Others Summon Dragons, I Summon Legendary Knights Chapter 529 He was Kind

Isolde walked along the loggia, looking out at the countless tents people had pitched below just to remain close to the safety of the castle. A good number of them had already gone to sleep. It was late, and with no electricity in Pathan, much of the city had disappeared into darkness. Sconces hung along the walls, casting enough light across the loggia for her to see her way.

A bright light near the outskirts of the city caught her attention.

Isolde turned and squinted into the distance before realizing that the brilliant golden light was Tempest.

He was back.

Which meant Solstice had returned as well.

Isolde smiled. She knew how deeply Godfrey had been affected after sacrificing them in the centipede dungeon, and knowing they were both alive would have meant everything to him.

She watched Tempest soar over the tents before descending onto a balcony only a few feet away. The lightning tendrils forming his wings drifted through the air as though they were suspended underwater, moving with a strange fluidity even after his feet touched the stone.

His spear and double-bladed sword were stained with blood, with smaller flecks scattered across his armour.

Isolde nodded to him, and Tempest returned the gesture. Their eyes met briefly before they continued in opposite directions.

Isolde exhaled.

They were so alive now, nothing like what they had been years ago.

Eventually, she reached the entrance to a garden nestled within the heart of the castle, surrounded by stone arches and open to the moonlight descending from above.

The Unknown King stood with his back towards her, gazing up at the vast nebula of pink, blue and purple stretched across the night sky. It had become a common sight ever since Earth ascended into a higher world.

"Will you remain there?" he asked.

Isolde hesitated.

"It must be troubling," the Unknown King continued as he turned towards her. "That I am not him."

With a sigh, Isolde descended the short flight of stairs. Her boots scraped softly against the paved path running between the greenery until she stopped a few feet away from him.

With a sigh, Isolde descended the short flight of stairs. Her boots scraped softly against the paved path running between the greenery until she stopped a few feet away from him.

She studied his gaze, searching for some meaning in those golden eyes, but found nothing she could read.

The Unknown King turned away from her again.

"Zaun told me your domain was attacked. There were losses."

Isolde looked towards the sky. "There were."

"My condolences."

Silence settled between them for a while.

"You declared war against the Authorities," Isolde eventually said.

The Unknown King nodded. "They have refused us our freedom. My knights have been used to satisfy their pursuit of knowledge, their blood and body parts harvested for years. The people you saw outside live in a society that rarely takes their side. They are victims of a few power-hungry men and billions of frightened summoners who would rather allow a smaller population to suffer than overcome their own cowardice."

Isolde found herself slowly nodding.

"They will do everything in their power to kill you," she said. "And if they succeed, these people will face a fate worse than the one they already endure."

"Do you propose that I concede?"

"No!" Isolde answered sharply.

He glanced at her.

"Good. We will win or we will perish."

Isolde held his golden gaze for a moment before asking, "You don't remember anything about me, do you?"

"Faintly. I know we were intimate. I can sense that much, but nothing more." He looked towards the castle around them. "I am the King who predates Godfrey. All I know is this castle and the knights who bled for centuries awaiting my arrival."

Isolde pressed her lips together and gave a heavy nod.

"Do you know…" The Unknown King paused. "I wish to know him, but I am also afraid to."

Isolde blinked. "What? You're afraid?"

"That I would lose myself, yes." His gaze drifted away from her. "Do not tell me about his memories with you. But I want to know what he was like."

Moisture gathered in Isolde's eyes. She drew in a breath and slowly released it through parted lips before a sweet smile found its way onto her face.

"He was kind."

She exhaled softly.

"He would have been a hero like his father. Godfrey wanted that. He wanted to help people; he wanted to protect them. Of course, he could get angry—and I mean very angry—but his anger could never swallow the good in him."

The Unknown King was quiet for a moment.

"Did he like swords?"

"He did."

"What colour was his hair?"

"Gold. Vibrant gold." Her smile grew slightly. "I loved looking at his hair."

"What were his parents like?"

Isolde paused, studying him.

"I thought you didn't want to know about this."

The Unknown King fell silent.

"I suppose I forgot myself." He turned away. "We shall speak tomorrow."

"You are Godfrey."

He stopped. The Unknown King tilted his head towards her. "I know you love him, but I am not—"

"You are a part of him that he never knew about, and he was a part of you that you never knew about. Maybe neither of you will ever truly know the other. You'll only hear about each other from the people who knew you both."

The Unknown King said nothing.

"But deep down, I think you support each other." Isolde's voice softened. "You're his strength, and he's your heart."

The Unknown King stood frozen for several seconds. "And you know this how?"

"Godfrey would not lead people to war. He finds it hard to lead because he feels he can't protect them. But you're doing the exact opposite. What he should have done but can't do." She said.

"That is what you think."

"Okay," Isolde replied.

But there was a small smile on her face now, one the Unknown King found strangely unsettling. It looked as though she had won something.

"Goodnight."

He gave her a slight nod and walked away.

Isolde remained in the garden after the Unknown King left.

"Why was I so apprehensive all this while?" she wondered aloud.

"Your Majesty."

The voice drew her attention towards the other side of the garden, where Ballistia stood beneath one of the stone arches.

"The Chief Alchemist wishes to meet with you."

***

Isolde sat at a massive stone table that stretched across the council chamber, surrounded by the knights she was beginning to understand were not merely soldiers, but truly generals.

Solstice, Mountain, Tempest, Ballistia, Toria, Dax, Apollyon and Abaddon.

From what she had heard, the Unknown King had respected Godfrey's wishes and allowed Lysander to remain with his people, while Mortis and Dirge were currently leading a massive campaign in the Afterlife World.

She had been so distracted in the garden that she'd forgotten to ask him why he would do such a thing.

The Alchemists occupied the other half of the long table, with Zaun seated at its head directly opposite her.

"We bring troubling news," Zaun began. "Our world, along with Earth, has been moved into the ascended system. The space surrounding each world is populated by gigantic creatures resembling the jellyfish of your world."

He nodded towards Isolde before continuing.

"The space itself is hostile enough to kill almost any living being, god or mortal. Those creatures secrete the coloured gases we see as nebulas, and the Authorities have discovered a way to harvest them."

Isolde frowned. "You just said nothing can survive out there. How did they get it?"

"The mana tree."

She sighed in exasperation.

"She gave them those creatures as summons."

"We came to the same conclusion. It means the authorities are confident they can win this war, and access to a resource like that may be enough to buy the allegiance of other worlds."

"Then let us find them and kill them if we have to," Solstice said.

"We haven't located them yet." Zaun paused, his expression growing heavier. "However, there is something else you all need to know."

He cleared his throat.

"The souls of our flag Bearer and healer have been eroded. We were able to salvage only fragments of their memories."

The room seemed to grow still.

Zaun looked around the table.

"It is with deep regret that we announce the service of both generals has ended…"

He paused.

"Permanently."