Chapter 199: The Invincible Heroine

"Heroine, he cannot read at all."

After dropping this shocking fact, the old knight glanced at the Princess watching the martial contest, then continued.

"Unlike the polished, literate, and refined knight portrayed in propaganda, Heroine Laina's mind is actually quite dull—he cannot read, never opens a book, and in truth, understands nothing but the sword."

Kain was the knight who had raised the Princess from childhood; he had never spoken these words to her—the Queen had actively concealed all records concerning the Heroine.

Others also cooperated in beautifying the Heroine; everyone understood the Queen's actions, for giving a child the image of a perfect father was beneficial to her growth.

"Like Heroine Laina, he came from an ordinary village, but unlike Laina, who studied hard and was learned and refined, he even looked down on scholars and etiquette—he often wandered into the palace wearing a tattered vest and wooden sandals."

The old knight tried to speak gently, but the image of an uneducated street hoodlum was already vividly clear.

He had hesitated slightly, but considering the delicate relationship between Li En and the Princess, perhaps he ought to speak out.

After all, the Heroine was cursed by a vile spell, and his memory was destined to fade with time.

When this generation of elders dies, no one will know what kind of man he truly was.

Was that perfect Heroine from stories and scriptures really him? No—it was entirely different.

"He has a short temper—he acts on every impulse, is highly decisive, but cannot read a book without falling asleep."

Isn't it exactly the same? People always slandered the Princess for not being the Heroine's child—but isn't that same furious, impulsive nature, unable to focus on books, identical?!"

Yes, Dainya is a spellcaster, but her academic performance has always been mediocre—she merely forces herself to memorize using her high intellect.

Royal knights like Kain had seen more than enough tutors driven away by the Princess, and Queens wielding staffs (sticks) to beat them.

Especially in childhood, her unruly temperament was identical to the Heroine's.

Hearing the old knight say this, Li En fell silent. This spirit was extraordinary—extremely extraordinary.

Li Ensu had always been a top student; otherwise, he wouldn't have passed the civil service exam so easily. Ku Ku wasn't dumb either, Su Er seemed coarse but knew the laws inside out, and She—needless to say—these spirits all deeply understood and respected knowledge, in a certain sense, they were "internally refined."

Knowledge itself isn't much, but with a reservoir of knowledge, one can make rational, correct decisions.

If the Heroine was utterly uneducated, how could he make choices? Was he some kind of natural prodigy who instinctively understood human affairs, or did he merely act on gut feeling?

"I'm not saying the Heroine is bad—in fact, quite the opposite. He is exceptionally skilled with the sword and on the battlefield; he always seems to know where the critical point lies, fearlessly standing at the front, never knowing fear."

With a look of reverence on his face, the old knight recalled how the Heroine possessed extraordinary intuition.

He could instantly see through the core of any problem, instinctively sense whether a person was good or evil—his talent was absurdly exceptional.

"Hey, cans, you're working so hard—how much money do you even make in a year?"

"Hey, hey, hey, why are you glaring at me? I'm just stating the truth."

"Why not follow me?"

"Money, honor, beauties—you'll have it all. Follow me, and I'll give it to you. Not to mention, plenty of cash, plenty of loot—you'll retire rich as landowners!"

In a kingdom and royal court that revered honor and etiquette, the sudden arrival of a bandit naturally stirred up storms.

But recalling the past, the old knight felt nothing but nostalgia and sighs.

"The Heroine's sword charged forward without hesitation—he may not have been a good man, but he was a true Heroine."

The tale ended here; specific details—like taking knights to brothels, opening gambling dens within the knightly order, drunkenly beating the Duke's son, demolishing half the Duke's mansion, vanishing from camp to flirt with village girls—were better left unsaid. The more he recalled, the more sweat beaded on his brow. The Heroine in his memory seemed to have done nothing good—no wonder the Queen always treated him that way.

Yet, when he thought of him, the old knight felt warmth and solidity.

"Just seeing his back made one feel inexplicably safe—never once did you think he could lose."

"In short, he was a perfect Heroine, a peerless sword. But if he lived today, he'd likely be a scoundrel father who vanished suddenly to run wild."

The next moment, he shook his head—if Laike had lived to see Dainya's birth, watching his adorable little daughter grow up and becoming a doting, foolish father, it wouldn't have felt out of place at all.

But now, speaking of this was meaningless—the kingdom was nearly destroyed, the Queen and Princess had endured great hardship these years, especially the Princess, who had stopped asking about the Heroine's stories long ago—perhaps she had learned of his past misdeeds elsewhere.

"I heard he was involved with the Queen's sister… uh, maybe this shouldn't be said." Some words reached his lips, but the Captain decided it was better to take them to the grave.

When Dainya looked over curiously, Knight Kain knew it was time to stop—he feared the young man would ask exactly what the Heroine had done, for he himself had done plenty of foolish things alongside him.

"But everyone back then did the same."

In fact, at one point, the Royal Knightly Order obeyed the Heroine more than the royal family.

At first, everyone despised this "uncultivated country bumpkin," and many mocked him.

Yet in the end, all of them gathered beneath this sword, happily following the man in his chaos.

No one back then would have believed the kingdom led by this Heroine could ever fail.

It seemed that as long as he was there, victory would inevitably follow victory.

Standing behind that man's back was an unshakable sense of safety.

He was the embodiment of invincibility, the strongest and most relentless incarnation of victory.

Had it not been for the Dragon Catastrophe, the kingdom would surely have become an empire, and Princess Dainya would have become a true princess, free of all worries.

"The Princess is a tragic soul. The Queen spent little time with her; she grew up playing with knights, had a quick temper—please, if you can, indulge her a little."

The old knight from the palace, watching the Princess approach, hastily ended the conversation.

"Oh, so that's what they think of Laike… their fan filter is way too thick." She, however, grew even more gleeful at this moment.

Li En ignored him, preparing to attend to his own affairs, but She spat out a cruel remark.

"He's a piece of trash. Ha, don't believe me? Ask this guy—whether Dainya is really Laike and the royal family's only child."

Li En froze. Did Laike have other descendants? Or children with other royal members?

He asked without thinking—and instantly, the old knight's face turned pale.

"Where did you hear that?! It's all rumor! There is no second princess, no illegitimate daughter! This is pure slander against the royal family and the Heroine!"

Well, your reaction has already proven it's true.

(End of Chapter)