate opened, and the cavalrymen with the hooves of their warhorses wrapped in cloth stepped out into the hazy morning mist.

This was the first real battle that General Johan experienced in his life. When the old lion took the young lion onto the battlefield of blood and corpses to teach him a lesson about life, death and glory.

TN: Annnd we’re finished! 💛💜💖🍻🎉

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“As expected.”

The King said softly in his heart, looking at everything in front of him, he was not surprised.

He knew what he was seeing.

——The war that caused the Devil to lose his name.

The world was as scarlet as fire.

The majestic fortress was covered with battle scars, the ancient spears on the outside were broken, and deformed snake skeletons were twisted and hung on the spears. Thick black, red, and golden blood spattered on the outer wall, staining the pale fortress that symbolized the noble status of the gods. This was the Kingdom of the Gods.

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The Kingdom of the Gods, the human world, and hell.

The human world was the chaotic zone of the world, the Kingdom of the Gods was the bright side of the world, and hell was the reflection side of the world.

The gods describe themselves as the supreme beings in the world, and the place where they live stood high in the sky, hidden among the stars. To express the distinction between gods and men and hell, the majestic Pale Fortress stood on the edge of the Kingdom of the Gods. Except for those chosen by the gods as agents who could enter as souls after death, it was impossible for mortals to see its appearance in their lifetime. The Pale Fortress was the pride of the gods, and its pure whiteness and splendor symbolize the supremacy of the gods.

But the gods’ dignity had also been torn off, thrown to the ground and trampled on.

Thick smoke billowed on the battlefield, scorching air waves carried black mist over the city wall, and the strong wind made a roaring sound. In the billowing smoke, the pride of the gods became a joke.

“You’re going to pay… you worms of hell.”

The spear-wielding god roared with anger and fear.

In the Kingdom of the Gods, in the Kingdom of the Gods that was always bright and glorious, the color of the sky was dyed with a dark haze for the first time. Nightmares swooped down from the haze, and with thunderous noises, corpses of hellish creatures and angels piled up like mountains.

“Do gods like to deceive themselves so much?”

Speaking in an elegant, soft voice, the Devil in black stepped on the god’s head. He crushed the god’s skull into powder bit by bit. His pale hand picked up the spear and threw it towards the fortress.

With an explosion, the walls of the Pale Fortress collapsed.

The Devil stepped over the dust and ruins, bringing the evil that the gods hated and despised to the gods’ territory. The hellish creatures accompanying the Devil let out shrill, soul-dizzying cries of ecstasy. Hell was the reflection of the world, a place where all the dirt, evil and despicability gather. The gods despise them and they hate the gods in return.

Among the twisted and frantic hell creatures, the Devil was the most special one.

Wearing an exquisite black suit, with a smile on his face, he was elegant and calm, simply a peculiarity of hell.

The chaos and madness that seemed to be engraved on the creatures of hell could not affect him at all.

——But this just seemed so.

The King walked across the battlefield of gods and demons.

This was the memory of the Devil, and memory reflected the truth more than anything else. In this memory buried by the Devil, the world was as scarlet as fire, and the sky and the land were eternal and constantly tearing whirlpools——this was the world in the Devil’s own perception.

The Devil put himself under the guise of gentility just to hide the fact that he was always on the verge of losing control. Beneath the elegant skin was a repressed and violent beast.

——He was a symbol of hell’s “chaos” and “madness”, and he was infinitely close to hell itself.

This destined him to be powerful, and also destined that he would never be able to truly control his own will.

He would be violent, crazy, and chaotic.

The King walked in this bloody and twisted world of the Devil’s memory.

Anyone with a shred of sense should know that the Devil could not defeat all the gods by himself.

This was… a losing battle.

He quietly watched the Devil throw his spear at the gods, and sighed softly in his heart.

He knew why the Devil challenged the gods.

Because of pride.

The more proud one was, the less one could accept the feeling of losing control and the reality of not being able to control one’s own will. The chaos engraved in the Devil by hell wanted him to be trapped in hell forever, so he insisted on crawling out of hell and attacking the Kingdom of the Gods in the sky. The world wanted him to rot, but he wanted to destroy the world.

Crazy, arrogant.

With such deep unwillingness.

The gods opened a whirlpool leading to the end of the world. When the Devil, who had been deprived of his name, was about to be swept away by the whirlpool, the King subconsciously stretched out his hand to pull the Devil.

……………………

Vultures and crows hovered in the gray smoke, painful moans were mixed with desperate cries, blood spread in the ruins, and the ground was covered with fire.

The Devil held an umbrella and walked beside the King.

The newly built city turned into ruins, and the King walked alone among the ruins. Fireballs were still falling from the sky, as brilliant as a gorgeous rain of fire, but hidden in this beauty was the ultimate cruelty of destruction. Fire, symbolizing divine wrath, destroyed this newly established human kingdom.

The day before, this small, new human nation had just been built.

