Chapter 87 - Dragon General

When the Lion King, Johannes Dai Ansem IV, entered the room, the people were completely silent and respectful. King Johannes was not only a respected monarch, but also a grand strategist, had a deeply impactful social agenda, and was deeply beloved by his subjects. More than that, he was also a powerhouse himself, a true Legendary-level warrior, and was barely 55 years old which meant that his reign was bound to be a long one. After all, with the increase in strength, longevity is also achieved, and Legendary-level experts were said to have a life-span of close to 250 years, however it was unusual that they actually lived that long due to constant battles in the continent.

King Ansem had a handsome and heroic middle aged appearance, looking to be around his late thirties, quite tall, up to 7 foot tall, a muscular build, a chiseled face, as if it had been carved by a knife, with eyes that seemed to be vast like the earth itself. He had a golden armor fitted to his body. However, even with his great power, influence and clout, he was known to be a kind and wise man, and his look and demeanor were quite approachable. His great charisma had made him earn a great following among his officers and ministers, as well as the army, who considered it an honor to fight for him.

The King approached the center-stage and saluted the Council of Generals with a slight bow, to which they responded by going on one knee and shouting,

"HONOR BE TO THE KINGDOM. GLORY BE TO THE KING!"

After this shout, everyone present did the same, and went on one knee while shouting the same. The king then took the stand and started talking to his subjects. Currently in the room, the most influential members of the top brass of the army, as well as most of the Ministers and Officers of the government and the House of Lords were present. The voice of the king was loud, powerful and was a great proof of the King's confidence in himself.

"Arise, our dear subjects. Please, do take your seats. Today is a joyous occasion for this Ancestral Kingdom of Ansem. As you all know, the Third Dragon General from our Great Army, Elizabeth Marion Dai Baruna, member of the loyal House Baruna, achieved Legendary status, being officially granted the title of Iron Maiden. Her talent, disposition and loyalty to this Kingdom are unquestionable, and we have granted her the title of Arch-duke as someone befitting her status deserved.

However, it was also with great sorrow, that as General Elizabeth ascended to the Olympus of the Warriors, that we were notified of the passing of Raphael Bertoldi, at the age of a ninety five, after years of suffering from a long ailment. He was a champion for our Kingdom, a true defender of the honor of Ansem, and as such, a true servant to the Glory of EON. After his parting, his post a Seneschal was left vacant."

When the king said, there was true sorrow in his voice, and the old men and patriarchs of the noble families that heard the King's words, were also a bit downcast. Most of them had known Raphael Bertoldi for a long time, and they knew that he was truly a magnificent figure, who had supported the kingdom for tens of years, and even after he became a Seneschal he was a powerful shield for the Territory. One of the main reasons that the Temple had not completely lost decorum with the Kingdom of Ansem, was precisely because of the presence of Lord Raphael.

Originally, Armand Dai Mikaeli was supposed to replace Raphael's post as a Seneschal and allow him to retire, but Armand's untimely death and later preposterous accusations led to Raphael holding unto the position and restraining the thought of a good part of the Temple to attack Ansem. After all, even though Raphal was an old man, his power was unfathomable. With his death, many were wondering how the attitude of the Temple would change.

The king continued, "As you all know, the position of Seneschal is of utmost importance, and their influence on world matters is also undeniable. Even though Raphael left us, and he will be sorely missed, there is still hope and growth and renewal in our Kingdom. And with this in mind, we can gladly announce to the world that after receiving an oracle from EON, the Vicar chose Elizabeth Marion Dai Baruna, the Iron Maiden, as the new Seneschal of EON, representing the Major Territory of Ansem."

Most of the Patriarchs and Grand Elders of the Noble houses had already received the news, but for many of the soldiers and nobles present, this was the first part they heard about this, and they were all astonished. Many of them had never seen Raphael, or any other Seneschal for that matter, but they knew that each Seneschal represented unprecedented strength, talent, potential and honor towards both the Kingdom, as well as the citizens. The Seneschals were truly on top of the world, completely unbounded by any rule of law or government.

Actually, many people did not completely understand the role of the Seneschals. They only knew that this was an important position, and a Seneschal had enough power to truly call the wind and summon the rain. Most of those that heard the King were excited with the election of a new Seneschal, however there were some that were a bit disgruntled. They wondered why wasn't Falma, the known strongest Qi user in the world, chosen as the Seneschal.

However the murmurs and gossip could wait. They understood that House Baruna was bound for success, not only because they had a Legendary Warrior now in their ranks, but because said warrior was a Seneschal as well. Raphael had no relation whatsoever with the nobles, so his attitude was neutral, but Elizabeth was clearly a member of a noble house. Even though a Seneschal had to renounce to any previous position they held, and could not accept to be a part of any government, her influence had suddenly skyrocketed.

Also, with Elizabeth gone it was obvious that a new post had opened in the Top Brass of the Army. The post of a Dragon General. The highest rank one could achieve in the Grand Army of Ansem.

This ceremony was for the conferring of the title of Dragon General upon one of two candidates. Either Vega Dai Alaria or Elijah No Rademia would be chosen. Both were incredibly talented warriors, with grand prospects.

