Duke Aurelian dismounted from his horse, his piercing violet eyes locked onto Legion. The commoner met his gaze unflinchingly.
No commoner had ever done that.
Everyone else immediately averted their eyes when in his presence.
Yet this man, Legion, stood firm.
His name… it sounded familiar, but Aurelian couldn't place where he had heard it before.
"Step forward, commoner."
A high-ranking Noble Knight ordered Legion, his tone sharp with authority.
Legion obliged but did not kneel, standing tall and unyielding before the Duke.
The noble knights bristled at the blatant defiance.
"You stand in the presence of Duke Aurelian Aquilon, the future Emperor of Aquilonis. Show your respect!" The noble knight's voice rose in anger.
Legion remained unfazed, though he inclined his head slightly in acknowledgment.
"I, Legion, greet you, Your Majesty, Duke Aurelian," he said, his tone neither submissive nor disrespectful.
"Kneel down, commoner!"
The noble knight unsheathed his sword, voice filled with outrage.
Legion merely raised an eyebrow.
Behind him, the eleven Armor Knights stirred, their presence radiating an unspoken warning.
The noble knight swallowed hard but didn't back down.
"It's fine, Sir Draven," Aurelian finally spoke, placing a hand on his knight's sword arm, a silent order to stand down.
Draven hesitated but eventually sheathed his weapon.
Aurelian's gaze flickered to the Armor Knights standing like silent sentinels behind Legion.
"You control them?" he asked, his voice calm yet edged with curiosity.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"What spell did you use?"
"I don't use spells, Your Majesty. I am a fighter, not a mage."
A sharp scoff came from behind the Duke.
Celion, had also dismounted and was now standing just a step behind Aurelian, his green eyes filled with disbelief.
"No spell?" Celion echoed. "Are you saying it's an ability?"
"Yes, Sir."
A collective gasp rippled through the gathered soldiers, knights, and nobles.
Even Captain Hugo and his team, who had already seen Legion in action, looked shaken.
Aurelian's expression remained unreadable, though his eyes narrowed slightly, as if scrutinizing the truth behind Legion's words.
"And your teleportation?" Aurelian continued.
"Are you saying… that's an ability too?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The murmurs grew louder. Even among royals and the strongest mages, no one had ever been granted such a power.
To possess teleportation as an innate ability rather than a spell…
It was unheard of.
And highly dangerous.
"And how does your teleportation ability work?" Aurelian's voice was calm, but something cold lingered beneath his words.
"I can teleport anywhere as long as I've been to that location before," Legion explained. "Or if I have a very clear image of it in my mind."
"And the chant?" Celion pressed.
"I don't need one." Legion's response was almost casual.
He continued, "I used to say 'teleport' aloud to activate it, but not anymore. As long as it's within my level, I can do it just by intention."
The murmurs escalated into full-blown discussions.
Silent casting? Without mana manipulation?
Even Celion, the greatest magician in the kingdom, could not conceal his shock.
"And how many people can you carry with you?" Aurelian asked.
Legion didn't hesitate.
"Including myself, five."
Aurelian's gaze darkened slightly, contemplating the implications.
Cecilion, still eyeing the Armor Knights warily, finally voiced what everyone was thinking.
"But they all teleported at the same time. If you can only teleport five, then how?"
He gestured toward the eleven unmanned Armor Knights standing eerily still behind Legion.
"There are eleven of them."
Legion shrugged. "They can teleport on their own."
Dead silence.
"What kind of OP shit is that?!" Conn blurted out, completely shattering the tension.
Captain Hugo smacked him over the head.
But no one disagreed.
Aurelian's violet eyes sharpened. The more he spoke with Legion, the less sense it made, and yet, he could not detect a single lie.
Aurelian possessed True Hearing, an ability that allowed him to discern falsehoods.
Legion was telling the truth.
"How is this possible?" the Duke demanded.
Legion responded without hesitation.
"Except for my Marionette ability, which allows me to control them, they have every skill and ability that I have."
A collective murmur rippled through the gathered warriors.
"Marionette?" Lady Layla, a female commander of the Holy Knights, narrowed her eyes. "Are you saying… you can control people?"
Her voice was laced with suspicion.
The ability to control another person was not just dangerous, it was forbidden.
"No, my lady. I can only control objects. And their abilities depend on what kind of objects they are," Legion explained. "But my Marionette makes them an extension of myself."
"Imagine that," Robin muttered, nudging Cecilion. "And you picked a fight with him."