The Devil looked at the silver-haired King and his people hanging roses on the city gate. Everyone cheered together, and someone suggested holding a feast to celebrate the birth of this country. The King was still hesitating, but the young children had already crowded around him and tugged at his hands.

The banquet was held on the banks of the river that ran through the center of the city.

Piles of bonfires were lit along the long winding river running from north to south of the city. The firelight reflected onto the river and shimmered like thousands of pearls. This was to celebrate humans finally walking out of the cold and damp caves. The strong castle protected them from now on, and they no longer had to worry about attacks by wild beasts. The bone flute was played, and to the brisk melody young boys and girls danced hand in hand, their tunics and skirts spinning in flower-like arcs.

Until fire fell from the sky.

The crowd who were laughing one second went up in flames the next.

The god’s golden chariot rolled across the sky, making a loud rumble like the earth was cracking and the sky collapsing, and huge balls of fire rolled down from the golden chariot. People tried to run away, but there was not even a place to take refuge, because this punishment was directed at the people. In the fire, no matter how brave the knight was, he could only fall to the ground and howl in pain. The elderly, women, children… so long as they were exposed to the fire, they would not be spared.

Except the King.

He held his sword and walked down the street.

The golden chariot in the sky had already left, and the god responsible for delivering punishment didn’t even bother to come down and take a look at the destroyed city in person. They did not even realize what authority was born here, and the reason for imposing punishment was to defend “the divine supremacy” and teach the people to prostrate themselves before the gods.

The balls of fire would no longer fall, but the fire that had fallen would continue to burn for three days and three nights. Those who were touched by the fire must endure the burning for three days before dying in extreme pain.

This was divine punishment.

Blood spattered and fell on the King’s pale cheeks.

He thrust the sword into the heart of the man roaring painfully in the fire and drew it out. Blood gushed from the hearts of his people and seeped into the ground. The King’s hand holding the sword was as steady as steel. He trudged through the ruins to find all the people struggling in the fire, and then ended their lives one by one with his own hands.

“Ahhh! It hurts!”

The last one with the divine fire burning on her body was a young child.

The child was rolling in the fire, and she reached out with all her strength to take the King’s hand as she always did. 

She was too young to understand what was going on.

The King leaned down and took her hand.

“King! King!”

The child screamed and shouted as usual.

The sword held in the King’s other hand was thrust into her heart.

The girl’s screams stopped, she lowered her head, leaned on the King’s shoulder and closed her eyes. The surviving people gathered together and found the King on the ruins. He was covered in blood, the robe on his body was dazzlingly red, and the sword was stuck in the ground in front of him.

The cold sun rose again, illuminating the King’s expressionless face.

His eyes were empty.

Like there was nothing there, and also like everything was buried.

The Devil held the umbrella and looked at the King.

The Devil finally knew what the King had been waiting for all these years.

He was waiting for his people to kill him.

——Because he once killed his own people with his own hands.

“What should I say? My dear Majesty.” The Devil said softly, closed the black umbrella and stepped forward. He leaned down, wanting to embrace the King who was sitting alone on the ruins.

A thick white fog surged up.

The world was flooded with fog.

……………………

The white mist of the Forest of the Past was billowing.

On the path in the middle of the dark forest, the King and the Devil walked through the haze of each other’s deepest memories at the same time and walked out of the mist. They stopped and stood facing each other.

“Your Majesty.”

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The Devil raised his umbrella towards the King and smiled.

“We should go back.”

The King held out his hand to him.

All sadness, anger, and unwillingness were things of the past. The original King with nothing and the proud and lonely Devil finally stood on the tomb of the old era.

The Devil stepped forward, closed his umbrella and embraced the King.

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I have been living in hell for a while, and I must say that hell is not as scary as people think. In fact, I now feel that hell is simply the best place to live after death.

Living people often use “go to hell” to curse other people, which is simply wrong. When I was alive, I also heard many terrible legends about hell, such as lakes of fire and sulfur that burn the soul, ghosts that eat sinners, and extremely high-temperature furnaces…

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

There is sulfur, there are ghosts, and there are indeed furnaces.

But it has nothing to do with what the stories say.

At first, I wasn’t quite used to my status as a departed soul. When I first arrived in hell, I was shocked that the sky here was dark red and the earth here was all black rocks.

But as long as you stay a bit longer, you will feel that the dark red sky is uniquely beautiful, and the pale crescent moon has an indescribable poetic quality, like a sickle that decapitates people——this was what a dead poet said. The continuous peaks on the land are like prostrating dragons. Although the wind here sounds a bit unsettling at first, after listening to it for a while longer, you will feel that it is like the sound of an organ, possessing a unique melody.

Moreover, the natives here are very friendly!

The corpses hanging on the Peak of Thousand Knives were unable to get down from the ridge, but every time the wind got stronger, they would turn around and nod distantly at us in the river. The departed souls would float up in the river and nod their heads back. Everyone here is harmonious and friendly.

