A pleasant breeze blew through the open window. The breeze had swept the garden outside, mingling the cool smell of grass with the faint scent of flowers. The sunlight streaming in bathed the spacious room in a gentle glow, and the sound of chirping birds enlivened the quiet morning.

In that quiet, gentle atmosphere, Lumen was reading, his posture as straight as a drawing. Blue eyes peeking out from beneath slightly lowered lashes moved diligently with the breathing of the text.

His face, reflected in the sunlight, was still flawless and beautiful. No matter which angle you looked at, you couldn’t find anything ugly about the black hair that gave off a luxurious feel without being stuffy, the bridge of the nose that was firm and powerful, the straight mouth that gave off aristocratic elegance, and the sharp jawline.

His graceful hand gestures as he flipped through the pages of the book, or his well-defined eyebrows as he read an interesting passage, were often admired as if they were a work of art in themselves.

Lumen was reading, looking so beautiful. His attention was interrupted by a petal that flew in without warning. A single pale pink petal landed on top of the bookcase. Lumen picked it up and stared at it wordlessly.

Pink, flowers, etc. There was no one he could think of that was related. Still, a man suddenly came to mind and began to fill his mind.

“……I miss you.”

A faint smile crept across his hard face. Lumen closed the book he was reading and shook his head with a deep sigh. Fatigue quickly took over his otherwise expressionless face.

“I’m getting sick of being locked up all day.”

It had been about three weeks since he returned to the Marquis House of Dominic. He was spending a boring time with all access to the outside world restricted.

I will give up all my rights as the second son of House Dominic to join the mercenary corps and travel the world. His imprisonment began the moment he made that declaration.

Since it was already expected, I was obediently trapped, but shouldn’t I slowly move to the next step? That was what Lumen was thinking.

‘Father wouldn’t even pretend to listen if I went out in moderation. I have to push my opinion somehow, even if it means threatening my brother.’

The family he returned to after a long time had an atmosphere that was more stuffy than he remembered, and he felt like he would have a seizure if he stayed even a little longer.

Lumen clicked his tongue in frustration and reopened his closed book. There was nothing better than reading to pass the time, but before he could read more than a sentence, there was a knock at the door.

“Young Master Lumen.”

It was Sam, the head butler. He bowed to Lumen and spoke with a somewhat serious expression.

“The Marquis is in urgent need of you, and you must go to his study at once.”

“He said he would slap the servants’ cheeks for every step I took out of the room. I wonder how many steps it would take to go to the study.”

“He, he said it was important, so…….”

Lumen put down the book and stood up, passed by Sam, and sneered.

“I will try my best to minimize the number of servants being hit.”

In the study was Froch Dominic, Lumen’s father and the patriarch of House Dominic. He bore little resemblance to Lumen in appearance, but he had the same glossy black hair and a cold, almost chilling demeanor.

“You have called, Father.”

Froch Dominic stared silently at his second son’s calm face. His expression was as stiff as Lumen’s, but an eccentric emotion close to anger glimmered above his olive-colored eyes.

Instead of answering, he tossed a newspaper to his son, who stood erect. Lumen stared at the paper at his feet.

“What is this?”

“See for yourself.”

It was a newspaper published by one of the largest newspaper companies in the Mainue Kingdom. Lumen’s lips curled into a small smile as he read the article on the front page, wondering if it contained the reason he had been summoned.

At the look of surprise on his son’s face, Froch spoke up as if he’d been waiting.

“I’ve checked it over and over again to make sure it’s not a misprint, but it’s true. Is that absurd article about you, a citizen of the Mainue Kingdom, being appointed as a knight of the Empire, real? Are you truly insane?”

Lumen could not readily respond to Froch’s increasingly loud voice. To be precise, he couldn’t afford to.

‘Leader has become a knight of the Empire……?’

It seemed like another battle had taken place in his absence. The article stated that the Scarlet Scales Mercenary, who had made a great contribution in subduing a High Demon who had targeted the gateway to the Empire, held an appointment ceremony to become official knights of the Empire.

There were also detailed descriptions of Van Herdos, a commoner, and Lydon, a fairy who appeared in the human world for the first time in hundreds of years, but it did not pique his interest. Lumen just wondered if Cadel was hurt and how he, a Lytos, ended up joining hands with the Empire. He was just curious about that.

And.

“Unless the Emperor of the Empire has gone off on a ridiculous tangent, coveting the talents of other countries, this would have been a deal between the Commander of the Knight Order named Cadel and you punk. How can you do something like this? You’re putting the family in trouble with your ridiculous greed!”

He was pleased.

It was the clearest proof that Cadel hadn’t forgotten him. His fingertips tightened around the newspaper.

Now that the Emperor of the Osma Empire has appointed himself as a knight of the Empire. The Dominic family had to give an answer to the public, whether they denied it or confirmed it. Cadel had created a situation where the family had no choice but to move.

Just to see Lumen Dominic one day sooner.

“……Are you laughing now?”

“I told you, Father, I no longer intend to be the family’s sword.”

“So you’re saying your choice is being the Imperial’s sword?”

“I don’t think it’s a bad idea to have ties with the Empire at this point.”

“You!”

Lumen folded the newspaper with Cadel’s name on it in half and turned to face Froch.

“I don’t care if you hold everyone in this house hostage. I’m leaving.”

“Lumen, you……!”

“If I stay in the family, Father will lose the most precious person at any time. No matter who it is. If you are not afraid, hold on to me, if not, let me go. This will be your last chance.”

Lumen’s tone was blunt, but there was a cold hatred in his gaze as he stared at Froch. His words were no vague threats, no whining. It was pure malice that had been accumulating for over a dozen years. It was palpable, and for a moment, Froch’s eyes glazed over.

“You, how dare you……!”

Lumen looked at his father, whose face was red as if he were going to faint at any moment due to anger and blood pressure. It was a truly unpleasant sight, but strangely enough, it felt good right now.

The instinctive anger was gone, and all Lumen could think about was how much he missed Cadel.

* * *

Finally.

「Congratulations! You have completed the main quest ‘Knight of the Empire’.」

「A new title [The Empire’s New Star] has been acquired.」

「Reputation increased by 15.」

「The Knight Order Promotion is complete and the cost limit is open.」

「Current Knight Order Cost : 9/25」

They had finally been promoted to the Knight Order. Now it was just a matter of letting the story flow. Cadel felt like he had reached the top of a mountain that had only been a distant memory. Even though the remaining downhill looked steep and difficult, the view from the top was beautiful and overwhelming.

And there was one person who was the biggest contributor to this beautiful scene.

「By completing the main quest, the limit on the knights that can be recruited is lifted.」

「There are recruitable knights nearby.」

「Number of people: 1」