The man before her swung his long sword, aiming straight for her neck.

The female knight felt her scalp tingle, hurriedly raising her knight's lance sideways to block.

What happened next was beyond Catalina's belief. The plain-looking long sword cut through her fine steel knight's lance as if it were butter, splitting it in two without any resistance!

It had been half a year since they fled the royal city. For the first time, this powerful knight who had overcome dozens of assassination attempts on her journey, smelled the scent of death.

It was like a nightmare.

Catalina couldn't understand how the man who had been as timid as a mouse just moments ago could transform into a ferocious beast in an instant.

Clang!

The sound of metal clashing echoed through the sky.

Catalina, in full knight's armor, weighed over eighty kilograms, yet she flew off her warhorse like a punctured balloon.

Droplets of bright red blood scattered in the air as the female knight's body rolled on the ground like a ball, finally stopping after hitting a wind peach tree.

The thick shoulder plate had been torn open, blood gushing from the gaping wound.

The crimson liquid meandered on the ground, forming a stream. A broken sword was stuck obliquely in this red stream, dividing it in two like a silver reef.

Siegfried glanced at the half-sword remaining in his hand, recalling its identification information.

Holy Sword [Balumuk]

Category: Weapon

Quality: Unique

The hero Balumuk was a human raised by an ancient dragon. When he set out on his journey, his dragon mother gave him this sword, snatched from an adventurer, as a parting gift.

This unremarkable long sword accompanied Balumuk through ten years of trials, cutting down evil, shattering injustice, and slaying the Demon King.

At the end of his journey, the hero and his companions returned home in glory to build Wind Peach Village, and this simple sword has been passed down through generations in the village.

Effects:

1. Greatly enhances the wielder's physical attributes.

2. The sword reveals its true power when confronting demons.

3. This sword has a strong affinity with dragons.

4. This sword has a natural intimidating effect on magical beasts.

Warning! If the Holy Sword attacks beings of the Order alignment, the blade will break.

Note: It is not the Holy Sword that chooses the hero, but the hero who chooses the Holy Sword.

Seven days ago, when Siegfried crossed over, this sword was hanging at his waist.

His memories showed that the sword was given to him by the old village chief as a coming-of-age gift on his eighteenth birthday.

It was in preparation for the day Siegfried would become a hero and save the world.

The so-called "best sword in the village."

Due to its plain appearance, Siegfried had never paid much attention to this sword until he just identified its origin using the Wanderer's Manual.

Now, Siegfried felt a sharp pain in his heart.

As the identification result warned, the hero's Holy Sword was a tool for protecting order and defending humanity. If used to harm people, it would break.

But Siegfried had no other choice. Without this sword, he was as weak as a kitten, and to proceed with subsequent tasks, he had to demonstrate his strength at this moment.

Even if only once.

"Lady Catalina!"

A sudden cry came from Siegfried's side. The yellow-haired soldier Lem was standing there, mouth agape.

He had forgotten to confirm some things earlier and turned back alone, only to stumble upon this scene.

"You bastard..."

The yellow-haired soldier was about to step forward, but then his eyes met Siegfried's.

Those eyes, calm and indifferent, were as black as bottomless pits.

The surging hot blood instantly cooled, and the insults stuck in his throat, unable to come out.

He could only raise his spear, trembling.

Siegfried let out a cold snort. Without that female knight, these remaining rotten fish and shrimp could be beaten to death by villagers with hoes.

He shook the blood off the broken sword and advanced towards the spearhead.

With each step forward, the yellow-haired soldier immediately took two steps back.

This soldier named Lem summoned the courage to fight to the death several times, but it all disappeared without a trace in those bottomless pupils.

Finally, soldier Lem could retreat no further. He leaned against a wooden house, his body trembling so much he could barely hold onto his spear.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"I'm a soldier! I'm a soldier of the kingdom, do you know that! Do you understand what you're doing! This is trea—"

A fist smashed hard into Lem's abdomen, interrupting his impotent rage.

The yellow-haired soldier clutched his stomach, kneeling on the ground, and vomited out what little watery soup remained in his belly.

It was evident that he hadn't eaten in a long time.

Siegfried picked up the soldier's spear and started beating Lem's curled-up body!

"Stop..."

A weak voice came from behind.

Siegfried acted as if he hadn't heard, not stopping at all.

Right arm, left rib, back, right leg, kidney... These were all the places where he had been beaten earlier.

"Stop!"

The voice became much more urgent.

Only then did Siegfried put down the spear, wiping nonexistent sweat.

Not far away, under the tree, Catalina was gasping for breath. The helmet covering her face had fallen off during the earlier tumble.

Her light brown curly hair was in disarray, her dignified face pale.

The shimmering silver ornate armor was now covered in mud and blood, making the usually valiant knight look disheveled.

