Legend has it that the people of Romanthia are descendants of giants, or more precisely, descendants of the descendants of giants.

It's well-known that the giant race had a rather peculiar marital system. To call it marriage might be a stretch; it was more about perpetuating their lineage.

During the Second Age, giants were no longer content with only procreating with their own kind. They began to search across various planes for promising intelligent beings. Some of the more conservative titans mingled with humans, giving birth to children with exceptional gifts. These children were the earliest heroes.

The renowned heroes with giant blood coursing through their veins were the progeny of giants and humans.

On the other hand, some giants, known for their liberal thoughts and unusual preferences, mated with strange intelligent creatures. They spawned an array of ancient magical beasts with a myriad of chaotic abilities. Some of these beasts became the progenitors of abyssal demons, while others dwelled in elemental planes, evolving into peculiar and unique species.

In this regard, the giant race bore resemblance to the dragon race. Both significantly contributed to the diversity of species across the planes.

In the Third Age, following the defeat of the giants by the famed six-winged Seraphs, born from the Source of Holy Light, the odd species left behind by the giants were systematically eradicated by the descending angels.

It was an era of unparalleled splendor and grandeur.

Above the stars, each day witnessed the golden bodies of giants plummeting from the skies, marking the planes with the initial footsteps of the six-winged Seraphs. On the ground, the angels began spreading their faith, establishing churches. Under the radiance of My Lord, humanity started to flourish and expand at an astonishing pace. Sheltered by the Holy Light, human footprints began to cover various planes, conquering fertile lands.

It was the most glorious yet the most brutal of times.

Under the glory of My Lord, humans battled alongside centaurs, Frost Giants, Mountain Giants, and countless other creatures with giant bloodlines.

They gradually squeezed the living space of these beings, driving them to extinction or banishing them from the material plane.

This brutal conflict persisted until My Lord fell into slumber, marking its end.

The outcome of the war was the gradual disappearance of numerous species with giant lineage, forced to retreat to the harsh environments of hellish abysses and otherworldly planes. The centaur race, once considered one of the three great races alongside elves and dwarves during the Second Age, became a nomadic tribe struggling to survive in the interstices of various planes.

Frankly speaking, when the humans of Delrano expanded their territories, the first race to be erased from the map of Delrano was the centaur race.

Ancient magical beasts continued to perish or were forced to eke out a living in otherworldly planes.

However, the original human heroes with giant blood managed to survive. Some aligned themselves with the faith of the Holy Light, while others exiled themselves to remote and primal planes.

In a way, My Lord, though ruthless, was also magnificent. Humanity thrived and expanded under His dominion, becoming the rulers of various planes.

Historical documents unanimously point out that during the Second Age, humans were nothing but sheep reared by giants, the most delectable dish on the menu of countless magical beasts with giant lineage.

My Lord, too, herded his sheep, but at least He knew how to cherish His flock.

The heroes aligned with the Holy Light gradually faded into the annals of history, and their descendants became indistinguishable from ordinary humans due to the dilution of their bloodlines.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

However, those ancient heroes who chose self-exile in primal planes did not vanish.

Throughout an age, they grew in strength, formed new civilizations, and gradually started to emerge in the Prime Material Plane.

Among them were the Romanthians.

Although their bloodline had thinned over generations, there was no doubt that they were significantly more powerful than ordinary humans.

The Romanthians were descendants of Tia, one of the River Goddesses of the Second Age. Tia, a human hero with half giant lineage, had triumphed over the original River Goddess and took her place as the new deity.

At the onset of the Third Age, as the faith of the Holy Light spread across countless planes and the imminent destruction of the giants became inevitable, some of the self-exiled ancient heroes, including the River Goddess and the Romanthians, still retained certain giant characteristics.

For instance, their family structures still bore significant traits of human society during the Second Age.

Brothers would marry their widowed sisters-in-law, fathers would replace their deceased sons as husbands to their daughters-in-law.

Such convoluted relationships were always shunned by other humans in the world of Delrano. In fact, the Church of Delrano's world would engage in considerable friction with the Romanthian Empire every year. Of the Church's five standing Orders of Holy Knights, nearly three were perennially stationed at the borders of the Romanthian Empire.

Despite the strength of humanity in the world of Delrano, the constant disputes with other races from the outside world meant that internal conflicts had to be suppressed for the time being.

Over the years, the Church has been regulating various nations, striving to prevent wars among humans. After all, due to the unique nature of its plane, the world of Delrano has always been under the watchful eyes of demons from the abyss.

Perhaps due to their lineage from the River Goddess, the empire of Romanthia has traditionally been ruled by women. Not just any women, but the queens of Romanthia, who, after union with men, bore only daughters.

This might be related to the River Goddess being a majestic and towering figure of a goddess.

In the empire of Romanthia, the queen is not the actual ruler but rather a figurehead to pacify the populace and the nobility. Everyone in the world of Delrano knows that the true power lies with the High Priest of the temple. The High Priest controls the armies and the faith of the Romanthian Empire and serves as the mortal spokesperson for the River Goddess. After analysis, Felix concludes that Romanthia is a theocratic state with a hint of monarchy.

If the legends hold true, Felix predicts that significant events are on the horizon.

The Romanthians, by nature, are tall, powerful, and formidable, although not as terrifyingly strong as the savages. Still, they surpass the Northerners. Since their arrival in the world of Delrano, with each abyssal invasion, their territory has expanded. The lands once occupied by demons, and reclaimed by them, naturally became part of their realm. This includes the vast plains originally belonging to the centaurs, which they had reclaimed from the abyssal demons upon their arrival in the world of Delrano.

The Romanthians don't fear demons, or to be precise, they don't fear the non-elite demons, as ordinary fiends are no match for their warriors. The main forces of the abyssal demons are always restrained by the power of the Church.

The main battlegrounds of the abyssal invasions are located outside the borders of the Romanthian Empire. This has prevented them from becoming the front line in the resistance against the abyssal invasions, allowing them to focus on recapturing lands occupied by demons.

For the peasants living at the bottom of society, everything seems too far away, and they are powerless to change anything.

At this time of year, spring wheat has already been sown. After returning to the main road, Felix sees faint green sprouts in the fields on either side. Across the vast fields, he can spot many farmers busily irrigating their lands, toiling for this year's harvest.

Even though the land does not belong to them.

The world of Delrano still maintains a relatively primitive system of slavery. The existence of slaves is legal and considered the lawful property of the nobility.

The multi-racial conflicts have slowed the progress of civilization in the world of Delrano, despite its history being no less extensive than that of the Prime Material Plane. In the Prime Material Plane, laws abolishing the trade of slaves had already appeared before the establishment of the Titans' Empire. Although private sales still occurred, they were at least not so blatant. However, in the

world of Delrano, despite the Church's repeated proclamations against the existence of slavery, there has been little to no effect. The production of slaves from warfare ensures that as long as a large number of slaves exist, the abolition of the slavery system remains improbable.

Whenever Felix thinks of the material plane, he can't help but wonder if, in the absence of divine intervention, it would have eventually embarked on the path of early capitalism and ultimately given birth to a magic civilization centered around steam magic.

Unfortunately, this budding possibility was abruptly nipped in the bud.

Now, in the Prime Material Plane, those researching steam magic are even deemed heretics by the Church and burned at the stake.