Vol 1 Chapter 1.1 (1/2)

39—Legend of Sun Knight Volume 1

Original novel in Chinese by: 御 我 (Yu Wo)

Chapter 1: In Training, Part 1—Vice-Captain– translated by lucathia

The skies had just brightened, and Elaro immediately woke up. For some reason, he was particularly sensitive to sunlight. The moment he felt the sun, he would wake up. It was the same, even on his days off, when he didn’t have to wake up early. His teacher had even specially experimented before, s.h.i.+ning a candle on him in the middle of the night. It didn’t have the same effect.

Ultimately, Teacher concluded that he was a resplendent, sunlit type of guy. The moment sunlight shone on him, he would automatically have to sparkle a bit, so of course he would wake up.

Elaro didn’t quite understand what his teacher meant. But out of every ten things his teacher said, there would be approximately two that he didn’t understand.

“As long as you’ve heard me, you don’t have to worry about it too much. Otherwise, a serious guy like you would probably have his brains explode from overthinking. Besides, I even followed suit and forgot to choose a backup candidate!”

Followed suit…? In any case, since his teacher had just said so, Elaro listened to his words, but didn’t worry over it. Even though he abruptly realized just who had also forgotten to choose a backup candidate, well, he would “listen without worrying too much!”

Elaro was very satisfied with his habit of waking up early. He never overslept, and waking up early meant he could accomplish many more things.

He lithely turned and got up from the bed. When he took off his sleeveless s.h.i.+rt, an astonis.h.i.+ng, x-shaped scar could be seen across his chest, the size nearly spanning its entirety. Although the scar was only a little redder and sunken than the skin surrounding it, with the healing abilities of the Church of the G.o.d of Light, for such a deep scar to remain, the injury at the time must have been very severe.

Elaro turned, lowered his head, and scooped up water from the basin to wash his face. On his back, there was actually another scar that spanned from his right shoulder to below the shoulder blade. The color was even darker than the x across his chest.

After a simple freshening up, he tidied up his appearance. As he had already finished ironing his clothes using a pot of hot water the previous night, and he had already polished his shoes, all he had to do was simply comb his hair a bit. Such a simple task always made Elaro feel a bit guilty.

Originally, he had thought that the Sun Knight should have a head of brilliant golden hair, so when his teacher had asked him to keep his hair long, he had agreed immediately.

“Then, today I will teach you how to maintain your hair. It’s much easier than applying facial masks. First, you must mix hair oil and a hair treatment cream that suits your hair, and you must wash your hair every day. On alternate days, you can just wash it with water, but on the next day, after you finish was.h.i.+ng your hair, you must use the hair oil and ma.s.sage your scalp completely. After that, boil another bucket of water, put a towel inside until it is warm, and then wring it dry before wrapping it around your head. Repeat this three times, and then wash away the hair oil. After that, rub on some hair treatment cream, and your job is done… Ah, no, you must comb your hair a hundred times every morning too.”

“Teacher, I’ve decided to cut my hair!”

Teacher looked troubled, but he murmured, “I don’t think I’ve heard that the Sun Knight must have long hair… Very well.”

Teacher really spoils me too much! Elaro felt like he was slacking off. After all, Teacher maintained his hair like that too, yet he had chosen to keep his hair short because he wanted to slack off… Speaking of maintaining hair, today seems to be the day for applying facial masks…

Elaro’s mood was immediately much less joyful than when he had just woken up. Turning himself into a lump of flour, steaming himself on a scorching summer day until he sweated all over, was really a waste of time. Plus, his body would be sticky, making it impossible to do anything other than sitting and staring off into s.p.a.ce.

Originally, he had to apply facial masks twice a week, one more time than even his teacher, because his natural skin color was not pale enough. Luckily, he was still just a knight-in-training, and did not have a high salary. He was also growing taller and taller, so the amount of facial mask materials he used up was shocking. If he really were to continue applying facial masks twice a week, his teacher might even have to help pay for his materials out of his own pocket. Therefore, once his height reached over one hundred and eighty centimeters, his facial masks were finally changed to once a week.

However, Teacher had a prohibition for him: he was not allowed to remain in the sun for longer than five minutes between ten o’clock in the morning and two in the afternoon. At all other times, he was not allowed to remain out for longer than fifteen minutes. If he surpa.s.sed the time, he would immediately have to apply an extra facial mask that very day.

Elaro had never had to apply an extra facial mask.

After he finished changing, he turned around once in front of the mirror, making sure that he was presentable from head to toe. Only then did he walk out of the room. He thought about the schedule for the day. Since he had to apply a facial mask, he would have to finish taking care of everything early. Oh no, while applying the facial mask last time, the essential oils were almost used up. Is there enough for another facial mask, or do I need to spare time to buy more…?

“Captain.”

Two holy knights stood outside the room and seemed to have waited for Elaro for some time already. The moment they saw him, they respectfully gave him a knight salute and simultaneously called out to him.

