Allegiance to the Powerful

It was sunset.

The yellow orange sun painted the town and the wide plains and snake-like roads heading out and in of it. It was a majestic view, typical of rural places.

When it was time to rest, they generously offered in the name of saving the town from not just the holy knights, but even defeating the rogue mage Cannon.

The reputation and perception towards mages in the outside world was like this. Normal people would respect even the weakest mage capable of lighting a mere fire out of his palms.

Kara was standing before the large rectangular window placed at a vertical angle overlooking the town square.

"I never thought the supreme shadow would step to the limelight to battle the angel," Behind him, Chris spoke, as he checked the things inside the room. Now that they were out, he could now really observe how things were different here. 

They had yet to know the differences in culture, but they could see the contrast in infrastructure design. As Kara watched the people in the town square, his expression was calm, as  he replied to Chris, "Well, I am surprised myself."

'There really is a significant difference between us and the pure shadows,' Chris thought, remembering that Kara did not have a pure shadow bloodline. 

Chris was anxious now, though. He had seen how powerful of an organization the churches in this part of the continent were . There was some presence of the church back in the Southern Continent, but they were not powerful. More like they were still on the rise.

But here, it was very clear. 

'Williamson Theocracy, that is only a country working for them.'

There was also not just one country like that; working for the Church as they also worshipped the Great Gods. It did not look good that they could also summon angels. 

"The Church is quite influential on this continent, and they would definitely investigate as soon as they hear of that holy mage and the holy knights' disappearance."

Without turning his head, Kara glanced at Chris.

"There's nothing I could do, but I would deal with it if it comes. I would not leave here. This town is pretty far from the cities it seems. The mainstream culture of the continent is not as strong here as well, maybe because it is near the border. I also heard not much attention is put here by the Dukedom. This town is like an unknown place no one cares about."

"I see," Chris replied. "Doctor Angelo said he would stay here as well, so that would be good."

Just then, they heard footsteps outside ticking against the wooden floor, heading to their room.

"Excuse me," they heard a voice from outside the door, as it opened.

The person who came in was a young man with blonde hair and a nonchalant expression on his face. He wore the comfortable inner garments of a knight wearing no armor. It seemed like Gary had healed already. The power of the phoenix fire indeed speaks for its myth.

"Pardon my intrusion," Gary said.

Kara and Chris looked at each other.

"I heard that Doctor Angelo is going to stay here," he said.

"Well, indeed."

As soon as Kara said that, Gary kneeled on one knee.

"If not for Doctor Angelo, I would have had to live a life without an arm for a lifetime. I owe my life to him. But that would not have happened if Lord Kara had not taken him from the clutches of the holy knights, and defeated them. I wish to stay and be a knight of my Lord."

Kara did not know whether to cry or laugh. He glanced at Chris before he replied.

"I understand. However, I made an agreement to Sir Faller that the knights would escort Chris to the north. And you are a part of the knights by oath. I'm afraid I cannot decide this." Kara replied.

It was at this moment that two familiar knights entered the room.

"Pardon our intrusion, but we have heard of Gary's request and we honored it. So please reconsider again."

"Sir Faller? Sir Hamon?" Gary did not expect them to be here, nor to aid them. He was practically abandoning them. His oath. He did not even tell them about this.

Knight Faller and Knight Hamon suddenly bowed on one knee, besides Gary. When Gary saw this, Knight Hamon spoke too.

"It is my first time seeing Gary decide something this passionately since he graduated from the knight academy and join us. Please reconsider, Lord Kara," he said, "But MY lord has said, the special operations squad 77 agreed to escort Lord Chris to the north. If my lord should not allow it, please reconsider Gary's offer when that is finished."

Kara could not believe this.

'Well, things have turned like this. Why don't you take the young knight with you? He had great talent, after all. Now that you have a fine doctor with you, it is time to get a knight too,' May said, chuckling in his mind.

Kara rolled his eyes inside his head.

'I could not,' Kara replied to her.

But before he could speak his decision to everyone in the room, a group of familiar people had then entered the room too. Thankfully, the room given to him was very spacious. If not, it would have been terrible.

But that was not important, as the people who entered were Doctor Angelo and the adventurers.

"I have decided, but my lord is a powerful mage who had a good heart for the weak who would help everyone, even at the cost of not having anyone know his name. That is why I would not just like to stay here, but also work under you from now on. May you please accept me to work under my lord for your future endeavors?"

Doctor Angelo also bowed on one knee. And as expected, Corre, John, Ellie, and Jane joined him and bowed on one knee.

"As a leader of my the party 'Limelight', we also wish to work under My Lord as we start our own guild in this town." Corre said.

Kara's calm facial expression was unchanged as he looked at the group of people bowing to him as if he was some royalty.

It was at this moment that he entered his mind. The silence and the darkness of his own psyche embraced him like a blanket and there he saw May giggling slightly as if he was a person who had a psychological illness.

Then she said, after laughing.

"Well, it would really be better for us to build our relationships with others. The Church is already on their way, and a lot of organizations and factions since the beginning would also catch what had transpired here."

Ignoring her, Kara quickly emptied his mind and went back to reality.

'Well, my indifference towards this world might change,' He decided.

He escaped from the Shadow clan to go to the real world to fill his emptiness. He remembered the time he battled the angel. What he felt towards it—if it was only him—was nothing like a sheer void. However, May's anger brought him something different, a nostalgic feeling. 

As it was his own...

And he had to admit, it was a lot better fighting like that...

Everyone waited for the young, powerful mage—Kara—to answer.

After witnessing the battle between Kara and the angel, they were indeed extremely afraid. It was a brutal feat of strength never witnessed by their eyes. But after thinking about how the substitute familiars and how Cannon was defeated without them knowing, they thought hard and concluded the culprit must also be mage Kara. 

They know nothing that transpired between Cannon and Kara or if anything even happened, but a being such as Kara could do things mysteriously with no one of them knowing. But the important thing was how he saved them and even said nothing or asked nothing until his powers were revealed. That was a very good principle compared to mages who were usually arrogant. 

From what they remembered, Kara was also lying low when they were travelling, not daring to do anything despite how powerful he was, even against them all combined.

Thus, after thinking about this, they all thought of Kara's real identity.

"Please become a King!"