WKOC Extra 7

1

Hillier opened his eyes and saw Alvin standing by the mirror, adjusting his collar.

The curtains were still drawn, and in the dim morning light, the outline of the Knight Commander’s back was clear. Alvin stood straight, his shirt hem tucked into his belt, outlining a trim waistline. The subtle movement of his arm highlighted the smooth muscle beneath the fabric. As if sensing eyes on him, Alvin turned slightly, only to see Hillier’s peaceful face buried in the pillow.

Turning back, Alvin softened his movements, smoothing his collar and tying a stray bit of hair into a small knot. With his hectic schedule, his short hair had grown out a bit. Hillier had given him a set of ribbons, but those smooth, silken ties never stayed put, and in just three days, he had lost seven of them. Eventually, Cooper took pity on him and lent him a durable leather string, which finally solved the problem.

Hillier peeked one eye open, watching Alvin, now dressed, move quietly to the window. The Knight Commander parted the curtains slightly, letting the sunlight spill over his face, outlining even the fine hairs on his skin in a soft golden glow, momentarily mesmerizing Hillier.

The next second, the curtain swayed, the room returned to its dimness, and Alvin was gone.

Hillier: “…”

Wait—did he jump out the window again?!

There was a splash outside. Hillier rushed out of bed and went to the window, only to see Alvin standing waist-deep in a lake, wiping the water from his face and staring blankly at the vast surface.

Hillier: “…”

His grip on the window frame trembled as he tried, unsuccessfully, to stifle his laughter.

Hearing the laughter, Alvin looked up, confused, still with a dazed expression and a water-drenched Brilliance tuft that now drooped into a sad little question mark.

A few minutes later, Hillier handed a towel to Alvin, who was standing on the deck dripping wet. The Knight Commander thanked him, drying his head and body, half in confusion, half in mild distress. “There wasn’t a lake here in the camp yesterday…”

“The elves held a vote during last night’s banquet and unanimously decided that just a few treehouses were too plain, so they dug a lake for us overnight,” Hillier replied, laughing as he dug out a fresh change of clothes. “I mentioned it to you when you got back.”

Alvin thought back and recalled Hillier’s reminder last night, but he’d been too busy carrying out the thirty-seventh and thirty-eighth drunken elves from the hall to take much note of it. Completely forgetting about the lake, he’d jumped out of the window without a second thought, helped along by the residual effects of last night’s drinks.

This wasn’t something he usually did. Though their sleep schedules were different, Alvin could usually manage to leave the room without waking Hillier. But the temporary camp made that impossible—the elves, eager to impress, had planted strange flora all around. Some of these plants sang in unison whenever someone passed by, and they were right by the door. To avoid waking Hillier, Alvin had taken to jumping out the window every morning for three days straight—until today, when he plunged headfirst into a lake.

Hillier handed him dry clothes and boots, and they traded places as Alvin went into the room to change while Hillier stood on the deck, looking out over the scenery.

Sunlight danced across the lake, the water’s shimmering ripples interlacing with patterns of dappled light filtering through the leaves. Bright blue and white banners bearing the Church of Light’s insignia fluttered in the breeze, creating a beautiful, painting-like scene.

“The elves were right,” Hillier remarked with a smile. “The camp does look much better today than it did yesterday.”

Newly dressed, Alvin joined him, gazing at the rare natural beauty before them. Though he smiled at the refreshing view, he frowned slightly.

“What’s wrong?” Hillier asked.

“I’m just wondering,” Alvin said, scratching his head, “now that the treehouses are surrounded by a lake, how are we supposed to leave?”

Hillier: “…”

2

Cooper, rubbing his stiff neck, stepped out of the washroom and found Daniel sprawled on the floor, arms and legs splayed out, snoring soundly. Cooper rolled his eyes.

It was the sixth month after the end of the [Glorious War]. Though he’d resumed his duties as Judicator back at the Cathedral, he was temporarily filling in as Vice Commander to accompany Alvin to the Eastern Rift, where they’d sign a three-way agreement with the Dark Church and the Free Alliance to maintain the seal on the demon lord.

