With Lant around, the long journey instantly became much easier. Occasionally they passed through small towns, and they even had the leisure to do a bit of sightseeing.
After another three or four days of travel, the group finally reached the southeasternmost temple on the continent—the Temple of Mano.
In the original plot, after Karina stripped Freya of her holy power and the Otherworld Demons were released, Freya fled all the way here to obtain the Holy Staff.
“Lant, are you sure it’s here? There are so many temples. How can you be so certain it is here?” Freya looked at the clearly abandoned temple and asked in confusion.
“Mm… the Holy Sword guided me…” Lant decisively shifted the blame onto the Holy Sword.
Holy Sword: ??? No! I never said that!
But even though it howled inside the space, no one except Lant could hear it.
At the center of the temple stood a goddess statue, though it was already dilapidated. Surrounding the statue was a shallow pool, which still contained some ancient coins. This was a clear sign that people had once come here to make wishes or offer sacrifices.
Freya walked around the goddess statue. Nothing happened. So she tried stepping into the pool.
The moment her toes lightly touched the water, the ground began to tremble slightly.
Under the astonished gazes of the others, the statue began to glow.
At the same time, Freya’s chest also emitted a light that resonated with the statue. Freya acted instinctively and cast magic towards the statue. A miraculous scene unfolded!
The broken statue began to restore itself rapidly.
“You have finally come, my descendant.”
An elegant and charming female voice sounded in Freya’s ear.
Freya looked around in surprise, only to realize that she seemed to be the only one who could hear the voice.
“Go, my descendant. You have passed the trial. The God will grant you the power of purification.”
Before Freya could react, a dazzling golden light filled her vision, forcing her to squint.
The golden light disappeared after only a moment. The statue remained as dilapidated as before, as if everything that had just happened was merely a dream.
Only the Holy Staff floating in the pool reminded everyone that what had just happened was real.
Freya raised her hand slightly, and the staff flew into her grasp.
She quickly stored the staff in her spatial ring, then tilted her head and asked, “Where should we go next?”
Seeing the six pairs of trusting eyes focused on him, Lant scratched his head. “How about… my place first?”
“Your place?” six voices said in unison.
“Mm… not the home in Serorida. The place where I was born.”
…
In the end, Freya and her group settled down temporarily in Lant’s hometown. They planned to train there in preparation for the appearance of the Otherworld Demons.
This was a small village in the southernmost part of the continent. Because it was so remote, this territory did not belong to any kingdom. It had a bit of a hidden paradise feel to it.
“So, why did you come to Serorida?” Sitting under a tree, soaking up the sun and breathing the hard-won air of freedom, Freya asked Lant.
“I don’t really remember. Maybe it was because my father wanted to become a knight…” Lant thought carefully, but his memories were already hazy.
The only thing he vaguely recalled was that in his childhood, his father was obsessed with swordsmanship and said something about wanting to be a knight.
And for someone who wanted to be a knight, the best places to go were naturally the two most powerful countries on the continent—Serorida and Alterg.
“You’ve been through so much…” Freya hugged Lant, her heart aching for him.
Such a small child, on the road to Serorida, suddenly losing both parents. How much hardship must he have endured to grow into the person he was today?
“It wasn’t hard, because I met you.” Lant rubbed the head in his arms and gently brushed his cheek against hers.
“I’m the lucky one to have met you.” Freya sat up, gave him a kiss on the cheek, then smiled at the young man who always acted so cold and aloof, watching him turn his slightly flushed face away.
“Are you blushing?” Freya deliberately turned to look at his face.
“No, I’m not.” Lant turned his head in the other direction, refusing to admit it.
He was a cool guy! How could he possibly blush?
“You are! Why is your face red then?” Freya laughed and reached out to tease him.
Lant caught her hand and gave her a firm kiss in return. “I’m not!”
Satisfied after being kissed, Freya just giggled and stopped teasing him.
Not far away, the two warhorses, Light and Snow, stood together munching on grass. Seeing the two leaning against each other, they both rubbed the ground with their hooves in unison.
Time flew by as they prepared for battle. Within just one year, the entire continent had become turbulent.
With Serorida and Alterg at the center, demonic beasts and monsters, influenced by the strange demonic energy, continuously invaded human territories.
The Dark Night Forest within Serorida experienced another riot. But thanks to Lant’s suppression two years ago, the beasts and monsters in the forest were severely weakened, so the situation was still under control.
Other places were not so lucky. The people were injured or fleeing, forced to abandon their homes.
Alterg was in somewhat better condition than Serorida, and so its desire to take advantage of Serorida’s weakness began to stir.
Grady still had his eye on the Holy Sword in the Dark Night Forest and insisted on attacking Serorida. The ever-warlike king of Alterg agreed this time.
Fully embracing the principle of “strike while the iron is hot,” Grady quickly broke through Serorida’s defenses and officially launched the war.
Serorida was already overwhelmed. Coupled with the king’s failed consecutive strategies, the kingdom lost the people’s support. After only a few months of desperate resistance, it fell.
The king tried to escape through a secret passage with his royal family, but it was futile. His so-called good sons had long since surrendered to the enemy and betrayed him completely!
The king of Serorida was shot through the heart by Grady. In the last moment of his life, scenes of his tragic and lamentable existence flashed before his eyes.
Somehow, he found himself recalling his little daughter, who had long since left this world, and that cold and aloof young knight.
Looking back, he felt a hint of envy of them…
Moonlightjie On RUHIP Chapter 025