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The capital city of the Alkasia Kingdom, Kanzar City.
Four people arrived in front of the royal palace's main gate.
"State your identity and purpose of visit."
"I am Duke Iven Meridiem. I have come to have an audience with His Majesty the King."
It was uncommon for outsiders to have an audience with the King.
Once an audience with the King was confirmed, the fact would be communicated to the gatekeepers.
"The audience schedule has been received. And who are the others with you?"
"This is Count Edward Naone."
The gatekeepers stood even straighter than when the head of the Alkansia Kingdom's First Ducal House introduced himself.
Count Edward Naone.
He was already a figure whose reputation as a national hero had spread throughout the continent.
A man who withstood a dragon's flames with his bare body.
A man who planted his sword in the neck of one of the Three Great Commanders of the Sama Army and held his ground.
Especially for those who wield swords, he had become almost a living legend.
The same was true for the two gatekeepers guarding the royal palace's main gate.
Finally.
Thwack!
They brought their heels together and saluted.
"W-we greet Count Edward Naone! It is an honor!"
Audaciously.
The two gatekeepers offered a salute to the head of a mere count's family, something they did not do when the head of the First Ducal House introduced himself.
If Duke Iven took issue with this, the two men could be expelled from the royal court and possibly face severe punishment.
However.
This was the current standing of Count Edward Naone to those who wielded swords.
Duke Iven Meridiem was not so obtuse as to be unaware of this fact.
If the two gatekeepers had been mages rather than swordsmen, the opposite situation would have occurred.
"I am Davian Naone."
Gulp.
They didn't salute as they had for Count Edward Naone.
But the two gatekeepers simultaneously swallowed hard.
They scanned Davian up and down, not even blinking, as if trying to imprint his image in their minds.
Davian Naone.
The Slayer of the Demon King.
A figure who stood shoulder to shoulder with dragons.
Among humans, a person who was unrivaled before and after.
He was only twenty years old.
He saved the continent from the Demon King and became the strongest being on Earth.
Finally, a young man introduced himself.
He seemed uneasy and hesitant.
"Mons... is my name."
It was a paltry introduction following the head of the continent's First Ducal House.
The head of the Paks Continent's guardian family.
The strongest human on Earth.
He didn't even have a surname.
"Mons?"
"Ah, I am Lord Davian's attendant."
"Oh. You should have said you were an attendant from the start. Suddenly stating your name..."
Mons seemed to want to add something but stopped himself.
Still, the fact that he was Davian Naone's attendant was enough to pass through the royal palace's main gate without any problems.
Audience Chamber.
"We greet His Majesty the King."
The four bowed deeply and paid their respects.
King Alonso Alkasia, now with a completely clear gaze, greeted the four with a bright expression.
"Welcome. I was just about to summon you to the royal palace, but you requested an audience first."
The King rose from his seat and slowly began to descend the stairs.
The startled Captain of the Guard shouted.
"Your Majesty!"
"It's alright. These are the ones who protected our kingdom, this continent. It is alright to go down and offer my gratitude."
This time, the magistrates of each department spoke up.
"It violates the laws of the royal palace."
"There is no need for Your Majesty to personally offer thanks..."
"Your Majesty, please return to the throne."
Ignoring the magistrates' words, the King walked forward and placed his hand on Davian's shoulder.
"It's been a while, Davian Naone."
"It is an honor to see you again, Your Majesty."
"How many times are you going to save our kingdom? You're twenty this year, right?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Instead of helping the kingdom's young people, I'm only relying on them."
"It's all thanks to the good education I received at the Academy."
That wasn't wrong.
However.
He had become too strong to simply attribute it to his good education at the Academy.
Could the Dean, Head of the Swordsmanship Department, and Head of the Magic Department working together even stand against him for a short time?
To achieve victory against Davian, perhaps the entire faculty would have to attack at once.
"I am also grateful to the Duke and Count. And Count Edward."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"How were you able to deceive me and the royal family so flawlessly?"
Edward Naone.
Aside from Davian, he was effectively the strongest on the continent.
And also the man with the most powerful private army on the continent.
Moreover.
His way of speaking was extremely straightforward.
He hadn't revealed himself until now because he rarely appeared outside his territory.
"If our family's true nature had been revealed when Your Majesty was weakened, a great war would have broken out on the continent."
His tone was polite.
But the content was not.
If the royal family had known this when the King was compromised by the imperial spy and unable to make sound judgments, they would have ordered the suppression of a force that threatened the royal family.
The Naone family led by Edward would not have been easily defeated by the royal suppression forces.
No, it was a terrifying statement that they wouldn't have stopped at just winning against the suppression forces, but would have started a war with the royal family.
It was a high-stakes statement that could lead to being branded a traitor on the spot.
Years ago.
If Glasier was the one behind Davian when he was engaging in a power struggle with the royal family here.
