The Legend of Sun Knight

The Legend of Sun Knight (simplified Chinese: 吾命骑士; traditional Chinese: 吾命騎士; Pinyin: wú mìng qíshì) is a Taiwanese light novel series written by Yu Wo.^[1] It was published by Angel Publishing, a sub-brand of Spring Publishing, with accompanying illustrations by Asia Sand. Narrated by the title character, Grisia Sun, the story follows the exploits of the 38th generation of the Twelve Holy Knights. The chapters were collected into eight volumes, and Yu Wo wrote several spin-offs. It was later adapted into a manhua illustrated by Cat Cross. It takes place on a polytheistic, fictional continent during a pseudo-medieval time period, and has a social structure similar to that found in role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons.

In this world, where gods are real and constantly striving for power, various religions have formed to worship the most powerful deities. The oldest and most respected of these religions is that of the Church of the God of Light, based in the Kingdom of Forgotten Sound. The Church’s most prominent figures are the Twelve Holy Knights; every generation of these Twelve Holy Knights are expected to have distinct personalities modeled after the original generation, regardless of whether they actually have those characteristics.

Plot

The corrupt King of Forgotten Sound attempted to weaken the Church of the God of Light by framing Grisia, the Sun Knight, for the murder of a royal guard. When the guard was resurrected as a Death Knight, a powerful undead creature, Sun investigated and discovered that the guard was really his childhood friend Roland. With the help of Pink, the necromancer who had resurrected Roland, and the other knights, he revealed the truth behind Roland’s death and overthrew the evil King. Later, the Hell Knight then tried to resign as one of the Twelve Holy Knights, because had fallen in love with the princess while undercover, and felt guilty for deceiving her. Additionally, at the coronation of the crown prince, the Son of the God of War- representative of the Monastery of the God of War- proposed to the princess. Sun arranged for a battle to be held for the hand of the princess, and with Roland’s help made the Son of the God of War concede the match. The Hell Knight stepped down, and Roland took up the position.

Soon after this, Sun and Elmairy Leaf traveled to the Kingdom of Moon Orchid to attend a wedding, only to find that the bride had been kidnapped, so they set off to rescue her. When Sun left the rescue group to help Neo, the previous Sun Knight, retrieve a treasure called the Eternal Silence, the group caught up with the kidnappers and Leaf was horribly wounded in the battle. Sun successfully healed Leaf, permanently losing his sight in the process, and hunted down the kidnapper to exact his revenge. The kidnapper revealed himself to be Silent Eagle, a high-ranking official from the Cathedral of the Shadow God. Before Sun can kill him for harming Leaf, Pink steps in, claiming to be one of the three acolytes of the Shadow God. Sun instead gave Silent Eagle the name “Awaitsun”, as a reminder to eternally await Sun’s revenge.

Following a confrontation with Pink, Sun wakes up with amnesia is the Kingdom of Kissinger, where he joins an adventuring group as their cleric. Their first mission is to capture a unicorn; a mysterious girl called Scarlet guides him to it. On their way to collect the reward, they battled the Ice Knight, then went on the run with the Ice Knight as a hostage. The remaining Twelve Holy Knights come to stop them, and in the ensuing altercation woke up a dragon. Sun regained his memories just in time to help the Twelve Holy Knights defeat the dragon.

Upon returning to Forgotten Sound, they discovered that the capital, Leaf Bud City, was being overrun by undead creatures, and Scarlet was somehow involved. In order to combat Scarlet, Sun recruited Pink and a dark elf named Aldrizzt to teach him psychic magic. Using this, he and the Twelve Holy Knights managed to seal Scarlet inside the Eternal Silence. Sun was then summoned by the King to meet representatives of the Cathedral of the Shadow God, Awaitsun being one of them, who explained that a powerful dark creature called the Demon King would soon be born in Leaf Bud City. To Sun, he privately revealed that Sun was one of the three candidates to become Demon King.

While searching for the other candidates, Sun met two of the other Cathedral representatives, Stephen and Charlotte Anastas, who revealed themselves to be one of the lich acolytes and the second candidate, respectively. After defeating them, Sun tried to contact Pink to concede his candidacy, only to be attacked by Roland, Pink’s candidate, who then left to take the throne. After recovering from the attack, Sun traveled to the Cathedral of the Shadow God to confront Roland, successfully convincing him to step down, and took up the mantle of Demon King himself. Unfortunately, the overwhelming power began to corrupt Sun, so to prevent him from losing himself, the Twelve Holy Knights cast a spell sealing his power, thus allowing him to remain the Sun Knight.

