Humanity's Hero Of Despair

Trumpets blaring and the resounding sound of clapping is all I hear.

My friends and I are in shock as we enter the outdoor courtyard. From outside the gates, you wouldn't have known anything was going on, but inside the gates of the courtyard, there is a massive party. Many magic knights in ceremonial uniform salute me as they see me enter the courtyard.

"Welcome, Your Imperial Grace, Grand Duke Lotus!"

They all shout as they bow to me.

The nobles all give me a big round of applause and cheer as they notice me. Many wear expressions of excitement, some admiration, others curiosity, and some even seem resentful. In the center of all this mess of fancy celebration stands Emperor Hadrian III himself. He is holding a glass of champagne nonetheless.

In a booming voice befitting an Emperor, he shouts something to the entire crowd.

"In celebration of the new Grand Duke of the reformed Lotus Grand Dukedom!"

He raises his glass, and all the other nobles and guests raise theirs.

The cheers and live music begin as people start dancing. The classic live music of the violinists lights up the night sky. The beautiful hanging lights around the courtyard give a warm glow to the atmosphere.

My friends and I look around the place in awe.

We walk around the courtyard a bit as many nobles introduce themselves to me. My friends help me get through the crowd and work my way toward the dining tables placed outside. The banquet tables overflow with the finest meats, wines, exotic fruits, etc.

It must have cost a lot to arrange this, I think to myself as someone gives me a sample of one of the meats to try.

Some of the nobles compliment me as I make my way to the banquet tables. Some of them seem fake, while others seem genuine. It is interesting to see how different people perceive me. Thank goodness I have good friends who can help me tell the difference as well.

Eventually, we make it to the banquet tables. I grab a plate and fill it to the brim with delicious food. My eyes steal a glance at Matteo's and Zephyr's plates, and sure enough, they are also filled to the brim with food.

We spot the Emperor at one of the empty dining tables, gesturing for us to join him.

My friends ask if it is okay to join us, and the Emperor gestures for all of us to join him. We all sit at the table, and my friends begin to happily dig into their fancy meal. Their expressions look relaxed as we finally take a break from it all. The atmosphere. The music.

All of it helps to distract us from the events of the past few days.

"I hope you are enjoying your surprise, Nico!"

The Emperor says to me while taking a sip of his champagne.

"It was a bit hard to get all of this set up in secret, but it helped that you were doing commander training on the other side of the Imperial Palace, haha. Anyway, this official celebration makes it official under my decree that you are the Grand Duke of Lotus, formerly known as the Dukedom of Lancaster."

"Thank you very much, Hadrian, for doing all of this for me."

"It isn't a problem, Nico, just be wary, as this announcement may give you a lot of allies but also potentially a few enemies. They won't do anything because you are supported by the Imperial Crown, but they might strike if given the chance. We will be here to protect you, though."

He says to me as we both eye the surrounding nobles.

As if on cue, a few noble ladies walk up to me, giving me flirtatious hints. I was about to politely tell them off, but Ivy did it for me before I had the chance. Thank goodness I have her here with me.

"This food is super delicious, ya know!"

Leena says to me while stuffing her face alongside her brother. I don't think those two even have a stomach—it's just a bottomless pit at this point. I laugh as Matteo tries to speak but can't because he has too much food in his mouth.

Quillen does not seem amused by the situation as he eats very properly with his fork and knife. The difference in how each one was raised is incredible—or more so, Quillen is just more obedient. I can imagine King Grey sighing at the sight of Matteo's table manners. That thought alone makes me laugh internally.

"If I may, Your Imperial Highness, ask an important question?"

Estes asks all of a sudden to the Emperor as he puts his book down.

"Please. You may also call me Hadrian, as you are a close friend of the Grand Duke. How may I help you?"

Estes clears his throat and, for the first time, appears quite nervous. The hotshot and GCK MVP Champion confidence went right out the window.

"Would you please help me improve my earth magic? I saw your fight with Nico and forgot to mention it with everything going on. You are one of the best earth mages I know on the entire continent. It would be an honor to even get some advice from you."

The Emperor laughs happily.

"Of course, Estes. Maybe I can learn something from you as well. I heard you are quite adept with nature magic, which is something I lack more of than just simple earth magic. Nature magic is a more advanced form of earth magic, even if earth magic is more powerful in raw intensity."

Estes smiles.

"Thank you, Hadrian. That means the world to me."

It makes me happy to see my friends getting along with the Emperor. My peace is short-lived, though, as the Emperor points to two grand figures approaching us.

"Those two are Grand Duke Zogard and Grand Duke Pedgas. They managed to arrive tonight as they were in nearby towns. I would like you to meet them."

Oh, great.