The Emperor’s Angel of Death

"So, what do you think of this sword?"

Beneath the blue sky and white clouds, in a leisurely and natural courtyard, Sere, dressed in knight's attire, was surrounded by a group of young knights, all his classmates from the same year. His friend, Antotza, held a slender sword. It was silver-white, its hilt made of a jade-like material, with gold threads woven into a knot. The blade, wide to narrow, was inscribed with a line: 'The New Blade's Choice.'

The surrounding people marveled at the sword, while Sere wore a faint smile.

This was an award personally bestowed by Soshian to young knights who had performed excellently in battle. Only three people received this honor: Andrea, Terlason, and Sere, representing the Space Marine Chapter Master's recognition of them.

Sere was the youngest of the three, making it quite dazzling. Of course, his glory could not compare to Andrea's, as the latter received the honor of the New Blade's Crown.

"Alas, if my knight hadn't been severely damaged, I should have been able to get an honor."

Hearing Harlowin's sigh, Sere playfully punched him on the shoulder.

"Didn't you get a Medal of Valor?"

"Tch, many people got that, okay? It's as good as nothing."

Harlowin just shook his head helplessly.

It had been three days since the victory banquet, and everyone had wanted to see Sere's honor sword, but Baris had specially told Sere to keep a low profile, so he kept declining until today, when he couldn't resist his companions' urging.

"Alright, have you seen enough?"

Sere took the sword from Antotza and sheathed it in a light purple scabbard, which was also a gift with the sword. It was said to be made of Tyranid Tyrant's chitinous carapace. Moreover, Soshian also rewarded Sere with a Hydraphant's head—after being made into a specimen, it was now hung on the back of the Silver Unicorn.

These actions made many people notice that Soshian seemed to be very optimistic about this young knight, and even joked with him for a while at the victory banquet.

Of course, some people felt that Sere received less favor than Andrea, because that prince was directly invited to the massive Abyss-class ship for a private conversation with Soshian, and received a string of rose beads from the mysterious Mrs. Vileiz—this was not just a craft, it contained a small deflection field generator, which was an extremely expensive personal protective device.

This was why Baris asked Sere to keep a low profile. Although he was not an outstanding knight, he was sensitive to the atmosphere and opinions, and immediately realized that forces were pushing Sere and Andrea into a gladiatorial arena for competition.

"I heard we're leaving this place in a few days. Hah, it's really tiring. I don't know how many bugs I've stepped on. Now I dream about bugs."

After the crowd gradually dispersed, Sere and a few friends climbed the white marble steps and soon arrived at a viewing platform with an angel statue.

This was a high point in the Cardinal City, offering a panoramic view of the sprawling church palaces and city clusters tens of kilometers away. Compared to the dullness of the ships, the young knights preferred the natural scenery of the planet's surface.

Hearing Antotza's complaint, Sere smiled, rested his arm on the railing, and teased:

"Very good, next time I'll reward you with hundreds of thousands of screaming Orks."

"Seriously, I heard Orks are quite interesting. They can piece together things that walk on two feet with garbage. The Grand Duke participated in the Armageddon War before. I've seen some images. Those things are more exciting to fight than Tyranids. Tyranids are just numerous, so numerous that they're disgusting and nauseating. Fighting Orks at least has a dueling atmosphere. They seem to like one-on-one duels."

"Why think so much? Just fight whatever the family arranges."

"Alas, my dad said he's going to arrange a marriage for me as soon as I get back."

Hearing Antotza's words, Sere blinked.

"So soon?"

"He's anxious. I'm also very helpless. What about you?"

"Me?"

Sere smiled.

"I'm still young, and I have to build more merits. You know, Count Edson isn't so easy to talk to."

"That's true... Tasia isn't in a hurry, so you don't need to be in a hurry either."

At this moment, Sere noticed that Harlowin's face was a little strange, so he asked:

"Buddy, why do you look like you ate a fly?"

"It's nothing..."

Seeing his appearance, Sere suddenly realized what it was. Antotza also winked at him, but another person directly blurted out.

"Is it because of Ashleigh? Speaking of which, didn't you save her last time? Did she give you any indication?"

Sere immediately glared at the guy.

"Voychek, why are you asking about other people's private affairs!"

"Well, he said it himself. Last time he said happily that his heroic rescue of the beauty would definitely make her know his heart..."

Harlowin just sighed upon hearing this. Sere guessed that there must be something going on, but it was not easy to ask directly. The few people wandered around for a while and played billiards for a few hours. As night fell, Sere found Harlowin alone.

Under the dim yellow light, two figures walked side by side on the ancient wall, with the bright lights of thousands of homes in the distance.

"...After waking up from the coma, she just said a bland thank you to me. Then I went to find her again. Her maid said she wasn't there. I asked where she went. The maid didn't want to say at first. I asked the servant to bring a gift to inquire and found out that she went to thank that Li Lin... And during this time back in the Cardinal World, she seems to be often away, but her maid won't say anything."

"Li Lin... He did rescue Ashleigh from the damaged mech at the time, which is understandable."

"Bro, I saved her too! And that's a Space Marine. What else do they know besides fighting? Their behavior is so weird, and their smile makes my hair stand on end..."

Listening to Harlowin's complaints, Sere tried his best to comfort him, but for some reason, he suddenly thought of Tasia.

It seemed that she had been quite busy recently, too. Sere had looked for her twice, but she was not there.

"What's so good about that guy? His eyes are dark, he looks mean, and his skin is as white as a pretty boy! He also likes to keep that indecent short hair! Look at Lord Sabrin, how upright he is. None of the other Space Marines are like him... Alas, are you listening to me?"

"Oh, oh, I'm listening. Alas, you have to be careful with what you say. Be careful not to lose your life if it gets out... But many people like him. He's not pretentious and not as old-fashioned as other Space Marines. He's also witty and humorous. Alas, brother, I think you need to find the reason in yourself. You're too boring sometimes, you know? Girls don't necessarily care much about appearance. They pay more attention to feeling. You have to make her feel that being with you won't be boring. Ashleigh is not one of those unmarried young ladies. She's also a knight. Her personality must be very strong. You know, it's not easy to become a female knight. There are only a few in the whole family. You can't treat her the way you treat ordinary girls. You have to show confidence and strength! Instead of being soft. Maybe that's why she's closer to Li Lin? I have to say he's really powerful. How many enemies did he eliminate wearing Terminator armor? I feel that the efficiency is not even lower than that of a knight."

As he spoke, Sere himself suddenly felt a little uneasy, for some reason.

"...Women tend to admire the strong, and female knights are even more so. You have to make her feel that you are stronger than her to have the possibility of pursuing her."

"Alas, that's what you said. This time, my father and uncle were not very satisfied with my performance... It seems I have to train harder. Sere, let's practice more in the future."

"Yeah, that's right."

Patting his good brother's shoulder, Sere went to his room for a few drinks before returning to his residence.