Yuma looked at all the members of the Dawn Revolutionary Army kneeling before him.
It was the moment when he was officially appointing them as the Dawn Knights.
The leader of the Revolutionary Army, Cassiela, had her red hair tied up in a ponytail.
“Welcome to becoming my first knight.”
Yuma appointed Cassiela as a knight.
“I pledge my loyalty, Duke Yuma.”
Just like before.
And in the future.
Yuma’s gaze passed over the leader, Cassiela, and landed on the members behind her.
“You are the knights of the Duke’s house. And the knights of this nation.”
“Yes, Your Excellency!”
“This is your first command. Half of you will guard the safety of Empress Brigitte in the royal palace. The other half will patrol the empire to ensure there are no corrupt nobles or officials, as has already been discussed with Empress Brigitte.”
Yuma was giving them the chance to build the integrity of the empire they had long wished for.
“Criminals apprehended will be dealt with according to the empire’s laws.”
The eyes of the Dawn Knights sharpened.
“Feel free to use force against anyone who obstructs that process.”
“We obey your orders, Your Excellency!”
Cassiela slowly lifted her head.
“I heard you’re going somewhere again.”
Yuma met her warm, loyal gaze.
“Yes, I have matters to attend to in the southern sea. While I’m gone, keep the empire safe.”
“I will carry out your orders with my life, Duke Yuma.”
Cassiela wanted to follow Yuma.
But suppressing that desire wasn’t hard.
She was simply grateful to be by his side.
And since Yuma had just given her the strength to cleanse the empire as she had always wished, she felt reassured.
Cassiela believed in the radiance that emanated from Brigitte.
She believed in the power that light granted.
She searched through history.
That radiance was the light of the first Emperor of Astes.
“The empire will change. Together with you, my lord. Together with Empress Brigitte.”
The blood of the sovereign fully awakened.
The Dawn Knights thus became Yuma’s first knight order.
After appointing the entire Dawn Revolutionary Army, someone stood before Yuma in the imperial palace.
“My lord, am I not getting knighted?”
It was Bell.
Yuma stroked Bell’s blue hair.
“You don’t need that; you’re already my first sword. Is there any need to impose restrictions on your movements, especially since you haven’t long been free from your clan’s burden?”
Bell never strayed far from his side.
Since Yuma had already appointed her as his blade, there was no chance anyone would disrespect her.
Receiving a knight’s appointment was unnecessary after all.
Bell’s pink eyes met Yuma’s blue ones.
“I don’t mind being restricted by my lord.”
“If it’s restricted, then I don’t mind.”
“Well…”
Sluuurk…
Yuma stroked Belle’s hair once more.
“After seeing a bit more of the world, if you still want to be my knight then, say it again.”
“Okay, got it, my lord.”
Belle smiled softly.
*
Divine Realm.
A throne of pitch black.
Red mist slowly coalesced, forming above the throne.
It was a massive raven.
A raven adorned in red and black feathers.
Its head, wings, and legs perfectly resembling those of a raven.
However, its upper body took on the form of a black human.
The gigantic raven god.
The evil god, Malphas, opened its two eyes.
The black pupils fixated on the world.
Creeeak.
Malphas was slowly munching on something.
It was a human finger.
In front of the throne lay a naked corpse.
An offering that had been soul-exterminated and brought to the divine realm.
Those who gathered believed in him.
No, they were a sect that made them believe in him, [Piggero].
An offering dedicated from Piggero.
Malphas savored the human body and fell into thought.
He recalled the day he sent a nun from the sect to kill Incrinew.
“Honestly, the girl next to him was even more bothersome to look at…”
But it was clear the one who killed the god Incrinew was indeed the man who met with the nun.
“For now, I’ll just keep an eye on the situation.”
Malphas had no intention of approaching Yuma immediately. Not as a descent or a manifestation.
He intended to watch his movements first.
“There’s no need for me to make a personal appearance… It’s better to stir others up.”
The god, who had been called overly cautious thousands of years ago, was cautious once more.
Creeeak.
*
“Have a safe trip, Yuma.”
Princess Brigitte saw Yuma off.
After bowing to Yuma, Brigitte approached Cloney and Belle behind him.
“I wouldn’t have made it this far without you two. Travel safely.”
Cloney and Belle could only widen their eyes at the Emperor’s embrace.
“Me too! Your Majesty!”
And they could only look at the Cat-Folk swordswoman Hestia, who spoke that way, as if she were crazy.
“Yes, yes. Hestia has worked hard too.”
“Uh-huh, hehe.”
The Cat-Folk’s crimson ears perked up at the Emperor’s embrace.
“I’ll be back.”
Cloney bowed modestly, and Belle did the same.
Yuma and his party left the palace like that.
The water tribe, facing the crisis of their lives, had only four people moving to save the merfolk and the Mullen Tribe.
Yet Yuma felt no worries whatsoever.