Lodging in the camp was limited, so everyone shared rooms in pairs. Ordinarily, the Pope would share with the Holy Son, and the Knight Commander with the Vice Commander. But now that the Pope and the Knight Commander were together, he and Daniel had been assigned to the same room.

At first, Cooper had no opinion on his roommate, but he hadn’t expected Daniel to be such a wild sleeper. Nearly every night, Cooper found himself jolted awake by either Daniel hogging the blanket and sprawling like a bear over most of the bed, or Daniel kicking off the blanket entirely and spreading out, leaving Cooper clinging to the bed’s edge. No matter how many times he tried to push Daniel back, it was only a matter of time before he’d find the young man lying across his stomach, dead to the world.

And last night, after Daniel had tasted some of the elves’ fruit wine, his sleeping behavior had been even worse. Kicked awake five or six times, Cooper finally had enough when Daniel’s foot nearly went into his mouth and gave him a good shove to the floor. The culprit simply rolled over, sleeping soundly on the floor.

Tonight, Cooper vowed to find a rope, tie Daniel up once he fell asleep, and stuff him under the bed! He thought darkly, stepping over the young man and out the door.

What met his eyes was the sight of the Church’s temporary camp, decorated with blue and white flags. Giant trees and vines intertwined to form treehouses, connected by walkways draped in flowering vines—a faithful recreation of the Free Alliance’s camp style. Beneath the planks lay the newly dug lake, the damp air nurturing the plant life, and even the vines on the railings had sprouted small white flowers.

Those lunatic, drunken elves had actually dug a lake overnight…

Cooper’s eye twitched.

…and they’d forgotten to leave a way out.

He looked out over the lake, assessing its size and judging whether he had enough divine power to cross it by flight. Then he spotted two figures crossing the lake!

Floating in front was what looked like a treehouse door, with the Pope himself calmly perched atop it, dressed in an opulent white-gold hooded cloak. Clutching his scepter and sword, Hillier sat barefoot, with two pairs of boots beside him. The weight had pushed the wooden raft to its limit, the hem of his cloak soaking in the lake. Meanwhile, the Knight Commander trudged through the waist-deep water, sleeves rolled to his elbows but fully dressed, pushing the makeshift raft.

Cooper: “…”

Am I still half-asleep? Is this a dream?

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again, only to see the Pope and the Knight Commander still waist-deep in the lake. If he hadn’t known these were the Church of Light’s two top leaders, he might’ve mistaken them for a peasant couple fleeing with all their belongings.

Another person was equally stunned: Selena, who was squatting by the lake, roasting mushrooms.

She watched her disciple shove the door-raft to shore. Hillier hopped off, carrying the gear ashore, then extended a hand to pull Alvin up from the lake. The two men, dripping wet, barefoot, and each carrying weapons and boots, walked side by side with laughter—just like…

…just like two big fools.

“What… exactly are you two doing?” Selena asked in confusion.

“The elves dug a lake last night around the Church’s camp, without leaving any roads,” Hillier said, boots in hand.

“So you just waded through the entire lake?!” Selena’s eye twitched. “Didn’t it occur to you to contact the elves and have them send a boat?!”

“I did think of that, but…” Alvin coughed awkwardly, trailing off.

Hillier added casually, “But I thought this was more fun.”

Selena: “…”

As if to add to the absurdity, Hillier reached into his boot and pulled out… a fish?

Holding up the still-wriggling fish, he said cheerfully, “We even caught breakfast!”

Selena: “……………”

3

“…What exactly did you want me to see?” Daniel mumbled sleepily.

It was five-thirty in the morning. Unable to resist the elves’ enthusiastic invitation, he’d joined the Free Alliance’s fourth annual “Let’s Drink for No Particular Reason” banquet and only returned to his room at one in the morning. Barely three hours later, he was being shaken awake by Cooper, who dragged him out of the room. The crisp morning air woke him up slightly, and he blinked at the sparkling lake before him, slowly realizing what he was looking at, and finally let out an amazed “Wow.”

“Do you see it?” Cooper asked.

“Yes! It’s beautiful!” Daniel replied, looking around with wide, bright golden eyes.

“… ” Cooper’s eye twitched as he turned Daniel’s head toward the lake’s edge. “Do you see them?”

—The Knight Commander, pushing the Pope’s makeshift raft through the lake.

