"Wait, what do you mean by... ’saved’?"

Mivana froze for a moment at Mephit’s words before immediately asking her question.

As a Yonglan Knight, she was far more concerned with information about the Riding God than with her status as a descendant of Black Renandik.

Mephit smiled proudly.

"It’s exactly as it sounds. The Divine Ancestor sheltered our forebears, allowing the Zitherheart Clan to become the sole surviving bloodline of Black Renandik. It was only by the Divine Ancestor’s grace that our ancestors survived the reckoning and were finally able to establish themselves in the Country of Yonglan."

"The Divine Ancestor would actually..."

"That matches what I know."

Westheid spoke up, endorsing Mephit’s statement.

’The Yonglan Riding God is very different from the other Celestial Gods. He’s never been one to issue divine edicts to the masses from on high; He much prefers to whisper directly to the mortals He favors.’

’Though the Yonglan Riding God is hands-off, He’s not as inactive as one might think. Many legendary figures who rose to prominence throughout Yonglan’s history likely received military advice from the Riding God. Some could even be called His Chosen Ones.’

’It’s just that those blessed by the Riding God don’t go around advertising it. Do more, talk less. A virtue of the Riding God—one you’d do well to learn from!’

The blue-haired maiden’s slender fingers rested on her chest, which pushed tautly against her double-breasted, lapelled shirt. Her long, thick eyelashes cast a shadow over her bright eyes as she spoke with fanaticism:

"By receiving the Divine Ancestor’s grace, we, the descendants of sinners, were able to survive. So much so that now, we have even become the Steel Will Guardians of the Gale Heart... From its inception, the Zitherheart Clan has existed to carry out the Divine Ancestor’s will and uphold the spirit of Yonglan! To that end, all who bear the blood of Zitherheart must devote their very being!"

Mephit’s voice then dropped, and she looked at Mivana with an indifferent gaze.

"...And to wash away the stain of our sinner’s bloodline. The existence of forbidden creations like you is a constant reminder of our blood’s original sin."

Mivana wasn’t about to fall for that kind of guilt-tripping and immediately shot back:

"That’s absurd! If anything, *we’re* the victims! Discrimination from ordinary humans is one thing, but since you’re also a descendant of Black Renandik, what right do you have to hate Beastmen?!"

Mephit met the Wolf-eared Maiden’s furious golden eyes for a moment, then suddenly offered a faint smile.

"Ha... You have a point. I suppose Viona thought the same way, didn’t she? That’s why she atoned with her life. She always believed in the path of chivalry, that mercy, forgiveness, and salvation were the true way."

Mivana: "And you? What do you believe?"

"It makes no difference to me."

Mephit shook her head. "The path of chivalry, the path of suffering—they are all just interpretations appended to the Divine Ancestor’s will. Which path is taken depends entirely on who rises to power. As a Grand Knight of the Zitherheart Clan, I have only one duty... and that is to ensure that whoever ascends the throne is a Knight who truly embodies the Divine Ancestor’s will."

The blue-haired maiden picked up her Silver Sword from the ground and walked over to Westheid. Lifting her delicate, beautiful face, her indigo eyes seemed to hold a hint of a smile.

"Duke Qinghui, you are indeed extraordinarily powerful, but conquering the Country of Yonglan won’t be as simple as you think. Given your agenda, countless Knight Lords will resist you. In the end, I fear it will inevitably lead to a battle at the Gale Heart."

Westheid replied coolly, "I fully expected as much. If I don’t even dare to conquer the Gale Heart, how can I speak of becoming king?"

Mephit nodded noncommittally.

"The title of Knight King matters not to me. I don’t even mind if it’s a Foreigner."

"However, I am still unaware of your understanding of the Path of the Knight, and that is something only a blade can determine. Let us meet again at the Gale Heart. At that time, I will use my sword to test your mettle."

With that, the young Grand Knight walked past Westheid and his two companions, giving a wave as she left without a backward glance.

Reiya glanced at Mephit’s retreating back. As Westheid’s number one supporter, she couldn’t stand anyone looking down on him. She grumbled, annoyed,

"What gives her the nerve to talk to West like that? Prominent Grand Knights have been crushed beneath West’s feet. Does she really think she can stand up to him?"

"Don’t be so quick. A Steel Will Guardian truly has the right to be that confident, especially on their home turf at the Gale Heart."

Westheid felt that his biggest fan was starting to sound like a detractor; the White-haired Dragon Lady was getting a little extreme.

"Facing a Steel Will Guardian as an opponent would indeed be tricky... Of course, only tricky."

Mivana tilted her head. "A Steel Will Guardian... I’ve heard my teacher, Viona, mention them before. She said they were something like Electors. What are they, exactly?"

"To put it simply, the Steel Will Guardians are the resident families of the Gale Heart. Most of them were founded by the Yonglan Riding God’s Chosen Ones. The Knight Council is presided over by them, and the Knight King requires their approval. Calling them Electors is a bit of an overstatement, but they’re not far off from being founding elders."

Westheid explained succinctly to the Beast-eared Maiden,

"These matters are rather secret; only Tier One Grand Knights know anything about them. The Steel Will Guardians are both a screening mechanism and the kingdom’s final safeguard. The Yonglan Riding God left behind quite a few good things in the Mortal World... With the Celestial Gods now cut off from our world, the Steel Will Guardians are likely among the very strongest Powerhouses in the Mortal World."

In the original timeline, it was Mephit who had blocked the frenzied slaughter of the Heaven-Devouring Wave, preventing the Country of Yonglan from becoming the first Realm of Order to collapse.

Beneath the walls of the Gale Heart, the Zitherheart Grand Knight, having mastered the ultimate essence of the Riding God’s Steel Will, had managed to fight Mivana to a standstill—and that was a fully-buffed Legend Mivana who had completely abandoned her moral shackles to embrace her killing instincts.

Repelling such a terrifying Demon God certainly spoke to her caliber.

’But in the end, I’ll be the one to win,’ Westheid thought. "All right, the Gale Heart is the last tough nut we’ll have to crack. Before that, let’s think about how to conquer the various Knight Lords."

Reiya raised a hand, and a golden Dragon Thunder Arc Light swirled around her fair fingers.

"Anyone unwilling to submit to West has no reason to exist. We should just eliminate them, just as Mivana did today, and exterminate the clans of all who oppose us." 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"Well said, but I’d still prefer to seize the throne as quickly, cleanly, and efficiently as possible. I don’t really want to fight a real war; the losses would be far too great."

The troops Westheid had brought on this expedition were the absolute elite of the Qinghui Territory. This army, formed from the Purity People, was Duke Qinghui’s personal force. It would pain him to lose even one of them. He had brought them as a show of force, not to bog his most trusted troops down in the quagmire of a long campaign.

Besides, even with Reiya’s forces, it would be difficult to fight a war of attrition against the entire Knight Army of the Country of Yonglan, to say nothing of tackling the Gale Heart at the end.

"I don’t plan on losing too many troops before the final battle, which is why we need to crush our opponents with absolute, overwhelming force... Just Reiya and I are still stretched a little thin. It would be great if we had one more Legend."

At his words, Mivana’s pointed beast ears twitched. As if by a shared, unspoken understanding, her gaze met Westheid’s.

"It is time for Mivana to become a Grand Knight. Given your Trial, you completely satisfy the conditions for the Blessed Chalice."

"After this pilgrimage, our first stop will be the Pool of the Holy Grail!"