Following the record set by the General Family's ancestor 300 years ago, this optimal record was now broken by a young girl from a minority group on the Empire's border, with an unsurpassable perfect score!
"Winner... Tohsaka Rin!"
No matter how much bitterness or how many tears General Black had in his heart at this moment, he had no choice but to declare Tohsaka Rin the victor. She not only won the historical first place at the Imperial Military Academy and the General's seat, but she also shattered the prestige the General Family had built in the Imperial military over a thousand years! She firmly imprinted her image in the hearts of these future officers of the Imperial army.
admirer, the Thunder Imperial Arm symbolizing the strongest War God of the Imperial army, was shattered in her hands. Although its core was not destroyed and admirer could be fully restored after some repairs, its shattered image and prestige could never be mended.
Budo, who was severely wounded, near death, and had fallen unconscious due to extreme anger, was taken by medical personnel to the physician for emergency treatment. After receiving the victory announcement, Tohsaka Rin did not linger. After disarming her Imperial Arm, she turned and left through the main entrance she had entered from.
"Lady Tohsaka Rin—!!! (x N)"
As soon as Tohsaka Rin walked out of the training grounds, she was immediately surrounded by the excited female cadets of the entire Imperial Military Academy. Before she could react, she was lifted off the ground by the crowd and tossed high into the air.
"Ah!~, you all..."
"Hooray!!! Hooray!!! Hooray!!!"
"Our female officers finally have a place in the Imperial Military Department!"
"We finally see the light at the end of the tunnel!"
"Lady Tohsaka Rin! Please let me be your adjutant! If not, I'll even start as a small soldier in the legion you lead!"
"..."
"..."
At this moment, Tohsaka Rin was undoubtedly the hero of all female officers, because she had broken the millennium-long male officer dominance of the Imperial Military Department. As long as Imperial military law remained, the Imperial Military Department had to grant Tohsaka Rin the rank of general, otherwise the dignity of military law and regulations would be completely lost. If that happened, it would be a disaster for the Empire, which was surrounded by wolves.
The entire academy had fewer than one hundred female reserve officers across its three years. At this moment, they were even happier than Tohsaka Rin, who was about to become a general. Tears streamed down their faces from sheer joy, because through Tohsaka Rin, they saw hope.
Anyone who joined the military wanted to achieve great deeds and become a noble, and female officers were no exception. The Empire's nearly thousand-year restriction on female officials was finally broken today!
The next morning, all 1,500 cadet sergeants from the Imperial Military Academy whose terms had expired took off their cadet uniforms and put on the Empire's official military uniforms, gathering in front of the academy's main gate. However, there were no rank insignia on their uniforms. Today was the day of their official graduation, conferment of ranks, assignments, and departure for their respective battlefields.
The top ten graduates of this class stood in a horn-shaped formation in front of the main formation. Tohsaka Rin, as the first-place graduate, stood in the central front position. Although there were ten top graduates, there were only nine present because Budo, who was second in overall performance, was still in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment.
They waited quietly, facing the winter morning breeze, until the sun rose into the sky. At this moment, an Imperial Palace Guard general, leading a hundred cavalry of the Imperial Palace Guard and nine riderless steeds, arrived before the graduates and reined in his mount. He took out a token bearing the Imperial crest, held it high, and announced loudly:
"The top ten graduates of this class, mount up and follow me into the Imperial City and the palace, to meet His Majesty the Emperor at today's morning court!"
This was the mandatory process for previous graduates of the Imperial Military Academy; the top ten graduates would all go to the Hall of Political Affairs to be personally received by the Emperor, and military ranks of brigadier general and above had to be personally conferred by the Emperor.
"We obey His Majesty's command! (x 9)"
Tohsaka Rin, with her usual spring-like smile, mounted the Imperial steed that only the first-place graduate of each class was qualified to ride. It was said that these horses were bred using Teigu specifically for raising Danger Beasts, possessing the bloodline of Danger Beasts, and could easily travel a thousand li by day and eight hundred li by night.
