Honestly, the majority of people watching “Fate’s Sky” weren’t really bothered by the fact that the Knight King was a woman.
Nah, to be more precise, most folks were like, “How does this even concern me?” and just went about their business.
Truthfully, when you think about it, it was pretty much a given.
I mean, come on, how many people watching animations actually give a hoot about historical accuracy or such ‘pointless’ stuff?
Of course, if Ragnar had made this animation in a world identical to Earth, things would’ve been totally different.
Sure, his animation probably wouldn’t have been banned, but there’s no doubt it’d spark heated debates across internet communities.
But here’s the thing—Ragnar doesn’t live on Earth. He lives in a fantasy world where most people still carry pre-modern mindsets.
So honestly, from their perspective, why not just enjoy the show without overthinking it?
That said, it wasn’t like the citizens of the Empire or Richard Kingdom didn’t care at all about the female Knight King in “Fate’s Sky.”
More like… something along these lines:
“Hey! You there? Ivan?”
“Hmm? What brings you to our unit, Hans?”
“Don’t play dumb. Just hand over that recorded artifact of ‘Fate’s Sky’ you borrowed last time.”
“Aww man… It’s only been three days since I borrowed it. Already?”
“Only three days? That means it’s been a whole three days! In this godforsaken Great Forest where there’s nothing to do except watch anime, lending something so precious for three days is basically a miracle, isn’t it?”
And that’s how it went.
Until about a year ago, relations between the Empire and Richard Kingdom were worse than bad—they were downright hostile. And their citizens saw each other as sworn enemies.
But thanks to what they now call the “Knight Shin Descension Incident” that happened not too long ago in the Great Forest, tensions melted away almost instantly.
Now, while Ragnar may have simply wanted to promote his anime and experiment with giant mechas in real life, for the kingdom soldiers, the fact remained: Knight Shin saved their lives. So naturally, they developed goodwill toward both him and the Empire.
In any case, after that event—and thanks to the spread of anime—relations between the troops stationed in the Great Forest improved dramatically.
To the point where soldiers from both sides freely visited each other’s camps, borrowing recorded artifacts of anime series without hesitation.
Of course, despite the newfound camaraderie, centuries-old rivalries don’t vanish overnight. They weren’t exactly brothers-in-arms yet.
“So, now that three days have passed, you must’ve finished episode 14 of ‘Fate’s Sky,’ right? What did you think?”
“Oh wow, now I get why you kept raving about episode 14 being a must-watch for kingdom citizens. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect Yuri’s summoned knight to actually be the Knight King! Seriously, I got goosebumps watching that—it was incredible.”
“Right? Told ya it was worth it!”
With that, Sergeant Hans grinned mischievously at Corporal Ivan.
“By the way, anything you want to say to me?”
“Say? Like what? If you’re talking about thanking me for lending the artifact, didn’t we agree I’d treat you on payday?”
“Nope, not that. How about your thoughts on the revelation that the hero summoned by Yuri—the empire academy student—is none other than the legendary Knight King herself?”
“Huh? But I already told you—I’m thrilled to see the childhood fairytale figure brought to life through anime…”
“And yet,” Hans leaned closer, wearing an unsettling grin, “if the Knight King, a national hero and king of her own country, can be summoned by Yuri, an academy student from the Empire… doesn’t that imply something else entirely?”
“Like what?”
“Well, think about it. The Knight King, once a mighty ruler, is now practically reduced to being Yuri’s familiar. And Yuri, at this moment, could technically be considered her master…”
Technically, he wasn’t wrong.
After all, according to the setting of ‘Fate’s Sky,’ the relationship between summoner and summoned hero is exactly like that. Hence, even the Knight King addresses Yuri, a mere academy student, with honorifics.
“If Yuri, an imperial citizen, has the Knight King as her familiar… couldn’t that be interpreted as proof that the Empire holds superiority over the Kingdom? In fact, your kingdom might as well be our colony right now!”
“What?! Wha—”
Ivan’s jaw dropped at this absurd interpretation.
What kind of twisted logic connects the Knight King being a familiar to the Kingdom being a colony?!
The soldier could only stare in disbelief at such baseless nonsense.
“That’s ridiculous. That’s just part of the anime’s lore; it has absolutely no bearing on the actual relationship between the two nations…”
“Oh really? No counterarguments then? If Yuri used her forced command ability and told the Knight King, ‘Harm yourself,’ wouldn’t she die immediately regardless of her status as a legendary hero? Am I right?”