Characters

The Twelve Holy Knights

The Twelve Holy Knights are the representatives of the God of Light, and the most powerful members of the Church of the God of Light, surpassed only by the Pope in authority. They’re evenly divided into 2 factions of ‘warm-hearted’ or ‘cold-hearted’, and their order of command is aligned accordingly. Each one commands a platoon of 25 Holy Knights entirely loyal to them.

"Knight-Captain Sun"

With his luxurious blonde hair and stunning blue eyes, the Sun Knight is expected to be all-forgiving, compassionate, elegant and pure; as the leader of the ‘warm-hearted’ faction and Holy Knight closest to the God of Light, he must also be the closest to perfection. There are other stipulations to his character- some being that he loves apples, is entirely devoted to the God of Light and therefore celibate, and he passes out after exactly three drinks- and above all he must never lose faith in humanity. As the commander of the Twelve Holy Knights, he also has jurisdiction over all the Holy Knight platoons, and is the sole wielder of the Divine Sun Sword.

Neo Sun (The 37th generation Sun Knight)

Known far and wide as the “Strongest Sun Knight in History”, he’s Grisia’s mentor and lives for the thrill of battle. Despite his outrageous training methods and constant exasperation regarding Grisia’s hopeless swordsmanship, he cares deeply for his student. Neo grew up as part of the royal family, and as a result carries himself with great dignity. He’s also directionally challenged, and extremely stubborn, refusing to give up even against the most daunting odds. After passing on the title of Sun Knight, he promptly left Leaf Bud City to become an adventurer, soon thereafter joining up with Aldrizzt.

Grisia Sun (The 38th generation Sun Knight)

An orphan with zero talent in sword-fighting, horse riding, adventuring, and generally anything expected of a knight, Grisia depends on scheming and plotting behind the scenes to reach his goals. Unfortunately, he tends to try and do everything himself and refuses to either confide in or depend on anyone, frustrating the other knights to no end. Given his abnormal reserves of magic (be it of holy nature or otherwise) and nearly-photographic memory, it’s easy for him to back up his absurd strategies. His plans do occasionally backfire, however, resulting in the permanent loss of his sight and, at one point, his sanity. Grisia also has a serious sweet tooth.

"Knight-Captain Storm"

A footloose charmer with bright blue hair, the Storm Knight represents freedom in all of its forms, some tales even claiming that he's as free as the wind. His fighting style revolves around his impossibly fast speed and his skill with a sword. As a member of the warm-hearted faction, he answers directly to the Sun Knight- not that he ever does. He skips meetings with abandon, preferring to spend his time flirting shamelessly with any and all women in his general vicinity. He’s also deeply entrenched in the gossip mill, making him an excellent source of information.

Ceo Storm (The 38th generation Storm Knight)

A workaholic to the core, all the paperwork that keeps the church running passes through his hands at some point. Consequently, he functions under a constant state of sheer exhaustion and usually can’t even tell whether the person he’s flirting with is a girl or a pillar. This is fortunate, because flirting with girls typically makes him blush and stutter. His patience for all things corporate does not extend to the Sun Knight’s shenanigans, but given how intricate these plans usually are, and how busy Ceo perpetually is, he tends to leave Grisia to his business and avoid getting involved at all costs.

"Knight-Captain Blaze"

The Blaze Knight is loud and rambunctious, the most straight-forward of the 'warm-hearted' faction. He specializes in exorcising spirits and ghosts, although he can easily hold his own against living (or undead) opponents as well. His magic is specifically designed towards purification, and he is often assigned missions to distant locations to deal with dangerous spirits. The Blaze Knight’s favorite way to enter a room is by kicking the door down, and he doesn’t have a volume lower than “scream”.

Chikus Blaze (The 38th generation Blaze Knight)

Hot-headed, brash, and boisterous, he's naturally the Blaze Knight to a T. He is fiercely loyal to Grisia, for having rescued Chikus from Pink's dungeon when they were younger, and is the first to defend him in any situation. Unfortunately, his barbecue-first-ask-questions-later thought process has led to him flambéing Demos more than once.

"Knight-Captain Leaf"

The most kind-hearted knight, Leaf is meant to be the sweet, maternal member of the team. He wields the Divine Leaf Bow, a holy relic as old as the Divine Swords, and is so unerringly accurate that he can shoot the wings off a butterfly 100 meters away. Leaf is most at home in a forest, loves animals, and his pure nature can rival that of the Sun Knight. He is a member of the 'warm-hearted' faction.

