Several strands of warm sunlight shone across his face through the gaps between his fingers. The gentle warmth made Yago feel a faint itch on his skin. He lowered his hand, but the glaring sunlight forced him to narrow his eyes slightly.
However, a small patch of shadow quickly covered him. Yago smiled faintly and thanked the young soldier holding the umbrella behind him.
"Thanks, Alex."
Behind Yago, the young soldier's face was filled with excitement. Being able to hold an umbrella for the legendary yet absurdly young Commander-in-Chief of Paradis Island himself was enough to make Alex ecstatic.
Don't underestimate this seemingly trivial job of holding an umbrella. Right now, Alex counted as one of Yago's personal guards. When Alex's superior in the Training Corps announced that they needed a soldier to serve as Yago's guard, hundreds of elite soldiers nearly fought each other bloody for the position, including top graduates from training corps across various districts.
In the end, Alex secured the spot thanks to the outstanding contributions he made during the Military Police coup in the royal capital.
At this moment, after several months of training under the backbone members of the Eldian Revival Army, Paradis Island's new army was undergoing inspection in Trost District by the Commander-in-Chief and the Queen.
One after another, the soldiers of Paradis Island stood tall and proud in their brand-new uniforms, lined up in countless perfectly square formations. What they carried was no longer Vertical Maneuvering Equipment, but newly designed rifles, grenades, and bayonets. Around their waists were sturdy cowhide belts fastened with all sorts of military equipment.
The symbols on the backs of their dark green uniforms were no longer the Wings of Freedom, the Rose Garrison, or the Unicorns of Law Enforcement representing the three major corps. Instead, they had been replaced by the Free Flying Goose emblem personally designed by Queen Historia herself, which had now become the symbol of Paradis Island's new army.
Green formations spread across the plains outside Trost District, turning the yellow-brown earth into a sea of green.
Of course, the emergence of the new army did not mean the old corps had been abolished. Beside the new army, soldiers representing the three major corps were also undergoing inspection while wearing newly upgraded Vertical Maneuvering Equipment.
Thunder Spears hung at their sides, and any blade casually drawn from the scabbards on their legs gleamed razor-sharp enough to cut hair. Every soldier's face carried determination and pride. Those who remained in the three major corps were the most elite veterans of the past, men and women who had used Vertical Maneuvering Equipment for years, even decades. Naturally, they could not easily abandon the trusted companions they had grown attached to.
Likewise, Paradis Island had no desire to let the three major corps—who had protected humanity and fought for mankind for over a century—vanish into history. Thus, with tacit approval, the three major corps were preserved.
Yago walked in front of the countless soldiers while Alex followed closely behind. Every soldier's gaze was fixed upon the young Commander-in-Chief.
In the eyes of the people of Paradis Island, Yago now held many identities: the young Commander-in-Chief of Paradis Island, the leader of the Eldian Restorationists, the pioneer who led the revolution of their compatriots beyond the island, the hero responsible for establishing friendly relations between Paradis Island and nations such as Hizuru, and a powerful Titan warrior...
Any one of those titles alone was enough to earn the soldiers' respect. When all of them were carried by a single person, that person's prestige naturally surpassed even that of a king.
That prestige surpassing the king was no exaggeration. At this very moment, Queen Historia herself stood not far behind Yago. She could clearly see that whether it was the soldiers or the civilians, the passion in their eyes when looking at Yago far exceeded what they showed her. It left the little queen feeling slightly sour, even making her think that since Yago was so popular, she might as well hand the throne over to him.
Of course, Historia only thought about it briefly. She wasn't stupid. Anyone with half a brain could guess the parliament would never agree. Bloodline issues aside, Yago's overwhelming prestige and the Eldian Revival Army under his command alone guaranteed that the parliament, which tightly grasped political power, would never willingly bow its head.
At this moment, many parliament members watched Yago walking among the military formations, their eyes revealing traces of concern and apprehension.
Yago continued walking among the formations, smiling as he offered praise and encouragement to each unit.
"Everyone, the future of Paradis Island rests upon your shoulders!"
Standing before every formation was a backbone member of the Eldian Revival Army responsible for training the new army. Whenever they saw Yago, they instinctively saluted him. It was not merely respect for his identity as Commander-in-Chief, but respect for Yago himself. Beyond being Paradis Island's Commander-in-Chief, he was also the leader of the Eldian Revival Army that sought to liberate all Eldian compatriots across the sea.
There were simply too many formations in the new army, so it was impossible for Yago to inspect every single one. After passing through the representative formations at the front, Yago returned to the raised platform where Historia and the others stood.
Next, the newly appointed Prime Minister Pixis spoke first on behalf of the parliament and the government of Paradis Island, delivering a speech to the soldiers of the new army.
The contents of the speech were passionate and inspiring, leaving many soldiers feeling their blood boil with excitement. After all, Prime Minister Pixis had once been one of the military's highest-ranking leaders. Naturally, he understood how soldiers thought. When the speech ended, thunderous applause erupted everywhere.
Of course, the applause came from the civilians watching the parade. The newly trained army maintained extremely strict discipline and would not make noise without orders.
Then came Queen Historia.
Although the little angel herself was not particularly willing to sit upon the throne, Historia clearly understood the responsibilities of being queen. She represented the hope of the people.
Her speech was equally stirring, drawing waves of cheers from the crowd.
As Historia stepped off the stage, she made a playful face at Yago, who was next to speak. She was in a very good mood because both the parliament and Yago had agreed that during the coming war faced by the new army, Her Majesty the Queen would also be allowed to participate personally.
In truth, after Arno Reiss—who had also launched a coup and possessed Reiss royal blood—was captured, parliament's restrictions on Historia became far less severe. Previously, Historia had been the only surviving member of the Reiss royal bloodline, the legendary bloodline supposedly capable of wielding the power of the Founder.
Because she was the only remaining royal blood capable of controlling the Founder's power, parliament had placed all kinds of restrictions upon her. But now, Arno's appearance had shifted parliament's focus. Compared to the mischievous queen who constantly wanted to sneak out of the palace and had no interest in marriage, another captive possessing royal blood attracted parliament's attention far more.
After all, even if the queen willingly bore children to continue the royal bloodline for Paradis Island, how many could she possibly have even if she gave birth every year? Arno was different. A young and robust man didn't have to worry about pregnancy or childbirth.
What? Whether Arno himself was willing?
Don't be ridiculous. Prisoners had no right to choose. Considering he had dared to launch a coup, hanging him a hundred times wouldn't even be excessive. Now that he was being given a better chance to atone, wasn't that already merciful enough?
Historia had no idea what kind of fate awaited her bargain-bin older brother. Recently, she had been secretly delighted that she could sneak out of the palace at midnight without anyone searching for her.