I was a knight in the Middle Ages

"Those who block my way will be killed without mercy!"

Alpha's voice was as cold as ice, as if it came from the deepest hell.

Beside him, the armored rhinoceros, which had just awakened and was still somewhat sleepy, let out a deep roar.

Its thick limbs pounded on the bluestone slabs with a heavy rumble, and it charged forward relentlessly toward the five hundred knights who were waiting in battle ahead.

Its massive body, covered in thick scales, resembled a moving mountain, exuding unparalleled brute force and wildness.

"Knight, we'll go with you!"

At this critical moment of life and death, a clear and firm female voice came from the warship.

Alpha turned around and saw six women filing out of the "Wavebreaker" cabin.

They were not knights, but female slaves who had been kept in the Colosseum as playthings by the nobleman Kaskin.

At this moment, they found several sets of half-body armor that were obviously ill-fitting, some of which even needed to be tightly bound with strips of cloth to be secured.

They held heavy spears, the tips of which trembled slightly.

Whether it was from nervousness, excitement, or simply being unable to lift it, there was a resolute flame burning in his eyes.

“Follow me, there are mountains of knives and seas of fire ahead, you might die on the battlefield.” Alpha neither refused nor tried to dissuade him.

He knew that in this dog-eat-dog world, only strength could earn respect.

Alpha needs people, it needs support, even if it's just a few women.

The more people gather, the greater the momentum.

Only then can a snowball effect be created, attracting more ordinary knights who were initially hesitant to join.

"That's still better than being slaughtered and toyed with like pigs and dogs after you leave!" The leading woman stood tall and proud, her voice not loud, but every word was firm and resounding.

She was very lucid, even more so than many men.

She knew that once Alpha and the others failed or left...

Without the knight's protection, these unarmed female slaves would only suffer a fate worse than hell.

"Good!" A hint of approval flashed in Alpha's eyes. "Then charge out with me! Remember, you are knights now, and knights are never slaves!"

At this moment, Alpha no longer cared whether the other party was a real knight or not.

Under this slogan, anyone who pursues freedom and dignity can be a "knight".

"You owe me an explanation." Athena's figure appeared silently beside Alpha, her eyes, which seemed to hold the stars and the sea, looking at him calmly.

Behind her, the powerful Papal Knights also silently joined Alpha's camp.

"Only those who are alive are qualified to hear my explanation." Alpha laughed heartily, full of pride.

Amidst laughter, he drew his Imperial Knight's Longsword, its blade pointing straight ahead.

Instantly, tensions rose between the two sides, and the atmosphere became extremely tense.

Behind Alpha were fewer than thirty knights, including six women in tattered armor, a pitifully small force.

However, these fewer than thirty people were like rocks in a storm.

There was no fear whatsoever; on the contrary, it exuded a chilling sense of determination to die.

"Kill them! Leave no one alive!" Bayezid Chandarle could no longer tolerate this blatant provocation. He felt his family's dignity being torn apart bit by bit, and his roar was like that of a wounded beast.

"Wait!"

At this critical moment, another group of knights galloped in from the periphery of the crowd, led by Aslan.

He arrived with dozens of knights at breakneck speed, blocking the path between the two sides.

"Hmph, a tiny bandit family, trying to wade into this mess?" Bayezid suppressed his anger, but his words were full of undisguised contempt and mockery.

In his eyes, the Barbarossa family, to which Aslan belonged, was nothing more than a group of lowly pirates and bandits on the sea, and could not be compared with his noble Chandarle family.

Aslan's face flushed red instantly, and his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

Although he came from a family of pirates, he was still a nobleman appointed by the empire. When had he ever suffered such humiliation?

This is precisely why the Barbarossa family chose to turn away from the imperial aristocracy and follow the Hashim family instead.

No matter how hard they tried, the core aristocratic circle of the empire always regarded them as outsiders and kept them out.

Although the Hashim family was not a legitimate noble family of the empire, they were the spiritual leaders of this sacred domain.

In this land, the Hashim family's influence was even more effective than the imperial edicts.

Unless the Empire is willing to reignite the war here, the existence of the Hashim family must be respected.

“Bayeset, have you become so forgetful that you’ve forgotten that in this sacred land, it has never been the Chandarle family that holds absolute power?” A calm and authoritative voice rang out.

The crowd parted automatically to make way, and Hashim, accompanied by dozens of deep-featured knights, slowly walked out from the crowd.

His appearance brought a sudden calm to the previously restless atmosphere.

“Hashem,” Bayezid’s expression finally changed, and he had to be careful in his response, “Does your Hashem family also intend to interfere in the Empire’s military affairs?”

He knew very well that the empire had only gained control of this land through an agreement and cooperation with the Hashem family.

Although the Hashem family did not directly wield power, their influence and status as spiritual leaders were enough to make any imperial noble hesitate to act against them.

"The internal strife within the Empire is none of my concern, the Hashim family." Hashim's gaze swept across the room, finally settling on Bayezid.