In addition, I was surprised to find that the construction in hell is not inferior to that of human beings.

The skeleton army and the death mages are busy building towns one after another inhabited by dead creatures every day——this is the most enviable thing for the departed souls like us. This was the order of the King of Hell, the greatest Majesty of Hell. It can be seen that the skeletons and death mages are very happy.

According to the skeletons:

“Although we can break ourselves into pieces of white bones and pile them up on the rocky beach. But that is something we only do when we have no other choice. You must know that the strong winds of hell are blowing every day, and my bones are blown brittle. Some of them are even becoming too thin. The more miserable skeletons have already caught the chill.”

As for the death mage fellows——damn it! They always remind me of the group of lunatics under Pureland I——they want nothing more than for an independent laboratory where they can study strange black magic.

It is worth mentioning that the towns built by skeletons and death mages have different styles, but they are all actually very beautiful? Many of them are comparable to the most exquisite churches I have ever seen in the human world. I didn’t understand why at first. Even if skeletons and death mages can do many things that ordinary people can’t do, can their design skills be better than humans?

Until one day, I learned that on the left side of the River of the Departed Souls, the town named “Rotten Apple” was designed by the famous architect Collins from the eleventh century; another town named “Mayan Fangs”, its designers were Abil and Tashkent from the 13th and 14th centuries; the town on the right named “Skeleton II” was designed by the twelfth-century architect Sophia…

——You never know how many talents are gathered in hell, just like you never know which small town for the dead was created by which outstanding architect.

It is a pity that we the dead can only leave the River of the Departed Souls for a short time and are not qualified to have our own town.

The departed souls in hell usually stay in the River of the Departed Souls, soaking in the cold water and basking in the moonlight. And if you soak in the River of the Departed Souls for too long, you may accidentally freeze your soul into a frosty white. At this time, you would have to take a dip in the sulfur river in the Blackstone Royal City to thaw yourself out. Only those fellows who like excitement would climb out of the River of the Departed Souls to form a “choir of the souls”.

Needless to say, my days in the human world were not so comfortable. When I was in the human world, operas of such a high level had always been the exclusive privileges of upper-class nobles. Little seaside lords like me were not qualified to enjoy them.

In such leisurely days, suddenly one day, I found that my new departed soul friend became more busy than usual——climbing ashore every day and madly practicing singing 24 hours a day. Not just him, almost all the departed souls participating in the departed soul theater troupe were working hard. Even the skeletons as well. Whenever I look up, I can see skeletons picking off their own bones on the shore and beating out strange melodies…

I felt like I was being swamped by ten thousand opera companies and choirs.

I had to ask my friend what was going on.

The friend replied excitedly: “Because His Majesty is coming back!”

It turns out that the King of Hell, the legendary His Majesty, will soon return to Hell. The steward of the Blackstone Royal City, the current acting overseer of hell, Mela, is selecting a group of the most outstanding opera singers and choirs, preparing to hold a grand welcome performance on the day of His Majesty’s return.

The rumored His Majesty?

My curiosity was instantly aroused.

From the moment I arrived in hell, the departed souls, skeletons and death mages around me mentioned thia rumored His Majesty almost every moment.

The most grand, magnificent and majestic Blackstone Castle in hell is His Majesty’s palace. His Majesty descended to hell during the first millennium kingdom. He brought an unprecedented order to hell. He caused the gods to kill each other and tipped the balance of victory toward hell. In the twilight battle of the gods, had it not been for the betrayal of the traitor, he would have been crowned the King of the World long ago.

“He is the first monarch of hell and eternally the best monarch in hell!”

My friend told me so impassionedly that he did not hesitate to describe the monarch in the most florid and operatic terms.

A monarch who rivaled the gods, a monarch who brought them final victory in the battle between angels and hell.

I have no doubt that almost every dead creature in hell is an ardent admirer of His Majesty.

Over time, I became curious about His Majesty. But it is a pity that I am just a new departed soul who has just entered hell. Those older souls like to hang out with the same old souls——it was an accident that I met my friend. As for the other souls I’m familiar with, well… to be honest, I don’t really want to talk to them.

Those who came to hell earlier than me were the unlucky ones who lost their heads in the Bloody Reformation.

They refused to believe that I was actually on their side! After meeting in the River of the Departed Souls, this group of people held their heads in one hand and waved the fist of the other, surrounding me in an angry wave.

If I hadn’t been so alert to the worsening situation and ran fast enough, I would have been beaten up by them.

Although there is no specific harm caused by fighting between souls, it is really humiliating to be insulted in front of so many departed souls.

How I want to tell them that in fact I am not a follower of Pureland I, but that they and I are the real comrades!

Ai!

In my full curiosity, the time finally came for His Majesty to return to hell.

The skeletons carefully selected by Lord Mela were waiting neatly on the rocky beach. Countless bones suddenly collided, and they played music that I had never heard in the human world. I have to admit that the music played by the bones actually has a strange charm, like the wind blowing, and like death singing.

