With the proven success of the Golem Knights, now officially documented as Overknights, the Elysius Theocracy decided to form an experimental Knight Order to test the effectiveness of an Overknight as an actual member of the army.

Unfortunately for the Mecha Research Laboratory, Black retired from her position of leader and pushed the burden onto Gazil not caring for anything else aside from customizing Primus.

“Lady, no Sage Adam please resume your position as leader!” Gazil practically begged, no he did beg as he kneeled in front of Black.

Would’ve liked to ignored the stout dwarf, but the issue was that he had climbed atop of Black’s desk and then kneeled completely covering her unfinished designs.

Black massaged her temples as she looked away from Gazil’s bulging beer gut. “I already set up the foundations for you. The nerve circuits, the steel flesh, even a whole new runic system! I even created the control system in the cockpit. What else do you need?”

“Simply put, right now the cost of creating a single Overknight is too costly. Without your esteemed funding…” Gazil trailed off. “Magic cores created from magic gems is still an issue. Although the amount of magic gems have been steadily increasing there is still not enough for all our purposes. Not just us, alot of other branches are fighting for magic gems and in order to increase our portion we need to show results.”

“Then cut some costs while keeping the core functions. You can decrease the amount of steel flesh and nerve circuits. Even the decrease the inscribed rubes, that should save on the mana powering the Overknight. Think of a way to decrease the mana consumptions. I feel that having Overknights all at the same standard as Primus is actually inefficient. Primus is simply too powerful and most people would not be able to pilot it. Focus on creating something that most people can pilot.”

“About that…” Gazil did not meet Black’s line of sight. “We actually have been having trouble with the pilots as well.”

Black glared. “Why can’t you people think for yourselves. I already created the manual on how to pilot, what else is there to do but slowly practice?”

“Actually, the pilot manual is fine, completely fine!” Gazil said as he raised his hand up defensively. “Just that the pilots can’t handle the strain of the Overknights. Many of them feel nauseous after a while from all the sudden movements inside. There’s also the problem of the inside being too hot and causing them to dehydrate.”

“Right, I forgot how fragile a human body was.” Black facepalmed. “Alter the cockpit so it has a harness that prevents the pilot from being flung around inside and inscribe some cooling rune into the chair or something. As for the sudden movement, I’ll add some protective runes into the cockpit later.”

With that done, Black made a shoo-ing motion with her hand. Gazil although unwilling could only retreat, at least Black had decided to aid them even if a tiny bit. And she has given him a good idea.

“Boss!” Several of the other smiths and mages ran towards him with hope in their eyes and soon a small crowd was formed. He only shook his head to the disappointment of his fellow comrades.

“I talked to Sage Adam for a bit and I’ve been enlightened.” Gazil said slowly. “Instead of making each Overknight into a masterpiece, we should create a model that normal people can pilot.”

Thinking back on it, why had he been so focused on creating the ultimate Overknight? Although a single Overknight was strong can it overcome a hundred? 

Back when swords were created, even now actually, a single sword had a sky high price and were kept as family heirlooms. But wasn’t powerless in front of an army full of substandard swords?

That was not to say that there was no point in a high quality sword, but focusing on mass production wasn’t a wrong choice either.

There were some faces full of dissatisfaction upon hearing those words. “But boss, this is revolutionary. We could create an Overknight that surpasses spirits! Imagine mortals with the power able to contend against spirits!”

Gazil looked away from the hotblooded young dwarf that said those words and instead looked towards the skeletal frame of Primus. Having shed its armor and rubber skin, all of the innard parts were exposed but it was no longer recognizable. It kept it’s two legs but the head now had three pairs of eye crystals and an extra pair of arms on the back. Although strange and unsettling, there was no doubt it radiated a strange pressure even when it was incomplete and unmoving.

Gazil then looked back and used his fist to hit the young dwarf’s head. “Hmpf, we can’t even find a human capable of piloting an Overknight, we should at least find someone capable of piloting our Overknight before talking about power to fight spirits!”

“But we already can! If only someone didn’t quit halfway. If they quit it’s fine, but we still have to do useless labor for them.” The hotblooded young dwarf complained, his heart full of grievance and his tone full of grudge. 

“Shut up.” Gazil said, his tone unnaturally serious as he stared at the young dwarf until the young dwarf felt his scalp tingle. “Let me ask you, did you start this project?”

The young dwarf shook his head.

“Did you create a whole new runic system to create an Overknight?”

The young dwarf shook his head.

