"Please wait, Lord Osiris Ashtress!"
Dial scrambled to his feet.
"He... he’s just a kind person. Coming from an enemy, this may sound odd, but please don’t blame him! Even if he has a natural gift, he’s still just a child. Children make mistakes in judgment! They let their emotions get the better of them!"
"Dial..."
"Leo-kun. Please... sheathe your sword. I appreciate the sentiment, truly. But this is a blatant violation of military regulations. We couldn’t complain even if we were executed. I don’t want someone like you, who tried so hard to help us, to die like this. So please, put your sword away and forget about us. This is simply the nature of war."
Dial gave me a gentle smile, and the other knights behind him nodded in solemn agreement.
They understood. Arcadia understood.
I suppose I was the only one who didn't.
I looked Dial straight in the eye and spoke.
"No."
"Why not!?"
I refused to bend my rules.
"I told you, I’m not a child! D-don't be so selfish!"
"You literally just called me a child a second ago."
"Well, I did, but—! Why do I, your enemy, have to be the one defending you!? To be blunt, if I think about the future of Odixia, I’d be much happier if a monster like you didn't exist!"
"Then please stay quiet. You're the enemy, aren't you?"
"Ugh..."
I turned my attention back to Osiris.
"I don’t want to kill these prisoners. And... because I won’t let them be killed, I will protect them. You claim this is a violation of military regulations, but aren't we taught that prisoners are not to be executed? Isn’t it the unwritten rule that’s actually in the wrong?"
"Indeed, the regulations of the Arcadia Knight Order are written as such. However, do you truly believe such logic holds any weight on the battlefield?"
"Yes. Because the logic is on my side."
"Hoh... do you intend to lecture me?"
Osiris applied pressure, his presence heavy with Sword Aura.
Behind me, Dial collapsed to his knees under the weight of it. Knights from both Arcadia and Odixia instinctively reached for their weapons.
He truly was a Five Star Sword. The sheer intensity was every bit as overwhelming as the Sword Aura Gaia had released during the First Exam.
Still, I didn't look away.
"Then answer me this. What do you intend to do with them?"
"I will have them exhaust all of their Blessing Power by tomorrow morning. Even with a Master Emblem, their power is finite. Once it's spent, the emblem vanishes."
"Correct. But who will guard them until then? What of the resources required?"
"I'll do it."
"That is not permitted. You belong to the Fifth Army, Eighth Unit of the Odixia Frontline. As your commanding officer, you are my resource. I will not allow you to squander yourself as you please."
"Then I’ll do it during my rest periods."
"No. You have no rest periods today. Starting now, you are to attend the military council. As a Unit Commander."
"Unit Commander?"
What was he talking about?
The surrounding soldiers all looked just as bewildered as I felt. I must have misheard him.
"I am placing a thousand men under your command. You are being promoted to Unit Commander."
"“Whaaaaaat!?”"
I definitely hadn't misheard.
"W-wait a minute! I’m still a candidate taking the Knight Commander Exam!"
"Then you have passed. As of today, you are a One-Star Knight Commander. While it is rare for a One-Star to lead a thousand-man unit, it is not without precedent."
"Wait, what..."
Me, a Unit Commander... No, now wasn't the time for that.
"Do you still intend to throw a tantrum? This is a legitimate assessment of your strength."
"E-even so, I won't change my mind. I have no interest in rank or promotions."
"Then let us return to our debate. What will you do? If you have no logical answer, then your defiance is nothing more than a childish fit. Prove your point. If you can provide a justification that satisfies me, I may consider it. But if you cannot, you will submit."
It was then that another voice cut through the tension.
"I’ll look after those knights for him."
I turned around. Flare was there.
She galloped up to my side on an Emblem Horse and hopped down.
"Flare..."
"Honestly, Leo, you really are a handful. The rumors have already reached the main camp, you know?"
"Sorry."
"Do you actually feel bad?"
"If I caused you trouble, then yes. But I still don't think I'm wrong."
"Heh, then don't apologize. Besides... I've always liked your ideals."
Flare turned to face Osiris.
"I am still a candidate. If Leo is to be a Unit Commander, I request a transfer to his unit. I will take responsibility for monitoring these knights until their Master Emblems are depleted. How does that sound? I’m strong enough to suppress them if they rebel. I promise to kill them the moment they offer the slightest resistance."
"Hmm... Indeed, you are capable of that. The disadvantages are minimal, but a risk remains. What is the merit that outweighs that risk?"
"Leo will be able to fight without distractions. If he can focus, he can display his talents to their fullest potential. You saw his results today; you know better than anyone that this is the greatest possible merit for Arcadia."
"...Hmph. Very well. I allow it."
"Wait, really?"
Success. That was much easier than I expected!
I guess Osiris isn't so bad after all. He seems strict, but he’s actually pretty reasonable!
"However," Osiris continued, his voice dropping an octave, "that only addresses the logistics of exhausting their Master Emblems. That is not the core of the issue. The point of contention is your refusal to execute those who hold Master Emblems simply because they are prisoners. Leo, do you have an answer for that? One that can satisfy me?"
"That’s... like Flare said, so that Leo can fight better—"
"Thanks, Flare. I'll take it from here. My thoughts have finally come together."
I stepped in front of Flare.
I walked right up to Osiris until we were face-to-face.
"I have an answer. There is both logic and merit in not killing them."
"Hoh? Let’s hear it."
"My Knight Order—the Leo Knight Order—will never kill a prisoner, nor will we allow them to be killed. I will make that an absolute, inviolable rule. It will be our ironclad law."
"And your reasoning?"
"It drastically lowers the enemy's hurdle for surrender. When an enemy faces me and realizes they cannot win, they will choose to surrender rather than fight to the death. This allows us to neutralize the enemy while minimizing our own casualties and exhaustion. Furthermore, more prisoners mean more people to whom we can grant Familia Emblems. Since Arcadia forbids Blessed Slaves, these prisoners become a vital labor force. An increase in Blessing Power is a pure merit for the kingdom."
"............That strategy only works if the enemy is aware of the rule."
"Exactly. That’s why I’ll make sure the whole world knows it. Along with my name. I’ll make it known that the Leo Knight Order never kills a prisoner, even those with Master Emblems!"
I poured my Sword Aura into my declaration.
The vague ideas I’d been holding were finally taking shape as a concrete philosophy.
"It is all mere theory. Everything you've said is meaningless unless you possess overwhelming strength."
"Yes, exactly. But I am strong. And if I have overwhelming strength, then I’m in the right, aren't I?"
"And how do you intend to prove this strength?"
I drew my sword.
"Would you care for a mock battle? If I can defeat you, that should be proof enough of my strength."
"...Hoh. Indeed, it would. Save for the fact that it is an impossibility."