Turning Chapter 1028

Chapter 1028

The man, without wearing anything particularly fancy, simply walking and smiling, captivated everyone's eyes. It didn't matter if people still believed the rumors that the Duke of Peletta was a foolish playboy or not. The moment they saw the brilliant sunlight draping over his head and his dazzling appearance, their vulgar curiosity and malice instantly lost their place.

His exceptionally tall stature, visible even from afar, and his well-trained physique stood out. His gait was natural, as if it were only natural for him to lead everyone. It was not something that could be fabricated or created in a short period. Even young children instinctively knew this.

The Cavalry's Awakeners, with their somewhat different appearances that could invoke fear, felt ordinary and insignificant behind Kishiar. At first glance, the Cavalry seemed to lack order, but upon closer inspection, one could notice that they never walked ahead of their Commander and didn't even step on his shadow. Those who noticed this fact let out sighs of admiration.

"Ah...!"

The man who naturally led countless diverse groups of people. Despite the overwhelming heat that could have been oppressive, the man who stood before them, receiving it all without a hint of discomfort, appeared as if he was born for this very moment.

At this moment, anyone could recall a piece of the legend they had heard and grown up with since childhood. The heroic tale of the First Emperor, born with the blood of the Sun God, who, wielding the Divine Sword Orr and alongside the great mages, split mountains and seas to save the world amidst the Great Destruction. The hope for peace and rest that everyone had dreamed of.

The memories of their arduous daily lives and anxious doubts disappeared in an instant. Those who had come to satisfy their curiosity unknowingly raised their hands high and cheered.

"Wow...!"

Yuder watched the scene in quiet satisfaction. In fact, upon closer inspection, not everyone was rejoicing. Among those cheering, there were some who tried to boo at the Cavalry and Duke Peletta or shout something unpleasant in a loud voice. Judging by the unsavory energy they exuded, they were clearly not proper, ordinary people.

'They must be the ones hired to slander the Cavalry and the Emperor.'

It was an obvious trick. In his previous life, whenever the Cavalry returned after accomplishing a feat, there were many who appeared on their path, spreading unconfirmed rumors loudly or booing them. When caught and interrogated, most of them were back-alley scammers hired by their enemies. Even if the truth was revealed belatedly, the false rumors they had spread were already widely circulated and difficult to cleanse, which was quite a headache.

'I can ignore rumors about me doing strange things, but nonsense like the Cavalry killing innocent people while handling a case and pretending not to know, or not properly catching Awakener criminals and letting them off, becomes true if ignored.'

Back then, there were not many people who appreciated and rejoiced in the Cavalry's work to this extent. Just by releasing a few scammers, it was possible to spread false rumors quickly. It was not like they had achieved a success that could be called saving the world while minimizing damage, as they did now. There were many times when they barely managed to block the threats and return, with countless deaths and severe injuries on their side.

There was never a time when he felt the path back from completing a mission was glorious. There was no welcoming ceremony or cheers. On the path the Cavalry took back then, there were always too many deaths, and even after resolving that and returning, they were only greeted by another disaster and incident of an even larger scale.

The gloomy return path was no different from going to a funeral. Whenever possible, they would return without being noticed by anyone and head straight back to the office.

But now, it was different. No matter how much the scammers tried to spread false rumors and boos, no one listened. In front of the massive cheers and applause, such small noises disappeared without a trace, buried in an instant.

Kishiar La Orr, walking under the cheers they sent. The return of a perfect hero and new hope that no one could deny.

Could there be a more satisfying sight than this? Kishiar properly kept the promise he made to Yuder in the south. This was indeed the finest sight he had wished to see. Yuder, for many reasons, made sure to remember every scene in his mind, not to forget this moment.

Before long, the figure of the High Minister standing and leading the officials and knights came into view. She, who had come out on behalf of the Emperor to welcome the Cavalry, smiled with a more neat and dignified appearance than ever and spoke loudly.

