Lugunica, the Royal Capital of the Dragon Kingdom, is a metropolis with a population exceeding 300,000, making it one of the largest cities on the continent.
As the political and economic heart of the kingdom, the capital is filled with a diverse array of races, imbuing the city with vitality and vigor. The surging crowds in the streets caused both Elsa and Fynea to gape in astonishment. Compared to the Royal Capital, the industrial city of Costuul they had visited previously was hardly worth mentioning.
"This is amazing! Simply amazing!" Fynea exclaimed, spreading her arms wide and looking around excitedly. she loved lively scenes like this.
Elsa was more reserved, leaning closer to Aomori, seemingly still a bit uncomfortable with such dense crowds.
"Klein-sama, young ladies, the capital is very large. Please be careful not to get separated," Thor reminded them thoughtfully. "Many people get lost in the capital every day, including quite a few locals."
"Don't worry, Thor-jisan, I won't get lost," Fynea huffed, her eyes already darting toward a fruit stall by the roadside.
The dazzling variety of colorful fruits caught her attention; the Holy Kingdom didn't have nearly this many kinds.
'You're the one we're worried about,' the other three thought in unison. However, with Aomori present, the possibility of getting separated was slim to none.
"Young lady, would you like some delicious Appas? They're incredibly tasty!" a green-haired young man called out to Fynea with a friendly face.
"Appas? You mean these red fruits?" Fynea pointed.
"Exactly! If you go through life without trying one, you'll regret it forever!"
"Alright then, let me try one. If it's good, this lady will buy them all!"
"No problem! Please, help yourself."
Crunch!
Fynea took a large bite of an Appa, chewing the crisp flesh as the sweet juice flooded her mouth. She squinted her eyes in happiness. "It really is delicious. Boss, wrap them all up for me."
"Coming right up!"
Soon, Aomori and the others each had an Appa in hand, munching as they toured the famous city.
…
While Aomori's main body was leisurely sightseeing, several of his Clones, dispatched ahead of time, had already reached various places of interest to investigate.
The first location was the heavily guarded Royal Palace.
To avoid tripping any alarm devices or barriers, Aomori simply flashed into the palace. Fortunately, he didn't encounter any measures designed to obstruct spatial skills. He walked through the palace openly. His refined appearance and extraordinary temperament led the palace guards to assume he was a young noble from some prominent house, never connecting him to an intruder. Furthermore, they couldn't conceive of anyone bold enough to break into the palace.
"Heh, seeing is believing. It seems the Kingdom of Lugunica truly is decaying," Aomori shook his head and stepped into a courtyard.
The garden was full of blooming flowers. Under the caress of a cool breeze, tender branches swayed and petals drifted, showcasing the beauty of nature. Amidst this moving scenery, a young girl, appearing a few years younger than Elsa, entered Aomori's field of vision.
She had emerald-green hair tied into a high ponytail and brilliant amber eyes. She wore a pale green dress that was clearly of immense value. She stood with the posture of a soldier, her expression solemn.
"I am the daughter of Meckart Karsten, head of the Karsten House, Crusch Karsten." She lightly tugged her skirt, performed a polite curtsy, and asked, "Might I ask your name?"
"Please wait a moment," Aomori didn't answer immediately; instead, he looked upward.
"?" Just as Crusch was becoming confused, she sensed an anomaly in the wind's flow, followed by a panic-stricken scream from above.
She looked up abruptly to find a shadow already covering her.
"?!!" Reflextively, she closed her eyes and raised her arms to protect her head.
After waiting for two seconds without the expected impact, Crusch opened her eyes in confusion to see a boy of roughly her age floating in the air. His face was directed toward her, allowing her to see his features clearly. He had vibrant blonde hair, red eyes, and flushed, childish cheeks. His small body was wrapped in a rather incongruous grey cloak.
"Prince-sama?" Crusch guessed his identity from his features. Her eyes widened slightly as she stepped back two paces and lowered her head. "Are you alright?"
"Waaa... C-can you put me down first?" The boy, addressed as a Prince, requested with a bashful turn of his head. His face was so red it looked ready to drip blood.
"Of course," Aomori chuckled, flicking his finger to right the boy and set him on the ground.
The boy quickly patted his cheeks and straightened his clothes. Once he had calmed himself, he coughed twice and spoke like a little adult. "As you suspect, I am the Fourth Prince of this country, Fourier Lugunica! I accidentally lost my footing and fell from above just now. Fortunately, I was rescued by the two of you in time. I shall remember this debt."
"No, I didn't help at all," Crusch pointed toward Aomori. "It was entirely the work of this gentleman."
'I recognize Crusch, but I haven't heard much about the Fourth Prince. However, based on the future plot, the entire Lugunica royal family meets with misfortune a few years from now. Otherwise, the Royal Selection between the five girls wouldn't have started.'
The thought circled his mind, and he sensed several hidden gazes fixed upon him. Aomori didn't mind. He took off his hat, bowed to the two children, and said, "Your Highness need not dwell on it. I simply followed my own will and did what I felt was right."
"However," Aomori added a turn of phrase, stopping Fourier just as he was about to speak, "to ensure that people continue to dedicate themselves to Your Highness in the future, I shall accept your kindness."
"Hmm, is there a connection between the two?" Fourier asked.
"If saving a Prince yields no reward, then the chances of being rewarded for other tasks become even smaller, which severely demoralizes people," Crusch glanced at Aomori. "That is what you meant to say, isn't it? But I have a different opinion. A knight serves the kingdom for their own honor, never for rewards."
"Well, there aren't many knights who truly possess such a noble spirit and deserve our admiration," Aomori flipped his hat, letting it spin like a top on his fingertip.
"Yes, you both have a point. But regardless, I will repay any kindness shown to me twofold. That is the quality a Prince should have."
