045 The True Knight

Roland dealt a few more heavy blows to Anna before chanting a spell to shrink her entire body and stuff her into the wizard's hat. The hat then returned to its normal size and flew back into Roland's pocket.

Having thoroughly eliminated all threats, Roland lifted the canvas covering of the shed.

His mentor lay upon a pile of withered grass, her gaze toward Roland complex beyond measure.

In all her life, Catherine had never imagined she would be rescued by a mere low-level apprentice—and rescued twice, at that.

The first time had been at the most critical moment of the battle against the Arch-demon. Catherine had been doomed to certain death, but the Arch-demon had suddenly shuddered violently, letting out a mournful howl as its aura weakened by a fraction.

It was precisely that single howl, coupled with that diminished sliver of strength, that allowed Catherine to turn defeat into victory.

Catherine had originally expected Roland to use a magic scroll and flee the moment he entered the ruins. She had never dreamed that this fellow would actually risk his life fighting the demon to the death, and win against all odds. If not for Roland, she would certainly be dead.

He had saved her once in the ruins, and now he had saved her once again... The mentor silently shook her head.

Regaining her composure, Catherine asked, "Where is Wallace?"

Roland patted the dimensional pouch at his waist. "His head exploded, and it is currently resting peacefully in my bag."

After a brief pause, he added, "Wallace fought the demon to a mutual destruction, and he even saved my life. If not for him, I would already be dead."

Catherine cast a skeptical look at Roland.

She simply did not believe that coward Wallace would dare risk his life fighting a demon. Hiding in a corner and playing dead from the start sounded far more like him.

Just then, Roland noticed a massive head resting among the weeds beside his mentor.

His pupils constricted sharply as he asked, "Nal, he..."

Catherine shifted her body aside, allowing Roland to clearly see the appearance of that severed head.

Roland let out a deep, heavy sigh.

"Don't look so downcast... Nal only has his head left, it doesn't mean he's dead. Plant him in the soil for a spell, and his body will grow right back."

"Planted in the soil and he'll grow back?" Astonishment washed over Roland's face.

His mentor explained, "Nal hasn't been a normal ancient elf for a long time; just think of him as a troll. He'll be fine. As for me, if I don't receive treatment right now, I really am going to—cough, cough, cough... cough, cough, cough... Do you have Wallace's potion on you... cough, cough..."

Roland hurriedly rummaged through Wallace's belongings. Wallace had previously explained the use of every single item, so Roland quickly found the restorative magical potion and fed it to his mentor.

Wallace had told him earlier that these few vials of magical potions were exorbitantly expensive. Roland did not know their exact monetary value, but they seemed to possess the miraculous power of bringing the dead back to life and regrowing flesh on bones.

As soon as the mentor swallowed the potion, not only did the wounds on her body mend at a visible rate, but the dried blood stains even began flowing backward into her wounds.

Just as the majority of her injuries had recovered, the mentor suddenly clutched her chest and let out a muffled groan, her complexion turning several shades paler in an instant.

The mentor gasped, "Renard was ultimately killed by the 'Dawn Holy Sword'... There are fragments of the 'Holy Sword' lodged within the wound on my chest. Find a dagger and help me dig out the sword's residue, otherwise the wound here will never heal."

These words caused Roland to recall the final technique of the 'Valeria Swordsmanship'—Star-Shatter.

This was a suicidal move; once executed, the swordsman's life would burn to ashes, and the longsword would shatter into countless pieces.

Recalling the words the baron had spoken a few hours earlier, a profound sorrow gripped Roland's heart.

Countless memories of Baron Hall instructing him flooded his mind, alongside a multitude of memories concerning Alice and that lady who had treated him like a mother.

["—My dear lady Julie has always had a dream, you know."]

["—We've already agreed, once we head back this time, we're never going to meddle in other people's business again, and we'll travel the world together..."]

["—You brat, you must bring the Holy Grail back! Make sure you get back alive!"]

Roland shook his head, smiling with bitter self-derision as he muttered to himself, "So be it, so be it. Baron Hall was a true knight; dying together with a demon is the finest destination a knight could ask for. Ha, killing a demon with the Holy Sword—the folks down at the tavern will certainly have plenty of story material now!"

Hearing Roland utter the name 'Baron Hall', the mentor froze for a moment.

Then, she asked with utter bewilderment, "Roland, who on earth is Baron Hall?"

Roland stalled for a moment, and then a sudden realization struck him. He completely broke down, bursting into loud, unrestrained sobs.

