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Gideon tilted his head and asked with genuine curiosity, "And exactly how did you plan to punish Solomon?"

"By challenging him to a formal duel," Jeffery answered proudly. "I would have beaten him into the dirt this evening in front of the entire courtyard if you had not intervened and saved him."

"I did not intervene to save Solomon," Gideon corrected, his tone entirely serious. "I stepped in to save you."

The entire war room collectively held its breath.

Jeffery stiffened. He was a six-star knight, ranking among the absolute highest echelons of the Lumiere Vanguard. "Are you implying that I would have lost a duel against a teenager?"

"I said absolutely nothing about winning or losing," Gideon clarified, resting his hands on the table. "I am simply stating that you would have been the first one to sustain a severe injury in that exchange."

"That makes zero sense," Jeffery argued, his face flushing with indignation. "How could a teenager, a boy who is even younger than Her Highness, possibly lay a hand on me?"

Gideon sighed and crossed his arms. "Since when did we start measuring a warrior’s strength and power solely by their age? Have you all forgotten that our very own Emperor led the vanguard at the age of twelve and conquered the entire continent by the time he turned fourteen?"

"That is entirely different!" Jeffery protested. "His Majesty is blessed by the heavens! Solomon is just a commoner with zero background and no formal military training. He lacks the decades of battlefield experience we possess!"

"Have any of you actually watched Solomon fight?" Gideon asked the room.

The knights exchanged silent glances. Some muttered quietly among themselves, but none could claim they had witnessed the boy in combat.

"I have watched the broadcasts of his fights," Gideon confessed, stepping away from the table. "There is a network channel called ’SilverKnight_Chronicles’ dedicated entirely to compiling his best combat clips. I have studied his movements extensively. The boy literally fought a pavilion leader of the Azure Dragon Sect and won."

"What?!"

"Keep in mind that the Sword Pavilion Leader was the former Tenth Pavilion leader before he lost his position after failing to protect his younger daughter in an attack," Gideon added.

"Those are just magical broadcasts," Jeffery dismissed, waving a hand. "The footage is likely heavily edited with illusions and visual effects to make him look stronger."

"You possess decades of experience and raw physical strength," Gideon acknowledged, looking directly at the stubborn six-star knight. "But Solomon possesses flawless technique and the absolute perfect execution of body mechanics."

Jeffery clenched his jaw. He clearly struggled to accept the logic, yet he could not openly refute the words of a paladin. If Gideon himself claimed the teenager was a lethal threat, the warning had to be true.

The Lumiere knights leaned over the grand oak table, mapping out overlapping patrol routes to cover the blind spots left by the compromised local guards.

They debated supply lines and shift changes to maintain high security across the estate, ensuring no shadowy faction could slip through the cracks again.

A sudden knock on the doors cut the tactical debate short. The map chamber went silent. A Lumiere sentry stepped inside, saluting the paladin before announcing the arrival of Matriarch Lihua.

Gideon glanced at Lord Jian, offering a respectful nod to let the host decide. Jian gestured for the sentry to open the doors.

Lihua walked into the room, her usual regal composure strained with visible worry. She offered a gracious bow to the assembled officers, apologizing quietly for disturbing their important meeting.

"You should never apologize for entering a room within your own palace, Matriarch," Gideon reassured her, standing tall beside the table. "This is your kingdom and your home. You do not need to request permission from foreign soldiers. You merely have to issue an order, and we will comply."

Jian stepped forward, his brow furrowing with concern. "What happened, sister? Why are you awake at this hour?"

Lihua forced a wry smile, though her lips trembled slightly. "It concerns His Majesty, the King."

"Has he not returned from his expedition yet?" Gideon asked, sensing the underlying tension.

Lihua shook her head. "He promised me he would return well before the royal sermon began, but we have received no word from his retinue."

"When exactly did he leave?" Gideon inquired, folding his arms over his platinum breastplate.

"He rode out a month ago," Lihua explained, wringing her hands together. "He received a disturbing report that the Holy Empire had marched their inquisitors into the Ruined Azure Kingdom. The Church seized control of the borders, claiming the territory as their divine property simply because an angel descended there centuries ago. My husband went to investigate the blockade and raise a formal dispute against their occupation."

Gideon let out a mocking laugh, shaking his head at the blatant political masquerade. "Everyone across the Eastern Realms knows the angel descended upon those lands over four hundred years ago. Trying to claim the territory as holy ground now is a convenient excuse. Those Church bastards are clearly plotting something else under the guise of divine right."

The knights around the table muttered their agreement, sharing a deep-seated distaste for the Western factions.

The ideological divide between the other continents and the Holy Empire ran deep, rooted in fundamentally opposing views on faith and existence. The Holy Empire in the West centralized their power through strict religious dogma, demanding blind obedience and heavy tithes from their citizens in exchange for salvation.

They hoarded ancient relics and treated their people like a flock of sheep needing to be herded by veiled popes.

Conversely, the opposite side valued personal enlightenment and martial cultivation. They acknowledged the gods but believed true strength and harmony were earned through grueling effort rather than purchased through church donations.

The Western Church frequently used ’divine will’ to justify their greedy expansions, casting a shadow of corruption over their supposedly righteous crusades.

Tears welled up in Lihua’s eyes as the geopolitical reality set in. She covered her mouth with her silk sleeve. "I am so worried about him. Please, Sir Gideon, I ask for your help."

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