The departed souls also began to sing loudly, their elegant lyrics praising the monarch’s great achievements as well as tactfully expressing that hell had been waiting for his return for a long time. The lake of sulfur fire turned into a gorgeous fountain, and the pillars of golden sulfur were as dazzling as a forest of shining trees. The brilliance of moonlight and sulfur reflected one town after another spread out on the deserted rock beach…

I must be crazy to think that hell looks so vibrant and prosperous at this moment.

Finally, the nightmares pulled an exquisite and magnificent carriage up from the lake of fire and sulfur.

I hurriedly climbed ashore from the River of the Departed Souls and floated a little higher in the wind to pay my respects to the legendary King of Hell.

I’m going to meet the King of Hell! I felt extremely honored until I saw clearly who His Majesty was——

Silver hair, icy blue eyes, scarlet royal robe.

I fell directly back into the River of the Departed Souls. Although there were fire and brimstone trees everywhere, I felt that my soul was freezing rapidly.

Pureland I!!!

It turned out to be Pureland I!

Pureland I is the King of Hell!

Soaking in the cold River of the Departed Souls, the grandeur and joy surrounded me but had nothing to do with me.

I’m so stupid.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

I should have known that a man as sinister as Pureland I must have something to do with hell. Look at what he has been doing. Is it like what ordinary people can do? I actually truly believed that the souls of heroic knights who appeared in the battle of Douro City were because of the blessing of our ancestors… What the hell kind of blessing! That was the King of Hell bringing his army to earth.

I’m stupid, I’m really stupid, I’m so stupid.

The dead shouldn’t have tears, but my tears still fell.

God, this f**ing hell!!!

Oh, the hatred!

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In the sounds of crows and bones, they accidentally but inevitably walked into the deepest part of each other’s memories.

——Inscription.

After the King and the Devil returned to hell, they did not stay in the Blackstone Royal City all the time.

Hell was an ancient place with many unknown secrets hidden here. The King and the Devil spent a lot of time walking around the corners of hell.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

Mela drove the nightmare carriage through the strange mountains, passing through white bones and black water. The King and the Devil sat opposite each other in the carriage. The Devil told the King the stories behind every place in hell and every ancient and strange structure. Under his opera-like tellings, hell was covered with a gorgeous crimson veil. The King held a bronze pen and recorded these things told by the Devil on pieces of parchment that had been carefully polished to be extremely smooth.

This was the past of hell.

Except for the King, no one in this world could record the history of hell.

Most of the creatures in hell’s understanding of the past come from inherited memories and interactions with each other. However, these were too complicated, and few hell creatures have a clear understanding of what happened in the past. Time here seemed not to be a line extending forward, but an intertwined web. Everyone lived in confusion on this web, not knowing why they were fighting each other or where the hatred started.

Sometimes, when Mela looked back, he would see the King neatly putting the written parchment aside. This was a very tedious matter with a lot of work, but their Majesty never said anything.

One day, the Devil and the King would travel through all of hell, and the past of hell would flow into a long river under the bronze pen.

In hell, there were many secret and strange places.

Such as the abyssal spring water used by the Devil to brew Night Rose. The shore of that spring was filled with incredibly dark black stones, but the spring water was unfathomably white and covered with mist-like water vapor. Standing by the spring, one’s shadow was clearly reflected on the bottom of the lake, as cold as one’s past self and present self looking at each other.

Such as a high mountain rising from the ground, where a crack split it from top to bottom. Faint cries echo from the crack all year round. The misery of the world gathered here, forming a wall of tears.

Such as, in the northwest corner of hell, there was a huge white stone arch that stretched across the end of the northwest corner, like a crescent moon in the sky that was buckled on the earth. The strong wind blew out from the giant gate in the northwest corner, blowing across the rugged black rocky land for years and years, never ending.

…

Crows with red eyes flew up in startlement, and the air was filled with the sound of flapping wings. The King walked in a jungle full of bones, surrounded by white mist on both sides.

Even the Devil couldn’t say that he knew every corner of hell 100%. This time, when the nightmare carriage drove through a dark forest, white mist rolled up. His vision was instantly obscured by thick fog. When the fog gradually faded, the King found himself standing alone in the woods.

The nightmare carriage, the Devil, Mela… all disappeared from his side.

It was like a carriage traveling into a chaotic time and space, where the passengers were all alone.

The King held the bone scepter and looked around.

The fog had gradually dissipated, and the surrounding environment had begun to become clearer. He stood in a dark forest with sparse and staggered branches, and the forest was covered in a dark blue light. Crows rested on the dark branches, eyes closed, looking no different from the woods they saw when they first entered.

But something was unusual.

The King stepped over the bones on the ground and walked a few steps. The crows did not fly up in fright, and the surroundings were quiet and there was no sound of footsteps. He tried to break a branch and failed predictably.

This place seemed to be an illusory dream.

