Chapter 273: Chapter 28: The Yonglan Riding God’s Intentions Were Good, the Execution Was Distorted (Part 2)

With only the three of them in the room, there was nothing to hide. Mivana sat cross-legged on the sofa, her beast ears and wolf tail utterly listless, either drooping or curled inward.

"I lost my composure. I couldn’t control my rage and let it consume me. I did something terrible..."

Mivana recounted her ordeal in a subdued tone. She didn’t try to argue her case or make excuses, instead offering an extremely objective, almost self-deprecating, description of what happened.

"So that’s what happened."

Westheid couldn’t help but click his tongue after hearing Mivana’s story.

’No wonder Mivana went on a rampage. Facing that vicious mob, anyone who could hold back for ten minutes without starting a massacre would have to be a saint. Not to mention, a Beast-eared Maiden with the Cursed Source Blood is naturally short-tempered. The moment she’s provoked, she’s bound to go on a massive killing spree.’

’Speaking of which, the original Heaven-Devouring Wave appeared after the annihilation of the Dusk Lamp Territory. I guess with nothing left to tie her down, it was a completely natural development for a Mivana who had fallen to the dark side to become a Great Demon King.’

’In the original timeline, the Country of Yonglan was ravaged by the Heaven-Devouring Wave. Thinking about it now, it was all just desserts for the Knights. As the saying goes, Heaven gives birth to all things to nourish man, yet man offers nothing in return to repay Heaven.’

"You have no need to feel ashamed. It’s only human. Besides, you also have to struggle against the cursed bloodline within you. A little rampage doesn’t count as a rampage."

Westheid unequivocally sided with the Wolf-eared Maiden. Even Reiya nodded after hearing the story and said,

"If it were me, I wouldn’t have hesitated or felt any regret. An overbearing sense of morality is just a shackle and a burden."

But Mivana clearly couldn’t wrap her head around it. She gazed at her palm, her lovely eyes trembling as she shook her head again and again.p>

"No... N-no, no, I’m not tormented because I slaughtered so many living beings, but because... I actually found the feeling of taking a life... to be wonderful. Exquisite, even. It completely overshadowed my remorse and guilt. Whenever I think back on the slaughter, I... I feel so damn exhilarated... HAHAHAHA!"

The Lady Knight clapped her hands over her face, but she couldn’t stop her lips from pulling into a grin, letting out a laugh that sounded worse than a sob.

"Damn it, I can’t be laughing... Damn it, stop laughing! How could I have turned into this kind of person?!"

’Fuck, she’s unhinged.’

Westheid raised an eyebrow at the sight. The slaughter, committed while Mivana was in a half-frenzied state, had unexpectedly let her experience the true pleasure of combat. Now she’d had a taste and developed a craving.

After her hysterical, sobbing laughter died down, Mivana looked at Westheid helplessly, her beautiful golden eyes shimmering with tears as she tugged on the man’s sleeve.

"West, am I an extremist?"

"...You are simply coming to know your true self. There is no need to agonize over it."

Westheid reached out and gently stroked the Beast-eared Maiden’s hair, his voice soft.

"Do what you believe is right. Don’t worry about trivialities. I will support you with all of my strength."

"What’s right... The right thing... Heh, but I no longer know what ’right’ even is."

Receiving Westheid’s support didn’t improve Mivana’s state much. Instead, she said with a bitter smile,

"...I once believed that if I held fast to the Chivalry Knightly Path, I could change things. I was so sure of it. But... but can I truly change Yonglan, when its ways are so deeply rooted?"

"The very people I want to protect run contrary to my ideals. They don’t even want to be saved; they’d rather accept the current Law where the strong devour the weak. The enemies I must face are not just the unjust Knights, but also the rotten culture that has been entrenched in the Country of Yonglan for thousands of years."

"The Knightly Path I revere... what... what even is it? And the Divine Ancestor... what does he truly see us as?"

In a more normal world, Westheid would have responded to this situation with phrases like "ideological education," "civic culture," "the people are still unenlightened," or "a revolution is not a dinner party."

He would have criticized Mivana’s romantic idealism and made the Lady Knight understand that societal transformation requires arduous struggle and re-education.

This isn’t something that can be accomplished overnight; setbacks, betrayals, and even total ruin are all part of the process.

However, the world of Poem of Destiny didn’t need to abide by such Laws. It was a world of ideals, a world of freedom, a world where ultimate power rested with the individual.

