"It's bold of you to kick down that door to demand the freedom of Axel City, Kyouya...", Milcar smiles slightly. He doesn't know what news has been spread throughout Axel City because he left all that work in the hands of Wiz.
Kyouya seems somewhat confused before taking another step forward, his only arm gripping Gram, and his eyes shining with slight determination.
"I need to speak with your boss!, Where is Alderp?!", Kyouya demands, his majestic voice echoing through the office. The girls behind him, Fio and Cremea, smile for a moment, their hearts seem agitated by Kyouya's words. They are on the verge of saying something, but due to the presence of Milcar, who is said to be Alderp's right-hand man, they dare not speak.
A rumor has spread throughout Axel City, that rumor is Governor Alderp Alexei Barnes has retired to live a peaceful life away from politics. Not only that, but Walter, his son, has join the army against the Demon King.
With all this, one name circulates from mouth to mouth in Axel City. The name Milcar can be heard in every gossip, on every corner, and in every lunchtime conversation.
Milcar, Alderp's right-hand man, will be in charge of Axel City until Walter returns from the army.
Of course, these news were spread by Wiz and they are all lies, meant to buy some time.
Kyouya, a renowned adventurer from Axel City who knows Alderp from some chance encounters, is upset. A rumor has spread that a new law could be passed in Axel City, which states that all adventurers who are part of the Adventurer's Guild will become part of the militia under the new army of Axel City.
Naturally, news like this enraged many adventurers, who choose this profession because they are not tied to any kingdom or noble.
After all, this is a trick used by nobles multiple times, using adventurers to form an army and sending them to die on the battlefield.
In the streets of Axel, rumors about recruiting adventurers as part of a small army to be sent to the front lines in the war against the demons spread like wildfire.
No one wants to die, which is precisely why Kyouya, after his return to Axel City, dared to come to Milcar's office to say what he thinks about this supposed new law.
In front of Milcar, Kyouya, despite feeling a strange sensation that he is facing an unparalleled man, still puffs out his chest and looks at Milcar as if he were looking at an enemy.
"So, Mr. Kyouya, Do you think adventurers can continue living the life they have been living?", Milcar asks before smiling. He takes a few steps forward, looking Kyouya in the eyes.
"Mr. Kyouya, you should already know, at the front, in the war, the Kingdom of Belzerg, which we are so proud of, is losing. There are no more heroes ready to give their lives for humanity... I think you understand, Right?", Milcar smiles, leaving some hidden meanings under his words.
Kyouya narrows his eyes with repressed anger and annoyance. Milcar has hit the spot. After all, despite smiling gallantly and acting like a hero who will fight for justice in the name of the goddess Aqua, Kyouya has already lost the determination he had when he arrived in this world.
After his fight against that strange red Kobold, Kyouya has felt that his dream of bringing peace to this world has crumbled. His body trembles when he sees an enemy, his left hand can barely hold the sword without starting to shake, and an unprecedented fear fills his heart whenever he has to think about taking on a new mission.
Kyouya breathes in some cold air as he lowers his head a bit. He is a tired man who, deep in his heart, awaits death.
"Hope is like a city full of streets and sewers. Hope is like a city at war with its periods of drought and abundance. Hope is like a city at war, full of cynical drunks. Hope is the heart, hope is the man, hope is a city, the world is hope...", Milcar murmurs softly. However, his voice resonates in Kyouya's mind like a mantra.
Standing in front of Kyouya, Milcar raises his right hand to touch the protective armor on Kyouya's chest.
The blond adolescent narrows his eyes with some bewilderment, almost raising his head to ask what Milcar was doing before feeling an unparalleled warmth coming from Milcar's hand.
The sensation is calming and soothing, comparable to being lifted by loving motherly arms after a winter night, filling every part of Kyouya's body with hope, warmth, and a longing for the future.
"What...!!!"
"Damn!!"
"What the hell is that?!.."
In the office, several curses uttered by beautiful girls can be heard, all observing with wide eyes Kyouya's body.
At this moment, Kyouya's body glows slightly, with closed eyes and almost kneeling on one knee. Kyouya emanates a sense of pure sanctity, his mind, his body, his armor, everything has changed in Kyouya.
The part where Kyouya's severed arm used to be begins to show a slight change, like watching a salamander regenerate in a high-speed video, a new arm starts to grow from Kyouya's stump.
After the women present shouted in amazement, there was a slight moment of silence as they just watched a new arm grow from Kyouya's stump.
Kyouya's armor, torn in all places if one looks closely, begins to change and mutate, the color gradually turning into a light tone, regenerating. The steel it's made of gradually improves in purity and acquires new properties.
Kyouya's newly grown arm is covered by the regenerating armor.
From a worn blue armor emerges a snow-white armor, with spikes on the shoulders, a breastplate that seems indestructible along with decorations like hieroglyphs on every part of the armor. Kyouya looks more majestic, his golden hair turning white and growing slightly.
After a minute, Kyouya finishes feeling the warm sensation. His mind has processed a variety of information in just a minute, his body has changed, and his thinking took a drastic turn, almost as if his memories had changed.
Kyouya opens his eyes slightly, looking at Milcar in front of him. Kyouya's eyes are filled with a slight white glow, and he bows deeply.
"Hmph..." Kyouya murmurs some difficult-to-understand words, as his head presses against the ground. Several tears escape his eyes, his heart moved, and his soul seems to have been bathed in a ton of hope.
"I..." Kyouya was about to say something, but he couldn't find the right words to continue speaking.
What could he say?
Saying thank you will insult the man who gave you such a gift. At this moment, the two girls, Fio and Cremea, behind Kyouya, react. Their minds finish processing everything that has happened, and they also bow deeply in gratitude towards Milcar.
"From now on, you will be in charge of the entire adventurer army that will be formed in Axel City", Milcar pronounces words easy to understand, and Kyouya nods.