Elmairy Leaf (The 38th generation Leaf Knight)

Elmairy is a genuinely nice person, motherly and too nice to say no to anyone- including Grisia, which means that he often gets wrapped up in various schemes. He’s chronically broke, spending all his money on spices- which he uses liberally- and letters to his sweetheart, Princess Ann. He takes archery very seriously, undergoing a drastic change in character when he draws back his arrow; this deadly persona, combined with his superhuman eyesight, makes him a foreboding opponent. Outside of battle, his friendly nature isn't as unshakable as it may seem; he has extensive knowledge on all things occult and uses voodoo as an anger management technique.

"Knight-Captain Cloud"

A free-spirited drifter, the Cloud Knight is the only Holy Knight capable of “Cloud-Stepping”, a secret footwork technique that, when used correctly, allows the user to dodge any and all incoming attacks. His quiet demeanor makes him the calmest of the ‘warm-hearted’ faction, and he whiles away the days by sleeping under trees or reading in patches of sunlight.

Demos Cloud (The 38th generation Cloud Knight)

More ghost-like than free-spirited, Demos spends his time hiding in cabinets and, later, in the library. He takes books very seriously, knows the location of every book in the library, and usually can only be found by ringing the bell on the library help desk. His mastery of Cloud-Stepping is so complete that he can even dodge lines of sight. Before becoming the Cloud Knight, he had been a slave to a group of bandits for three years. His parents died when he was young, and his only remaining family is his bull-headed older sister, Aris.

"Knight-Captain Earth"

The Sun Knight’s closest and most loyal friend, the Earth Knight is a golden retriever in human form, utterly deserving of the ‘warm-hearted’ title. His sincere, shy personality makes him popular, and his flustered stuttering only adds to his charm. In battle, he’s an exclusively defensive knight, his most powerful skill being the “Shield of Earth”.

Georgo Earth (The 38th generation Earth Knight)

The only Holy Knight who can say ‘no’ to Grisia, and takes great delight in doing so. Their rivalry is based upon a mutual love of annoying the other and shows no signs of stopping; when push comes to shove, however, Georgo is just as loyal to Grisia as the rest of the team. He’s a prurient villain, using his reputation as a cute, tongue-tied knight to lure women- in fact, he would have too many notches on his bedpost to count if not for the constant interference of Grisia. His impatient personality makes him more aggressive than his fighting style suggests.

"Knight-Captain Judgement"

Judgement is the head of the ‘cold-hearted’ faction of the Twelve Holy Knights for good reason; not only is his skill with the Divine Judgement Sword unparalleled, he alone is responsible for the interrogation and judging of those who have broken the law. His cruel methods are so fearsome that criminals shake in their boots at the sound of his name, and mothers warn their children that if they misbehave, the Judgement Knight will hunt them down. Although he’s technically under the command of the Sun Knight, there's unending friction between the two over the proper way of dealing with sinners, and thus the Sun Knight must be diligent in keeping the Judgement Knight in line.

Chasel Judgment (The 37th generation Judgement Knight)

Lesus’s mentor and the only man alive who can intimidate Neo, Chasel is a gentleman and took his duties very seriously. His calm nature makes him easy to get along with, and when danger is on the horizon, the other members of the 37th generation turn to him for guidance.

Lesus Judgement (The 38th generation Judgement Knight)

Grisia’s best friend and co-conspirator, Lesus dotes on Grisia and is often the only one who can see through his lies. The gruesome sights he encounters during interrogation force him to throw up afterwards, where he's usually found by a sympathetic Grisia. He never allows empathy to get in the way of his job, however, declaring that the Judgement Knight is not allowed to make mistakes. He comes from a long line of knights, the Lucian family, and had lived with his aunt and uncle before being chosen by the Judgement Knight.

"Knight-Captain Ice"

A prime example of a ‘cold-hearted’ knight, the Ice Knight is widely known to be expressionless, unfeeling, and cruel. He wields the Divine Ice Sword, and is second only to Judgement in terms of skill. Despite his prowess, his fighting style is passive in nature. He can wait for hours, watching his opponent come closer and closer, until he finishes them off with a single, fatal thrust. It’s unusual to hear the Ice Knight speak.