Roland wept bitterly, yet the mentor simply smiled.

Even as she smiled, she asked, "You fellow, I merely asked who Baron Hall was, why on earth did you suddenly go mad?"

"Yes, I've gone mad, Senior Sister! Go ahead and laugh, laugh all you want, I won't blame you."

Roland wiped away his tears in grief and said, "It's enough that I'm the only one grieving, because there never was any Baron Hall to begin with..."

As he spoke, Roland suddenly laughed again. "Ah, that's right, how wonderful! Julie and Alice won't have to grieve, nobody has to grieve anymore!"

"You really are... no fun at all."

The mentor suddenly lost her playful urge for mischief. Acting as though she had committed some terrible blunder, she cautiously handed Roland a handkerchief and said, "Stop crying, I was just teasing you."

After a brief pause, she turned her head away, stumbling over her words as she told Roland, "I truly don't know any Baron Hall, but I do know Victor... cough, what I mean is, the names of heroes deserve to be remembered... though that old immortal doesn't need to be remembered quite yet."

Roland: "Huh?"

Roland took a long time to process her words.

He had not realized what his mentor's previous words implied.

Nor had he realized what it meant for him to remember the name 'Baron Hall'.

"Oh Roland, just because someone dies doesn't mean they can't come back to life, especially since he isn't entirely dead yet—he's right here in my purse."

Catherine patted the purse at her waist and said with profound meaning, "However, even though the baron isn't entirely dead, his life is nearing its final embers. Unless we have the 'Yellow Fern Holy Grail', not even a witch crawling out of the abyss could stop him from returning to the heavenly realm..."

No wonder his mentor had been playing pranks just moments ago—none of the four of them had died! What an incredible, joyous blessing this was!

Overjoyed, Roland tightly embraced Catherine in his excitement. "Teacher, you are all simply magnificent! To think you all managed to survive!"

Catherine: "Hmph... it hurts... let go of me..."

Roland hurriedly released his mentor, retrieved a brass holy grail overgrown with fern patterns from his dimensional pouch, and asked, "Is this the Yellow Fern Holy Grail?"

Seeing Roland produce the holy grail without the slightest hesitation, the mentor finally breathed a long sigh of relief.

She quietly put away a magical artifact she had been gripping in her hand, and when she looked back at Roland, the wariness in her eyes finally vanished completely.

As someone who had been betrayed and cast down into the abyss by others, Catherine had experienced far too many things.

Some people could share hardships and life-and-death struggles, yet could not share prosperity. Others could share all your wealth, but could not weather storms with you.

People who could both share life and death and weather storms together were simply far too few.

Countless were the cases where friends who had once risked their lives to protect you became blinded by greed over treasures not worth the betrayal, committing the foolish act of silencing you to cover their tracks.

Therefore, prior to the great battle, Catherine had placed immense trust in Roland. But when it came to dividing the spoils of victory afterward, anxiety had gnawed at her heart once more.

Regardless of all that, reality proved her worries entirely unfounded.

Gazing deeply at Roland, Catherine said, "Roland, you are an extraordinary person; you have completed a true wizard's trial."

As a freshman about to enter the academy, the significance and weight of this trial for Roland were exceptionally high.

He had undergone a trial not only in terms of magic.

His soul and spirit had been forged through trial as well.

Throughout this 'trial', Roland had cast aside all selfish desires and stepped forward without a moment's hesitation. He had surrendered any chance of escape, bravely facing the demon like a true knight. In the end, without a second thought, he had handed over the supreme treasure for the sake of his comrades.

Regarding everything Roland had done, Catherine might have spoken outwardly in the tone of a mentor—saying things like 'my good student, you've completed your trial'—yet deep down inside, Roland was her knight, a lovely, kind, and courageous knight who had stepped forward at the most crucial moment!

She felt that the genuine sincerity she had poured into this brat had not gone to waste.

She had treated Roland as her student, while Roland had treated her as his... well, Senior Sister would have to do. After all, he had continuously acted the part of a knight anyway...

After heading back this time, she would probably truly be attending classes alongside Roland.

Moreover... everyone in her family who knew her true identity had suffered through the ordeal. Upon returning this time, she would undoubtedly face countless vexing troubles.

She might just need to find a convenient shield to temporarily deflect them... Roland was the heir of the Aleyer family, making his status utterly suitable.

There was no need to mention this to Roland just yet, lest he overthink things! Mhm... this matter was merely an excuse to negotiate with the family elders, and absolutely no one else would ever know!