So…

Whose dream was this?

………………

The Devil held a black umbrella and walked in the dissipating white fog. He encountered the same situation as the King. After appearing here, the Devil finally remembered where this dark forest was.

This was something that came about after he was exiled to the end of the world. Although he had heard of it, he had never been here himself. When he signed a contract with the King and returned to hell, he had no time to think about other things, too preoccupied over the old contract between the world and hell being signed smoothly. After the Twilight War, the King fell, and he spent most of his time in hell guarding the Blackstone Royal City.

This was the Forest of the Past.

If one came here alone, after walking through the dark woods, one would see the time one missed the most. If travelers with a special connection came here, after passing through the dark forest, they would see the other traveler’s deepest memory buried in their hearts.

The Devil vaguely remembered that there was a time when some departed soul couples liked to come here.

Although…

Well, one could still get divorced after death. Hell now had a sound legal system in this regard.

“Buried memories…”

The Devil sighed in a low voice, and he slowly moved forward along the path paved with bones among the dark woods.

He didn’t know what memories of the King he would see, and he didn’t know what memories of him the King would see. The things that one least wanted to recall were, to the person who remembered them, buried deeply, as if they had never existed.

A faint light appeared at the end of the bone path.

The Devil held the black umbrella and walked in.

The sound of hammers hitting rocks, the sound of stones breaking, the sounds of people greeting each other… Unexpectedly, the sunshine hit his face, and the memory deeply buried by the King appeared quite peaceful.

The sun was no longer piercing, and the Devil stood on the streets of a city that had not yet been completely built.

He saw the King at a glance.

The sun shone on the walls of the new city. Men, women, elderly and children were coming and going. Everyone was carrying all the things needed to build the city, with beads of sweat on their foreheads. The King stood in the center of the square, talking with several elderly. Broken sunlight fell on him. He wore a crown made of roses, and the flowers on the dark green leaves shone like gems.

“King! King!”

Several children ran up to the King hand in hand and called out to him happily.

“Our King is so awesome!”

The adults praised him sincerely.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

People greeted the King without any pressure, and everyone was affectionate without any distance. They called the King “King” not out of awe, but out of admiration. The sunlight fell on the King’s eyes, reflecting it as clearly as a clear stream. When he walked through the city holding parchment scrolls in his arms, the children would secretly give him the wild fruits and flowers they had picked.

They seemed more like a family than a country.

The Devil realized what he was seeing.

The King’s first memories.

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Hello everyone, please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Jacques Corey. I was born in the fifteenth century and am a nobleman of the Legrand Empire.

Before I became a knight, my life was very happy. My family’s territory was on the southeast coast. In the fourteenth century, my family made a fortune from the sea by cooperating with the Five Ports Alliance. In my family territory, our local lord’s court was a unique existence. No one dared to offend me, because they knew that I was the future lord.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

This happy life ended in the year when I was knighted. Because of my father’s overconfidence, I left the territory with my subordinates and headed for the capital Metzl. I had only one mission, to win the favor of the ladies of high society as much as possible——my father hoped that my marriage would open the way for our family to enter the center of power.

This was where my tragedy began.

I came to the city of Metzl, which is known as the “City of Roses”. I was blown away when I saw the splendid castle appearing on the horizon at sunset. At that moment, I finally understood where my father’s obsession with reaching the upper echelons of Legrand came from. It was so grand and majestic that the castle in my family’s seaside territory looked like a crude sand castle compared to it. There was no disgusting sea smell here, the air was filled with the fragrance of roses, the carriages passing by carried beautiful madams and ladies, and the knights’ armors were shining and majestic.

All I needed to do was gain the love of a noble lady and I would be able to have a place here.

I no longer complained about the bumpy travel that my father’s decisions resulted in! This must be the best decision my father had ever made in his life!

In order to ensure that my plan was foolproof, I began to observe carefully, and finally I identified a target——Miss Anne of the Porphyry family. The Porphyry family was famous for their correspondence network, and what was even better was that the Porphyry family had served as the king’s Head of the Households for generations. The Head of the Households did not sound so majestic, but he was one of the few people who had generally unrestricted direct access to the king at any time.

After careful preparation, at a jousting competition, I wore a set of shining armor, with silver buckles on my shoulders, a sky-blue cloak hanging behind me, and a dazzling family emblem embroidered with gold thread on my blouse. My attendant assured me that I looked absolutely handsome. So I stepped onto the field with confidence, and followed the custom to go ride around the viewing stand to choose a lady to tie her ribbon to the tip of my spear to bless me in victory.

I had envisioned everything, including when I knocked down my opponent with one blow and the whole venue applauded me, and how I should behave in front of Miss Anne to express my love to her. 

That would have definitely made for a romantic story.

I stepped into the arena and heard shouts as expected. Flags of various colors fluttered in the air, and onlookers gave exciting cheers. I subconsciously puffed up my chest, wanting to show off my dazzling blond hair more brilliantly in the sunlight.

