"Absolutely not!"
The first to protest Horus’ sly suggestion was none other than the Black Order’s Commander herself. Slamming her palms onto the table, Carn glared at Horus and hissed.
"Amon is a mber of the Black Dragon Order! Are you trying to steal him from right under my nose?!"
"Not steal, loan."
Horus quickly corrected Carn’s misunderstanding with a calm and collected tone. His gaze switched between the Black Order Commander and Amon as he continued his explanation.
"To be honest, being attached to a Knight Order seems to be more of a burden than an asset for Amon. From what I understand, he has been investigating the Demon Cult all alone, with the help of his blushing bride-to-be."
During their trip to Mistwood, Horus had fished out all the details from Amon’s lips. Hence, he knew that the main reason why Amon would constantly go AWOL was because he joined forces with Yue to hunt the Demon Cult.
As a Pillar Knight of the Solaris House, Horus felt ashad of his ignorance. And he was beaming with pride that a young Knight like Amon would take on the noble duty of hunting the deceitful Demon Cult, even if it ant crossing the rules of the Solaris House.
"On top of that, he has faithfully executed his duty as a Knight of the Black Order. Don’t you think we’re putting too much pressure on the young lad?"
"I could always reassign him! There’s no need to create a special task force just for that!"
"And hinder his talents? With Amon’s knowledge and expertise, the elite task force we create would gain ground on the Demon Cult more than you can ever believe. And not to ntion, we have the wielder of the Holy Blade, Leon. These two together in a task force free of any Knight Orders or politics… Don’t you think that would be the perfect environnt for them?"
The more Horus spoke, the more sense he made. He had been thinking about this argunt for a while now. It didn’t help that Carn’s protests ca from emotion and desperation rather than logic, so it seed that the Black Order Commander was fighting a losing battle.
As for the person in question…
Amon remained silent as he observed the situation.
Truthfully, Horus’ proposal was godsent for him. Joining an Order had always been a ans, not an end, for him. Amon’s true goal had always been to hunt Demons and prevent the Calamities. And while joining the Black Dragon Order had perks, it hindered his freedom to do as he pleased.
However, Horus’ proposal would change that dynamic.
Amon could use the task force as an excuse to investigate and hunt the Demon Cult, and no one would put an AWOL tag on him. That ant he could finally escape the allegations that he was eloping with Yue that had bothered him since the start of their relationship.
"... And I suppose you intend to supervise this task force."
"Who else?" Horus replied slyly. "You’re the Commander of a Knight Order, so you can’t take on the burden. I’m just a Pillar Knight and have been serving as Amon and Leon’s bodyguards. So it makes more sense for to lead the task force."
"Hmph! Who would believe that?! You, the Vice-Commander of the Golden Order! You’re just using this as an excuse to steal Amon from the Black Order!"
"ENOUGH!!!"
Before the venomous words were turned into bloody fists, Alrock interrupted the pair’s argunt. His voice was resonant and authoritative, sending everyone in the room into a ntal frenzy. Carn quieted down and docilely returned to her seat. At the sa ti, Horus looked away his eyes wavering as he feared to look straight at his Lord.
For the first ti in a long ti, they felt the wrath of a Solaris who had reached Eight Suns, the near pinnacle of humanity.
"A House divided cannot stand. How can we fight the Demon Cult if you two are internally bickering like chickens?"
"Old man…"
"I know," Alrock shook his head at Carn’s whimper. "You have decided to groom Amon as your heir for a good reason. And you have my word; he will remain in the Black Order."
"My Lord!"
"Nonetheless! Horus’ words have rit. Amon’s talents would be wasted if he only did missions associated with the Black Order. Not to ntion, we will need to create a special environnt to groom our future talents. Particularly when a future war with the Demon race looms."
Alrock’s decision was primarily made due to Amon and Leon’s existence. Even without the threat of the Demon Cult, the two were Luminaries that could tip the delicate balance of the Solaris House. Every Knight Order would do everything in their power to get them, and if both Amon and Leon stayed in the Black Order, the Solaris House might experience a generation of internal strife.
It would be wise to separate the pair from Carn and establish their independent unit to prevent that.
"Amon and Leon will be deployed into a fresh unit, one free from the influence of any Knight Order. They will be provided resources directly from the Patriarch’s office. Of course, if the other Orders would like to sponsor their unit, it would be received with open arms. However, even though they are entering a new unit, Amon and Leon will still retain their Knight Orders. Amon will remain in the Black Order while Leon… will be re-dispatched into the Golden Order."
"..."
Carn narrowed her eyes at Alrock’s ruling.
From the beginning, Leon was considered Amon’s squire and hadn’t formally joined any Knight Order yet. And Carn knew Alrock’s desire to bring Leon to the Golden Order. So, she wasn’t surprised that Alrock brought that topic up.
And for the Grand Commander, it wasn’t that big of a deal. In her mind, Amon had always been her spiritual successor, so there wasn’t a need to fret over losing Leon.
However…
"So, who will be supervising this new unit then?"
"... I know it’s a little unconventional, but I was thinking of throwing myself into the ring."
"What?"
Alrock’s suggestion ca as a surprise to both the Black Order Grand Commander and the indomitable Knight of the Morning Star. They had fully expected that one of them would beco the supervisor, but never in their wildest dreams could they have predicted that the Solaris Lord himself would take charge.
Never one to leave the others hanging, Alrock continued with a bright smile.
"Of all the Knights in the Solaris House, do you think that there’s anyone more suited than to lead them two young’uns?"
"..."
"..."
Carn and Horus were rendered speechless. Leon was the wielder of Ascalon, the icon of the Solaris House and the Holy Blade that the entire world coveted. anwhile, Amon was a genius never seen in history and was the most likely candidate to lead the Solaris House to a brighter future.
They were super talents that no one could manage… unless that person was the Solaris Lord himself.
"Besides, I’ve always wanted to make this young’un my disciple. It seems like it’s about ti."
"..."
Typically, if the Solaris Lord were to take a disciple, it would be the news of the year. However, neither Carn nor Horus were surprised. It was natural for Alrock to seek promising talents to nourish, and Amon was no exception. If anything, they were glad that Alrock would take ti out of his busy schedule to hone Amon’s skills.
"Of course, I won’t always be free. So, when I’m unavailable, either of you can take the role of vice-chair."
And here ca the kicker.
Having the Black Order’s Grand Commander and the Golden Order’s Vice-Commander co-chair this new unit as the Solaris Lord’s right and left hand. It was an extravagance never seen before in the history of the Solaris House.
Yet, it was entirely justified.
"Wow, are you trying to create the world’s most powerful elite force?"
Carn joked but didn’t show any signs of resistance. As long as she could keep tabs on Amon, Carn would be satisfied.
"So, besides Amon and the Ascalon brat, who will be our first inductees?"
"Well, we’ll have to ask the young’un."
With their differences set aside, the trio now focused on the person who caused this ss in the first place. Amon exuded a deep sigh as he began listing nas that ca to mind.
"Hoh? Those few young’uns, huh? Good choices."
Alrock nodded in agreent while stroking his beard.
"So are still cadets, but we can use them well."
Horus remarked casually and didn’t protest either.
However, only one person on the panel didn’t look amused. Carn frowned while folding her arms, her eyes zoned in on Amon’s unyielding body. Of the three present, the Commander of the Black Order knew Amon the best. With him, there was always sothing more.
"... is that all?"
"As expected, I can’t fool you."
Amon let out a wry smile before finally splurting out.
"How do you feel about recruiting people outside the Solaris House?"
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