Chapter 353

After putting their heads together with Leonor and pondering, they finally managed to decide what to lecture about.

Although the actual lecture would happen a bit later, at least they had settled on the topic.

‘Introduction to Practical Combat Against Hostile Entities.’

In short, it was about teaching how to efficiently take down monsters, other races, and creatures. At least, based on what I know.

This way, I’d have plenty to explain.

Of course, it wouldn’t be based on my standards but rather on the strategies used by game players. If I based it on my own experience, the lecture would just be, “Dodge and hit them hard, and they die. Easy, right?”

—

Around that time, Milia and Damien, having finished their bath, returned to the reception room.

It took longer than expected, so I wondered if they had done something in the bathroom, but when I casually asked, it turned out they just took separate baths, which took a while.

Seizing the opportunity, I explained the future plans to them.

“I need to go to Landenburg for a bit, so in the meantime, you two should train by hunting some monsters with Leonor. Right now, building strength is the priority.”

Both of them, like Leonor, were still beginners who had only recently reached the level of masters.

They lacked depth in their skills and experience in real combat against monsters.

Rather than wasting time by dragging them along to the uncertain eastern campaign, it would be better to leave them in the capital to grow stronger on their own.

In short, it was an auto-hunt-style training strategy.

Unless it was a full-scale war, with two masters, they should be able to handle most monster hunts or retreats without much trouble.

“When you join hunts, just say I sent you, and you’ll get support for almost anything. Troops, information, supplies. Whatever. If anyone tries to ignore or exploit you, challenge them to a duel and take them out.”

“Wait, is that really okay…?”

“Of course it is. You’re my knights now, right? Unless they’re direct descendants of a duke, other nobles won’t dare say a word in front of my name.”

Honestly, it’s rare for anyone to act arrogantly when master-level knights join a hunt, but even the most pompous nobles wouldn’t dare disrespect my name.

Moreover, since the two of them are officially my knights, any achievements they make in hunts will directly contribute to my reputation as their lord.

So, the more monsters Damien and Milia defeat, and the more people they save, the more my reputation will grow—not just as a warrior, but as a noble of the empire.

As a warrior, my reputation is already well-established.

The Empire’s Greatest Swordsman, Hero of Humanity, Winter Slayer. There’s really no higher to climb.

So now, it’s time to solidify my reputation not just as the strongest warrior, but as a protector of the people and an honorable noble.

That was Leonor’s advice.

For someone like me, who built my standing relying on high-level connections without a solid foundation, the fervent support of the people is like an insurance policy.

Even if my relationships with Ludwig, Leopold, or Lacey sour, this support would help me stand independently as a noble of the empire.

[Pointless. What help will those weaklings’ support be to you? They’re just weeds that’ll be swept away with a single strike.]

Hersela mocked it, but I thought differently.

If I didn’t have power, maybe. But for someone with power, gaining overwhelming public support could serve as a threat—enough to declare independence or even start a rebellion.

That would make them think twice before messing with me.

Even without such serious reasons, I felt the need to manage my reputation a bit.

Always being in fights made some people think of me as a bloodthirsty slaughterer roaming battlefields.

—

After wrapping up that important discussion, there was only one topic left.

“So, what are you going to name the knight order?”

That was the problem.

The “Median Knight Order” sounded too lazy, and “Median’s Sword” felt like copying Ludwig.

“Well… I’m still thinking about it, but for now, how about ‘Heaven’s Sword’? What do you think?”

Heaven’s Sword.

It was the result of a hard-fought compromise with Hersela, who stubbornly insisted on “Heaven-Demon Blood Sword.”

“‘Heaven’s Sword’ (Epée de Ciel)? Not bad, but it sounds like a knight order affiliated with the Elpinel Church.”

“True. Come to think of it, Hersela was a paladin of the Elpinel Church. Though without divine power, it’s just an honorary title.”

Despite saying that, the two of them nodded, seemingly finding the name better than expected.

“Leonor, what do you think?”

“It’s not bad, but… if you want to include ‘heaven’ in the knight order’s name, you’ll need permission from the Elpinel Church. Though, since the lady is close with the Archbishop, getting permission should be easy.”

Words like ‘heaven’ or ‘sun,’ which symbolize the gods of each church, require official permission to use.

“Then does Milia’s nickname, ‘Imela’s Arrow,’ also need permission?”

“Wait, me?”

Yeah, you, Milia.

Thanks to your deep and obvious affection, you got the nickname ‘Imela’s Arrow,’ even though you’re not part of the Imela Church.

“Nicknames are fine. They’re usually given to knights who’ve performed notable feats. If Milia’s reputation grows, the Imela Church might even try to appoint her as an honorary paladin. Though the lack of divine power is an issue, since there’s already a precedent with the lady, there shouldn’t be much opposition.”

Paladin Milia? That sounds so out of place.

Looking at her actions, she’s more like a knight of lust than a holy knight.

Wait, since Imela governs ‘love,’ maybe it actually fits?

“On the other hand, for knight order names, they might overlap with the paladin orders of each church, so permission is needed. Like the Elpinel Church’s Sky Knights, the Shaulite Church’s Sun Knights, or Astraea’s Scales Knights.”

That made sense.

It would be hard for the churches to tolerate secular lords’ knight orders sharing names with their paladin orders.

Anyway, that’s how the elite knight order’s name was tentatively decided as ‘Epée de Ciel.’

—

After that, light relaxation and small talk continued.

We sipped on snacks and drinks brought from the dining hall, chatting about everyday things until late at night.

Of course, only Leonor was allowed to drink.

Damien and Milia also seemed eager for some wine, but since I strictly forbade it, they had to settle for sipping tea.

From what I’ve seen, if they get drunk, they’ll forget my warnings and start rolling around again at night.

After a couple of hours of chatter, we called it a night.

I carried Rana, who was clinging to my thigh and fast asleep, to her bed, then returned to my room and went to sleep.

Thankfully, I slept well that night.

Damien and Milia were also quite tired, so they slept quietly.

—

The next morning, we headed to the cathedral in the carriage sent by Leopold.

“Look over there! Count Median is coming!”

“Long live the Radiant One! Long live the Winter Slayer!”

“Waaaaah!”

To showcase the empire’s strength and the hero’s stature, a grand award ceremony was planned. The city was packed with an enormous crowd.

If they handed out swords and armor to everyone gathered, the imperial army’s recovery would be complete.

The crowd’s cheers were deafening, and the streets were carpeted with flower petals.

…Who came up with the idea to scatter flowers? It’s like we’re heading to a wedding.

The coachman was half-buried in flower petals, looking like a plant-human.

Not in a medical sense, but visually.

“You’re popular, lady. Why not wave and smile?”

“…It’s already noisy enough. If I did that, it’d be chaos.”

Looking at the crowd stretching their necks to catch a glimpse of my face through the carriage window, I couldn’t help but sigh.

“Ahhh! Stop pushing! Don’t push!”

“My foot! My fooooot!”

…I hope no one gets hurt.

“Everyone, step back! Anyone crossing the soldiers’ line will be arrested!”

“9th Infantry! Calm the citizens!”

Fortunately, the knights and soldiers stationed along the route to the cathedral managed to control the crowd, preventing any unintended injuries.

—

The award ceremony itself was something I’d already discussed with Leopold.

The procedure wasn’t complicated.

The other nobles had already been rewarded long ago, and this ceremony was just a formality for me.

All I had to do was kneel on one knee and respond appropriately to Leopold’s words.

Nothing difficult.

After about thirty minutes, the cathedral finally came into view.