Chapter 593: The Rogue Knight
"I’m counting on you guys."
With reliable Boss Blaze, the business-minded Path to Heaven, and his capable bros handling everything, Marcus had no reason to worry. He could finally focus on his own affairs without constantly looking over his shoulder.
Drunkard and Invincible Strong both rolled their eyes at him.
"Stone, give us a break. Just remember to farm some good gear for us. That’s called playing to our strengths. Everyone does their part, and everyone benefits."
"Heh heh..."
Marcus grinned at his bros before escorting Alana back to the mansion. After sorting through his inventory and making sure everything was in order, he headed toward the palace’s teleportation point.
The palace teleportation point was located within the palace grounds and was connected to the teleportation arrays in the government offices of the major cities. Only people with official permission were allowed to use it, and it also served as a departure point for flying mounts.
"Stonehaven, you’re late! You kept us waiting!"
The moment Princess Celeste spotted him approaching, she called out and waved her Divine Artifact, the Five-Element Staff, as though she were seriously considering smacking him over the head with it.
For the first time in her life, she had actually been waiting for someone. Not just anyone, either. She had been waiting alongside her sister, Princess Phoenix, for a man. She had given Knight Stonehaven an entire hour to prepare, and he had still managed to arrive late.
Princess Celeste was furious.
"Stonehaven, hurry up!"
"I’m only five minutes late..."
Seeing her angry expression, Marcus jogged over while muttering under his breath.
"Only five minutes?!"
Princess Celeste’s hearing was as sharp as ever. She immediately caught what he had said and launched into another lecture.
"Hmph! As a brave and honorable knight, not five minutes, not one minute, not even a single second of tardiness is acceptable! Don’t you understand that on a battlefield, the enemy could break through a knight’s defensive line in a single second? A Divine Beast could kill you in that same second!"
As Princess Celeste continued lecturing him, Marcus suddenly went completely silent. He had been looking at her properly for the first time.
Princess Celeste was dressed in a dazzling white mage’s robe that shimmered with five-colored light, while the Five-Element Staff in her hand radiated a gentle elemental glow. The combination made her look exceptionally elegant and noble, with a clean, almost ethereal beauty that caught Marcus completely off guard.
Even the robe’s generous layers couldn’t hide her slender, well-proportioned figure. There was a natural grace to her movements, and the contrast between her pure appearance and the faintly playful irritation in her expression made her even more captivating.
She really was worthy of all the praise that followed her name across the Dreamland Continent. A beauty like this could easily leave people at a loss for words.
’So beautiful...’ The thought slipped through Marcus’s mind, and for a moment he nearly said it aloud. But then he noticed the woman standing beside her.
Princess Phoenix was tall and elegant, dressed in crimson armor engraved with intricate phoenix patterns. Her beauty was entirely different from Celeste’s. Where Celeste carried a youthful purity, Phoenix possessed a mature, commanding elegance, combined with an unmistakable heroic spirit.
There was pride in the way she stood, confidence in her expression, and an almost innate nobility in her bearing. She resembled the phoenix at her side, magnificent and impossible to ignore.
The crimson Phoenix Flame Armor accentuated her graceful figure without compromising the imposing presence of a warrior. In her hand was the Divine Artifact Phoenix Heaven-Piercing Sword, its blade radiating a brilliant red light, while a small red phoenix fluttered beside her.
The combination of the woman, the armor, the sword, and the phoenix gave off an overwhelming sense of power and dignity. She was beautiful enough to command attention without even trying, and her presence made it difficult for anyone to approach her casually.
This was Princess Phoenix, the Phoenix Knight, Princess Celeste’s elder sister and the second-most beautiful woman on the Dreamland Continent.
Standing before him were two women who represented two entirely different kinds of beauty. One was pure and bright, the other proud and majestic, and both were dressed in their full battle regalia.
Even Marcus, who had long since grown accustomed to beautiful women, couldn’t help staring. For several seconds, Princess Celeste’s lecture went completely unheard. Marcus’s mind had simply stopped processing her words.
"Stonehaven!"
The powerful, imposing, heroic Temple Knight Stonehaven was actually a rogue knight! That was Princess Celeste’s first impression of him.
As a sacred and noble knight, especially a Temple Knight serving the Goddess of Dreams, he was supposed to be brave, righteous, honorable, and unwavering in the face of temptation. Yet here he was, standing in front of two princesses with an utterly dazed expression, staring at them without even bothering to hide it.
