For Vivien, Ethan was a lamentable excuse. She knew it was impossible for this man to be the destined king of humanity. After all, she had heard some rumors from certain wandering knights who spoke of a person who had fought in the trial alongside Ethan and led them to surpass level 100.
Although the current narrative was about how Ethan rose above difficulties with only his willpower and skill, many had witnessed him in the challenge zone before entering Glamoria. They all saw how he declined to defend humanity, and how another knight accepted the challenge on his own.
Ethan was left speechless, so Vivien forcibly withdrew her hand and left the hall, leaving Ethan alone.
Ethan stood alone in the room and began to swing his fists in the air. He wanted to hit and break things, but he knew that such behavior would only make him look more ridiculous. He felt truly trampled and underestimated.
The rest did not understand the difficulty of the task he had to undertake. Although humanity had made a great start by awakening their internal energy innately, thanks to the victory of a mysterious knight over another race, they had soon bitten off more than they could chew and had made many enemies in their surroundings.
That's when the lack of leadership began to be felt. The various clans and families began to have differences, and humanity's unified front began to crack. Worse yet, the king, instead of rectifying and aiming for cohesion, entrenched himself even further in his position.
This meant a significant net loss because although only the king could choose the so-called mandates annually, which were yearly bonuses for a specific issue that applied transversely to the lands controlled de jure, their effectiveness was weighed against the kingdom's cohesion, which couldn't be faked.
So, the current situation saw the effectiveness of the mandates reduced by over 70%, and there were many risks of sedition. One of the most determining factors was what was known as the phantom class.
The phantom class referred to humanity's duel in the lead-up to their arrival in Glamoria. Ten thousand of humanity's best warriors witnessed the moment when they were challenged and how the top 7 members passed the responsibilities from one to another, renouncing to fight in the name of humanity. However, a knight in armor advanced without saying a word and fought an impressive battle, overwhelming the enemy and intimidating any future adversary.
Over time, people learned about the class, but no one knew the identity of the knight. The information that came to light was that these knights had a special class called the Knight of the Flower of Liz. However, no one had seen one, and although there were other people dressed in similar armor among the 10,000, none of them wanted to serve the king of humanity and scattered to the four winds.
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Unbeknownst to humanity, they had lost one of their greatest winning cards. The special class of each race was powerful not for its current effects, but because it was one that could constantly evolve with the race itself, and no other class could fit more perfectly. In the current situation, the Grand Master, the only one who could train more knights, was nowhere to be found.
Ethan was in his chamber, an exquisitely decorated place with beautiful furniture made of exotic woods and fine ivory, adorned with figures dedicated to the history of England and France. He was sipping on a finely crafted wine acquired at a high price from a distant elven kingdom and enjoying the fine incense of harpy tribes when an urgent messenger entered his chamber, accompanied by his wife Vivien and other key members of his government.
"Your Majesty, I have an important message from the southern garrisons. It has been reported that the territories across the sea have declared independence and formed three new human kingdoms."
Ethan flew into a rage, unable to control his anger, he hurled the fine cup to the ground.
"Where in the devil did they get the authority to declare themselves kings?" he shouted, almost foaming at the mouth. After all, for him, it had been difficult to obtain authority, so it should be nearly impossible for others.
"As far as we know, they have none; they simply crowned themselves, so they don't have the system's support," Vivien's response only infuriated Ethan further. They were willing to lose the power of the mandates and the great benefits they provided. How could they be so foolish?
"Someone must have incited the southern territories. It's unthinkable that they rebelled against my government on their own."
"That's correct, my lord. You are the wisest and most just leader. How could your subjects think of betrayal? Someone must have confused them," the rat-like counselor rushed to reaffirm Ethan's beliefs.
"Lord Malakar thinks as I do. Do you have any information on the traitor?" Ethan hurriedly sought approval, and he always found it in this individual.
"Of course, my lord. Come with me; I have some reports and plans that we could discuss in this situation." So Ethan left the room and the rest of his council. Vivien could only sigh. This counselor Malakar was a very suspicious person. He had come out of nowhere, and although it seemed his only strong point was flattery, he was always one step ahead of the House of Avignon when it came to completely dominating the king.
As for Vivien, she couldn't hide her frustration. When she was offered to marry the king of humanity, she never imagined things would turn out like this. After all, the system rewarded only meritocracy, and it was impossible to deceive it. So, if someone truly qualified for that position, they had to be truly incredible.
Few knew that Vivien was right in her suspicions. Only three beings were conscious of this anomaly: Sera, Ethan himself, who had been awarded an undeserved prize by pledging loyalty that wasn't his to pledge in the first place, and the mysterious knight who had led humanity to this point in the first place.