Wizard starting from shoeing donkeys Chapter 1642 - 567: The Queen's Knight (Part 3)

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Of course, this spectacle momentarily stunned the powerhouses of the Imperial camp!

The Fiend Demon contracted his domain's reach, evidently intimidated by a certain force—the culprit was undoubtedly Rein, the recently promoted Full Moon Wizard from the Cologne Cathedral up front.

Right then, Rein materialized suddenly in the camp, clutching a silver chest.

"Archbishop Mills, is this the one?" Rein pointed to the box he held and asked.

"Y-Yes, Your Excellency Rein—no, Lord of the Steel Throne, you've secured it?!" A bit nervous, Archbishop Mills bowed in greeting.

Merely half a minute had elapsed, but the man standing there had plunged into the blazing heart of Cologne Cathedral, seized the object, and emerged unscathed.

Archbishop Mills remembered vividly the ordeals he'd suffered fleeing Cologne Cathedral.

"Hmm?" A flicker of surprise crossed Rein's face.

He recalled the Steel Throne title being privy only to Haleem and a select few—how had word reached this place?

"Word from the Federation?"

"Yes, Rein—congratulations on becoming the first Full Moon Wizard in a thousand years." Menia glided forward gracefully, a smile on her lips.

She'd earlier detected a surge in Rein's power but hadn't been certain.

Now convinced, the heavy load on her heart lifted in an instant.

This battle had left the Imperial City in near-total ruin, the ancient Dragon Empire dangling on the edge of collapse, its people—like helpless fledglings in a brutal winter—scattered, famished, and desperate.

All of it morphed into crushing pressure that choked the lives of ordinary folk.

Even the sharp-witted Red Queen, epic legend and aunt to the fallen Emperor Carlos II, could scarcely endure it...

Rein peered into Menia's eyes, sensing the immense strain she shouldered.

Stepping close to Menia, he clasped her hand, bowed deeply, kissed it in ceremony, and declared:

"Thank you, Princess Menia. In this moment, I wish to become your Guardian Knight—may I?"

Startled at first, Menia caught Rein's shining, uplifting gaze, grasped his intent instantly, nodded firmly, and replied:

"Of course, Lord of the Steel Throne Rein—it would be my honor."

The Empire's elites nearby abruptly realized the pair's bond ran far deeper than suspected.

But does it matter now?

Not in the slightest.

The vital truth: the faltering Empire had gained a fresh pillar of strength.

Thunderous cheers and applause exploded around them!

...

A few minutes passed.

Within the camp tent, the group gathered around a long table for an emergency summit in response to the Fiend Demon's rampage.

"Princess Menia, urgent dispatches from the provinces: Marn Province reports a massive blood sacrifice by the Cult; black-robed Plague Messengers of the Plague Sect appeared openly in Moselle Province, spreading plague and preaching; mighty Black Flame Church members surfaced in Casweis Province, occupying Lavak County..... Nome Province..... Sava Province....."

Face etched with gravity, the female attendant rapidly delivered the freshly arrived urgent intelligence.

The Empire's powerhouses at her side grew increasingly somber with every detail.

From veteran Guardian Elder Ivan to newly risen Sword Saint Lambert, all grasped that the Dragon Empire teetered on the precipice of extinction.

The Fiend Demon crisis at Cologne Cathedral had unleashed a frenzy among the cults.

With energy tides surging ever fiercer, even deadlier perils loomed ahead.

Resolving these dire crises fell to the Empire's youngest Guardian—the first Full Moon Wizard in a millennium—standing right before them.

Rein couldn't miss the growing stares fixed upon him.

In this dire hour, he knew he had to speak.

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