49: Magical Creatures

George tossed firewood into the bonfire, and the flames immediately crackled.

Randall's face was carved into an alternating pattern of light and shadow by the flickering firelight.

He gently wiped his greatsword, occasionally flicking the blade with a finger, the metal's vibration awakening sparks sleeping deep within the ashes.

Those crimson points of light spiraled upwards into the night sky, becoming punctuation marks in our conversation.

“What about the Fey Creature?” I pressed.

“Fey Creatures,” Randall’s deep voice intertwined with the night wind, creating a wonderful resonance, “these creatures are often closely connected to nature; they might be elves of the forest or Water Elementals of the river.

They possess forms similar to humans, yet are closer to nature, able to communicate with and even control natural elements.

Fey Creatures usually maintain a detached attitude towards the world but will also step forward to protect their homeland.”

“And fiends,” Randall’s tone grew serious, “these creatures are the embodiment of darkness and evil; they come from the abyss or hell, feeding on pain and despair.

Demons, devils, and various evil extraplanar creatures all fall into this category.

They crave destruction and chaos and are the eternal enemies of those who uphold justice.”

“Elemental Creatures,” Randall’s voice became peaceful again, “they are creatures composed of the four great elements—fire, water, earth, and wind—representing the most primal forces of nature.

Fire Elemental Creatures are hot and violent, Water Elemental Creatures are calm and profound, Earth Elemental Creatures are tough and steady, and Wind Elemental Creatures are free and unrestrained.

They usually live on elemental planes but may also descend to the material plane for some reason.”

“Finally, there are Undead Creatures,” Randall’s tone became heavy and sorrowful, tinged with disgust, “they are symbols of death and decay, violating the natural cycle, wandering the world in undeath.

Zombies, skeletons, vampires… they are either born from curses or unwilling to depart due to greed.

The existence of Undead Creatures is a desecration of the dignity of life, an evil that all righteous individuals should eradicate.

Originally… when I was still a Holy Knight, we… they possessed the divine ability to dispel or even directly destroy Undead Creatures.”

After Randall finished speaking, the flames in the bonfire seemed to tremble slightly because of his words.

“Randall, I believe you will one day regain this divine ability,” I said.

“One day…” Randall murmured to himself.

“You…” I watched the firelight cast an interweaving of light and shadow on Randall’s face and decided to continue, “you still harbor justice, hate betrayers, and feel compassion for the weak.

You possess both the fairness to confront your own mistakes and the kindness to forgive others.

I think a Holy Knight should be someone like you.”

“A Holy Knight should be… someone… like me?” Randall’s eyes seemed to mist over.

I thought to myself: Oh no, big brother! Not again…

“We also think you are such a person, both fair and kind,” John and George said in unison, “we have long decided to take you as our role model from now on!”

“Ahem…” I cleared my throat and said, “Yes, temporarily losing the Holy Knight’s divine ability does not mean Tom has abandoned you. Perhaps this is a test from Tom?”

“A test?” Randall looked at me in confusion.

“Yes! A test!” I quickly replied, “A test of whether you can still uphold truth and justice when you lose your power, and whether you can still adhere to Tom’s virtues and the path of order.”

“A test?” Randall murmured by the firelight.

“Exactly!” I stood up, patted his shoulder, and said, “As long as you prove that you have always adhered to the path of Tom, regardless of whether you have divine magic, no matter how many years, you are the most steadfast Holy Knight!”

Randall’s eyes seemed to light up again.

I continued, “At that time, as long as you have and seize an opportunity, you might be able to regain your Holy Knight status!” After saying that, I raised my forearm, clenched my fist, and pushed it upwards in front of Randall’s eyes, giving him a gesture of encouragement.

“Think about it carefully, it’s entirely possible,” I said, “I’m going to set up some simple protective traps around the camp.”

I set up a few warning mechanisms at the edge of the mist, then returned to the tent to begin today's language study and magic research.

Sphere Professor had been waiting for me in the tent for a long time, and the magic blackboard was covered with elvish grammar and new, unfamiliar words.

Randall had arranged the watch schedule—

John and Black Little Leopard were responsible for the first half of the night’s watch, while Randall himself and the male dog were responsible for the second half. Tomorrow night, George would replace John. It was both a watch and training for them.

The Dragon King did not need rest; he was constantly patrolling and on alert in the air.

The next day, I woke up late, when the sun was already high.

Yesterday, I traveled all day and studied late into the night, so I was really tired.

My companions had already eaten breakfast, and I took out some more food to replenish their backpacks.

While I ate breakfast, Randall was on alert, and John and George had already packed up my tent.

After I finished eating, I dismantled the surrounding defensive traps and put the supplies into my spatial storage one by one.

The team continued to travel east.

The weather was good today, and around noon, the accumulated snow slowly began to melt.

By late afternoon, when the sun was setting, the road began to freeze, and a north wind started to blow.

The temperature dropped further, and the road became slippery and difficult to traverse.

“Watch out for ice fissures!” Randall suddenly scooped up Black Little Leopard.

Right before our eyes, the seemingly flat riverbank, the snow surface collapsed with a roar, revealing the cold river water beneath.

“Tha… thanks, big guy!” Black Little Leopard licked his wet paws, thanking Randall. His common language was still not very fluent.

“Black Little Leopard, you need to be more careful, don’t let your paws freeze in the river!” George shouted from behind.

The talking Black Little Leopard, which had terrified John and George just over ten days ago, was now something they had long grown accustomed to.

Since George was usually responsible for feeding it, he had developed some affection for Black Little Leopard.

“Snowy roads are difficult, but they’re much better than encountering fierce beasts,” I encouraged everyone, “I’ll find a suitable campsite for everyone before the sun sets.”

No sooner had I spoken than the Dragon King and Randall successively issued warning signals.

That was a quick slap in the face, I thought to myself.