Chapter 59: Roland Weite

Chapter 59: Roland Weite

Imperial Military Hospital.

Yun Huai, wrapped in a small cloak, stood before the wounded soldiers gathered by the royal guard.

The youngest of these border empire warriors was only eighteen, now staring blankly into space.

Lunen frowned as he looked around, thinking that if Xi Ye were here, he would be even more panicked and discontented.

The smell from the soldiers’ unhealable wounds – a mix of blood, sweat, and tension – filled the small space.

Iliad flew over the gathered crowd, returning to Yun Huai’s side, muttering, “Most are in a daze, some are trembling, and a few, too traumatized, haven’t woken up.”

Yun Huai surveyed the injured civilians and soldiers, feeling they might need more time to accept the fact that the Ita King was standing right in front of them.

Meanwhile, he had some urgent matters to attend to, which was why he chose to land at station 687.

Fine ice crystals began to spread from Yun Huai’s feet to the injured group facing him. The crystals, not cold but refreshingly fragrant, melted upon contact with the bodies. The clear liquid seeped into flesh and blood, rapidly healing and closing previously unhealable black wounds.

Watching this familiar scene of wounds regenerating, Iliad’s small brain was filled with flickering lights.

Compared to the unrestrained use of psychic power in the military academy's combat arena, the King now seemed more capable of precise control.

The King’s power wasn’t spreading wildly but was kept by Yun Huai within a suitable and slightly surplus range, ensuring the recovery of the wounded soldiers and civilians, while also providing comfort to the surrounding royal guards.

This young man was growing at an astonishing rate; Iliad didn’t dare to guess just how terrifying the new King’s psychic power had become.

The King's healing extended beyond the physical to the psychological; the vacant expressions in the crowd slowly began to show signs of life. However, they remained unnaturally silent, huddling closer together and towards the corners, which displeased Iliad, who shook its cat ears in discontent.

How could the Ita people harbor fear towards the royal family?

Lunen also looked displeased, speaking softly to Yun Huai, “Do you want to rest? The guards can handle this.”

Yun Huai shook his head, then took a few steps forward.

"Feeling better?"

The wounded, either sitting or leaning in the corner, fell silent together, shaking more severely and burying their heads deep. Yun Huai exhaled and moved his feet slightly.

"Is there still discomfort anywhere?"

Lunen couldn't help but raise his voice from behind, "The King is asking you."

Yun Huai raised his hand to stop the icy guard captain. As he moved unconsciously, the platinum tassels on the edge of his cloak fluttered slightly.

The swaying tassel caught the eye of a wounded Ita soldier at the front, who tucked his legs in tightly, saying, "No, don't come closer."

Lunen's eyes narrowed behind his visor, his hand on his lightsaber, pulling it out slightly.

It was a phrase of extreme disrespect to the royal family. Under normal circumstances on the main star, he had the right to execute such disrespect on the spot.

But without the King's command, the air quieted for two seconds before a low, hoarse voice spoke, "It's dirty here."

Lunen's sword abruptly stopped, his chest heaving as he retracted his lightsaber.

It wasn’t a collapse of faith, but of sanity.

The royal family had never stepped foot on this remote land, and these mixed-blood Ita people of the border had little sanity left.

Hesitant voices gradually rose, "You... You shouldn't stand here..."

In their simplest and most subconscious words, they murmured, "The town is dirty, it will spoil your boots, wear out the soles of your feet..." Speaking this, as if facing a grave sin, the mixed-blood Ita closed their eyes tightly, trembling, "This will be an indelible guilt for our lifetime."

Yun Huai remained silent for a while, his mind racing with numerous thoughts.

About the empire's rule, the citizens' faith, the royal family's symbolism, what his existence might bring, and if there is a known boundary to the King’s influence on the empire.

Yun Huai suddenly understood why Xi Ye cried the first time he saw him, and why Ga Xiu begged for punishment and favor upon their first meeting. His impact on these Ita people was far greater than he had imagined.

"...You should be on the pristine, unblemished main star, not on a bloody, filthy battlefield," an older town resident said, his forehead buried deep, "Please forgive their silence... They just want to offer you the best, but unfortunately, they have nothing but dirt and dust."

So, the Ita soldiers’ withdrawal and avoidance weren't due to fear of Yun Huai, but because they were afraid of their own impurity and disrespect.

This was nothing short of a desecration of the King.

How could they dare to hope for the King to save them again? Even those caring inquiries seemed to drift away into thin air. They couldn’t hear anything but their own hearts, seemingly about to burst. It was a dream too beautiful to be true. Fearing that a louder breath would shatter it, they could only contract into themselves, maintaining a state of constant collapse and reconstruction.

Perhaps, what they needed most now was not Yun Huai, but a clean, refreshing hot shower to face him.

Yun Huai didn't inquire further. Silently turning around, he wanted to give them space to regain their sanity. However, in that turning moment, a young soldier who had just come of age grabbed the tassel of his cloak.

The move was abrupt, and Lunen reacted even quicker, seizing the young soldier's wrist. Only after Yun Huai's quiet glance did Lunen slightly loosen his grip.

