Chapter 229: New Life (I)

"Anthony, don't be stunned. This is your first time to meet His Majesty. You must seize this rare opportunity and leave a good impression on him."

"Ah, excuse me, Lord Freed."

The young man called "Anthony" looked a little panicked and hurried to catch up with the team.

He looked to be about fourteen or fifteen years old, with a pretty face and a slightly thin figure in plain clothes.

Just now, Anthony was looking up at the magnificent gate of the palace that was dozens of meters high. He did not come back to his senses until Fred reminded him personally.

"No matter what, remember the etiquette I taught you."

His tone paused.

"Also, His Majesty admires the brave, so don't faint in the hall."

Fried's eyes were clearly directed at Anthony, causing cold sweat to break out on his forehead.

Anthony nodded quickly in response, and then walked silently on the road. He couldn't suppress his inner anticipation and nervousness, and his heart was pounding.

The distance from the palace gate to the main hall is a full kilometer. This distance is just a trivial punishment in training, but Anthony feels that it is so long that it will never end. He can't help but think back to his past tragic experiences, all the way to his experience after joining the "Dragon Oath Hall".

From a dark, narrow, filthy and mottled basement to the magnificent palace today.

The giant dragon carving on the door is lifelike and full of majesty, as if it is scrutinizing all who come.

It opened slowly with a heavy sound.

"It's unbelievable."

Anthony couldn't help but think so.

The flying dragons guarding the stone pillars on both sides of the road raised their heads and let out loud roars, which made him even more uneasy about the upcoming audience with His Majesty the King.

After all, this magnificent palace was beyond the imagination of Anthony, who was born in poverty. And what kind of power would the legendary "Purgatory Scourge", "King of Burning Embers", and the Dragon Lord who destroyed tens of thousands of troops alone have? Although he had watched from afar, he had never been so close to him, let alone met him.

The remaining eleven young men were about the same age, and their young faces revealed tension and shock that were difficult to conceal - including Anthony, the twelve people in total were the first batch of "Dragon Oath Paladin" candidates selected by Fried.

Most of them are young men with clean backgrounds who have received the grace of the kingdom. After many selections and hard training, they will be brought to the Red Dragon to receive the gift. As a former Black Lion Knight, Fried is very good at this kind of work.

Walking on the broad road, Fried turned around and whispered:

"what"

The difference between the two was so great that Anthony almost suspected that he was having a magnificent dream, but he knew in his heart that he could not imagine such a scene.

Anthony's father was an ordinary farmer, or more precisely a "serf" bound to the manor, one of the hundreds of serfs under the rule of Baron Soli.

His father was lucky enough to find a wife, so he was born in a stable. Anthony originally had no name, but was called "wheat grain".

According to the normal life trajectory, he would become a lowly serf, spending his life in exhaustion and hunger, just like his grandfather who died of starvation in his thirties. However, as Anthony grew up, the housekeeper who managed the manor was surprised to find that he was not as withered, hungry, and disgusting as the ordinary "gray animals", but showed a pretty handsome appearance.

So the housekeeper bought him from his father for three bags of soybeans.

According to the housekeeper, Anthony was going to "go to the city to enjoy the good life with the noble lord." Perhaps it was for the precious food, perhaps he really wanted his son to live a good life, or perhaps there was no room for refusal, the father gladly accepted it, and he was only eight years old at that time.

The butler took him to the prosperous North Wind Castle in a carriage and to the magnificent Baron's mansion.

Young Anthony didn't understand what all this meant.

So, the nightmare began.

Baron Soli treated Anthony cordially and then took him to the basement, where it was dark everywhere.

This is the moment it starts.

The baron finally tore off his gentle aristocratic mask and revealed his devilish nature.

Anthony was imprisoned in a dark and damp basement, begging the guards of the Baron's Mansion to throw him leftovers every day. He always hoped to regain his freedom and escape from this hellish and painful situation, but it never happened.

He often hoped that the "god" in the manor church could save him, but there was never any response. It made sense that a god who could protect a devil like Baron Soli would never respond to the pleas of a victim like him.
Baron Soli often wore a neat white robe and had pleasant conversations with the priests of the church, but the gods never blamed him.

This situation lasted from the age of eight to thirteen.

Gradually, Anthony became numb and even accustomed to this kind of life.

Until that day - the earth shook violently, and even he could hear the sound of gunfire in the basement.

Finally, he was rescued from the basement by the Tieflings of the Burning Kingdom. In Anthony's eyes, although these Tieflings looked like devils, they were far better than the baron who looked gentle but had a devil in his heart.

When he saw the sunlight again for the first time in five years, he was no longer used to it and had to block the glaring sunlight with his hands, but the scene between his fingers was unforgettable for him - the huge red dragon stood on the city wall, spreading its wide wings as if to cover the sky.

The giant dragon raised its head slightly and let out a loud roar that resounded through the sky. This sound was like the death knell of the old order and the beginning of a new order.

That scene was deeply engraved in his mind, like a miracle.

Let him be reborn.

Later, he, who had no status in the city, was personally selected by Fried of the Dragon Oath Hall to become a substitute Dragon Oath Paladin. Fried also named him "Anthony", which means "brave one".

Fried simply told them bluntly that the great red dragon had changed their destiny, and there was no place for them in the old order of the northern nobles. The only choice was to join the new order of the Burning Kingdom, gain the power of the dragon oath, and become part of the great blueprint.

Anthony, who ate white bread for the first time in his life, tried hard to swallow the food in his mouth, with determination in his eyes.

So, he went through arduous training, passed many rigorous selections, and finally came to the palace, about to become a Dragon Oath Holy Knight with supreme glory and great power.

(End of this chapter)