“Did you create the steel flesh, the nerve circuits, the cockpit system?”

The young dwarf shook his head once more.

“Then stop complaining, we wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for Sage Adam. All this she did herself, although we were said to be researching together in truth we were leeching off of Sage Adam’s benevolence and progress while we did the menial labor. It would not be a lie if the Overknight’s completion had none of our efforts. It could be another lucky group and the Overknight would still be completed. We contributed nothing.” Gazil said as he looked around at the crowd who began to lower their heads.

They had become arrogant and conceited with the success of the Overknights and rested on the laurel of labor not of their own. It seemed that deep inside they felt some sense of possession to the success of the Overknight. 

“Alright, this is just a wakeup call. So we must create an Overknight that can overtake Primus. We will make it so that our creation becomes so crucial that the current standard army becomes obsolete!” Gazil said with a cheer as he raised his arm high.

The crowd cheered. “Alright, first we have to go back to the drawing board to create an Overknight that can be easily mass produced and piloted. Also Yueth, you’re in charge of designing a suit that will help the pilot acclimate the cockpit’s condition. Sage Adam has already agreed to aid with the sudden forces that occur during operation.” After giving a few more instructions the group dispersed.

The hot blooded young dwarf couldn’t help but steal a glance at the object of his meaningless grudge, a young elf girl who looked so young that she could not be over thirty even as an elf. But when he looked, he didn’t see her sketching on her designs with her God blessed hair covering her face but the ice cold eyes and chilling smile.

The hot blooded young dwarf felt like he had a grim reaper behind him and immediately turned around only to see nothing. Not daring to look again, the young dwarf quickly returned to his station to accomplish his portion of the work assigned to him.

Black nodded her head in satisfaction after scaring the dwarf a bit. She held her lower face in her hand in thought. “I forgot that I can’t meddle too much. With my abilities everything will become too easy for mortals and they will take it for granted and develop a sense of entitlement.”

“Hmmm, have I been too lenient on the Elysius Theocracy in any way that they will take my blessing for granted?” After a while Black gave up on her train of thought. “Forget, there’s too many mortals in the Elysius Theocracy. As long as the core remains devoted to me I have no need to worry. Although if they dare to rebel...hehehe.”

Black no longer focused on her thoughts on meaningless things and began to brainstorm ideas for her personal Overknight, Primus.

---

“Your highness, we’re about to arrive.”

Rickerd duc Farmosa didn’t reply to the coachman’s words and instead looked out the carriage windows and the great white walls of the mysterious city that the dirt road led to.

A trace of helplessness flashed through his eyes. 

As the second son of the King of Farmosa with an elder brother as the crown prince, elder sister as the second princess, a younger brother who was five years younger than him, Rickerd was a victim of the middle child syndrome. 

He didn’t have the most love from his parents, his eldest brother was strictly taught. Even if there was no comforting love, his eldest brother had always been in his parent’s eyes. His elder sister as the only daughter was naturally in the limelight and loved tenderly by both his parents and doted upon by his eldest brother. 

And as for the third prince, having been born to the queen at a later age he was the apple in her eye, the pearl in her palm and doted upon to the point of being spoiled.

As for himself, although he was a prince, Rickerd could be said to have grown up under the eyes of servants rather than his parents. There were no expectations upon him and no importance to him aside from his service. Perhaps he would have been conferred a duke once his brother became king, but that was it.

It wasn’t exactly a bad future, he would have no worries and would not interfere with the affairs of the kingdom and spend the rest of his days leisurely with no worries. But there was a tiny part of him that was unwilling, what part of him was inferior to his eldest brother? His younger brother? His elder sister?

Should nothing have happened, his future would have been set in stone.

But then the monster invasion happened. Beasts with the strength of hundreds of men, size greater than fortresses, and capable of forbidden witchcraft. The kingdom stood no chance, with attacks occurring from all sides the army was helpless against the hordes of monsters.

They seemed endless and the army was incapable of dealing with beasts if they had split up causing the Farmosa Kingdom to abandon a large part of their land in order to consolidate their defense against the monsters. 

But that was only a temporary measure as after feasting upon the defenceless land, the monsters turned their sights towards the center of the kingdom. More soldiers died than the kingdom was capable of replenishing them.

Under the onslaught there came a sliver of hope.

It became gradually clear that the onslaught of monsters from the Kingdom’s East was actually lighter than the other sides.

