Editor : Amethyst00



Inside the vast royal palace.

The place Leo arrived at was known as the Hall of Aura.

Though the main palace where Leo would reside had been faithfully reconstructed in the exact form of the former Tonkan Royal Palace, most of the other buildings within the palace grounds were newly built.

The Hall of Aura was one of those newly established places.

It existed for the knights of the Kingdom of Arhi.

All manner of equipment for knightly training had been arranged here.

"Hyaap! Hyaap!"

As they approached the Hall of Aura, the sound of shouted breaths echoed.

In front of the hall—

Around a hundred children, seemingly in their early teens, were striking downward while shouting kiais.

"Are those aspirants for apprenticeship in the Tuzen Order?"

"Yes. We've selected those with talent."

The middle-aged knight following beside Leo bowed his head.

Sieg Zidma.

He was the son of Sith and held the position of vice-captain of the Tuzen Order.

Though he had yet to ascend to the rank of hero, he was still widely renowned as one of the most famous knights in the western continent.

Until Leo's arrival, the Tuzen Order had effectively governed and managed the region of Lessentung.

Naturally, if the Kingdom of Arhi were to be established, it was inevitable that the Tuzen Order would become its representative order.

Leo's gaze turned toward the children.

Upon seeing those eyes, Sieg's expression stiffened.

'Is he truly only seventeen?'

A boy becoming a hero—such stories were things heard only in fairy tales.

To rise to the rank of hero at such a young age was something near impossible.

For a boy was, by nature, still incomplete.

Of course, even heroes weren't perfect.

But most heroes were not immature.

For they only rose to their place after overcoming countless trials.

He looked at the boy who had now become his liege.

Sieg was a man born to be a knight.

Knights were beings with clear goals.

Whether it be for the justice they believed in,

To protect many lives,

Or to follow only the lord to whom they had pledged their loyalty.

Sieg had spent his life searching for a king worthy of his service.

And Leo was that very king.

Overwhelming ability, a grand purpose to save the world from the great evil—Tartaros—

And charisma that could draw people in.

He believed Leo was born to be the ideal king.

That was why he had sworn his loyalty to Leo.

He had vowed to be his sword and shield, and that vow remained unshaken.

And yet, he couldn't help but question—

Whether Leo truly needed someone like him to serve.

'His Majesty is… too perfect.'

From up close, Leo was the very definition of perfection.

A being without weakness.

He had seen many people, but none like this.

"If raised well, some of them will end up at Lumene. Train them well."

"…Yes, Your Majesty."

Leo had gauged the trainees' potential at a mere glance.

These apprentice aspirants were different from usual.

Due to Leo's soaring fame, only the most exceptional talents had been selected.

To become a hero at such a young age and even ascend to kingship.

For children, Leo's existence would be nothing short of a powerful aspiration.

'And it's not just those aspiring to be knights.'

Talented individuals in magic, and even rare ones with aptitude in summoning, were beginning to gather in the Arhi royal palace.

Among them were even those bearing the name of so-called "noble families."

Leo could see right through their talents.

The influence of a single person exceeded imagination.

And he guided those who gathered under that influence in the right direction.

'For someone so perfect… would he even need vassals?'

As Sieg reflected on his own value, his expression clouded over.

Step, step—

Leo began to walk forward.

"Squad, attention!"

The instructor leading the children spotted Leo and called out.

The children, dripping with sweat under the sweltering summer sun, hurriedly snapped to attention.

"Left turn!"

Snap—!

It seemed they had been well-trained, as the children moved in perfect unison.

Before long, Leo came into their view.

"L-Lord Leo Plov …!"

"That's the King of Beginnings…!"

"I-I want to get a closer look!"

"Hey! Don't push!"

The children's orderly formation, which had seemed somewhat solid, crumbled instantly.

The appearance of Leo, now a figure of awe and admiration, was enough to stir their hearts.

"Y-You brats…!"

The flustered instructor moved to regain control, but Leo casually raised a hand.

Then, with a smile, he said, "Keep up the good work."

"Y-Yes, sir!"

"Wooooaahhhhhh…"

"His voice is so cool!"

