Garius rode tall on Giddie, the golden-feathered pekko showing off his majesty with every step. Francesca rode behind him with grace, her arms gently around her husband’s waist, smiling softly at the children and villagers who had gathered to greet them.
On both sides, Alf and Erinette stood with their own pekko, acting as a protective escort.
Behind them, Javier followed, with Liana and Gloria close beside him. The maids kept sharp eyes on the road, but Javier’s gaze wandered elsewhere.
To the people.
The villagers didn’t bow out of fear. They didn’t tremble or show stiff obedience. Instead, they smiled. They waved.
Children waved with excited arms, calling out for "Lord Garius." Won carried baskets of bread and fruit, lifting them high as offerings. n tipped their hats and pressed their fists to their hearts.
And there he was, his father. Garius, the man who never taxed the people beyond what was necessary, who never squeezed them dry.
Instead, he gave them security, land, and the freedom to live without chains. In a kingdom where many nobles thrived by squeezing their citizens, Armand was different.
Inside Javier’s mind, thoughts stirred as he watched.
This is why they’re loyal. Not out of fear, not because of the title. But because Father gave them sothing no one else did... peace.
The lowest taxes in the kingdom, yet Armand remains strong. Rich. Abundant. Unyielding. A land where the lord doesn’t hoard wealth, but grows it for his people.
Javier’s lips curved faintly. So this is why... when the people smile at him, it’s not an act. It’s real. A genuine smile. The kind that even death won’t erase from their mory of him.
Up ahead, Garius lifted one hand and waved to the children who had run to the roadside. A rare, calm, genuine smile touched his face, and the people’s cheers rang like music along the cobblestone road.
Javier leaned back slightly on Buddy, letting the scene sink in. The sound of laughter, the trust in their eyes.
It was a reminder. This is the land worth protecting. Not crowns, not thrones, not the greed of a kingdom.
Javier’s mind wandered, his eyes still looking ahead but his thoughts pulled back in ti.
Back then... before I was reborn here... rulers were nothing more than politicians. They promised the world, but once they got power, they turned their backs on the people they were supposed to serve.
They didn’t own the land, they didn’t bleed for it, and still they called themselves rulers. Puppets who filled their own pockets while the people suffered in silence.
But in his second life, he’d seen sothing different. Sothing rare.
His father.
Garius de Armand.
Not a ruler by appointnt, not by borrowed authority. A true owner of land...his land.
The entire Armand Region. And yet, unlike the rulers Javier once knew, he did not hoard. He did not crush his people with greed. He shared. He protected. He cared.
Even for those who were not his people.
Javier’s gaze softened as he rembered the refugees.
The Amazarak Kingdom.
Wiped off the map after their war with the Halfling Kingdom. Countless families broken, wandering without a ho, cast aside by nations that wanted nothing to do with them.
But Armand had opened its gates.
Not blindly. Not foolishly. Garius had given them a chance, but with condition.
Land would be given to them rent-free, just as it was for Armand’s own people. They would pay the sa fair taxes. They could live, farm, work, and breathe again.
But they would never harm Armand’s citizens. Never abuse the kindness offered.
Those who accepted found a new ho.
Those who refused... would have no place here.
Javier’s lips curved faintly at the thought.
That’s how it should be, a ruler who shares the burden, who nurtures strength without oppression. A lord who makes people proud to live under his na.
And Javier knew.
Maybe it was also because of Zania.
The girl who once seed nothing more than prisoner, now always chased after Cedric, bound by love and never leaving his side.
Zania.
The youngest princess of Amazarak.
The sole surviving heir of a kingdom erased from maps, the one who was ant to beco the next queen.
Her presence carried weight, not just as Cedric’s companion, but as the living link between Armand and the survivors of Amazarak. For it was she who spoke, her voice steady, when her people were first welcod into Armand’s borders:
"If any of my people betray this kindness, if they bring harm or unrest to Armand... their fate lies not in my hands, but in the judgnt of Lord Garius. His word is final. His punishnt absolute. I will not interfere."
She had stepped away from royal privilege. No excuses. No plea for leniency. Only loyalty.
To the land that had taken in her people when others had turned away.
And so Javier realized... perhaps this was why his father’s rule carried such weight among the refugees. Why there was no rebellion, why loyalty stayed strong.
Not just because of Garius’ leadership, but because the Amazarak princess herself had acknowledged it, accepted it, and bound her people under his law.
That one vow built trust.
That vow tied Amazarak’s surviving story to Armand’s future.
"Javier?"
"Ah... yes, esteed father?" Javier straightened at once, though his voice trembled just slightly.
"No detour. We go straight ho," Garius stated, his voice calm but heavy with command.
"Yes, Esteem Father," Javier answered in a low, nervous voice, eyes flicking away as if the man’s gaze could pin him in place.
Inside his mind, Javier groaned.
Damn... this man is still terrifying. So serious all the ti.
That eye, that glare. Lucky he doesn’t have a mustache. If he did, he’d look even scarier. And if he had a beard? Yikes... I’d probably faint before he even spoke.
He forced a smile and straightened on Buddy’s back, trying to look proper while sneaking glances at Garius.
No matter how strong I’ve beco... even after fighting Edmund and his celestial... standing behind Father feels like standing behind a mountain that could crush without moving an inch.
His aura doesn’t leak, his mana doesn’t stir, and yet... just his presence presses harder than any battlefield.
Garius finally glanced back at his son, one brow faintly raised.
"Javier. Rember this. Power without discipline is nothing but destruction. Today you proved your strength. But don’t abuse your strength just because you are powerful."
Javier’s throat went dry. He nodded firmly.
"Yes, Esteem Father. I understand."
At that mont, Liana and Gloria, who rode on his left and right, exchanged a look. Their lips curved into knowing smirks before they leaned slightly closer, their voices dripping with sweetness.
"Young master~" they both chid softly, almost in unison.
Inside Javier’s mind, his eye twitched.
These two... they’re taking advantage of this mont just to tease . Ugh. Damn... these two are really lucky I love them both.
He turned his head forward quickly, trying to hide the faint flush creeping on his face while Buddy, his pekko, let out a low squawked, as if laughing at him.
( End Of Chapter )
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