April 1st—the final month of spring had finally arrived.
Dogs with swollen bellies prowled through streets and alleyways, while plump orange cats lay lazily at street corners, basking in the sun.
After today's court session ended, a piece of news was finally officially announced—
Ron, God's Favored One, Goddess's Representative, specially appointed teaching assistant of the Imperial City Magic Academy, honorary student of the First Military Academy, and Seventh Prince Andre, would be granted the title of territorial count.
The specific details had yet to be revealed, but all manner of versions were already spreading through the streets and lanes of the Imperial City.
The granting of a count's title was something one might not see even once in several years.
A territorial count was even rarer.
The First Prince had only been granted the title of count, elevated from viscount, after advancing to a sixth-rank warrior and repeatedly distinguishing himself in battle.
The Second Prince had likewise spent years cultivating the Western Frontier and made outstanding contributions to its economic development before barely being granted a count's title. Even then, he was only an honorary count, not a territorial one.
Seen that way, Ron did not seem quite qualified.
Aside from his exceptionally special status as God's Favored One, his other honors looked impressive, but compared with the achievements of those two princes, his record was still somewhat thin.
Yet even so, the court proposal to grant Ron a count's title had been finalized within half a month.
If ordinary citizens learned that many people at court had even urged that Ron be granted a marquis's title, who knew what their expressions would look like.
"The news is confirmed?"
In the control room of the Moonview Street tournament venue, Ron looked at Sylvie, who had come to see him,