If they were speaking about their positions, these two were actually both holy knights, while Elaro was only a holy knight-in-training. Even though he was the future Sun Knight, before officially a.s.suming the position, he was still just a trainee. Logically speaking, Elaro should be the one deferring to the other two, but his situation was truly too unique. No one would seriously consider Elaro a “holy knight-in-training.”

As a matter of fact, Elaro, who had entered the Holy Temple at the age of eight, was even more experienced than many holy knights past the age of thirty.

Even so, his a.s.sociation with his own platoon members had been somewhat awkward in the beginning. His platoon members were all already official holy knights. Only he was still a holy knight-in-training, even though he was the Sun Knight-in-training. But still…

“Sorry to keep you two waiting.” Elaro smiled and said, “You didn’t need to come so early.”

“It wasn’t too early.” One of them smiled too as he answered, “We arrived only ten minutes before Captain came out.”

“Nag or Ice Cube, quickly choose one of them. I’ll verify your choice immediately upon my return.”

As he recalled his teacher’s instructions, Elaro couldn’t help but look at the two of them one more time. Nag and Ice Cube…

The person who had spoken just now was Dili. His conduct had always been good-natured, he was easy to get along with, and he had good relations with everyone. On the other hand, Rhonelin was much more taciturn, the type to quietly complete everything asked of him.

As for which one of them was Nag and which of them was Ice Cube, it wouldn’t even take ten seconds to figure that out.

Other than the difference in their personalities, their ages were also quite far apart. Dili was already twenty-five, while Rhonelin was only nineteen. Three years ago, when he had become Elaro’s Sun Knight Platoon member, he had only been sixteen, yet he had already become an official holy knight. Although he had not broken the record of being the youngest, he truly possessed great talent.

The two of them were in a compet.i.tion of sorts, and the situation was such that the other platoon members had even chosen sides. Seventy percent of the platoon members supported Dili, but the platoon members who supported Rhonelin all had greater ability. The compet.i.tion between the two sides wove an undercurrent of turbulence among the platoon.

Elaro knew that this was completely his fault. Because he was unable to make a decision for the longest time, even Teacher had no choice but to command him to quickly choose a vice-captain…

“Captain?” Rhonelin asked hesitantly, but did not say a single word more.

Elaro returned to his senses and looked at Rhonelin, who was young yet possessed an indifferent demeanor older than his years. He commanded, “Report to me today’s duties.”

Rhonelin and Dili were both taken aback. Usually, Dili performed these kinds of tasks, but right now, the person Elaro was gazing at was Rhonelin. He obviously wanted him to answer, so both of them detected that today was not quite like usual. They were somewhat able to guess that this had to do with their greatest concern.

“Yes!” Rhonelin finally dropped his habit of cheris.h.i.+ng his words like gold, and began frankly saying, “The Twelve Holy Knight-Captains are out on a mission starting today. The duration is one week, so you must take care of the Sun Knight’s duties for the week, leading the entire Holy Temple.

“The first job right now is to seek out Vice-Captain Adair and ask him what duties the Sun Knight has for the week, as well as receiving paperwork.”

Rhonelin’s answer was concise. Elaro nodded satisfactorily. Although he cherished his words like gold, he did not skimp out during times when he must speak. Usually, he never had to report on these matters, yet he was very clear about the details anyway.

Despite the situation, Dili was not worried. He believed that Captain would give him a fair chance to compete.

“Then, let us find Vice-Captain Adair.”

In the distance, Elaro could see that the person they sought was currently commanding Ed and three other holy knights.

Adair, Teacher’s vice-captain, always handled matters properly, no matter what they were. Even when all of the Twelve Holy Knights went out on a mission together, with the entire Holy Temple full of dark eye circles from top to bottom, he could still maintain his unhurried manner.

The entire Church of the G.o.d of Light agreed that Adair was the best vice-captain in history. In fact, common folk from outside often made the mistake of believing him to be the Sun Knight himself. Of course, once they saw the actual Sun Knight, they would begin to repent for their foolishness.

The thirty-eighth Sun Knight was said to be the most perfect Sun Knight in history, and that was not such an easily earned t.i.tle.

Elaro would always unconsciously compare his two vice-captain candidates with his teacher’s vice-captain. However, he was a little discouraged to discover that Dili was great with people, while Rhonelin was great at completing his tasks. The two of them combined together would equal to one Adair, but unfortunately, he had no way of combining the two of them into one person.

“Elaro, you came at the right time.” When Adair glanced up, he immediately saw Elaro. He smiled and said, “Before he left, Knight-Captain Sun wished for me to help support you. However, he did not explain the details. What did he ask you to do?”

Elaro shook his head and said, “Teacher did not specifically task me with anything—oh, right, Teacher wants me to…” He hesitated for a moment, remembering that Dili and Rhonelin were still standing behind him, but he still honestly reported, “When he returns, he will verify that I have properly chosen a vice-captain.”

Adair was momentarily stumped. “You still haven’t chosen a vice-captain?”