However, I soon discovered something was wrong.

The madams and ladies in the audience waved their handkerchiefs vigorously, but the direction they were looking at was not towards me——just like the cheers and shouts were not for me. Opposite me, my opponent was wearing a set of cold silver armor, with a dark red cloak hanging down his back to the side of the horse. He was holding a helmet like me, and his silver hair blew in the wind.

I had been in the city of Metzl for so long, but all my time had been spent researching which ladies were unmarried and had no lovers. When I saw my opponent, I naturally did not recognize who he was.

However!

I saw that when he entered the venue from the east, the ladies who I once thought were reserved and noble stood up one after another, took off the ribbons from their wrists one after another, and threw them towards the knight. The ribbons fell like waves, and the rays of the sun pierced the corners of my eyes causing it to sting with tears.

I saw my chosen Miss Anne. Miss Anne, who was as cold as ice in my heart, actually took off her ribbon.

When Miss Anne’s ribbon fluttered to the ground, my heart broke.

Oh, such hatred!!!

The drumbeat signaling the start of the tourney sounded, and I rode towards my opponent with a chest full of resentment… and then there was no afterwards.

I heard the people shouting “Defender!” “Imperial Duke!”

Later I found out that my opponent was the Duke of Buckingham.

Defender of the King, the youngest Imperial Knight.

Almost all the ladies of noble birth admired him.

My plans were ruined before it was even implemented. When people mentioned me later, they would only say, “Oh, one of the opponents defeated by the Duke? Where did he come from?”

I couldn’t bear such humiliation, so I resolutely took my attendants and returned to my territory overnight. I swore that so long as the Duke of Buckingham was in Metzl, I would never set foot in Metzl. Every time the Duke of Buckingham went to war, I sincerely blessed his enemies and hoped that their swords would be more sharp and accurate.

Don’t know if my prayers had the opposite effect but not only did Duke Buckingham not lose his life on the battlefield, he also won every battle. In the end, when people mentioned the word “knight”, they would say, “As expected, the Duke Buckingham is the lion of the empire”——Couldn’t they find another description?!

I could no longer endure their stupidity, so, in 1432, I angrily sided with Grand Duke Grice.

In the “Rose Crisis”, I became a staunch New Royalist. So long as Grand Duke Grice became the new king, how could Duke Buckingham continue to be his imperial knight! On the day of the coronation of the Grand Duke Grice, I finally stepped into the city of Metzl again. I stood in the splendid St. Wyth Cathedral and watched with joy the papal envoy carrying the crown onto the high platform.

Finally…

Then the war horse appeared under the high arch. The young man on the war horse held a long and narrow sword, and blood dripped from the hems of the red cloak he wore. This scene overlapped with the previous one in my memory.

I was once again shrouded in the shadow of the Rose family.

The Duke of Buckingham deserves to go to hell! Pureland I deserves to go to hell! The Rose family deserves to go to hell!

Pureland I was worthy of being the nephew of the Duke of Buckingham. I will never forget the way he smiled and threatened all the New Royalists and asked us to write down our ransom amount ourselves. When I walked out of Metzl with nothing, I finally understood that my decision back then was the right one:

So long as the Duke of Buckingham was alive, I would not step foot here.

The Coreys never admit defeat!

So, with a deep hatred for the Rose family, I began my repeatedly failed actions against the Rose family. I supported the Grand Duke Grice, and the Grand Duke Grice died; I supported the Five Ports Alliance, and the Five Ports Alliance was destroyed; I instigated the public opinion over the Black Death blockade measures, and those who were instigated by me later died from the Black Death; I secretly supported the rebellion in the North, and the kings of the rebel states in the North also died… All these things, one after another, were unacceptable.

Finally, I learned from experience and wondered, was it because I was the omen of that era and everyone I supported would fail?

After analyzing the glorious achievements in the past, I reluctantly made a decision:

In the next turmoil! I will do my best to support the Rose family! Support Pureland I!

Immediately afterwards, a war broke out between Legrand and the Holy Court, and 200,000 holy troops sailed across the sea. I stood in the ranks of King Legrand’s army and was so excited that I almost shed tears, that’s correct! That’s exactly it! Sure enough, so long as I support Pureland I, he would definitely die. Oh, Holy Lord! Look! Against an army of 200,000 was a mere tens of thousands, Legrand would definitely lose!

Don’t know since when, but the Rose family has become my obsession. I was even willing to risk my own life on the battlefield, just to make true my own pattern of “whoever I support must die”.

In this way, unknowingly, I gradually made military exploits on the battlefield.

However, I was indifferent to these military exploits. I paid closer attention to Pureland I, hoping that he would feel the power of my “support”.

I paid close attention diligently.

I paid very close attention diligently and without fail.

I speculated on the goals of each of his battle plans, and worked 100% to implement them, hoping 100% that my efforts would throw a wrench in his plans…

I waited and waited.

