Alfonso walked alone to the mountaintop, only to be greeted by lingering smoke and dust and utter silence.

When he reached a point only 300 meters from the enemy's defensive line, he heard chaotic footsteps and voices coming from the enemy camp.

An elderly man with white hair and beard, wearing a set of spotless armor, struggled to walk out of the trench with the help of soldiers.

Several church knights climbed out of the trenches, wanting to follow the old man and escort him down the mountain.

The old man turned around and scolded them a few times. The church knights knelt on one knee and dared not move an inch.

As he watched the old man approaching from the mountain, Alfonso took a deep breath and unconsciously clasped his hands together.

When the old man approached, Alfonso took off his helmet and respectfully gave him a knightly salute.

Finding a clean spot on the ground, the old man sat down with difficulty, rubbing his back with his hands while looking at the twisted and stretching parasitic limbs inside Alfonso's armor. He said in a somewhat mocking tone, "Look at yourself, you're no different from those demons in the murals."

After a pause, the old man said self-pityingly, "In that case, it seems there's no reason to accuse you of using the firearms of the Southern heretics."

Alfonso straightened his back: "As a knight, what kind of weapon you use or what kind of armor you wear is not important. What is important is whether your actions uphold justice and whether you keep your knightly oath."

The old man was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "That sounds interesting."

Alfonso pulled a letter from his pocket: "Lord Bromo Hesmond, this is a letter from my superior, Lord Cumberland, that I am to deliver to you."

Bromo didn't rush to retrieve the letter, but instead asked, "Why are you here today? Why didn't I see that stubborn donkey?"

Alfonso replied, "Lord Cumberland has remained in command since the start of the battle yesterday, reading and analyzing the combat reports submitted by each unit."

"After comparison and investigation, we found that most of the soldiers remaining at the Papal States military outposts were infantry, while the main cavalry of the three major church knightly orders were nowhere to be seen."

"Lord Cumberland suspects that you must have kept a contingency plan in mind when you formulated the battle plan. These fortifications built in the forest are merely a smokescreen, while the real main force must be your cavalry regiment. After all..."

Bromo continued Alfonso's words softly, "Offense is the best defense. Always remember to keep the initiative in your own hands."

The old man closed his eyes and laughed self-deprecatingly: "Not bad, it's rare that you still remember what I taught you."

Alfonso handed the letter to Bromo again, emphasizing, "Sir, please read this letter."

Bromo took the letter, glanced at it briefly, and then set it aside, asking with amusement, "Persuade him to surrender? Is that stubborn mule serious?"

Alfonso nodded and said, "Lord Cumberland very much hopes that you can come to Twilight City, at least as a visitor, to see what the real Kingdom of Heaven looks like."

“You’re not a good persuader.” Bromo rubbed his stiff knees. “During your time at the academy, my assessment of you was that you were too upright and inflexible…”

Alfonso said firmly, "My lord, what I said is true. If you don't believe me, just go to Twilight City and touch the Pilgrimage Stone, and the facts will prove everything..."

Bromo reached out to interrupt Alfonso: "No need to say anything more."

"Do you think I'm lying?"

"You can't learn to lie, just like that stubborn donkey, you'll never learn to be humble..."

"Then why don't you want to go to Muxi..."

Bromo suddenly laughed.

The old man pointed to the black dragon badge on Alfonso's chest and asked, "That dragon god... Todd Fischer, do you believe in him?"

Alfonso nodded: "I've followed him all the way, and no one knows him better than I do."

Bromo said with relief, "That's good. As a knight, the most painful thing is to question the path you have chosen."

"As I have said in class before, the honor of a knight is not just a few simple words of wisdom; it must be based on pure pursuit and ideals."

“For example, seeking a wise lord who can quell the chaos, or serving a benevolent and loving god,” Bromo said with a smile. “Knights are not henchmen of dictators, nor accomplices of ambitious men.”

“Back then, among the many students, you and that stubborn donkey were both people I didn’t think highly of. You were too bound by dogma, while Cumberland disregarded worldly justice. I worried that you would cling to the code of chivalry without understanding its true meaning; I also worried that Cumberland would become addicted to fighting and intrigue, and completely forget his original aspirations.”

Bromer stroked his gray, curly beard and said slowly, "Fortunately, you have all found the goal you have been pursuing all your lives."

Alfonso stepped forward and asked in a deep voice, "Do you still believe in the Church now?"

"Believe those idiots who hide in churches and clamor for divine authority every day?" Bromo shook his head. "I am old, but I am not senile."

"Then why did you agree to the church's request to send troops? Why did you help them persecute Protestant believers? Why won't you come back to Muxi City with me to see the real Kingdom of Heaven?"

Bromer sighed softly: "Because there is a god within me. You may call him Father or God as you wish. To me, he is the driving force of my life and the reliance that cleanses my soul."

Alfonso's face showed a look of incomprehension and confusion: "My lord, I don't understand. Once you go to Twilight City and see Heaven, you will naturally understand that the other gods are all illusions..."

"The older a person gets, the more afraid they become of change. When you're already on your deathbed, if someone tells you that what you've believed in your whole life might be a hoax, all you can do is vehemently deny it and hypnotize yourself."

Bromer slowed his speech: "It's like a craftsman who has spent his whole life sculpting a statue of a god. Suddenly someone tells him that the god doesn't look like that at all. But in the craftsman's mind, the god's appearance is no longer important."

Bromer picked up Cumberland's letter, put it in his pocket, and said to Alfonso, who was still lost in thought, "Go back and tell that stubborn mule to never forget what I said in the last class at the Knight Academy. A knight's honor is never about victory on the battlefield, nor about the insincere affirmation and praise of those in power, but about whether everything you do can bring your soul final peace."

Bromo forced himself to his feet and stood up unsteadily, then walked towards the mountaintop without looking back.