Chapter 155 Lionheart KnightsNear Northwind Keep, in the hidden part of the Zerea Hills. More than twenty members of the Lionheart Knights hid themselves and waited quietly. They were dressed in heavy armor with breastplates shaped like the heads of roaring lions, looking majestic. The red cloaks on their backs were printed with the Bosk family's emblem of crossed lions and double swords. One of the knights looked at the flying dragon patrolling in the sky and asked anxiously: "Captain, we haven't received the signal that Grand Duke Leo mentioned yet. Could they have failed?" "Keep waiting, Jaden. We have plenty of time." The voice was calm and steady. The knight who was speaking was different from the others. He had a circle of black lion mane around his neck, and the lion head on his chest was even more lifelike. He was one of the seven knights-in-chief of the original Lionheart Knights, Friede Orb, known as the "Black Lion Knight". However, there are only six knights left now. Tariq, the "White Lion Knight" who grew up with him and was like a brother to him, died in that tragedy. This made him extremely sad, and he vowed to take revenge on the red dragon, so he volunteered to take on the mission of fighting against the Burning Kingdom. "Tariq, the dragon will soon be beheaded, and your soul will rest in peace in the kingdom of God." Fried stroked the pocket watch in his hand and swore to himself.
——That was the one Tariq gave him ten years ago. The pocket watch was engraved with the emblem of Heironeous, the god of bravery, reminding him to be a brave and fearless warrior at all times. Jaden was still a little worried because they were already deep in the enemy's territory and their safety was not guaranteed. "But this is near North Wind Castle, and the patrol frequency of the Burning Cinder Kingdom is very high. I am afraid that..." "Are you afraid that we will be wiped out here?" "So you must always be alert to the situation around you. Don't worry, according to the Duke's orders, once we find a life-threatening situation, we must retreat immediately regardless of whether the mission is completed or not." Freed said calmly. As an experienced Lionheart Knight, he clearly knew the difficulty and danger of this mission. The enemy was the "Purgatory Scourge" that destroyed the 30,000-strong coalition army. But he still reminded himself again and again to have firm faith and believe that he could successfully complete the task or at least get out of it safely. "Yes, Captain." "Wait, look—is that the signal that the Duke mentioned?" I saw golden ripples appearing out of nowhere in the distant sky - that was obviously the signal agreed upon by Archbishop Leo. Only holy warriors with divine perception could see these subtle luminous energies and respond quickly, which also ensured that their communication would not be discovered by the eyes and ears of the Burning Kingdom. There seemed to be a faint dragon roar coming from the distance, which had attracted the attention of some of the Burning Cinders' followers. “Are they really?” "Success?" Fried's face suddenly became excited. Even the usually calm Black Lion Knight was excited by this possible fact - the red dragon had been restrained or even killed, and the huge shadow hanging over the northern countries had disappeared! "That's the signal that the operation was successful! Go and meet those warriors!" "Yes, Captain!" Under the influence of the invisible light curtain, the Lionheart Knights followed the long-planned route, and under the dual cover of terrain and spells, they quickly moved to the location where the signal was sent - the lush forest. The journey was smooth and there were no obstacles like the flying dragons and earth elf troops that had been imagined.
In just a few dozen minutes, the hidden Lionheart Knights quickly entered the target area. "Captain, is this the place?" "It should be. The area where the signal was sent just now is right here. My perception is not wrong. The sacred energy is still remnant in the sky." "But why?" "Is it so quiet here?" "I don't know either. Let's stay alert and keep getting closer." In Fried's estimation, after those righteous men trapped the red dragon, a fierce battle might break out between them and the followers of the Burning Kingdom, with groups of flying dragons chasing behind them. Even the rumored leaders of the Burning Cinders Kingdom, such as the "Man-Eating Wizard" Rump, the "Killing Warlord" Doro, and the "Gold-Loving Maniac" Jin Ya, would launch a frantic hunt against them. The other members of the Lionheart Knights thought the same. They had already clenched their silver swords and shields, recalling the Holy Oath spell in their minds over and over again. They have made all kinds of preparations to fight a tough battle, and have even prepared themselves mentally to sacrifice bravely and die gloriously. However, things did not unfold as the Knights had expected. This place was like an ordinary forest, so quiet that one could hear the sound of wind blowing through the leaves. Yes, it's too quiet here. It's so quiet that it's eerie. There was no sign of any fierce fighting at all. In the eyes of the battle-hardened Fried, this was more like a trap, luring them in. But only Archduke Leo, Schroeder and others knew the meaning of this signal. What if the signal was real and they failed in this mission? Then he would become a sinner who framed a hero and put others in danger. This immediately put him in a dilemma. In this seemingly calm and safe atmosphere, cold sweat broke out on Fried's forehead. When unknown danger came, he was still afraid. He wanted to be as brave and fearless as his childhood friend Tariq, who was not afraid even in the face of death. But Fried knew that even though he had defeated hundreds of people and became the Knight Commander of the famous Lionheart Knights, he still had a sense of inferiority hidden in his heart - he had never been a brilliant person like Tariq, and even becoming the "Black Lion Knight" was to a certain extent due to Tariq's many years of favors. "It's time for us to evacuate." Ultimately, Fried chose to trust his instincts. He said to his left and right guards, "There must be something strange here. Let's retreat as soon as possible. Once we retreat to the safe position we just reached, I will release the portal I prepared there. Everyone, follow me and leave immediately." "What about the people we are going to pick up?" "Trust my instinct. We don't have time to worry about this. They may have already been killed by the dragon, or they may have released the signal out of panic." "Yes, Captain." The Lionheart Knights, led by their cautious Knight Commander, withdrew without regard for the completion of their mission. The invisibility light curtain created by the court wizard himself surrounded everyone, distorting the projected light, allowing them to hide their bodies and move without being noticed by the patrolling dragons and earth elves.
Just as the Lionheart Knights were marching rapidly. A huge shadow was cast in the sky, covering them all - the light curtain had lost its effect! Freed looked up in confusion. (End of this chapter)