The Holy Kingdom of Hibernia possessed prestige second only to the Empire.
Thalassa, a city within Hibernia, was one of the major cities representing the western region.
It featured wide, well-paved roads where three ordinary carriages could pass side by side, grand gates, and high fortress walls.
As a major city ruled by one of Hibernia’s long-standing, prestigious noble families, it was governed by strict discipline.
Thalassa was a city famous for its cleanliness.
However…
“Me first!
I got here first!”
“Hey, don’t push!”
“My status is clear!
Why on earth are you refusing me!”
The area in front of the gate leading into Thalassa was as crowded as a marketplace in broad daylight.
No, it was far more cluttered, chaotic, and utterly disorderly.
“Hey!
Do you know who this is?
He’s with the Damon Merchants Association…”
“Merchant association or not, everyone knows you’re all just packing up and running away!
What nonsense are you talking!”
“We’re just… retreating for a moment.
Even so, someone of his stature shouldn’t be lumped in with people like you…”
“Hey!
Don’t block the road, move!
If he’s such a great person, why is he lingering here instead of going in!”
“That’s because these soldiers don’t recognize him…”
“Oh, Sir Knight!
I’m fine, but can’t you do something for just these children?”
“We!
Our family was here first!
Sir Knight!”
The country hadn’t even fallen yet, but their appearances and behavior were no different from refugees.
Small nearby estates had collapsed one by one, and the residents of those places, along with people active in the western region, had gathered at the large city of Thalassa.
The number of people grew with each passing day.
At first, Thalassa accommodated and protected as many people as possible, but everything had its limits.
Public order within the city was one concern, but they also lacked the budget, food, and space to handle them all.
“Please, let us in!
We have nowhere to go!”
So many people had gathered in front of the walls.
Because they couldn’t enter, they had set up camp and unpacked their belongings right there.
Those who had some leeway and had brought their wealth could enter by promising a donation to the city, but most people couldn’t do that.
They had barely escaped with their lives, or they simply didn’t have enough wealth to donate in the first place.
That was why they were camping in front of the gate like refugees.
Even at this moment, countless people were arriving from all directions.
Claire and Hamelot were among those who had arrived.
Claire stepped back and looked around, unable to easily enter due to the massive crowd.
‘It’s just like… back then.’
It reminded her of the memories of the past she had seen with Hio on the Floor of Breakthrough — the sight of people clamoring to enter the magic city of Tetradia.
The scenery here was remarkably similar.
“What should we do, Master?”
Unlike Claire, Hamelot looked at the crowd gathered in front of the gate with anxious eyes.
He had heard from Claire that he needed treatment.
If he didn’t get treated in Thalassa, he would die.
Yet, the place was overflowing with people who couldn’t get in.
For Hamelot, who had grown up without anything special in his short thirteen years of life, it was impossible not to feel anxious.
However, that anxiety vanished without a trace the moment he saw his master’s face.
“It’s okay.
Let’s go.”
His master didn’t look that much older than Hamelot himself.
At most, there was probably a ten-year age difference.
Since he was on the shorter side, she likely saw him as a child, but he would grow tall soon, so maybe she would see him differently then.
“Yes, Master!”
Claire found the title “Master” very awkward, but the reason Hamelot insisted on it was his insecurity.
He felt that if he didn’t establish a relationship like this, she might just leave at any moment.
He feared his one and only hero might leave him behind without a second glance.
“When are you going to stop with that ‘Master’ thing?”
“Hehe.
You’ve taught me so many things.
That makes you my master.”
“…Do whatever you want.”
During the few days they had spent together, his master had been blunt and expressionless.
Beside Claire, Hamelot purposely smiled more brightly and spoke more cheerfully.
Why had his master, who wasn’t even that old, lost her expressions?
He wanted to see her smile.
What would Claire’s smile look like?
One thing was certain: it would be a very beautiful smile, just like the magnificent flames he had seen from her — the brightest and most splendid fire in the world.
“But… will it really be okay?
It looks like they only let in people with a lot of money…” Hamelot asked as they forced their way through the crowd.
He knew Claire was strong.
He had seen her burn away a monster that made his body tremble just by looking at it, and she had done it so easily without even changing her expression.
But Hamelot had no one to compare Claire to.
He had never seen a knight, and he didn’t know how strong that monster was compared to others.
Of course, Claire was certainly the strongest and most beautiful person in his thirteen years of life, but entering a city was a different matter.
Claire said it would be fine, so it probably would be, but what if those knights at the gate blocked her?
For some reason, Hamelot thought he would be very angry.
In Hamelot’s still narrow world, Claire had become a hero, a goal, and an object of admiration who could never — and should never — be ignored.
It felt as though his soul had been captured by a single spark of her flame.
His young master probably didn’t know he felt this way.
“It’s fine, so just follow me and stop talking.”
Claire grabbed Hamelot’s hand tightly so he wouldn’t be swept away by the crowd.
She pushed forward through the rough jostling and the thick smell of sweat, amidst all sorts of shouting.
Using mysterious movements, she slipped through the gaps between so many people and finally reached the gate.
The gate, which had been hidden by the crowd, was revealed again, along with the knights and soldiers guarding it.
By the time the sight of people clamoring in front of them became clear, the thought filling Hamelot’s head wasn’t whether they could actually get in.
‘What happens once we get in?’
Claire had said that after he received treatment from a priest, she would introduce him to the Lord of Thalassa.
She said that since the ability of the skill he realized was excellent, any lord with their head on straight would hire him to raise him as a proper knight.