Now, Edward had 30,000 private soldiers behind him, and his son, Davian Naone.
Only the Captain of the Guard and the magistrates were anxiously waiting for the King's next words.
Suddenly.
The King took Edward Naone's hand.
"So there really was a secret family protecting our continent. And a family with such a strong head. That's fortunate. Really fortunate."
"You flatter me."
The feared situation did not occur.
With the war against the Marino Empire approaching, the fact that a legendary family existed was far more important to the King than this level of insubordination.
"Your Majesty... please, return to the throne now."
"Your Majesty."
The King gestured to the ministers and began to ascend the stairs back to the throne.
After sitting on the throne.
"Well. If you requested an audience, there must be a reason. What is the reason for coming all the way here?"
Count Edward Naone raised his head.
"It may be a somewhat lengthy story. I have come to tell you a story about one family and one young man."
"One family and one young man?"
Thump.
Mons' heart began to pound strongly.
The King sitting on the throne above the stairs, looking down at him.
He was the one who, although his mind was weakened by the spy's plot at the time.
Ordered the deaths of Mons' father and mother.
His siblings and relatives.
Everyone associated with the family.
At the same time.
He was the only person who could restore the tarnished honor of the family.
If he were to jump forward right now and take the head of the King who issued such an absurd order.
Even if he could evade the guards lined up on both sides in their thick armor.
He would surely be stopped by the Captain of the Guard standing right below the stairs.
Mons' talent was outstanding, and he had worked hard to develop his skills.
But he was not yet at a level where he could overcome the Royal Guard Captain.
However.
If he remained still and quiet as Count Edward Naone instructed.
He might be able to restore his family's honor.
Mons was a wise man who knew how to bet on the side with potential.
"Mons, why don't you introduce yourself to His Majesty."
"Yes, Lord."
Mons took a step forward.
Once he introduced himself before the King.
He would no longer be able to call his benefactor, Count Edward Naone, Lord.
Because he would either be executed on the spot.
Or.
He would inherit the title of Duke.
"I greet His Majesty the King. I am Mondress Raon."
Shing.
The guards lined up on both sides of the audience chamber unsheathed their swords in unison.
The Captain of the Guard reached down and stopped them from moving for now.
'Mondress Raon, so he's alive.'
The missing son of the Duke who committed treason.
'Has it been about 10 years?'
Despite the searches and inquiries that lasted for several years, no trace of him was found, and he was effectively declared missing.
They thought he had wandered into the depths of some mountain while fleeing the pursuers and was killed by monsters.
'If he came here on his own two feet, backed by Duke Iven Meridiem and Count Edward Naone, he wouldn't have come just to surrender.'
It shouldn't be.
Absolutely.
There must be some kind of story or something to explain.
Otherwise...
'Does the royal family really have the power to deal with those who are here?'
The head of the Meridiem Ducal House, the First Ducal House, said to possess more mages than the Magic Tower.
The head of the Naone County House, said to have 30,000 private soldiers who swept away the demons.
A young man who stood shoulder to shoulder with dragons and was protected by the ice spirit Glasier.
No, the phrase "a young man who could kill everyone here with his own power alone and slowly walk out of the royal palace" would be more appropriate.
'Even if one of the three were missing, they would already be greater than the power of the royal family.'
The balance was already broken.
He could only hope that there would not be a situation where he had to arrest the young man who introduced himself as Mondress Raon due to an unavoidable cause.
'Otherwise, the lineage of the Alkansia Royal Family, which has lasted for a thousand years, may be cut off as of today.'
Count Edward Naone walked forward and handed a stack of documents to the Military Magistrate.
King Alonso asked.
"What is that?"
"Evidence that the Raon Ducal House's treason was fabricated."
"The treason was fabricated?"
"Yes. I thought it should be corrected now, so I requested an audience with Your Majesty."
For the reason of committing treason.
One ducal house disappeared overnight.
An event from 10 years ago.
Even if they presented evidence that it was fabricated now.
There was no guarantee that the royal family would accept that fact as it was.
It was already a past event.
And in order to accept that fact, they would have to punish many people involved in the incident at that time.
And among those involved.
Was the King who made the final decision.
For that reason, Edward Naone had simply been protecting Mons well.
However, now that the Naone family's true nature had been revealed to the world due to the Demon King invading the continent.
The situation was completely different from the past.
The head of the First Ducal House and the head of the family with the title of Protector of the Continent had come together.
He judged that even the King could not gloss over this matter.
The Military Magistrate's expression gradually hardened as he examined the documents presented by Edward Naone.
King Alonso Alkasia also waited silently while the Military Magistrate reviewed the documents.
"Your Majesty."
"What is it?"
"It is necessary to investigate thoroughly..."
The Military Magistrate hesitated.
"Speak."
"Judging only by the documents presented by Count Edward Naone..."
"Speak."
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