A Noble Phantasm,
A materialized miracle, a heroic proof held by a hero.
It's the crystallization of human prayers and thoughts for miracles, the strongest weapon known as "Noble Phantasm."
And in this world, which is similar yet different,
Such miracles are held by the living!
Meanwhile, on the other side,
The Companion Cavalry surrounded a hill on the flank of the battlefield. All the knights dismounted, leading their horses and forming two lines from bottom to top.
Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop...
When an unusual hoofbeat, heavier than that of an ordinary warhorse, rang out,
Thump!
All the knights, with one hand behind their backs, simultaneously raised their gauntlets and struck their hearts!
"—Commander!"
Amidst the respectful calls of the knights, a fierce figure on a tall black warhorse dismounted.
He had short black hair, a stern, unsmiling face, and a dark blue cloak emblazoned with a standing yellow lion draped over his back.
Hector lifted his cloak, handed his riding crop to the attending deputy, and slightly raised his head, looking towards the top of the path formed by the lines of knights.
"Lars Hawkins, awaiting your arrival!"
"Woven Hawkins, awaiting your arrival!"
Two blue-haired knights, who had been waiting there, bowed, placed their hands on their chests, and shouted loudly:
"Commander, please—"
"Bring our 'true knight' Edoardo, and his comrade, the scout cavalry knight Wallace, who upheld the knightly spirit."
The two took a deep breath and cried out sorrowfully:
"Home!"
Hector's gaze hardened at these words, but he didn't move, as if observing something.
He was waiting for a miracle.
This was his first time witnessing the manifestation of a Noble Phantasm. Although he had made arrangements according to proper etiquette, he was still a little apprehensive.
It wasn't that he didn't care about Edoardo; it was mainly that a Noble Phantasm was more important for the Empire's great cause and his own future.
Of course, he respected such a knight with knightly spirit, but any knight could boast a bit about knightly spirit, and he had seen many knights charging into battle and dying while shouting about knightly spirit over the years.
But this phenomenon, where a knight's actions were driven by truly pure faith and accomplished miracles, even inducing the materialization of a legend, was too rare.
He had to personally inherit that knight's last wishes and realize his ideals!
"Still, why is there no movement after all this time?"
After a long pause,
Hector, feeling a little awkward from standing, quietly lowered his voice and asked the old deputy beside him,
"Um, old man, do I need to say something else?"
The old man, as the deputy, wore a white belted mage's robe, starkly different from a knight's attire. Hearing Hector's words, he couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"At this point, you should respond, as an officer, acknowledge his achievements, and then the Noble Phantasm can truly materialize."
"It should have been Lord Seleucus who did it, but since you want to... you need to be more devout!"
"Ehh, don't be so blunt..."
Hector awkwardly cleared his throat.
Under the gaze of hundreds of knights—
His expression solemn, he stepped forward and drew the knight's sword from his waist.
Facing the sun, he solemnly declared:
"I, Hector, Commander of the Third Companion Cavalry, son of General Parmenion, hereby acknowledge—"
"Knight Edoardo, worthy of being the King's Knight!"
"For the King's great cause, sparing not his life, we all bear witness!"
"By the King's command, I pledge—"
"Declare!"
"I shall spread your heroic spirit, proclaim your deeds, and bestow upon you honor!"
"I shall respect your dying wish, collect your remains, and return you to your homeland!"
"May the Conqueror King and the Greek Gods bear witness, I shall pledge my life to uphold your will!"
"With due respect!"
The oath concluded,
The next instant,
A sudden gust of wind swept across the horizon, carrying bits of grass!
The hazy yellow clouds suddenly swirled, finally forming a counter-clockwise vortex.
The entire sky subtly darkened!
And then—
"Whoosh!"
A white light surged forth; the time of birth had arrived!
A massive amount of magical energy instantly connected the earth to the sky, transforming into a magnificent, holy pillar of light, signifying the miracle named [Noble Phantasm]!
"It's here!"
Hector's face brightened.
But a moment later, he blinked in a daze, staring blankly at the suddenly rising holy pillar of light.
Everything was normal.
Except...
The location where this Noble Phantasm descended...
Why was it a little off?
Shugus stared coldly at the pillar of light that had appeared at the western pass.
He believed
that not only he had seen it, but also the group of foolish metal cans behind him, who were meticulously performing a knight's ceremony for an ordinary soldier.
And this was exactly what he had intentionally done.
He had distorted the legendary deeds of Edoardo, even adding to them, deceiving the knights into believing that the "true knight" Edoardo had been created.
However,
Knight Edoardo had none of the so-called grand achievements.
Edoardo was merely an ordinary, unfortunate soldier under his command, who died in an ambush.
The desperate charge, the life-risking delivery of a message, the perilous return to aid, and even the mortal combat to kill the future King of Britain—
The one who truly accomplished these legendary acts, astounding enough to trigger a miracle, was not Edoardo, but the swindler who killed Edoardo to save his own life!
The knight lords were not fools, nor were they all idiots brainwashed by knightly spirit.
They went to great lengths to arrange Edoardo's funeral, even having the entire knight order bid farewell to a knight who wasn't even a professional. They spread this miraculous deed far and wide, partly for the knightly spirit they believed in, but undeniably—
They were also pursuing the power of this miracle.
A Noble Phantasm!
When a miracle appeared, with omens and nascent forms, due to various coincidences, it immediately became more important than the current, unchallenged war.
Now, the Companion Cavalry were painstakingly creating a spectacle around Edoardo's corpse, waiting for a miracle from heaven, for a Noble Phantasm to materialize.
But what they didn't expect was—
This Noble Phantasm didn't belong to Edoardo at all, but to the swindler who had tricked everyone.
They would feel anger, feel deceived, feel humiliated,
And then,
This insult of being played would turn into the driving force for them to move the army!
But—
Shugus whipped his horse, urging it to gallop at an incredibly unnatural speed.
His eyes revealed an extreme, forcibly suppressed ferocity.
"All I want—"
"Is to slaughter you, you bastard!!!"
The warhorse's speed began to soar madly, surpassing common sense under the impetus of a power called [Combat Skill]!
60 km/h!
70 km/h!
80 km/h!
99 km/h!!!
Shugus clung to his horse's back, his cheek resting on the warhorse's neck, straining his head upward, his gaze rapidly scanning the swiftly passing scenery.
Closer and closer, closer and closer!
The pillar of light, marking his enemy and reaching through heaven and earth, was already close at hand!
He saw the knight within the pillar of light, saw the dazzling golden hair, saw the bouquet of white roses he was holding!
Yes,
It was him. Although his appearance was now different, Shugus clearly remembered—
That bouquet of white roses, which should not have been blooming at this season!