Chapter 57: The Holy Knight and the Slave

Hall of Starfire.

Xiong Xiong’s expression froze for a moment, and his gaze toward the golden-haired youth grew warmer.

Well, so we’re all partners in justice!

The giant beside him, who had been listening in silence, seemed to stir slightly in his otherwise unchanging eyes.

“You misunderstand—I am no deity, merely an ordinary person.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Xiong Xiong decided to reveal his true identity; after all, he sought companions.

Besides, to be honest, the divine protection atop his head might even surpass that of a god in the eyes of those from this world.

Instantly, the flames composing his body gradually transformed into flesh, and the long string of emerald text above his head emerged as well.

“My name is Xiong Xiong—a man who wants people to live like human beings.”

He looked at the two stunned figures before him and spoke calmly.

“1,409,670,292 citizens—that’s more than all the humans on the entire continent combined!”

The golden-haired youth murmured to himself, his face filled with disbelief, his entire body locking rigid.

The towering giant beside him, without hesitation, dropped to one knee on the ground.

The moment his knee touched the ground, the bronze floor beneath them trembled slightly.

“Greetings, noble prince. I am Tameralan Rhine, a devout Holy Knight of the Sun Church. Please forgive my earlier rudeness.”

The golden-haired youth, jolted from his stupor by the faint tremor, quickly bowed deeply, his face brimming with apology.

“Rhine—are you royalty of the Rhine Kingdom?” Xiong Xiong couldn’t help asking.

Had he just recruited an actual prince?

“No, Your Highness. Though I share blood with the royal family, my branch severed ties with the throne long ago and devoted ourselves to the glory of the Sun God.” Tameralan immediately clarified.

Then both turned their gazes toward the giant, for etiquette demanded he now state his name and status.

“I have no name,” the giant said slowly after a long silence.

His voice was like a knife scraping the throat—raspy, aged, as if he hadn’t spoken to another in years.

“Then how do others address you?” Xiong Xiong’s eyes flickered with curiosity.

He was deeply intrigued by this giant; with his build and a suit of oversized armor, he was practically Lü Fengxian reborn!

“.Butcher, mass murderer, human beast, Thirteen.”

The giant fell silent even longer before speaking again.

The next instant, Tameralan’s figure instantly stepped between Xiong Xiong and the giant.

“Your Highness, please stand behind me—he is dangerous.”

“I possess the gift to discern truth from lies. Though your authority suppresses it nearly to stillness, I can still confirm—he speaks the truth.”

“And my instinct tells me he has killed many, many people.”

Tameralan’s expression turned grave; his hand instinctively rested on the hilt of his longsword.

Sensing his hostility, the giant rose swiftly, clenched his fists—each the size of an adult’s head—and assumed a battle stance, letting out a bestial roar.

In an instant, beneath the thunder of cannon fire overhead, the hall’s atmosphere grew taut with tension.

“Enough. Stop now!”

Xiong Xiong snapped his fingers; the bronze floor beneath their feet shifted like clay, pulling them apart.

He didn’t want his future companions fighting each other.

Though outside this hall, either of them could kill him with a single blow, within this hall, he was nearly omnipotent.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

At once, Tameralan removed his hand from his sword hilt, and the giant loosened his fists.

Seeing this, Xiong Xiong raised his hand slightly, and a massive long table slowly rose from the bronze floor.

Twelve copper chairs, each fused to the floor, lined both sides of the table, with a single throne at the center.

“Standing all day isn’t comfortable. Sit.”

Xiong Xiong walked straight to the throne and sat down; Tameralan and the giant took the first copper chairs to his right and left respectively.

“Your Highness, may I ask why you summoned us to this magnificent hall?”

No sooner had he sat than Tameralan asked eagerly.

His handsome face seemed to hold an expectation.

“I did not choose you. I merely used my divine protection to call those who share my will—and you came.”

Xiong Xiong smiled gently, his face full of kindness.

“So it’s true—my instinct was right. You, too, seek justice.”

Tameralan’s face lit up, but as he opened his mouth to continue, he caught sight of the silent giant across from him.

“Your Highness, are you certain he shares our will?”

Tameralan recalled the giant’s self-proclaimed titles—Butcher, mass murderer—and couldn’t help doubting.

Not only him—the giant himself stared at Xiong Xiong in surprise.

Clearly, even he didn’t believe it.

“.Tameralan, your family background must be quite distinguished, correct?” Xiong Xiong said after a pause.

“Just an ordinary family. Though my grandfather is the current Pope of the Sun Church.”

Tameralan, though puzzled, answered honestly.

Xiong Xiong: “???”

You call that ordinary?!

“Mr. Thirteen, if I’m not mistaken, you’re a slave, aren’t you?”

Xiong Xiong suppressed his surprise and turned to the giant on his left.

The giant nodded without hesitation.

“I’ve been a slave since birth.” His eyes held only death—no spark of life.

Indeed, Xiong Xiong’s face showed understanding.

The countless scars on his body—from battle and beatings—and the tattered linen shorts were enough to confirm his status.

He’s a slave?!

Tameralan’s gaze toward the giant softened with pity; though born noble, he knew slaves across the continent lived lives worse than hell.

“A person cannot escape the environment of their birth. Like a child raised by a drunken, violent father—inevitably, he becomes violent and cowardly.” Xiong Xiong spoke slowly.

“Holy Knight, if you wish to judge a man, first consider: not everyone has the same advantages you do.”

“I believe in Thirteen. Yes, he may have killed many—as you said. But for one born into slavery, heaven and hell offer no choice but survival.”

“A knight may seek justice. A prince may seek justice. Why not a slave?”

Xiong Xiong spoke calmly.

After he finished, the hall fell into long silence.

A faint glimmer, unexpected and bright, flickered in the giant’s dead eyes.

Click.

Then Tameralan rose slowly, expressionless. Before Xiong Xiong’s stunned gaze, he walked to the giant and knelt on one knee.

“I apologize. I doubted your will. I offer my sincerest apology—forgive my arrogance.” The Holy Knight bowed deeply.

New Book Rank fifth! Fifth! Thank you, family, for your support—immense gratitude. A few more monthly votes to push me to fourth, please—thank you~Thanks(ω)





(End of Chapter)