The First Magic World War

The second person named by the Emperor was, of course, Antonio!

He was formally ennobled as Earl Brittany, gaining control of the Brittany Family's territories.

As each of the twelve knights who had originally pledged their allegiance were ennobled one by one!

Prince Aifuri appeared on stage with a smile, and he loudly said, "When the Fars Empire faced peril, His Majesty Brittany even felt weariness! There were twelve knights who always followed closely by the Emperor's side, helping him accomplish great deeds."

"At the Spring of Lions, they removed their armors and battle robes, bathed in the hot springs, washed away their past, and swore allegiance to His Majesty Emperor McLaren Brittany, thus initiating a new dynasty."

"On behalf of the Royal Family, I hereby declare that the Spring of Lions shall be a symbol of the Empire's prosperity. A palace will be constructed at the original site. This palace shall be an imperial residence, only accessible to the Royal Family and the descendants of the twelve knights of the Spring of Lions for pilgrimage."

Charles was slightly astonished; he couldn't have imagined that the pit from back then could have earned the title of the Spring of Lions.

The Spring of Lions holds a special meaning in any country of the Old Continent, representing the Emperor's most loyal warriors. Their valor and loyalty are worthy of being recorded in history books, to be passed down forever.

Hmm, the Robin Family used to hold the distinguished title of Duke of the Spring of Lions as well.

However, His Majesty the Emperor of Brittany did not build a great empire through military conquests but seized it through a political upheaval. Therefore, these twelve knights' highest rank was no more than that of an earl.

They lacked the grandeur of the founding seven dukes of the Spring of Lions of King Axel's time.

As the ennoblement proceeded, Charles's interest waned, until the Emperor called Anne's name, which instantly invigorated him.

Anne was ennobled as Her Royal Highness the Princess, which wasn't unexpected. But what surprised Charles was that Anne's fief included the original domain of Duke Mosley and even those of the seven nobles who rebelled with Mosley.

In terms of the sheer size of her fief, Her Royal Highness Princess Annie of Brittany could be called the first in the Empire.

If one were to include the territories of the Modova Principality as well, Anne could well be considered the most powerful woman on the Old Continent, second to none.

Even surpassing Duchess Mesu, who had cast her lot with Byron.

The lands of Duke Mosley bordered those of the South Serif. In other words, the fiefs of Charles and Anne were tightly connected, and upon marrying, their territories would naturally form a complete region.

It was only in the evening that the coronation ceremony concluded, and the court banquet, a night of unrestrained revelry, began!

Charles, Antonio, and Anne were the center of attention at the banquet. Even Charles had to engage with the crowd for quite a while. Just when he thought of slipping away to find somewhere quiet, he saw Prince Aifuri approaching.

The prince raised his glass slightly and said, "Thank you for everything you've done for my two daughters."

"From now on, we shall be firm allies."

Charles nodded slightly, and Prince Aifuri, without saying much more, continued to mingle with the other nobles with a smile.

Charles hadn't expected that the matter of the two Misses Axel still had developments, and even earned Prince Aifuri's favor. As for the matter of allies...

Well, that certainly wasn't something to be publicized.

Charles chatted with an unnamed noble, smiling a few words, until he finally found an opportunity to slip out quietly from the banquet hall of the Imperial Palace. He looked up at the sky, where the divine buildings of the nine True Gods were still emitting their divine glow, keeping Strasbourg bright as day under the cover of night, bestowing upon it an otherworldly beauty.

Suddenly, Charles felt an overwhelming sense of unreality. Although he had reached this point step by step, most of it was due to fortuitous happenstance, a portion was luck, and effort made up only a tiny part of it.

Even his personal strength was not entirely the result of arduous cultivation.

Without confronting the Evil God and coming into contact with the True God, which resulted in several enhancements to his spirituality, he would never have been able to cultivate to the Seventeenth Rank.

"Life and destiny are truly marvelous," Charles muttered to himself, "Swept up in the whirlpool of the era, some bravely venture and become tide-riders, while others capsize and fall from grace."

"Who knows what I will become in a few years, or even decades from now."

"Nevertheless, I do hope the war comes to an end soon."

"After all, without war, the Old Continent is a very safe place for nobles."

On Earth, although people often talk about solidified class structures, in reality, class mobility is still quite strong. Truly century-old enterprises are very rare, and big companies with tens or hundreds of billions could go bankrupt or get sold off just like that. Even the country's top officials are frequently replaced.

Changing presidents every four years on Earth is nothing out of the ordinary, but in the Old Continent, emperors often do not change for decades. And if there happens to be a High-Level Transcendent among the emperors, living for over a century is nothing rare.

The nobility, on the other hand, can inherit their legacy for hundreds of years, and whether it's wealth or power, it almost never falls.

If not for this war, if not for the failure of the rebellion, top-tier nobles like Prince Redmiel and Duke Mosley could have continued their lineage together with the Fars Empire for a thousand years.

But war changes everything. The Fars Empire has lost too many great nobles, Archduke Ferdinand, Grand Duke Joseph, Baron Fel of Silver Pigeon Fort... the list is endless.

The same goes for other countries; Byron and Black Phoenix have lost nobles no less numerous than Fars, and only Inglima, due to being an island nation and having only deployed its navy so far, has seen fewer nobles fall in battle.

As long as the war ends, Charles could live a comfortable and safe life.

Well, he still has to deal with the Evil God.

All of a sudden, Charles saw a streak of light sweeping across the sky. It must have been a Sacred Order, but with Strasbourg currently bathed in the light emitted by the artifacts of several True Gods, even a Sacred Order couldn't land. He couldn't help but mutter quietly, "Herolf! Go out and see who has come to Strasbourg."

"There's no need, don't go starting a fight."

"Also, don't fly directly from the Imperial Palace, it's too ostentatious. Leave the palace, walk away a bit, then take flight."

The Old Goat, being qualified to enter the Imperial Palace only as a butler, had no right to participate in the courtly nocturnal feast, and he silently left the Imperial Palace, feeling a sensation of "finally I am free." Golden Ram Herolf truly watched Charles climb from an ordinary Transcendent to where he was now. Although Charles himself was not yet a Sacred Order, he was only one step away. But does it really matter whether he is a Sacred Order? The guy already had seven Sacred Order followers...

This filled the Old Goat with immense frustration!

He had considered how to undermine Charles, how to untie the Magic Contract. But based on the current situation, he might pretend nothing happened, even if he had the chance to untie the Magic Contract...

He was afraid of being ganged up on and beaten to death by several Sacred Orders as punishment for treachery.