The sun shone as brightly as ever, but this brightness only illuminated the decay.
*The feeling was akin to watching a flower wither bit by bit in front of your eyes, every bit of decay so clear and visible.*
The desolate streets were littered with garbage, sparse pedestrians scattered about, and the few passersby all appeared to be in a foul mood.
An old man and a butcher were arguing at the street corner, the butcher puffing out his beard and glaring, while the old man kept coughing but still insisted on loudly quarreling.
A young boy walked past a woman and snatched her basket of vegetables. The woman tried to chase after him but was knocked to the ground by the boy’s swift kick, leaving her too angry to do anything but scream and wail.
"What are you doing? Won’t anyone help me?"
A child said, "If the Holy Knight were here, he certainly wouldn’t ignore you. But we drove him away."
A hungry child dashed into a shop, grabbed a loaf of bread, and fled. The baker chased him in vain.
Hiding in a box, the child eagerly stuffed the bread into his mouth, but the hurried baker grabbed him by the collar.
The people on the street watched indifferently.
A group of civilians gathered outside the Lion King Palace, loudly protesting the soaring prices.
Benedict II covered his ears within the palace, irritably singing a dreadful song to drown out the shouts from outside.
"You promised us you’d uphold the Holy Knight’s new policy, and now you don’t even dare to face us?" someone shouted.
The days in Lion King City were getting worse by the day*; everyone was suffering.*
*Everyone was talking about the Holy Knight.*
"Knight Guide" author—no, he was now the "Lich Knight" author—sat at his desk in a dimly lit room, buried in writing. Occasionally, he scratched his head, took a bite of bread to stave off hunger, and drank a sip of water to quench his thirst.
The former White City Priest, now Bishop Isaac, stood quietly on his balcony, observing. He was one of the few in Lion King City who didn’t need to worry about making a living, yet he found no joy in it.
*He raised his head, quietly gazing at the drifting clouds in the sky, recalling a night more than a year ago when he enlightened a certain knight. Remembering the words he had spoken to him.*
"What is he doing now?" he muttered to himself.
The sunlight bathed the earth as the wind gently blew, making the Silver Moon banner flutter.
"Silver Moon Knight Order, for justice, charge—!" Gray shouted.
The sound echoed across the battlefield.
Tenidas raised his horse’s hooves and charged at Levi.
Almost simultaneously, Catherine raised her light sword.
Vivian’s figure slowly vanished into the air.
Every member of the Silver Moon Knight Order shouted and roared. The dwarves’ faces twisted, Andrew’s face was covered with fear. Like a tide, they swarmed toward Levi’s back.
Shelley covered her mouth, staring blankly and crying.
Gene II, Lusien V, Arthur, Camilla, and everyone present widened their eyes, staring blankly.
Dean stood quietly, pondering, took a deep breath, turned to go inside, and saw the full-body mirror hanging by his bedside, seeing his ordinary-looking self in the reflection.
*For some reason, he suddenly gestured with his hand, gazing at his reflection, and began to speak,* saying, "Follow your heart, follow your heart... Maybe many people can tell us what to do, but in the end, we need to see with our own eyes and judge with our own hearts. Why do we need ’spirit,’ need ’faith?’ Because the world is dark, and without ’spirit,’ without ’faith,’ we can easily lose our way. That’s why we need them..."
"We shouldn’t go in this direction! We can’t escape this way!" Andrew roared.
"So you still want to run, huh? You disgusting elf!" Amidst the chaotic mess, a voice rasped back.
The Holy Light descended from the sky, landing on four Holy Knights belonging to the Church. The Angel had granted them strength, making them like gods, darting back and forth within the Silver Moon Knight Order’s defensive circle, just as Gray had faced Benedict II, with no one able to stop them.
Gray activated the "Krimasha" pendant, mounted his horse, and forcibly knocked Levi off his horse.
"Careful, he has power not belonging to Heaven!" a Holy Knight shouted.
Turning his horse around, Gray charged at the fallen Levi, but an Angel’s shield already stood in his way.
Catherine’s light sword and Julian’s light sword tangled tightly, using every ounce of strength, yet only managing to retreat bit by bit.
"But," Dean took a deep breath, facing himself in the mirror, and continued saying,"they’re not perfect. After all, this world is complicated. Like you said, you don’t know if your actions really help others. I don’t know if my persuasion truly helps others. In fact, my situation is worse than yours. You know? When children ask me about miracles, I actually feel guilty."
Andrew quickly coalesced a fireball in his hand.