“……”
“And let’s not forget—she can’t survive without food provided by Yuri. Heehee… Her house, meals, mana—all dependent on a man. Hmm, maybe the great Knight King isn’t much more than just another girl who can’t live without a guy…”
“You son of a—!!”
Indeed, though relations between the Empire and the Kingdom had improved compared to before, incidents like this—where imperial citizens taunted kingdom citizens using the Knight King trope—were far from uncommon.
Thus…
“Hmm. First off, I’ve heard reports that some of our citizens have been making rather rude comments to yours, causing unnecessary trouble. For that, I sincerely apologize on behalf of the Empire.”
With those words, the Emperor bowed respectfully toward the screen displaying the King of Richard Kingdom.
Since cultural exchanges began flourishing between the two nations, leaders from both sides established secret hotlines to maintain open communication.
Their relationship had grown close enough that casual banter and everyday conversation flowed smoothly.
“Ha ha, no need to worry about it. Frankly speaking, I don’t see these squabbles as problematic at all.”
The king smiled warmly as he replied.
“Because, in a way, these incidents prove that the relationship between our peoples has normalized to the point where we feel comfortable engaging in regular dialogue. Don’t you agree?”
“Ahaha, hearing you say that puts my mind at ease greatly. Thank you.”
The Emperor sighed in relief before continuing.
“Still, despite the educational benefits brought by Baron Ragnar’s anime—lowering illiteracy rates and raising awareness among our citizens—incidents like this keep happening. Why can’t people understand that words capable of hurting others should be avoided, even if they’re true?”
Shaking his head, the Emperor lamented aloud.
However, upon hearing this, the king’s expression turned icy.
“Excuse me, Your Majesty… Did I hear you correctly just now?”
“Eh? Oh, that was me muttering to myself. Surely you didn’t take offense? Still, I fail to see where I went wrong…”
The Emperor smirked awkwardly.
“In any case, isn’t it a fact that in ‘Fate’s Sky,’ the Knight King finds herself in a position akin to being Yuri’s subordinate? Perhaps even harboring affection for her… Quite the ideal master-servant dynamic, wouldn’t you say?”
Though the Emperor appeared to be discussing only the plot of ‘Fate’s Sky,’
to the king, his words translated into: “So your kingdom is obviously inferior to ours. Admit it—you’re culturally colonized.”
But the king wasn’t one to back down.
“Speaking of which, every mage in ‘Fate’s Sky’ seems to hail from the Empire, correct? Makes sense since the Full Moon Ceremony takes place in your capital…”
“Hm? Where are you going with this? Trying to twist my words?”
“But here’s the kicker, Your Majesty—if all mages are from the Empire, why hasn’t a single hero from the Empire been summoned yet? Huh?”
“……”
At this pointed question, the Emperor froze, his eyes widening.
He too had been silently fuming over the lack of representation for imperial heroes within ‘Fate’s Sky.’
Yet the king’s observation was undeniable, leaving no room for rebuttal.
‘Damn you, Ragnar! Is this what loyalty to your homeland looks like?!’
All the Emperor could do was direct his frustration toward Ragnar, the root cause of all this chaos.
“Strange indeed. Given that ‘Fate’s Sky’ was created by Baron Ragnar, a citizen of the Empire, why aren’t there any heroes from the Empire featured in the anime? Could it be… that Baron Ragnar considers them lacking in charm or strength? Hmm, perhaps reasonable suspicion exists…”
Shiver.
The Emperor’s hands trembled in rage upon hearing the king’s words.
Eventually, blinded by fury, he blurted out something he shouldn’t have.
“…Pathetic.”
“Pardon me? Did I hear you correctly?”
“Yes, pathetic. A supposed legend bending knee to a random academy student after being fed a few meals? Pathetic!”
“Pathetic?! The Knight King follows Yuri based purely on principles of chivalry! If anyone’s pathetic here, it’s Yuri—a talentless nobody who lucks into summoning such a powerful hero and leeches off her abilities like some parasite!”
“……”
“……”
Witnessing this exchange, Ragnar and Karlreya, who had been summoned to mediate, quietly slipped out of the room.
Who knew old men could throw around terms like “pathetic” so casually?
Ragnar couldn’t handle this bizarre role reversal while sober.
