Chapter 95
Chapter 95
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: Once Again, the Family Meeting (4)
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When I raised my hand to volunteer for the princess's protection detail, several people nodded in approval.
"Right, Sion would be perfect."
"He's about the same age as Her Highness, too."
"Sending someone too prominent would make the palace staff uneasy. Sion's skilled but young, so he's ideal."
Just as they pointed out, dispatching a big name would burden the palace.
From a political standpoint, it was best for me—someone with low public recognition—to step up.
"Excellent. If you'll take it on, that's the best outcome. I can trust you with this."
Ianus nodded with a smile.
"Of course, I don't plan to send you alone. You'll need more people. Any suggestions?"
"Her Highness is still young. She'd likely feel more at ease with younger knights rather than older ones."
"Good point. Then the direction is set."
Ianus's gaze shifted to right beside me.
"Sena Aleyas, Cain Aleyas, Robel Aleyas."
"Yes...!"
The three sitting next to me shot to their feet.
"And... Liz Aleyas."
"Yes, Family Head."
A woman with light-colored hair stood from a bit farther away.
It was Liz, Estr's daughter.
*It's been a while.*
Liz belonged to the Pilgrimage Survey Corps, scouting dungeons and such, so I rarely saw her.
*She really takes after her mother.*
As I reminisced about Estr's younger days while watching her, our eyes met briefly.
But Liz immediately whipped her head away.
[She doesn't seem to like you.]
*What did I even do?*
As I chatted with Igzard, Ianus spoke in a stern voice.
"I'm assigning the four of you to Her Highness's protection detail as well. Can you handle it?"
"We can, Family Head."
Sena, Cain, Robel, and Liz answered in unison.
"Please wait a moment, Family Head."
But then Gretus interjected.
"This is Her Highness's protection. We can't entrust it to children."
"Precisely because it's Her Highness that we're assigning the young ones, Gretus."
"Just because Her Highness is young doesn't mean she'll prefer younger knights. That's a prejudice, Family Head."
"There's no guarantee she'll prefer older ones either. If fossils like you or me show up, she'll probably be terrified of the scary grandpas."
Laughter erupted here and there at Ianus's rare joke.
"Regardless, my point is we shouldn't entrust such a critical task to those still lacking ability. If something goes wrong, the Holy Knight Order and the entire Aleyas family could bleed for it."
"Lacking ability?"
Ianus scoffed.
"Out of everyone here from the Aleyas family, how many do you think could beat these kids?"
"Family Head, that's..."
"Perfect timing. Let's verify it."
Cutting Gretus off, Ianus raised one hand.
"It's about time for this year's measurement ceremony anyway."
* * *
The measurement ceremony.
This was the annual event held at every family meeting.
Using a measurement artifact, they checked each person's mana circles one by one to determine their knight rank.
This allowed the Aleyas family to gauge members' abilities and use the data for knight order operations.
Top ranks rarely changed, though.
*Ianus, Sershes, Helena, Estr, and Kurt are all 9-stars, so no surprise there... Gretus, Hamilton, New York, and the rest stay at 8-stars.*
The more circles you had, the harder it was to gain another.
Many in the Aleyas family were stuck at 7 or 8 stars.
This year brought some change, however.
"Avillon Aleyas, eight circles! 8-star!"
"Stron Aleyas, eight circles—8-star!"
"Creia Aleyas, confirmed 8-star!"
"Ooh...!"
As I'd heard earlier, three of Gretus's children had advanced from 7-star to 8-star at once.
"Three new 8-stars!"
"As expected of Gretus's kids."
"They've reached 8-star faster than Gretus himself. They might even hit 9-star someday."
"The already strong southern branch just got stronger!"
People cheered at the rare surge of new high-rank knights.
Gretus wore a smug expression.
[That Avillon guy's the standout. Gretus's eldest, right?]
*I noticed him too. Looks like his mana is the strongest.*
Gretus's firstborn, Avillon Aleyas, had sharp features and an aura that screamed extraordinary even at a glance.
"The rest... no major changes."
"No, the young ones are still up."
"Right, down to the twenties..."
Once Gretus's kids finished, attention shifted to the younger generation.
They started focusing on our cohort.
"Sena Aleyas, six circles... 6-star!"
Sena's 6-star result drew gasps from around.
She'd been 5-star not long ago. But participating in the Edelfeldt subjugation battle and gaining insight from intense combat had pushed her up.
