The Twelve Families and the Five Dukes, the great, ponderous gears that kept the Empire running, had gathered.

Emperor Marcus sat smugly upon his golden throne, surveying his subjects. All of them were present except two: Duke Pontiers house and Marquis Crombells house.

Beside the Emperor stood his personal secretary; he was responsible for all the paperwork the Emperor couldnt do. He kept track of everything happening in the Empireit was safe to say that anything the Emperor knew, he knew.

The war between Marquis Crombell and Duke Pontier is at its climax, the secretary recited. Pendra Castle, the Pontiers ancestral home, will soon raise the white flag. The Duke and the Princess safely relocated to Castle Peril. Two days ago, 5,000 soldiers attacked Peril in the early morning. The result: Crombells were completely crushed.

The courtroom was deathly silent.

Two units of knights and 1,500 soldiers were killed immediately. Gehog von Crombell, the Marquiss eldest son, is imprisoned below Peril Castle. Viscount Wright shen Nagari, an A-Class Knight, was killed, and his corpse hangs outside the gates like a scarecrow.

The silence dragged on. How were they supposed to handle this shocking news?

Emperor Marcus, ever inscrutable, eventually opened his mouth.

How bad is it for the Pontier family?

The secretary examined the report for a moment and then looked up. I apologize, Your Majesty, but there is hardly any information on that. The number of casualtiesdead and injured, both serious and minorare estimated to be less than a hundred.

A low sigh slipped out of Marquis Brollys lips. He knew the gist of what was happening because he was acquainted with Marquis Crombell.

I didnt know, however, that it would be this big. He couldnt believe the Pontiers had won, much less without any damage.

A strange smile danced on Marcuss lips. Does Duke Pontier still have enough power? His voice was slightly raised as if urging them to listen.

The biggest factor behind the Crombells defeat was because of a powerful group of knights who appeared to assist the Pontiers at the last moment.

The Emperor gestured for him to go on.

The reports claim that they are the Wilhelm Knights of Reinhardt.

The Wilhelm Knights? Marquis Villas gaped.

The Dukes already knew this, so none of them had said anything, but Marquis Villas didnt have enough connections to find out until now. Hed been paying attention, given the obvious significance of the war, but his territory was on the opposite end of the Empire. News inevitably arrived late.

Why are they there instead of Reinhardt?

The Wilhelm Knights name held serious weight. There were only 100 of them, but each and every one of them was as skilled as any other knight on the continent.

Baron Sanders. He cut Viscount Wrights head off and led the Wilhelm Knights to victory against Marquis Crombells 5,000.

Fucki Marquis Villas caught himself at the last moment and snapped his mouth shut.

Hehehehehe. Emperor Marcus smiled, much to Villass relief.

Everyone who fought in this battle is saying the same thing: a god of war was born in our Empire.

Recite Article 21 of the Imperial Laws, the Emperor ordered.

All territorial battles within the Empire must be approved by His Majesty the Supreme Emperor in advance. Section 1 states that no more than 5,000 enlisted soldiers per family may participate in a war. Section 2 The secretary droned on and on until he finally reached the part they were all interested in. Section 8: It is always forbidden to invite outsiders or other groups that could harm the Empire. All of these sub-clauses can be changed at the discretion of His Majesty the Emperor.

The last clause was key. In the end, the painstakingly written laws were little more than scraps of paper in the hands of the Emperor1.

Of course, that wasnt the only thing they were concerned about.

Strictly speaking, the Wilhelm Knights are not part of our Empire. They come from a foreign country.

Yes, Your Majesty, the nobles immediately replied.

The Emperor singled out one of them with a sly smile. What do you think Aiden? Its not enough for your child to harm the most valuable people in the Empiremy propertybut now hes attacking the very order of our Empire. What am I meant to do with this brat?

The reply came from the other side of the table from Duke Agnus.

Violations of Imperial law should be punished harshly. Your Majesty, I think its best to bring him to the Imperial Palace and hear how he justifies himself, Duke Prius, renowned as a man of culture, asserted.

Well, technically speaking, its not against Imperial Law. He was brave enough to do that without saying a word to mebut I dont hate it, for some reason. And thats the problem.