Princess Celeste was deeply disappointed.
"Stonehaven!" She raised her voice again, but when she followed his gaze, she realized he wasn’t even looking at her anymore. His eyes were fixed on her sister, Princess Phoenix.
Even after being shouted at twice, he still hadn’t reacted. Princess Celeste’s anger immediately flared. This rogue knight actually dared to ignore her!
"Knight Stonehaven!" She marched toward him, Five-Element Staff in hand, clearly intending to give him a good smack.
That finally brought Marcus back to his senses. Come on, his reflexes weren’t that bad.
When he saw Princess Celeste approaching with her beautiful lips pursed and her crystalline eyes glaring at him, her usually flawless face twisted into an expression of indignation, Marcus immediately realized that he was in trouble.
He quickly straightened himself and put on his best expression of righteousness, bravery, and honor. Then he looked around and blurted out, "Ah, what beautiful weather we’re having today."
He paused, then added, "What do you think, Princess?" The attempt to change the subject was hopeless. Princess Celeste stared at him sternly.
"Knight Stonehaven, what were you doing just now?" She sounded like an adult scolding a particularly troublesome child.
Marcus could only smile awkwardly. Since he had already been caught, there wasn’t much point in pretending otherwise. "Princess, your mage outfit completely stunned me..."
"You..." Princess Celeste had clearly not expected such a straightforward answer. For a moment, she didn’t know what to say.
Then, in her mind, the conclusion was immediate. This wasn’t a knight at all. He was a scoundrel!
From that moment onward, the title ’Rogue Knight’ was permanently engraved in Princess Celeste’s mind. "Knight Stonehaven!" she shouted angrily.
Yet for all her fury, she had never really lost her temper with anyone before, much less had to discipline someone. Her heavenly face was still far too adorable to look genuinely frightening.
Nevertheless, she was determined to teach this rogue knight a lesson. "Stonehaven, knighthood is a great and noble calling. A knight must be brave and righteous, place honor above all else, and uphold justice while showing mercy. How can you behave like this? You’re acting like a... like a..."
She wanted to say "pervert," but the word was simply too embarrassing for her to say aloud.
Unfortunately, as she continued lecturing him, her anger caused her to breathe a little more heavily, and the movement of her robe only made it harder for Marcus to keep his attention where it belonged.
He immediately realized he was making the situation worse, but looking away now would probably only make his behavior seem even more suspicious.
"Pervert!" Princess Celeste finally couldn’t hold back anymore. She raised the Five-Element Staff and fired a small fireball directly at him.
Unfortunately for her, city PvP was disabled. Even a princess couldn’t deal damage to another player within the city. The fireball struck Marcus harmlessly, but the attack accomplished what the lecture hadn’t.
It snapped him completely out of his daze. Marcus coughed awkwardly and rubbed his nose.
Who would have thought this elegant and seemingly pure princess could be so fierce when she got angry?
And yet, despite her temper, there was something undeniably charming about her. The more Marcus looked at her, the more he liked her lively personality.
She wasn’t arrogant or cold. She was simply straightforward, earnest, and inexperienced at dealing with someone as shameless as him.
Looking at the flustered Princess Celeste standing before him, Marcus couldn’t help thinking that she really was worthy of her reputation as one of the most beautiful women on the Dreamland Continent.
Right now, though, all he could do was give her an awkward smile. Unfortunately, that smile only made her angrier.
"Knight Stonehaven, you truly are a rogue knight!"
"A rogue knight..." Marcus repeated the words under his breath.
After thinking about it for a moment, he suddenly grinned. "Not bad, actually. I kind of like that title."
"You..." Princess Celeste’s beautiful eyes widened. Her lips parted, but for several seconds she couldn’t produce a single word.
She looked at Marcus as though she were trying to determine what kind of strange creature had just appeared in front of her.
For the first time, Princess Celeste felt genuinely helpless. She should never have been soft-hearted. She should never have agreed to let this knight accompany them to hunt the Heavenly Thunder Leopard. Knight Stonehaven was simply too infuriating!
"Sister..." Having no idea what else to do, Princess Celeste could only turn helplessly toward the proud woman beside her.
Princess Phoenix had remained remarkably calm throughout the entire exchange. She didn’t even bother acknowledging Marcus’s antics. Instead, she gently said to her younger sister, "Celeste, let’s go. We’ve already wasted enough time."