"He's so handsome…!"

"I get to serve someone like that… It's like a dream come true…!"

The apprentice aspirants reacted with excitement.

Watching them, the instructor let out a small laugh inwardly.

'They're not even proper apprentices yet and already talking about serving His Majesty…'

These children were merely apprentice aspirants.

Depending on their growth, they would eventually become apprentice knights of the Tuzen Order.

From there, they would need to earn promotion before they could become knights of the King of Beginnings.

The path ahead would be anything but easy.

No matter how brilliant their talents.

'Well… dreaming isn't a bad thing.'

The instructor stole a glance at Leo as he entered the Hall of Aura alongside Sieg.

Once inside, Leo headed to where another knight order resided.

Though the Hall of Aura was officially registered to the Tuzen Order, there was one other knight order present.

Sieg looked at the sign hanging at the entrance—Slayer.

The Slayer Order was Leo's personal knight order.

'Though calling it a "knight order" feels like an overstatement.'

It consisted of only five members.

'Or is it six now?'

As Leo opened the door and stepped inside, what appeared before him was a massive training field.

At its center, a cat beastkin and a human man were sparring.

Crash—!

Aru kicked off the ground and charged at Jeswan.

Boom—!

Jeswan crossed his twin spears to block Aru's kick but was flung backward.

"You damn monster cat…!"

Fighting spirit flickered in Jeswan's eyes.

Tap—!

Landing on the floor, Aru let out a grin.

The smile of a beastkin radiating fierce battle instinct.

Watching her, Jeswan's body responded with a thick, simmering killing intent born of the same drive.

Seeing that, Sieg raised his voice.

"Sir Jeswan! Miss Aru Tune is a guest of His Majesty! Restrain yourself!"

"Che."

Clicking his tongue, Jeswan backed down.

Though Sieg had yet to be granted the title of hero, knightly strength wasn't solely determined by titles.

As someone older and seasoned in countless battlefields, he wasn't someone Jeswan could treat lightly.

Especially now that Jeswan had sworn loyalty to Leo, he was ranked below Sieg in knightly hierarchy.

And beside Sieg stood Leo himself.

"Oh! Black Rabbit!"

At that moment, Aru spotted Leo and bounced over with little hops.

"Quite noisy from early morning."

Leo muttered. Aru let out a grin.

"Just a light warm-up."

"Warm-up?"

"Yep! So I can go another round with you, Black Rabbit—!"

"I said we'd spar after the coronation."

"Nyuuugh—!"

Leo grabbed Aru's cheeks and began to twist and shake them.

Dragged every which way by Leo's hand, Aru eventually pulled back, rubbing her reddened cheeks and pouting.

"Why? It's not like you've had any challengers since yesterday, so you must be bored too, right?"

"I'm not really bored."

"I am."

"Then play with this."

Leo rolled a marble the size of a fingernail from his palm.

Tap—!

The glittering marble rolled quickly across the floor, and Aru instinctively stopped it with her foot.

"……"

She went silent—then glared and grabbed Leo by the collar, shaking him.

"I told you—stop treating me like a cat!"

Jeswan watched the scene unfold with disbelief.

"Where'd that bloodthirsty aura go?"

Just moments ago, Aru had been like a wild beast.

So fierce in her fighting spirit that she seemed utterly untameable.

But now, in front of Leo, she was like a slightly cranky kitten.

Feeling the lingering ferocity on his palm, Jeswan lowered his gaze.

'They kept calling this the golden generation… But His Majesty isn't the only monster here.'

As the successor to the Brave Aaron, Aru was a globally recognized figure.

She, too, had ascended to herohood at a young age.

Even so, Jeswan had thought she was different from Leo.

Leo's existence had been pure shock.

But Aru was no less than him.

Though their fight had been somewhat even, Jeswan knew—

Neither he nor Aru had gone all out.

He knew she was the kind of hero who would one day grow so quickly she'd soar far beyond his reach.

'Man… ever since I came to this country, my self-esteem's been in free fall.'

"To be honest, why do you call His Majesty Black Rabbit? He's not a rabbit, and he's not even black."

