Duke Pendragon

"Oooh…!"

The nobles could not hide their awe as they entered the Great Golden Lion Hall. This was a place where only a few selected figures were normally allowed, including the officials of the imperial castle, including the royal knights, high-ranking nobles of the empire – those with similar status to the high lords – and those with great contributions to the empire receiving an audience with the emperor.

As such, although the nobles were long-term residents of the capital, only a small fraction of them had ever entered the Great Golden Lion Hall.

The hall was a symbol of glory and awe for all of them.

"Long time no see, Sir Narros."

"Oh! Sir Shane! How have you been?"

"This must be our first meeting since Malpas, right? How has everything been for you, Viscount Strin?"

Nobles could be found greeting each other and exchanging pleasantries all over the hall. The capital was humongous and numerous nobles resided in it. As such, many of them were unfamiliar with each other. The grand banquet was the perfect opportunity for them to meet new faces and expand their social circle of influence.

In addition…

"Your Excellency Euden, this is my nephew, Primal. He is a knight of His Excellency Gordon."

"This is Adelia, my eldest daughter, and Roselna, my second daughter. They turned 15 and 14 this year."

"I am Jonas, the eldest son of the Jetton Barony. I am currently receiving lessons from Sir Lancello."

"Hello, Lady Orton, my name is…"

All the nobles with children eagerly introduced their sons and daughters to promising nobles. In particular, young men who were at a marriageable age boldly stepped up and introduced themselves to women.

Under normal circumstances, the women, especially young women, would blush and even quietly disappear together with some of the young men. However, their reactions were rather dull today.

The young, energetic knights tried even harder to make themselves appealing while feeling a little puzzled. However, the reason for the ladies' abnormal behavior was quickly revealed.

Doong! Doong! Doong!

The sound of the drums resounded in the hall, and the chatters of thousands of nobles quickly died down. Their eyes became fixated on a single place. In celebration of the grand banquet, the administrator of the imperial castle, Viscount Prin, was dressed in a pure white suit. He appeared a little nervous as he raised his voice.

"Alliance of the great empire! Relatives of the great blood of Aragon! A comrade who shed their blood along with the imperial army, and the companion of the dragon! His Majesty, King Alan Pendragon!"

A magnificent sound of the trumpet resonated.

The name of the song was "Return in Castle Triumph".

It was one of the military anthems of the imperial army, a song dedicated to a knight with overwhelming contributions. It was a representation of how important the entering figure was. The song would only resound in the imperial castle accompanying the entrance of a hero.

Tap. Tap.

A young knight wrapped in a silver-white cloak majestically strode forward as the powerful, magnificent instruments continued to pay. However, the eyes of nobles filled with shock when they saw the newcomer.

"T, that person is…?"

"That's not the Alan Pendragon I know…"

The knight's black hair glimmered under the light of the chandelier, and his eyes gave off a deep, cold gaze. His face did not belong to Alan Pendragon, but rather Raven Valt. As such, those familiar with Duke Pendragon of the past could not hide their doubts.

However, they could not harbor their doubts since this was the imperial castle. The administrator had personally introduced the man as Alan Pendragon as well. Above all else, their suspicions disappeared once they saw the others following the procession.

"It's His Majesty Isla, the Knight King!"

"Her Highness Mia is here as well!"

Some nobles raised their voices after recognizing Isla and Mia, and everyone else's gaze naturally drifted towards them.

"What a beautiful lady…"

"Huh!"

Mia's appearance was breathtaking. She was wearing a dress of pure white, which was brought from Conrad Castle, and her hair was finely entwined and decorated with a platinum headband.

"Ohhh…!"

"Truly befitting of his title as the Knight King!"

Around the time the group departed from the castle to meet Isla's bride candidates, Irene had ordered a special production for Isla, and he had been gifted the clothes a moment ago. He was dressed in a knight's uniform of pure white, and adorning a red cape embroidered with the symbol of Valvas – a wolf. He appeared extremely confident and dignified. No one was more representative of the word 'knight' than he was.

"Then that little boy…"

"Must be Prince Raymond!"

Like Mia, Raymond had brought clothes from Conrad Castle. However, Irene adored her nephew more than anyone else. She had dressed Raymond in clothes she personally made.

Women of high-ranking noble families did not make their own clothes. Naturally, this included women belonging to families of high lords and dukes. However, Irene had been educated in various fields by Elena ever since she was young. As such, she had personally tailored clothes for her nephew's debut in the imperial social circle.

His clothes were rather simple, as if to reflect the humbleness of the Pendragon family, but boasted a completeness overflowing with dignity and honor.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

The members of the Pendragon family appeared following Raven, and a single clap quickly grew into a full-blown applause. Soon, the sounds of the people resonated throughout the long, wide hall.

'This still feels awkward.'

Raven felt as if an ant was crawling around the top of his head. However, he responded to the nobles by lightly raising his hand.

"Ohhhhh!"

