novelraw Chapter 715 21: Dragon Slayer Crossbow
Chapter 715 21: Dragon Slayer Crossbow
The sky was late, the moon and stars sparse.
Traversing the river of time, the Candle Knight, who came from future ages, walked alone through the dim and desolate alleys.
The night in Constantinople was not peaceful. The news of the Ottomans gathering a large army at Adrian Castle could not be concealed from Constantinople, which guarded the straits. The vast transport fleet of the Ottomans instilled fear.
The citizens of the Empire were worried, and streets were filled with prayers.
"Our Lord Jesus Christ, I call upon Your mercy..."
"Hallelujah, the glory of the Heavenly Father, please descend upon the world!"
In contrast to the desolate and dilapidated Constantinople, akin to a countryside, the Venetian concession just across a wall was brightly lit and teeming with voices, seemingly holding some grand ceremony, causing Losa to instinctively frown.
Even though having to temporarily reconcile with the Venetians due to facing a common enemy, the seeds of hatred between Greeks and Latins were already rooted, and conflicts of interest were irreconcilable.
Viviana walked past the broken walls, past the toppled statues, the poorly maintained, desolate and abandoned churches. The beautiful gardens and nurseries recorded in literature and books had been replaced by vegetable plots and farmland.
Some churches, before the Shen Kan, still had civilians stopping by, seeking spiritual solace after a day's farm work.
Some monks loudly proclaimed:
"This is the punishment of the Lord upon mortals; we must face it calmly."
"Even if we bend our knees to the Latins, it will not change the overall situation."
"Should we sacrifice our beliefs and stain our souls for a moment of worldly peace?"
"Rome will eventually fall, the apocalyptic Black Dragon of the Ottomans is the incarnation of Satan, an apocalyptic judgment mortals cannot overcome. Can joining heretical sects stop this fate of destruction?"
Viviana seemed to understand; despite Constantinople having over fifty thousand subjects, only over four thousand militia could be assembled, which was quite low for the city defenders.
"What is the meaning of Yesterday's Giant Ship's existence?"
"In front of the wheel of history, to stop a chariot with one's arms?"
She raised her hand wearing white silk gloves, a short white candle appeared in her hand, supporting a weak light, barely enough to illuminate some of the way ahead.
Leaving behind unpleasant pasts, the responsibility she bore, the duty of blood, and capriciously escaping to another time-space, the Candle Knight seemed more confused, like a caged bird freed from its cage, for a time somewhat at a loss.
Such feeble candlelight could hardly bring light to people.
Viviana cast aside the candle in her hand, sighed softly, "Since I don't know what to pursue, I might as well perform my duties well under the Captain's command."
Like a knight, protect the weak, uphold justice.
But knightly literature was already outdated.
Suddenly, rushed footsteps came from ahead.
A panicked soldier shouted, "There's a thief! Someone, catch the thief!"
Rushing too fast, he didn't notice the figure hidden in the darkness ahead, crashing into it like hitting a wall, clutching his painfully aching nose, and fell on his buttocks to the ground.
The Female Knight, dismissing the Magic Barrier, picked up a candlestick, her brows slightly furrowed, "Where's the thief?"
The soldier froze.
What a gentle face it was.
Long hair like a platinum waterfall cascaded from beneath the Fallow Deer Hood, the delicate face like porcelain, red lips pressed tightly, slightly furrowed brows, dispersing some gentleness from her face, yet still giving a sense of tranquility, not majesty.
"Ma..ma'am, who are you?"
"I am the Emperor's advisor, where is the thief you mentioned?"
Without hesitation, the soldier pointed, "In the library! I was ordered to fetch the Dragon Slayer Crossbow but found that the guards there had been killed, and my colleagues and I were besieged by thieves, and only I escaped."
"Hey, please wait, ma'am!"
Before finishing the words.
In front of the soldier, there was only the disappearing silhouette of the lady in a red cloak at the end of the street.
...
"At this moment, should I contact the Captain first?"
Viviana hesitated somewhat.
But quickly made up her mind.
She never thought of herself as invincible, but neither would she abandon the duties of a knight because of danger.
Knightly literature was already outdated.
Aside from ravaged lands, most knights had become performers in arenas.
But she never gave up the knight spirit.
Compared to the radiant Knight of Radiance, eliminating villains, or the goddess with a lamp who saved countless patients, persisting even post-faintness to provide free medical consultations across lands.
Trapped in a tall tower since childhood, receiving isolated training, etiquette, poetry, Swordsmanship, Magic... her father regarded her as a means to maintain an Elector's status, rather than being removed from the title and establishing provinces like other states.
The Emperor saw her as the confidence pillar for the Empire's citizens, cultivating German identity.
The Empire's citizens viewed her as a spiritual pillar, a knight model.
But Viviana had only one definition for herself.
Knight.
She quickened her pace; seemingly unfitting high-heeled iron boots made no sound as they trod the alleys.
Soon she arrived outside that magnificent yet dilapidated library.
The soldier did not lie; the guards here had been cleared out.
The open door, like an Evil Beast in the dark swallowing all, awaited prey to walk into the web.
The Female Knight holding a white candle walked into the library without hesitation, stepping onto the spiral ascending circular staircase.
...
"The team sent to get the Dragon Slayer Crossbow was wiped out?"
Losa's expression turned considerably cold; Constantine XI would place the Empire's only remaining Divine Artifact in the library because it housed countless prohibitions, Magic Arrays, impossible for external enemies to invade unless there was a mole.
"Your Majesty, on the way, I saw a lady who claimed to be your advisor, wearing a very luxurious dress."
Losa exhaled slightly; it seemed Viviana had already rushed there ahead of time.
The enemies shouldn't be too strong, and the Dragon Slayer Crossbow should have been recovered eventually.
Otherwise, according to what Jeanne said, in the history of Constantine XI's decisive battle, it wouldn't be possible to still have the Dragon Slayer Crossbow available.
But who exactly was this mole?
Many names flashed through Losa's mind for a moment.
The enemies shouldn't be too strong, and the Dragon Slayer Crossbow should have been recovered eventually.
Otherwise, according to what Jeanne said, in the history of Constantine XI's decisive battle, it wouldn't be possible to still have the Dragon Slayer Crossbow available.
But who exactly was this mole?
Many names flashed through Losa's mind for a moment.