During the fourth week of July 2024, on a Sunday late morning, Rowan begins questioning himself about the Celestial Concordium, wondering why his Legendary Summoned Characters come from that realm. He lacks information about the Celestial Concordium or the origins of the two characters he summoned. Still, he has noted that his summoned characters have gained the favor of the Goddess of War and the Goddess of Wind from their realm.
Something seemed off about Rowan; it was as if he had forgotten something important related to his memory from when he first received his Gacha Class Job during the ceremony back home. As the magical carriage passed through the border wall between the Valenwood Territories and the Brightwell Territories, they finally arrived at the Viscount of Upper Rank, the Town of Brightwell. The Brightwell Household is part of the Second Princess Elowen Solas Brightwind's faction. While they have limited military power, they possess abundant resources that can be transported from their territory to the Valenwood Household.
The Valenwood Household serves as one of the bases of operations for the Second Princess, totaling four bases. These include one from a Sovereign Duke of an Upper-Rank Household, a Duke from a Lower-Rank Household, an Earl from an Upper-Rank Household, and a Count from a Lower-Rank Household. Rowan and Elira presented their identification cards at the border checkpoint to verify their identities, allowing them to pass through. After crossing the border, they took a break to rest and have lunch in the Brightwell Territories before continuing on their journey.
After lunchtime, they continued their journey beyond the Brightwell Territory as they crossed the border. Due to their status as the heirs of the Valenwood Household of Count Lower-Rank and the Ashbourne Household of Baron Upper-Rank, the 49th Military Rank Soldier known as the "Moonlight Squire" advised them, "Sir Rowan and Lady Elira, since you are now entering the neutral territories and lawless lands beyond this border, it is recommended that you bring one of the Brightwell Knight Order for protection."
Rowan replied, "No need, Moonlight Squire A. We have our protection. Please inform the Lord of Brightwell that we won't be borrowing one of his knights." The Moonlight Squire relayed this message to the Lord, who responded by urging them to stay safe and remain vigilant as they continued through the neutral and lawless territories. As they passed a small mountain, they stopped so Rowan could summon his characters, Knight Commander Selene, and the newly joined Markswoman Commander Lyriana, who would use a disguise artifact.
The High-Elven woman kneeled as she replied, "Good day to you, Lord Rowan and Lady Elira. I am Lyriana Sylvara Silverleaf, the second Princess of the Eldoria Sylvanna Kingdom and the Markswoman Commander of the Elven Imperial Army. I am ready to serve you both to the best of my abilities." Rowan was slightly shocked by this and urged her to rise, as he found it an odd situation. Meanwhile, Elira laughed at Rowan's reaction to Lyriana's bowing.
"Elira, please stop laughing," he said, but Elira merely paused for a moment, still wanting to tease him further. "Selene and Lyriana, I will assign you to command certain summoned characters based on your abilities." They both responded eagerly, "Yes, my lord."
Rowan summoned 25 Blue 3-Star Knights and 25 Blue 3-Star Heavy Shieldmen for Knight Commander Selene to lead. For Markswoman Commander Lyriana, he summoned 25 Blue 3-Star Expert Marksmen and 25 Blue 3-Star Advanced Priests for cover fire and support. In total, there were 100 summoned characters from the Epic Tier Units.
To avoid appearing as a suspicious group of armed individuals, Rowan decided to equip all his summoned characters with armor featuring the Ashbourne Household logo. This symbol indicated that the soldiers belonged to a noble knight's order. He also placed the logo on both sides of a magical carriage, signaling that a nobleman was traveling through neutral and lawless territories with heavily armed escorts. As a result, the local criminals and bandits kept their distance, deterred by the imposing presence of Rowan's fully equipped summoned characters throughout the journey. Well, nobody will know whether they are summoned characters or not, because they are wearing full-body armor, their bodies and faces are covered.
