“C-could you be... no, could Your Excellency be...!”
The Regalia Emblem... that definitely wasn't normal.
I didn't know the specifics, but judging by Liberto’s reaction, it was a massive deal. My mother had mentioned before that only the kings of the Five Great Nations possessed such a thing. Me having it was unheard of.
But I wasn't in a position where I had the luxury of hiding it anymore. If they found out, so be it.
“Might you be of noble birth?!”
“Eh?”
“To possess a Master Emblem at such a young age... and with such blinding radiance that the mark itself is obscured. You must be the son of some prestigious noble house!”
Nobility, huh? I suppose that made sense. This was a world of swords and kings, after all. There was no need to correct him; if he wanted to jump to conclusions, let him. It would probably be easier to get them to follow my lead as a "noble" than as a mere villager.
Besides, it seemed the Crown Emblem was glowing so brightly that the actual shape was invisible to them. I decided to keep it that way.
“That’s right! For certain reasons, I cannot reveal my identity. But I want to help. I need you to believe that much, at least. As proof, I’ll grant you my power! So please, lend me your strength!”
“As you command!”
The stern-faced knights all prostrated themselves before me. Is this the power of the emblem? I was only eight, for heaven's sake. The "noble" effect was absolute; they looked at me with sparkling eyes, as if they had finally found a lord worth serving.
I felt a pang of guilt for deceiving them, but this was an emergency. I had to do whatever it took.
I wrapped a cloth around my hand to hide the emblem. Since they were already under a misunderstanding, I figured it would be less confusing if I didn't let slip that it was actually a Regalia Emblem. It turned out I could still share the power through the cloth, so I immediately set about distributing my strength to the knights.
“I have been remiss in my introductions. I am Gald, Vice Knight Commander of the order led by the One-Star (Eins) Lord Olgal.”
“Mr. Gald... I see. ...Wait, One-Star (Eins)?”
“Hmm? It is the rank used to denote a knight’s strength.”
“Ah, right. One-Star (Eins). Of course, I knew that...”
I didn't have the slightest clue what he was talking about, but I nodded along anyway.
“You can call me... Sora.”
I had blurted out the first name that came to mind—my name from my previous life. Well, it didn't really matter. No one in this world would recognize it.
“Lord Sora, then. Understood! I, Gald, would gladly trade my life if it means I can grasp a sword for my motherland once more! Please, use me as your pawn!”
“Us as well! Please!”
I shared my power with about ten knights. They were practically vibrating with excitement, clearly overjoyed at being able to fight again. They looked ready to go out in a blaze of glory at any second, but my values were a little different from theirs.
“Don't die. I don't want you to die. Defeat the enemy, Gald, but I want you to come back alive.”
“W-what deep compassion! Leave it to us! We shall surely see our long-cherished ambition fulfilled!”
“No, if you 'fulfill' it, you’ll end up dead... Oh, whatever. For now!”
The Dragonia forces were gathering the knights from around town and heading our way. There were nearly twenty of them. We were still outnumbered. Therefore—
“You don't have to be a knight. Anyone who can fight, raise your hand!”
I raised my own hand and looked over the people gathered in the plaza. The crowd buzzed with confusion and hesitation. They didn't seem to understand what I was asking.
“Sorry, let me rephrase that. Right now, Dragonia knights are heading this way. If we don't fight, everyone here will be killed. I have someone I need to protect no matter what. If you have someone you want to protect too, then...!”
The Regalia Emblem on my left hand pulsed with golden light, illuminating the entire plaza. I unsheathed my Crest Sword and thrust it toward the heavens.
“Fight with me! I’ll lend you my power!”
◇
The Dragonia knights converged on the plaza.
Sixteen in total. Having sensed something was wrong, they had moved as a unit to handle any potential threats. At their head was a Knight Commander clad in ornate, high-grade armor.
“What is the meaning of this? What happened here?”
The three subordinates who were supposed to be guarding the plaza were nowhere to be seen. The prisoners didn't look particularly different, yet the bloodstains on the ground proved that combat had occurred.
“The Master Emblem holder was supposed to be dead, right? We checked everyone. There's no mistake?”
“Sir! Every prisoner possessed a Vassal Emblem, and we confirmed their light had faded. There is no error.”
“Hmm.”
The Knight Commander scanned the captive Arcadian knights, including Gald, who were simply sitting on the ground.
“Hey. Where are the sentries? Answer me.”
“Who knows?” Gald replied, tilting his head casually.
Irritated by the insolence, the Knight Commander drew his sword.
“I see. Fine... then I’ll just kill you all. You can talk once you've had a change of heart.”
“Hey, hey, Mr. Knight! Mr. Knight! I know where they are!”
“Hmm?”
A young boy stepped forward, approaching with an innocent expression. He looked to be about eight years old. He seemed so utterly defenseless that the knights instinctively lowered their guard.
“The sentry knights are over there!”
As the boy pointed, the knights reflexively turned their heads to look.
In that instant—
——Death——
The Dragonia Knight Commander felt a chill of pure lethality surge through him. Every hair on his body stood on end. It was an instinctive, biological reflex.
Sensing immediate danger, he threw his arm up to protect himself. Only his years of battlefield experience allowed him to react in time. His arm was sliced open, the blade biting deep into the flesh.
White-hot pain flared, but he had blocked the strike. He turned his gaze toward the source.
“Tch... fast reactions. I was aiming for your neck. I guess a Knight Commander really is quick.”
“What... who the hell are you?!”
The boy from a moment ago was now gripping a sword. The mask of innocence was gone. In its place was the cold, murderous gaze of a true knight.
The boy was Leo.
The Knight Commander’s face twisted in disbelief, but he forced himself to focus. He couldn't quite process that a mere child had delivered such a sharp, lethal strike, but the reality was right in front of him.
Almost simultaneously, Gald and the others lunged at the remaining knights. Caught off guard, several Dragonia soldiers were cut down instantly, though the majority managed to draw their weapons and counterattack.
“Why... how is this possible? Why has their Crest Power returned?”
The Knight Commander was reeling. They had killed the Master Emblem holder; the knights shouldn't have been able to recover their strength. But that wasn't the end of it.
Immediately after the knights moved, the civilian men they had taken prisoner drew their own swords. From old men to youths, over fifty people joined the fray. Gald’s voice rang out across the plaza.
“Stay in groups of five! Hold the defensive line until we reach you! Do not break rank under any circumstances!”
The Arcadian knights and the commoners worked in tandem, swarming the enemies. They used their superior numbers to their advantage. While the civilians couldn't hope to beat a trained knight in a fair duel, they could certainly buy time. By grouping up with the actual knights, they began to whittle down the enemy through sheer numerical superiority.
The Knight Commander watched in stunned silence as his men were overwhelmed one by one.
“How... who could possibly grant emblems to this many people? There shouldn't be any high-ranking Knight Commanders left in this region... Who is doing this?!”
“Hyaaaaa!”
Leo lunged, his sword clashing against the commander's. The Knight Commander stared at the impossibly young boy attacking him, then his eyes drifted to the radiance emanating from the cloth wrapped around the boy's left hand.
It was a brilliant, dazzling golden light.
“Is it you, brat?!”
“Finally figured it out? You're a little slow on the uptake.”