With that, Fourier stole a glance at Crusch and changed the subject. "Hmm, I accidentally overheard upstairs, you are Duke Meckart's daughter?"
"Indeed!" Crusch replied with stiff formality. "Crusch Karsten, greeting the Fourth Prince."
"Crusch..." Fourier sighed with sincere admiration. "A fine name. It suits your noble temperament well."
"You overpraise me."
'Is this kid into Crusch?' The ignored Aomori noticed Fourier's odd behavior. 'Not even ten years old and already trying to reach the peak of his life? Young people these days...' Aomori sensed a whiff of tragedy and shook his head inwardly.
Fortunately, Fourier was born into royalty and didn't snub Aomori. He turned his head and asked, "Have you thought about how you want me to repay you?"
"Not yet. When I've decided, I will come find Your Highness myself," Aomori put his hat back on and bid them farewell. "I have matters to attend to, so I won't trouble you further. Until we meet again."
With that, Aomori turned and left the courtyard.
"He truly has an extraordinary presence. I wonder what position he holds?" Fourier mused, watching Aomori's receding back.
"Eh? I think I forgot to ask his name?"
Crusch also realized. "I seem to have forgotten as well. Strange..." She sensed something was off.
"Forget it, I'll ask him next time," Fourier looked back at the pensive girl. Realizing he was now alone with her, his heart began to throb uncontrollably.
'Oh? A strange feeling.'
…
"Please stop!"
A guard responsible for the Prince's safety attempted to call out to Aomori, only to find that Aomori had vanished from his sight.
"Huh? Where did he go?"
"Wait, what was I doing here again..."
After covertly hypnotizing the guards, Aomori continued his tour of the palace. Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he found an interesting spot.
"The Royal Library? The collection here shouldn't be much worse than Roswaal's."
…
The Astrea family is a legendary existence in the Kingdom of Lugunica, also known as the "Family of Sword Saints."
Since the first Sword Saint, Reid Astrea, over four hundred years ago, every generation of this family has had one person blessed with the Divine Protection of the Sword Saint, allowing them to wield the Dragon Sword Reid and become a revered master. However, during the battle against the White Whale three years ago, the previous Sword Saint, Theresia van Astrea, was defeated and went missing, casting a shadow over the family's glory.
At this moment, another of Aomori's Clones came to visit the Astrea manor.
Aomori, looking clearly extraordinary, was naturally invited inside with great respect by the servants. However, to his surprise, the person who came out to greet him was a young boy. He had vibrant red hair, refined features, and clear eyes. He wore a small-sized knight's outfit, and besides the short sword at his waist, he carried a very unusual-looking long sword on his back.
"I am Reinhard van Astrea. Might I ask what business brings you here?"
Despite being prepared, Aomori couldn't help but scrutinize the current Sword Saint, who was only eight years old.
'What a pity, I wonder what level his strength has reached? If he can draw the Dragon Sword, he should be able to give me a proper fight.' Aomori's gaze drifted to the sword on the boy's back.
As one of the ten famous swords of this world, the Dragon Sword was considered the most powerful. It possessed immense might and its own consciousness; it chose whether or not it would be unsheathed. Only one with the Divine Protection of the Sword Saint, when facing a truly powerful foe, could draw it. The previous Sword Saint's failure was partly its fault. During the battle, her Divine Protection had transferred to Reinhard, rendering her unable to draw the sword.
Aomori's assessment of the sword was: "Both finicky and heartless." If he held the Dragon Sword, he would definitely make it realize who its true master was.
"It seems you wish to challenge me?" Reinhard's intuition was staggering; he read the intent from the faint sliver of battle spirit leaking from Aomori. "If you have no qualms about challenging an eight-year-old child, I am willing to oblige."
"If anyone else heard you say that, they might feel a bit ashamed, but I am different," Aomori said with a smile. "I know how strong you are. Age is not an issue for you." Besides, this clone facing him wasn't exactly "bullying" a child either.
"I appreciate the high regard," Reinhard also smiled, speaking as if to an old friend. "Actually, there are many inconveniences, such as my limbs being too short, making it uncomfortable to swing a sword."
"Is that so? Let me see just how uncomfortable it is."
The moment the words left his mouth, Aomori flicked his arm. A blade of dark energy appeared in his hand, slicing through the void between them toward Reinhard.
Reinhard remained smiling. He unhurriedly drew the short sword from his waist, yet Aomori's dark blade had already passed by his body.
'The trajectory of the blade changed at the last moment and missed. Is this a Divine Protection?' Aomori glanced at him, pensive.
"Correct. What took effect just now was the Divine Protection of the First Sight. The first attack cannot hit me. I should add that I also have the Divine Protection of the Second Sight, which allows me to dodge the second attack."
Reinhard held his short sword and made an inviting gesture. "Let us go to the training grounds outside. I would be troubled if the furniture here were destroyed."
"Fine," Aomori replied casually. He was internally speechless at the boy's "shameless" Divine Protections; it was almost like he was being favored by the world itself.
The two went to the training grounds and stood on opposite sides.
"By the way, is it alright for you to tell me the details of your Divine Protections?" Aomori asked.
"It's fine. You would have found out sooner or later anyway. It's better if I just tell you directly so you don't get distracted during the fight," Reinhard said with a smile.
"Truly upright and honorable. No wonder you are called the 'Knight among Knights'." Aomori's eyes were almost stung by the brilliance radiating from the boy. "Then, I shall test if you are worthy of the title 'Sword Saint'."
"Heh, I would be most grateful."
————
NOTE: This fic has been completely translated. If you want to read the whole story head over to my p-atre-on: p-atre-on.c-om/Overgod [Just remove the hyphen to access normally]