Chapter 323: An Eventful Promotion Ceremony (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 323: An Eventful Promotion Ceremony (2)
Henry Albert!
A man who symbolized the flow of the era!
Rather than getting straight to business, Count Samir sat down and spoke with the fervent enthusiasm of a devoted fan.
"It is truly an honor to meet you like this. I cannot even begin to describe how deeply moved I was by I Was There That Day. I’ve read it dozens of times—to the point where I actually felt like I was standing right there on the Southern Front. How on earth did you manage to create such a masterpiece?"
His intentions were pure.
Having finally met the author of the book that had touched his soul, he simply wanted to hear the story behind its creation.
Henry Albert scratched his head. He acted embarrassed, but the words that left his mouth were far from humble.
"Well, when I first started writing, my only desire was to share exactly what I saw and heard on the battlefield, without adding or subtracting a single detail. Everyone knows how incredible Roman Dmitry is, but they don't really know much about the Battle of the Southern Front—the true starting point of his legend, do they? Even now, what happened that day is hard to believe. When Hector brought down the rear base and captured the Warp Gate, the Cairo royal family prepared to negotiate. But Roman Dmitry was different."
His voice grew animated. His face brimmed with pride, as if he were Roman Dmitry himself.
"On a pitch-black night, in mountains illuminated only by torches, Roman Dmitry took steps that will go down in history. A single man turned the tide of the war. Edwin Hector, known as Hector's Star, threw his entire force forward to suppress Roman Dmitry. But when morning dawned, the mountain was covered in corpses. I was there that day, right on that very battlefield. Having witnessed something so utterly beyond common sense with my own eyes, how could I not write a book about it?"
"I see!"
Count Samir slapped his knee, genuinely filled with admiration.
Even though he had read about it in the book, hearing the tale of the Southern Front directly from the author made his heart burn with passion.
Perhaps satisfied with that reaction, Henry Albert excitedly began sharing details he hadn't even been asked about.
"Actually, I originally had no intention of writing a sequel. But as I watched Roman Dmitry spread his wings and soar higher and higher, a fundamental question arose in my mind: how did this being, whom everyone looks up to, come to be? After all, isn't he a human being just like the rest of us?"
"That is true."
"But why? Why is Roman Dmitry so different from everyone else? The reason lies in his unconventional choices."
"Unconventional choices?"
The atmosphere in the room grew warm. The conversation was taking an interesting turn.
"Take the Battle of the Southern Front. When everyone else spoke of surrender, Roman Dmitry saw the path to victory. When Cairo's civil war broke out, people predicted the victory of Marquis Benedict since he had Kronos backing him. The result? Roman Dmitry overwhelmingly crushed the rebellion. Even after that, those kinds of choices were repeated. When everyone said no, Roman Dmitry proved them wrong through his results. Unconventional choices produced overwhelming results that defied common sense. Those accumulated results forged the Roman Dmitry of today."
"But isn't that only possible because he is Roman Dmitry?"
"I admit that. But the key point here is belief. Because he forged his own will to the point of being entirely unshaken by external opinions, Roman Dmitry did what he believed was right under any circumstance. That is how life works. Those who lose their direction by being swayed by the chatter around them are simply buried beneath the flow of the times. Roman Dmitry is a rebel of this era. He was criticized because he refused to follow the mainstream, but because he refused, he opened an entirely new era."
"...Ah!"
For a long time now, Henry Albert had lived his life completely immersed in Roman Dmitry.
At first, he'd had no choice but to study him just to maintain his own meager reputation. But as time passed, he came to genuinely respect Roman Dmitry. He was a figure worthy of emulation. By taking Roman Dmitry as his life's role model, Henry Albert's own life had completely changed.
He brimmed with confidence.
He acted boldly.
I Was There That Day and How Was the Legend Born were born from realizations that had pierced through the very core of his life.
He was no longer the Henry Albert of the past.
He had transformed into a highly prestigious figure—a bestselling author and a full-time professor at the Cairo Royal Academy, recognized and respected by all.
"To receive such a brilliant lecture in person... it is truly an infinite honor."
"Think nothing of it."
