The Prince of Heaven's Gate - Last Stand At World's End

Lux and the important people in Leaf Village sat in a conference room.

Boreas had called for all of them because the matter he was going to discuss was about the recent incident that happened in the Figaro Gardens.

“My Commander, Lord Thoram, took the remains of the Abomination to the capital and had an audience with his Majesty,” Boreas said with a serious expression on his face. “The mages there examined the corpse and found some highly-confidential information that I will share with all of you right now.

“Make no mistake, this information mustn’t be revealed to anyone. The only reason why I’ve been given permission to mention this to everyone present is because this new organization is currently performing their experiments in the villages near the borders of the Kingdom.”

“After his Majesty gave the order, a massive operation was set in motion, and various border Strongholds managed to capture four more members of the organization in the other Dwarf villages.”

“These places also encountered an unusual increase of a specific type of monster in their area. Unfortunately, in two of those places, the monster was born successfully, which made subjugation very difficult. Many lives were lost, so his Majesty was forced to send Initiates to handle the situation.”

“After a gruesome battle, those two Abominations were slain. However, after examining all of their bodies, the mages discovered that these monsters had the power to evolve…”

The faces of the Elders of Leaf Village immediately went pale when they heard the word “evolve”. Certain monsters had this particular ability, so it was not that surprising. However, creatures that had the strength of field bosses after being born, and still had the power to evolve, was bad news for everyone.

If left undiscovered, they could step into a high rank, which was strong enough to wipe out entire villages and towns, whose defenders didn’t have the strength to defeat it.

“Lux Von Kaizer, Lord Thoram, and the other Commanders of the Border Guards are very grateful for your contribution in this matter,” Boreas gave Lux a brief bow before passing him a wooden box. “His Majesty wanted to hold a ceremony for you to become an Honorary Knight of our Kingdom, but his advisers advised against it.”_-.

“Although the Kingdom of Gweliven does trade with other races, their presence in our Kingdom is very rare. Usually less than ten people from the other nations are allowed entry to our borders. The advisers said that if you were knighted publicly, it might cause unrest for the people, and would in turn create unnecessary trouble in the future.

“This was why, instead of His Majesty, I have come to present to you the medal that bestows upon you the rank of an Honorary Knight within our Kingdom. Although you are conferred this title, you will not be awarded with any lands.”

“However, you will receive discounts in any shops or for any services that this nation provides. Please, accept his Majesty’s well wishes, and know that you are now known to him and he regards you in high esteem.”

Lux opened the wooden box and saw a golden medal with the insignia of a war axe. It was carved with a very intricate design, which made the Half-Elf quite happy. It was because as soon as he received the medal of knighthood, he received a series of notifications telling him that he had acquired the Honorary Knight Title.

—-

Title: Honorary Knight

– You have performed an outstanding service for the Kingdom of Gweliven, and his Majesty, King Maximilian Von Gweliven, hereby recognizes you as an honorary Knight.

– Grants additional 100 Reputation Points to the Kingdom of Gweliven

– You will receive a 10% increase in attack and defense if you are fighting within the Kingdom of Gweliven

—–

‘Very nice,’ Lux thought.

However, that was the only beginning. After receiving the medal, the Reputation Function in his Soul Book activated. Lux checked the effect of the reputation points he had gained, and was quite happy with the outcome.

—–

Kingdom of Gweliven Reputation Points: 200

Relationship Status: Good

– You will get up to a 20% discount for all services within the Kingdom

– The law abiding Dwarves in the Kingdom will not find any trouble for you.

—–

Riders of Norria Reputation Points: 500

Relationship Status: Friendly

– Gives you the privilege to enter the Stronghold of Norria and explore the services available there.

– You will get up to a 20% discount on all services inside the Stronghold.

– You will be able to gain their assistance if you wish for it. Every time you ask for their help, your reputation points will be decreased by 500 Points.

—–

Leaf Village Reputation Points: 2000

Relationship Status: Benefactor

– As someone who had saved the entire Village from a catastrophe, you will be treated politely by all of its residents.

– Certain services that are not available to foreigners will be open to you.

– You will get up to a 50% discount on all services inside Leaf Village.

– You will be able to ask for the help of the City Guards if you wish for it. Each time you use this service, 250 Reputation Points will be deducted.

– Points will not be deducted when you ask for their help, as long as the task will benefit Leaf Village as a whole.

—

‘Interesting,’ Lux thought. ‘I will be able to ask for their assistance if need be. I never thought that reputation worked like this.

Although the price for asking for the assistance from the Stronghold of Norria would immediately bring his reputation points to zero, Lux thought that it was a good trade-off since he would have their full assistance.

The Stronghold had hundreds of Warriors, whose Ranks ranged from Grade D up to Grade A Disciples. It was the strongest force within the territory of Norria, and Lux felt having them as a backup was a worthwhile thing.

“Aside from the Medal of Knighthood, you will be given other rewards,” Boreas continued. “Sir Nevreal said that you are looking for weapons and armor. According to the information that we have on you, your profession is a Necromancer. Do you perhaps plan to arm your minions with these weapons?”

Lux had a dumbfounded look on his face as he gave Boreas the “how did you know about that?” gaze, which made the Rider Captain chuckle.

“It’s not that hard to guess,” Boreas explained. “You already have good weapons and armor, so I’m guessing that the weapons and armor that you requested from us will be equipped by your Skeletons. Worry not, our Stronghold will allow you to receive fifteen sets of weapons and armor which are in the same level as the standard equipment for Riders of Norria. Just go to the Stronghold and collect the things you need.”

“Thank you very much!” Lux replied excitedly. He would initially get a headache whenever he thought about how he would even arm his ordinary Summons with stronger gear. Now that they would receive the equipment from the Stronghold of Norria, this problem was solved for the time being.

Nevreal, who had kept silent for the duration of Boreas’ speech, suddenly cleared his throat in order to catch Lux’s attention.

“His Majesty also passed a decree to me before we came here to see you,” Nevreal said. “He said that if you have something you want, as long as it doesn’t go past the limit of his generosity, he will bestow it upon you. So, is there something that you want as a reward for your services to the Kingdom?”

Lux’s smile widened after hearing Nevreal’s words. He knew that this was a good opportunity, so he decided to see if he could get the thing he needed most right now.

“Um, if it’s not too much of a bother, can His Majesty give me a Hell Horse?” Lux asked.

Nevreal frowned. “A Hell Horse? What do you plan to do with one? They are malevolent Beasts and it is very hard to tame one. Although there are several of them roaming near the borders of the Kingdom, we mostly leave them alone because acquiring one is more trouble than they’re worth.”

“I want one,” Lux replied. “This is the reward that I want his Majesty to bestow upon me.”

Nevreal and Boreas glanced at each other before shifting their attention back to Lux.

“I’ll pass your message to His Majesty,” Nevreal said after pondering for a moment. “From what I can tell, you plan to get a mount that has an evil personality. Although we don’t have a Hell Horse in our possession, we do have something similar called a Nightmare.

“If you are interested, I’ll ask his Majesty to bestow this beast to you. However, if it causes any trouble to the Kingdom, you will take responsibility for its actions. Do you understand?”

Lux nodded his head in understanding. After getting Nevreal’s promise, the Half-Elf felt like all the effort he put into investigating the abnormality in the Figaro Gardens had finally paid off.