Finally, the result I had waited for ended with Legrand defeating the Holy Army and Theolde dying in battle.

Standing in the Rose Palace, I was dumbfounded as I was awarded the Iron Rose badge by King Pureland I himself. The weather was very lovely, the sun was bright, and the madams and ladies around me were waving handkerchiefs for all the knights who had been awarded the honor. The corners of my eyes suddenly became moist.

What the bloody hell! Why!

Do I care about this Iron Rose badge? I just want Pureland I to be guillotined like all the people I have supported!

While maintaining a smile and thanking His Majesty for his love, my tears fell down pathetically.

I was disheartened and I felt insulted.

One group of people in particular rushed to curry favor with me. Look at what they were saying: “You support His Majesty so much” and “Who doesn’t know that you are loyal to His Majesty”… They fanatically praised Pureland I in front of me, hoping to gain my help. Oh, Holy Lord, these idiots who had their asses kicked by donkeys, did they really think that I was loyal to King Pureland I?

I was so angry that my hairline was receding day by day. Faced with their solicitude, I not only didn’t want to help, but also wanted to add insult to injury to their predicament.

But who would’ve thought that, because of this accidental mistake, I inexplicably became a reformist who supported Pureland I.

Watching the people I had refused and humiliated being thrown onto the guillotine, I stood in front of the palace and felt the world’s malice towards me.

Just when I was thinking this, I suddenly saw the bloody, cold, and cruel Pureland I. He suddenly raised his head and glanced at me.

Why did Pureland I look at me?

Pureland I had a very shrewd mind, and every move he made had his reasons. I had experienced this again and again during the Holy Army movement.

I definitely didn’t believe that he looked at me for no reason.

He…

He must have discovered my true motive!

When this thought flashed through my mind, I felt cold all over, and I understood it all at once.

I, Jacques Corey, was also exploited by Pureland I.

The truth was revealed, no wonder my previous hit-and-miss “support equates to death” didn’t have any effect. In the eyes of King Pureland I, I was still his enemy.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

After finally understanding the truth, I left Metzl City overnight and returned to my own territory. Pureland I’s cold, contemptuous, and all-seeing eyes kept reappearing in my mind. I finally couldn’t bear it anymore and became seriously ill. This bout of illness eventually killed me.

Before I died, I took a long breath and thought: 

Finally, I no longer had to be shrouded in the shadow of the Rose family.

In this way, even if I went to hell, it didn’t matter.

AN: Jacques: In order to escape the shadow of the Rose family, I would rather go to hell!!!

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In the 18th century, the Rose family took the initiative to return the power entrusted to them by the people, ending their rule over the Legrand Empire. In order to more completely express the end of the royal power and the royal family, after handing back the power, the Rose family withdrew from the royal palace that was originally drafted by the parliament to be reserved for the Rose family, and donated it to the newly established democratic government as the highest institution of power.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

After half a month of discussion, the parliament and the people gave their response.

The newly established democratic government rejected the generous gift from the Rose family, “It is a monument that belongs to the Rose family, the greatest family in the history of Legrand, and no one is qualified to live in it except the Rose family.” The parliament announced the establishment of a special fund to provide all the costs of maintaining the palace——this was a decision unanimously agreed by the people to express their gratitude to the Rose family for their efforts over the years.

In the end, the Rose family donated the palace to the entire country, and it became the highest museum in Legrand. The parliament passed the “Rose Palace Protection Act”, which permanently determined the protection of the palace in the form of law.

From 1712 to the present, the Legrand government and the Legrand people have always strictly fulfilled this promise.

How to use modern science and technology to protect this extraordinary palace without destroying the ancient palace itself was a very complicated problem. The Legrand government set up a special protection department to study it. The methods of protecting the Rose Palace were constantly innovated and promoted to become a model for Legrand cultural relics protection.

Thus the palace had been well protected and remained as glorious as ever after hundreds of years.

It was now the closing time of the Rose Palace, and the palace had gone quiet again.

The King and the Devil walked together on the long corridor with columns. The roses in the palace were still as lush as the King remembered. In fact, in Legrand, no matter what the financial conditions of the family were, there would always be a rose planted in the household. In the words of the Bressi people:

“If you go to Legrand and find that there is no rose at the door of the house, then do not doubt that this family is definitely not from Legrand.”

There was no Legrandian who did not love the rose. If there was, then he was not a Legrandian.

“That’s where my uncle taught me swordsmanship.”

The King stood before the railing of the veranda, looking at an open space in the palace courtyard.

If anyone had the greatest influence on the King, it would definitely be the Duke of Buckingham. He was the only one in the King’s long life who played a father-like role.

In the era of legend, the King was the authority of kingship. The moment he was born into the world, he was the King of the World, and he took on the responsibility of protecting the people from the very first moment. The knights who followed him protected him as a subject would their monarch, not as a father would for his children. In the fifteenth century, when he was reborn in Legrand, his real father William III died prematurely, and his mother Eleanor was locked in the Black Tower because of the torture of occult arts.