A white rabbit would make sense.

His hair was white, and his eyes were red.

"I'm not sure why either, but Lady Aru calls His Majesty that. Anyway, that was an incredible match, General."

Martina smiled as she handed him a towel and a water bottle.

Looking at it for a moment, Jeswan spoke.

"You don't have to pay me any mind. No need to treat me like a general."

"Eh? But His Majesty appointed you as General of the Slayer Order."

"And that's what I don't understand."

Jeswan scratched his head.

He was a wandering mercenary.

Even if his skill reached the level of a hero, his character was far from noble.

'These guys are clearly elite knights.'

The ones under his command were Leo's knights, led by Martina.

'They trained with the Zerdinger family from a young age and ended up students of Lumene—true elites. They should be led by a proper knight.'

After spending several days with the five members of the Slayer Order, that's what Jeswan had concluded.

That very morning, he had submitted a letter of resignation to Leo.

And now Leo had come in person.

Leo, who had just been sparring with Aru, approached Jeswan.

"Let's talk inside."

Leo entered the captain's office.

Jeswan and Sieg followed behind.

Seated at the captain's desk, Leo spoke.

"You don't like Martina and the others?"

"…What?"

Jeswan blinked, flustered by the question, then shook his head.

"No, not at all."

"Then why resign?"

"Well, Your Majesty, I may have reached hero status, but I'm still just a mercenary."

"So?"

"Those elite knights… I think they'd be better under someone like Sir Sieg."

"Why?"

"I just don't think I'd be a good influence on them."

Jeswan shrugged.

"To be honest, it'd be a waste. They're talented kids. If they were influenced by someone like me, it might ruin them. I'm not fit to be in charge of such elites."

At those words, Leo looked at him with an expression of interest.

"For someone called a mad dog, you're oddly delicate."

"…Excuse me?"

"I don't think those kids' futures would be ruined just by being around you. They could learn a lot from you."

"From me?"

"Yeah. Like… how to survive on the battlefield."

Leo leaned back in the chair.

"There's a simple reason I named my first knight order 'Slayer.' I'm going to end Erebos and Tartaros in my time."

"That's… a well-known goal, yes."

"Right. But it seems like you've all dismissed it as just another lofty ideal."

Leo narrowed his eyes.

"I intend to do it by any means necessary."

At those words, both Jeswan and Sieg drew a sharp breath.

"I'm not building this nation for wealth, glory, or power."

Leo turned his gaze to the world map hanging on the office wall.

On it were marked Tartaros's territories and battlefronts across the world.

"It's solely to wipe those bastards out."

"……"

"……"

Neither Jeswan nor Sieg responded.

"I won't force you to follow me. Even alone, I will annihilate them. But if you do choose to follow…"

Leo closed his eyes.

"I hope no one dies."

A dreamlike statement.

An impossible wish.

A reality Leo himself had mocked and sneered at.

And yet—

It was the ideal he had longed for more than anything else.

"They'll follow me. And the Slayer Order's numbers will continue to grow."

For now, there were only five.

But that number would surely rise.

"Which is why they need to learn how not to die on the battlefield. In the wars to come, there will be no room for honor or shame—only survival will matter. And Sir Jeswan… you know better than anyone that survival is the greatest value, don't you?"

"…Why do I feel like Your Majesty knows me better than I do?"

"……"

Leo chuckled softly.

"Maybe. But I'm someone who's ready to die at any moment."

"……"

And the only thing such a man could teach—

'Is the resolve to die.'

Jeswan finally understood why Leo had entrusted the Slayer Order to him.

Then Leo's gaze turned to Sieg.

"There's no such thing as a perfect person. Least of all me. I need people who can help me."

'…He saw through me.'

Sieg clenched his fist.

"…I will do my utmost, Your Majesty."

As Jeswan replied heavily, Leo nodded and rose from his seat.

He exited the General's office.

"…I may have ended up serving someone absurd."

Jeswan muttered under his breath.

Sieg clenched and unclenched his trembling fists and replied.

"…I think so too."

And in that moment, they understood—

Why that boy…

No—why that man was called the King of the World.