Unlike heavy armor that needed the help of a squire to be perfectly equipped, Setsuna's current armor was of the light type that only covered her vital parts like her heart, kidneys, and other internal organs.
As she was a Storm Wolf, her regenerative abilities were simply unmatched by any human's standards.
This was one of the many many reasons why humans were so much inferior to many species of this world.
In all of history, what saved the humans race from becoming slaves once again at the hands of elves or even any other races were always a few monstrously strong and talented beings who seemed to be born in every generation just to be their savior.
Looking at his Knight, Sol directed a gentle smile as he reminisced about the past that was not really all too distant.
"Shall we go then?"
The two walked together in silence. But when Sol and Setsuna finally reached the last entrance that led to the open space where the knights were reunited, Setsuna couldn’t help but speak out her thoughts, "Do you remember our last fight in the Colosseum?"
It had only happened around two weeks ago in the Mortal Realm’s timeline but from Sol's perspective, who had spent his time in the sped-up world of the Astral Realm, it was already nearly one since that fateful day.
Even so, there was no way Sol could ever forget about that fight.
It was a fight that had ended up in a draw. Though, for Sol, it was nothing but his utter defeat. He had hoped that he would have been able to perform better on that day. Alas, things hardly ever went the way you would want them to go.
"Of course, I remember. Your punch back then really hurt, you know?"
Receiving a punch filled with lightning at the speed of sound was by no means a joke of any kind. It was a punch filled with enough momentum to kill most of the fighters at the level they trod on.
"Then… In one week from now on, I wish to fight you there once again. Just the two of us. No spectators. No distractions."
Sol was more than a bit stunned at her sudden desire to duke it out with him, but he soon understood what she really meant by those words of hers.
He opened his mouth, trying to remind her that the past was just that… The past.
The current him was so much stronger than his past self that it was funny to even compare them in the same breadth.
Even then, she wanted to fight with him?
"I thought you wanted to fight Isis?"
"I did. Still do. But not now. I started to realize that I can only move forward after making sure of one thing. And it is of paramount importance for my future growth. So, Sol, will you fight me?"
Sol merely sighed and nodded in agreement, "Anytime. Anywhere."
"Heh… Even when you are busy with the maids or your other lovers?"
"*Ahem* Well, anywhere but not any time, I guess."
Setsuna snorted out loud and the two couldn’t help but laugh heartily.
Sol felt at ease. He had feared that a heavy discussion was waiting for him but while the topic was surely important, the discussion, after the initial awkwardness, managed to continue without any sort of problem.
"Well, time to go."
The smiles on their face vanished and a gentle calm mixed with the usual dignity of a ruler draped over his face while Setsuna went completely emotionless, wearing an apathetic expression.
The clothes did not make the man. But wearing good clothes could change the entire impression one could have on the people concerned.
This was why first impressions were so important for anyone. It created a sort of expectation and overview of a person that was hard to pull down without something drastic happening.
And from now on, as they were about to stand in front of the knights, they would do so not as friends nor as acquaintances, but as a Knight and a King of the Mortal Realm.
———
There was a perpetual and intangible tension that was steadily growing between William and Clara from the moment they met each other.
After all, he couldn’t help but doubt. Beyond being an elf, their natural and long-standing enemies, and past oppressors, Clara was not born and raised in the Kingdom of Lustburg. Would such a person sincerely wish for the best interest of the kingdom?
Was she using her beauty to trick and manipulate the Prince? After all, the Prince was still a young boy and elves were known for being quite shameless and having no restraints when it came to sexual matters.
The story of a hero losing his life because he fell into the trap of a beauty was nothing new to them, it was the usual honey trap cliche that had been happening since time immemorial, and Clara was certainly a very beautiful woman worth falling for.
He had seen the prince train with the now traitor, Gerald Highland, and while they never had any deep interactions, he had noticed that the Prince still had a certain candid air around him. The proof of his lack of experience.
He had heard about how the Prince had changed greatly after coming back and William certainly believed that the Prince became far stronger than ever before. But the strength of the body did not translate to the strength of the mentality.
Even though he might lose his position or even his life, William was ready to try to wake up the Prince if he was really being manipulated by the vile clutches of that woman.
At least… This was what he thought initially.
The moment Sol appeared on the knight’s training grounds… All those thoughts vanished from his mind as if they had never existed, to begin with.
Sol’s appearance and aura made cold sweat trickle down the back of William.
He had been through many fights and he could deeply feel it.
The candid and experienced prince of the past was no more. What approached him was something that transcended his understanding itself.
