Ahead of Us (End of This Volume, Taking a Day Off)

Eternal Castle, Royal Palace District

Only under the Duchess's guidance did Han Dong have the privilege of entering this area.

As they walked through the lavishly decorated corridors, the Imperial Guards patrolling there all lowered their heads before the Duchess and addressed her respectfully.

The aura emanating from every Imperial Guard made Han Dong shudder.

"Nicholas, do you know how the Holy City's royal family came to be?"

"Were they descended through a hereditary system from the former king of Italos?"

"No... More than two hundred years ago.

King Vittorio Emanuele II of Italos died during the Abyssal Demon awakening. Refugees from across Europe gathered on Italos's territory, drove out the few Abyssal Demons there, and established the Holy City.

As the Holy City stabilized and more and more Destiny travelers emerged, the Holy City adopted a Council Monarchy, appointing several people who stood at the highest levels in strength, wisdom, and virtue as its first-generation councilors.

Under their supervision, a unique royal system was established.

Times were different, so the meaning of royalty was different as well.

Since they symbolized the highest status, they had to be the strongest people in Destiny Space.

At the time, before the Knight Order system had taken shape, every Destiny traveler's ultimate goal was to become a member of the royal family through their own strength."

"So Commander Shaya means... the royal family consisted of early powerhouses chosen through some sort of competitive selection?"

"That's right. Rather than calling them the 'royal family.'

You can think of them as the 'first-generation Knight Order.' Some of the older generation liked to call the royal family NO.ZERO—the Zero Knight Order.

The later formation of the Thirteen Knights and the establishment of their detailed systems were all derived from the royal family's rules.

Of course, as