Chapter 476: Nave and Childish Just Like an Old Friend

Allen arrived once more at the imperial palace in the capital with a sense of unreality.

Strictly speaking, he was still technically a traitor to Lyon. He hadn't expected to ever get the chance to come back here.

The guards around him glanced at Allen with complicated emotions, too.

Anger, hatred, admiration, and confusion—all of it showed on their faces.

Those who followed the Lord of Dawn were expected to abide by the principle of honesty, so the young and unseasoned largely couldn't hide their expressions.

Allen sighed. In his heart, he understood exactly what confused these young men, and he very much wished he could sit down and talk it through with them slowly.

To tell them about all the ills plaguing the empire today; to tell them how many people were twisting the teachings of the Lord of Dawn; to tell them that the empire's future ought to rest in the hands of young people like them.

But Allen couldn't do that today. There was something more important at hand.

He'd come to see the emperor. He needed to get to the front lines, to do his part for this disappointing empire.

The orc horde was bearing down on them, having slaughtered tens of thousands of Lyon's people. No matter how many grievances Allen held against this nation, at a time like this, he'd set aside every complaint and stand firm at the front to resist the orcs.

The only problem was, the emperor had never approved his request.

Allen couldn't quite understand it. What was there to refuse?

It wasn't arrogance on Allen's part: his personal combat strength had risen rapidly of late. Among Lyon's paladins today, he might not be the strongest, but he would easily rank in the top three.

Lyon was currently short on high-end combat power and unable to gain an advantage on the battlefield. Sending Allen to the front should have been an obvious choice, so why would the emperor refuse?

Still, he was finally going to get an audience with His Majesty.

Escorted by the guards, Allen made his way deep into the palace.

This place should have been a lively, resplendent space; instead, it felt strikingly desolate.

There was hardly anyone in sight, and even the lighting was dim. The building felt less like a palace and more like an enormous tomb.

The young Emperor of Lyon sat enthroned at the center. Allen should have bowed his head, kneeling respectfully before the emperor.

Not merely for the emperor himself, but to honor Arthur Lyon's great achievements, and for this empire that had endured a thousand years.

But Allen merely offered a calm bow, then looked the young emperor straight in the eye.

"Allen, this is our second meeting, is it not? The last time was at your master's funeral, the Silvermoon Knight's."

The emperor's remarks gave Allen an opening to address a long-held grievance. "Your Majesty, I still believe that forcibly relocating the other heroes' graves was an insult to my master."

To bury the Silvermoon Knight at the very center of the cemetery, the hero who had previously occupied that spot had been forcibly exhumed, and his descendant had taken his own life out of shame and fury. To Allen, that was no different from the emperor killing someone with his own hands.

Allen had expected the emperor to grow angry at this, but he instead replied gravely, "You're right. That was the wrong decision on my part. I've already sent people to comfort and compensate the family that was affected. Allen, if only you'd told me directly back then."

Allen was a little taken aback. The emperor had changed far more than he'd expected since he'd last met him.

He'd heard plenty about how the emperor had supposedly changed, but to have the emperor admit fault to his face...

Those ruling from up high rarely admitted their own mistakes. Authority was the lifeblood of rule: better to refuse to change and let others pay the price, just to maintain the fear others held for them.

Even the emperor of Lyon had, for all these years, been little different. Everyone seemed to have grown accustomed to, and even accepting of, this behavior that ran against the teachings.

But with the emperor now admitting fault, Allen found himself filled with a budding happiness.

Had the emperor truly seen the error of his ways? Was he willing to change for the empire's sake?

Allen quickly stated his purpose for coming today. "Your Majesty, I've come again for the same reason. I wish to request to go to the front lines, to fight back against the orcs and protect the empire."

The emperor didn't respond to Allen's request directly. Instead, he brought up an old matter. "Allen, you left the empire on the battlefield against the orcish highlands. Why do you wish to rejoin the front now?"

"Is that why you've been refusing my petitions, Your Majesty?" Allen grimaced. "The war back then was Lyon's one-sided invasion against the orcs. I chose to depart to protest an unjust war. Now that the orcs are invading our nation, defending Lyon is my responsibility."

The emperor laughed heartily. "Allen, I'd assumed that after wandering the continent for so long, and after befriending that cunning lich, you wouldn't say something so na?ve. But you've disappointed me after all. Do you really think our war with the orcs can be so easily divided into just and unjust?

