On the second day of Lelouch's one-month-old banquet, the former Sixth Knight of the Round Table and the current Fifth Imperial Consort of the Empire wore the special knight uniform of the Knights of the Round Table again after a year.
The valiant Sixth Knight's appearance and aura did not fade after a year of childbirth. On the contrary, it was like a sword that had returned to its sheath. Its retracted sharpness became even more dazzling after a year of rest and the experience of giving birth to a new life.
"Lady Mariana!"
Cornelia, who had been waiting outside the Palace of Aries, was completely stunned. In his eyes, there was nothing but Mariana's figure. Even Lelouch, who was in the wet nurse's arms, looked at his mother's heroic figure. His noble violet eyes kept flickering.
Mariana was not just a great person. She was a hero of an era. No wonder he would do such a thing to his own son. Without such awareness, how could he have achieved so much?
"Cornelia, I'll leave Lelouch in your care for the time being! Don't worry, I'll finish the battle within a month and rush back as soon as possible!”
Mariana gently stroked the knight's sword hilt at her waist and handed over her instructions to Cornelia. When she said the second half of the sentence, her tone was filled with indomitable confidence. It was the pride of being able to defeat any enemy and the contempt for the enemy.
"Hahaha…it's been a year since I've seen Lady Mariana in a knight's uniform! Although you're a mother now, don't let this gentleness rub away your water chestnut!”
Just as Mariana was explaining to Cornelia what would happen after she left, a bold and boorish man's voice came from afar. Mariana and Cornelia turned around and saw a tall figure walking towards them. This man was wearing a special knight's uniform and a cloak that only twelve people were allowed to wear in the entire country. On his broad shoulders, his face was as deep as a sculpture, reflecting the strength of a martial artist. However, it was not bad up to this point. It was all filled with the heavy feeling unique to a valiant knight.
"No, this is just a lion hibernating before hunting. How can a mere year's time wear away my sharpness! Bismarck!"
Mariana smiled and welcomed the majestic man who was striding over. He was the First Knight of the Empire, Bismarck Waldster, the right-hand man of the current emperor, and Mariana's former colleague and now best friend.
"After all, to become His Majesty's 'sword', one does not need to be gentle.”
"However, this all depends on one's own awareness.”
Bismarck stopped in front of Mariana and Cornelia. He smiled and bowed to them.
"Bismarck is attending Princess Corelia!”
"No need for formalities, Uncle Bismarck!”
Cornelia was very clear about the relationship between the First Knight and her father. In the Blood Emblem incident three years ago, only he, the Fifth Knight, and Mariana, the Sixth Knight, stood on the Emperor's side. Mariana killed the rebels in the palace and saved her father. As for Bismarck, he led a small number of soldiers who were still loyal to the emperor to block the rebels outside the city. This was the most precious time for the arrival of the final reinforcements and the suppression of the rebellion.
To her, Bismarck was like an uncle. If it wasn't for Mariana, he might have even added the title of teacher.
"Hahaha! If those nosy fellows heard you calling me that, they would gossip about me in front of His Majesty the Emperor again!”
Bismarck said boldly, showing his wild and unruly attitude. From his tone, there was not a trace of taboo towards those so-called "busybodies". With his relationship with the emperor, how could those flatterers and villains drive a wedge between him and the emperor?
"Is this Prince Lelouch? As expected of the son of you and His Majesty. That noble violet color is really beautiful!”
Lelouch also stared at the mountain-like giant in front of him. There was no fear in his eyes, but curiosity.
Bismarck, the First Knight!
Lelouch recalled the information he had gathered over the past month. This was not the first time he had heard this person's name. The most powerful symbol of the Empire's military power, the leader of the twelve Knights of the Round Table. And now, he was the only Knight of the Round Table in the Empire. Originally, there were 11 Knights of the Round Table, but during the Blood Emblem incident three years ago, six of them rebelled and were killed by Bismarck and Mariana, who were the fifth and sixth Knights at that time. The other three were executed because they did not express their stance and wanted to be fence-sitters.
After the Blood Emblem incident, the emperor married Mariana, who was the sixth knight at that time. Therefore, only Bismarck, who had been promoted to the first knight, supported the Knights of the Round Table independently. This showed that the powerful Knights of the Round Table had not disappeared from the empire.
According to Lelouch's perception, the aura of the First Knight was only slightly smaller than that of his mother, Mariana. However, there seemed to be a very strange and familiar power in his body. He had felt this strange power from Mariana before. However, Bismarck's aura was much stronger than Mariana's.
With the support of that power, Bismarck's aura was barely comparable to Mariana's, but it was still slightly inferior.
Mariana was so powerful.
" Oh, you're not afraid of me at all. Your Highness Lelouch will definitely become a brave man in the future, hahaha…"
Seeing Lelouch staring at him without fear, Bismarck smiled from the bottom of his heart.
"You haven't visited Lelouch because you're worried about what happened to Clovis, have you?”
Mariana teased with a mischievous expression.
