850 Side Story: John
“Hey! Ha!”
A little boy no older than ten was holding a wooden sword high and striking it forward.
Bang!
The boy on his opposite side, who was of a similar age, waved his sword to block it. The two swords collided in a dull noise.
Under the scorching sun, the two boys were sweating hard. Their cheeks and their necks were all wet. Even so, they were still gritting their teeth and focused on the sword practice.
On the stairs nearby, a golden-haired and brown-eyed man slightly nodded, expressing his satisfaction with the boys’ sword practice. He looked young and handsome, but his manners were mature and trustworthy, making it impossible to tell his accurate age.
However, he was in an obvious trance right now, as if he had seen somewhere far away through the child before him.
“John, what’s on your mind?” A slim, tall, and beautiful woman walked over from his back. She felt gentle and had blond hair and blue eyes, different from the common look of Holm.
John’s eyes were focused again. He turned around with a smile and said to Kalie, his wife. “When I watched the children practicing with their swords so hard, I remembered that Lucien and I practiced in exactly the same way when we were little in the empty places in the slums of Aalto. However, he was not as strong as I was, and he was never satisfied. His sword was knocked away every time…”
Kalie held his waist from the back and smiled gently, “Who could’ve thought that one of the two kids in the slums of Aalto would turn into an earl of the empire, a radiant knight, and the deputy captain of the Sword of Truth’s Knights, while the other one would turn into a demigod, a grand arcanist, a prince of the empire, and a great musician?”
“Yes. Life is like a play.” John patted his wife’s arms and said with mixed feelings, “At first, I only thought to be an official knight to change my family’s life, protect them, and protect the duchy. I never dreamed that I could become a radiant knight or have a wife as beautiful as you.”
Kalie was taller than John, so she was able to lean her jaw on John’s shoulder. Hearing his words, she couldn’t help but smile.
Looking ahead, John became tranced again. He said with a smile, “Lucien couldn’t have expected his achievements today either. At that time, his greatest wish was to become a civilian who had a regular income. Fate is truly a wonder that even the astrologists cannot predict. I remember that Lucien and I used to stand outside of the Psalm Hall fantasizing that we could listen to a concert someday. Hehe. I have almost forgotten what the Psalm Hall looked like now…”
“Do you miss Aalto?” Kalie asked keenly.
John smiled steadily. “Yes. I do miss the Psalm Hall, my old house, the black forest where I had my knight training, and the bards and performers on the street. Hehe. Those who are old always tend to miss their hometowns and their childhoods.”
“Old? Are you suggesting that I am old too? I’m only a few years younger than you.” Kalie pretended to be angry. “Do you regret choosing to stay in Rentato instead of a fief near Aalto?”
When he became an earl, John had a chance to choose his hereditary fief. At that time, Natasha had already become the Grand Duchess of Orvarit and could give him the land near Aalto. However, John eventually decided to stay on this side of the Storm Strait.
John did not give an answer. He patted his hands, hinting the children to stop. He then gave them a few reminders before he returned to the villa with Kalie.
“It’s time for my regular patrol,” John said unhurriedly.
Kalie nodded. “I’ve already prepared your knight suit and your armor.”
When he passed the hall, John stopped Kalie and pointed inside. “Listen to the beautiful music. My mother is holding yet another salon.”
“Yes.” Kalie did not quite understand what John meant. His mother often invited the noble ladies to her salon. What was to be surprised at?
John pointed at the study upstairs. “My father must’ve been to the Musicians’ Association.”
“Yes.” Kalie was still confused.
John said with a smile, “Rentato has magic gramophones, air conditioners, home TVs, refrigerators, alchemical cars, and many other items that have changed our life. It is the place with the best magic popularization. My father and my mother are used to them, and they enjoy them. Asking them to go back to Aalto would be a torture for them. Besides, with the airships available now, we can reach Aalto in a couple of days for holidays without transmission magic circles. So, I never regretted my choice.”
In the end, he added, “For me, home is where you are. I will always choose the place that you love. What I miss is my childhood and the time passed rather than Aalto.”
Kalie blushed and did not talk. She dragged John back to the main bedroom on the second floor and helped him get changed.
Bang!
When John was cleaning his clothes before the mirror, a dull explosion echoed from the other end of the corridor.
Neither John nor Kalie showed any unusual reaction, as if it were as common as door opening and closing.
