The Paladin in the Abyss

"Alright," Lancelot nodded in agreement. The other party claimed they were going to explain the situation to the generals, but more likely, they wanted to keep an eye on him and his companions. He could understand that; after all, Elothysia was a Succubus Paladin, and it was impossible to gain complete trust from a few words alone. If he were in their shoes, he wouldn't feel at ease allowing two children to follow a group of such strange outsiders either.

"Yay!" Dong Quan and Lilu let out a cheer, about to run into the depths of the forest, but then, suddenly remembering something, they looked at the captain of the red flame angels with eyes full of anticipation, as if waiting for some kind of permission.

"You know the rules," Colin stated sternly, "The Holy Forest does not allow outsiders to enter... especially you little devils!" Read exclusive adventures at My Virtual Library Empire

"Wuwuwu…" The two little ones pouted and, under the surprised gazes of the other Airas, fluttered their wings and flew back onto Elothysia's warhorse.

Lancelot noticed that Dong Quan was sitting at the very front, followed by Lilu, with the Succubus Paladin behind. He quietly smirked; it seemed the rumors were true. The treaty that bound these Aira children to this plane made it so they could not grow up, with their minds also remaining eternally child-like.

"I am very sorry, but indeed, only members of the Protectors are allowed to enter the Holy Forest," the short-haired red flame angel explained to Lancelot, "You'll need to take a slight detour, but I guarantee it's less than a quarter of the distance longer. You all have mounts..."

It was at this point that he noticed what Lancelot and Kalalin's 'horses' looked like. Though these horses bore similar flame-like 'hair' to his own, it clearly indicated one fact: They were Nightmares, creatures that typically served only the most powerful beings of evil, such as Demon Lords, Archduke Demons, Death Knights, or Undead Liches.

"Uh, we got them through the summoning mounts spell, mostly related to the plane we were on when casting the spell..." Lancelot explained somewhat awkwardly, "These guys were indeed very aggressive at first, but after I gave them a good beating, they became much more docile..."

Lancelot's voice trailed off unconsciously. From the other's gaze, although he had no such intention, the likelihood of becoming a Protector himself had now diminished to the point of being negligible.

"Well... if they can be half as fast as our flying speed, then you should reach the Gift of Aidoton by sunset. There you can rest for the night and proceed to Melanthan the next day."

"Fly?" Bruto raised an eyebrow, "But you folks don't seem to have..."

The Dwarf's words were cut short as the hair of several red flame angels suddenly ignited, as if alive, and then their whole bodies burst into flames. After a blinding flash of light as brilliant as sunrise, a towering pillar of fiery whirlwind, more than eight feet tall and resembling a mini tornado, formed in their place.

"Not only those with wings can fly," Colin smirked at the Dwarf, then turned to Elothysia, "Please proceed, kind Succubus Paladin. I hope that in the future we may have the opportunity to fight side by side."

"I, too, look forward to that day," Elothysia nodded, then turned to Lancelot, "Shall we depart?"

The Human Knight slung Frostslash back onto his back, and the others also returned to their respective mounts. The Dwarf abandoned the Elf he had just been riding with and clambered onto the rear of one of Lancelot's menacing Nightmares.

Colin took one more look at Dong Quan and Lilu, who sat in front of Elothysia, then turned to a nearby flame pillar and gestured. The pillar of fire immediately rose into the air, then flew to Lancelot and the others' left, signaling everyone to follow.

"So, farewell, Captain Colin," Lancelot said, performing a standard Knight's salute. He then turned his steed around, following the leading flame pillar like a fiery whirlwind, riding south along the edge of the forest.

Besides the leading Aira, there were two flame pillars on each side of the group, which maintained a distance that wouldn't cause misunderstanding but clearly demonstrated vigilance.

The group quickly picked up speed, as the flat grassland was perfect for the horses to run, but those on the ground could never match the speed of those flying above. The Angels in their pillar of flame form flew like fluttering banners in the wind, and no matter how fast Lancelot and his company ran, the Airas easily kept pace, occasionally changing formation and swapping positions.

Among all the mounts, the Nightmares of Lancelot and Kalalin had the strongest endurance, holding their breath as they tried to compete with the Airas. However, the Succubus Paladin's heavy armored warhorse was made for short sprints, not long journeys, and began to snort heavily as they continued.

As a former leader of the Knight's order, Lancelot immediately noticed the condition of the Succubus's mount. Warhorses are creatures with a great tolerance for pain; if their masters require it, they can keep galloping until they completely burn out their lives, and those unfamiliar with horses might not even notice anything amiss.

But this was not a time of urgency, and there was no real point in winning a speed contest against the Angels of red flame. Though the demon steed underneath him seemed a bit unconvinced, Lancelot still tightened the reins, slowing down to a more appropriate pace.

Long journeys are often boring, especially in relatively safe environments where goblins or were-beasts won't suddenly jump out to entertain them along the roadside. But this time, it was slightly different—two curious Aira children had a whole host of questions pent up, and Lancelot was a master storyteller. The mere tale of the rescue of the Gray Dwarves mine team had the children screaming with excitement, incessantly asking, "And then what?"

But to be honest, his favorite story was the one about Oasis Fort. However, since it contained some adult content, it was better left untold.

After all, with several large flame pillars that looked like parents flying nearby, he didn't want to be seen as the villain corrupting the purity of the children.

The sun of Androlina was vibrant and energetic, radiating bright and scorching rays throughout the afternoon. But as it neared the horizon, it resembled the perpetual red sun hanging over the Plains of the Abyss. In the afterglow of the sunset, a beautiful small town came into view, their destination for the day—Addleton's Blessing.

The town featured a variety of architectural styles: treehouses built on large trees, stonework and wooden plank houses, but most were simple huts made of sticks and thatch, clearly intended for inhabitants of about the same height as Dwarves.

Wisps of smoke drifted from the chimneys of these houses, while some villagers were cooking something like vegetable soup in large pots right in front of their homes. It wasn't long before some people noticed Lancelot and his group, and a pair of Guards quickly approached them.