"Even now, I still can't believe the blessings of the Empress," Cecilion murmured in awe.
It was the twelfth day of their journey toward the Frozen Sea, and the difference in the non-fighters was undeniable.
They were stronger. They no longer lagged behind the main group.
Those in the expedition who had been receiving food and coffee made with the Empress's ingredients saw a noticeable increase in their MP and HP.
Captain Hugo nodded.
"Maybe we should have brought the Empress along on this expedition," Conn absentmindedly said. "That way, everyone would receive her blessings."
"Are you insane?" Captain Hugo snapped, smacking Conn on the back of the head. "Do you want to put the Empress's life in danger?"
"That's not what I meant, Captain," Conn grumbled, rubbing the sore spot. "But think about it... have any of you eaten food blessed by the Holy Church? Even their so-called 'divine meals' don't give this kind of MP boost, and they sure as hell don't increase HP... not like the Empress's food does. We still don't understand why the HP boost comes with a '+' modifier, but imagine if the Empress had blessed our entire expedition's food supply. We'd be able to survive on half rations and still be full."
"He's right," Dorian added. "If we could make our food supply last longer, more people would survive this expedition."
"Legion, is there any chance we could talk to the Empress about blessing our food supply?" Faelan asked. "Who knows? Maybe she'll agree."
But Legion wasn't listening.
His focus was elsewhere.
Through his Marionette ability, he was seeing through one of his armored knights stationed in the Empress's Palace.
For the past two days, he had noticed that there were children inside the palace... and they were too loud.
Legion worried that they might be disturbing the Empress's rest.
His silence made the others exchange glances.
Legion hadn't responded at all... his gaze remained fixed straight ahead, his thoughts clearly elsewhere.
"Hey, Legion."
Cecilion tapped him on the shoulder, snapping him out of his trance.
"What?" Legion growled.
"Where the hell was your mind just now?" Cecilion raised an eyebrow.
Legion sighed.
"What were you guys talking about?"
"So you really didn't hear anything we just said?" Renee asked.
"Sorry, I was just thinking about something," Legion admitted.
Cecilion crossed his arms.
"You still haven't told us how you're getting supplies from the Empress."
"I already told you before. I teleported." Legion said flatly.
"Fuck you." Cecilion scowled.
"Same to you." Legion shot back.
Cecilion rolled his eyes but smirked.
"Besides, what the hell are you three doing back here near the rear of the caravan?" Legion asked, eyeing Cecilion and the two noble knights with him. "The noble knights are supposed to be at the front."
"The food you've been distributing... the one made from the Empress's supplies... doesn't even reach the middle of the caravan, let alone the front," Cecilion admitted. "So we came back here."
Legion was about to retort when...
Chaos erupted.
Screams.
Panic.
"Monster attack!"
The alarmed cries spread like wildfire through the expedition.
Then, they saw it.
A horde of monsters, pouring in from all directions.
The entire caravan erupted into chaos.
Knights, soldiers, and fighters sprang into action, launching a defense against the monstrous onslaught.
In the midst of the battle, Captain Hugo's team fought desperately, shielding the non-fighters from harm.
But there were too many... too many monsters, too many enemies.
And some of the knights... instead of protecting the civilians... were using them as shields.
Cecilion and his fellow noble knights, Renee and Robin, tried their best to intercept and protect the non-fighters from being thrown into danger.
The Holy Knights focused on taking down the larger threats, like orcs, while mages cast spells, enhancing the strength of the knights while attacking the monsters.
But even with all their efforts, it wasn't enough.
And amidst the chaos, Legion saw it...
Mara, along with other women and elders, struggling to protect themselves.
But they had no weapons. No skills to defend themselves.
They were going to die.
Legion clenched his jaw.
Using the Marionette's ability... was risky.
But the Empress had given him two tasks. Retrieve Frozen Sea ice and keep Mara safe.
And right now... she was in danger.
Without hesitation, Legion made his decision.
"Marionette, teleport!" he roared, activating his skill.
Eleven of the twelve armored knights stationed in the Empress's Palace vanished... leaving behind only one, in case the Empress needed it.
A moment later...
BOOM!
The eleven armored knights appeared out of thin air.
For a brief moment... the battlefield fell silent.
Even the monsters hesitated, confused by the sudden arrival of the heavily armored warriors.
Everyone... knights, soldiers, even the Holy Knights near him... stared at the new arrivals, wondering if they were friend or foe.
Then, Legion's voice rang out...
"Protect them."
The armored knights moved immediately... shielding the defenseless non-fighters, standing between them and the monsters.
"Mara! Stay behind the armored knights!" Legion shouted, but he had no time to check if she listened.
He had already rejoined the fight.
And then... the impossible happened.
The armored knights didn't just defend... they attacked.
They fought like a perfectly synchronized unit, wielding shields, spears, and swords with precision and deadly efficiency.
