Chapter 20

The course of events is always full of shocks and surprises.

When you treat others as pawns, perhaps the next moment, the pawn will leap up and give you a big slap.

“I’ve seen reckless people, but never one this reckless—is the Holy Knight’s head made of ironwood?” Looking at Larry LaBor, who was directly provoking everyone on the map, Li En was stunned.

Hiding at the end of the street with the task force members, they watched the spiderman Holy Knight roaring to the sky.

He even muttered under his breath, “Is the Holy Knight’s head really made of iron? Does he only know how to charge forward?”

Li En's mutter received no response.

That’s right, just like that—ask anyone else how they see you.

The other members of the task force looked at him with peculiar glances after he mocked the ironwood head.

Aren’t you the same? No, you’re even worse than him.

At least he never slashed at noble young masters—you’re far more notorious in the docks district.

Li En felt the surrounding stares but ignored them outright—I’m just this hypocritical!

He glanced once more at Larry LaBor, still openly provoking the criminal in the street, sighed, and turned to leave.

Let him cause a ruckus—it might not be all bad; at least the LaBor family won’t have time to focus on me in the short term.

Unlike me, who has no backing, anyone who moves against this Holy Knight must consider her church and the LaBor family.

In this era, over ninety percent of Holy Knights are the armed forces of the True God Church—religious figures—and that’s why they hold such high status.

“At least, the stagnant situation will finally stir,” Li En could only comfort himself this way.

To be honest, he was furious—this little girl had meddled in his plans, forcing him to revise them all over again.

“Let’s go.”

“Huh? Him—”

“What, you want to meet up? Chat about how to investigate the case in broad daylight? Is this banging gongs and beating drums the way to investigate?”

Li En said irritably; perhaps Su Xing preferred this naive form of justice, while he himself favored justice through results.

This guy’s sudden arrival had directly muddied the waters.

If the serial killer, intimidated by his backing, simply stopped and lay low for months, I’d be too drained to stop him.

“Damn it.”

Li En rubbed his head, already regretting it—he never imagined this guy could be this reckless.

Investigate in private, don’t just shout accusations on the street—you’ve got zero common sense.

“Maybe he really doesn’t have any common sense at all.”

With such a big incident, Talia S Daer came by again to check in, naturally bringing up this “major news.”

She handed Larry’s file to Li En—she had investigated him before while looking into her brother, and thus recognized him instantly in the dream.

In a sense, Larry LaBor was indeed an outstanding “product.”

As a rising noble family, the LaBors had acquired industry, assets, and extensive connections—and naturally sought to climb higher.

As a mere baron, his next generation’s planning was crucial.

His three children: the eldest, aiming for “higher status,” recognized that with the kingdom’s royal power nearly extinct, the True God Church was the most powerful force—and becoming a clergy member was an excellent choice.

Especially “eldest son” Larry, who since childhood had shown clear talent in this area, was naturally treated as the favorite, sent to the church at a young age, and became a third-rank Holy Knight before he was even grown—his future seemed bright.

Unlike priests who needed to preach, Holy Knights were the Church’s true armed forces—soldiers, not evangelists.

For them, many churches in this era trained in complete isolation; the simpler the personality, the easier it was to cultivate sincere faith—and thus easier to receive divine grace.

The second child was a girl, reportedly sent to business school at a young age, already involved in family business operations, and would eventually marry a son-in-law to inherit the family legacy.

The third child came last, said to be an accident—the family, past childbearing age, had given up hope of a third child, yet this unexpected blessing turned out to be the least capable.

His mother died in childbirth; his outstanding older siblings, constantly absent, and his utterly indifferent father, ultimately created this infamous waste of a second-generation noble.

Even if he didn’t die at Li En’s hands, he’d eventually die from some foolish mess.

Such a person—materially unstarved but spiritually hollow—was precisely the kind the cults most easily and eagerly targeted.

Hearing this, Li En began to understand why Larry pretended to be male despite being female.

Excluding the late-born “accident” of the third child, the LaBor family had only two daughters—no real choice remained.

Someone had to uphold this newly risen family: one scholarly, one martial; one in commerce, one in officialdom—a perfect pairing.

But now this “perfect creation” was too ivory-tower, and due to an accident, had left the nest prematurely—now out of control.

“She might become the new focal point—stay away from her.”

But some people, you can’t avoid just by trying.

You dodge them, and they’ll come knocking on your door.

“Your Excellency, Lord Li En, I’ve heard much of you.”

During lunch break, watching the Holy Knight who had come to the task force, Li En put down his spoonful of noodles and quietly wiped his lips.

“Hello—if you’re here to challenge me, wait until after my lunch break, during work hours. Fighting with a bowl of noodles is ridiculous.”