"Uh…"
Bismarck scratched his head awkwardly and smiled.
Mariana was right!
"Ah, I remember now! It was as if she was scared to tears by Uncle Bismarck's face at the dinner party on the day of Clovis's full moon!”
Cornelia also remembered an interesting rumor in the palace. It seemed that when Clovis was born, all the Knights of the Round Table were invited to his one-month-old banquet. At that time, according to the ranking of the Knights of the Round Table, they blessed Prince Clovis in turn. But when it was Bismarck's turn, Clovis, who had been quiet all this while, was scared to tears by his rough face.
Fortunately, the sixth knight Mariana appeared in time to take Prince Clovis, allowing him to regain his smile. From then on, Clovis, like Cornelia, fell in love with Mariana. However, it was just the kind of love that a junior had for an elder, which was slightly different from the longing and worship of Cornelia.
"Please spare me, Princess Corelia!”
Bismarck had already begun to beg for mercy. The clumsy him was not good with words. He used a very obvious method to divert his attention and said,
"That…Ah! Oh right, speaking of which, I haven't experienced a real battle in a long time. I really hope that I can have a good fight. Otherwise, my sword will rust in its sheath!”
"Then when I come back, we'll fight again! I hope your hands won't tremble so much that you can't hold the sword in your hand!”
Mariana and Cornelia smiled at each other and let the embarrassed First Knight go. Only Lelouch had been looking at him curiously, thinking about the possibility of subduing this powerful knight.
"Hahaha…that's impossible!”
Seeing that they had successfully changed the topic, Bismarck couldn't help but secretly wipe his sweat, and his tone returned to its previous bold and unconstrained state. However, after hearing the challenge from the two Knights of the Round Table, she could not sit still. After hesitating for a while, she finally made her request to the two of them under the instinctive desire of a warrior.
"Um, when you guys fight, can I invite Nonette and Bertolis to watch the battle?”
"Oh, those two little fellows, of course! I'm sure you can learn a lot from watching the battle from the side! There are some things that you can't learn just by sparring with me!”
Mariana nodded in agreement, her eyes full of admiration as she looked at Cornelia. To be able to seize this opportunity to make such a request, Cornelia indeed had the potential to be a strong person. However, compared to Nonette and Bertolis, she was still lacking in combat talent.
Ever since she returned to the Empire a year ago to wait for her labor, she had seized this opportunity to become his disciple and learn his combat skills. Her seniors in the academy, Nonette Enyaguram, the eldest daughter of the Enyaguram family, and Bertolis, the daughter of her wet nurse, also joined her after learning about this news.
Mariana, who was promoted from a commoner to the sixth knight of the round table with outstanding military achievements, was the goal of all the soldiers of the empire, especially among the women. She was like an idol.
"Yes, sir! Thank you!"
" Thank you," said Cornelia excitedly. It was a rare opportunity to watch the battle between two powerful Knights of the Round Table. She could already imagine how happy Nonette and Bertolis would be when they heard the news.
"Hehe, at that time, I'll have to ask Lady Mariana to show mercy!”
Bismarck, who had just regained his composure, smiled bitterly when he heard that Cornelia would bring Mariana and the other two disciples to watch the battle. He did not have the confidence to defeat Mariana. In front of outsiders, he would lose face as the First Knight.
As they conversed, they passed through the Li Palace's central courtyard and arrived at the front courtyard. The surrounding Sea Bamboos were in a fierce battle of beauty, bathed in the morning light, and these purple petals shone even more brightly.
"If we take the shortcut, we can directly reach Pandora Palace, right?”
When they arrived at the front yard, they could already see a special passage that led directly to the Imperial Conference Hall, Pandora Palace. Mariana stopped and said to Cornelia behind her.
"It's a rare opportunity, Cornelia. Bring Lelouch with you to meet His Majesty today!”
"Can I?"
Cornelia was shocked and answered hesitantly. She had always been a little afraid of her father, who controlled the entire empire. That man was extremely cruel even to his own daughter. He even encouraged them to compete with each other. In his words, only the strong could survive and inherit his throne. The weak had no value in existence.
Such comments were always hard to accept for the family, who valued kinship.
"You and Lelouch are His Majesty's children. It's okay for you to be a little more confident!”
"That's right. I'm sure His Majesty has long been looking forward to it.”
Bismarck nodded.
"He's not that cute. You see, when he sees me, he only says,'What, you're here.'”
Bismarck, who was walking beside her, couldn't help but smile bitterly.
"But His Majesty told me this: When Britania's military flag was flying, it was hard to imagine that there was no 'Shining Mariana' there. Her power is necessary when fighting against the whole world. As expected, His Majesty's true 'sword' isn't me but you, Lady Mariana.”
"Of course."
Mariana smiled again.
"Then let's go, Bismarck. To extend a helping hand for the crime of the most evil king in history.”
"It will also be the return of the imperial concubine.”
Bismarck placed his right fist across his left chest, and his tall body slightly bent. He took half a step back and followed behind Mariana.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。