The remaining four divisions were within Brigitte's sphere of influence.
Even so, it was still 6 to 4. It was a power structure that was not even expected in the beginning.
Eve looked at the homunculus in the Colossus Arena with eyes filled with emotion.
Doesn't this mean that the number of knights who can receive customized training from Michael has increased?
Michael has found the memories of his past life. If he can teach the homunculus the tactics of demonic warfare, he will be able to reduce the casualties in the battle.
This alone would have been an incredibly valuable feat, but there was an additional element.
External factors were also important in maintaining power.
As Eve was looking ahead to the future through the sight before her eyes and smiling gently, Cedella asked in a low voice.
“Shall I call the guards?”
“No. There’s still time. I don’t want to bother you.”
This is because we split our training time with Brigitte's side, taking into account the arena's capacity and the political camp.
At that time, joint training against a training golem was taking place.
Michael worked silently and passionately in training the homunculus.
For him, this was a second life. This was his chance to save as many of his people as he could from the toll of the war.
It was only natural that his awakening as King would be met with a sense of responsibility and duty. Under the King's spiritual influence, the homunculus also trained hard.
“Don't think it's going to be a one-on-one battle, each of you attacking the dragon's eyeball, the dragon's third toe, or the dragon's left fifth wing will be enough to defeat the dragon?”
"No!"
"All right!"
“That's a good answer. I'll say it again because it's important. Your priority is not offense but movement. Each of you is equal to the strength of any human army, so moving you well is a perfect tactic in itself. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir... No, sir!”
“The guy who just slipped up, come out.”
It was a heartwarming sight. The bond between the Homunculus, centered around Michael, would grow as they worked on their minds and bodies at the same time.
After teaching one knight the truth, Michael informed the six knights.
"Rest!"
The six training golems were shut down, and the homunculus sprawled on the floor to catch their breath. The Templar captains had joined in the training, so they sweated and searched for canteens.
Michael's eyes widened as he discovered Eve. He immediately ran across the Colossus Arena.
" Your Highness!"
“Michael.”
An unannounced visit makes a welcome face even more welcome. This was especially true recently, as Eve and Michael's busy schedules meant they had less time to spend together.
“Your Highness, I greet you.”
Sylvestian then stood before Eve. In the distance, six Templars spotted her and stood at attention. Eve raised her hand and gestured for them to make themselves comfortable.
Eve spoke to Michael and Sylvestian.
“I stopped by on my way back to the villa after the Supreme Council was over.”
In addition to this, there were meetings to prepare for the expedition, and Eve was called to the main palace once every day or two.
Eve spoke as if confessing.
“I have to go again soon. I have a senior council meeting coming up soon.”
“Understood. I will leave the training grounds to Sir Millard, and I will carry out the duties.”
“Sir Agneto has a noble mission to take charge of all the homunculus."
“I can’t let this go to waste, so I’ll take care of it.”
Michael looked at his friend with a blank expression, and Sylvestian looked down as if he didn't know.
It was a moment when their friendship was about to crack slightly. Eve came up with a peaceful solution.
“Let’s all go together.”
"All?"
Michael asked back with a look of bewilderment, because he had a feeling that it meant more than just Michael and Sylvestian.
The prediction turned out to be correct.
“I see there is an agenda to check the status of the Knights Templar in preparation for dispatch.”
“Yeah. The main characters of the expedition are homunculus, so they can’t be excluded from the meeting. We’ve finally reorganized the system.”
“It’s a lot different than before.”
Michael was lost in thought for a moment.
Eve said with a smile.
“It will change more.”
"Yes."
Michael immediately informed the other knight commanders of his attendance at the meeting and then ordered the homunculus to begin self-training.
They took a leisurely walk around the garden to catch up on time and then headed to the main palace.
The hallway to the Great Hall was a little crowded with nobles hurrying to get to the meeting. As Eve passed, they ducked their heads and made way for her to go first.
There were dozens of people already seated in the hall, and one caught Eve's eye: Brigitte, who had been released from probation. They exchanged a quick glance.
'I think you must miss the warmth of the room you worked so hard to keep warm.'
'It was only yesterday that I was listening to the great sage in the corner, and now all my worries are gone.'
The deputies hunched their shoulders at the vicious confrontation.
Eve took a moment to reflect on the events that had passed.
Desmond II used force to silence suspicions of kin-murder in the name of the royal family.
Of course, Stefania's struggles were not entirely meaningless.
No matter how innocent you are, you are bound to be affected by public opinion.
If it had been Eve who had been attacked, it would have been possible to buy Desmond II's sympathy by using bitterness as a weapon, even if it meant losing some popularity. Frankly, this would be an acceptable trade-off.
But Brigitte's case was different. She had already lost Desmond II's trust after a series of incidents, and Rosenite had reinforced the rumors by calling Snoret as a witness to the truth.