Duke Prius remained silent this time.

First of all, I did allow Marquis Crombell many favors. In that sense, the war was already unfair for Duke Pontier.

Thats The nobles exchanged glances. They hadnt expected the Emperor to be so straightforward; everyone had thought he was turning a blind eye to the Mercenary King for some reason. His current conversation, however, certainly overturned those expectations.

While they were confused, the Emperor grinned and added, No one can argue with his achievements, right?

Of course, Your Majesty, Advisor Duke Reie was quick to agree. His accomplishments at Reinhardt delivered the name of Avalon across the continent for the first time in many years. I think that should be recognized with distinction.

I know, right? Satisfied, the Emperor continued. When he comes back, I was going to give him the rank of marquis. I was also considering giving him the lands in the south.

The aristocrats shared an astonished look. They knew the Emperor would lavish him with praise, but this was a lot. Even Arie bron Sten was still a Count, despite being a Master for some years now. A fifteen-year-old boy becoming a Master and now a Marquis? That was skipping three ranks at once. It was completely unprecedented and would likely never happen again.

My god, Your Majestywhat do you mean?!

Your Majesty, this is too much!

Both Marquis Brolly and Marquis Villas raised their voices2.

Emperor Marcuss response was swift and cold.

I am the lord and law of this empire. He pinned them to the ground with a freezing-cold glare. I will do what I want. Is that a problem?

They both clamped their jaws firmly shut.

His growth will inform our future plans. This meeting is adjourned. Also, as of now, anyone who does anything that could affect the war in the slightest After a moment, Emperor Marcus let out a soft laugh. Ill hold you responsible for getting in the way of my fun!

His flippant disregard for the future of the two families set some of the nobles nerves on edge.

Get out of my sight.

We hear and obey. The nobles stood.

Aiden, stay for a little while.

The Duke stopped. Yes, Your Majesty.

Emperor Marcus and Duke Agnus were eventually the only people left in the conference roomdiscounting the people hiding in the ceiling, but only the Emperor could see or hear them.

Shall we talk for real now? The Emperor bared his teeth in the first genuine smile of that day.

The Lion King hummed as he wandered through the beautiful gardens of Peril Castle.

You must pay for your food.

Food?

Youve played and eaten for free until now, havent you? You may not know this about me, but Im not the kind of person who takes kindly to freeloaders.

Your money? The Lion King laughed crazily. Isnt it Count Keiross, or maybe Princess Charless?

Then pay to get in.

The Lion King stared at him blankly for a moment. Hah! Ive never seen someone try that before

Thats what it takes for a child like me to make it in this harsh world.

Okay. He rocked back like hed been struck by a hammer. Im not paying, but how much does it cost?

It wont cost you anything.

Knowing you, Id rather pay in cash

Id like you to act as a notary.

The Lion King flinched. A notary? he asked with a serious expression.

The challenge will happen here, not in Reinhardt.

The Lion Kings eyes widened.

The actors are ready, so all you have to do is move the stage. Most importantly, theres no audience unless they can pay the price.

Are you serious?

Yes, Joshua replied.

I dont know if you realize, but this is a pretty big burden for me too. Being your notary means Im responsible for all the problems that incident caused.

Youre the only one who can pay the entrance fee. Heres what I want you to do

Thats not a request, thats a threat The Lion King was silent for a moment. I have some conditions, he calmly stated.

If your conditions are

He shook his head. The balance is wrong, and the tickets are too expensive.

If you do this

Two things.

Tell me.

In the future, you will grant one of my requests.

Thats

Of course, youre welcome to refuse the request if you think its too much. You see, Ive lost and tied only once in my entire life. It was against someone named Arie, who comes from the same country as you.

Hmm Joshuas mouth soured.

In the past The Lion King looked at Joshua and abruptly stopped. No, I dont think this is the time to talk about this. You have a duel to prepare for.

Is it related?

The Lion King nodded.

I get it, for now. What about the other condition?

Are you willing to accept?

I thought you said its fine to refuse.

Hah. The Lion King smiled sadly. The other His basso voice trailed off. Be my successor.

Joshuas eyes widened.

Then Ill be your notary.