The leading Imperial Palace Guard general gave Tohsaka Rin a deep look. No one could help but pay extra attention to this young woman who was about to change the situation of the Imperial Military Department. Because of her appearance, female officers would truly occupy a place in the Imperial Military Department from now on.
"Depart!"
After everyone was mounted, the leading general gave the order to depart, and everyone urged their mounts to gallop towards the Imperial Capital.
The Imperial Military Academy was located in the eastern suburbs of the Imperial Capital. At this moment, a hundred cavalry of the Imperial Palace Guard escorted the top ten graduates, galloping all the way. The central gate of the Imperial City's East Gate, which was usually closed, was now wide open, and the galloping procession passed through without needing to slow down, racing along the cleared main thoroughfare of the Imperial Capital towards the central Imperial City.
"Oh? Look, the one leading the military academy graduates this year is a girl!"
"Hmm? It really is. She looks even younger than my daughter. Although this happens once every few years in the Imperial Capital, it's the first time I've seen a girl leading."
"It's true! I can't believe such a beautiful Little Girl actually won against all the big men in her class..."
Although the streets were cleared, the spectacular riding procession still attracted a large number of people from the Imperial Capital to line the streets and watch. People who had lived in the Imperial Capital for many years were naturally not overly surprised by this annual event, but it was the first time in their lives they had seen a female officer win first place, which naturally drew countless exclamations of admiration and emotion.
At this moment, the Imperial Capital did not yet appear as magnificent and grand as she had seen in the anime of her previous life, but its people were still full of vitality, and one could see their yearning for a better tomorrow. Tohsaka Rin couldn't help but smile at the admiring exclamations from the people of the Imperial Capital. This feeling was truly a first for her.
What a pity, my goal is to destroy all of this... The galloping steeds quickly arrived at the magnificent Imperial City gate. After everyone dismounted, the Imperial Palace Guard general turned to Tohsaka Rin and the other eight and said:
"Those not of the Imperial City Guard, disarm upon entering. Unsheathe your weapons and temporarily entrust them to the Imperial Palace Guard for safekeeping."
The other eight, excluding Tohsaka Rin, directly handed over their weapons to the personnel responsible for collection, who registered them. However, Tohsaka Rin did not. Instead, she showed the sword-shaped Teigu key to the Imperial Palace Guard general and said:
"This is my weapon Teigu, Demon God Dragon Armor: Knight of the Lake. According to the Imperial Military Law, Teigu User chapter, except in cases of high treason, a Teigu User is not allowed to be separated from his Teigu under any circumstances."
The general, who had long known this young woman was not to be trifled with, could only nod. This military law was to protect Teigu from theft. Imperial law recognized the private ownership of Teigu by Teigu Users. After all, the power of Teigu in this world was equivalent to that of gods, and once separated from a Teigu User, it was hard to guarantee that others would not succumb to greed and steal it, ultimately resulting in a loss for the Empire.
At this moment, a person in charge of the armory handed a long, exquisite fine steel sword case to Tohsaka Rin. This was a special Teigu sealing device used when Teigu Users entered the palace. Any Teigu placed inside could not resonate with its Teigu User, allowing the Teigu User to carry the Teigu while ensuring that the Teigu User would not assassinate the Emperor with it.
Tohsaka Rin placed the key in the sword case, which was lined with precious red brocade. After the lid was closed and locked by armory personnel, there was a special leather strap on the bottom of the sword case. Tohsaka Rin slung the sword case over her back and walked into the Imperial City with the Imperial Palace Guard.
The group passed through the long, magnificent, and spacious palace corridors, finally arriving at their destination, the very core of Imperial power: the Hall of Political Affairs.
The Imperial Palace Guard escort stopped at the entrance of the main hall; their mission was complete. Tohsaka Rin led the way into the opulent, spacious hall, which covered a thousand meters. The first thing she saw, naturally, was the Emperor, seated high on the throne!
"Greetings, Your Majesty! (x 9)"
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