Count Samir calmed his racing heart.
Now, it was time to get to the main point. Having sufficiently won Henry Albert's favor, he cautiously brought up his primary question.
"...Actually, the reason I sought you out, Professor Henry Albert, is none other than to ask you about Lauren Dmitry."
Henry Albert smiled brightly at those words.
"Ask me anything. In the entirety of the Cairo Royal Academy, there is no one who knows Lauren Dmitry better than I do."
* * *
Just a few years ago, Henry Albert had been a pathetic man.
Relying solely on his family's name, he had acted with utter arrogance, and as a result, his relationships with others had been terrible.
However, he changed after meeting Roman Dmitry.
He realized that there was an untouchable sky in this world. He also realized that even a pathetic man like himself could live a decent life if he kept an 'influential person' close. From then on, he paid immense attention to his relationships. He no longer treated his subordinates carelessly, and whenever possible, he showed kindness with a warm smile.
When he entered the Cairo Royal Academy as a full-time professor, he put a great deal of effort into winning over Lauren Dmitry.
He visited and spoke with the young man whenever he had time, and thanks to that persistence, Lauren Dmitry eventually opened his heart to him.
One day, Lauren Dmitry confessed:
"...Lately, I keep feeling so inadequate. My second brother is Rodwell Dmitry, who broke all the Academy records and graduated at the top of his class. My eldest brother is Roman Dmitry, whom everyone knows as the continent's greatest swordsman. No matter how hard I try, can I ever even hope to reach their heels? When Dmitry was waging war, no one needed me. Why must I struggle so desperately here?"
It was a bitter lament.
Hearing those self-deprecating words, Henry Albert fell into thought.
If I were Lauren Dmitry, the third son of the Dmitry family, could I have overcome that immense burden and lived on?
No, he lacked the confidence to say yes.
Lauren Dmitry was only considered lacking when compared to his monstrous brothers; within the Cairo Royal Academy, he was hailed as a genius. In comparison, what about Henry Albert? He possessed absolutely no talent and had been treated as a nuisance by his own family. Yet now, he was a full-time professor at the Cairo Royal Academy.
If he had been his past self, he would have had nothing to say to Lauren Dmitry.
But the current Henry Albert, living a completely new life, did not simply despair over realistic limitations.
"Lauren. It's true that your brothers are incredible, but comparing yourself to others will only eat away at your life. Most of the students attending the Cairo Royal Academy are not as outstanding as you. That's why they are in the lower classes, and they look up to you just as you look up to your brothers. I don't mean you should just be satisfied by looking down at others. But humans can't always be perfect. Ordinary people like me have to live in a state of constant comparison."
Henry Albert and Lauren Dmitry.
They were both ordinary humans.
Feeling a bond of empathy forming between them, Henry Albert smiled warmly.
"Look at me. Even someone like me manages to make a living as a professor at the Cairo Royal Academy. So, don't be swayed by comparisons. Live the life you want. If you live that way, even if you fall behind others, you won't be unhappy."
That day, Henry Albert gained a friend.
He established a genuine relationship with Lauren Dmitry. Based on the realization he had then, Henry Albert paid even more attention to his relationships, no matter how minor. The prestigious professor. The reputation of the highly respected Henry Albert wasn't simply due to Roman Dmitry's halo—it was because his own sincere efforts had finally borne fruit.
Thus, Count Samir's question was an incredibly easy one to answer.
Henry Albert gladly offered a gift of knowledge to the guest who had sought him out.
"What Lauren Dmitry needs is not a material gift. It must be something related to his current, most important interest. Even after being promoted to Class A, Lauren Dmitry is already looking toward the next step. Therefore, he will truly love anything that supports his growth. The Lauren Dmitry I know is absolutely starved for growth."
It was the perfect answer.
Smiling brightly at the response that pointed him in the exact right direction, Count Samir said, "Thank you! I will never forget this favor."
Though it was a brief meeting, Henry Albert's kindness would remain etched in his mind for a long time.
* * *
One day before the promotion ceremony, the Dmitry family arrived in Kairos.
As the light of the Warp Gate subsided and their figures were revealed, Kairos erupted into a crucible of enthusiasm.
