Prestige

Shortly after Paul left Sioux and her troops, Yae moved closer to him in her matured kitsune form, asking, "Are you certain you want to leave them in that state? There's a chance that Ophelia woman wasn't responsible for the deaths of her men."

Understanding what Yae was alluding to, Paul gradually slowed before stopping entirely. After a moment of consideration, however, he shook his head and asserted, "The Order of the Church has always been neutral in the conflict between the other Orders. They are also the most influential and populous faction, so I can't imagine the other two antagonizing them by wiping out another Order's platoon in the middle of the White Palace..."

Though she agreed with Paul's view of the situation, Yae felt compelled to remark, "That's assuming the Order of the Church isn't the one pulling the strings. After all, regardless of where they align politically or ideologically, all three factions are ultimately helmed by the same person..."

Without needing to consider his response, Paul shook his head a second time, asserting, "Though our presence has undoubtedly changed things, I recall the Pope being a fairly kind man who, at the very least, cares about his family. Others will exploit that fact in the not-too-distance future, so I'm fairly certain this incident was perpetrated by the Order of the Temple and their 'supporters.'"

Nodding in affirmation, Yae adopted a somewhat uncanny smile as she mused, "If you're this confident, then it must be so."

As he was the one who had asked Yae to act as one of his Advisors, Paul returned a smile of his own before turning to continue leading the way. A few minutes later, he, Ei, Yae, and Ganyu emerged from the front entrance of the White Palace to find a literal army awaiting them.

Undaunted by sight, Yae mused, "I was wondering where all the security went..."

Equally untroubled, Paul slowly passed his gaze over the encirclement, guessing there were between 3000-5000 people present. However, as most were hard-stuck at Intermediate or even Beginner-Rank in terms of Swordsmanship and Magic, he felt very little pressure. Similar to Ophelia and Sioux, only the Company Commanders, Vice-Commanders, Captains, and Platoon Leaders presented any real threat.

Spotting a familiar face among the group wearing black armor, Paul raised his hand and called out, "Well, if it isn't Captain Rudigan of House Latreia! I take it the distinguished gentleman next to you is your father?"

Not expecting Paul to call out to him, Rudigan tensed as the man Paul had correctly identified as his father looked back, asking, "What is this about?" in an authoritative tone.

As there were even factions within factions, a cold sweat broke out across Rudigan's body in response to his father's questioning. Fortunately, before he could be forced to respond, the Legion Commander representing all of the forces present stepped forward to address Paul, bellowing, "My name is Arcturus Maxim Laskaris, Legion Commander and Grand Marshal of the Milishion Royal Guard! If you drop your weapons and surrender without further incident, I can guarantee you the opportunity to state your case before the Archbishop's Tribunal! Continue this senseless endeavor, and the might of Milishion shall rain upon you like the wrath of God!"

Accompanying his words, Arcturus exuded a powerful aura that caused those closest to him to have to take a step back. His aged face, lengthy white beard, and receding hair made it clear he was well past his prime, but there was a reason he was given the responsibility of defending the White Palace. He might be 63 years old, but he was a bonafide Sword King who had achieved Advanced Rank in Healing, Detoxification, Barrier, and Divine Strike Magic.

With his doubled-edged sword already shrouded in holy light, Arcturus made it clear to everyone present that he wasn't fooling around. Even Paul felt the elderly Knight was fairly intimidating, but that didn't stop him from stepping forward, manifesting his somewhat demonic-looking Black Sword as he loudly declared, "My name is Paul Greyrat, Special Envoy to His Majesty, King Ansalem Anemoi Asura. I am neither an enemy of the Holy Kingdom of Milis nor the Milis Religion. I simply wished to leave the palace but was denied that right on shallow grounds. I have thus far not killed a single person, but if this many people attack in concert, I cannot guarantee there won't be casualties..."

Hearing Paul's words, a mixture of confusion, anger, and general disbelief washed over the assembly of Knights, Paladins, Holy Warriors, and Battle Priests. As far as they knew, not even the Sword God was pretentious enough to speak arrogantly against an entire legion. He might be able to break through, but there was no way he could defeat 3000 fully-armored Knights and more than 1200 support troops.

As discontent murmurs began permeating the legion's ranks, Arcturus raised his hand in a silencing gesture, prompting each of the Battalion Commanders to do the same. Once silence had returned to the palace square, a glimmer of doubt flashed across his eyes as he asked, "Are you truly Paul Greyrat, the Asura King's Greatsword? If so, you should carry a Token and a Royal Decree..."

Nodding in affirmation, Paul reached into his breast pocket, producing a palm-sized golden plaque bearing the symbol of the Asura Kingdom. It originally belonged to Reida, denoting her status as the King's personal bodyguard, but very few people would be able to tell the difference. Even if they could, the plaque was genuine, so it would be difficult for them to accuse him of stealing it.

Though more than fifty meters separated him from Paul, Arcturus could tell at a glance the plaque was legitimate. As Grand Marshal, he had seen similar plaques on several occasions. More importantly, Paul's demeanor and the aura exuding from his body weren't things that could be faked. He was clearly at the level of a King, so Arcturus gradually lowered his sword and asked, "May I come closer? If you truly are who you claim to be, I will be the first to apologize for this misunderstanding."