They cut through the monsters with ease, drawing the enemy's attention away from the non-fighters and onto themselves.
One of the giant orcs, easily twice the size of a man, let out a roar and swung its massive club at an armored knight...
CRASH!
The knight shattered into pieces.
But then... something horrifying happened.
Before the eyes of everyone watching...
The shattered knight reassembled itself.
Piece by piece, it pulled itself back together... until it stood tall once more, unscathed.
And then... it resumed fighting.
A chill ran down the spines of those who saw it.
The armored knights... they were unstoppable.
Captain Hugo and Dorian, momentarily distracted by the spectacle, were almost killed... a massive orc raised its club, ready to crush them both...
But Legion teleported between them.
In an instant, he grabbed them...
... and teleported them away.
Wide-eyed, Hugo and Dorian stared at Legion.
"Stop gawking and start fighting," Legion snapped.
With his teleportation exposed, Legion stopped holding back.
He teleported behind the orcs, stabbing his sword into their necks, eyes, skulls... anywhere that would kill them instantly or weaken them enough for the others to finish them off.
Three of his armored knights did the same, copying his movements.
The monsters panicked.
They tried to attack Legion... but every time they reached him, he had already vanished.
They tried to destroy the armored knights... but they only reassembled and kept fighting.
And then...
A sound echoed from afar.
A trumpet's call.
The monsters hesitated... then, as if receiving an order, they retreated.
The fighters managed to cut down the remaining orcs, but the nimble goblins successfully escaped.
The battlefield fell silent, the only sound left was the ragged breathing of exhausted warriors and the distant echo of the retreating monsters.
Legion lay flat on his back against the snow-covered ground, completely drained.
Before the expedition, he had trained both himself and his Armor Knights, yet he had never felt fatigue.
But now…
Though his MP and HP remained unchanged, his body bore the weight of exhaustion... a side effect he hadn't anticipated.
While he was defenseless in those brief moments of rest, the Armor Knights instinctively surrounded him, standing as an unmoving wall of protection.
The others watched in awe and disbelief.
"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Faelan asked, his voice filled with stunned admiration.
"He wasn't joking when he said he could teleport," Dorian muttered.
"And he didn't even chant," Captain Hugo noted, his eyes sharp with newfound respect.
Cecilion, along with the rest of the fighters and non-fighters who had witnessed the battle, were left utterly speechless.
No one... not even the Holy Knights, the mages, or the noble knights... had ever seen magic like this.
A single man had turned the tide of battle.
A single man had teleported in and out of battle, striking down monsters in their most vulnerable spots.
A single man had brought forth eleven indestructible Armor Knights, warriors who could fight without tiring, who could reform even after being shattered.
The power Legion displayed wasn't human... it was something else entirely.
And to think... this man served an Empress who had been abandoned, neglected, and disrespected.
Cecilion swallowed hard, his mind racing.
"…The royal court is doomed the moment the Empress retaliates."
No one disagreed. A heavy silence settled over the group as realization dawned upon them.
Then, from the other side of the battlefield, a contingent of high-ranking knights, Holy Knights, and Court Magicians approached.
At the front of the group, mounted on a white stallion, was Duke Aurelian, the future Emperor.
Beside him, riding a black horse, was High Court Magician Celion Blackwater... the most powerful mage in the kingdom.
During the battle, they had witnessed something impossible.
A man who appeared and disappeared... cutting down orcs with precision and deadly efficiency.
Blink Steps were common abilities among elite fighters, but they had a major drawback... a person could not carry anything or anyone heavier than themselves while using them.
Yet, this man had carried two or three people at a time.
Celion, a master of spatial magic, had been tracking the mana residue.
And he was certain.
The energy signature left behind matched the traces of teleportation magic.
But…
It made no sense.
Teleportation was a high-level spell, requiring an immense amount of mana, concentration, and a long chant. It was not suitable for battle.
And yet…
They had just seen a man using it as easily as breathing.
And now, they were told that this man was just a commoner volunteer.
With the Duke leading them, the high-ranking knights and magicians made their way toward the rear of the caravan... to the place where the man had last been seen.
Only to stop dead in their tracks.
They froze in place.
Before them stood eleven towering Armor Knights... not worn by soldiers, not manned by fighters... simply standing there, empty, unmoving… guarding one man.
The nobles and magicians stared in disbelief.
"Brother!" Cecilion called out to Celion, quickly approaching.
Celion barely acknowledged him, his sharp eyes locked onto the impossible sight before him.
"Who is that man?" Celion demanded.
Cecilion exhaled slowly before answering.
"That's Legion."
Then, as if sensing the weight of their gazes, the Armor Knights shifted.
They stepped aside in perfect synchronization.
And from their midst, Legion stood up, his sharp eyes locking onto Duke Aurelian's own piercing gaze.
The battlefield had gone silent once more.