Chapter 259 (1): It’s Fine, We’ll Each Use Our Preferred Forms of Address

Wayne pulled Elemental Mantra out of thin air. The white greatsword radiated surging life force and constructed white armor that covered his entire body.

Nature Knight!

Megan’s eyes widened. Auston, despite having guessed what was going to happen, still couldn’t help but curse silently, the hand gripping his silver coin shaking slightly.

Silvia’s mouth fell open as her eyes grew brighter. In her excitement, her breathing inevitably quickened.

Seeing the trio’s shocked expression, Veronica lifted her chin proudly. She had the right to be proud, all things considered.

“Don’t move. Let Big Sister see...” Silvia stepped forward, her voice trembling. She touched the white knightly armor carefully from the face guard to the articulated gauntlets, her gaze fixed on Elemental Mantra.

Wayne handed it to her, allowing her to swing it and satisfy her curiosity.

His dragon-blooded master was just like Veronica and Senna. With that thought, Wayne turned to Megan and asked, “Would you like a try, Megan?”

Megan shook her head. She had wielded Twilight Despair before and thus wasn’t particularly interested in chosen knights’ weapons. She was more curious about how much potential Wayne’s original bloodline possessed, such that three goddesses had lowered their pride to extend olive branches to him.

What about the Goddess of Sun and the Goddess of Moonlight? When would they join the party?

Silvia was obviously beside herself with excitement. Ignoring the fact that she had stolen Wayne from the Church of Moonlight, she believed firmly that he was the perfect gift the goddess had given her. Eyes reddening, she pulled her student into her arms.

She no longer needed to prove anything. The fact that her student had become the Nature Knight was the best proof she could hope for. All the resentment she had accumulated from years of hard struggle vanished. Even Auston, who remained stubbornly silent and aloof, refusing to fit in, seemed more agreeable now.

Look at that haughty stance of yours. What kind of father are you? Would it kill you to praise him?

Wayne dismissed the knightly armor, obediently allowing Silvia to hold him. Logically speaking, it would be more appropriate for him to keep the armor on while Silvia hugged him, but he wasn’t the actual Nature Knight, and Moula often wore the same armor. Being in Silvia’s embrace while looking like the Nature Knight would paint a scandalous picture, with Auston being the victim.

Silvia could barely contain herself. The more she looked at her student, the more pleased she was. Her only regret was that he wasn’t her biological son.

Forget it. He is my son, no matter what others say.

“Hmph!” Auston scoffed. Was she done? What was she praising him for? If she liked chosen knights so much, just say it. There was another in the room.

“Ha!”

Silvia responded out of habit, shooting Auston a glare. She snapped, “It’s such wonderful news that Wayne has become the chosen knight, yet you won’t say a word, even having the nerve to scowl at him. I don’t want to do it while the children are here, but I’ll deal with you later.”

What should I say? He’s done this three times!

Auston kept a poker face, his fingers quickly fiddling with the antique silver coin.

When facing the Death Knight, the divine power of Darkness in his body had been unresponsive, but when facing the Nature Knight, it surged violently, making it difficult to suppress. The power seemed eager to compete with Nature.

He gave Wayne a pointed look, telling him to send Elemental Mantra away as soon as possible.

Wayne caught the look and obliged, saying to an excited Silvia, “Master, I’m only a successor. Sir Moula, the current Nature Knight, is still around. You can celebrate later.”

“It’s only a matter of time. There’s nothing wrong with celebrating now. The goddess does not make casual decisions. Once she’s chosen you, she won’t change her mind.”

It was obvious how excited Silvia was, so much so that she was speaking incoherently.

After she finally calmed down, Wayne summarized the process of the trial. The summary was so concise that Auston frowned and told him to elaborate.

Silvia wanted the full story, too. She encouraged Wayne to take his time and proudly showed his full competence so that a certain someone would become more aware of his shortcomings. How could someone who wasn’t even a chosen knight be the head of the household?

Auston scowled. He could be a chosen knight; he had been holding back because his wife wouldn’t be able to handle it.

“There’s not much to add. Vice Captain Garvin recommended me, and I met Sir Moula once he returned from the Frozen Land. Because of Vice Captain Garvin’s praises, he had a good impression of me.”

Wayne explained slowly. “Mr. Moula said that I was strong, handsome, young, and polite, so the goddess would definitely like me. Then he handed me Elemental Mantra, and I passed the trial.”

“...” x4

Those descriptors sound a little odd.

x4

“Because I’m the next Chosen Knight, Master Senna took a one-eighty and proactively tried to mend her relationship with Master. She also changed how she treated Veronica...”

Wayne finished his retelling of the story and added, “There are many gifts from Master Senna in our luggage. Mine have been sent to the mansion, and the rest are for Master and Veronica. There are a few beautiful outfits, as well as books on draconic magic...”

“Veronica has learned the draconic language. You can ask her about it, Master.”

He then concluded, “Thankfully, Vice Captain Garvin contacted Sir Moula in a timely fashion, or with the High Prophet taking note of my talent, I might have gotten deceived by the old codger and become the new High Prophet at headquarters instead.”