Daniel took a closer look, and let out another “Wow.”

“This looks so fun!”

Cooper: “…”

Fine. At least this proves I’m not hallucinating.

He raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you think… wait, where are you going?!”

“To get a camera!” Daniel’s voice called from the room, followed by the sounds of frantic rummaging. In no time, he returned with a camera, set up a tripod, adjusted the zoom, and started snapping away at the Pope and Knight Commander, who were still waist-deep in the lake.

“Where did you even get a camera?”

“It was a gift from the Lord!” Daniel said happily. “He wanted me to capture all the memorable moments for Him!”

—No, this is not worth commemorating!

Cooper tried to stop Daniel from documenting this blackmail-worthy moment, but Daniel, camera in hand, darted away as quick as a monkey. Before Cooper could catch him, he was already several yards away. By the time Cooper set off after him, Daniel’s coat had vanished around the corner of a large tree, calling, “This angle is no good! I’m going to the other side!”

Cooper: “…”

Is there anyone normal left in the Church of Light?

4

“…Did you drink too much of the elves’ wine last night?” Selena asked cautiously. “You know that stuff lowers IQ, right? The effects last until you’re completely sober, leaving you as witless as the elves.”

Alvin looked at her, baffled. “We did have some wine last night, but I never heard of elven wine having that side effect.”

“If it wasn’t the wine, then how do you explain Lil’ Hilly’s behavior?” Selena asked, glancing at Hillier, who was now sprinkling seasoning on the fish. “Do you think he’d ever catch fish with his boots under normal circumstances? He doesn’t even eat fish!”

“No, I caught the fish,” Alvin said, a bit embarrassed. “It’s just that… well, recently, Hillier has developed a taste for fish… for certain reasons.”

Selena: “…”

She studied her disciple with a strange look. “So you caught the fish… with your boots?”

“Yeah, since I didn’t bring my helmet.”

“What does this have to do with your—” Selena trailed off, suddenly realizing. She stared at Alvin, who simply smiled back, looking more relaxed than she’d seen him in ages.

Back when she was the Holy Knight Commander of the Church, there was a mission where they hadn’t managed to return to town on time. While the adult knights could endure the hunger and exhaustion, little ten-year-old Alvin couldn’t hide his hunger. Despite putting on a brave front, his rumbling stomach betrayed him to the entire squad. So, Selena led the knights in scooping up fish with their helmets from a nearby stream, making a large pot of fish soup to share before resuming their journey.

Since she left the Church, those memories had been buried deep within her, rarely resurfacing. She’d once caught a distant glimpse of the young Knight Commander who took her place, his gentle smile starkly different from the cheerful boy she remembered. She had almost forgotten what her disciple used to look like.

But now, she felt she could see that memory again.

Just as she was about to speak, a white figure swooped over the lake at high speed. She looked up warily, only to recognize Cooper hovering above, his gray hair and odd-colored eyes unmistakable.

Bright Light energy gathered at his back, forming a large pair of wings that allowed him to descend gracefully. When he landed, the wings dissolved into light. His gaze swept over Alvin, who was drying his cloak by draping it over his arms, and Hillier, who was flipping fish and mushrooms on his spear.

“You two have water in your heads or something?”

“Watch your mouth, kid!”

Before the other two could respond, Selena stomped a hoof indignantly. She reached for her spear, only to remember Hillier was using it as a spit for grilling. With no weapon handy, she broke off a tree branch and twirled it menacingly at Cooper. “You want a beating, is that it?”

They locked eyes.

A moment later, the centaur’s hoof slammed down, catching Cooper’s spear!

The Berserker’s rage built up quickly and unleashed even faster. Alvin, unable to stop the fight, quickly shielded the fish and mushrooms from the dust with his cloak, glancing back at the scuffle with worry. “Hillier, I—”

“No need to stop them. Let them fight,” Hillier answered, eyes still on the food, “They do this every day.”

Holy Knights usually began their morning training at six. But considering the differing schedules of the other two factions, Hillier had ordered the regular morning drills canceled, with training left up to individuals. So, Cooper chose to start each morning at six by challenging Selena, who eagerly awaited the opportunity to pummel him.