"Waaaaaaah!"
"Dmitry! Dmitry!"
"Lord Roman Dmitry! We respect you!"
"Kyaaaah!"
It was absolute chaos.
Cairo and Dmitry.
The two nations shared a common destiny.
Aside from the fact that the Dmitry Duchy originally had its roots in Cairo, the two nations had joined forces through everything from Marquis Benedict's rebellion to the total war with Kronos. Naturally, Roman Dmitry was hailed as the absolute hero of Cairo. If Roman Dmitry had not displayed such tremendous martial prowess, the Cairo Kingdom would have undoubtedly fallen into the abyss the moment Benedict rebelled.
"Dmitry! Dmitry!"
"Dmitry! Dmitry!"
Countless crowds gathered along the path they walked.
Roman Dmitry moved forward with practiced ease, but his father, Duke Dmitry, seemed unfamiliar with such overwhelming cheers. He waved awkwardly with a stiff smile. The world was changing. The fervent response toward Roman Dmitry proved that Dmitry's status was no longer what it used to be.
They walked for a long time.
When they finally arrived at the Cairo Royal Palace, Daniel Cairo came all the way out to the front gates to personally welcome Dmitry's guests.
"Welcome. I have been waiting for you."
* * *
They moved to a private room.
After exchanging light pleasantries, Daniel Cairo suddenly brought up the past.
"Indeed, it seems one cannot foresee even a single step ahead in this world. When the Cairo Kingdom was being tossed around by the empire's lackeys, I contacted Lord Roman Dmitry with the desperate feeling of grasping at straws on the edge of a cliff. I asked him to stand by my side. Of course, I knew that Dmitry's power alone could not turn the tide, but at that time, there was no other way to survive."
The Cairo royal family and Dmitry.
Their relationship had become highly ambiguous.
Although Dmitry was certainly a nation that originated from Cairo, Daniel Cairo could no longer treat Dmitry as a subordinate.
It had to be this way.
Cairo simply had no right to rule over Dmitry.
"Without Dmitry's help during Marquis Benedict's rebellion and the threat of the Kronos Empire, the Cairo Kingdom would not be enjoying the freedom it has today. When Dmitry declared the new Kingdom Alliance, I knew it was time to make a decision."
"...What are you trying to say?"
The atmosphere grew heavy.
Duke Dmitry asked with a stiff expression, but since Daniel Cairo had already started, he intended to see it through to the end.
"I have had many thoughts recently. Hector, Umberto, Redford, Frank. They all took it for granted that Dmitry would become the leader of the new Kingdom Alliance. It is the same for Cairo. I believe that the Dmitry Duchy—or more precisely, Lord Roman Dmitry alone—is the only existence capable of standing firm against this rapidly changing future."
Some said that Cairo had become a laughingstock.
They mocked that Cairo had granted power to Dmitry, only for it to grow so massively that the term 'Duchy' was now entirely meaningless. It was the kind of gossip that could easily cause offense.
However, Daniel Cairo accepted reality.
Rather than being upset by Dmitry's growth, he focused on the positive effects Cairo had gained from them. The Cairo Kingdom had been nothing but a puppet state. Kronos, Valhalla, and the Central Government centered around Marquis Benedict had constantly shaken the royal family, leaving Daniel Cairo utterly powerless to carry out his own will.
The one who shattered that situation was Roman Dmitry.
Just because life had finally become livable and he could breathe again, Daniel Cairo had no intention of foolishly asserting his royal authority.
The times are changing. In this flow, failing to know one's place is a sin.
He had made his decision.
He would ignore the mocking eyes of others.
He had judged what was truly right for Cairo.
Dmitry—Roman Dmitry—was an existence destined to rise even higher than he was now.
"As of this moment, I officially recognize the Dmitry Duchy as an independent nation. Furthermore, when Dmitry inevitably obtains the title of Empire in the future, the Cairo Kingdom wishes to remain as a vassal state supporting Dmitry. That is the future of Cairo and Dmitry that I envision."
A completely new definition of their relationship.
Daniel Cairo had finally revealed his true purpose.