The Lord!
A nobleman who ruled such a large city!
Meeting such a person was surprising, but Claire, who talked about introducing him so casually, was even more surprising.
He knew she wasn’t the type to boast, so he knew she spoke the truth, but it was still hard to believe.
He couldn’t even imagine it.
Himself meeting a noble.
Himself becoming a knight.
He had never even expected it, so he couldn’t even picture it.
‘…But if I say I’ll become a knight…’
That much he could imagine all too easily.
Claire would leave without a single backward glance.
He would just part ways with her like that, never knowing the reason for the sad expression that occasionally crossed her usually emotionless face when she looked at him.
Becoming a knight was unimaginable, yet it was something that made his heart race.
On the other hand, parting with Claire was something he could vividly imagine, and just the thought of it made him depressed.
Although he had only been with Claire for a few days, he didn’t want to part with her.
What kind of world did she see?
Why did she look at the world with such empty eyes and lose her expressions?
Who was she, what was her status, and how had she lived?
There were still so many things he wanted to know.
‘…What should I do?’
Should he stay here and be a knight as Claire said?
Or should he insist on following her, even if he had to force it?
While Hamelot was contemplating this internally…
“Look here!
Are you saying it’s still not possible even after checking this identity token!”
The two finally reached the very front, having pushed through the entire crowd.
What they saw was, as expected, a group arguing in front of the gate.
However, there was a slightly unusual point: a knight in silver armor was personally handling them.
This meant the person they were dealing with had a proper status.
“How dare you block the path of the Great Baron Floigen’s family!
I must see the Lord of Thalassa and speak to him personally!
What is your name!”
It seemed a noble had arrived in person.
However, the expression of the knight blocking them showed clear annoyance and irritation, rather than the respect usually shown to a noble.
“Baron Floigen.
Our city has no room right now.
You have to make a donation to enter…”
The knight looked the procession of the so-called Baron’s family up and down.
They didn’t seem to have any great wealth, nor any goods or food to donate.
All they had was the identity token proving he was a Baron.
“Well, if you have nothing, you’ll just have to return to your ‘great’ barony.”
Being a Baron didn’t make one much different from a formal knight, and especially in the case of nobles from rural estates or fallen nobles, letting them in would only cause trouble and provide no help.
In a wartime situation like this, they were treated as less than knights.
“You…!
Such insolence…!”
It was then that Claire and Hamelot suddenly stepped out beside them.
Since it was obvious they would be there all day if she just watched, Claire, who was in a hurry and had much to do, stepped forward first.
As Claire and Hamelot suddenly appeared, the gaze of the knight blocking the gate turned toward them, and his eyes sparkled with interest.
“A woman and a child…
Show me your identification.”
It was because Claire’s appearance was striking.
In this place full of all sorts of refugees, fallen nobles trying to bluff their way in, and merchants who had built up some ambiguous wealth, her red hair and gorgeous looks stood out.
Combined with her expression, which showed no hint of tension, she drew the knight’s interest.
Of course, as much as the knight was interested, the Baron’s party, who had been arguing with him, also stared at Claire and Hamelot.
“Begone!”
“How dare you interfere in a noble’s conversation!”
Thinking their authority shouldn’t be undermined any further, they began to shout, their faces turning red.
Claire didn’t even give them a glance, and her attitude seemed to anger them even more, making their reaction more intense.
“A girl who doesn’t know her place…”
“To think you’d ignore a noble on this land…”
The Baron’s servant moved to grab Claire.
The knight sighed softly, wondering if he should stop them.
And at that moment, just as Hamelot was about to move to Claire’s side to prevent them from reaching her…
Claire’s hand, which had been fumbling in her robe, came out.
The knight who had been sighing.
The Baron’s people who had been shouting and reaching out.
Even Hamelot, who had been trying to block them.
They all stopped their movements and turned their heads.
What was the reason?
Why did it feel so oppressive even though she was just taking out an identity token, and why did they feel no desire to even open their mouths?
Why did their heads move instinctively to follow Claire’s hand?
Why could the shouts of so many people no longer be heard, and why had silence descended upon such a vast space?
Hardly anyone would know the reason.
That a golden Artifact handed down in the Empire since ancient times had been crafted by a master’s hand.
That the Ideation of the Order of the Sword was directly contained within it.
Even if they could have known that such immense power and meaning were contained in a mere identity token, they wouldn’t have had the presence of mind to think of it.
The Golden Lion Token came out with Claire’s hand.
The pressure emanating along with the brilliant golden light stole everyone’s gaze and focus.
“I am a Royal Knight of the Empire.”
In the silence where thousands of people simultaneously held their breath, Claire’s voice rang out in her usual level tone amidst the captivating golden light.
“Open the gate.”
The knight raised his sword, still in its scabbard, to eye level and bowed his head.
The soldiers pointed the tips of their spears toward the sky and withdrew to both side walls simultaneously.
Even though it was a foreign country, it was the maximum respect they could show as warriors, as those who held swords and spears, toward the strongest knight order on the continent.
Taking such things for granted, Claire walked forward.
Holding Claire’s hand, Hamelot walked with her through the silence, through the stillness where respect and awe were mixed.
His heart felt like it would explode, and his mind was filled with ecstasy.
He didn’t know exactly what had happened.
He didn’t know why these knights and soldiers, who looked great and strong even at a glance, showed such reverent awe.
‘Royal Knights…’
But that term, at least…
Hamelot’s goal became even clearer.
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