Others Summon Dragons, I Summon Legendary Knights novel Chapter 438

Chapter 438: Pathan’s Champion

Godfrey frowned. The Chief Alchemist sounded like a defeated man as he spoke, sometimes without emotion, sometimes with so much of it.

"Our nobles were the best of the best, picked out of millions of elite knights, and out of these select few, Apollyon stood out as a champion. You see, she didn’t blame the man for her parents’ death because he was a genuinely terrified man seeking refuge. There were two problems there that day... Fear and weakness.

Her parents were weak. Had they been strong, they would have defended themselves, and the man would have been too. The second was fear. If he had been brave, he would have faced his death while fighting back."

The Alchemist lowered his hand, slowly resting it on the table. "And then she heard rumours of a coming king who shall rule as an emperor. A being of absolute justice, strength, and not an atom of weakness, so she fell into delusions of her own mind. We saw her quest to abolish weakness and fear as honourable; we saw it as something that could be refined, so we made her a champion. Back when our civilization thrived and the five kingdoms still existed, she was the champion of this Order, representing us before the kings and dealing with external matters."

"While the others dealt with dungeons and armies, she dealt with men. With her shield and sword, she fought against their shrewdness, their uncanny political wars against each other, and brutal cases that occurred to the lowest men. From champion, she became judge; from judge, to a goddess who was almost worshipped. But within that woman, who had lived over a hundred years, was a child who wanted to erase the reality of men. We cower, we are weak sometimes, we are vulnerable... That lesson, Apollyon did not learn."

The Chief Alchemist was quiet for a moment, as if deciding on his next words or adjusting to the weight of what was about to leave his lips.

"Then came the Ruination, then came the time when the Sword of the Order fell, revealing our secrets and then, the gardener who trimmed and made sure the tree was in shape suddenly lost his tool. When it happened, ’Order’, a thing we had spent two centuries building, collapsed. It wasn’t just the Order, but the entirety of Pathan reeled in shock and when there was no superior authority, when the Unknown King was no more, the diversity of men came to light."

The Alchemist chuckled sadly. "You see, your world fears the Ruination, so they are prepared to fight it at all costs, with all they have. Enemies and allies stood together, but ours were different. We believed in our strength. We had a record of winning, of destroying even the greatest foes and growing stronger, and so we trusted that, even when divided, we could stand. The nations withdrew their support and left our men garrisoned at the frontiers to starve, and they were slaughtered."

"You see, it all came back once more. That scene from more than two centuries back. Some knights fled to cities, bringing with them the monsters on their heels. People died... in great numbers. And Apollyon saw that the problem was indeed the man she chose not to blame. He was both fearful and weak, same for the nations, and so she took her men and stormed two kingdoms."

The Chief Alchemist paused, nodding ever so gently. The pain of seeing it all crumble, their dream of saving their world.

"Apollyon decided to create a world where weakness and fear could no longer live, so she killed two kings and fought for their thrones. Hundreds of thousands died in that war, more lost faith in the Order. Apollyon’s rule was cruel, and we knew each day she waited on the throne of dead kings, waiting for the Apostles."

"And that is the irony. I could see deep inside her. I saw her waiting for judgement. She knew the reward for her actions would be death, and fighting the Apostles was of no use, but we did nothing. In doing so, she continued her ways, with Abaddon by her side."

Godfrey could feel the Alchemist’s eyes behind the shadow of that hood staring straight at him.

"We carry pain, Your Majesty. This pain that I feel, is too much for you to bear. Unfortunately, rest is not an option. Neither for you nor us."

Godfrey exhaled heavily.

"Why didn’t you act? If you had acted, you would have ended it."

"Indeed. But to understand why we did not act, it will take a lot more depth. You will need to understand us. We are like men, but we are not men. We bear heavy burdens, even while sitting. You will come to understand that later, but I think this is all we can say concerning the matter."

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