Chapter 72: Gathering Attention (1)

The capital of Cairo.

What is the most luxurious place in Cairo?

Foreigners would naturally say the royal palace, but those who have actually experienced it would say otherwise.

"The mansion of Count Benedict is truly the top attraction in Cairo."

Benedict.

A central government power player and a living symbol of authority, he built his mansion, a symbol of his power, not far from the royal palace.

A place one cannot help but encounter on the way to the royal palace.

To the extent that it was said one had to catch Count Benedict's eye to enter the palace, he was at the core of power.

To such a man.

A piece of news flew in from the frontier.

"Is that true?"

Thud.

He put down the pen he was signing with.

The middle-aged man, with his white hair stylishly swept back, looked at the strategist of the family as if urging him to speak.

"Yes, according to what I've found out, it seems to be true. Vallas of the Valhalla Temple personally went to Demetri and confirmed that Roman Demetri is a 3-star Aura Knight. After gathering testimonies from those who were at the scene of the Grand Paladin battle, it is confirmed that Roman Demetri defeated Homer. However, there is also an opinion that Homer, due to his overconfidence, did not fully utilize his 4-star Aura and thus lost."

"How old is Roman Demetri this year?"

"Twenty-five."

"To reach the 3-star level at just twenty-five. A remarkable talent has emerged from the frontier."

3-star in his twenties.

An exceptional achievement.

And historically, knights who showed such growth always broke through the 5-star barrier and gained fame across the continent.

It was only natural for Count Benedict to be tempted.

Especially with the Royal Knights of the royal family firmly holding the title of Cairo's best sword, his desire for a skilled knight was immense.

Who Roman Demetri was didn't matter.

If he truly possessed the talent as rumored, he needed to be recruited by any means necessary.

"What about the other factions?"

"They are all moving quickly. In particular, the two empires are the most proactive."

"Damn those empire brats. To boldly try to make contact before us when a talent appears in Cairo."

Currently.

The Kingdom of Cairo is divided into four factions.

The royal faction, led by the king; the noble faction, centered around Count Benedict, the king's uncle; and the pro-Chronos Empire faction and the pro-Valhalla Empire faction, who, despite being born in Cairo, aligned with foreign powers.

The reality of a minor kingdom.

Despite the factions openly supporting the empires, the Kingdom of Cairo had no special way to sanction them.

Count Benedict said,

"Roman Demetri is a knight who can reach the 5-star level in the future. Send someone quickly to recruit Roman Demetri and ensure he doesn't fall into the hands of other factions. I will support whatever is needed in the process. Especially the royal family. We must not let them take Roman Demetri."

"Understood."

The strategist bowed.

The war had already begun.

The talent that emerged in the frontier.

The power players of the Kingdom of Cairo were focusing on Demetri to recruit Roman.

At that time.

Demetri was in a festive mood every day.

"Roman Demetri has become a ranked knight of the Kingdom of Cairo!"

Even if it was unofficial.

The news that the first ranked knight in the northeastern region had been born brought people from all over to celebrate Demetri.

Baron Romero willingly opened his wallet.

He hosted a party filled with delicacies from land and sea, welcoming guests and enjoying the festival from morning till night.

In such an atmosphere.

There was one person who was particularly uncomfortable.

"Huff."

Viscount Lawrence.

He sighed deeply, unknown to others.

He didn't want to attend the party, but to maintain a friendly relationship with Demetri, he had to visit with a smile.

The result was the current situation.

If only it were as simple as blessing Roman's achievements, but every now and then, other nobles would rub him the wrong way.

"Ha ha ha ha, this is a blessing for the northeastern region. We finally have a ranked knight, don't we?"

"…But, Viscount Lawrence, are you alright? If you had proceeded with Flora's marriage, wouldn't you have almost had Roman Demetri, a remarkable talent, as your son-in-law? Speaking of which, if I were in your position, I would have been so heartbroken that I couldn't even attend Demetri's party."

Despite the cautious tone.

It was a blatant mockery of Viscount Lawrence.

Under the concentrated gaze, Viscount Lawrence tried to maintain a calm face.

"Why would I be heartbroken? Although the marriage didn't work out, I am truly happy to see the Demetri family prosper. The northeastern region needs a family that can influence the central government, doesn't it? I only hope that Demetri will continue to flourish."

"Is that so?"

"Indeed, Viscount Lawrence has a great heart, ha ha ha ha."

Everyone laughed and chatted.

On the surface, it was a warm atmosphere.

But.

The truth was different.

Viscount Lawrence's heart was deeply pained.

'Roman Demetri could have been my son-in-law.'

In just a few months.

The status of breaking the engagement and the current situation were worlds apart.

Back then, Roman Demetri was called a fool and was considered worthy of the breakup. Now, Roman's value had skyrocketed to the point where it was impossible to compare.

The heir of the Demetri family. The youngest ranked knight in the Kingdom of Cairo.

Hearing the adjectives that described Roman, Lawrence's already bleak reality felt even more bitter.

