6 Chapter6-The Pursuit of the Level 1 Protagonist
The system indicated that the distance between him and the antagonist had exceeded 120KM, which should mean he was safe.
But why were the antagonist's minions drawing closer?
Puzzled, Little Robert quickly spoke up: "Aunt Marry, something doesn't feel right. It seems like something is approaching. Can we have the Holy Army uncles investigate?"
Upon hearing this, Marry, the organist and nun who was riding with Little Robert, immediately maneuvered her white steed closer to the horses ridden by the Holy Army knights behind her and conveyed Little Robert's concerns to them.
Soon, one of the Holy Army knights rode towards the back.
After a short while, he returned with news.
Then, Braun, the captain of the Holy Army's cavalry and the Holy Sword Knight Squad, addressed Sister Marry: "It seems there is a glint of golden light approaching from afar. It's likely a member of the paladins."
Upon hearing this, Little Robert was momentarily stunned, then a wave of dread washed over him.
A paladin?!
He remembered something and felt bewildered.
The original owner of the body he had transmigrated into had a father who was a paladin.
However, his father died after being corrupted by the demonic mist of the abyss while on an expedition.
His pregnant mother, having come into contact with his father's body, was also contaminated with a dark aura.
This led to them being expelled from Beaconburg by the paladins.
Afterwards, due to a series of unfortunate events, his mother, while imprisoned in the Holy Academy, managed to escape.
Tragically, she was brutally violated and murdered by bandits in the woods.
If not for the timely arrival of the Holy Army, Little Robert himself would have been smashed to death on the rocks.
The bandits were later captured and executed.
However, from the moment of his mother's death, Robert harbored a deep resentment towards the paladins.
It was more than just hostility; it was a profound questioning and incomprehension.
He couldn't understand why he had to go through all this.
Little Robert was supposed to become the "Holy Child" with the help of his necklace's extraordinary powers.
He might even have become a legendary paladin hero, like the once great leader of the paladins and king of Riverside, the precursor to the Eternal Empire of the twelve ancient countries, King Alan.
He was meant to inherit, perhaps even surpass, his father's glory.
But why did the paladins of Beaconburg treat him and his mother this way?
Merely because of contamination by demonic mist, merely for defying Beaconburg's decrees, were they to be expelled?
Even if his mother's escape led to the tragedy, Little Robert didn't see it that way.
He blamed the paladins.
And these memories were also inherited by the transmigrated soul within him.
Despite his grievances with the paladins, Little Robert didn't consider them his greatest future enemies.
He had never thought of them as his archenemies or antagonists.
After all, the paladins were indeed striving to protect the Human World.
However, over thousands of years, as the demon race armies of the Demon World had not re-emerged from the abyss, the paladins of Beaconburg had become a synonym for extremism, oddity, and eccentricity in the eyes of some, especially among the higher echelons of various kingdoms and the clergy.
So, why were the paladins pursuing him now?
Why did their approach bring a sense of danger? Little Robert was puzzled.
Then a thought struck him, sending a shiver down his spine.
Could it be that one of the Beaconburg paladins was the antagonist? If that were true, what should he do?
Little Robert felt lost. The paladins were extremely powerful.
Although he did not know how many paladins were in pursuit, the Holy Army knights of the Stin Empire behind him, elite among elites in the Stin Empire, would stand no chance in a one-on-one confrontation with a paladin.
In terms of personal strength and equipment, the Beaconburg paladins were overwhelmingly superior to the Holy Army.
Even in terms of combat experience, the paladins, with their expeditions into the Abyss of the Demon World and encounters with various monsters, certainly had a richer background than the Holy Army.
Furthermore, the mere physical constitution of the paladins, radiating an aura of light, could mesmerize the Holy Army cavalry.
Even though the Holy Army knights had the divine protection of the church, granting them some resistance to the charm of the paladins, the legends of the paladins, especially of the ancient Paladin King, King Alan, were too deeply ingrained in people's hearts.
Therefore, if the number of paladins approaching was close to that of the Holy Army knights escorting him, then Little Robert might truly be unable to escape today.
Lost in thought, Little Robert was suddenly alerted by the sound from the necklace around his neck.
He realized that he was about to be caught up by this pursuer.
At this very moment, a paladin under the command of Beaconburg's Holy Army leader, Vina, was in pursuit.
Elizabeth, riding a "Horse of Light," was swiftly closing in on the Holy Army.
This steed, formed from condensed light energy, could outpace any fleet horse.
This was one of the unique abilities of a paladin: to solidify light into a tangible form, be it a vehicle or a weapon.
In no time, Elizabeth had caught up with Little Robert, the prospective Holy Child of the Stin Empire, and the other Holy Army knights.
Seeing the newcomer, Little Robert was initially surprised, but his face soon showed a trace of relief.
The person who had arrived was alone.
Even if she was a renowned paladin, how could a single person hope to annihilate their entire group?
This was the thought that crossed Little Robert's mind.
However, what if the paladin demanded his surrender?
After all, though the paladins currently didn't belong to any nation on the continent, they held considerable authority.
Most countries, without a force to counter the paladins, wouldn't risk antagonizing them.
Even if it was just one paladin who had arrived?
Unexpectedly, Elizabeth, from afar, materialized a massive light hammer in her hands and, riding her Horse of Light, charged directly towards Little Robert.
Seeing this, Little Robert pondered whether he should crush his necklace early and merge with his negative persona.
An early fusion would grant him immediate power, but at the cost of significantly limiting his potential.
He would lose his radiance and might even fall under demonic control.
At this moment, Little Robert looked towards Aunt Marry, who was embracing him on horseback.
Seeing his gaze, Sister Marry immediately commanded, "Protect the Holy Child!"
Upon her command, the Holy Army knights charged towards Paladin Elizabeth.
However, in an instant, Elizabeth, with her light hammer raised high, struck the ground, sending the nearby Holy Army knights scattering!
Little Robert was stunned. He had some understanding of the paladins' strength, as they were one of the organizations he, as a protagonist, sought to take revenge upon.
While his initial intention might not have been to completely annihilate or abolish the paladins, he at least aimed to severely punish those decision-makers responsible for his mother's forced pregnancy and subsequent exile.
He knew that among these paladins, those of the lord-tier could be compared to human lords.
However, ordinary paladins, though stronger than the elite human warriors of the twelve kingdoms, were not at the lord-tier level.
Defeating ten enemies single-handedly was one thing, but to suppress ten Holy Army knights with a single strike was unheard of and unseen before!
"Is this... a Holy Army General?"
Little Robert exclaimed in shock.
He contemplated whether he should break his necklace now and merge with his negative form to elevate his strength to a formidable level.
This would temporarily grant him power comparable to a half-step lord-tier.
In this world, the hierarchy of strength was generally classified as: Soldier-tier, Elite-tier, General-tier, Lord-tier, King-tier, Deity-tier.
Each tier was further divided into one to five stars.