So, Westheid’s response was different:

"When it comes down to it, you’re just not strong enough."

"If you were strong enough to overwhelm all opposition, there wouldn’t be any problem at all."

The black-haired, purple-eyed Duke Qinghui stated calmly,

"You seem to be shaken in your beliefs, but there’s no need to be. The Knightly Path is not wrong. The key is how *you* define it."

"Mivana, do you believe the Yonglan Riding God recognizes the Chivalry Knightly Path?"

Mivana was stunned. After a moment of thought, she said,

"The Divine Ancestor has never sent down an oracle recognizing the Chivalry Knightly Path..."

"And by that same token," Westheid said, "the Yonglan Riding God has never recognized the current mainstream ideology, either. To put it bluntly, the Riding God has never issued an oracle about *any* school of the Knightly Path."

"However, from the life of the Yonglan Riding God, it’s not difficult for us to see the true Knightly Path. In the Riding God’s entire life, was there even a single instance of him oppressing or brutalizing the people?"

As a devout Knight, Mivana knew the history of the Divine Ancestor by heart. She answered at once,

"No! Absolutely not! The Divine Ancestor would never raise his sword against the weak! He only ever challenged powerful foes, eradicating the very sources of immense suffering!"

"The Country of Yonglan was founded upon the struggle against evil, a paean to courage. If you look at the path the Yonglan Riding God forged with his own actions, is the core of the Knightly Path not perfectly clear?"

"A Yonglan Knight should be a protector, a pioneer, a champion who punishes evil and supports the weak—absolutely not a scoundrel who oppresses others with violence!"

’Truthfully, the Yonglan Riding God probably didn’t think about it that much at all. He was simply a born War Frenzy.’

’Still, if you had to analyze it, the Riding God did indeed disdain bullying the weak and would protect ordinary people whenever possible. One should judge by deeds, not intent. It was precisely because of the Great Enterprise he accomplished, and the faith and reverence he earned, that this pure-blooded human was able to achieve Ascension with just his own two hands and a single sword.’

A flush of excitement appeared on Mivana’s once-listless, pretty face, and she nodded emphatically.

"Ah, yes... Yes, that’s how it’s supposed to be."

Westheid didn’t give Mivana any time to slowly digest this, instead instilling his ideas into her all at once. Pounding his chest, he declared,

"The Riding God’s only oversight was that he overestimated the ability of future mortals to understand his intent! As a result, the noble Country of Yonglan has degenerated into a sick environment where only the strong survive and Knights abuse their privileges!"

"The Yonglan Riding God’s intentions were good! It was the people under him who distorted his will!"

For a Realm of Order, the Divine Ancestor is absolutely, unquestionably correct. This is even more so for the people who grow up within it; they would never question or defy their Divine Ancestor. That’s why Westheid never, from the very beginning, considered opposing the faith in the Riding God. To do so would make it impossible to win over the Yonglan Knights.

’In any case, the Celestial Gods can no longer interfere with the Mortal World, so it didn’t matter what stories Westheid made up. The Yonglan Riding God would certainly have no objections.’

"So... the Chivalry Knightly Path is the correct one?"

Mivana bit her lip. It was no longer a question; she had already found the answer in her heart. She nodded again and again.

"Yes, yes, that must be it. Things must be set right."

The Lady Knight turned a hopeful gaze to Westheid. "But... what do we do now?"

"Eradicating this deep-seated illness might be difficult, but reversing the current situation is actually simple: become a Knight King whom all will admire and obey."

After all that talk, Westheid had finally revealed his ultimate goal.

His coming to the Country of Yonglan and helping Mivana was one part of his plan, but the true main quest was the throne of the Knight King—to bring the entire nation’s Knight Army under his command.

"Teacher West... I don’t think I can be the Knight King."

Unexpectedly, Duke Qinghui watched as Mivana shook her head and sighed.

Westheid quickly said, "Don’t worry. You’re just one step away from advancing to Legend. Once that happens..."

"It’s not about power. I lack the qualifications and the disposition to be a king."

Mivana stood up, took one of Westheid’s hands, and then dropped to one knee.

"I have come to recognize my true nature. I am not a qualified leader, nor do I have any great vision or wisdom. I only know how to kill and how to fight."

"Compared to me, you, West, are the one who is truly qualified to be king!"