The mobile city of Kazdel had been completely transformed. Under the development led by Tomorrow's Development, it had come to represent modernity and the future.
Sarkaz agents who had not returned for a long time found themselves staring in disbelief. Smooth stone steps stretched beneath their feet. Vehicles occasionally passed along the streets. Buildings lined both sides of the road, and electric streetlights illuminated the way.
They had missed Kazdel's rapid transformation.
Felix and his group walked toward City Hall, his path naturally secured by the people. Goliath City Defense Army guards stood in formation on both sides of the street, while behind them, the residents of the Kazdel Mobile City gathered.
Cheers and thunderous applause erupted at Felix's return. Everyone knew who had given them this life.
Behind him, the higher-ups of Tomorrow's Development followed in step, their hearts filled with pride. Kazdel's rebirth was the result of Felix's leadership, but also of their collective effort. Without His Highness, perhaps they would never have stood together in such unity.
A massive new statue stood before City Hall. Felix raised his head and saw that it had been carved from stone and finely polished, engraved with the likenesses of Kazdel's successive Sarkaz Kings. From the ancient Exiles to the figures of the "Wrathful Cerulean Flame" recorded in storybooks, they were all there.
The Sarkaz Kings Gul'dul, Balor'sača, and Qui'lon came first, followed by Theresa.
And standing at the very forefront of them all was the King of Liberation.
He was solemn and imposing, clad in a general's cloak, a golden crown upon his head, a longsword held firmly in his hand. His expression was stern and resolute.
"..."
Felix stared upward. Why was that figure standing at the very front?
"This…"
"Your Highness, these were built by the Gargoyles who proposed rebuilding People's Square," Hoederer explained, coughing lightly. "I approved the funding because I thought it appropriate. The reconstruction turned out exceptionally well, especially this statue. I never imagined it would see the light of day again."
"..."
The operators of Tomorrow's Development stood straight, gazing up at the statue with eyes fixed forward, pride and honor nearly spilling over.
The group entered the council hall. The original round table was gone.
What lay beyond was an open space, reminiscent of the era when the Sarkaz King held court. At the end of the red-carpeted steps stood a golden throne.
Within the ranks, Jesselton narrowed his eyes and nodded in satisfaction, though a hint of vigilance crept in. Since when had Hoederer started flattering His Highness as well? Was he trying to steal favor? After all, wasn't Jesselton the one who understood His Highness best?
"Your Highness."
"Your Highness…"
The members of Tomorrow's Development came to a halt and bowed deeply.
Felix turned his head and met their gazes, seeing determination and affection reflected in their eyes.
"Your Highness, you are the King of Kazdel," Hoederer declared, dropping to one knee. "You liberated this land and granted the Sarkaz the redemption they fought for. You are leading us toward the promised land. Please continue to guide us into the future."
'I never thought someone with thick eyebrows and big eyes like you could say something this dramatic.'
Felix glanced at Ines. Their eyes met briefly before she looked away, her expression faintly guilty. So it really was Ines who wrote it.
"Your Highness, please ascend the throne!" Giles shouted as he knelt.
"Your Highness!"
In an instant, all the Sarkaz operators knelt on one knee. Some of the remaining Tomorrow's Development, overwhelmed by the moment, followed suit, while others bowed deeply.
Felix stepped forward and slowly ascended the stairs, his gaze settling on the golden throne.
Then he turned, looked down upon the Terrans gathered in the hall, and sat down with calm resolve.
The Sarkaz erupted into cheers that echoed through the hall for hours, loud enough to shake the ceiling. Tomorrow's Development applauded and celebrated alongside them.
It was a scene that brought reassurance. After a long and bitter civil war, the Sarkaz king had finally returned to Kazdel, seated upon the throne that symbolized royalty.
At this moment, the Sarkaz were more united than ever before, surpassing even the vengeful fervor that had once driven them centuries or millennia ago.
As long as they stood together, no hardship was insurmountable.
