Chapter 476: The White Knight Battle Armor

There were countless problems to solve—crises big and small, near and far—one after another. Some came from cultists, some from within Ansu itself, others from neighboring countries, some from the wastelands, and a few… even now remained shrouded in layers of historical fog. Not even the sea witches could say when or how they might resurface.

But problems had to be tackled one by one, from the closest and smallest to the most distant and daunting.

At this stage, the most urgent task was still to solidify their own foundation and root out the unstable elements within the Kingdom of Cecile.

The first batch of propaganda materials—designed to promote the new Holy Light doctrine and correct past misconceptions—had just finished printing. A sample was placed on Gawain’s desk. Bathed in the gentle afternoon sunlight, Gawain leaned back in his large, comfortable chair, holding the pamphlet and savoring this rare moment of relative calm.

The only other presence in the room was Amber, who had fallen into a deep sleep. The half-elf had dragged a chair to the windowsill, initially just to bask in the sun, but within minutes she was snoring softly, her head resting on the sill like a well-fed cat dozing in the warmth. A small trail of drool had dribbled down the window ledge.

A master of shadows, yet she loved sunbathing—and whenever she did, she’d get drowsy and completely let her guard down. Did the shadow goddess she so devoutly worship know how embarrassing her follower was?

Gawain shook his head, diverting his gaze from Amber and returning to the pamphlet.

This wasn’t a dense religious tome, nor a lengthy sermon. It was a simple booklet, written by Leight based on his missionary experience, using the most straightforward language. Just a few thin pages laid out the basic operations of the Northern Church, the truth behind indulgences and heresy trials, and the fact that clergy controlled the interpretation of scripture to manipulate believers. At the same time, it introduced the establishment and core concepts of the Southern New Church.

The material was as plain and unadorned as possible, written entirely in everyday language. To ensure even those with limited education could understand, the vocabulary didn’t exceed the 800 most common words. It felt like a simple farmer sitting across from you, telling you what he’d seen and heard in his own humble words. To any professional cleric or scholar, this would seem trivial, even contemptible—but this was exactly what Gawain wanted.

He wanted something simple, heartfelt, and relatable—something that felt like a firsthand account.

Gawain set the booklet down, knowing that soon tens of thousands of copies would be packed and shipped from the printing house, sent to every corner of the southern territories. Many would be distributed around Luan City and gradually infiltrate the city itself. For the Holy Light Church still entrenched there, this would be a weapon far more dangerous than guns—and clergy of this era had no experience dealing with such a weapon.

Just then, a loud buzzing suddenly erupted from the maginet communicator on his desk, breaking his train of thought.

Amber, still sprawled on the windowsill, jolted awake. The embarrassed half-elf let out a startled “Ah!” before leaping out the window. A moment later, a loud crash and a chorus of surprised shouts came from outside.

Gawain calmly stood, closed the window, locked it from the inside, and then activated the communicator.

Rebecca’s hologram appeared: “Ancestor! The prototype of the White Knight battle armor is complete!”

Gawain was surprised. “That fast?”

“Well, we had experience with magitech armor, and Mr. Egg helped out,” Rebecca giggled, scratching her head. “We just added a reverse conversion array—nothing too complicated.”

Gawain smiled with satisfaction. “Good. I’m coming over. Wait for me at the research lab.”

He shut off the communicator. At that moment, another loud bang came from outside. Turning his head, he saw Amber had slammed hard against the window and was sliding down.

Before she could fall completely, Gawain opened the window and grabbed her by the collar, pulling her inside without a word. Then he headed out: “You’re coming with me to the Magitech Research Institute.”

Amber flailed like a cornered cat, protesting loudly: “Hey! You don’t get it—I still have to come back! And why did you lock the door? I don’t want to go to some research lab… Hey, put me down! I can walk myself!”

Gawain carried her along without responding. The servants and guards along the way were used to this scene and greeted their lord and intelligence chief with casual nods. It was common to see the lord out with his bodyguard—sometimes leading, sometimes carrying—but it was all the same.

Soon, Gawain arrived at the fruits of Rebecca and the team’s hard work.

In Lab No. 2 of the Magitech Research Institute, a formidable, heavy-looking full suit of armor stood silently on a circular platform in the center of the room. Rebecca, Kamail, Leight, and Nicholas Egg waited around it. Several technicians were performing final checks on the armor and the runes etched around the platform. When they saw Gawain enter, they paused their work and respectfully saluted.