Hearing Arcturus's words, a fresh wave of murmurs pervaded the legion of Knights. Most of them were aware that Envoys of the Asura Kingdom had Diplomatic Immunity, but they couldn't believe Paul was on the cusp of being allowed to walk free. The Asura Kingdom may be the richest and most powerful Kingdom in the world, but its 'influence' couldn't match the reach of the Holy Kingdom of Milis. They had roots as deep as the Asuran Royal Family, so they couldn't let some random youth trample their pride, could they?

Unfortunately, while many within the Holy Knight Orders felt dissatisfied, the masses had little power in a world where a select few could destroy entire cities or slice off the tops of mountains. The higher-ranking Knights present were actually more concerned with the fact they were unaware of Paul's entry into the city than they were about his rampaging through the castle. After all, he was the Special Envoy of the Asuran King, the richest and most powerful man in the world. Currying favor with him could afford them many advantages, both present and future.

Demonstrating this fact, Arcturus wasn't the only person to approach when Paul sheathed his sword and allowed them to do so. Each of the Battalion Commanders and their Lieutenants also stepped forward and, after confirming Paul's credentials, readily joined Arcturus in apologizing. They didn't bow too steeply, but the act of lowering their heads was more than enough to convey the legion had assembled for nothing...

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Less than two hours after the stand-off in the palace square, Paul found himself standing, not kneeling, in front of the King Regent.

As could be expected from a puppet of the Holy Church, the King Regent, Julius Vidius Notaras, was an exceptionally fat man who resembled a ball more than a man. If not for his well-known affiliation with the Order of the Temple, Paul would have assumed he was a half-orc or member of the Pig Demon Tribe. His head practically transitioned seamlessly into his neck and body, and his nose was flat and slightly upturned, complete with a perpetually ruddy expression that made it appear as though he regularly walked into walls or was constantly drunk.

While a team of servant girls fanned him from both sides, Regent Julius stared at Paul with a gaze that barely concealed his envy and contempt, the former directed at the trio of Ei, Yae, and Ganyu while the latter was directed squarely at Paul for refusing to denigrate himself in the presence of a 'King.'

Contrasting the hateful glimmer in his eyes, a smile made absolutely no improvement to Julius's face as he said, "Our men have apprised us of the circumstances surrounding your...detainment. Those responsible were excommunicates seeking to sow discord between the Holy Kingdom of Milis and the Asura Kingdom by disguising themselves as members of the Order of the Temple. A more thorough investigation is being conducted, but as the perpetrators have either committed suicide or fled the palace, it will be difficult to discover if anyone else was involved..."

Though he was tempted to point out that the Ord of the Church was in possession of the God-Ranked Healing Spell, Resurrection, Paul simply nodded in response to the Regent's very obvious cover story, remarking, "They must have been exceedingly capable if they were able to trespass the White Palace through its front gate and persuade its staff to provide food and drink for multiple foreign dignitaries without being detected for the better part of two weeks. It's a wonder your men were able to deduce this much when our captors were clearly the most skilled saboteurs in the entire world..."

Demonstrating how little he was cut out for politics, Julius's entire head became as red as a cherry tomato as he balled his hands into fists and glared hatefully at Paul with a forced smile. The latter could practically see images of himself being tortured in the depths of Julius's gaze, but the piggish Regent could only dream as the inordinately tall man behind him, one of the Church's three Archbishops, replied, "Thank you for your understanding. As an apology, please accept this..." in a dull monotone.

Following the Archbishop's words, a woman wearing the Milis Religion's version of Nun attire stepped forward with an ornate, casket-sized chest in hand. Opening it revealed three rows of platinum coins. The highest denomination of currency in the Milis Kingdom was a pink-hued note that vaguely resembled Japanese Yen, but the platinum coins were special as they could be used to purchase 'anything' within the borders of Milis, the obvious exceptions being land and military vessels.

Though there were only thirty coins, Paul couldn't help whistling as even accomplished Paladins would be lucky to receive a single platinum piece for decades of service. Thirty was a truly ludicrous amount, but it kind of had to be, considering how 'brazenly' Paul had acted. Confidence was a powerful tool, so Paul's words to Sioux, combined with his performance in the palace square, had the Church convinced that King Ansalem would seek even greater reparations if they didn't express their 'sincerity' here and now.

Indicating the matter had been 'settled,' Paul accepted the chest with a smile. He didn't care enough to press the issue any further, and he would rather not antagonize the world's most powerful religion. Religious zealots were fucking psychos, so openly offending them was the same as asking a few 'true believers' to visit his estate in the dead of night with poisonous gas or magical explosives.

Passing the casket to Ganyu, Paul returned his gaze to the Archbishop, completely ignoring the Regent as he said, "The Asura Kingdom and the Holy Kingdom of Milis have been allies for the past four hundred years. I pray our descendants can say the same in the year 800."

Nodding his head, albeit only slightly, the Archbishop replied, "A noble sentiment. I shall convey your prayer to His Holiness, that he might pass it to the Holy Spirit Herself..."

Returning a nod of his own, Paul turned around without bothering to bid the now crimson-faced Regent farewell. The Crown Prince was nearing his fourteenth birthday, so even if the Regent wasn't removed to further conceal this incident, the piggish man's days were numbered. Given the Church's track record, Paul imagined it wouldn't even take a week before rumors of the Regent's declining health began circulating through town...

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(A/N: I can practically hear King Ansalem and Reida laughing...)