Rumors had sprouted that it was because a “Witch” lived there. Others said the monsters were the “Witch’s” work and that they should kill her to end the crises.

No matter the reason, the strange occurrence was enough for Rickerd’s father, the King of Farmosa to send scouts to obtain intel on why the monsters were less on the East.

When the scouts returned they were less than half of them left, but whatever intel they gathered, the King’s face darkened tremendously. Days later he ordered Rickerd to lead a diplomatic mission to visit the mysterious city that had miraculously sprouted without anyone knowing.

Rickerd guessed that his father was displeased by the sudden emergence of a city that was so near his future domain. For years the Farmosa Kingdom has been continuously expanding with the only threat being the dark beasts and the elves but that soon changed with the appearance of the monsters. 

But Rickerd was wrong as he read the reports and his father’s instruction. The mysterious city was miraculously free of the monsters and knights that were equal to hundreds of men. The second prince was to seek their aid, no price too high. Even gifting parts of the Farmosa Kingdom's territory was not out of the question, after all it was just losing some territory. It was a small price to pay if the kingdom as a whole can survive.

Rickerd had thought his father was desperate, but upon seeing the white walls Rickerd concluded that perhaps he was wrong. Or not, maybe his father trusted his scouts or was really just desperate. He was never close enough to discern his father’s facial expressions.

“Halt!” 

As expected the carriage was stopped by the gate guards. Although the process was long and tiresome, Rickerd and his entourage of knights and officials were allowed in. Once inside Rickerd found his breath stolen by the scenery.

As he grew up in the capital of Farmosa Kingdom, also known as Farmosa City as it was originally City State that became a kingdom, he was familiar with the hallmarks of a prosperous city. But this city, Alestra as he was told, had the hallmarks and none of it at the same time.

The air didn’t stink with the feces of the peasants and serfs, the road was smooth and clean without rubbish, the buildings were uniform and all built of processed stone. For the first time Rickerd felt a sense of unease at the power of a single city.

Most importantly was the crisp and clean air that flowed through Rickerd’s nostrils that was tinged the salty sea air unique to coastal cities. 

However, there was an even more shocking sight that were the people that roamed the streets. There were the hated long eared elves that hindered the Farmosa Kingdom’s expansion into the forest. 

Rickerd’s knight had even partially unsheathed their swords before the escort stopped them cold in their tracks.

“Everyone here are our citizens, should you harm any of them consider yourselves unwelcome.”

The knights looked towards Rickerd for direction, and he only nodded his head so that the knights obeyed.

But back to the shocking sights, with each passing road, Rickerd was shocked by the sheer diversity and strangeness of the citizens.

There were short, stout men with bushy beards that Rickerd guessed were the elusive dwarves.There were all sorts of people that had beast ears ranging from those with human skin to those of furred skin. There were even those that looked human but had fin-like ears with arms that were covered in fish scales.

“This city is too bizarre.” Rickerd muttered to himself as he took his eye away from the people on the streets and onto the people escorting them.

They were lightly armored not like the full armored knights at the gate and those peeking from atop the walls, and all they had on their waist was swords. But their movements were strong and fluid, showing signs of intensive training that made them seem more like knights than the fully armored knights that escorted Rickerd. 

Furthermore, when Rickerd’s knights started to draw their swords the escort immediately reacted and pushed the Farmosa Knight’s arm back and forcing them to resheath the partially unsheathed swords.

There were thirty escorts and only twenty-four moved, the exact number of knights that were guarding the envoys.

“Where exactly do these people come from?” Rickerd couldn’t help but wonder. They couldn’t be from the regions surrounding Farmosa Kingdom, nevermind the dense and uncharted lands with dangers just the style of city and the hidden power did not place them lower than the Farmosa Kingdom in quality and even superseded them, not that Rickerd would admit that fact.

Finally the group neared the government building that was situated in the center of the city and atop the building was a black sculpture in the form of a dragon with six large wings. 

“Is that a dragon?” Rickerd murmured to himself. He had heard about the mythical dragons, but never seen one himself. They were said to be the ancestors of the drakes and wyverns and said to be more than one hundred times more powerful than their descendants. 

They were monsters to be feared, yet from the pose and the position of the sculpture, it seemed that the dragon was greatly revered in the city?

“Please, step from the carriage. From this point, no vehicles are allowed past this point.” The group had just passed the gated walls of the governmental building and the knights that were guarding it. But Rickerd furrowed his brows at the still knights that seemed like statues, unsure if they were really statues or exceptionally skilled at staying still.

