Masked Knight

Chapter 168: Creating a Star

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Early in the morning, the Duke of the Tulip Family ordered a carriage to be prepared. He was going to the Imperial Palace to see His Majesty the Emperor.

His Excellency the Duke did not look too good. He looked tired, and his eyes were blood-shot. One of the guards looked with admiration at the young commander of the Empire and thought to himself. His Excellency the Duke worked all night for the Empire.

Rody wore a bright red cloak over his gorgeous leather armor and strode into the Imperial Palace. He met the current Emperor, His Majesty Andy, and the fat Sky, who was donned in the uniform of the Imperial Guards, whispering to each other.

The two several-hundred-year-old men had sneaky expressions and mischievous looks in their eyes.

They glanced at Rody that had just arrived. Andy suddenly stood up and, with an infatuated expression, he slowly fell into Sky's arms. He looked lovingly at Sky and spoke emotionally, "Oh! Rody, I will be your woman tonight!"

Sky put on a serious expression and embraced Andy with an exaggerated posture. He held Andy’s waist with one hand. He then looked into Andy’s eyes with a painful expression and said, "Oh, Nicole! My dear Nicole! I love you... That is a gospel truth like how the sun must rise every day! But no, my beloved. We cannot do that!"

Andy then showed an expression of grief and resentment as he continued, "Why, Rody? Why are things like this?"

Sky sighed and said, "This is because I love you. Nicole, I love you so much. I don't want to win you this way! I am even more reluctant to use this situation to win you!" After that, Sky showed a firm expression and loudly said, "Our love should be under the sun! I want to be with you but not right now! I want to honestly declare to all the people in the world that you are my woman! A great love should not be hidden in darkness. I hope that when I remove this mask, I can truly be with you! Let you honestly and openly be my woman!"

Andy looked like he was about to faint. He displayed a shy and surprised expression. He then stretched out his hands to touch Sky’s fat neck.

Rody's face turned black, and the blue veins started to bulge out on his forehead. His first reaction was to pull out his Dragon Fang sword and fiercely slashed at the two old bastards, who were embracing each other.

When they saw the Dragon Fang sword together with the golden fighting energy slashing towards them, the two people, who were in a tight embrace just now, fled faster than rabbits. After all, Sky had acquired ‘Domain Force’. The moment he dodged, his body immediately vanished. Within a short while, he was far away. He did not have a sense of brotherhood at all as he pushed Andy to block the sword.

Andy cried out as the Dragon Fang sword with the golden fighting energy slashed down towards his hair but missed. Andy then screamed, "Boy, you are really slashing us!"

Rody did not say anything. He slashed left and right with the Dragon Fang sword in his hand. The Emperor shouted and dodged the attacks hastily, in the sleeping quarters.

"Don’t be so angry. Who asked you to wear that mask? Last night, I can’t even choose not to eavesdrop. Aiyaa! This slash is really ruthless! Stop! Stop! Stop! Sh*t, you are still slashing at me. Are you venting your anger at us because you are not satisfied with last night? Sky, you damn fatty, come and help me! Help! The Duke of the Tulip Family is trying to murder the Emperor!"

Sky crossed his arms as he floated to the ceiling of the room. He looked, indifferently, at the Duke of the Tulip Family chasing the Emperor in circles. This 'treacherous' person had also deliberately enchanted the entire palace so that the ruckus in there is not audible outside. After that, he started giving commentary. "Good, this slash is beautiful. Be more ruthless. That’s right. You are still not fast enough. Aiya, this slash has strayed!"

Andy ran around as he screamed like a ghost. Unfortunately, even Rody could see that Andy’s frightened and panicky expression was mostly fake. Finally, Rody stopped and angrily sheathed his sword. He then stretched out his left hand, opened up his palm and black flames started to appear.

"Sh*t!" Sky was shocked. "Is he really so angry? Is he seriously going to use that drastic trick?"

Andy really started to sweat, and he stepped back. "Alright, boy, I will stop teasing you." When he saw Rody was about to use the Mystic Dragon Purge, he desperately shouted, "I will quickly let you return to your real old self!"

Those last words were extremely effective.

