Chapter 231: All Along

Chapter 231: All Along

As long as Sir Knight is on the side of humanity, that would be enough.

Sure, glory and reputation are well and good, but being victorious is the swiftest path to gain recognition from the Temple Association.

Always remember that the knights creed has been created and expanded on by generations of Knight Kings. When you formulate a new clause, your identity as a human should always come before your role as a knight.

Im no true knight. I was never once since the beginning

Ive undergone knight training alongside my peers, been baptized by the Temple Association, and listened to the teachings of the holy father. However, my inner convictions were often at odds with the greater picture of mankind.

Ive always wondered: why does this doubt linger inside me?

Us humans are clearly at the root of this problem, but why does no one seem to realize that?

Arent knights sworn to battle to preserve peace?

Questions like these often haunted his thoughts. Once he became aware of the disparity between him and his peers, panic and confusion began to set in.

Like a black sheep among a flock of white ones, the fact became increasingly clear to him as days passed. To avoid being labeled an outsider and ostracized, the only course of action available to him was to conceal these differences and, in doing so, gain their approval.

During knight gatherings, Ji Bai would often cross his arms and assume the role of an onlooker. He would refrain from expressing his own thoughts, or openly challenging the opinions of his peers.

All he had to do was to execute orders, nothing more.

Despite their contrasting viewpoints, he had faith in his companions choices and their commitment to uphold righteousness. Above all, he harbored an even stronger belief in the Temple Association, the pillar supporting the Chivalric Groups.

Back then, he had just been a teenager who found himself forcefully enrolled in the Temple Association after leaving his opulent home due to unforeseen circumstances.

Lacking the qualifications to leverage his social status or family background, he was determined to prove his worth through his own merits.

After a lifetime of solitude, his display of talents earned him the temple associations recognition and support, and an opportunity to meet the Holy Father in person. This led his disillusioned self back then to feel as if he was being lavished with favor.

As a result, Ji Bai developed a strong belief in the knights creed and an even deeper faith in the Temple Association, which was actively promoting these principles in writing.

In over a decade of fighting across different fronts, resisting invasions and subduing rebellions, he had never once failed the Temple Association.

Even though he had retired and lived away from the frontlines, he continued to feel a deep sense of pride for previously being a part of them.

The honor and accolades belonging to the Radiant Knight had never faded from his memory.

But why Why did it still lead him to such an outcome in the end?

The pale hands she had covering her face tightened slightly, while her pupils, visible through her fingers, steadily constricted.

If one drew closer, they could hear the girls disorderly breathing and heartbeat.

She was no different than a shivering small kitten abandoned in the harsh winter.

Your Highness? Xun probed.

Yet, Bai Ji, who was ensconced in self-isolation, could no longer hear the sounds of the outside world.

His unwavering obedience to orders had actually been rewarded with deep deception.

As a knight belonging to the side of humanity, as long as your actions were done with humanity in mind, it will suffice

I wish to convince myself of that too! I also want to demonstrate to my peers and Holy Father through my actions that I havent let them down!

Yet, no matter how I try to stress and convey that Im just like them, I cannot deceive my own heart

To start a war, squander lives and resources, harming and displacing the citizens of both nations is that what it meant to be just? Is this really how a knight should act?

Your Highness??

The genuine and elegant tone in which Bai Ji presented her lively, vivid description left Xun in a daze.

Anyone not in the know would likely think that she was talking about herself

While Xun knew exactly whom the girl in front of her was referring to, the respect in her heart and the formalities expected between a ruler and her subject stopped her from pointing it out.

If this directive aligns with Her Highnesss actual wish and doesnt conflict with Her Majestys orders, Xun will follow it faithfully.

So youre telling me that woman has placed me on a worldwide wanted list? Bai Ji raised her eyebrows.

Weve announced to the public that youre ill and unable to meet anyone, but the grand dukes in the upper echelons know that youve fled the Scarlet Blood Region and your whereabouts are unknown. Due to the secrecy surrounding the incident, we were unable to initiate a large-scale search. While the Queen seems content with keeping things as they are, many ministers, from both the decentralization and imperial absolutist factions, are worried about your absence, including Her Excellency Tina.

Tina Bai Ji murmured, and repeated that name.

Hey, how is the Second Lady of your household faring health-wise? She asked that question while maintaining a nonchalant look on her face.

Pretty well.

Oh. Bai Ji nodded her head emotionlessly.

The purple-haired girls body constitution resembled that of poison nestled in the bones. Without proper control, her meridians would sustain irreversible damage, rendering her incapable of storing magic and reducing her into an invalid.

However, based on how things were at this moment, she seemed to be managing just fine.

Since thats settled, you can proceed with my command now. Bai Ji said with a shrug. She seemed to be musing over which clothes to put on and wear.

Your Highness, if I may be so bold to ask

Are you done with your tantrum?

Although her question did not make Bai Ji turn her head, it succeeded in stopping her in her tracks.

Im not throwing a tantrum at all.

Instead, you should be concerned about that hag. Was she simply throwing a tantrum or caught up in a moment of passion when she gave me her virgin embrace?

Bai Ji stopped and silently gazed up at the ceiling crafted from stone bricks.

Sorry

What prompted Your Highness to say that? After being taken aback by her words, Xun immediately followed up with a question.

Bai Ji simply shook her head with a slight smile. She then bent her body forward and sat cross-legged on the ground.

The truth is, Im merely leveraging my identity as a vampire princess for my own convenience

Im genuinely reprehensible Yet, to escape the scrutiny of my conscience, Ive consistently pinned all of this on my vampire lineage. It wasnt until today, after everything had been revealed, that I finally realized

This audacious personality of mine is just my true self. It has always been the case since the beginning, and has nothing to do with any bloodline at all. Bai Ji laid on the ground, her limbs sprawled out like a starfish.

Despite harboring a strong aversion to vampires, a profound sense of sorrow and emptiness had overtaken her. Without realizing it, she treated Xun as an outlet for her emotions.

The latter remained silent, offering no opinions of her own. However, she continued to listen with great attention, like a devoted audience.

I wonder when I began to fear facing my conscience? I cant remember

The one thing she knew for certain was that a person with a guilty conscience was unfit to be a knight.

At that moment, a slim hand appeared before her eyes and grasped her hand.

Your Highness, do you mind accompanying Xun to a certain place?

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