Rickered didn’t bicker with the escort, although it would’ve been considered a great disrespect back in Farmosa City to have the guest disembark while not at the door but it seems in Alestra that after a certain point no carriages were allowed.

Besides, Rickerd had been cowed by the grand sites that shook his worldly views and disembarked. The officials that followed him, seeing that he had disembarked they too disembarked and walked the rest of the way.

The view was not bad, with grassy fields full of assorted flowers and the occasional tree that was flowering. Rickerd did not consider himself skilled in the field of botany but he was quite sure that many of these plants and vegetations were not native to the region.

Although the sun was high up in the sky, it did not cause them to swelter from the heat. And the light wind caressed them with the scent of flowers. All in all, it could have been considered a pleasant walk in the garden had it not been so short.

Once inside the group was surprised by the large number of clerical staff milling about. Although it did not feel like a church at all, it seemed that everyone was an official just that they were wearing clerical robes.

“This, is this a church?” Rickerd couldn’t help but ask.

The leader of the escorts gave Rickerd a nod. “Replying to envoy. Alestra is a subsidiary of the Elysius Theocracy. Although we are a bit different from the other Seven Color Faith, our government is led by the Black God himself. So every governmental building is also considered a temple”

“The Black God?” Rickerd found himself flabbergasted. Although there were some churches in the Farmosa Kingdom, Rickerd was never a particularly faithful believer as his family had claimed to be descendants of the sun god and thus using this position as another chain to rule the kingdom. “...have you seen thi- your god?” Rickerd probed.

The leader of the escort shook his head. “I have not seen the Black God himself, but during the Millennium Feast I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the Silver God. I heard that the Black God is even more magnificent than the sculptures of him.” There was a longing in his eyes that Rickerd could see.

“What is the millennium feast, if I may ask?” Rickerd asked. 

There was a proud look in the escort leader’s eyes. “It’s real name is the Millennium Day of Origin Celebration. Because every thousands of years all the Seven Pillar Gods will converge in our capital city, Elysium, to hold a feast hosted by the Black God. Even the members of the other Seven Pillar Faith will conduct a pilgrimage to Elysium.”

“This...is your god a dragon?” Rickerd found himself being glared at by the escort leader as if he committed a great sin.

THe escort leader retracted his glare and sighed. “I will warn you, if you call our gods dragon you will regret it. They may have once been dragons but they achieved an existence beyond mortals and are now Greatwyrms, divinities of great power capable of granting blessing to those of great faith.”

“Blessing?” Rickerd asked.

But the escort leader didn’t reply as he led Rickered into a wide room with a large rectangular table where three men were sitting. “We’ve arrived.” The room itself was large and brightly lit, despite having no windows, by lamps fueled by magic gems. It was cool without being too humid and richly decorated with luxurious furniture. 

“Welcome, envoy of the Farmosa Kingdom and Prince Rickerd.” The one who spoke was the middle aged man who sat in the center. All of three of them stood up. “I am the Bishop Governor of Alestra, Chavaliar.

He held out his hand in greeting but Rickerd found himself stopped as he observed the man dressed in fine clothing, although the design was simple the material was not lacking at all. In Farmosa, for one of lower status to greet and touch those of higher stand was a prohibited action. But Rickerd soon smiled as he led his entourage forward and shook the man’s hand. This wasn’t Farmosa and he really couldn’t ignore the grandeur and power displayed by the city. “My apologies, in the capital we do have customs of touching hands to greet each other.”

The Bishop Governor only nodded and gave a kind smile. “I see, I hope that you are this day. I heard that you insisted on meeting today and not resting so it must have been urgent matters.”

Rickerd nodded. “Yes, it is of utmost importance and involves the survival of humanity.?

“I see,” The Bishop Governor said as he gestured towards his right. “This is Sage Phoebe, an esteemed member that is recognized by the Black God.” He then turned towards his left. “And this is the Knight Captain of the Sentinel, one of the most prestigious knight orders in the Elysius Theocracy.”

Rickerd also introduced the five officials that followed him and soon both groups sat, each facing the other.

The officials of the Farmosa Kingdom had long been cowed by the riches and wonders that were displayed by Alestra, no longer having the previous deep arrogance of an envoy from a large kingdom meeting a small city. Clearly, this city was not simple.

“Please allow me to start, as you may have noticed the world is being attacked by monsters and as the strongest nations, Farmosa Kingdom would like to invite you to a coalition in order to defend against the monsters.”