During those years when his soul was still shattered, alternating between sanity and madness, only the Duke of Buckingham accompanied him.

At that time, he spent less time awake and more time insane. When he was mired in insanity, no one except the Duke of Buckingham dared to approach him. He had also heard the whispers of the attendants in the palace. They did not understand why the Duke of Buckingham had guarded a madman for so many years.

“I asked him why he didn’t become the King of Legrand himself. He could do better than a madman, right?”

The King said.

The Devil listened quietly, for once not making any sarcastic remarks——though this didn’t mean his hostility towards humans had diminished with the passage of time.

At that time, the Duke of Buckingham squatted down, looked at him levelly, and said gently:

I could answer this question with many reasons, but if you want to hear the truest answer, then I will answer you——because in my heart, you are also my child.

Years later, the King understood that answer.

The Duke of Buckingham was his uncle and his father.

In this world, fathers always hope to leave the best things to their child. If the child does not have the ability to hold onto it, then the father would be the most loyal knight to defend what belonged to his child. When the father grows old and the child he protects has grown up, he could finally hand over the best things to his grown child.

No father would rob his child of something that belongs to him.

“He would be very happy to see Legrand today.”

The King said softly, as if he was asking the Devil, or perhaps himself.

“Yes, he would be happy.”

The Devil replied.

The King smiled and continued to move forward. The wind filled the corridor, and it was vaguely like a familiar old man walking beside him. So long as he turned his head, he could talk to that person freely and discuss various issues.

The King did not turn his head but walked forward with the Devil.

——I’m proud of you.

It seemed like someone was saying this in his ear.

I’m proud of you too.

The King replied in his heart.

In the main hall of the Rose Palace, where the imperial meetings were once held, the main hall was empty. The throne stood at the end of the red carpet, and time stood still here. To the right were the musical instruments used by the Royal Orchestra from the 15th to the 18th century.

The protective measures in the museum were useless against the King and the Devil. The Devil picked up a golden harp, plucked it several times, and played a short piece. He looked at the King with a slight smile.

“You were so ruthless when you refused me back then, my dear Majesty.”

The Devil played the melody when the King had just returned to Legrand and was met with an assassination attempt, and the Devil drove a carriage of bones to welcome him back to hell.

The Devil was just joking as usual, but saw the King suddenly reaching out and taking down a violin. In the sixteenth century, the King could still observe the human world. This instrument, which was born in the sixteenth century, was something that the King once learned out of interest. For him and the Devil, time became the most meaningless thing.

The violin and the bow were meticulously cared for and the bow was just rosinated. The King tried the sound and adjusted the knob to correct the strings.

Under the semicircular dome, a melody poured out from the strings, starting with the short section that the Devil just played casually. The King played it exactly as it was. It was a strange and cold movement, a movement belonging to hell. On that cold night long ago, the Devil, who had been waiting for a long time, drove his carriage and was full of joy to welcome his monarch back to hell.

He sat beside the sleeping monarch, playing tunes that lured the soul to fall, promising him eternal life and all that hell could offer.

Now, in the empty palace, the King played the melody back then for the Devil.

Amidst the gorgeous strings of musical notes, the bronze candlesticks lit up one after another, and the candlelight illuminated the entire palace brilliantly like a flowing river of stars. When the melody ended on the last high note, the palace had completely returned to its original glory in the light of the candlelights.

The stars of light shone brightly, and everything seemed to have never changed.

“I want to see you sitting on that throne again.”

The Devil took the violin from the King and put it back on its stand.

The magnificent palace looked even more empty under the brilliant candlelight.

The throne was at the end of the candlelight, majestic and lonely.

The King walked slowly towards the throne. In the flickering candlelight, all the musical instruments suddenly started playing on their own, so grand and magnificent. The majestic music echoed under the painted dome carved with roses, and it was as grand as if the era of armor and war, knights and kings had returned to the world.

When the King sat down on the familiar throne, the music reached its crescendo.

The Devil held a crown and walked up the steps under the throne.

That was the crown that the King once wore. Don’t know when the Devil took it away from the museum, but the fake left behind by his magic could not be identified by humans even if they exhausted all scientific methods.

The King watched him.

He placed the crown gently on the King’s head.

In the palace that had withdrawn from the stage of history, the only Devil in the world once again crowned the monarch who had become a thing of the past.

The Devil knelt down on one knee and kissed the King’s hand that wore the bone ring. The King laid his hand on the Devil’s shoulder, just as he had done in the beginning, and made the Devil his knight.

There was no need for a king in the human world. The King only belonged to his Devil.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

“You are my eternal monarch.” The Devil stood up, leaned one hand on the throne, and touched the King’s face with the other as he whispered. It was both a declaration of loyalty and possession.

The King raised his chin slightly, and the candlelight was as brilliant as ever.

“Hello, my knight.”

——Above the throne, under the glory, there is only you and me.

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