Hearing this, Stelle instantly understood everything. "So the roses were left on purpose?"
Argenti gave Stelle a slight smile. "Precisely. As a knight of Idrila, I have sworn to live in poverty and contentment—I hold theft in contempt. To balance my promise to Lord Guyun with my knightly oath, I could only leave roses."
"Wh-what do you mean?" Yunli frowned, looking up at Argenti.
"I promised to fulfill Lord Guyun's request. It wished for me to take it away from the Xianzhou. As the one who drew it from the stone monument, as the one moved by its purity, I cannot betray it.
I could neither remain in the armory to persuade the craftsmen nor take the treasured sword like a common thief. Thus I left a small token of my identity, hoping to speak openly with everyone."
"No matter how you spin it, you still intend to take the demonic sword away from the Xianzhou. Give me the sword!"
"Lord Guyun's purity is what moved me to willingly join the delegation on this journey to return the sword... But regrettably, the Xianzhou is not its ideal homeland. A knight of Beauty should see things through to the end."
"No—he's already completely seduced by the demonic sword's power."
Stelle crossed her arms over her chest. "How do we snap him out of it?"
Yunli glanced back. "The method is in your hands."
"Seduced?" Argenti smiled and shook his head. "I have been moved by Lord Guyun's purity!
On the contrary, I find it sad that none of you present can truly read this sword... I have made up my mind: I will take Lord Guyun away from the Xianzhou."
Yunli's gaze was resolute. "The demonic sword has already warped your perception. I'll help you break free! I'll shatter this illusion with my own hands—and this sword!"
"Beautiful lady, if you insist on taking away the one... the thing I am protecting, then please engage me in a fair duel befitting knightly etiquette.
As proxy duelist for the knight, Argenti issues you this challenge!"
"Proxy duel?" Stelle seemed to have learned a new term.
Argenti nodded sincerely. "I swear upon the spirit of knighthood, under the witness of the flawless goddess Idrila, that I shall serve as Lord Guyun's proxy in this duel.
Should I win, I hope Lord Guyun may leave the Xianzhou with me. Should Miss Yunli win, I will accept defeat gracefully and return Lord Guyun with both hands. Miss Yunli—do you accept the challenge?"
"Then let me see which is stronger: your desire to take it away, or my desire to hunt demonic swords!" With that, Yunli drew her old trusty companion. "Yunli, here to test your skill!"
[He still loves fair duels so much!]
[I knew it—we were bound to end up fighting!]
[Can Yunli beat Argenti?]
[No idea, but Argenti's combat record is on par with Yanqing's.]
——
Before the words even finished, Argenti summoned his long spear.
Seeing this, Yunli was puzzled. "You're not going to use Guyun to settle this with me?"
"Though I have some knowledge of swordsmanship, in such a solemn duel, a knight should face his opponent with the techniques he has honed day and night."
Yunli shook her head at Argenti's reply. "What a weirdo."
The next moment, Yunli raised her old trusty companion high, Argenti leveled his spear, and the duel officially began.
The fight did not last long—Argenti was quickly defeated.
"I have lost. By the rules of knightly duels, I should present Guyun with both hands." Argenti clutched his chest. "But before that, I still hope that as the victor, you will have the grace to hear Lord Guyun's past experiences..."
[I wasn't surprised by this outcome at all, but I still feel like Argenti is inexplicably strong.]
[Yeah, I feel the same.]
[Probably from Argenti's first appearance—when he soloed that whatever bug and walked away unscathed.]
[True. He turned a hopeless situation around.]
——
Yunli put her hands on her hips. "From the day it was forged, this sword has already fallen into the demonic path. Now, place the sword before me so I can shatter it!"
"Knight, do as she says." A voice echoed around them.
"But..."
"You have already done so much for me. Now it is time for me to face her alone."
Argenti sighed softly and drew the ancient, battle-scarred sword. Before everyone's eyes, the sword slowly rose, flames seeming to dance along its edge.
An ancient sword hovered in the air—Guyun revealed itself before the crowd.
It spoke in human words. "Everyone, I am tired of fighting. I only wish to tell you my past—to explain why I want to escape.
After this, my fate will be in your hands. Little girl, are you afraid to witness my past?"
"Afraid? You do have a different aura from other demonic swords, but this is just using curiosity to tempt me."
"Then you know best—mere contact will not rob anyone of their reason."
Stelle came up behind Yunli and cautioned, "Yunli, be extremely careful."
Yunli glanced back and nodded. "Fine. Let me see."
She walked alone to Guyun. The moment her hand touched the hilt, the scene before her changed abruptly.
——
The screen went black.
A stranger's voice rang out.
"We've... lost contact with the main Cloud Knight force. From here on, it will be a long and lonely battle."
Light returned to the frame—Yunli now stood on a desolate ice field.
Guyun waited ahead. "Follow me."
Yunli glanced around. "This is... your memory?"
Guyun did not reply. It flew toward the distance.
Yunli quickly followed.
Not far away, a Cloud Knight knelt on one knee, holding Guyun. Around him lay several Borisin corpses.
"This is?"
The nameless swordsman trembled all over. "So cold... I didn't feel it during the fight, but now it's freezing to the bone."
He looked at the treasured sword Guyun in his hand. "Truly a masterpiece of the Zhu Ming Xianzhou. If you hadn't taken over my hand earlier, I probably would have been beheaded in that battle..."
"Silence. Stay vigilant! The Borisin wolf soldiers' hunt never ends." Guyun warned at the swordsman's overly optimistic attitude.
The swordsman smiled. "Don't be so serious. Let's chat a bit. It's been nearly three hundred planetary rotations since we were stranded on this world. The transmitter never once responded—looks like contacting the main force is hopeless.
The natives here still use beast-drawn carts. Asking them to repair a starship is obviously impossible.
The rest of our lives are locked on this planet."
"The rest of your lives? You Xianzhou people's 'rest of life' is awfully long." Guyun's tone was slightly teasing. "Feeling despair yet? Alone, facing a world full of hostility."
The swordsman sighed. "A little."