There was no heavy pressure accompanying his presence. No powerful aura emanated from his body. But simply being in the same place as the changed Prince made him feel breathless. As though even the mere act of breathing without his explicit orders would be the greatest blasphemy he could ever commit.
He wasn’t the only one. The more Sol approached them, the more jittery the knights became. They felt as if they were standing in front of a large monster that was threatening to swallow them whole at even the slightest grievance.
A sea of blood covered their eyes and the pained roar of monsters being killed filled their ears with the nearing of the Prince.
Cough~
One of the knights could hold on no longer. His eyes rolled into the back of his skull and he fainted after a coughing fit.
This seemed to set a domino effect as more and more knights fainted and finally…When Sol stood on the podium… Only a third of the Knights were still standing, albeit with great difficulty.
There was a difficult and disappointed expression on his face as he looked down on everyone in silence.
William felt quite dazed at this sight but he gritted his teeth and placed a knee on the ground in respect.
“Welcome, Your Highness.”
He sent a glare at the remaining knights who were still awakened but didn’t kneel in front of the presence of Sol, and they soon followed the gesture.
“We greet you, Your Majesty!”
A small smile tugged on his lips as he commanded in a dignified voice, “Rise.”
Like a lie, the feeling of being in the presence of a large feral beast out for their blood vanished instantly.
Sol shook his head with a disappointed frown, “The results are more disappointing than I thought. But still, the Black Knights’ Order isn’t completely helpless, it seems.”
He gave a meaningful look at William who looked quite ashamed by their state, “I beg your forgiveness, Your Highness. I was not able to instill them with proper training and mentality.”
Sol did not comment. He had simply spread a little bit of the killing intent he had gathered after fighting and killing so many Chaos spawns in the levels of Tartarus.
He had expected nearly all of them to fall so the current result was more of a surprise than anything. But he didn’t let that show on his face.
“Let it not be said that I am a ruler who does not recognize merits. All those who managed to keep standing will have their salary doubled and taxes lowered indefinitely. The amount of merit necessary to receive a noble title during the war will also be lowered by half.”
He then looked at those who were down and out for the count and spoke out, “I am also willing to give the others a second chance. Train them to the best of your capabilities and in two weeks, I will test them again.”
This would create a sense of competition between the knights who fell down and those that were able to stay up even after being subjected to his test.
There was one truth in this world for soldiers. Honor and prestige all sounded good. Loyalty to the country was also great. But there was nothing like clear and tangible rewards to motivate these kinds of people to fight to the death if necessary.
This was true in his old world and it was true in this one as well.
“As for you, William… Well, you may ask for any reward you want as long it isn’t too excessive of course.”
“I…”
William gave a look at Clara then looked again at the dignified Prince. He couldn’t help but leak out a sigh, in the end.
He could literally see the stars in the eyes of the elf as she looked at the prince. When combined with the overwhelming power and authority he had just shown.
He realized that his worries had been for naught.
The Prince was just so charming that he managed to make an elf born in the forest be willing to submit to him.
‘Perhaps with him… It might be possible to bring back Lustburg to the summit it reached during the Era of Jupiter.’
“My blade belongs to you, Your Highness. My sole wish is to follow you on the battlefield and witness your might with my own eyes and sing accolades of your immortal feats once we achieve victory.”
“Oh…”
‘Did I stun this guy too much? This is quite embarrassing.’
Sol nearly lost his composure in front of this rather passionate oath. Thankfully he was able to keep his expression in check.
“Very well. I will also speak with Duke Tyr about increasing your peerage and making it hereditary if you bring satisfying results.”
‘I kinda understand now why some kings gave so many gifts to those who knew how to praise them.’
“You honor me, Your Highness.”
Sol waved his hands and looked at the horizon. He would train his army in earnest. If they could resist his pressure with no problem, then only King rank beings may be able to deter them in the future.
This was just the first step in creating an army that would conquer the world for him.
———
(AN: I added the illustrations of Clara https://[email protected]/HikaruGenji?filters[tag]=Illustrations
As always I replace *a* with *@* because WN for some reason like to censor the link when written fully. If you can't copy-paste the link just visit my pa treon and search the Illustrations tag. Once again pictures are free and available to the public.
Another piece of news is… I plan to create PDFs of the volumes forward. They are basically manuscripts for the Amazon version. Those manuscripts will be available on P@treon with illustrations inside. Imagine a light novel. I will also add a glossary page in them for characters and so on. It's a long project but once this is done, it can be rather interesting. I will see.)