“Something went wrong in Elvin’s experiment again…” John listened carefully, catching the footsteps in the laboratory and sensing that Elvin was still alive. Then, he sighed rather regretfully. “He became a second-circle sorcerer only with the help of potions, but he is never devoted to arcana.”
Elvin was a free spirit. He disliked the boring arcana and magic studies, and he preferred the popularized alchemical items. In Lucien’s words, he was more like an inventor than an arcanist.
Kalie comforted him, “Elvin is very smart, but his interest is fixated on the popularized alchemical items right now. After he knows that it is impossible to conduct his modifications effectively without profound arcana and magic knowledge, he will work hard.”
Kalie was a level-two arcanist and a fourth-circle sorcerer herself.
“Alright.” John nodded and put on the last part of his armor.
……
Above the Stroop Forest, John asked his subordinates to scatter and patrol on aircraft. He roamed in the air and observed the forest carefully.
Since many elves had been introduced into the human society, the responsibility to defend the abyssal gap had been shouldered by the Elven Court, the Elder Council of the Druids, and the Congress of Magic together, and the major knight associations of the empire were asked to deal with the demonized creatures or missing demons around the forest.
Debates had always remained unabated regarding how to deal with the abyssal gap. The elves wished to seal it completely, and so did the nobles and civilians in the few counties around. After all, even the thorough protection couldn’t be perfect. Not only was the forest being polluted more and more severely, but certain creatures and demons had also entered villages, towns, and cities. Although they were all taken care of in time, some people were still killed or crippled.
However, most sorcerers and knights hoped to keep the gap and the Town of the Anonymous. The place had limited the strength of the invading demons. They did not need to worry about the formidable beings like Demon Lords or Dukes, and they could obtain many senior-rank materials. It was certainly much better than going into the abyss for adventures.
As far as John knew, the Highest Council had reached a decision and established a research squad. The target was to separate the two realms and to keep a buffer area on the first floor of the abyss for the convenience of adventures and exercises.
“Ahh!!!”
A grunt echoed in John’s earpieces. He immediately became grave and swooped like an eagle.
In the forest, a few knights were resisting the attack of a beautiful girl back to back. She had delicate and lovely demon horns on the forehead, and part of her body was covered in bright black armor. With the most tempting body curve and face, she was every inch a powerful succubus.
The few knights were all wounded. Caught unprepared, some of them were dying and were in dire need of rescue.
Holding a thorny whip, the succubus attacked quickly, spreading out pink and dark mist with her naturally-endowed spells.
Suddenly, a longsword enshrouded in darkness slashed from the sky and drove the mist away. All the spells that the succubus cast were nullified.
John did not turn into elements or light. He looked as plain as a common grand knight. However, wherever his longsword pointed at, all the extraordinary abilities were reduced into nothingness!
“The Elimination blood power!” Greatly shocked, the succubus flapped her wings and tried to flee.
However, her speed had been greatly weakened. John caught up to her and cut her to the ground.
“Don’t… Don’t kill me! I can acknowledge you as my master and serve you well!” The succubus twisted her enticing body, hoping to exchange for a chance of survival!
“You weren’t such a peace-lover when you assaulted my teammates, were you?” His face unchanged, John slashed his longsword and executed the succubus directly.
The succubus’ shock was frozen on her face. The few knights attacked by her seemed rather regretful too.
BOOM!
The earth suddenly shook so violently that the knights could barely stand on their feet.
“What’s going on?” John looked at the source of the earthquake in shock, only to discover that a bloody plain appeared on the horizon vaguely. The space before it was twisted and weaved into an unbelievable, hideous crack. Behind it was the view of the abyss on different floors.
Before the protruding abyssal gap, a young man in a black double-breasted suit was floating. He had a black bow-tie with a monocle on his right eye, handsome and gentle. The darkness that surrounded him was as contorted as the abyss itself.
“Lucien?” Seeing the familiar back, John blurted out.
At this moment, Lucien pressed his hands forward. His body became so fuzzy that he seemed to be in an intangible and unapproachable world. A boundless cosmos showed up behind his back with stars glittering in it.
BOOM!
The fog near the gap was too thick for John to see the changes clearly. He only saw that the space collapsed, and the Scarlet Plain, as well as the abyss behind it, slowly broke away from the gap!
In the meantime, an enormous storm swept across the Scarlet Plain and completely consumed it. The thick, long bolts of lightning separated it from the second floor of the abyss that it was connected to!
The “abyss” had been shoved away?
Looking at Lucien who appeared like a god in the high sky, John was rendered speechless. He was suddenly grasped by vague sorrow.
