"Father? What are you doing?!"
The red-haired princess repeatedly questioned the King.
The King on his side merely raised a hand slightly, gesturing for her to remain calm.
"Mr. Yuki, perhaps we could continue our discussion elsewhere?"
The King respectfully inquired of Yuki and the other.
Yuki gave a slight nod.
"This way, please. Let's move to the study."
The King signaled to a palace attendant nearby.
Though still shaken and terrified by the power Yuki had displayed, the attendant forced a strained smile as he approached Yuki and Akane.
"You two, please follow me."
Seeing this, Yuki followed the servant, leaving the hall.
Only after Yuki and Akane had departed did the ministers and knights finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Everyone, regarding what happened today, I trust you all understand what must be done."
The King then regained his former composure, speaking with an air of quiet authority.
"We understand!"
The ministers and knights replied in unison.
This utterly inexplicable scene left the Kingdom's First Princess, its strongest Dark Knight, Iris Midgar, completely baffled.
However, noticing the flicker of fear in the eyes of the ministers and knights, and their previously terrified expressions toward the two strangers, she began to form a rough guess.
Once the ministers and knights had dispersed from the hall, Iris approached her father to get the full story.
"Father, what exactly happened earlier?"
"Why did all those knights and ministers seem so afraid?"
Princess Iris, with a hint of confusion, softly asked the King.
At that moment, the King could no longer contain the weight in his heart. He let out a deep sigh, the sight he had witnessed earlier flashing again in his mind, his gaze filled with deep worry and fear.
"Iris, sometimes we must acknowledge that before a deity, our strength is truly insignificant, incapable of resistance!"
"Especially now, what we have encountered is a living god!"
The old King looked seriously at his eldest daughter, then recounted the events he had witnessed, which could be described as divine miracles.
After hearing this unbelievable description, Princess Iris was left stunned and speechless, waves of shock and astonishment rippling through her heart.
"Y-you... you're telling the truth?"
"There truly exists someone in this world with such power?"
Iris found it hard to believe.
Whether it was silently transporting everyone in the hall to float in the sky elsewhere, or wiping out an area larger than the entire capital with a mere wave of the hand—such things seemed like pure fantasy.
"This is no jest. This world holds many existences beyond your imagination."
"For instance, there is a legend in the Oriana Kingdom of an army of 100,000 soldiers from Velgatta being annihilated overnight."
The King's gaze darkened slightly as he spoke softly.
"You mean... the legend of the 'Black Rose' circulating in the Oriana Kingdom?!"
"Wait, wasn't that due to some ancient artifact?!"
Princess Iris was taken aback, then quickly responded.
The King shook his head, indicating he didn't know.
"Perhaps. But I once heard a rumor that what appeared before the Velgatta army at the time was a massive monster."
"Before, I was like you. I didn't believe such powerful individuals existed in this world."
"But... just moments ago, I changed my mind."
"Such individuals truly exist."
"A single person, capable of rivaling an entire nation... or even the entire world!!!"
A shadow passed through the King's eyes. Though he hated to admit his own powerlessness, the pressure Yuki exerted truly left him breathless.
Perhaps surrender, obedient submission, was indeed the wisest course of action.
"But..."
Seeing the look in her father's eyes, Iris clenched her fist tightly.
'Why? Even though I've become the strongest Dark Knight, why can't I even protect my own Kingdom!
If that's the case, what will my people think of me?!'
Iris inwardly roared, filled with resentment and frustration.
The King seemed to understand his daughter's current state of mind. He merely sighed before offering comfort:
"I understand the pressure you're under, Iris."
"Yet, I sometimes wonder if guiding you down the path of a Dark Knight was truly the right decision."
Iris remained silent, her grip on the hilt of her greatsword tightening.
"Don't put too much pressure on yourself, Iris."
"From what I observed, that Mr. Yuki doesn't seem like a bloodthirsty individual."
"Perhaps submitting to him might not be a bad thing."
"Come, let's go discuss this matter further with this gentleman."
The King then took a step forward, heading toward the study.
Hearing this, Iris quickly followed.
Though still resentful, such an important occasion indeed required her presence.
On Yuki's side, guided by the servant, they soon arrived at the study.
Here, hot tea and pastries were served to them.
Akane and Yuki sat waiting for the King's arrival.
During this time, a petite girl, about the same age as Claire, appeared before Yuki and Akane.
The little girl had long, silver-white hair like spun silk. Her eyes sparkled like deep crimson gemstones, and her delicate, lovely face made it clear she would grow into a stunning beauty.
She walked up to Yuki and Akane Nishino, planted her hands on her hips, glared, and spoke in a challenging tone:
"So you're the two who barged into the palace?"
"Such nerve! You even made it to the study!"
"Just you wait! Once my big sister gets here, she'll definitely beat you down!"
The little girl's tone was full of confidence, as if the mere arrival of her sister would send Yuki and the others fleeing in panic.
"Big sister? Who's your big sister, little girl?"
Finding the little girl adorable, Akane couldn't help but tease her.
"Of course it's my big sister, Iris! Iris Midgar! The Kingdom's strongest Dark Knight."
The little girl declared with immense pride.
"Oh! So the First Princess. Since you're her sister, you must be the Second Princess, then."
Akane suddenly understood, carefully examining the little girl with silver-white hair before her.
"Of course! My name is Alexia Midgar."
"I'm going to become a Dark Knight like my sister in the future."
Alexia said with a confident smile, her tone firm.
"Mmm... You're sisters, but why are your hair colors different?"
Akane completely ignored Alexia's latter statement, instead focusing intently on comparing their hair colors.
"Hey! Your focus is weird!"
Hearing this, Alexia's confident expression instantly cracked, and a sharp retort escaped her lips.
Then, her gaze shifted to Yuki beside her. In her ruby-like eyes, a flicker of bashfulness passed.
"Of course... if you beg for mercy and agree to practice with me, maybe I could plead with my sister Iris on your behalf."
Alexia's tone softened slightly as she quietly offered a condition.
"Oh? Practice? Practice what?"
The corners of Yuki's lips lifted in a gentle smile as he questioned her.
"Practice swordsmanship, of course!"
Alexia answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world.