“Can’t help it when you’re so talented,” Silvia agreed. Her student was so outstanding that she felt quite anxious. Her lips curled up as she spoke, which she couldn’t suppress despite her effort.

She looked as proud of Wayne as her daughter was.

Watching his wife and daughter being proud while the little trash can pretended to be humble left a bad taste in Auston’s mouth. The more he looked, the more unbearable he found it. Hearing Wayne being praised felt worse than being cursed out himself.

“Hmph!”

“Ha!”

The family meeting ended. Silvia happily led Veronica to unwrap her birthday gifts. She was also quite interested in the draconic magic and planned to learn a few words tonight.

Before leaving, Veronica glared at the scumbag, warning him not to seek her out tonight, or she would beat him to death.

The soundproof barrier was re-established. Megan stood outside, continuing to eavesdrop in a different way.

Inside the study, the two scumbags dropped their pretense with their two family members absent, resuming the conversation openly.

“What’s wrong with you? Another chosen knight? Are you mad? Aren’t you worried about getting exposed?”

“I didn’t have a choice. I had to do that given the situation...”

Wayne filled Auston in on what he had avoided talking about, presenting Auston with a stack of photos. “I saved these fourteen people and arranged identities for them. No matter who they were before, they’re all Londaners from now on.”

The fourteen candidates were each more beautiful than the last. Auston skimmed through the photos, his brows furrowed deeply. “What’s the meaning of this? Are all fourteen your lovers now?”

His voice dripped with sarcasm, and his words were biting. He warned Wayne not to go too far. His tolerance had limits.

“What are you thinking? Do you believe I can handle that physically?” Wayne grumbled, explaining himself. “They are dead. Just like Do and Bo, they are a special kind of undead. It’s difficult to explain, so just consider them magical creatures.”

“There’s no rush. There’s plenty of time to explain.” Auston narrowed his eyes. He was curious about the secrets Wayne was still hiding.

Instead of explaining himself, Wayne produced four bottles of dragon blood. “I got this from Senna. There were six in total. These four are for Master and Megan. You’re welcome to do the honor of giving the gifts to them.”

Auston didn’t comment on his obvious change of the subject. He accepted three bottles and said, “Megan doesn’t need it. Give this to Veronica.”

Wayne nodded and took the bottle back. “Regarding the curse of dragon blood, I discussed with Senna, and she told me everything. The curse is actually the choice of evolution and what comes with the choice...”

He explained the curse in detail. “I don’t have a good solution right now. Master’s been refraining from stepping into the legendary rank because of it. I’m still doing research. Perhaps I can find a way through my original bloodline, but that’ll be risky.”

“I’ve been looking for a way, too. If everything fails, I’ll help her change into a new body so that she can be free of the curse permanently,” Auston said gravely.

Changing bodies was the last resort with a low success rate. Silvia’s dragon blood had changed her evolution path, which wasn’t limited to her physical form. Her thoughts had also undergone irreversible changes. Thinking that getting a new body would lift the curse was a severe understatement of a great dragon’s existence.

“What’s your solution? Tell me.”

“I can’t just yet. It’s only a thought, and I’m still working on it.” Wayne shook his head. He could corrupt Silvia right now, but that wasn’t what he wanted. He needed more time.

He then discreetly hinted at the corruption of the original bloodline and the consequences of altering evolution paths, stating that he lacked experimental materials. If Auston had resources to spare, he should recommend Wayne some scumbags.

Auston pondered for a moment. “I know you won’t take innocent people, and regular inmates on death row won’t be helpful to your research. We have to turn to the Ministry of Magic.”

“Won’t Red Leaf Asylum suffice?” Wayne asked.

“That...” Auston considered it before shaking his head. “It’s possible, but none of the mages imprisoned in the asylum are stable. They can turn into Forgotten Ones at any time, and their thoughts are already distorted. The experimental results will be skewed.”

What a hassle!

Wayne sighed, regretting killing Flora. If he had followed Ottilia’s advice and locked Flora up in a basement for research, he would have both an experimental subject and a hot weapon. It would be killing two birds with one stone.

Too bad he couldn’t cast that stone!

There were risks to modification, but also benefits. Flora didn’t deserve those benefits.

“I’ll arrange things with the asylum to acquire a few test subjects for a pilot study.” Auston narrowed his eyes. If that didn’t work, he would have the Darkness Knight grab a few people at the Church of Darkness. There were always solutions.

Wayne was only in charge of the research, leaving Auston to take care of the test subjects. He said bluntly, “I killed Flora, so you don’t have to wait for her anymore. Find another person to execute your plan.”

“You shouldn’t have killed her. I told you that I had use for her.” Auston reproached. Whatever crimes Flora had committed, she shouldn’t have died such a meaningless death.

“I know, but she’s dead. There’s no point in dwelling on it.”

𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

“Wait, she’s not still alive, is she?” Auston’s expression tightened. “She’s beautiful, and she’s the former Holy Maiden. Knowing that I wanted to kill her, perhaps you kept her and used your status as the next Nature Knight to transfer her to the church’s headquarters.”

(눈‸눈)

What baseless suspicion. Do I look like a pervert to you?