“No, no, no—your actions were not wrong. Though my brother is tragic, his crimes were so heinous that his trial and punishment were deserved. Evil must be punished—even if he were my brother, as a Holy Knight, I cannot seek revenge for a wicked man.”

So… you mean killing your brother was a good thing?

I know you’re an idiot, but I’m not falling for this—thinking you’re trying to lull me into a false sense of security before stabbing me in the back.

She wasn’t without emotion—her pupils still bore faint traces of tears—but she persisted anyway.

“If my family troubles you, please tell me.”

Then she left without another word.

Clearly, facing Li En—the “brother-killer”—she found it hard to remain calm.

But reason and morality told her this was right, so she came.

This scene left Li En bewildered.

Are Holy Knights in this world really this morally upright? I’m your enemy.

“No, no, no—he’s clearly abnormal. Holy Knight discipline doesn’t include revenge. Most Holy Knights are normal people. You, Lord Li En, are already abnormal… uh, cough, he’s practically a saintess.” Locals also thought Larry was bizarre.

It seemed the prolonged monastery life had made her overly pious and naive.

For Holy Knight training, this was beneficial—faith and will were the source of their power; pure goodness itself was a treasure. But once leaving the monastery to walk alone, such a personality was not necessarily advantageous.

Her earlier public declaration on the street wasn’t empty words—her reckless actions had thrown the docks district into chaos.

Like the early Li En, many now called her “Foolish Knight No. 2”—and apparently, her reputation was even worse than Li En’s.

“Received a tip-off, stormed a gang, and beat everyone up indiscriminately.”

“Had a clash with slave traders? Got slapped in the face by their official permits.”

“Raided several counterfeit medicine shops and burned their inferior stock.”

An endless stream of anecdotes followed—but this was inevitable.

For the docks district, where supernatural power was shallow, a third-rank noble Holy Knight easily became a disaster and whirlwind.

A Holy Knight who couldn’t tolerate even a speck of dirt, arriving in a district teeming with crime and evil, would either sweep everything clean—or die en route. Her status ensured most local factions avoided her, leaving her to charge around like a bull, “upholding justice.”

But unlike Li En, her reputation collapsed rapidly.

“He simply doesn’t understand reality.”

If you injure the father who works as a gang enforcer, who will support his entire family?

The shop selling cheap black bread has no conscience—yes, the bread is laced with wood shavings and sand, and a young master bites into it and spits it out for minutes. But this bread, priced at two copper coins per basket, is the staple food for many children and families in the slums.

The counterfeit medicine peddlers and unlicensed quacks are the same—do you really think the locals here can afford proper doctors or the expensive healers and pharmacists of the True God Church? Their inferior medicines might not cure, but at least they relieve pain and prevent gangrene.

Compared to Li En? Many felt she didn’t deserve it.

Li En could eventually untangle the mess and offer a workable resolution to all sides; she only stirred up chaos and didn’t know how to handle the aftermath.

In the end, surrounded by the chaos she herself had unleashed, she could only stare helplessly.

White justice and kindness can be of two kinds: one that endures after experiencing darkness and disaster, and one that remains pure only because it has never known wind or rain.

In a sense, this is also why Holy Knights are often “kept” by the True God Church—overly devout faith is a sharp blade, but wielded carelessly, it rusts—or worse, turns against its wielder. Corrupted, fallen Holy Knights often become major problems for the Church.

When real work or preaching must be done, they still rely on those seasoned priests; when deploying organized Holy Knights, it’s rarely a time for reason.

Fortunately, compared to Li En, she had one advantage—she had money! Lots of money!

She compensated for every wronged shop, paid damages for every person she injured.

Though the constant payouts had shaken her confidence, she could afford to keep paying at this rate for a long time.

But true blows often come without warning.

In the afternoon, Li En encountered her again—but didn’t recognize her at first.

Her face was pale as death, her eyes vacant and dull, her enchanted sword abandoned on the ground, untouched.

She sat by the roadside, six swords scattered around her, clutching her head, utterly dejected and helpless.

She was clearly questioning her entire existence—this deep, soul-deep despair couldn’t stem from mere failures.

The Li En brought in by the complainant soon saw the reason.

In the same abandoned house, a child’s corpse, its tail severed, its insides hollowed out—life extinguished.

But this time, the victim’s cheek bore a “blood inscription.”

“Heard you’re looking for me?” At the end, a blood-red smiley face, dripping with malice.

Blatant mockery—for Larry, whose heart was full of justice, this child had died because of her.

And Li En had underestimated the serial killer’s madness.

Laying low? Not an option.

At this moment, Li En fell silent.

At this moment, Li En also fell silent

“We can’t wait any longer. Even if it’s still risky, execute the plan ahead of schedule.”

Looking at the young Holy Knight sitting on the street, face twisted in pain, questioning his entire life, Li En sighed.