Brigitte was unable to win the Emperor's heart even at the cost of the people's support, which was not that great.
On the contrary, she was steadily falling out of favor.
'Thank you, Sister. For taking care of the most troublesome part for me.'
Eve returned to her seat after her confrontation with Brigitte.
Behind her, Cedella, Michael, and Sylvestian stood neatly.
When all the seats were filled, Desmond II appeared.
“His Majesty the Emperor has arrived!”
“Blessings and glory to the Sun of Hadelamide!”
“Please sit comfortably.”
Without further ado, the meeting got underway. As everyone had expected, the agenda for this meeting was preparations for a full-scale punitive war.
First, the prime minister, Count Tesilid, stood up and spoke.
“Preparations for the expedition to Ambroxa are progressing smoothly. We will be able to deploy troops in the spring, two months from now.”
“Let me listen carefully.”
At this time, two people quickly intervened. They were Marquis Lamekal and Marquis Belteor.
“The person in charge of issuing national bonds this time is Baron Ecum. His skills are truly excellent.”
Desmond II nodded without saying anything. Instead, the neutral nobles frowned.
'Here we go again, that loud-voiced guy.'
Worse was Belteor. In the South, he might have been a bird-of-paradise, but in central politics, he was nothing more than a sunshine chick, interrupting meetings without knowing the subject matter and often without even trying.
'Anyway, that guy talks too much. He doesn't know how scary central politics can be.'
'The world has become a much better place. Back in my day. To get into politics, you had to be blind for three years, dumb for three years, and deaf for three years.'
Brigitte's knights, the Wallbloods; Roxandra's Silver Lingers, who suffered in the Great Fire but were too late to lose their feet; and the Black Wings of Theobald, Brigitte's half-brother. Finally, to compensate for the loss of Thirteen, Hessia was forced to replace her immediate knight.
Even so, it was still 6 to 4. It was a power structure that was not even expected in the beginning.
Eve looked at the homunculus in the Colossus Arena with eyes filled with emotion.
'I thought that Michael was the king of Homunculus anyway, so the Templar faction was just a name and nothing of substance, but that wasn't the case.'
Michael has found the memories of his past life. If he can teach the homunculus the tactics of demonic warfare, he will be able to reduce the casualties in the battle.
This alone would have been an incredibly valuable feat, but there was an additional element.
External factors were also important in maintaining power.
Having more Templars under her control than just one punishment was better for her dominance in the world. It would also make Michael's later military exploits more convincing.
“Shall I call the guards?”
“No. There’s still time. I don’t want to bother you.”
Right now, only six Knights in Eve's sphere of influence were training in the Colossus Arena.
At that time, joint training against a training golem was taking place.
Michael worked silently and passionately in training the homunculus.
For him, this was a second life. This was his chance to save as many of his people as he could from the toll of the war.
It was only natural that his awakening as King would be met with a sense of responsibility and duty. Under the King's spiritual influence, the homunculus also trained hard.
“Don't think it's going to be a one-on-one battle, each of you attacking the dragon's eyeball, the dragon's third toe, or the dragon's left fifth wing will be enough to defeat the dragon?”
"No!"
“Yes, it is. There's a problem with such a simple method of defeat, though: if you rush in without regard for movement and space, you'll find yourself an easy target for your allies.”
“That's a good answer. I'll say it again because it's important. Your priority is not offense but movement. Each of you is equal to the strength of any human army, so moving you well is a perfect tactic in itself. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir... No, sir!”
“The guy who just slipped up, come out.”
It was a heartwarming sight. The bond between the Homunculus, centered around Michael, would grow as they worked on their minds and bodies at the same time.
After teaching one knight the truth, Michael informed the six knights.
"Rest!"
The six training golems were shut down, and the homunculus sprawled on the floor to catch their breath. The Templar captains had joined in the training, so they sweated and searched for canteens.
It was then that Sylvestian's keen eyesight spotted an unfamiliar shadow in the far corner of the Colossum, and he immediately tapped Michael on the shoulder to make him look in the same direction.
" Your Highness!"
“Michael.”
An unannounced visit makes a welcome face even more welcome. This was especially true recently, as Eve and Michael's busy schedules meant they had less time to spend together.
“Your Highness, I greet you.”
Sylvestian then stood before Eve. In the distance, six Templars spotted her and stood at attention. Eve raised her hand and gestured for them to make themselves comfortable.
Eve spoke to Michael and Sylvestian.
“I stopped by on my way back to the villa after the Supreme Council was over.”
Eve was busy, too. The beginning of the year was uncharacteristically eventful for a non-social season. The New Year's Banquet the previous week and the Founding Festival the following week, the latter of which was accompanied by great festivities and drew travelers from all corners of the Empire to the Yellow Road.
