Chapter 341: Oathbound Knight

This meeting was held at Li En’s private residence.

In a room with only two people, a private ritual was taking place.

A longsword rested on the upraised hands of the kneeling female elf—unlike the recent bestowal of honors, this was the knight’s “bestowal of the blade,” a rite of inheritance.

Holy Knights are among the most unique professions; aside from the Church’s limited ability to mass-produce them, there remains a group of true “classical knights” who wander endlessly.

They were once mercenaries, farmers, travelers, or even nobles.

“I was called, and I chose to answer that call.”

Suddenly, one day they picked up their swords, left their families, and pursued the path of pure goodness.

They are the prototypes of the gods’ Holy Knights, classical knights of pure goodness, and a certain “mechanism” sustaining many worlds.

As long as all beings still yearn for goodness and justice, and as long as some mortals still willingly sacrifice their lives to pursue kindness and fairness, Holy Knights will never vanish.

“I swear to fight for the justice within my heart.”

The female elf’s first oath, though ordinary, caused a faint silver glow to radiate around her.

This oath was witnessed and affirmed by Pure Goodness; even Li En, who bestowed the blade, showed surprise—he never expected Arelkne to be serious.

Even with the “guidance” of a classical oath-bound knight and the approval of Pure Goodness to initiate the inheritance, the recipient must possess sufficient “desire” and “fate.”

Generally, only those with the resolve to “die for justice” can unlock this inheritance.

“This oath… is rather ordinary,” Li En silently observed the woman before him; in a sense, she was already his disciple.

But Li En did not believe in this oath.

Inner justice differs from the justice recognized by the world; dark elf justice is likely far more lenient than ordinary human justice—perhaps in dark elf society, simply refusing to join others in murder counts as justice. Meanwhile, surface-dwelling Holy Knights would unhesitatingly stop the murder of the innocent.

Yet even so, asking a dark elf to walk the path of justice is already an absurdly fantastical tale.

“I swear to fight for the innocent and kind weak.”

Still a relatively conventional Holy Knight oath, yet the silver light enveloping her body revealed the weight of this vow.

Considering the conditions of the underground world, most dark elf deities have the habit of demanding sacrifices—this means she would sever ties with the entire underground elf society.

And thus, fate and Pure Goodness granted her a greater return.

But compared to her third oath, this meant nothing.

Facing her “mentor,” Arelkne lifted her head, her pupils seeming to burn with flame.

She spoke the words she had longed for.

“I swear that my entire life shall walk the path of Pure Goodness, guiding my race toward the truth of Pure Goodness.”

“Hum!”

Sudden silver light completely engulfed the female knight.

In the next instant, “Valkyrie Arelkne” arrived here, embracing her “sister” from behind.

The two beings circled each other, gradually merging into one.

When the radiance began to fade, the silver-armored Valkyrie Arelkne knelt there.

They were, from the beginning, two aspects of a single entity; this promise and oath belonged to both, and so did the cost and the reward.

“Even if my body dies and my soul perishes, I shall forever walk this path.”

To make dark elves good? Why not simply teach fish to fly?

This oath is nearly impossible to fulfill.

Yet in the world of Holy Knights, such oaths have always existed—there are always idealists who begin with the intention of smashing headfirst into a wall.

Death oaths are destined to walk the most agonizing path.

But this promise naturally earned the corresponding “Holy Knight Oath.”

“Rise.”

Li En sighed and pulled up the kneeling Arelkne.

Arelkne looked up; holy fire burned upon her flesh, and in the next moment, she split back into two.

Valkyrie Arelkne stared at her hands—the pure divine flame now carried the scent of light. She, too, had become a Holy Knight.