She then turned her cool gaze toward Marcus. "Stonehaven, Ten-Thunder Mountain is located in the mountain range southeast of Ironstone Citadel. We’ll teleport there first, then travel from the city."
"Understood." Marcus followed the two princesses into the teleportation array. A flash of light enveloped them, and the three of them were transported to the government teleportation point in Ironstone Citadel.
"Phoenix Dance of the Nine Heavens!" Princess Phoenix raised her hand and softly called out the skill’s name.
The small phoenix beside her instantly erupted into a blazing crimson light. Flames surged outward, and its body rapidly expanded until it became a magnificent creature nearly as large as two elephants.
This was the Immortal Phoenix’s true form. Princess Phoenix reached out and took Princess Celeste’s hand before gracefully leaping onto the Immortal Phoenix’s back.
Princess Celeste knew perfectly well that her sister had no intention of acknowledging Marcus, so she turned around and saw him standing there without a mount.
"Stonehaven, that Pegasus is your reward for serving as our guide. Hurry up, we’re leaving. Keep up with us and don’t fall behind!"
Nearby, a palace handmaiden was holding the reins of a powerful black Pegasus. From its appearance and aura, it was obviously a high-quality mount bred and trained by the royal family.
Marcus glanced at the Pegasus, then looked at the enormous Immortal Phoenix beneath the two princesses. He couldn’t help calling out enviously, "Princesses, can’t I ride the phoenix too?"
The Immortal Phoenix was enormous in its mature form, and with the strength of a Divine Beast, carrying three or four people would be no problem at all.
"No!" Princess Celeste immediately rejected him, puffing out her cheeks as she gave him an especially firm answer.
Seeing the disappointed look on Marcus’s face, she felt a little vindicated. Strangely enough, seeing him deflate like that made her find him somewhat more amusing.
Marcus had no choice but to walk over to the handmaiden and accept the black Pegasus. He wasn’t sure whether the mount had been prepared by Princess Phoenix or Princess Celeste, but either way, it was clearly no ordinary gift.
—
Royal Pegasus: Grade 7 Mount.
A Pegasus captured and trained by the Dragon Dynasty from the Atlan Plains of Pegasus Citadel. Only knights who have reached level 30 or higher can ride it. Capable of combat while mounted.
Level: 0
HP: 300
MP: 300
Attack: 200
Defense: 200
Ground Speed: 7
Flight Speed: 11
Talent: Life Enhancement
A specially trained Pegasus gains additional HP as it levels up.
Skill: Pegasus Charge
Uses the Pegasus’s momentum to charge an enemy, increasing Attack by 10%.
—
The Royal Pegasus’s attributes were naturally far inferior to Marcus’s pets, but a Grade 7 mount was still an extremely powerful existence. To an ordinary player, receiving a mount like this would be like being handed a treasure from heaven.
Marcus remembered that after completing the Mist Veil Palace quest, Pegasus Knight Mare had only given him a Grade 8 Cloud-Mist Gale Steed. These two princesses had actually given him a Grade 7 Pegasus. They really were generous.
Sure enough, a system notification appeared almost immediately.
Ding!
[Congratulations! Your Royal Pegasus has entered the Mount Leaderboard, ranking eighth! Marcus smiled. ’Not bad at all.’]
"Stonehaven, are you ready? Let’s go!" Seeing that Marcus had accepted the Royal Pegasus, Princess Celeste urged him again.
"Ready!" Marcus quickly summoned his Nightmare Dragon Steed, Blackie.
Unfortunately, Princess Celeste hadn’t gotten a good look at Blackie. All she saw was that Marcus hadn’t summoned the Royal Pegasus and had instead brought out a strange black horse without wings.
She stared at it in confusion before looking back at Marcus. "Stonehaven, you’re so silly! You didn’t even summon the Pegasus. Is that black horse supposed to fly with us?"
Seeing the completely stunned expression on his face, Princess Celeste couldn’t help giggling. She had finally found something she could tease him about.
"Stonehaven, hurry up!" With that, Princess Phoenix gently urged the Immortal Phoenix forward. Carrying the two princesses, the enormous Divine Beast spread its wings and soared into the sky, heading southeast toward Ten-Thunder Mountain.
Marcus looked up at the rapidly departing Immortal Phoenix, then down at Blackie. He suddenly had a feeling that Princess Celeste was going to have a very interesting reaction once she discovered exactly what kind of "black horse" she had just made fun of.