She must be thinking it’s all her fault—that if she hadn’t been there, this child wouldn’t have died.

“If you don’t know what to do, follow me.”

Li En never imagined that in real life, he’d have to become a babysitter.

After a brief chat, he realized the other truly understood nothing—so Li En didn't bother explaining.

Useless. A blank slate can’t be taught.

Those who awaken are usually those who’ve accumulated enough to hit a wall and fall into confusion.

Li En didn't preach any principles. He simply continued with his planned work and let the fellow follow.

This kid isn’t ready to leave the mountain yet—he was probably pushed out by accident. In reality, most Holy Knights spend their entire lives as Church armed forces, never stepping out alone. Simplicity isn’t necessarily bad; knowing too much makes it easy to fall.

Even when they do leave for training, it often takes years of polishing before they mature.

Don’t know how? Watch your senior and learn.

Li En still patrolled. One of his main tasks was warning the children to avoid strangers and dangerous elements.

He’d help resolve disputes, but never based on one side’s words. His goal was always to solve the problem—not victory or abstract justice.

His presence had meaning.

In the jungle of rocks, survival of the fittest was the norm. The existence of a good soul willing to aid the weak was the root of his growing reputation as the “Mad Knight.”

“Thank you, Knights, for your help. The children are delighted by your arrival.”

They had come to Fuli Academy—and brought back two “lost” children.

In a way, this was cleaning up the mess caused by Lari’s reckless actions.

In reality, their gambling-addict father had lost everything and sold the children outright. Lari had tried to stop him, but was silenced by the signed contract—left speechless.

How did Li En solve it? He found the gambling father and the gangsters who set up the scam, beat them badly, threatened them, and proved the “contract” was forged through collusion—making it legally invalid.

Of course, even with proof, the slave market traffickers weren’t easy to deal with.

They could claim they were benevolent buyers—that the “goods” legally belonged to them.

Sue them? Forget whether any court would even accept the case—even if someone did care, by the time the years-long process ended, the matter would be long dead.

“There’s a simple, direct way. Look at me.”

So Li En directly warned the gambling father, stuffed the traffickers into sacks, “dealt” with them, reclaimed the children, and delivered them to the orphanage.

Though frustrating, he was familiar with this place—after all, too many people in the docks treated others as less than human.

Throughout this, Lari opened her mouth several times but held back, ultimately doing nothing.

Procedural justice or outcome justice? Artificial justice or natural justice? She couldn’t choose.

Perhaps, thinking of that child who died with eyes wide open, she dared not act.

“Thank you, big brother!!”

“You saved us twice.”

The children’s gratitude made Lari open her mouth, then she turned desperate eyes toward her “senior.”

“Don’t look at me like that. You have a skill I could never match—and right now, we need it.”

“Uh… what is it?”

“You have money. This orphanage cares for many children—it’s a heavy burden. Why not donate something?”

Under the children’s hopeful gazes, the young Holy Knight frantically emptied her entire wallet.

Then, as the kids happily grabbed the gold coins and tried to run off—

“Smack!”

Li En punched each little one, took back the coins, put them in a bag, and handed them to the nun beside him.

“Don’t even give them gold coins—silver ones would kill them.” Li En sighed, the man who punched kids and was called cruel.

This recruit is too pure—impossible to teach. Better send her back to the Church and lock her away.

Shaking his head, he went back to his own business.

Last time, he’d brought a child whose parents hated each other to the orphanage—and promised to visit. Now, he’d kept that promise.

Watching Li En play with the children, Lari felt increasingly conflicted.

In strength, she was confident she could obliterate Li En in one round—she’d already sensed his condition was deeply off.

But in understanding of a Knight’s justice, in the means of executing justice, they were not even on the same level.

“Could I ever become like this?” Looking at the knight uncle carrying children on his back, barely able to stand under their weight, she felt even more envy.

Artificial justice—she first realized it wasn’t as perfect as others praised.

“You will,” said the young nun beside her, smiling. This job had shown her too many lost souls.

“He is justice that has weathered storms—his actions come from within, unbound by rigid rules. Your justice isn’t wrong—it’s just mostly what others taught you justice should be.”

“That’s not bad. When you lack the ability to judge, predecessors’ experience keeps you from straying. When you’ve endured enough trials, you’ll naturally make choices from your heart. Others’ justice will become the foundation of your own.”

“Isn’t he guiding you right now?”

Leaving Fuli Academy, Lari finally perked up a little—making Li En slightly satisfied.

After all, the work ahead might require her cooperation.

Back at the task force, Li En immediately summoned his temporary superior and laid out his plan.

“About the serial killer—we can’t wait any longer. I have a plan. It might… slightly cross the line. Okay, it’s way over the line and illegal.”

(End of Chapter)