"Welcome. Commander of the Cavalry, and all the members of the Cavalry who have returned after saving the southern crisis. I, High Minister Hebreyina Reiflang, on behalf of the citizens, sincerely express my gratitude for your courageous achievements."

The High Minister's following words were not very long, but they were clear and eloquent enough for everyone to understand the meaning. It was a sign of gratitude that the Cavalry had helped save the empire's southern crisis twice, fought without sparing their lives, and that the Emperor and the entire empire would not forget it.

After finishing all her words, the High Minister stepped forward in front of Kishiar, bowed politely, and held out the bouquet she had been holding.

"These are the Jubek flowers that the Emperor has bestowed upon the heroes who have returned after saving the empire since ancient times. Although it is not yet the season for them to bloom, they bloomed in the palace the day before your return, as if they had sensed the Cavalry's return."

"Wow!"

'It's not that they sensed the Cavalry's return, but they must have used magical means to make the flowers bloom in the palace greenhouse in time for today.'

Yuder, familiar with the workings of the palace, roughly guessed how the flowers could have come here, but he said nothing. In any case, what mattered was not whether the flowers bloomed naturally or not. It was the fact that the Emperor had put in effort for the Cavalry to the extent of making the flowers bloom even though it was not the season, and had clearly conveyed his affection for them in a visible way in front of everyone.

Judging by how well the High Minister had packaged it in a way that would give anger to the noble faction and joy to the people, her eloquence seemed to be not far behind Kishiar's.

Kishiar also seemed to have had the same thought, as he smiled, stepped forward to receive the flowers, and spoke.

"The Jubek flower is a flower that has a story passed down from when the First Emperor, in a time of such poverty that he had nothing to give as a reward to his knights, personally picked and bestowed it upon them. The Cavalry will never forget this flower, more precious than anything, and the even more beautiful meaning bestowed by His Majesty, and will forever cherish it and continue to dedicate ourselves to the empire."

Following that, he turned his body towards the direction where the Sun Palace, where the Emperor resided, was located, knelt on one knee, placed the bouquet in front of him, and raised his sword, still in its sheath. His appearance, holding the sword supported by both hands and bowing his head, was enough to remind one of the knights in old legends.

Yuder silently looked around at the people who were crying out in joy as if they had woken up from a dream, then knelt on one knee before anyone else, following Kishiar in the same posture, facing the same direction.

Of course, he subtly spread the power of the wind that would become a wordless pressure towards the Cavalry members.

'Match it appropriately.'

"...Ah, ah!"

Only then did the rest of the members, who had been blankly watching Kishiar's actions in awe, come to their senses and knelt down following Yuder.

It was not a perfectly synchronized movement, so there was a slight noise and dust, but it was still a spectacular sight in its own way. The High Minister, who had widened her eyes a little at the sight of them, also turned around with a smile on her face and solemnly knelt in the same way, and the rising atmosphere reached its peak.

Finally, when the adjutant, Nathan Zuckerman, who had been guarding everyone's back, knelt down in a disciplined manner, the people of the capital who had been watching them also began to slowly kneel down one by one.

It was something that even Yuder, who had been exerting wordless pressure towards the Cavalry, had not expected. Until just now, it felt like they were just performing a play for the Emperor, Kishiar, and the Cavalry, but when countless people began to join them, an indescribable feeling came over him.

It was a strange sensation, as if all the hair on his body was standing on end and a shudder was running through him. What could it be?

They had only knelt on the ground together, so why did he feel this way?

"..."

Even though he was living a second life, there were still too many things in the world that Yuder could not understand.

Would Kishiar, kneeling in front of him, know the answer? With that thought, Yuder sat for a long time, gazing at Kishiar's back until he stood up.

That day's events were recorded as another legend of the Cavalry.

"Welcome. His Majesty is waiting for you."

The next day, the Cavalry's official welcoming ceremony was held at the palace. This time, it was a simple yet solemn welcoming ceremony without a party. Emperor Keilusa greeted them with the Empress in the grand hall of the first palace, not the second palace.