The operators soon took their positions in orderly fashion. Loughshinny, Mountain, Hoederer, and other high-ranking members stood on the steps below the throne, alongside representatives of the royal courts. The council hall was now filled with figures of every lineage: Luna, representing the Vampire Royal Court currently based in Kazdel; Caren, the representative of the mixed-blood Wendigo; Mudrock, the young woman who looked utterly bewildered, having been pushed forward by her Gargoyle companions; Qalaiša, representing both the Nachzehrers and as the Northwind Witch; the representative of the Revenants, Tin man from the Maylander Foundation; the Banshees representative are the HR Lady; the Djall representative by aunt of the Djall Nymph, whose name Felix had yet to learn; Ermengarde, representative of the Lich Royal Court; and Alcis, the Cyclops representative, a woman with "third" eyes upon her head.
The Vampires were not limited to factions like Luna's. They also possessed an intelligence organization known as Rose Riverside, which maintained close ties with Dr. Kal'tsit. However, after the establishment of New Kazdel, both Rose Riverside and Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals faded from public view, their current whereabouts unknown.
The assembled royal courts bore witness to this moment. Some of the elder Sarkaz could not hold back their tears, for such a scene had once existed only in dreams or in storybooks.
"Kazdel's diplomacy has progressed smoothly so far, but it has encountered a bottleneck in Leithanien…"
As officials and operators began their reports, scribes hurriedly recorded the minutes. Although this was a royal court assembly, participation was not limited to royalty alone. Anyone with ideas or opinions, even an ordinary operator, was free to speak.
These were rules laid down by the King of Liberation himself. Kazdel blood might grant a degree of status, but when it came to appointments and authority, only ability mattered.
This principle of fairness was acknowledged and upheld by all senior members of Tomorrow's Development.
Felix listened quietly and nodded. Hoederer had indeed accomplished much during this period. Though his primary focus remained the reconstruction and modernization of Kazdel, he had not neglected diplomacy. In addition to expanding foreign trade with Yan, Hoederer had also turned his attention to Leithanien, a nation without deep-seated hatred toward Kazdel, though not without old grievances.
On this land, there seemed to be no power entirely free of resentment toward Kazdel. Their ancestors had all, to varying degrees, fought against the Sarkaz.
Leithanien remained a land of nobles, but compared to the chaos of Victoria, its aristocracy was relatively restrained. Hoederer had already dealt with several of them. He had also attempted to contact Leithanien's current rulers, the Twin Empresses, but their responses were consistently lukewarm. They neither clearly accepted diplomatic engagement with Kazdel nor outright rejected it.
"I will write a letter in my own name," Felix said with a slight nod. "I will inform the Twin Empresses that I have long admired them and wish to meet, to further strengthen the friendship between our two nations." Hoederer's rank alone was insufficient to prompt a change in their attitude, but a letter from Felix himself would carry different weight.
"Your Highness, I received a letter from Kjerag the day before yesterday, inviting our delegation to visit."
"Approved. If I have the time, I will attend personally."
"Your Highness, the true Bolivarians in Bolívar have contacted our office in Dossoles, expressing their desire to form an alliance with Tomorrow's Development."
Felix frowned and waved his hand. "Bolívar's internal situation is chaotic. The turmoil in Dossoles is exactly what many parties wish to see. If outsiders intervene, Bolívar will only be swallowed by its neighbors."
"Your Highness, from Victoria, Earl Warwick, leader of the Tara, has reached out. He wishes to meet you. He says that you are the King of Liberation, and that his own goal is the same as yours: to liberate all Tara people."
"How is Victoria's situation now?" Felix asked, noticing Loughshinny listening intently, her chin resting on her hands.
"The relationship between the Tara and the Victorians is extremely tense. Under Earl Warwick's leadership, the Tara territories have effectively become an independent faction. They have shown no intention of yielding to the threats of Victorian nobles, and war appears imminent."
Felix nodded in thought. "Tell Earl Warwick that I will meet him in Victoria."