"Hmph... too slow."
Sershes seemed dissatisfied, though.
She'd hit 6-star before even turning twenty, so reaching it at twenty-five probably felt sluggish.
"Cain Aleyas, 5-star!"
Cain had grown to 5-star since last I'd heard.
I wondered at his rapid progress without much real combat, when Kurt spoke up beside me.
"Everyone's motivated."
"Motivated?"
"They're all pushing hard so they don't fall behind you. Cain and Robel begged Helena for daily mock battles."
"..."
"You're the one driving the Aleyas family's future."
As we talked, the woman with light-colored hair stepped up to the measurement artifact.
"Liz Aleyas, six circles! 6-star!"
As Estr had mentioned last time, Liz was 6-star.
Same as Sena, but five years younger, so arguably superior.
The crowd cheered even louder, naturally.
Liz retreated without a change in expression.
"Robel Aleyas, 5-star!"
Robel, same age as Liz, clocked in at 5-star too.
People applauded, confirming Ianus's grandsons were progressing steadily.
Meanwhile, Gretus's face had hardened.
His kids had all hit 8-star together and should have been the stars, yet Ianus's grandsons stole the spotlight.
*That wraps up the measurements.*
Only those twenty and older participated, so Robel was last.
"Sion."
Ianus Aleyas, who had watched quietly, finally spoke.
"Measure your mana too."
His words stirred the room.
"Family Head, I'm not required to participate."
"You did it four years ago. Do it again."
"..."
Ianus's word was absolute in the Aleyas family.
I ascended the platform and placed my hand on the measurement artifact.
The attendant checked it with a tense expression.
"Two circles... just two."
The mirror-like surface showed two rings.
But no one mocked me as a mere 2-star.
"But look closely—multiple layers overlapping... hmm..."
The Dialogue Circulation Method stored vast mana in a single circle.
Even the artifact struggled to read it accurately.
"Sion, declare your true rank."
With that, Ianus drew his sword from his waist and tossed it to me.
Only he could carry a weapon at family meetings.
[Not the Sage Sword.]
*He wouldn't bring it to something like this.*
A plain but fine blade.
It could withstand my sword aura.
"..."
I unleashed sword aura along the blade.
As the brilliant light captivated everyone, I slowly looked skyward.
It was already dark night.
"I'll prove it."
The moment I swung.
Sword bullets erupted from the blade, streaking the sky.
"Ah...!"
Boom boom boom!
The projectiles exploded against the night sky, creating a fireworks-like spectacle.
Everyone stared, entranced.
"He used sword bullets...!"
"8-star mana!"
"It's not just quantity—he's controlling it perfectly!"
They'd likely known I had 8-star mana.
But many doubted if my skill matched, suspecting it was just lucky quantity without true prowess.
Yet I'd just executed sword bullets, impossible without flawless control.
I'd proven I was a true 8-star powerhouse.
"Sion Aleyas, confirmed to possess mana equivalent to 8-star!"
"Oooh...!"
Amid the fireworks painting the sky, cheers shook Ianus's estate.
* * *
"Gretus, still claiming these kids lack ability?"
"..."
Gretus offered no rebuttal.
He could nitpick their inexperience, sure.
But his silence meant he understood my display had already won over the others.
"Then you're agreeing to send them too."
Ignoring the speechless Gretus, Ianus turned to me.
"Sion Aleyas."
"Yes, Family Head."
"This isn't an official Holy Knight Order mission, so no formal orders will come. I'll state it here."
As I stepped forward, Sena, Cain, Robel, and Liz lined up behind me.
"Take your cousins south. You'll serve as Her Highness's escort knights."
Escort knight squad.
That was my new assignment.
"The capital Romancia, where the imperial palace lies... Gretus was handling that sector."
"Yes, Family Head..."
"Provide them every convenience. See they arrive safely."
At Ianus's command, Gretus looked like he'd swallowed dung.
[From that face, he has no intention of cooperating quietly.]
*Seems that way.*
[He'll pick a fight and regret it. Idiot.]
As Igzard said, any trouble would backfire on Gretus.
But I couldn't warn him ahead.
"Sion Aleyas, you'll soon receive the official Knight Badge as a matchless knight. As a representative matchless knight of the Holy Knight Order... do you have the confidence to protect Her Highness?"
"No need to worry, Family Head."
I replied clearly.
"No one threatening Her Highness will survive."
"Dependable."
Ianus smiled in satisfaction once more.