Allen did not revere nobles.
He even harbored some resentment toward them. Winnie's death was inextricably tied to the nobles' schemes, and one day he would take revenge on those nobles for it.
But regardless, faced with Elliot, who had come to the battlefield in person, he still bowed. "Why are you here?"
"I am the lord of this land. A noble's blood should naturally be shed for his people."
Allen froze for a moment.
The Empire had no such tradition. Nobles never went onto the battlefield.
Their nobility came from their bloodline, not their character. They were noble by birth.
Yet the boy before him intended to shed his noble blood for commoners like them?
Allen instinctively thought he was joking, but this was a battlefield. He really had come into danger.
Something flickered in Allen's eyes.
Perhaps his magnificent robes were not the only thing out of place.
"Let's hurry! While the monsters have been driven back. We'll be in trouble if they surround us!" Elliot said quietly.
Only then did Allen notice that Elliot had just a handful of Machine Priests beside him.
With their mechanical prosthetics, each could operate several weapons, delivering tremendous firepower, but the ammunition a single person could carry was limited. Questions arose in Allen's mind, but with the situation so urgent, he could only suppress them.
Elliot urged his horse forward and came before the Factory Guard. "I am Elliott Sterling, lord of the Hearthfire District! In my name, everyone will now obey my orders!"
The people looked toward Elliot. Ordinarily, they might have questioned this far-too-young lord, but this was a battlefield. He had broken through the monsters' blockade to rescue them, and naturally, that changed everything.
Elliot swept his gaze across the crowd. They instantly fell silent, watching him with