Just considering Bell alone, her strength could outdo an entire legion.
And it was also because he had given orders to the first knight, Cassiela, before saying farewell to Princess Brigitte.
He instructed her to go to the Information Guild and contact the representative from the Pineon Information Guild [Lantern], asking them to select a small elite group of ten members to send to the northern sea controlled by the Mullen Tribe.
From Yuma’s perspective, there was no way they could fail.
It might leave the Mullen Tribe quite bewildered, though.
To the north of the Empire.
And to the east of that north.
There was a port developed for maritime purposes, right below the Balzac Duchy, at Baron Amon’s territory.
Baron Amon bowed to Yuma.
“I greet Duke Yuma.”
With his striking brown hair, Baron Amon was a young nobleman in his mid-thirties.
“Good to see you.”
Yuma didn’t plan on staying long in Amon’s territory.
It had already taken a day and a half just to reach Amon’s lands.
However, since it was already late tonight, they had no choice but to rest here.
The next morning, Yuma and his party were guided to the dining area of the baron’s estate.
Bell, Cloney, and Hestia’s eyes sparkled as they gazed upon the lavishly set table.
“Wow, it’s a fish dish!”
Since it was quite rare for Bell to have fish in her life, she devoured the grilled flounder with gusto.
Sitting beside her was Hestia, who had already arranged four rows of bones in front of her, expertly cleaned.
“Would you like more?”
The baron’s head chef asked, bowing slightly.
After all, this was the entourage of the most influential duke in the Empire.
They couldn’t treat them carelessly.
“Yes! Give me more! It’s delicious!”
Hestia’s cheerful remarks made the chef’s face bloom with a smile.
In the midst of that commotion, Yuma quietly savored the grilled flounder and duck meat.
At a neighboring table where Yuma’s party was seated, some people watched them intently.
They were the baron’s children.
“How noble…”
Two girls with blonde hair started chatting while gazing solely at Yuma.
“That dignified posture, the way he picks up duck meat with a fork… so radiant.”
Their round brown eyes were fixated on Yuma.
Having lived in the Princess’s palace for a considerable time and having conversations with the chief attendant, Royan, Cloney had heard how Yuma was referred to among noble ladies.
The gray-haired God of War who saved the Empire.
They even revered him, calling him the God of War, almost as if they were worshiping him.
‘…Though it isn’t entirely wrong. I’ve also heard that some romance novels involving Yuma and the Emperor floated around among the young ladies.’
“…It’s not wrong, but I heard that there are romance novels floating around among the ladies linking Duke Yuma to his Imperial Majesty…”
Princess Brigitte’s sword.
Rumors spread that novels and illustrations that turned that sentence into reality were everywhere.
“Now that Princess Brigitte has become Empress, perhaps no one would dare to write such novels… or would they?”
Loyalty has borne fruit. Surely, it won’t be spreading more than before.
Cloney was wrapped in an unsettling feeling that her thoughts might be right.
At that moment, she caught snippets of conversation from the girls.
“But that person has already sworn loyalty to the great Emperor…”
“Yeah, we can’t dare to be greedy. I’d rather enjoy just his beautiful features.”
Cloney’s golden eyes suddenly turned cold.
It was because she was now convinced that her recent hypotheses were correct.
Cloney realized anew that the world was vast and filled with oddballs.
“It seems that being abnormal… isn’t just limited to Hestia sister.”
Cloney looked fondly at the green-eyed Cat-Folk beside her, who was on her eighth fish dish.
It wasn’t just the bizarre affection of two sisters directed at Yuma.
A young man with blonde hair was also looking at Yuma with an oddly intense gaze.
A strong admiration.
Baron Amon didn’t want to ignore the fiery determination in his eldest son Aros’s eyes.
So, he approached Yuma, who had just finished his meal and was wiping his mouth with a handkerchief.
“Your Excellency.”
Yuma nodded.
“Do you have something to say, Baron?”
“I must beg your pardon for my impudence, but could you teach my son a technique with the sword? If possible, a duel would be splendid.”
Yuma gazed at Baron Amon with a bored expression.
Someone next to him reacted even more intensely.
“Yuma is being troubled… trying to make him exert himself unnecessarily.”
Bell stood up.
Her pink eyes fixed on Baron Amon.
“I’ll duel with him. Since I am Yuma’s sword.”
Bell still couldn’t completely trust Yuma’s words.
Even though he no longer coughed up blood at all.
So she didn’t want Yuma to expend any energy needlessly.
And the bigger reason was the audacity of the Baron to even mention a duel.
He uttered something she herself had not dared to bring up due to the overwhelming gap in skill.
That made her a little angry.
Yuma, flustered, nodded toward Baron Amon who was looking at him.
“True. Bell is my sword. There’s not much age difference between the two, so it should be a big help.”
Someone else stood up.
It was Aros, the eldest son of Baron Amon.
“I shall duel. Thank you for the opportunity for a valuable experience.”
