The Legends kept trading barbs at the front of the banquet hall while Landen made his way around the back, raising a toast to each person in turn. With the fighting on the front lines so intense lately, it had been ages since he'd returned to Night-Kirin City to properly catch up with his closest people.
The happiest person at the gathering was naturally Landen's father, Hark Gallop. The Elf Queen, a National Pillar who was both a Legend and a Demigod—all of it showed that the revival of the Gallop Kingdom was now inevitable. It was an achievement the Human Empire had never managed in centuries.
As soon as he saw Landen, Hark pulled out a scroll. "Son, you can't imagine how I feel right now. I just received His Majesty Dusen's appointment this morning. I'm to become a Court Marquis! He even sent Prince Richie in person to deliver the news!"
"A Court Marquis? I thought Count Kempins Bristle-Wolf was also a Court Marquis?"
"Haha, the titles are similar, but the positions are quite different. Old Bristle-Wolf's marquisate is that of the King's palace steward. In name, he manages the camps and secondary capitals outside Dragon Tooth City. But the King of the Dragon Kingdom has only one palace, and it's in the Imperial Capital, where it's managed by someone else. His position was just a title the great nobles left him nine years ago. You've never heard him let anyone call him Marquis, have you?"
In the Dragon Kingdom, every landed great noble held an important position at court. Their families' influence could be seen in the rank of their offices. Hark's appointment, for instance, was Master of the Royal Stables.
In Landen's homeland, the position had different regional equivalents, such as marshal or commander-in-chief. All were