Chapter 176: Chapter 176:

The two subordinates could not take their eyes off Cadel’s face, whose mood had completely changed. Their frozen expressions might have been funny, but Cadel was so depressed that he looked away and pretended not to see them.

“Commander……? Why is your hair……. No, why are your eyes also…….”

“Darling, did you have a change of heart?”

Van couldn’t bear to touch him, so he just fumbled in the air and looked closely at Cadel’s appearance. Unlike him, Lydon quickly circled around Cadel with his eyes filled with curiosity. He seemed to be looking to see if anything else had changed.

Cadel seemed embarrassed by the reaction of his honest subordinates, ruffled his dark hair, and spoke calmly.

“It will be like this for a while. Even if it’s weird, bear with it.”

“It’s not weird! Commander can dye your hair all the colors of the rainbow if you want, it’s just a little awkward.…….”

Van was fidgeting as if he was meeting someone he had never seen before, his awkward demeanor knocking a handful of confidence out of Cadel. After studying him carefully, Lydon suddenly leaned down and pressed his lips to Cadel’s cheek.

The sudden kiss startled Cadel, as well as Van and Phillip, but Lydon remained unperturbed and merely smirked.

“Beautiful.”

As Cadel staggered to look up at Lydon in surprise, Van lunged and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck. Phillip, caught in the middle, fearing that sparks might fly, gave a brief salute and hurried away from them.

As the two men fought their familiar battle, Cadel slowly regained his composure. Lydon’s surprise move was nothing new. The one who was swayed suffered the loss.

Sighing heavily, Cadel stood still, taking in the sight of his subordinates.

‘……I don’t see the need to go to such lengths.’

The uniforms they wore were of the same design as his own. The only thing different was the appearance of the cloak. However, it felt so different, as if Cadel was wearing a different uniform.

The white fabric of Lydon’s uniform, his unique bright appearance, and his luxuriously faded blond hair harmonized together, looking natural as if he had been wearing the clothes he was born with. It was as if the ‘Prince Charming on the White Horse’ from the fairy tale had been brought to life.

Of course, his temperament, which was far from that of a friendly prince, and his red eyes with a strange coldness made the viewer feel a sense of distance, but this only added strength to his mysterious identity as a ‘fairy’.

Van, on the other hand, despite being immaculately dressed, had an air of rebellion about him. It could be because of his rough, edgy appearance, or it could be because he actually harbored a rebellious spirit.

Whatever the reason, the pure white uniform accentuated his raw eyes and masculine features that made him far from an obedient knight, highlighting Van’s unique charm.

Was it really okay to enter the banquet hall with them? Cadel changed his hair and eye color to hide his identity, but with these people, he didn’t feel like he would receive even a single bit of attention.

And so when Cadel was feeling unusually bitter today, a man stepped in front of them. It was the Emperor’s aide.

“Looks like you’re all set. Please follow me. I’ll take you to the banquet hall.”

The aide did not show the slightest sign of embarrassment despite the sight of Van and Lydon yelling violently. Cadel was impressed by his extremely businesslike attitude and hurriedly gathered his subordinates and headed for the banquet hall.

* * *

Cadel didn’t have high hopes for the banquet. Partly because he was more concerned with his Knighting Ceremony than the banquet, and partly because he had a hard time imagining an Imperial banquet. After all, he lived a life that was far from partying.

Perhaps that was why Cadel could hardly accept the unrealistic splendor that unfolded before his eyes.

‘Wow……. How much money did they waste? Are all banquets really this extravagant? Heaven, it’s a real chandelier. ……Surely the jewelry on that thing isn’t real? Why is the food so luxurious and crazy? It’s more shiny than my face.’

The Emperor had not yet arrived at the banquet hall. He seemed poised to appear when the atmosphere was sufficiently ripe.

Cadel decided to explore the banquet hall to his heart’s content while he waited for the Emperor. At the very least, he wanted to try all the food here.

Meanwhile, as the guests of honor entered, the eyes of the invited Imperial nobles, Imperial officers, and distinguished guests from other countries were instantly drawn to them, and the overwhelming curiosity and favor with which they were greeted was almost overwhelming.

However, the party guests could not easily approach the soon-to-be Knight Order.

The reason was simple. As soon as Van walked into the banquet hall, he struggled to control his facial expressions, took a seat in the corner, and looked ready to slice anyone who approached him.

In fact, a man who got close to Van retreated in disgust at his murderous gaze, and urged people not to approach him, saying ‘He looks bad-natured, just like I heard’. It was a fortunate part for Van.

Lydon, on the other hand, was not the least bit conscious of the attention that was being paid to him, his interest being solely in the mountains of desserts. He did not neglect to hurl venomous insults at those who approached him, being entranced by his appearance. ‘I will kill you if you interrupt me’, he threatened, or ‘If you say one more uninteresting word, I will tear your mouth apart’, and every one of them had to retreat with a pale face.

Lastly, Cadel.

As the commander of the Scarlet Scales Mercenary and the source of all the rumors, he had been the center of attention many times over since the beginning. It was only natural that the guests would want to make a connection with the commander of a faction that would rise as the Empire’s new star.

