Chapter 2531

2531 - Upbringing and Education

On a certain planet in Middle Sector 99—

*Step* step

In front of rows of promising young men and women, about thirty individuals in total, one of them walked with confidence and calm...

He wore a white and gold robe tightly bound at the waist, beneath which were metal and leather war boots that looked as though they had tasted ghoul blood before. He was of average height and build, with nothing physically distinguishing about him.

But his long, soft blond hair that reached his shoulders was distinctive in this part of the Sector, and his half-lidded, barely open eyes, along with the straw that swayed lazily in his mouth, were his registered trademark.

This was Ziegler Burton, a four-star Royal Soul Master, the former Guard of the Silent Emperor, and the strongest Soul Master in the Burton Family.

After pacing back and forth long enough for it to become awkward, Ziegler stopped and sighed, then turned toward the rest. "You will graduate today... I think..."

"Yes, sir." The thirty individuals responded loudly.

They all wore robes similar to what Ziegler wore; the white and gold color had become something of a symbol for the family.

"Hmm, you are the finest of the Burton Family's new generation." Ziegler continued reciting the words he had memorized while scratching his hair. "Not only are you the fastest in your generation to reach the level of Royal Soul Masters, but you are also the best at studying and applying field command tactics, the best at studying close- and long-range combat techniques, and the best at scoring in the study of history and cosmic geography."

Then he raised both palms. "In short, you are the elite of the elite—every one of you has achieved full marks in everything." Then he lowered his hand. "And from today, your deployment as planetary generals will begin. Each of you will receive 10 Note-4 Fleets and begin a race to subdue planets in the service of His Majesty."

He added, "These planets may be from the new empty space, or old inhabited planets our influence has not yet reached. The choice is yours, and the results will determine who receives 10 additional fleets, and who will have everything stripped away and be appointed as an aide or vanguard, or whatever suits your character."

"Yes, My Lord!" the thirty young men and women answered quickly, their eyes gleaming—a gleam that made Ziegler sigh.

They would all target the old planets without a doubt, so that it would be written in their records that they had subjugated such-and-such tribe and managed to extinguish a war on such-and-such planet, and not one of them would agree to search for the new planets even though it is the easiest and most logical solution for a general seeking to expand his sphere of influence... but the enthusiasm of the young would win out.

Ziegler turned to leave; he had delivered the two words he had memorized, and the day was over.

"My Lord!"

"Hmm?" Ziegler turned toward the young man standing in the middle of the First Tier.

"Are the rules of war still in effect under these circumstances, My Lord?" the young man asked directly.

The rest around him shot him sidelong glances but said nothing, their eyes on Ziegler, waiting for the answer.

"Do not kill an elder, a woman, or a child; do not burn a tree without need; do not kill a man of religion or a person who has laid down his weapon; do not terrorize the unarmed; incline toward peace offers first, and whoever raises the banner of surrender will be given a fair trial, and so on..." Ziegler turned his whole body. "What about the Law? You no longer like it?"

"It's just that..." The young man swept his eyes to look directly into Ziegler's eyes. "It will limit our progress for nothing."

"..." Ziegler nodded a few times, then began looking around at the others. "Do you share his opinion?"

"...." The girl looked around for a moment, then spoke with confident eyes, "I see that the Law of Engagement served its purpose in past eras so that people wouldn't think we're a devilish group, but now in the Third Era of Colonization things must be done faster... The Law has served its purpose and is finished."

"The Burton Family should not be sending surrender letters and being lenient with terms to a random planet."

"Even if it weren't random and were a multi-planetary or even centennial empire, why should we send them letters as members of the ruling family and open the door for negotiation and argument? This diminishes our power and prestige."

"Prestige... yes..." Ziegler raised his eyebrows and opened his eyes wider, beginning to look around, "Do almost all of you think this? That we should place the family in a better position?"

"Not just us." The young man in the middle spoke with confidence, "Everyone at the Leaders' Academy says the same thing," then he raised his head slightly, "The ruling family must be treated as a ruling family."

Ziegler took two steps toward that young man, stared into his eyes for a moment, then baaam—with a right punch he broke his lower jaw.

"Aghh!! Aaaah!!!!" The young man writhed on the ground trying to put his jaw back in place.

"My Lord!!" The rest left the ranks and took steps back. "It was merely a proposal to present to His Majesty—we won't violate it just because we decided to!"

"The Laws are written, amended, and broken—that's not the problem." Ziegler stepped forward with a bloody fist and sat beside their leader. "The problem is your talk about... the royal family?"

Then he stared into the young man's eyes with such intense coldness that he began to tremble:

"We are not a ruling family. We did not inherit kingship from anyone, and there are no factions or line of succession among us... Fate willed that a true king emerge from among us, one who stands alone above everything, who ascended to glory and we ascended with him. And if anything were to happen to him, all of us would follow him to death on that same day."

Then he raised his head and swept his eyes over the rest. "Erase the term 'royal family' from your minds. There is only His Majesty, and there are us—loyal servants. Even his sons serve him with complete and blind sincerity. And if he suspects for a moment that arrogance has taken hold of us, or that we no longer heed the words 'we hear and we obey'... then let what happened to the traitors of the city of Jura be a lesson!"

Then he waved his hand. "This rank will undergo an additional 6 months of training!"