Ecilan Ice (The 38th generation Ice Knight)

If Leaf is the mother of the warm-hearted faction, Ice is the mother of the cold-hearted faction. The son of a baker, his dream had been to become the best baker in the capital; getting selected as the Ice Knight hasn’t dimmed his ambition. Ecilan has made it his business to understand the tastes of his fellow Holy Knights, and takes meticulous notes on exactly what sorts of recipes they enjoy. His take on baking is that “sweets are equal to smiles”, and since the Ice Knight isn’t allowed to smile, his heavenly desserts are frequently gifted to the other knights. Outside of baking, he eagerly practises his swordfighting.

"Knight-Captain Moon"

Aristocratic, demanding, and cruel, the Moon Knight is a prideful loner of the cold-hearted faction who wields a whip with extreme prejudice. He looks down his nose at everyone at all times, believing that no one is good enough to be in his general vicinity, let alone granted his attention. Even his superiors, the Judgement Knight and Sun Knight, are barely deserving of his respect. His manner and style are regal and elegant, and he carries himself as though more dignified than even the King himself.

Vival Moon (The 38th generation Moon Knight)

A hopeless romantic, he's constantly on the lookout for a sweetheart of his own; however, given his impressive height and neck-cramp-induced inability to look down, his only options are girls that match him in height- a feat not many are capable of. He treasures any gifts given to him by his lovers, and takes break-ups very badly. Vival is also quite skilled with his whip, an expert in all the forms and talented enough to shatter bones with it.

"Knight-Captain Stone"

The Stone Knight is the most level-headed of the Twelve Holy Knights, and as a man of few words, he fits in well amongst the cold-hearted faction. He’s infamous for his unyielding stubbornness; everyone knows that it would be easier to break his skull than to break his will. As uncompromising as the stone he’s entitled after, it’s been said that overthrowing the Church of the God of Light would be easier than trying to change his mind. Despite this obstinacy, the Stone Knight is the only member of the cold-hearted faction to handle diplomacy.

Aivis Stone (The 38th generation Stone Knight)

Aivis is laid-back and easygoing, and can get along with anyone from the other knights to stray dogs. In fact, he’s so nonchalant that he was almost demoted from the Stone Knight position entirely. During his ten years of training under the watchful eye of the previous Stone Knight, not once did he ever allow himself to become contradictory, adamantly refusing to become stubborn. This unrest lasted until Neo offhandedly commented on how frustrating this ridiculously stubborn child was being- from that point on, no one dared suggest that Aivis wasn’t suited to the position of Stone Knight.

"Knight-Captain Hell"

The Hell Knight is a master of espionage, and the only member of the cold-hearted faction who follows the command of the Sun Knight over that of the Judgement Knight. This paradox has sparked rumors that the Hell Knight is actually a false identity assumed by the Sun Knight when he needs to carry out missions of a darker nature. Due to the fact that the Hell Knight hasn’t appeared in public for all of living memory, this rumor has become widely accepted as gospel truth.

Elijah Hell (The 38th generation Hell Knight I)

Elijah is an exemplary young Royal Knight; popular, young, charming and friendly, he can fit in anywhere and has friends from all walks of life. Behind this endearing exterior, he’s actually the 38th generation Hell Knight under deep cover within the ranks of the Royal Guard. However, after falling in love with the princess, he made up his mind to resign from his post as the Hell Knight and put an end to his masquerade. Grisia, through the use of an elaborate scheme, allowed him to leave the ranks of the Twelve Holy Knights without being exposed. He and princess Jasmine are engaged.

Roland Hell (The 38th generation Hell Knight II)

Grisia’s childhood friend, he was runner-up at the Sun Knight selections and went on to become a Royal Knight with unparalleled skill in sword fighting. Unfortunately, he was captured and tortured to death by the King for attempting to expose his misdeeds. He was revived soon after as a Death Knight obsessed with avenging his own death, later evolving into a Death Lord, and after that a Death Monarch, the highest level of undead. A stoic, commanding presence, he takes everything seriously and can often be misinterpreted as condescending. Due to Grisia’s meddling, he took up the title of Hell Knight after Elijah stepped down.

"Knight-Captain Metal"

The Metal Knight isn’t often found in the company of others, even the other cold-hearted knights, for a very simple reason; no one can stand to be around him. He possesses a poisonously barbed tongue, and speaking with him for ten minutes will make you so furious that he’ll shave a year off of your life expectancy. The original Metal Knight was a top-notch thief, and he passed those skills down through the generations. He fights using a variety of knives- throwing, hunting, anything- and is lethally accurate. His stealth is comparable to that of the Hell Knight, and he takes on the short-term missions that require a degree of secrecy.