As the sun began to set and nightfall approached, Rowan thought they would soon arrive at their designated location. However, it seemed that the journey would be more difficult than anticipated. Rowan continued onward with Elira, Selene, Lyriana, and the summoned characters, despite the dangers of the night. Fortunately, their task would be easier thanks to the strength of his summoned allies, particularly Selene and Lyriana, both of whom were level 1000 stats.
As they pressed on into the night, they spotted the small hamlet that Rowan had been tasked to reach. However, it appeared that some troublesome figures were hiding in the trees and bushes—most likely bandits or local criminals. Usually, Rowan will command his summoned characters, but since he already summoned and commanded Selene and Lyriana to fight, they immediately head to the enemies killing them with no mercy, after all their just lawless criminals who will just steal and kill whenever they meet someone who have valuable or kidnapped women for their desires.
Rowan will bring justice to these dangerous criminals that should be eliminated, because people or players who committed a crime or sin, they either sent to a magical prison base or executed if the sins they committed were much worse, the neutral areas and the lawless territories are the perfect place for them to escape since there is no laws and people can do whatever they want to do, the question is why the Imperial Army, the Knightly Order, and the High Commands aren't doing anything? "Well, of course, the Treaty of Neutrality made it difficult to cause chaos in their lands and a huge war would break off if someone breached the treaty."
Although the Neutral Areas and the Lawless Territories occupy only a small percentage of total land—ranging from 0.5% to 1%—they are home to a significantly larger population, which includes both dangerous individuals and those who are not. So, what distinguishes the Neutral Areas from the Lawless Territories?
"The Neutral Areas are governed by neutral councils or powerful organizations that do not seek power for themselves. Instead, their focus is on trade, diplomatic meetings, and mediating conflicts. Individuals who violate laws—whether they are criminals, members of a knight order, or even nobility—are subject to penalties based on the laws established outside the authority of the Imperial of the Crown."
"But, when comes to the Lawless Territories, the exact opposite of the neutral areas. They will eliminate anyone who either trespasses their territory and will do much worse than being punished by law, in the most brutal and not good way will happen. There is no governance, but they are being commanded under the Bandit King, Warlord, or someone who has a notorious bounty and fame when it comes to committing a sin that will never be forgiven. In here, only the strong will live, while the weak will die easily."
Another question arises: what is the purpose of the Empire of the Crown in sending representatives to build trust within small populations, such as hamlets and villages? "The answer is clear: they aim to reclaim the territories and the people they have lost."
Before the world was engulfed in magic, auras, supernatural abilities, and the player status we see now, the Kingdom of Solaria Archipelago was a united kingdom with relatively few disputes and conflicts. All territories operated under a democratic government. However, when the world changed and new powers became accessible to anyone, new wars broke out. Ordinary criminals, breaking free from prison, seized these new powers and authority, leading to the capture of various territories.
This history was recorded by the "Alliance of Global Harmony," a peace-driven organization focused on promoting worldwide cooperation, diplomacy, and the prevention of wars. The creation of the Treaty of Neutrality was a successful initiative undertaken by a group of scholars who chose to live peacefully and remain uninvolved in worldly affairs such as wars, conflicts, territorial disputes, and politics. Surprisingly, even some lawless territories agreed to the Treaty of Neutrality, although there were a few who did not. This resistance often stems from individuals in power who prioritize strength over knowledge, embracing brawn rather than brains.
In the first week of August 2024, on a Monday morning, Rowan, Elira, and all his companions arrived at their designated location, supposedly it was yesterday their arrival but they had to deal with the dead bodies of the bandits or wanted criminals that must be eliminated without mercy due to their strong blood emitting in their body, meaning they killed many innocent people with their hands. And, Rowan prepared a letter of excuse for his absence from the Everglow Academy, which included Elira's name. Typically, the academy does not accept excuses, especially from college-level students. However, since Rowan's excuse was related to the Imperial of the Crown, they promptly accepted both his and Elira's letters of absence.
(End of Chapter 18)