"Yes."
One matter after another was brought before him. Issues that could be resolved with a single sentence were decided immediately. Those requiring deeper consideration were opened to discussion before Felix made a final judgment. At this pace, the long backlog of official affairs was swiftly cleared.
As the royal court meeting drew to a close, Felix stepped down from the dais. He smiled at the senior officials who came to see him off and spoke to them in a calm, unceremonious tone.
"Your Highness… I am Alcis." The young woman representing the Cyclops Royal Court stepped forward and spoke softly. Her voice was light and airy, as if she herself might be carried away by the wind at any moment. She bowed deeply to Felix. "You are the destiny of Kazdel. I will continue to watch as you lead Kazdel toward tomorrow, toward the future. The gaze of the Cyclops has once again fallen upon Kazdel."
"Is your clan leader's prophecy true or false?" Felix asked.
He recalled a message once delivered by the Cyclops chieftain, foretelling that he would perish upon the throne of Victoria. At the time, he had taken it as nothing more than a curse wishing for his death.
Alcis gently bit her lower lip. "The form of prophecy is never fixed. A prophecy will inevitably be fulfilled in some way."
Felix fell silent in thought. He had always felt that the prophecy carried a deeper meaning. Besides, what in Victoria could truly threaten him upon its throne?
"Your Highness, regarding the visit to Leithanien," Ermengarde spoke up, "the Lord of the Lich's Court has expressed a desire to meet with you privately after the trip."
Felix nodded slightly. "As long as the Lord of the Lich's Court provides the time and place, I will keep the appointment."
"Your Highness—"
Even after the meeting officially ended, people continued to approach Felix one after another. In the end, nearly an hour passed before he was finally able to leave the council hall and head toward the industrial district.
There, the mechanical race he had personally created, the Melira, had already been completed. Their weapons were mounted directly onto their bodies, and standing at the forefront were five specialized Melira units. Their frames had been enhanced, and each possessed formidable abilities in a different field.
"Open your eyes," Felix said softly inside the factory.
The Melira opened their eyes. They were still uninitialized machines, devoid of life, able to act only according to Felix's commands.
"Clever, begin."
"Order accepted."
As Felix spoke, Clever began transmitting the pre-edited "seeds" into the Melira's central processing units. These seeds contained not only the three laws of robotics Felix had embedded, but also the behavioral frameworks of the YoRHa units. Terrans and adventurers affiliated with Tomorrow's Development were classified as green friendly, ordinary Terrans and adventurers as yellow neutral, and hostile Terrans and adventurers as red hostile.
Beyond commands and logic, Felix also implanted personalities. This part was simpler. He searched through the most popular female anime characters, selected the top one thousand, and had Clever analyze them layer by layer. Afterward, the data was dismantled and distributed among the Melira, ensuring that although they were mechanical lifeforms, each possessed a distinct personality and individuality.
In just five minutes, the eyes of the Melira began to gleam. They raised their heads to look at Felix, admiration, respect, and affection clearly reflected in their gazes.
Felix looking at the Melira standing at the front.
This Melira had Asuna's hairstyle. She blinked her orange eyes and said without hesitation, "Master, my code name is Asuna01."
Who gave you that name?
"Clever…"
"Master, the code name was assigned according to the personality parameters you provided," Clever replied, her voice tinged with a faint sense of grievance.
Felix was left momentarily speechless.
"Master, would you like to change my code name?" Asuna01 blinked her beautiful eyes and smiled brightly. "Please give me a new one, Master. But please don't give me one that sounds a bit hard to pronounce."
"…Fine."
Nearby, another Melira with long, straight white hair, resembling Yukino Yukinoshita, stepped forward while holding a long sniper rifle.
Felix asked, "What is your code name?"
"Yukino01," the Melira replied calmly.
Felix let out a sigh. "You little rascal… what exactly have you been up to?!"
"Tehe☆" (๑ > ω < ๑)