"The hero of the empire! The dragon's companion!"

"His Majesty King Pendragon!"

"Pendragon Kingdom forever!"

The applause grew as loud as thunder, and cheers burst out as well. Raven gave a light smile as he passed through the road created by thousands of nobles. At the end, he climbed the stairs and stood in front of one of two chairs located by the side of the throne.

The three followed him and took their place in front of three chairs located just beneath Raven's seat.

Dooong!

A single beat of the drum resounded. However, it was slightly louder compared to the first time. The thousands of nobles once again fell into silence and turned to the entrance of the Great Golden Lion Hall.

"His Majesty the Emperor!!"

The words were without any fancy rhetoric. Only a single phrase rang throughout the hall.

Thud!

The royal knights drew their swords and raised them high in the sky. The anthem of the empire reverberated majestically, and the master of the empire, Ian, and his companion, Empress Irene Aragon, entered the hall with their arms crossed.

"Long live the emperor! Empire, forever!"

"Long live the emperor! Empire, forever!"

The administrator took the lead, and the thousands of nobles cried in response. The men took off their hats and bowed their heads, while the women bowed with one foot back. Under the splendid, brilliant light emitted by dozens of chandeliers, the emperor and empress crossed the hall.

Ian slowly climbed the stairs alongside Irene. The music came to an end exactly at the moment he stopped. The nobles straightened their backs and raised their heads.

"Long live the emperor."

In private, Ian was a friend and his brother-in-law, but at this moment, he was master of the emperor and the monarch of an allied nation. Raven bowed his head after placing his hand on his chest.

"Keuk! Wait until you hear this."

Ian whispered in voice only audible to Raven and Irene, then patted Raven on the shoulder before turning around with a stern expression. He shouted with a glimmer in his eyes.

"Welcome King Pendragon, a friend to my royal self and the savior of our empire!"

There were no explanations as to why Raven's face was changed. The simple statement was all that was said. Nevertheless, the declaration of the absolute was more proof than anything else in the world. The figure standing in front of them was truly the previous duke of the empire, the founding king of the Pendragon Kingdom.

"Ooooohhh!!!"

Huge cheers and loud applause once again swept through the hall.

***

"How was it? Did you like it?"

"Thank you. I will return the favor."

Ian asked with a mischievous smile while watching hundreds of nobles dance in the center of the hall, and Raven nodded with a faint smile.

"What favor? The empire and I owe you much more. That's why I'm taking your advice on how to deal with the situation."

"What do you mean by situation, Your Majesty?"

Irene asked with glistening eyes. She was truly quick to pick up on things. However, Ian simply shrugged in response.

"It's nothing."

"Is that so…?"

She felt as if there was something more, but Irene accepted it for now.

"By the way, why did the Dragon Queen attend?"

Raven smiled bitterly at Ian's following question.

"Something like this is too much for Sol. Moreover, I want to let her live a quiet life rather than having to go through this splendor."

Soldrake was one of the most precious people to Raven before she was a Dragon Queen. She was the only who knew the real truth about himself. Raven had no intention of forcing her to do anything.

He wanted her to do everything she wanted, rather than having to attend an event Raven forced Ian to host.

"Anyways, the board is prepared, so I'm going to cause an accident."

"An accident?"

Ian frowned at Raven's sudden words.

Raven continued quietly while looking around the vast hall.

"I didn't ask you for this just to show the prominence of my kingdom and to announce my existence to the world."

"Well, that was as expected…"

If Raven possessed just the two agendas, he would not have asked Ian to hold a grand banquet involving almost all the nobles of the capital. It was rather obvious that he had something to say or to do in front of so many nobles.

Most likely, it was related to the kidnapping of Mia and Raymond.

"Do whatever you want. I will take care of the rest."

Raven responded to the emperor's promise with a smile of gratitude, then slowly stood up from his chair. Just in time, the dancing nobles slowly moved to the edges of the hall as the song came to an end.

Raven slowly moved towards the center of the hall.

King Pendragon had been chatting with the emperor until now. As he moved to the center, everyone's gaze turned towards him.

"I, Alan Pendragon, would like to say something to all of you pillars of the empire!"

His voice contained a little bit of the Spirit of the Dragon, and it instantly permeated the entire hall. The nobles paid attention to his words like magic.

***

"Y, your Excellency! Your Excellency!"

"Dammit! What is it?"

Mirin's Margrave, Otto, frowned as his eldest son stormed into the office while making a fuss.

"T, there is trouble!"

"Speak properly, you idiot."

Lucas hurriedly replied with a pale expression despite his father's harsh words, even though such comments would have struck deep during normal times.

"T, the King of Pendragon… Alan Pendragon announced that M, mirin attempted to kidnap Princess Mia and Prince Raymond, in front of His Majesty the Emperor and thousands of the capital's nobles…!"

"What!?"

The Margrave of Iron, Otto, ruled the barren lands for decades. His eyes quivered for the first time in a long while.

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