At first.

He thought time would solve everything.

But with Roman constantly raising his value through bold actions, Viscount Lawrence couldn't hide his sense of despair.

Gulp, gulp.

He drank wine like water.

He wanted to forget his regret over Roman this way.

'Think that it was the right choice for Flora.'

He had no intention of bringing Flora back.

Viscount Lawrence respected Flora's choice and hoped that his daughter, who had left for the capital, would truly achieve her dreams.

But.

The heartache was inevitable.

Suffering from stomach pain throughout the party, Viscount Lawrence immediately made a magical communication call to somewhere as soon as he returned home.

"Sylvia?"

Indeed, he still hadn't completely given up on Roman.

The Kingdom of Cairo.

The Western Front.

Due to a fierce battle, numerous corpses and blood were scattered around the defenses Cairo had built.

"Damn empire bastards."

"I'll tear the flesh of those Chronos brats to shreds one day."

While clearing the battlefield.

The soldiers of the Kingdom of Cairo vented their anger.

The Kingdom of Cairo borders the Chronos Empire to the west and the Hector Kingdom to the south.

While there were few direct conflicts with the Hector Kingdom, the Chronos Empire had been attacking across the border for years, demanding that Cairo become a vassal state of Chronos.

The Chronos Empire.

One of the two major powers on the continent alongside Valhalla, and the country that produced Emperor Alexander.

If they truly wanted to destroy Cairo, it would have already fallen, but due to the interests of various countries, it hasn't come to an end.

The Chronos forces that frequently crossed the border.

Soldiers died on the front lines, and traitors who followed Chronos urged surrender to Chronos.

It was a pitiful reality for a minor kingdom, and Cairo had never known peace due to the forces of foreign powers like Valhalla that coveted it.

The soldiers busily carried away the bodies.

The deaths of comrades due to the weakness of the country were never something they could get used to, no matter how much time passed.

On the vast plain.

They set fire to the mountain of corpses.

In this frontline where proper funerals were impossible, this was the least they could do for the fallen.

"Rodwell, are you okay?"

On the side.

A man spoke to a comrade who was looking at the bodies.

They both had the insignia of officers on their chests, and Rodwell, who was called by name, said with a fixed gaze.

"I'm used to it. It's not like I haven't experienced it before."

"I didn't expect the reality of the front lines to be this bad. When we were sent to the training camp for practical experience at the academy, I thought a rosy future awaited me. But this? I consider giving up my diploma and returning home dozens of times a day."

Rodwell chuckled.

He understood.

When they graduated to S-class at the Cairo Royal Academy, he and his classmates all had the same thoughts.

But.

Reality was the worst.

They spent hellish times at the frontline training camp under the guise of gaining practical experience and finally obtained the qualifications to be a commander, being deployed to the Western Front.

Just one year. If they gained practical experience there and returned to the academy, they could achieve a glorious honor. But by the time they had barely reached the halfway point, their mental state was gradually breaking down.

His comrade said,

"Did you hear the news? Your brother, Roman Demetri, has become a ranked knight."

Instantly.

Rodwell's brows furrowed slightly.

He had heard about Roman.

The title of the youngest ranked knight was such a significant achievement that it was known even at the front lines, and as a result, he was constantly questioned by his superiors about Roman.

What kind of person is Roman? What does he like?

Interest in his brother, whom he had never been curious about before, exploded.

'Roman.'

The brother in his memory.

Could he really have reached the 3-star level?

No.

That was impossible.

No matter what kind of luck he had, the Roman Demetri he remembered was a hopeless waste.

"It's a rumor. I don't know what kind of scheme the family is up to, but Roman is not only not a ranked knight, he can't even protect himself. It's still unofficial, right? The truth will surely come out soon."

He turned away abruptly.

His brother was not important.

Now.

He needed to focus on the reality given to him to climb higher.

The subject of the rumor.

Roman, despite the commotion caused by him, trained with a calm face.

"Phew."

He took a deep breath.

His whole body was drenched in sweat from the training that started in the morning, and his heightened senses encompassed everything around him.

Training with the Flame Transformation Technique after his transformation.

Although it would take a lot of time to reach the level of his previous life, he was steadily growing.

"What is it?"

His heightened senses detected the presence of a person.

Hans, being used to it, didn't react much to the sudden presence and said,

"A guest has come from outside."

"A guest?"

"Shall I guide them?"

There were no scheduled guests.

Roman decided to postpone the meeting and went to the reception room after taking a shower.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Bentner."

"I'm Roman Demetri."

The man, who extended his hand with a bright smile, was a stranger.

When Roman signaled for everyone in the reception room to leave, Bentner finally revealed his true identity.

"Let me be straightforward. I serve His Majesty the King of Cairo. The reason I came to Demetri is to appoint Roman Demetri, you, as a Royal Knight of the Cairo royal family."

The four factions of Cairo.

Bentner was from the royal faction.

The hidden dragon of the frontier.

People began to move to secure Roman Demetri.