After returning the salute, Gawain’s attention fixed on the striking armor. “This is the armor for the White Knight?”

Indeed, it was a beautiful suit—like the magitech armor, it was unlike any full plate armor common in this era.

The armor was silver-white overall, with a bulkier design than the magitech suit—likely to accommodate more Holy Light rune plates and the reverse conversion array components. The torso was specially designed: on the back was a detachable combat backpack, with faint magical energy shimmering at the seams. The chest plates bulged outward, with faint glimmers between the overlapping plates. At the abdomen was a fist-sized recess holding a translucent crystal of unknown purpose.

On the left chest, near the heart, a pale yellow parchment inscribed with Holy Light doctrine was firmly riveted in place. The hanging parchment softened the cold, futuristic steel look, reminding all that this armor was deeply connected to the Holy Light.

But the most eye-catching feature was the full-cover helmet. Its streamlined, thick steel plates were stamped with passages from the sacred texts. The crystal tactical visor blended seamlessly into the helmet. A pair of golden wing-shaped ornaments extended from the back. Though clearly mass-produced by machine pressing, the helmet’s design added a layer of sacred religious symbolism to the otherwise harsh steel.

The parchment of scripture and the rune-etched, winged helmet would become the White Knight’s signature marks.

Gawain was pleased with the design. It perfectly embodied Cecile’s power and the significance of the Holy Light within their system. But whether it worked well in practice, that was a question for Rebecca.

Before Gawain could ask, Amber—who had been shouting earlier but was now quietly curious—circled the platform twice, then grabbed Rebecca. “Can this really let ordinary people use the Holy Light?”

Rebecca beamed. “After the last trial, we did a series of supplementary tests to ensure safety. This armor is now a practical, usable product…”

She pointed to the armor’s components as she explained to Gawain: “We optimized the previous generation’s combat backpack, reducing the number of charging crystals and improving the backpack’s energy output efficiency. This lets it supply more power to the armor. With ample energy, we integrated many Holy Light spells directly into the armor—basic healing, disease cleansing, blessings—all can be cast through these specially designed vambraces.”

Gawain nodded as he listened. These were the most fundamental Holy Light spells, the first batch to be analyzed and converted. From a practical standpoint, the first-generation White Knights didn’t need to master powerful, hard-to-mass-produce high-level divine magic. Their role as battlefield priests alone would greatly enhance Cecile’s military strength and shake the traditional church’s influence.

When Rebecca finished, Nicholas Egg floated over, his metallic voice resonating: “Based on our magitech armor design experience, we added a more effective cushioning lining inside the White Knight armor to better protect the wearer. On the battlefield, those with healing abilities must be well protected. Also, since the backpack’s output power increased, we added more weight-reducing runes to the lining. This armor will be lighter for the White Knights, allowing them to carry more supplies and equipment…”

“As a defensive supplement,” Kamail added, pointing to the prominent crystal on the armor’s chest, “this crystal has an independent reverse conversion array power source. It can generate a Holy Light shield stronger than the force field shields currently used by Cecile’s soldiers. In emergencies, the shield can cover several meters around the White Knight. Though it lasts only a few minutes, it’s enough to protect nearby allies during intense combat, providing time for healing or retreat.”

Gawain nodded again. Just as he had imagined battlefield priests, the White Knights’ greatest strength would be their healing and protective powers. On the battlefield, a group of priests capable of casting wide-area shields and instant healing and blessing spells would greatly improve soldiers’ survivability and morale. Though Cecile’s battle priests wore armor heavier than even heavy cavalry, their battlefield role was clearly similar to that of priests elsewhere.

Gawain’s thoughts lingered on this until Rebecca brought out a massive two-handed war hammer.

“Now that we’ve covered defense, let’s talk about the White Knight’s weapon!” Miss Roe’s eyes sparkled with excitement as she proudly shook the long-handled war hammer resting on her shoulder. (By the way, how does a mage have so much strength?!) “Mr. Light pointed out that a great cleric must not only have the heart to protect the innocent but also the power to strike down evil. That’s why the White Knight is also a formidable fighter. Take this war hammer, for example—it features a mechanical impact mechanism inspired by a powered baton…”

(Oh my gosh!)

(End of chapter)