Chapter 38

"Kakaka, it's no wonder the emperor likes it. Even I couldn't defeat Behemoth, and you did it in just an instant."

"Couldn't defeat it, you say?"

"Aye. I managed to get it long ago, but Behemoth only told me its name and wouldn't listen to anything else. The form I saw back then was so fantastical that I've always wanted to meet it again."

"Form... like this?"

I linked the Behemoth with the armored ring.

Just like when I made Leviathan and Lutia fight, I made Behemoth materialize.

A golden bull appeared on the table.

Even though we were indoors, the golden glow was so intense that everyone present had to squint at its brilliance.

Seeing this, Indra said,

"This is it! You can even do this! Amazing, boy!"

"Behemoth."

I commanded the linked Behemoth.

The golden bull slowly moved on the table, maintaining its bull form, and skillfully poured wine for Indra.

The wine poured into Indra's cup also shone with a golden hue, though it was transparent.

"Wow!!"

The onlookers also let out exclamations of amazement.

"You can do such things?"

Indra was even more surprised.

Behemoth's actions were those of a subordinate, completely submitting to me.

As someone who had been treated coldly before, I couldn't help but be impressed.

"I make them fight to learn their power and techniques."

"Make them fight? With what?"

"For example, Leviathan."

Saying this, I summoned Leviathan as a water swordsman.

"Hmm."

"Lutia."

This time, a fire wrestler.

"Wow!"

And finally, the beautiful woman from the painting.

"Fuwa."

The weapons and tools I command, which have wills of their own.

I materialized all of them—then, in the next moment,

Everything turned white.

No, that's not it.

It felt like my soul was transported to a distant place.

I heard a voice.

A fantastical voice with an overwhelming presence, one I had never heard before.

'Has it been a thousand years since we four gathered?'

'Since the Silver Age, then.'

'The child back then was exceptional. Level 255, and he managed to make us four submit and regain our power.'

'The day when all of us will gather is not far off. We might even fully regain our power. It will be a grand event since the creation of the world.'

'Oh my, you must really like this child, Leviathan the Mad Dog.'

A voice I had never heard before, yet somehow knew.

Just as a name I had heard before and not heard before was mentioned, my senses were rapidly pulled back to reality.

I looked around.

It was the main street of the capital, at a stall.

The four figures on the table were still there, unchanged.

Lutia, Fuwa, Behemoth, and Leviathan.

All of them were exactly as they had been before.

Was what just happened... an auditory hallucination?

"That was the voice of heaven, expecting much from the prince."

"Huh?"

Startled, I turned toward the voice I had just heard.

There were onlookers, and to my surprise, all of them had their eyes wide open in disbelief.

"So, it was a god... right?"

"I don't understand at all, but I think it was a god."

"Wait, I wasn't the only one?"

"The god expects much from the wise prince..."

The onlookers were saying this and looking at me with admiration and respect.

Until just a moment ago, I had been looked at with such eyes because I was a prince, but this was even more so.

It wasn't the kind of respect that came with a position, which often felt forced.

It was genuine respect.

"Did everyone here hear it?"

"Yeah, that's right. I heard it too."

"Lord Indra."

"Amazing, boy. This is a grand event."

Indra's face didn't show respect, but it was filled with strong joy and expectation.

Speaking of which,

"Jiji."

"Huh? Ah, yes!"

Jiji, the maid who had been standing at a distance, also heard the voice and was stunned. She hurried over when I called her.

"Everyone here. Give 5—no, 10 Reen to everyone who witnessed this."

Saying this, I took a leather bag from my pocket and handed it to Jiji.

This is one of the duties of a noble.

The celebrations of nobles are usually on a much larger scale than those of commoners.

It is considered a virtue of nobles to share their grand celebrations with the commoners.

And it is the duty of nobles to give money to the commoners who witness their celebrations.

Some nobles consider it a mere formality, but the higher the rank of the noble, the more they see it as a duty.

Someone once said,

A third-rate noble dislikes sharing.

A second-rate noble endures the duty.

A first-rate noble does it without hesitation, as a matter of course.

I followed this, and ordered Jiji to distribute the equivalent of the average monthly income of the city to the commoners here.

"Thank you!"

"Long live the wise prince!"

"Sure enough, someone recognized by the gods is amazing."

As I fulfilled my duty as a noble and the people were沸腾 with excitement, a girl aspiring to be a knight, who had been standing at a distance and was as stunned as Jiji, approached me and knelt on one knee, bowing her head.

"I have something to say to the prince."

"What's wrong? You look serious."

"I wish to decline the prince's assistance."

She looked up at me with a very serious expression while still kneeling on one knee.

"Why are you declining?"

"I want to become the prince's knight."

"Hmm? What does that have to do with declining?"

"If I continue to rely on the prince's assistance, I will become complacent and will not become a worthy knight. I want to improve myself through my own efforts and become a person worthy of being the prince's knight."

"I see."

So that's why you're declining my assistance.

I looked at the girl's very serious face.

She was originally a proud person, but the events of today seemed to have brought out her competitive spirit even more.

Not bad, I like people like this.

I felt a similar vibe to Alice, whom I have been supporting for a long time.

"I understand your point, but I must decline your request."

"Why?"

It's the same as with first-rate and second-rate nobles.

"Receiving assistance and becoming lazy is unacceptable. I agree with that. However, avoiding it on your own is second-rate."

"Second-rate?"

"If you want to become a first-rate knight, receive the assistance and don't become lazy. Maintain a sense of crisis and ambition within yourself, regardless of external circumstances."

"..."

"If you want to become a knight worthy of me, do it this way."

"Yes, sir!"

The girl bowed her head.

Her expression was even more moved and impressed than before.

When she raised her head again, her eyes were serious.

There was a straight path ahead, a clear goal, and she was focused on nothing else.

I could sense a slight sense of endurance in her eyes.

This makes her second-rate, but this girl will eventually act without endurance, as a matter of course.

It seems a first-rate knight will be born, and I am satisfied with that.

"Amazing, boy. In just a moment, you've nurtured an interesting seed."

"Indeed. That's why I thought of my uncle's granddaughter."

In an instant, Indra and I turned to the same direction.

There, appearing out of nowhere—

"Your Majesty!"

Indra and I stood up simultaneously and knelt on one knee to the emperor.

The onlookers and Jiji, surprised by this, hurriedly knelt on both knees and bowed their heads.