As expected of Big Brother, he could say these time-honored lines without hesitation and sound like he was on the right side of the stage.
“Our Lord, Our lady. We, the Knights, will escort you to Yurinova Castle.”
The knights all put their fists to their chests and bowed their heads with Rozen’s words. It was a beautiful, coordinated movement.
Beyond the knights, several carriages were lined up, led by an elegant carriage with the duke’s coat of arms painted on it. They must have come from the main residence.
Ekaterina was surprised to see another group of knights escorting the carriages. They were also dressed in plain clothes, but the clothes bore the flag of the Knights of Yurinova and the dukedom’s coat of arms. There were four banner bearers. Two flag-bearers were stationed at the head of the carriage procession, and two more were stationed at the tail of the carriage procession—each one hoisting the group flag and the coat-of-arms flag side by side.
There was a sea of knights in the procession.
I didn’t know the correct number of knights in charge of escorting. The number of knights was too many for a mere guard procession, I thought, according to my common sense. Probably, there may be many powerful monsters and beasts still lurking in the Yurinova territory.
The young duke had just succeeded to the title. The territory was infested with unsavory elements, and he could expect to face fierce opposition.
Considering this, the current show of force by the Knights must be a clear statement of the Yurinova Knights’ position in supporting the new Duke Alexei. A clear message of support, indeed.
The full support of the Knights, the largest military force in the dukedom, would be a tremendous strength for Alexei.
Yurinova Castle was the main residence of the dukedom. The Duke’s residence in the imperial capital was referred to as the principal residence of the dukedom for distinction, but the actual main residence in Yurinova territory was often referred to as Yurinova Castle.
During the founding period of the kingdom four hundred years ago, the castle was a military fortress. Still, now that the imperial kingdom became stable and a territorial capital developed around the castle, the Yurinovas rebuilt it into an elegant ‘mansion’ (rather, a palace). Even so, the knights, in particular, probably still refer to it as a castle, which had developed into a custom.
Of course, as expected of Big Brother.
While father was fooling around, the still young Big Brother went out with the Knights to clear out dangerous magical beasts and rescue victims of disasters. Such actions were not his grandfather’s legacy but something Big Brother himself had built from the ground up. He forged bonds that will never waver.
It was truly remarkable that at the age of 18, he already had grasped full control of the most crucial part of power in the territory.
And to think, this was because our Knights continued to be what it should be, an organization that protects people from demonic beasts and disasters. In other places, knights were only a decoration for appearance, or they protected only the lords and nobles and oppressed the territory’s people.
Again, thank you.
Ekaterina smiled gratefully at Rozen and the knights.
“That’s very dependable of you. Even a pandemonium of demon beasts will never make our noble and powerful knights cower in fear. We can return to our home in peace.”
A smile graced Rozen’s mouth. It would seem that Ekaterina had conveyed her point to the Knight Order.
“The people have been looking forward to the return of His Excellency and the Young Lady. I am sure they will be pleased to see you.”
