Emperor of Steel

After all the preparations were done, the day of New Year Military Parade had finally come.

With enough public news given in advance, quite a lot of people had come to Brandon.

Local nobles who weren’t invited, as well as the common people who could afford, swarmed to the place.

And starting with various kinds of Gigants, the knights, the elite men, and the military in its full capacity was a rare sight unless one was in a senior position in the military.

Therefore, people gathered in the square to look at all the strong men in their nation.

“Majesty, all the preparations are done.”

At the end of the messenger’s words, Luke got up.

“Then, we need to start.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The two men left the king’s office and caught up with the guards who were all dressed up.

Their suits were specially tailored for the event, and it was an apparel that focused on fashion than on one’s activity.

“How many of our invited men came?”

At the question from Luke, Hans answered, “It is safe to think that most of them came.”

For the parade, Luke had sent various invitations to major nobles of various kingdoms along with the domestic lords.

The Military Parade was being conducted with a huge cost, and it rarely happened due to how expensive it was, so many nobles were curious and responded to the invitation.

“We haven’t counted them, but we estimate that there are over 400,000 men.”

The past year, around 200,000 people had gathered from across the nation to celebrate the king’s coronation and the kingdom’s founding.

It could be seen that the expectations of the people were high from the number of people gathered.

In the grounds of the Royal Palace, it could be seen that the Knights and Gigants belonging to the 1st and 5th squad were lined up.

There were specifically crafted Gigants for the Military Parade.

And behind the Gigant, each unit’s knights and soldiers stood in their position wearing colorful armors.

The commanders ordered their men.

“Huhuhu. Should I summon my Gigant?”

Luke summoned Avenger from his subspace bracelet.

When Luke’s Gigant suddenly made an appearance, all the soldiers were focused on it.

It was because the size and appearance of Avenger was overwhelming compared to the other Gigants.

With a cloak embroidered on its silver glove and a silver thread hanging from the back of its neck, it was like seeing a giant warrior from the legends.

“Then, let’s start the parade!”

When Luke gave orders from his Gigant, the military band that was waiting ahead began to play at once.

With the sound of trumpets, a playful marching song began to be played and the flags with the symbols of the Royal family began to move out with the units.

Thud!

Luke moved with Avenger as well.

For the parade, the main gates of the Royal Palace were specifically remodeled for Gigants over 10 meters tall, so they could move out freely.

“Woah! Majesty!”

“That is His Majesty’s exclusive Gigant!”

People began to cheer once Avenger came out with the king’s symbol on its breastplate.

For normal people who had no titles, Luke was a popular being.

It was because he abolished the taxes that the nobles placed on them and halved the taxes imposed on the farmland and the population.

Instead, Luke developed commerce and increased the industries while bringing in funding to the kingdom.

He actively promoted trade with the Southern Continent, and huge profits were being generated that could fill the tax revenues. Various workshops were built as well in local cities to encourage the production of daily necessities and products.

It was kind of business.

In any case, it was natural for people that benefited from Luke’s reforms to cheer for him.

“Woah!”

“Woah! Long Live Your Majesty!”

Behind Luke, Gigants belonging from the 1st to 5th squad began to appear in turn.

From a Knight class then Orion to Gaius, the commander of each unit were on board.

And whenever the improvised Stiletto with the commanders of the knights showed themselves, people shouted more loudly as if they were possessed.

But the ones who were the most excited were the children.

“Daddy, I too want to become a Gigant Rider!”

“Let’s see. For that to happen, if you’re not a noble, you should at least try to be a knight…”

“Daddy, you are! What old man talks are you saying? It was said that if we can fence perfectly in the school, they would recommend us to the military academy!”

“Really? Then, I guess you need to work hard.”

While the children of the common people were burning up with ambitions and dreams, the expressions of the nobles in the VIP seats were different.

“Your Majesty seems very stubborn.”

“I know. I never expected him to release the top class military level Hero class out to the public.”

“Haha, if this is our level, would we lose to Baroque Empire now?”

“The future of our Kingdom is very bright!”

The bureaucratic nobles enjoyed the scene in front of their eyes, but the provincial Lords, especially the former nobles of Milton Kingdom, had a dark expression over them.

They were quite shocked to see the king’s real power on display.

‘Compared to their regular army, the army of my estate is nothing.’

‘Haa, if King Luke happened to be angry at me, I would have been kicked out.’

They were able to feel the gap between Luke and themselves without even seeing the parade, but once they witnessed it themselves, they felt even more inferior in terms of power.

The lords felt the tricks their opponent was resorting to.

‘Surely, this Military Parade is to show their strength to us.’

‘It would be better to follow the Military Reform. It would surely be better than getting destroyed by the royal retainers…’

When the lords were seriously thinking about their future, foreign nobles who were invited looked at the parade procession with serious faces.

Primarily, a high ranking military or administration officials were insanely analyzing the newly seen Gigants and the wizards.

“Are those Gigants the commanders are riding on a Hero class?”

“Yes, Count. It has never been produced in any of the top ten magic towers and seems to have been developed in the Royal Magic Tower of Symphonia Kingdom.”

Currently, the only Hero class productions possible after the Battle of Magic Towers was in Baroque and the Holy Arthenia Empire’s Imperial Magic Towers.

But surprisingly, Hero class Gigants were made in a kingdom that was just founded!

Gulp.

The Castia Kingdom’s noble had a very nervous look.

“What could the output of the core engine be?”

“Well, I am not sure. Would you like me to check?”

“Yes, check it out. If the performance and price are all good, we will import them to our Kingdom.”

All the conversations taking place in the VIP seats were being noted and gathered by the Argos agents that were placed around them.