Eve spoke as if confessing.
“I have to go again soon. I have a senior council meeting coming up soon.”
The Council of Elders is a large gathering of the imperial court's ministers and the great nobles of the capital. It was a formal occasion for asserting authority, so it was customary to be accompanied by a knight. Michael and Sylvestian stepped forward immediately.
“Sir Agneto has a noble mission to take charge of all the homunculus."
“I can’t let this go to waste, so I’ll take care of it.”
Michael looked at his friend with a blank expression, and Sylvestian looked down as if he didn't know.
It was a moment when their friendship was about to crack slightly. Eve came up with a peaceful solution.
“Let’s all go together.”
"All?"
Michael asked back with a look of bewilderment, because he had a feeling that it meant more than just Michael and Sylvestian.
The prediction turned out to be correct.
“My father has commanded that the heads of the knights be present.”
“Yeah. The main characters of the expedition are homunculus, so they can’t be excluded from the meeting. We’ve finally reorganized the system.”
“It’s a lot different than before.”
Michael was lost in thought for a moment.
In this life, however, ten Homunculus were allowed to attend the council as representatives of the Royal Guards. It remained to be seen whether or not they would have a say, but it was a great accomplishment nonetheless.
“It will change more.”
"Yes."
Michael smiled back. Eve's voice sounded like a spell that foretold good things.
Eve headed for the main palace with only Michael and Sylvestian with her. The other Knights had to go separately, as they were required to report to their masters.
The hallway to the Great Hall was a little crowded with nobles hurrying to get to the meeting. As Eve passed, they ducked their heads and made way for her to go first.
There were dozens of people already seated in the hall, and one caught Eve's eye: Brigitte, who had been released from probation. They exchanged a quick glance.
'It's cold out, and you're crawling out of your room to stand here.'
'It was only yesterday that I was listening to the great sage in the corner, and now all my worries are gone.'
'Who else is going to worry about you if not me, so, I'm going to send you back before the room cools down so you don't catch a cold.'
Eve took a moment to reflect on the events that had passed.
Desmond II used force to silence suspicions of kin-murder in the name of the royal family.
The truth was never investigated, and threatening notices were posted all over the capital, warning of punishment for those spreading unsavory rumors.
Those involved in the distribution of the gossip were punished severely, and Stefania herself was sent into exile under the guise of recuperation to a family estate.
No matter how innocent you are, you are bound to be affected by public opinion.
If it had been Eve who had been attacked, it would have been possible to buy Desmond II's sympathy by using bitterness as a weapon, even if it meant losing some popularity. Frankly, this would be an acceptable trade-off.
But Brigitte's case was different. She had already lost Desmond II's trust after a series of incidents, and Rosenite had reinforced the rumors by calling Snoret as a witness to the truth.
Brigitte was unable to win the Emperor's heart even at the cost of the people's support, which was not that great.
On the contrary, she was steadily falling out of favor.
'Thank you, Sister. For taking care of the most troublesome part for me.'
Eve returned to her seat after her confrontation with Brigitte.
Behind her, Cedella, Michael, and Sylvestian stood neatly.
When all the seats were filled, Desmond II appeared.
“His Majesty the Emperor has arrived!”
“Blessings and glory to the Sun of Hadelamide!”
“Please sit comfortably.”
Without further ado, the meeting got underway. As everyone had expected, the agenda for this meeting was preparations for a full-scale punitive war.
First, the prime minister, Count Tesilid, stood up and spoke.
“Preparations for the expedition to Ambroxa are progressing smoothly. We will be able to deploy troops in the spring, two months from now.”
“Let me listen carefully.”
“Yes, Your Majesty, it is a priority funding sector. The business side of issuing Treasury bonds to finance the war is going well. Unlike previous wars of aggression, there have been no tax increases or forced conscriptions, much to the praise of the subjects.”
“The person in charge of issuing national bonds this time is Baron Ecum. His skills are truly excellent.”
“Isn't that how adversity makes heroes? A man who was hunkered down in the provinces saw the light before the big game. Just like me!”
It was a harmony between Lemekal, who boasted of my discernment in the Barony of Ecum, and Belteor, who was eager to prove himself.
'Here we go again, that loud-voiced guy.'
It's no secret that Lamekal has a hand in the selection process for imperial commissions. It was shameless of him to praise Viscount Ecum, whom he had planted.
'Anyway, that guy talks too much. He doesn't know how scary central politics can be.'
'The world has become a much better place. Back in my day. To get into politics, you had to be blind for three years, dumb for three years, and deaf for three years.'
Angry stones get angry stones. The masters of the capital would only recognize Belteor if he one day fell out of line. Only the Marquis himself seemed to be unaware of the unflattering glances that were accumulating.
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