When he heard this, Elaro was a bit ashamed. Even more than that, he didn’t want to turn his head to see what kind of expressions Dili and Rhonelin had. The two of them were probably still maintaining their usual smile and indifference. Although they were very different, their ability at staying unperturbed was equally good.

Adair patted Elaro’s shoulder. “Since Captain has given a command already, then you only have a week left. Seize the moment! If you need anything from me, don’t hesitate to ask.”

Even though there was quite a big gap in their ages, their relations.h.i.+p was like that of friends. They had once collaborated together to deceive Captain/Teacher in the Demon King’s Castle. Afterwards, they had received ruthless revenge together from Grisia, whose ability to hold a grudge far transcended a normal person’s. It was inevitable that brotherly camaraderie would form from sharing these trials and tribulations together.

“Then, Big Bro Adair,” Elaro was curious and asked, “How long did Teacher spend to choose you?”

When he heard this question, Adair began to think. A nostalgic expression appeared on his face. “About three—”

“Three months? I have truly been too ridiculous.” Elaro was rather discouraged. Teacher had only spent three months and was able to choose a vice-captain like Adair. Why was it that he had already spent three years and still couldn’t make a decision?

“It was three minutes!” Ed burst out laughing to one side. His personality had not changed much, even after he turned forty.

“Three minutes?” Elaro’s eyes widened. Even Dili and Rhonelin, who were behind him, had astonished expressions on their faces.

Adair smiled wryly.

“At the time, Captain…”

“Ah! It must be the G.o.d of Light’s benevolence that has brought each and every brother to Grisia’s side, allowing us to become closer and even more inseparable brothers. Let us join hands to bring forth an even more beautiful future for the children of the G.o.d of Light.”

Adair was so excited, he couldn’t hide it. He exchanged a few glances with the holy knights next to him and discovered that they had also inadvertently raised their chests and chins high, proudly accepting that this was the Sun Knight that they were going to serve!

“Grisia.” The current Sun Knight Neo smiled as he said, “Go and nurture your camaraderie with your platoon. Your teacher must visit the palace today. You don’t have to come with me.”

“Yes, Teacher. May sunlight accompany you the entire way.”

After Neo left, only the future Sun Knight and the twenty or so future Sun Knight Platoon members remained. Grisia still wore a smile, but the Sun Knight Platoon members were all extremely nervous, afraid that they would leave a bad impression on the future Sun Knight.

Among them, Adair could be said to be the one who was able to maintain his composure the best. He was even able to sneakily observe their future captain, discovering that his bearing was much more unperturbed than everyone else’s on the scene. This inevitably caused him to feel respectful toward him. Compared to the current Sun Knight Neo, this kind of bearing could be said to be much more amicable.

He should be a captain who is easy to get along with. Adair finally relaxed a little.

“May I ask, which among our holy knight brothers is most blessed by the G.o.d of Light when wielding a sword?”

Grisia suddenly asked them this, but because no one had been prepared, and his speech was quite punctilious, no one understood him right away.

“Excuse me, but could you repeat that, sir?” Adair asked fairly naturally. Everyone else widened their eyes, awed by his courage.

Grisia didn’t mind, and he repeated his question.

Adair understood now, but just in case, he still asked, “May I ask if you are inquiring which person among us is the strongest, sir?”

Grisia, the future Sun Knight, now stared fixedly at Adair with eyes that were practically as blue as the sky. This made him, who had already relaxed, become nervous again.

However, the other person only asked, “Could I ask for this holy knight brother’s name?”

“You are too courteous. I am Adair.”

Grisia nodded and said, “Holy knight brother Adair, pleased to make your acquaintance. Henceforth, I must trouble you to be my vice-captain. Let us spread the G.o.d of Light’s radiance and glory together.”

“Huh?” Adair was stunned. Even though he was quite confident about his own abilities, and had considered fighting for the position of vice-captain, he… he didn’t think that he would be able to win the position within three minutes!

The other platoon members were also very astonished, especially those who had been wanting to strive for the position of vice-captain.

“Brothers, please follow me this way. Today, the sunlight is resplendent, the perfect opportunity to bathe in the radiance bestowed by the G.o.d of Light. If we continue to detain ourselves indoors, we will truly waste the G.o.d of Light’s generosity.”

Seeing Grisia’s continual smile, Adair suddenly felt that maybe he had relaxed far too early.

“My fellow brothers, please jump off.”

Grisia turned around and smiled as he gave the order to his platoon.

Adair blinked and looked at his surroundings. This was the top of a cliff. Even though the elevation wasn’t all that high, they would definitely get hurt badly enough after jumping off that they wouldn’t be able to crawl back up. Yet the command that they had just received was “jump off”?

He thought he had heard wrongly.

With even Adair thinking this way, the other members bore expressions that were even more stupefied. They wondered if they had already gone hard-of-hearing, despite being so young. However, when they looked around, everyone else was just as confused. It couldn’t be that they had all hallucinated together, right?