“Road!?”

Kenya called out in surprise at the appearance of Road Earthguard, a member of the family ruling this nation.

“Sword?”

Road smiled at the remark.

Snapping back to his senses under that intimidating grin, Kenya hastily corrected himself.

“L-Lord…”

“Haha, looks like you’re already messing up, Sword. From the looks of things, you took everyone down, huh? Everyone, feel free to relax.”

“L-Lord Road! You’re back!”

“Yeah, I stopped by the 13th District Military Academy on the way. Guess I’ll be in your care again, Star.”

“N-No, sir… I wouldn’t dream of it. It’s an honor, Lord Road.”

Colonel Star was the first to address Road.

Come to think of it, this guy’s royalty. Kinda forgot with how casual he is.

The way they treated him wasn’t like some figurehead symbol. They genuinely admired, respected, and revered him.

It was a feeling Kenya couldn’t quite grasp, but it made him reaffirm that the royalty in this country held that kind of presence.

“I see. So… your knight is… No way, Sword!?”

“Yeah, I didn’t have one before. Never picked one. Father always nagged me to decide quickly, but now I have. I’ve chosen Sword Silfield as my knight.”

“What an honor! Congratulations, Sword! What a tremendous privilege! Zeke must be beaming with pride!”

The surrounding playboys and Jin reacted with shock before breaking into applause.

They all nodded, figuring it made perfect sense given Kenya’s skills.

“No way, congrats! This is big news, right?”

“Congratulations, big bro.”

“A-Amazing, Sword! Who’d have thought a transfer student like you…!”

“Lord Road’s knight. As a duke and a representative of this nation, I offer my blessings. Lord Road.”

In this country, serving the royal family was the highest honor imaginable.

And every royal had exactly one dedicated knight.

Like Jilian to Yumir, it was considered the pinnacle of professions here.

Gazes filled with envy and admiration—on par with the Three Heroes in status.

Yumir’s position was so fraught with issues that few aspired to it anyway, but Road’s knight was the dream of every KOG knight in the Earthguard Empire.

Veterans who survived the EU Great War idolized his charisma; young, inexperienced warriors dreamed of his legendary exploits.

The undefeated commander. The ever-victorious royal.

Road was a shining idol for the entire nation, even setting aside his royal status.

“To be Lord Road’s knight—how enviable! But Sword? Yeah, I get it. Congrats! I had my eye on that spot myself…”

Jin seemed to have been aiming for it too but accepted Sword’s selection with a nod and clapped along.

The seat of the knight to Road—the world’s most feared royal and the empire’s most revered figure—was coveted by all.

Yet Jin, having tasted Sword’s prowess firsthand, acknowledged it fully.

“Now His Majesty the Emperor can rest easy! Lord Road was the only one who hadn’t chosen a knight…”

“My standards are high, you see. But this guy’s the one. Right, Sword?”

Road deliberately slung an arm around Kenya’s shoulder in a buddy-buddy gesture.

“A-Ah… yeah, sure!”

Kenya knew it was all for show.

Like politicians shaking hands for the cameras to prove their alliance.

This was Road’s goal: publicly declare Sword as his own.

The rumor would spread at lightspeed today, and soon the whole Earthguard Empire would celebrate—but for now, it was just hearsay, a verbal promise.

“Alright, let’s tune into the imperial broadcast. It should be starting soon, right?”

“Yes, Reel Belt. Could you set it up? About ten minutes left.”

“Right away!”

“Hey, I’ll help too!”

At times like this, it seemed commoners like Reel Belt handled the grunt work.

Zoid was a duke, and the rest were Holy Knights.

School caste? Military caste? Noble caste?

In that light, the monarchy felt off—Road only had his brother and father above him.

It was alien to Kenya, raised in modern Japan’s democracy.

Probably akin to the Emperor back home, in meaning.

“An emergency imperial broadcast after all this time, huh? They aired plenty during the war…”

Colonel Star murmured, stroking his impressive beard.

“What’s it about?”

“Hm? Never seen one?”

“Nah, Zeke raised Sword pretty strictly. He’s a bit out of touch with the world. Allow me to explain, Sword.”

Road sat in the provided chair and began.

Even as royalty, he was surprisingly down-to-earth, well-liked and fitting right in.

In simple terms, the imperial broadcast was the state network.

It reminded Kenya of N〇K, though in his old world, he’d always gotten away with “Parents aren’t home” over the intercom.

Not a lie—he never watched TV, just played KOG.

This state network covered all news and military info across the Earthguard Empire.

Being state-run meant easy propaganda control. Without the internet like his old world, truths stayed buried.

Royal media manipulation to keep their grip on the empire.

Road didn’t put it that way, but that’s how Kenya saw it.

If the royals called it black, even white turned black.

That was how the empire justified wars and invasions throughout history.

Controlling the media was that powerful.

“And today’s broadcast… well, I know the reason, but you’ll see soon enough. It’s a major imperial matter.”

The large screen flickered to life.

Viewership over 90%—apparently, nothing else aired during it.

And it was mandatory for citizens.

“Good evening, citizens of the Earthguard Empire.”

A woman appeared, like a TV news anchor.

Stunningly beautiful. Guess anchors had to be gorgeous everywhere—harsh world.

“We bring you an emergency imperial broadcast today. We’re connected live to the scene, so please listen carefully. And now…”

The screen switched.

A massive rally hall appeared.

Behind it, the Earthguard Empire flag: a giant shield and sword.

At the podium stood one man.

“People of the Earthguard Empire. This is your First Prince, Odin Earthguard, with tragic news for you all.”

Road and Kenya’s opponent in battle.

First Prince Odin Earthguard.

The man closest to ultimate power in this world.

His words sent shockwaves across the globe.

“My beloved sister Yumir is dead. Murdered by the Asia Union in a vile trap.”

(What the hell? Yumir died in Japan.)

Kenya knew the truth—the real truth.

So he knew Odin’s claim was a lie.

Odin clenched his fist, slammed the desk, and bellowed.

“I will have my revenge! On those despicable union states! Their screams will be the requiem for my sister!!”

His eyes burned with feigned rage.