A knight with brown scruffy hair bangs his curled fist onto a glass oval table.

"Calina's gone too far this time! How long are we going to tolerate her brash behavior?"

Another knight jumps from his seat. "Not only that but using a mere child for human augmentation? It's a miracle she's alive; Who authorized this procedure?!"

The room was full of cigar smoke and smelt of alcohol. A group of men sat at several seats surrounding a large oval table. The walls were botanic, matching the dark-wooded floor.

My eyes gaze up to Captain Stroyer, who's resting his back on the wall adjacent to me at the back of the meeting room.

"… Sorry."

He opens his left and eye and looks down towards me. "… For what?"

I peer down to the floor and clench my fists. "Saori… Dai…"

Stroyer fixes his gaze forward and lets out a sigh.

"Kid, you gotta understand something about the procedure you underwent. Every Knight gets a boost in stamina and strength when they're appraised for their class. Your role is basically set in stone, nothing you can do about it.

However, CVO is a little something the doctors cooked up that gives you an incredible boost in all of your stats… The only downside is that you have to be a good match for it to work properly. If you aren't, well, you die. Along with the other high-class knights, we had to get our testing done over a long period of time. There are only three people who took it like a champ all in one go."

"Calina, You, and Valer." The black-haired woman to my right states without lifting her gaze. She rests her black glove on her long scabbard, almost touching the floor.

"What… Minora said."

After my unconscious brawl, Captain Stroyer and Captain Minora took me to a meeting room with a group of people in military uniform sitting around a large oval table.

A man with a broad mustache stood from his seat at the far end of the table.

He raised his hand and gave a subtle smile. "Gentlemen, no need to get so worked up. In fact, it was me who authorized Calina to go through with the procedure."

The room grew silent as the standing men situated themselves in their seats. The standing man looks in my direction and beckons me forward.

I shuffle across the floor, averting my gaze toward the men as their gazes fixed on me.

"My name is Commander Uvox, the current Head of Militia for the Phoenia Empire."

Uvox looked down at me with a cordial expression.

"You're a pretty strong girl to have gone through this procedure and lived… Do you understand?"

I nod, my head still faced toward the ground.

"We actually knew of your arrival for quite some time now. Well, of course, we didn't know you'd find us, but sooner or later, we would've definitely found you."

My eyes shift upwards so I can meet his. "… My arrival?"

"Well, of course, you're a Holy Knight, aren't you? Legends speak of the incredible tales of Holy Knights all over Euphoria. We've been anticipating your appearance along with Ms. Yuumi's for a very long time."

My face drops towards the ground as he starts to walk back toward his seat.

"… And when the world needs to be saved, let the five Holy Knights come forth from the heavens to protect the people of this world."

He peers behind himself and looks toward me.

"Ring any bells?"

"No… Not really."

He sits on his wide wooden throne and caresses his beard. "In any case, the Phoenia empire is in the current possession of three of the Holy Knights. Our General Calina, Yuumi, and you, of course."

"I've heard of the Weapons Master Valer… Do you know where she is located?"

Murmurs grow around the room as they give appalled expressions.

Uvox sighed while taking a puff of smoke from his white and brown cigar. "Fwssh… She's currently in the hands of the Wuulong Coalition north of here."

In most cases, Holy Knights come from Earth and are given a second chance here… I wonder if that's the same for this "Valer" person.

"Wait… You only named four, is there a 5th Holy Knight?"

Uvox puts out his cigar and turns to the broad windowpanes showcasing the bustling city from below. "Unfortunately not. And it's quite hard to say since, unlike mages, the Knight-class doesn't really give off a high amount of magical energy once they've evolved."

He snaps his fingers, and a girl, with brown hair shaped into a large bun, walks over to him. She hands him a white crystal that has a glossy texture.

"I believe you deserve an answer as to why you've been selected for the testing, and it's quite simple. We believe in your potential and want you to be prepared by any means necessary. We're currently in the midst of a war with the surrounding nations. They've grown tired of our advancements in magical technology and want to test our military strength. But the only threat we see is the Evil King and his generals."

"There's… More of them?"

"Oh yes. We don't know how many, but we do know that he has a group of capable warriors fighting for his cause, whatever it may be."

I clench my fists while looking toward him. "So let me guess… You brought me here because you want me to do some digging and find their whereabouts?"

Uvox gives a small chuckle as he smooths out his black and silver hair. "No-no. We have capable knights like Calina for missions like that. In fact, I want you to do the opposite."

The man crushes the white crystal, and a green-colored stone shaped like a medallion appears in his hand. "We're going to award you the Emerald rank as we want to continue testing your strength while allowing you a bit of freedom to do as you please. You won't be needing anymore mentoring from Calina as you've obviously proved your combat strength."

The Commander stands from his chair and walks over to me. He puts the silver chain around my neck as he untucks my hair from the back while giving me a soft smile.

"You're now an Emerald Knight of the Phoenia Empire… I suppose you need an echelon, but what to choose?…."

He turns around with his hand planted on his chin. "You haven't necessarily done anything spectacular as of yet… So let's settle for something simple… How about, Female Knight Momoko?"