"Seventeen centuries ago, right after the conclusion of Arthur Lyon's funeral, the orcs demanded that the empire's artifact, the Draconic Armaments, be divided up and given to them. They didn't even wait for the holy king's coffin to be buried before they made a scene at the funeral itself and stormed off in anger. The orcs seem to have forgotten that it was Lyon who helped establish their kingdom in the first place. From that moment on, the conflict between the orcs and Lyon has never ceased. The blood debt between us can no longer even be tallied.

"If revenge is just, then how dare you call our war against the orcs unjust?"

Allen glanced at the emperor's expression and sighed. "You're right, Your Majesty. The blood debt between us and the orcs can no longer be tallied. But as you yourself said, our mutual hatred has become so tangled that it's impossible to calculate who's wronged whom more. If, starting now, both sides could set aside this unjust war, then a thousand years from now, would Lyon and the orcs still hate each other?"

The emperor stared at Allen, an expression of shock crossing his face. "You... don't you realize how na?ve that sounds? Do you really think something like that is possible?"

How could war ever be avoided? Even a thousand years from now, the two sides would only keep slaughtering each other, the hatred deepening further and further, until one side was wiped out entirely.

Yet Allen said firmly, "The chance is slim, I know. War isn't just about hatred, but also self-interest. When our two nations need to compete over living space and resources, war becomes unavoidable. But the fact that we can't achieve it doesn't mean we should give up trying. Your Majesty, we know that peace is the righteous path. Even if it can never be realized, it's still worth sacrificing for. Isn't that exactly what the Lord of Dawn teaches us?"

After all this time, Allen had long since come to terms with his ideals.

He knew perfectly well just how na?ve and childish what he was doing was, and how unlikely it was to ever succeed—but that didn't change his choice. To believe in goodness, to never abandon hope, was part of the Lord of Dawn's canon.

The holy king had taught Allen that one person's life or death didn't matter; neither did one person's successes or failures. What mattered was the path he walked, that his ideals and convictions would filter down, drawing more people of like mind to walk that same road.

One person's strength alone might not be enough, but as long as that conviction could be passed down, there would always be people like him to change the world. The ideal might seem na?ve now, but who could say it wouldn't succeed in a thousand years, or ten thousand?

Watching Allen stand utterly unshaken, the emperor felt as though, for a moment, he glimpsed that same paladin from long ago, just as spirited, and resolute. Back then, no one had believed Arthur Lyon could win. They'd only joined his banner because they had nowhere else to turn, in hopes that their deaths might mean something.

Back then, they'd thought the best outcome they could hope for was to kill a few dragons, vent their fury, and then die beneath some other dragon's breath—to die without too much suffering, after dealing the dragons at least a little damage, and call that victory.

At first, even the dragons had thought the same.

What could mere lesser races possibly do against them? Conviction? Justice? How could such ridiculous, na?ve concepts possibly sway the outcome of a war? And yet it was people just like that who, in the end, slew that unstoppable Dragon Tyrant, their swords cleaving through the blood and chaos to open up an entirely new era.

Those distant memories stirred something like killing intent in the emperor of Lyon.

If left unchecked, this Allen Watson might just become the next Arthur Lyon.

But now wasn't the time for killing. The emperor had no confidence he could actually kill Allen. His legendary boon made him too slippery; when it came to running, no one could catch him.

Time dragons had tremendous power, but he only had one chance. The slightest mistake, and Allen would discover his secret. More importantly, Allen still had his uses.

The emperor thought for a moment. "Allen, I admire your conviction. Precisely because of that, I won't let you go to the front. The orcs are invading Lyon right now, and their methods are utterly ruthless. Your way of thinking would inevitably clash with the soldiers on the front line."

"Your Majesty, I wouldn't..."

Allen was about to explain himself, but the emperor cut him off. "No need. Whatever you say, I won't believe you could swing your sword at the orcs without a moment's hesitation, and even a single moment's hesitation would be harmful to Lyon. But I won't dismiss your beliefs entirely either, so there's another way you can serve Lyon."

"Your Majesty, what do you mean?"

"The front line is in crisis, not because your brother lacks skill, but because the orcs possess weapons of war that outclass ours. Only your old friend, that lich, can produce weapons like that. But he has insisted on meeting me in person before he'll agree to trade with Lyon. Frankly, I'm worried that lich has some scheme in mind.

"So, I'm giving this task to you. Allen, if you truly want to help, go find that lich and secure the purchasing rights to all his weapons on our behalf. Help us turn our disadvantage around."

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