"Really?" Rody calmed down immediately, and the fiery dragon gradually disappeared into his hand.

Andy wiped cold sweat from his forehead. He knew that Rody was really furious. He then quickly spoke of the idea he had. "I just received a message in the morning. The Temple in the Northern Continent has started to act. So, Sky and I discussed and decided that this is a good opportunity."

Rody looked at Sky who was still floating above them and frowned. "Northern Continent? What kind of movements?"

Sky laughed and loudly said, "This old skeleton here said you have a lover in the Northern Continent. This matter is related to that lover of yours."

Sky then saw that Rody looked like he was going to start slashing people again and he quickly waved. "This is not a joke. Something really happened there. Old skeleton, you quickly explain!"

Andy cleared his throat and slowly said, "There was a miracle at the Northern Continent! It seems that the Temple there had received God's instructions. This instruction has been sent throughout all the kingdoms in the Northern Continent. They are preparing to start a holy war. Their objective is obviously the Radiant Empire."

Rody frowned. "Miracle? Holy war? What does this have to do with Mouse?"

Andy sighed. He then smiled and said, "Of course she is related to this. It is said that the Saint of the Sauron Kingdom in the Northern Continent opposed this holy war. She was recalled to the Temple to receive her punishment. I heard that she was already imprisoned."

"Really?" Rody’s expression changed and became complex. When he heard the news about the Black Veil Saint, his heart immediately gave birth to a strange feeling. He could not help but recall the critical fights he and this woman, who was disguised as a man then, had shared while trying to survive in the Northwestern grasslands.

"She… She was imprisoned for opposing the holy war?" Rody’s voice trembled and worry was evident in his eyes.

Did she oppose the war… because of herself? Or because of me?

Rody felt a bit dejected. Mouse did not know that he was a fake Duke. She might not have wanted to go to war because she did not want to fight with him on the battlefield. Her faith was her life and yet she had disobeyed the instructions of her Temple because of him.

Andy sighed and said, "You do not need to worry. Nothing will happen to her."

Nothing will happen to her? Definitely not!

A sense of fear rose in Rody’s heart. He knew that whether it was on the Radiant Continent or the Roland Continent, the religious groups are ruthless against heretics. Many people have been burned or hanged to death in the past hundreds of years.

Andy went to Rody’s side and patted his shoulders. He then whispered, "Don’t think such terrifying thoughts. That girl is still alright. After all, she has an extremely high rank in the Temple. Do you think it is easy to cultivate a new saint? They will not kill her so easily."

Rody remembered about Mouse’s identity when he heard this and felt relieved. Although he was no longer worried, he still whispered, "Then, what do you mean, when you said just now, that this is a good opportunity?"

Andy laughed and said, "This is certainly a good opportunity! When the holy war begins, the Duke would need to go to the battlefield. Whatever happens, when the war is over, we will declare that you died because of serious injuries. We can then wrap up Seth’s life mission."

Rody frowned. "At the end of the war? It is not surprising for a war between two continents to last three to five years long. How long must I wait until the end of the war?"

Andy stared at him and asked, "What else can we do? Right now, they are the ones coming to fight us. We don’t have a choice and will need to fight anyway. How can the Radiant Empire go to war without the Duke of the Tulip Family? How can we announce the Duke’s death now? You would know what the consequences are if we were to announce the Duke’s death before the war! Without the Duke of the Tulip Family, we won’t even be able to fight against the Great Moon Kingdom in the Northwest! Much less, the combined force of dozens of kingdoms from the North and their religious armies! Besides that, for the flag bearer of the Radiant Empire, the great Duke of the Tulip Family, to die in a war would be the perfect curtain call. How could the legendary Duke of the Tulip Family die from a carriage accident or from choking on his food?

Rody thought for a moment and then frowned. "The Northern Continent has never dared to confront the Empire before this. Why did they suddenly wage war?"

Andy's eyes showed a dignified expression as he said, "I do not know. However, according to the report I received, the Temple has received instructions from their Gods. Miracles had also appeared there. The situation is not clear, but war is coming. Either way, whether we are willing or not, we will need to start preparing for war."