"However, I remind you, my lords, the foundation of the Empire is the spirit of chivalry, and 'A knight shall never be a slave' is the highest law of the Empire! Are you now going to such lengths to besiege a knight who has rendered meritorious service to the Empire, are you trying to openly defy the will of the Empire and trample on its laws?"

Having said that, Hashim didn't linger at all, and quickly turned and left with his knights, as if he had only come to give a simple reminder.

However, Hashim's final words struck like a hammer blow to the hearts of everyone present: "I am watching you from afar. If 'A knight will never be a slave' is ultimately just a joke, then the very foundation of the empire will begin to rot from within!"

Hashim's warning echoed in everyone's ears for a long time.

At this moment, Bayezid could no longer act as recklessly as before.

He looked around and was horrified to find that, without his knowledge, hundreds of knights had gathered around Alpha.

Most of these people were commoner knights like Alpha.

They were long oppressed by the nobility, their deserved rewards were withheld, and their honors were stripped away.

They can only eke out a living in this unjust world, enduring humiliation and hardship.

Today, Alpha's resistance and Hashim's support have ignited the long-suppressed anger in their hearts.

They were no longer willing to remain silent; they longed to fight!

Their gazes converged, forming a will powerful enough to shake mountains.

Under the strong pressure of this will, the noble knights began to waver.

Although they were well-equipped and numerous, their morale was at rock bottom.

Faced with Alpha's desperate charge and the watchful eyes of hundreds of civilian knights around them, they chose to retreat.

Under Alpha's forceful leadership, the noble knights' ranks slowly and reluctantly retreated to both sides, clearing a path for him to leave the city.

Bayezid could only watch helplessly, his anger almost burning him up.

He gripped the reins tightly, his knuckles white, and finally managed to squeeze out a low growl through clenched teeth: "Listen to me! As soon as they leave the city, intercept and kill them all, leave no one alive!"

Bayezid knew very well that he could no longer lay a hand on Alpha in front of everyone.

Otherwise, even the Chandarle family could not bear the crime of undermining the foundation of the nation.

But once you leave the city and enter the wilderness, anything can happen.

Even if everyone knows that it was Bayezid who did it, without solid evidence, the imperial law can't do anything to him.

This is just like dealing with the "robbery" behavior of the Barbarossa family.

As long as no one sees it with their own eyes, everyone will tacitly turn a blind eye.

The sky above this empire is ultimately a gray expanse woven from power and intrigue.

Alpha led his force of several hundred men and left Haifa in a grand procession.

Although they successfully broke through the blockade and safely left the city, a lingering sense of confusion permeated the eyes of the knights.

Just now at the city gate, they dared to follow Alpha in rebellion against the nobles only because of their passionate spirit.

Now, far from the hustle and bustle of the city, I find myself in the wilderness.

That impulse gradually cooled, replaced by deep anxiety and uncertainty about the future.

They seemed to be starting to hesitate, wondering where they should go after leaving.

On a hillside ten miles outside Haifa, Alfa reined in his troops and ordered them to rest on the spot.

Alpha knew that it was crucial to maintain morale at this moment, otherwise this newly assembled force would soon scatter like birds and beasts.

He dismounted from his horse—no, he should have dismounted from his ox.

Alpha strode up the mountain, facing the howling mountain wind, his piercing gaze sweeping over the tired and confused knights below.

"Listen up, everyone!" Alpha's voice boomed like thunder, instantly piercing the heavy air and drawing everyone's attention.

"Whether you followed me on a whim or seeking a glimmer of hope, remember this well! We are knights! Our creed is—a knight is never a slave! Our glory lies on the battlefield amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood, not in the stables of nobles, wasting our lives in vain!"

Alpha knew that slogans alone were not enough; they needed a clear goal.

One reason enough for them to abandon everything and follow to the end.

This is the art of "deception" that Alpha must employ at this moment; otherwise, it's unlikely to retain many followers along the way.

"Living a life of compromise is never the end for us knights!" Alpha roared, brandishing his fists, trying to ignite the flames in everyone's hearts.

"To achieve glory on the battlefield, to seize everything we deserve with warhorses and lances—that is the destiny of us knights! The freedom, land, and glory we desire can only be won by our own hands, forcibly taken from the hands of fate!"

Alpha paused, letting his words settle in everyone's hearts, before continuing his incitement: "Why do those high and mighty nobles suppress us in every way? Why are they afraid of our rise? Because they are afraid we will take away their share! They are afraid we will seize everything from them! So they suppress and persecute us, plundering and extorting! But can we remain silent? Can we endure it?"

Alpha took a deep breath and decided to play his last and most significant "trump card" in order to completely vindicate himself and to give the team a spiritual totem.

"Remember my name!" Alpha drew his longsword, raised it high, and pointed the tip straight at the sky.

“My name is Ray Hashim! I am not a member of the Hashim family, but this name was bestowed upon me by Lord Hashim himself! He told me that on this land, we must be the masters of our own destiny! We are our own kings!”