Laica Metal (The 38th generation Metal Knight)

Laica is endowed with the same poisonous tongue as his character, but contrary to popular belief it’s not on purpose; he speaks without thinking about how something sounds, and even his most sincere apologies can sound infuriating. Even more discouraging is that, when he makes an honest effort to be rude, he comes off as polite and slightly nervous. He’s a diehard fan of Lesus Judgement, mostly because Lesus’s expertise in torture is right up his alley- Laica is a shameless masochist.

Other Characters

Pope of the Church of the God of Light

The highest authority in the Church of the God of Light, the Pope manages finances and religious duties with equal finesse. He is primarily responsible for the Sanctuary of Light, but he does hold some sway over the Holy Temple and, in turn, Twelve Holy Knights. The current pope has been in office since before Neo was chosen to become the Sun Knight- making him at least 60 years old- but inexplicably looks like a 15-year-old boy. He and Grisia hold begrudging respect for one another, and often clash when their schemes demand different courses of action. The Pope holds many secrets.

Pink

Pink is an undying lich and talented necromancer, and if it weren’t for her bright pink skin, she would look like a harmless little girl. Her home is decorated entirely in pink, and her diet consists exclusively of candy. It’s unknown exactly how old she is, but her collection of rare antiques and precious historical artifacts hint at the truth. Pink is under contract with the Church of the God of Light to provide undead creatures on a regular basis, to ensure the Sun Knights don’t go out of their minds in pent-up frustration. She is one of the three representatives of the Shadow God, and is as such the sponsor for Roland. She enjoys teasing Grisia, and is responsible for teaching him necromancy.

Adair (The 38th Vice-Captain of the Sun Knight Platoon)

The only member of the Sun Knight Platoon capable of deciphering Grisia’s convoluted speech, and responsible for most of the Sun Knight’s duties. An excellent cook, swordfighter, strategist and henchman, he is eternally loyal to Grisia (even becoming the Demon King’s right hand man) due to grueling training after Grisia first took charge of the platoon. He is 185 centimeters tall.

Aldrizzt

A 100+ year old dark elf who denounced the cruel ways of his people and escaped to the surface; he is currently Neo's traveling companion. He is a skilled Mage, specializing in Dark Magic but capable of other spells, including the Spell of Flight. Well-read and sensible, he serves as Neo's moral (and cardinal) compass. He is the only dark elf in all of history to be welcomed by the elves, who recognize him as reformed and allow him into their territory. He is also good friends with the Pope.

Charlotte Anastas

The youngest shadowpriest in the history of the Cathedral of the Shadow God. Native of Leaf Bud City, when she was young was saved by Grisia from some boys that were hurting her and since that moment fall in love with him even exchanging the promise of become is wife in the future! But after that day even if she wait for him they don't meet anymore because Grisia lost part of his memory, and don't remember of her.

Media

Light Novels

The Legend of the Sun Knight was originally posted on Yu Wo's blog, and were later collected into eight volumes by Angel Publishing in 2012, starting July 12, 2007, and being completed November 8, 2011. Additionally, side stories and excerpts that didn't make the cut for the original volumes were also gathered and published. All the chapters were also translated into other languages by Prince Revolution, an unofficial online translation group, with permission by Yu Wo.

Manhua

October 5, 2010, a five-volume series of manhua volumes following the events of the light novels was launched. They are illustrated by Cat Cross (previously Os Rabbit Cat), and four volumes have been completed. It has been translated into English by the online group "Odd Squad Scanlations".

"Unbeatable"

A side volume to the original eight light novels was released February 2009, showcasing how Aldrizzt and Neo met and became friends. It has been translated online by Prince Revolution.

"Female Warrior"

A complete 2-volume prequel to the Legend of the Sun Knight, it was self-published by Yu Wo in 2012.^[2] It features the original generation of the Twelve Holy Knights. It has been translated online by Prince Revolution.

"39 - The Legend of the Sun Knight"

August 28, 2012, the first of a three-volume planned series was released, following the story of the 39th generation of the Twelve Holy Knights.^[3] The final two volumes have not yet been released, and online chapters are still in the process of being written. It is being translated online by Prince Revolution.

References

External links

• Yu Wo's blog
• Prince Revolution
• Odd Squad Scanlations
• The illustrator's blog
• The illustrator's website