Cecilion shot him a glare.
A chuckle rippled through Captain Hugo's team.
"Sir Cecilion," Dorian whispered, barely containing his smirk. "You accused Legion of being a deserter, but if he wanted, he could've crushed you like a bug."
Cecilion swallowed hard.
"How many things can you control with your Marionette ability?" Lady Layla pressed.
"Right now? I can control twelve Armor Knights without issue."
"What happened to the twelfth one?" Celion narrowed his eyes.
"I left it at the palace, just in case."
"Which palace?" Aurelian's gaze sharpened further.
"The Empress Palace, Your Majesty," Legion answered without hesitation.
Gasps echoed through the ranks.
"Why there?!" Draven snapped.
Legion exhaled, feeling exhausted from the relentless questioning.
But he had no choice.
The Duke would know if he lied.
So he spoke the truth.
"Because I am a sworn knight of Empress Ceres Evadne Valeria," Legion declared.
A stunned silence followed, then another round of sharp intakes of breath.
Draven's face twisted in disgust.
"But you're a commoner!" Draven spat, eyes burning with fury. "Don't tarnish the honor of knighthood with your filthy status! No true knight would ever serve that hideous, fat, disgrace of a woman!"
Legion's entire body stilled.
He had endured doubt, mockery, and accusations, but this?
This, he would not allow.
Without a word, Legion pulled off his glove and threw it at Draven's feet.
A challenge.
Gasps.
Mocking laughter erupted from the noble knights.
"A commoner thinks he has the right to challenge me?" Draven sneered. "Know your place, worm!"
"He does, Sir Draven."
A calm, melodic voice cut through the tension.
The Holy Knights parted instinctively as a woman stepped forward, her very presence radiating holy light.
Saintess Xul.
Celion's eyes widened. "What do you mean, Saintess?"
"To be a Noble Knight, one must have status.
To be a Holy Knight, one must have high Light Affinity magic."
"Are you suggesting he is a Holy Knight?" Commander Layla's brows furrowed.
Instead of answering, Xul turned to Legion.
"Sir Knight," she addressed him directly. "When you swore your Knight's Oath, did a white light envelop you?"
Legion met her gaze.
And nodded.
"Yes, Your Holiness."
A warm smile graced Xul's lips.
She turned back to Draven.
"Then he is a knight, Sir Draven, a knight recognized by the Celestials. A Celestial Knight."
A heavy silence fell upon the crowd.
"That means… his rank is higher than any of us…" Commander Layla whispered in shock.
Saintess Xul nodded.
"And that also means," she continued, "he has the right to challenge another knight."
Draven staggered back.
But Xul wasn't done.
She looked at Aurelian.
"And that is also the reason he cannot kneel to you, Your Majesty, even if he wanted to."
Aurelian's eyes flickered, unreadable. "Because he is bound by oath?"
Xul's voice softened, but held absolute authority.
"Unlike oaths to people, which can be broken, an Oath recognized by the Celestials cannot."
The crowd held their breath.
And Xul spoke the final words that sealed everything.
"As the oath says,
'And if this vow I dare betray,
Let celestial wrath take me away.'
If he breaks his oath, he will die."
"A Celestial Knight? Are you certain, Saintess?" Lady Layla asked in disbelief. "They are but a myth."
Saintess Xul smiled knowingly.
"Today will become yesterday. Yesterday will become history. And history will become myth, My Lady."
Her eyes turned back to Legion.
"Sir Knight, you have seen the fruit of a Malvera tree, haven't you?"
The air grew heavier.
Captain Hugo's team gasped.
"He's eaten one," Faelan whispered.
All the Holy Knights turned to Faelan at once.
Xul's smile widened slightly. "And I would assume you obtained your Teleportation and Marionette abilities after consuming the fruit?"
"Not exactly, Your Holiness," Legion replied. "But I did gain them after eating a Malvera fruit."
A wave of whispers surged through the crowd.
"Abilities and skills are inborn, granted at birth, not obtained later in life!" someone murmured.
Ignoring the commotion, Xul stepped closer to Aurelian, whispering something into his ear.
The Duke's gaze hardened, but he gave a subtle nod.
Then, the Saintess turned back to Legion.
"What is the color of a Malvera fruit?"
"Gold."
"What is its shape?"
"Heart-shaped."
Xul's smile deepened, and she nodded in confirmation.
"The Malvera tree only produces a specific number of fruits per year. How many?"
"Three hundred seventy-nine."
The Holy Knights gasped.