Unlike Van, Cadel wasn’t hostile, and he didn’t seem to be as socially awkward as Lydon, but he didn’t have anyone approaching him, either, and that was due to a man who had been sitting next to him since the beginning.

“This look is also quite attractive, right? Like, I want you to look down on me.”

“Please don’t say anything weird.”

“What should I do if my mouth moves of its own accord whenever I’m in the presence of Sir Cadel?”

The man’s identity was Garuel Monjasi, who was also invited to the banquet because he was a distinguished guest from another country. He was one of the few people in the room who knew Cadel’s identity.

Cadel didn’t shake him off as he was more comfortable with Garuel than surrounded by others. The problem was that Garuel was clinging too much.

“It will soon become an official Knight Order. How do you feel?”

“I feel like throwing up.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I won’t pretend I don’t know you if you vomit in front of the Emperor.”

“……Is that what you call comfort?”

“Pretty loyal, right?”

Cadel shook his head with a wry smile, and Garuel followed suit with a small laugh. To those who didn’t know what they were talking about, the two of them were cuddly and affectionate.

The guests in the banquet hall, saddened by the impregnable wall, tried to find a way to speak to Cadel, but there were others who sought a chance with different intentions.

“Why do they keep laughing? I want to kick him in the *ss.”

Van wrinkled his brow at the irritatingly close proximity of the two men. He wanted to get rid of Garuel right away before the commander’s new uniform got dirty. He couldn’t bring himself to walk all the way there, weaving his way through the nobles. A stabbing would put the commander in an awkward position.

In the end, Van erased Garuel’s presence through blurry eyes and focused only on Cadel’s back.

In contrast, Lydon was staring at Garuel with a faint smile on his face. He picked up the cheese cupcake he had already ordered and muttered in a bright voice.

“I’ll have to ask later if I can kill him.”

I’m going to kill him anyway, but shouldn’t I listen to Cadel’s opinion at least once? With that bloody conclusion, Lydon peacefully bit into the cupcake, not wanting to get blood on his hands in front of something so delicious.

And thus, the banquet hall was filled with dozens of eyes, each with a different emotion. The buzz was heightened by the arrival of Emperor Derek.

After a brief thank you to the guests in the banquet hall, he wasted no time in finding the star of the show.

At the Emperor’s call, Cadel led his subordinates to the center of the banquet hall, their movements causing people to step aside to make way.

Derek glanced slowly at Cadel, Van, and Lydon, who stood before him and then opened his mouth to speak.

“The gateway to the Empire that you defended with your life was a fence that enclosed hundreds and thousands of lives. As Emperor of the Empire, I cannot fail to recognize your remarkable achievements, and I offer you my thanks.”

The Emperor’s gaze towards them exuded arrogance and aristocratic nobility. At one point, his tone had a weight that overwhelmed the audience, and at other times it contained a kindness that relieved the tense atmosphere.

“Also, to reward your dedication to the Empire, I would like to grant you the status of guardian. Can you swear to protect the Empire by my side and dedicate the rest of your life to it?”

It was a nerve-wracking enough situation, but Cadel had already rehearsed with the Emperor before. It was important for them to be on the same page beforehand so that they would be comfortable with each other.

Cadel sat down on one knee and bowed his head as effortlessly as water flowed.

“I pledge my life and loyalty to the great Osma Empire and Your Majesty the Emperor.”

Before Cadel could finish, the Emperor drew his sword, and Van, who stood behind him, dropped to his knees, suppressing a surge of defiance. He knew it would only get him in trouble.

But not Lydon, who stood at a distance, watching his crouching comrades as if observing someone else’s business. The Emperor’s escort urged Lydon to be polite, but the Emperor stopped him.

“It would have been a big decision just to show up in person. He doesn’t have to follow human examples because he’s not human. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t fight by the side of the Empire.”

Cadel secretly breathed a sigh of relief that things were going as planned.

‘Good thing I told him about it in advance.’

While the rehearsal with the emperor was in progress, Cadel carefully explained about the fairy named Lydon.

His unruly personality, his unpredictable behavior, and his origins as the sole heir to the Fairy Tribe. Lydon was clearly his subordinate, but that alone did not allow Cadel to control him.

Cadel emphasized that fact, rattling off a list of possible contingencies, and the Emperor was surprisingly receptive.

The Emperor was intrigued enough by the idea of a fairy following a human’s orders. After all, if Lydon followed Cadel, he was part of the Empire. It was also decided that the Empire had nothing to lose.

So the Emperor shrugged off Lydon’s insolence. Resuming the paused ritual, the blunt blade of his sword rested on Cadel’s shoulder.

“I hereby appoint you knights of the Empire. Commander Cadel and his subordinates, Van Herdos and Lydon.”

When Derek had finished naming the new knights, he locked eyes with Cadel, who looked up. A look passed over Derek’s black eyes. He was silent for a moment, as if pondering, and then he opened his mouth to fulfill his promise to Cadel.

“And even Lumen Dominic, who is not here. May Kerrigan’s blessing be upon your sacred oath.”

The Emperor’s powerful voice rang through the hall as he recited the name of the last knight.