Sky shook his head and his eyes flashed a strange look. "However, this does not concern us alone. Since this is a religious war, the people from God’s religion must help. Even Corsica VI cannot object to this. Take advantage of this opportunity to make good use of the power of the God’s religion. See how much power they are hiding. Moreover, based on what they used that day, ‘God’s Vanquish’, we are unlikely to lose."

Rody shook his head and thought deeply. "Not necessarily! Didn't the Temple of the Northern Continent say they have received God's instructions? Didn't they also say that miracles had happened? There is something strange about this. Although the God's religion from both continents is not compatible, they both believe in Gods. Corsica VI could use ‘God's Vanquish', and this obviously meant that he already had God's help. So why did God also go and help the Temple in the North?"

Sky coldly smiled, "How are we to know? This is something that only those guys, in heaven, know!"

Andy nodded and replied, "That's right. Boy, this matter is indeed too abrupt. However, we cannot avoid this. If they want to fight, we can only respond accordingly. It doesn't matter whether you are willing or not, at least, you must continue to act as the Duke, now. Not only must we fight this war, but we must also think of a way to win! After winning the war, the threat to the Empire would be greatly reduced. By then, Seth's identity can smoothly end. However, if you lose, then we, together with the Empire, are doomed."

Andy paused for a while and then he started to laugh again. "This time, the God’s religion would send out their Flame Knights Regiment. We will make use of them and let both of the God’s religious factions fight each other. You must remember to make an appearance during the appropriate time. However, you must also not flaunt your superiority when it is time to act dumb. There is also the Northern Legion… For the time being, we should leave Milo alone. War is coming soon. Even though this fellow is in cahoots with Marquis Garoline, he would not join the Roland Continent out of dignity to his family. Besides that, he is also quite capable. He has the support of everyone in the Northern Legion. Right now, there is no time to replace him and reorganize the Northern Legion.

After that, Andy summoned all the ministers of the Empire and announced that the Northern Continent had declared war. He then ordered everyone to prepare for war.

One hundred thousand of the Southern Legion soldiers, including General Camus, were deployed to the North to guard the Imperial Capital. The Duke of the Tulip Family and the fifty thousand Lightning God's Whip went to the North and converged with the Northern Legion. The four provinces in the North and the Northwest province immediately called up reserve soldiers. The Northwest Legion also stepped up their defenses. After all, the Great Moon Kingdom might collude with the Northern Continent. If Reuenthal did not get involved this time, then he would not be Reuenthal.

The Pope of the Radiant Empire, His Majesty Pope Corsica VI also immediately issued an order. The Flame Knights of the God’s religion of the Empire were thus rapidly mobilized to the North.

The Flame Knights have not fought for hundreds of years. For religious reasons, these knights were covered by mysterious veils. It was rumored that they were extremely powerful. But some of the generals in Central Command of the Empire felt otherwise; they believed that the Flame Knights, who had not fought for hundreds of years, would not be very strong.

The clouds of war gradually covered the Radiant Continent, especially the Imperial Capital. There was a heavy pre-war atmosphere. The barracks of the Lightning God’s Whip was extremely busy and the army was a hive of activity. All kinds of military supplies were being transported. Weapons and horses were supplied to the recently selected reserve soldiers. Of course, Rody had no intention of letting these reserve soldiers go straight to the battlefield to get themselves killed. The reserve soldiers had only just started. Those newbies, who had just joined the Lightning God’s Whip, would first need to undergo strict training before they can go to war...

According to Rody's estimation, the war between the two continents would not end in a short time. It would not be surprising if it lasts for three to five years. These recruits were unable to go to the battlefield at the beginning of the war. They have to be trained before they could be used to replenish the troops.

The Central Cavalry currently only had fifty thousand soldiers. However, those fifty thousand soldiers were selected from those who qualified. As a result, the combat effectiveness of the Central Cavalry was much higher than the previous bloated and disorganized Lightning God's Whip.

General Sieg did a simple review after reorganizing the army and was finally satisfied. "This now looks more like the Lightning God’s Whip."