Actually, while Elijah was greatly appreciated in the Army and was also known by the populace, the favourite was still Vega Dai Alaria. Not only was his cultivation stronger by one complete rank, he had also accrued great merit in the army, had deep connections to many ministers and nobles, and was also backed by two of the Five Great Families of Ansem, both Alaria and Morena. Moreover, Vega was already one of the 30 Generals of the Army, and part of the Council of Generals as well.

It was not like Elijah had no support whatsoever among the nobles. House Baruna was a given, since his relationship with Elizabeth was not shallow. He also had formed a friendship with Commander Sebastian Dai Renata and the soldiers in the Frontier, who had fought next to him, so even though the Renata family had not made their stand known, they were biased towards Elijah as well. They were also part of the Five Great Families, however, they were considered on the weaker side.

All in all, there was far more support towards Vega than Elijah.

All of these thoughts were going through most of the attendants. Some of them were even whispering to each other, "I think that Lord Vega will be chosen. I mean, Elijah is greatly talented, but he is much too young and inexperienced. He does not have deep connections to many of the nobles as well."

"Don't look down on Elijah. After all, not having connections can also be a blessing in disguise, since he is not deeply influenced by the House of Lords. This could be considered an advantage for some."

"Hmph… Elijah is simply an upstart. He is of doubtful origins, and he can not be considered equal to Lord Vega. If you ask me, he is only there because he is the student of Lady Elizabeth." said another noble who was associated with the Alaria family.

There were many opinions, however they were not what mattered.

What are the Dragon Generals? The Dragon General is not only the highest rank possibly achieved in the Grand Army of Ansem, it is also a symbol of its strength and potential. Power was not sufficient for one to become a Dragon General. Complete loyalty to the Kingdom was a given, and that was barely the first prerequisite.

The Dragon Generals had to be strong, at the very least a Qi emperor to even be considered for the position. They also needed to be great military strategists, have accrued immense amounts of merits either in the Barbarian Lands or in the battles against Rhodnius, needed to have the support of at least one fifth of the Army and ideally they had to have great and unbounded potential. The two Legendary Rank experts, Rafal and Falma were par for the course, as two of the most powerful men in Ansem, their position as Dragon Generals was as stable as Mt. Tai.

While most of the decisions in the army were made by the council of Generals, one of the three Dragon Generals always needed to be present when major decisions were to be made. The Dragon General had a vote that was worth at least a third of the Council, so if a particular motion was supported by them, they were more than likely approved easily. Also, they had veto power on any and all decisions made by the Council.

The three Dragon Generals were also the ones in charge of the defenses in the critical areas of the Kingdom, and as long as one of them was present in any of the Army's stations and forts, their seniority superseded any of the Generals and below ranks in the corresponding regiment. They also had access to the Highest Call of the Royal Eagle as one of their prerogatives, no questions asked. The Dragon Generals were also bestowed a personal army of Elite Soldiers, at least five thousand strong, that were all above Centurion Level, and that only answered to them and them alone.

These were just some of the advantages of becoming a Dragon General, and in the millions of soldiers that were part of the Royal Army, there were only Three Dragon Generals. So one could understand how coveted this position was.

The King continued his speech, "Now, since Archduke Elizabeth has left to become a Seneschal, the post of Dragon General in our army has been left vacant. Every naming of a Dragon General is an event of the utmost importance, and we had to take an essential decision that will echo in the future of both the Army and the Kingdom as a whole. After listening to the council, and after hard deliberation a decision has been made."

Even though both Vega and Elijah were hardened men, that had fought in many battles, to say that they were not nervous would be a complete lie. Elijah, in particular, knew that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and becoming a Dragon General would truly open the doors he needed to exact his future plans.

The king was silent for several seconds, which for both Elijah and Vega were like years, and actually increased their anxiety. Finally, the King looked directly at Elijah, something which caused Vega's emotions to enter in turmoil. Balrog's eyes constricted to this small move by the king, and he knew that things were not going according to what he wanted. He was even tempted to interrupt the King from announcing the irremediable, but he did not let his emotions get the better from him.

"Please welcome your new Dragon General. Elijah No Rademia, from the town of Radem, in the county of Syracuse. All hail Elijah and may EON watch over him as he defends this land with his blood and sweat. Honor be to the Kingdom!", said the King with a mighty and powerful tone, that was exuded with the power of his Qi. His voice resounded like thunder, as if it was a mandate of Heaven.

Vega's fists clenched imperceptibly as he pursed his lips. Once more he had lost the post of Dragon General. The first time against Elizabeth, who had already taken the step towards the Legendary. He could accept losing against her, after all, she was a true born genius, and her lineage was as prestigious as him. But now, he had lost to an orphan nobody from the outskirts of the Kingdom, who was not only younger, but also even a rank below. He could barely stand this. He did not lose his reason though, and with a smile in his face, he turned towards Elijah and congratulated him. If there were other things in his mind, perhaps only he and EON knew.

Elijah was quite happy and radiant right now. These last 6 years of hard training and constant and non-stop fighting while putting his life on the line over and over had made him even more mature than what he was before, and now that had finally bore fruit. He had made it. Abraham Dai Baruna and Giannino Dai Corena had unconcealed glimmers in their eyes. Even the patriarch of House Renata was the same, since he knew that his cousin Sebastian had a great relationship with this young Dragon General.

Right now, the world was Elijah's oyster.

And so it was, that in the year 2745 A.D.E., a new Dragon General was born. Elijah No Rademia, The Qilin.