Though the legend of the Malvera fruit was widely known, that it was the most delicious fruit in existence, only priests, priestesses, and high-ranking Holy Knights knew the true details.
And that was because of a sacred tome hidden in the Main Library of the Holy Church.
In the Holy Church's garden, there was only one Malvera tree, bearing a single fruit. And it was protected by ten Holy Knights at all times.
For over a millennia, that fruit had remained untouched.
"There is only one known Malvera fruit in existence," Xul explained. "And legend states that wherever a Malvera tree bears fruit, that kingdom will prosper."
"Right now, the only kingdom known to have one is Pyrrathis, the Fire Kingdom. That is why they are the most powerful."
She studied Legion closely.
"By any chance, did you see a Malvera tree that bore fruit?"
"Yes."
The crowd erupted.
"Is that why he became a Celestial Knight, Saintess?" Celion asked. "Because he stumbled upon a Malvera fruit?"
Legion's brows twitched.
"I did not stumble upon it." His voice sharpened. "The Empress gave me permission to eat one from her tree."
A heavy silence descended.
Even Xul, for the first time, looked genuinely startled.
"Are you saying… there is a Malvera tree that bears fruit in the Empress's Palace?"
"Not just one fruit." Legion's expression was firm. "The tree always has thirty fruits at a time. When my sister and I pick one, a new one will appear the next day, or depending on how many were taken."
"Impossible!" Lady Layla gasped.
"Did you know this after eating a Malvera fruit?" Xul asked carefully.
"No, my lady." Legion's voice carried unshakable confidence. "The Empress told us."
Duke Aurelian, who had remained silent, finally spoke.
"And how did the Empress know?"
Legion hesitated for a moment, then smirked.
"I do not know, Your Majesty. But just because the Empress keeps to herself, it does not mean she is ignorant." His eyes gleamed with something unreadable. "If I may be so bold, she is the most knowledgeable person I have ever met."
Aurelian's gaze darkened.
Xul turned back to the Duke. "After this expedition, may the Holy Knights and I visit the Empress's Palace?"
The Duke's jaw tightened, but he nodded. "Yes."
Xul turned back to Legion, her serene smile returning.
"Sir Knight, will you join us at the front of the caravan, then?"
Legion had nothing against the Saintess.
But he did not like her smile.
"How about my challenge?" His voice turned cold.
The moment those words left his lips, Draven stiffened.
"Sir Draven mocked my Empress," Legion continued, his voice unwavering. "And I am bound by my oath to protect her honor."
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Draven's face twisted with anger. "You think I would duel a commoner?!"
Legion stepped forward. "You insulted my Empress. And as her knight, I am required to defend her."
Draven scoffed, turning to the Duke. "Your Majesty, surely you won't allow this absurdity?"
Duke Aurelian remained silent.
It was Saintess Xul who spoke first.
"Sir Knight, I do not intend to disregard your challenge," she said, her voice calm and diplomatic. "However, wouldn't it be best to show some patience for now? Sir Draven did not know your true rank when he spoke those words. His insult was made in ignorance."
Legion's gaze sharpened.
His voice dripped with cold sarcasm. "I do not care if he insulted me, Your Holiness."
Silence fell.
The knights and nobles tensed.
Legion wasn't done.
"What I care about is the fact that he insulted the Empress. And just because he was ignorant of my rank, that does not give him, or anyone, the right to mock her. Especially when she is not even here to defend herself."
The weight of his words sank into the crowd.
Even Duke Aurelian's expression darkened.
A long silence followed.
Duke Aurelian finally spoke, his commanding voice breaking the tense stillness.
"I will grant your challenge, Sir Legion."
His violet eyes locked onto Legion's unwavering gaze.
"But not now."
Legion's fists clenched.
"We need every able man for this expedition," Aurelian continued. "I believe the Empress would understand if you defend her honor after the mission is complete."
Legion stared at him.
This man, this man was supposed to be the Empress's husband.
And yet, he rejected her without hesitation, disgusted by her appearance.
What will he do once he sees the Empress now?
The thought made Legion's blood boil.
After a long moment, Legion let out a slow, measured breath.
With a flick of his fingers, his glove lifted from the snow-covered ground, floating back to him.
He caught it effortlessly and turned to Draven, his smirk laced with sharp-edged mockery.
"I hope you do not go easy on me, Sir Draven."
Draven's jaw tightened, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword.
Legion's smirk widened.
"Because I have no intention of going easy on you for mocking my Empress."