Of course, the Wolf Fang, reborn as the Lightning God’s Whip, is now the most elite unit. They were also the cavalry that was directly under the command of Duke of the Tulip Family. The original Wolf Fang, who were overshadowed by the old Lightning God’s Whip, now had a completely different status. The pride and excitement on the soldiers' faces were genuine. After all, they were the ones, among the Lightning God’s Whip, who had actually experienced the Northwest war and had gone through thick and thin with His Excellency the Duke.

This time, the situation before the war was different. The coming war did not cause panic in the Imperial Capital.

Before this, wars caused panic and anxiety but right now, there was excitement instead. The entire Imperial Capital was filled with excitement and even the common civilians were enthusiastic about the war.

That situation was attributed to that thing introduced by His Majesty, the newspapers.

For several consecutive days, the newspapers kept convincing the citizens that there would be victory to stop them from panicking. With His Majesty's guidance, the newspaper views are now mostly propaganda. These newspapers were full of stories and other stuff to promote pre-war excitement.

His Majesty told the poets and scholars who contribute to the newspapers. "What can really arouse the public’s faith and emotions? It is not a slogan! It is not an empty declaration! It is a hero!"

"Create a hero, with a great image, to be worshiped by the public. Let the people admire him. Then use that heroic image to inspire the people. "

The most suitable ‘hero’ for the Empire would undoubtedly be the young Imperial Commander-in-Chief, the great Duke of the Tulip Family. As a result, there was a period when all the newspapers were full of headlines like:

<"His Excellency led us to Victory against Powerful Grassland Enemy." Said a veteran soldier in the Northwest.>

<"He is my Hero!" said a woman, a confidante of His Excellency the Duke in his younger days.>

Of course, of all the newspapers, the one founded by His Majesty the Emperor, the ‘Andy Express’ had a column with the highest popularity.

The article described in detail some of the secret moments of the Duke of the Tulip Family. That included how the Duke, during his younger days, climbed over the wall to meet his beautiful lover; and the number female confidantes he had. That was not all. Even more exasperating was that it revealed a love poem, which the Duke had composed for a confidante: The skirt is raised, for the dance of the monarch! The sword is ruthless; the beautiful woman is without illusion!

The voluminous writings created a vivid image of a proud and gentle yet amorous Commander-in-Chief.

Especially, also that the Duke was also young, handsome, had a dazzling background, has heroic deeds and was still a bachelor. The fact that he was not only an invincible commander but also a great poet had made all the women in the Imperial Capital go crazy. The bravado of a hero and the tender touch of a lover fused together in an idol!

Every time Rody went out, he was accompanied by screaming girls. A non-stop flow of love letters was received at the mansion of the Duke of the Tulip Family. Every day, the amount of flowers and gifts sent to the Duke’s mansion, caused the guards who were responsible for transporting them, feel extremely tired. There were even thousands of girls, who formed the ‘Tulip Red Powder Guards[1]’ and vowed to support their idol. Occasionally, there were some drunk playboy nobles who, out of jealousy, spoke maliciously of the Duke. Before anybody else could do anything, the playboy would be strangled by a group of the ‘Tulip Red Powder Guards’.

An even more frightening thing was, on one occasion when Rody went out, he was almost crushed by a crowd of enthusiastic fans. He and a dozen of his bodyguards were surrounded by thousands of excited young girls in the streets. The dozen strong bodyguards were not able to stop the thousands of enthusiastic and emotional young girls. In the chaos, the Duke's coat was torn off. If Sieg had not heard the news and came immediately with the Wolf Fang to rescue the Duke, His Excellency the Duke would probably have created history. He would probably be the first and only Duke of the Tulip Family that ran around naked, in the Imperial Capital, since the founding of the Empire a few years ago.

Naturally, Nicole did not view such situations kindly.

Rody finally found the root of all these problems… the newspaper. He became furious when he read the article. When he saw the signature of the person who wrote the article, he almost drew his sword and stormed into the palace.

That was because below the article there was a signature: "Written by the newspaper's Star Writer, Andy."

Translator's Notes:

1 郁金香红粉卫队actually translates to "Tulip Lady Guards", but "Tulip Red Powder Guards" would be more colorful.