"I’m here on that being’s order. Don’t worry, I’m not like that mid ranking weakling Scowler you sent in the Divine Paladin’s estate to spy on him, along with your daughter. I am a high ranking demon. If it’s stealth, even some Demon Generals will fall short of me."
At those self bragging words of the demon, Earl Malmond calmed down a little.
"So what are the instructions? Give me your report and get the hell out of here."
At this moment, there were numerous powerful knights roaming the capital. Although the demon said that no one can detect them, he didn’t want to take his chances.
"You are as cautious as ever; perhaps that’s why My Lord likes you. Frankly, I don’t see any hope in you humans. However, I cannot go against the orders of my superiors. Anyways, here is the plan ’that being’ told me to give you."
A small magic circle appeared on top of the palm of the demon, and a scroll appeared through it.
"Burn it after reading. Also, do your best not to upset ’that being’. Kekeke... I hope your plans go as you hoped. After all, whether you can gain a demon seed or not will depend on your performance. Don’t disappoint us, Earl Malmond."
The demon did not stay any longer. After giving his report that sounded more like a warning, a large magic circle appeared underneath it, and with a flash of crimson lightning, he was gone.
Tsk...
Looking at the place where the demon just was, Earl Malmond couldn’t help but click his tongue. It was just like the other party said; whether he got a demon seed and became one of them depended on his performance.
In return for joining their side and giving them valuable information like the one seven years ago and four years ago, he was promised a rank among their midst by the lord that high ranking demon served.
However, due to a mistake four years ago, where the Divine Paladin who should have died in that incident was rescued and woke up again, his reward was withheld, and he failed to join the ranks of the Forces of Darkness.
Since he made the mistake, the other side wanted him to rectify it. Thus, it became his life’s mission and also a thorn in his side to see the Divine Paladin doing and living well.
Unless the latter dies, he cannot get his reward and join the ranks of the Forces of Darkness.
"Dammit, why did he have to crawl his way out from that battlefield. Couldn’t he have just died instead of clinging to his life all these years? Dammit, if I knew he could break out of that curse, I would have sent assassins to kill him."
Earl Malmond cursed. However, there was no medicine for regret.
"This time I’ll make sure to kill you, for I know your weakness now." A malicious grin appeared on his face, and he threw the scroll in the fireplace.
.
.
Three days passed by in the blink of an eye. Before anyone knew it, it was the day of the Magic Knight Entrance Exam.
Streets were lit up with lanterns and stalls selling various kinds of food and wares lined up in front of the coliseum. The mood was festive.
Inside, it was already packed tight with people. Young boys and girls decked in light armor and coming from all walks of life, could be seen chatting and nervously pacing down in the stands.
Usually, the people here would come to see these bright fellows who were the future of the kingdom. However, due to the setup of the exam this year, the main stars of the show were not them but rather the knight orders.
Projection crystals were installed all around the coliseum, the capital, and all the big cities of the kingdom, allowing everyone to watch the mighty knights that protected their safety in action.
Of course, as this battle among knight orders was something that was proposed by the Council of Elders, how could it be free of politics?
Not all knight orders were given a chance. Discrimination was evident if you look at the list of participating knight orders.
The participation of the Seven Great Knight orders and the ones that were significantly famous was a given. However, a vast majority of the numbers were orders that were under the capital aristocrats, aka... the Council of Elders.
The ones who have stacked up a ton of contributions over the years while fighting demons and sacrificing their numbers in the frontline were ignored simply because they got on the bad side of the Council of Elders or did not work for their interest.
Normally, the knight orders on the list would not even show their faces when fighting demons, nor do they have any significant expeditions or contributions under their belt, and only knew how to throw their authority around to bully others.
However, since this was an opportunity to show their power to the public to gain fame and reputation, they were all ready for the battle.
.
A little far from the capital, there was a mountain valley filled with powerful monsters and towering peaks.
As the knights who possessed tremendous powers that allowed them to go toe to toe against demons and natural calamities, the stage for the battle was set in this mountain valley.
As this was a place proliferated by monsters, there would be no collateral damage even if they fought or went all out.
Or so they thought.
However, it only showed how truly less informed the Council was about the Extreme Knights, not to mention heroes.
While this land might be able to hold on if many knights on the level of elite knights like his holy knights fought here, it would surely cause catastrophic damage if the Extreme Knights overindulged themselves.
"If the seven great knight commanders used their ultimates, this place won’t hold on. Not to mention there is Sir Brutus. If it’s him, then this whole valley falls short."