Her left arm, which had taken the hit, hung limply, blood continuously dripping from her fingers into the soil.

"Captain!"

"Lady Catalina!"

"What on earth happened here?"

The soldiers who had heard the commotion at the granary finally arrived.

Before their eyes were Catalina with her severely injured left arm bleeding profusely, Lem lying on the ground seemingly dead or alive, and Siegfried, the only one standing straight, looking every bit the culprit.

These defeated soldiers who had tasted blood at the tip of their swords immediately saw red, raising their weapons and about to swarm over.

Siegfried's face turned cold as he raised his foot to step on the yellow-haired soldier's neck.

The hostage's life restored some rationality to these soldiers. They surrounded the severely injured Catalina in the middle, their spears still pointing at Siegfried.

Siegfried was not afraid of these soldiers. Although the Holy Sword was broken, its residual power was still continuously pouring into his body.

Moreover, without that female knight, these soldiers were just a disorganized mob.

Even in groups, he was confident he could dispatch all of them within two minutes.

However, if they were truly pushed to the brink, these fools might have a spark of intelligence and grab a villager as a hostage, which would complicate matters.

"All of you, stand down! Cough, cough."

Catalina felt extremely frustrated. Despite her considerable strength, today she had done nothing but get beaten and try to mediate.

She looked at Siegfried, her tone sincere: "Sir, could you please release the soldier under your foot? He's no longer a threat."

Siegfried completely ignored the female knight's attempt at negotiation. Not only did he not release his foot, but he also applied more pressure, making the yellow-haired soldier's neck crackle.

Catalina's expression changed, and she immediately called out loudly: "Everyone, put down your weapons!"

"But..."

"Put them down!"

"Yes, ma'am..."

The six soldiers reluctantly dropped their weapons, kicking them towards Siegfried.

Only then did Siegfried step forward, throwing all those spears into a nearby well in one go, keeping only one for himself.

Watching this scene, Catalina felt bitter in her heart.

This man was intelligent, cautious, powerful, and extremely ruthless—as an enemy, he was almost the most terrifying type.

How could such a freak appear in this remote backwater?

She looked at the sword in Siegfried's hand, unable to understand how such an ordinary iron sword could cut through her beloved lance.

And those eyes, black, just like...

Wait,

Black?

In an instant, an incredibly absurd guess surged into Catalina's mind, shattering all her thoughts.

Her throat constricted, and almost instinctively, this question burst from her lips:

"Sir, may I ask who you really are?"

Siegfried sneered as he tore off the towel wrapped around his head, throwing it aside.

The early spring breeze blew away the fluttering towel, ruffling Catalina's curly hair, but it brought not even a hint of warmth to her heart.

Black! They really were black!

"Meilan!"

Suddenly, one of the soldiers screamed, and the next second, the entire squad erupted into chaos.

"Is it real or not..."

"Why is someone from the Meilan family here!"

"Hero? Is he the next generation hero!?"

"So that sword is the Holy Sword?!"

"Quiet, all of you be quiet!"

At this moment, Catalina even found it difficult to breathe.

Almost the entire continent knew what the black hair and black eyes meant.

It symbolized that ancient legend.

A Meilan?

What was he doing here? Had the next Meilan hero already begun the Holy Sword pilgrimage?

Impossible, the last Demon King was defeated just twenty years ago, how could the next hero appear so soon?

Yes! He must be a fake! He had to be a fake!

Otherwise, not only would everyone here be unable to escape, but His Highness in hiding would inevitably be implicated.

Catalina bit her lower lip hard, constantly seeking reasons to deny her own speculation, but her increasingly pale face betrayed her panic.

Siegfried, of course, didn't miss this detail.

As expected, his appearance combined with the powerful force of the Holy Sword was enough to impersonate a real Meilan.

"I have some connection with this village. Hm? Why are you so nervous?"

Siegfried's voice carried a hint of playfulness, his expression caught between a smile and not.

"Mr. Me-Meilan..."

Although Catalina was desperately denying it in her heart, she couldn't help but call out that surname.

At this point, she only wanted to buy as much time as possible for the scouts hiding nearby.

But she saw Siegfried put a finger to his lips: "Don't rush, not everyone is here yet."

An ominous premonition welled up in Catalina's heart, and as if to confirm her foreboding, the next second a shout came from nearby:

"Hey~ Big Brother Siegfried!"

Not far away, three sturdy young men were waving their hands, their faces beaming with bright smiles, carrying a tightly bound dwarf as they ran over.

"Big Brother Siegfried, we searched the house on the west side of the village entrance as Little Towa said, and sure enough, we caught a rat."

Catalina's face grew paler as she listened.

She craned her neck, trying to confirm who the bound person was, only to meet Siegfried's delicate features full of mockery.

"Little knight, now you can start explaining."