Kevin, Gwen, Rolan, Vanguard, Silvia, Zerina, and all the mbers of the Temple of Light. She trusted them; of course, she trusted them. Each and every one was a brilliant comrade.
However, she had an inkling that the Commander wasn’t asking about such superficial things. Then it could only an one thing. She thought about her current and previous order. Lost in her thoughts, she did not even realise when she reached the plaza.
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After resting for a while, the Order of the Temple of Light was all ready to set out. After leaving behind so instructions for his subordinates, Reinhardt and his order set out even before the sun rose from the horizon.
As this was the season of winter, the weather and land here were extrely cold at night. Nevertheless, it was still not enough to stop the knights trained by Reinhardt.
To make up for the ti they lost resting, they travelled through terrains that would usually be impassable for normal people. Woods packed with monsters, precipice cliffs, frozen lakes... each proved a much greater challenge than the other.
However, in front of the might of one of the Seven Great Knight Orders, all obstacles were ploughed through.
Thanks to travelling through impassable terrains, they were able to cover much of the distance, and by the last day of the one month ti limit, the order reached the capital.
After the Great Holy Cleansing ca to its end, the banners of every knight order turned back toward the capital. They did not just return as they had left, but returned as heroes of an era.
When Reinhardt and the Temple of Light marched through the capital, they were welcod quite grandly. Royal Guards manning the gate stood straight and pressed their fist towards their heart in salute.
Banners and lanterns decorated every wall of the city, glittering and filling it with colours. The roads were cleaned and the air corruption free. Most of all, it was free of demons now.
"It looks like there is so kind of festival coming up. Could it be that the Crown decided to hold the Magic Knight Entrance Exam again?" Bob, riding beside Reinhardt, asked.
"There is a possibility."
With the events that went down in the capital, or rather across the entire kingdom, the citizens were on edge. They needed to be given so kind of hope and distractions. And what better way than resuming the Magic Knight Entrance Exam that had been put on hold?
As the event itself was viewed as a festival all around the kingdom, it would give the citizens, as well as the knights, the relaxation they needed.
After returning back to the capital, the order headed to the royal palace to report on their mission.
.
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Royal Palace, Audience Hall...
The mont Reinhardt and his order walked in, a ssenger loudly announced their presence. Inside, the grand hall was already filled to capacity. Knight orders stood in disciplined formations; their armour bore the marks of weeks of battle.
So orders carried themselves with pride, others with visible fatigue, and unease lingering behind their rigid posture.
It seed like quite a few orders managed to complete their mission and return back to the capital before the one month ti limit.
That said, even though they managed to purge the demons across the territories assigned to them for the mission, it remained to be seen what varying degrees of success they achieved or the destruction that was wrought as a result of their actions.
At the far end of the hall, sitting on their thrones and overlooking the entire hall were the King and the Queen.
The King watched in silence; his expression was unreadable, hands resting heavily on the arms of his throne.
The Queen, however, observed everything; every shift in stance, every flicker of emotion of the knights was captured by her sharp eyes.
At her side stood the Minister of Records with a scroll in his hand as he recited the command of the crown.
"By royal decree, this assembly shall hear the results of the Kingdom-Wide Crusade of Purification, conducted under Her Majesty’s command. One by one, the knight orders shall be called. Their achievents and their failures shall be recorded in front of the crown."
With those words from the Minister, the air in the hall stilled. As it turns out, the crown was keeping an eye on all the knight orders and the progress of their missions.
"Order of the Crimson Fang. Assigned territories: the southern borderlands, including Redstone City, twelve villages, and three trade routes."
Ignoring their surprise, the Minister continued with his report. "Collateral damage: extensive. Two villages burned during the demon resistance. One trade route rendered unusable for months. Civilian casualties... in the hundreds."
When called out, the commander of the Crimson Fang stepped forward.
"For decisive action under pressure, the Order of the Crimson Fang is awarded the dal of Bravery. However, since the damage was too large, you are to aid in the reconstruction of the territories you purged for the coming month. That shall be your new mission. Is that understood?"
The King declared.
"I obey." The Commander saluted.
As the order’s mission caused great damage to the territories of the kingdom, the King’s praise was asured, and so was the silence that followed.
"Azure Bastion"... "Dawn Spears"... One by one, the Minister called out the knight orders.
After the other orders were called out, it was finally the turn of the Seven Great Orders and the results they achieved.
"Royal Lion Guards"...
"Knights of Enduring Spirit"...
"Thunderstorm Brigade"...
"Knights of Lunar Veil"...
"Guardians of Divine Radiance"...
One by one, they were called. Each of the Seven Great Orders’ victories were overwhelming and decisive. The number of demons they slayed was shocking.
That said, no matter how aweso they were, they too committed several mistakes, and just like everyone, it was laid bare before everyone.
So had saved cities but had to raze a few buildings in the process. So had hesitated and paid for it in lives.
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