About fifteen minutes later, Selena returned, dragging a bruised Cooper by his collar. She dropped him by the fire, where he glared at her, then picked himself up, limped over to Hillier, and accepted the healing spell without a word before heading off to reflect.

The Knight Commander, witnessing all this for the first time: “…”

He looked left at Selena, picking leaves from her hair, then right at Cooper, nursing his face, and hesitantly asked Hillier, “Is this… normal for them?”

“Hm?” Hillier responded in surprise, “Didn’t you know?”

Alvin was one of the few Holy Knights who continued his morning routine. So as not to disturb anyone, he usually went to the front of the camp and ran around the Rift thirty times, checked the seal on the demon lord, fetched water to wash the monument outside the Rift, and returned for breakfast at eight, neatly avoiding the daily sparring session at the back of the camp.

Hillier had discovered it on the first day when he noticed the bruises on Cooper’s face and dragged him to confront Selena—not that he had anything against sparring between Berserkers, but really, was it necessary to go for Cooper’s face every time?

When they found her, Selena, in her human form, was busy tending to a bite mark on her ankle.

—So Hillier ended up giving Cooper a thorough scolding on the spot.

—Even though Cooper insisted he’d only bitten her horse hoof during the spar.

Cooper had inherited a bit of werewolf blood, and despite Alvin’s best efforts, the habit of biting when overly excited in a fight remained. Alvin eventually learned to cope, but Selena had no patience for it—whenever Cooper tried biting, she’d give him a swift hoof to the face, ensuring he returned with a swollen face after every spar.

After hearing the story, Alvin expressed a certain level of concern for his teacher’s and disciple’s rather… unusual way of getting along.

“What’s there to worry about? Teeth are the Beastfolk’s sharpest weapon! Someday I’ll get some werewolves to teach this kid when to bite and when not to!” Selena laughed it off with a casual wave before trotting over to Hillier. “Lil’ Hilly, are the mushrooms ready?”

Hillier nodded, lifting the three-meter spear from the fire and sliding off three grilled fish and a handful of mushrooms, each neatly wrapped in large leaves. Selena’s eyes lit up as she took a portion of mushrooms, biting into it with satisfaction. She then handed another to Alvin, urging him, “I picked these fresh this morning. They taste best grilled. Hurry, try them while they’re hot!”

Alvin thanked her and, following her example, bit into the leaf-wrapped mushrooms.

The leaf’s bitter taste and coarse texture overpowered the mushrooms’ earthy flavor, creating a strange, unpleasant combination. Alvin almost spat it out but forced himself to chew and swallow, his mouth numbed by the bitterness.

He took a deep breath, chewing quickly to maintain decorum as he finished the strange concoction.

Finally swallowing the last bite, he exhaled, only to realize everyone was staring at him.

“…What’s wrong?” Alvin asked, feeling a sudden pang of anxiety as he wondered if his expression had slipped.

“Is your head still waterlogged? Why did you eat the leaf that was wrapping the mushrooms?!” Cooper said in disbelief.

Alvin: “Huh?”

He glanced at Selena, who was holding an identical leaf wrap, looking very confused.

—Wasn’t that how you were supposed to eat it?

Selena, realizing his misunderstanding, covered her face, both exasperated and amused. “Alvin, I’m a centaur.”

Though she could take human form, her essence had shifted, and even in human form, she retained Beastfolk traits. For a centaur, eating leaves was fine, but humans? Not so much!

Hillier formed a ball of water in his hands, offering it to Alvin with concern. “Alvin, rinse your mouth. Even Brilliance looks bitter.”

Knight Commander: “…”

Chapter 36 Extra Story Six: The Rift Agreement (Part One)

Thank you, angels, for the 34 bottles of nutritional fluid~

The game’s sales actually broke 300 before it ended, and the planners are tearing up in joy. To thank our players, ahem our savior benefactors for their support, we’ve released a limited-time DLC as a reward for collecting all the illustrations! Be sure to claim yours soon!

P.S.: While it’s true elves aren’t particularly bright, their wine doesn’t lower intelligence. As for why the Knight Commander acted so… well, as our planners have explained many times, intelligence stats only affect mana, not IQ. You’d have to ask the Knight Commander himself about that…