Losa and Urding walked side by side in the narrow and eerie corridor.

The iron lamp holder's candle flame, left only the lowest piece of cotton, inserted in the remains where wax tears piled up.

After notifying with the servant in advance and getting a summon, Losa, accompanied by Urding, stepped into the palace that most Jerusalem nobles regarded as the King's waiting ground for death.

The room still burned with incense, but it could hardly conceal the faint rotten odor.

Seated at the desk, Baldwin IV looked surprisingly good in spirits, pressing his seal forcefully onto the wax dripping on the paper.

"You've arrived."

He raised his hand, invited Losa to sit down, and handed him the paper.

Losa was slightly surprised: "Appoint Hans von Sego as Commander?"

Baldwin IV smiled: "He manages the affairs of the Knight Order well, yet you still only awarded him the honor of Standard Bearer, which is unreasonable."

"Or is it because Knight Hans was once your attendant, you think this appointment would make people feel that you are favoring your own?"

Losa paused: "This..."

"True, Your Majesty. I hope everyone sees me as a fair Grand Master who does not hesitate to promote talent rather than seeking personal gain for my own subordinates."

"Baron Losa, your thoughts are right, but your actions are problematic. If even your close confidants do not receive fair treatment, on what basis do you expect others to believe you are a fair Grand Master?"

"This..."

Losa intended to argue a few points but lost the mood to argue when facing the wise eyes beneath the other's mask.

"I understand."

Others would not comprehend the closeness he shared with Hans nor understand that Hans did not value these things.

From their perspective, evidently, he had neglected this talented, diligent knight who had followed him for long.

Baldwin IV spread his hands, signaling Losa and Urding beside him to sit down, smiling as he said: "This must be the newly appointed Parish Priest of your territory, Mr. Urding, correct?"

Urding ceremoniously greeted: "Your Majesty, it is an honor to be granted an audience with you."

He assessed the legendary monarch who had left a prominent mark on the historical Levant Region.

His expression slightly changed, seeing Baldwin IV's life flame flicker like a candle in the wind.

Losa spoke: "Your Majesty, Urding is a Divine Favored, he is not a Wizard but possesses Holy Power from the Heavenly Father, this power can slowly heal all diseases—thus, I hope you would let Urding try."

He told a benevolent lie without revealing that Urding could not cure leprosy.

But it was scarcely a lie; as long as Urding could help extend Baldwin IV's life, sooner or later, Losa would find a way to save his life.

"Divine Favored?"

Baldwin IV frowned: "Father Urding, if you wish to receive donations, I can give you ten Large Gold Coins now, as for treatment, it's unnecessary."

Even the Witch could not cure leprosy, long despair made Baldwin IV calm, accepting his doomed fate to die from the disease entirely.

To him, death had become a relief.

"Your Majesty, please trust me."

Seeing Losa's resolute expression made Baldwin IV sigh.

He held no hope, simply said: "Losa, I appreciate your concern for my health; as your Patron and Feudal Lord, I value our monarch-subject bond, hence, I agree to receive treatment from the person you brought, but let this be the last time."

"Just wait and see."

Losa looked at Urding, stating: "You may begin now."

Urding nodded slightly: "Your Majesty, please take a seat. Next, I will preach to you, during this process, Holy Light will illuminate you—but this is not the Divine Favored mentioned by Lord Baron, merely an insignificant divine revelation, during this process, please refrain from moving."

Baldwin IV glanced at Losa with some helplessness: "Ha, just to make you give up, I will cooperate."

In a daze, Losa felt a sense of an elder brother patiently playing with a younger brother.

This monarch-subject bond indeed felt weighty.

Urding further said: "Lord Baron, the healing process is going to be lengthy, after all, Your Majesty's disease has lasted for years, please leave the room during this time."

Baldwin IV looked at Losa, his eyes showing a hint of inquiry.

Losa nodded, stating: "Your Majesty, to speak frankly, Father Urding is my most trusted confidant, only arrived in Jerusalem today, if you trust me, please also trust him."

"Alright."

Losa placed a book on the table.

"What's this?"

"Your Majesty, you are a lover of books, I happened to write a storybook, if the treatment is effective, please consider it as a gift celebrating your regained health."

Baldwin IV paused, nodded: "Alright, leave it there."

He didn't know why he unconditionally trusted Losa so much, he never considered letting a newcomer stay alone in the room with him, which to a monarch, was extremely dangerous.

Before leaving.

Losa added: "Your Majesty, please summon your personal servant in advance, tell him, otherwise I worry during the treatment process, Urding might suffer from a misunderstanding disaster."

Baldwin IV nodded: "I will inform Abraham."

...

Ulm and his Winged Cavalry colleagues enjoyed "patrolling," which other Royal Knights deemed dull and tedious work.

As they rode mighty warhorses through the streets, he could always feel the envious and respectful gazes cast upon him.

This was an unprecedented experience for former rural farmer soldiers.

Although wearing a cloak made them look bulky and enduring the scorching sun for too long was unbearably hot.

But the Winged Cavalry still prized their armor and mounts, spending considerable time tending to them every day.

This honor was enough for them to cherish throughout their lives.

"Have you found out clearly?"

"It's definitely them!"

"We faced them that night, although it was too late to see clearly, there's no one else among the Heretic gathering who is distinctively featured like them."

"You go back to report, the rest of you, keep an eye on them, don't attack rashly until the Lord arrives."

"Ulm, they're only about a dozen, a single charge is enough to wipe them all out."

Others also looked at Ulm eagerly.

Someone muttered: "I know feudal lords who cherish their subordinates' lives are rare, but we're Winged Cavalry, brave and fearless Winged Cavalry, how could we not dare to confront such a small group of Heretics?"

"Exactly, how else can we safeguard the Holy Land and the Lord's safety?"

Ulm looked around at everyone, swallowed, and solemnly stated:

"Don't dwell on personal gains. As you said—we are Winged Cavalry, not those pretentious Lord Knights; for us, following every order from the Lord is the highest honor."

Ulm knew his companions were all holding back a belly full of fire.

Many Lord Knights, even Squire Cavalry of the Royal Knight Order, often mocked them as merely ceremonial, never having achieved impressive merit nor possessing much combat experience.

But wholeheartedly adhering to Losa's command had been ingrained into Ulm's very being.

In fact, the reason Losa issued such orders wasn't entirely due to concern for the safety of his Winged Cavalry.

Chicks must undergo tempering.

But Losa believed these Turkic individuals, since they plot after werewolf corpses, they likely held some form of Extraordinary Power, not something worldly armies could handle easily.

Tempering isn't sending them to their deaths; Winged Cavalry is far more useful on the battlefield than in small-scale skirmishes.

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