The young soldier lifted his eyes, focusing on Yun Huai's round earlobes.

This was the only resemblance he shared with the King.

Sensing something, Yun Huai’s snow-white, plump ears twitched, followed by a faint sigh. Instead of coldly ordering the guard to pull away the young soldier’s hand, he bent down and used a psychic water blade to cut the tassel, leaving it in the young soldier’s palm.

Redeeming them was like redeeming himself from a long time ago.

He knew they needed something to grasp, even if it was just a fluttering tassel.

Yun Huai had once crawled out of the mud, striving to keep every inch of himself untainted. In vigilance and caution, he maintained his integrity and kindness, generously offering them to those now loyally devoted to him.

The young King, without a word, turned and left, followed closely by the numerous royal guards. He was heavily protected, yet his presence seemed to linger in the soldiers’ eyes.

The new King was unexpectedly tolerant and compassionate, unlike anything they had imagined. The soldiers were dazed, their reasoning blurred, their inner worlds collapsing and rebuilding. The faith they once held was a confusing concept, but now it seemed to take shape in an increasingly clear figure.

It turns out faith is not a hopeless void, but an existence that carries the fragrance of dew from the garden and gentle sighs.

Those purple eyes were etched into the souls of the border Ita people, making them feel as though they were soaring to some soft height, only to abruptly fall in the next moment.

The buzzing sound of war machines constantly echoed in this remote outpost. The young soldier holding the tassel looked up upon hearing the noise, seeing through the large windows countless dense warships. Trailing behind the warships was the Roland Weite flag, a symbol they had only heard of in stories.

……

There were over 700 recorded outposts at the border of the second solar system, starting from 001 in order. The 687 outpost where Yun Huai was located was among the most inconspicuous at the end.

So, when the surrounding border planets noticed something amiss with outpost 687, it had already quietly hoisted the empire's Roland Weite flag.

The Roland Weite, the King's Flower, is a symbol used only by the King and the great noble Executors, and the empire's flag can only be raised where the King resides.

Like the space stations Yun Huai passed through and the pure white main star where he often lived.

But the main star is so far from the border that those here need to imagine the flag of faith in their minds.

The flag’s base colors are white, blue, and gold, with a space in the middle marked by the blossoming Roland Weite.

The overlap of imagination and reality caused an intense reaction; all warships reaching outpost 678 buzzed violently as they flew.

The flag signifies that the King is here, very close to them.

The docking area around 687 was completely full, with more warships that received the news only able to circle in the high skies.

As Yun Huai stepped out, his face was shaded by the constantly changing shadows above. Lunen commented, "With the flag raised, they think you've encountered danger or difficulty. They're in a state of high-alert for battle. After the people inside recover, they'll quickly enter this state too, because they know this place isn't safe for you."

"There's nothing unsafe," Yun Huai said.

Lunen quietly awaited the King's instructions.

Yun Huai: "A united empire instills fear in all enemies. In the face of absolute faith, any conflict is a victory waiting to be realized."

Lunen, seemingly infected by the tension and madness around, took a deep breath and said, "To fight under the flag for you, Your Majesty, is the honor of every imperial warrior."

Yun Huai raised his hand, and a silver-blue butterfly landed on his fingertip. Its wings fluttered, converting secretive psychic energy into text in Yun Huai's mind.

Although this little creature was one of Gaxiu's mechanical butterflies, any mechanical being entering the royal court was automatically programmed for royal supremacy. The creator, Gaxiu, couldn’t pry into the King's privacy through it, making it very convenient for Yun Huai to use.

Eliad fluttered beside Yun Huai, chirping, "What did it say? Did we catch the enemy who's causing the conflict?"

Yun Huai shook his head.

The enemy hadn't come, but the monster had.

He quickened his pace towards the parked spacecraft, with Lunen and the rest of the guard team following promptly.

Suddenly, a sharp sound of alert and alarms came from nearby, and a huge black crack appeared above Yun Huai's spacecraft.

The Ita warships that had rushed to the scene hung suspended in the air, as if frozen by some invisible force.

Yun Huai halted, with Lunen and the royal guards beside him already in combat mode.

Their lightweight armor clamped shut abruptly, and every pure-blooded guard drew their lightsabers and firearms.

In an instant, something burst out of the large black rift at an inhuman speed, trailing a series of sonic booms.

Yun Huai’s forehead twitched at the sight of the familiar figure moving at an incredible velocity, slicing through the air with a series of thunderous noises.

"How can any species be faster and more terrifying than a warship?" Yun Huai sighed in resignation, stopping Lunen, who was pressing his original energy gun, "It's not an enemy."

Lunen's face remained cold and tense.

Eliad, having nearly been dazzled to death by Lu Rin'an's appearances, rolled its eyes in exasperation, feeling the monster's every entrance was conspicuously odd, reeking of a desire to grab the King's attention.

Despite knowing Ita warships were gathering in alertness, it still stirred things up inside before flying off – as if to say, 'Fly all you want, you're still not one of us!'

Just as Eliad finished its internal rant, it heard the great King say, "He's my dear friend from another species, one of us."