episode_0064

No matter what anyone says, the highlight of the celebration of the Lion King’s birthday, which is the pride of Demeia Academy and a commemorative event of the empire, was the parade held on the eve of the festival.

The parade, which started in honor of the great king who criticized the continent in the past, was carried out with the motif of the Lion King’s triumphal ceremony. Usually, the cadet who won the competition took on the role of the lion king and took the lead, and then applicants were selected from among the cadets with excellent grades to form the team.

Last year, the Lion King was played by Seraphina, the princess of the empire. Although it was different from the original gender of the Lion King, since it was an event started in honor of him, there was no distinction between men and women in the role of the Lion King. They just put the strongest cadet in that position.

Since Seraphina won the overall championship in this competition, it seemed like she would take on the role of the Lion King, but as the rules changed this year, the cadet who would take on the role of the Lion King was changed.

People also could not hide their wonder because they had heard the news in advance. The purpose of changing the rules itself was not bad, but the cadet who took over Seraphina’s position made everyone feel suspicious.

Damn Gilbert.

When he was given the honor of taking on the role of the Lion King, quite a stir arose. There were rumors that preferential treatment was given to the eldest son of a powerful count, but when the reason for the change in the selection rules and the reason why Gilbert was selected was made public, the royal family had no choice but to keep quiet.

It was rare for an academy cadet to receive a knighthood. Although there were Serafina and Brianna who received knighthood before entering the Academy, it was an extremely rare case. Even Gilbert’s father, the Margrave of Iron and Blood, was not knighted until after graduating from the academy.

In that sense, Gilbert was the person who best suited the changed regulations. Even though he was a new cadet, he was knighted and achieved excellent grades. Although his reputation was still that of an asshole, he was a capable asshole who could not be argued with in his role as the Lion King.

However, even if the qualifications were met, whether one could perform the role well was a different question. Even last year’s Lion King was Princess Serafina, who showed an unprecedented match rate.

She, who was a natural queen, carried out the parade looking like a real lion king who had come back to life. The Lion King in history was a man, but the opinion of those who watched the parade at the time was that if the Lion King were a woman, it would be her.

The Lion King played by Princess Serafina was close to perfection, and many people declared that there would be no Lion King who would surpass her in the future.

As a result, no one had any expectations from Gilbert, the idiot who took on the role of the Lion King. It was the same at this moment, when the parade started.

but.

– What, what?

– Is that that bastard Gilbert?

– The Lion King… The Lion King has appeared!

As the parade began, people kept rubbing their eyes as if they had seen something incredible.

A man standing at the front of the parade procession riding a black horse that can be described as gigantic.

Blonde hair brighter than gold and red eyes filled with indifference. The jet-black knight’s uniform covering his sturdy body and the red cloak embroidered with golden lions made people think of only one thing.

The second coming of the Lion King.

There was no other way to describe this moment other than those words.

The audience was overwhelmed by the unexpected appearance of Gilbert. Now, at this moment, no one could think of the count’s bastard.

The Lion King just appeared. That’s all I thought about.

Red eyes scanned the speechless crowd. People who were weak in spirit were taken aback by this meaningless action and retreated without realizing it. The body reacted because the eyes that seemed to contain nothing seemed to express the king’s boredom.

– Clap clap

One of the people watching the parade in silence clapped. People started clapping along as if they were possessed by something. This served as a catalyst and the people who came to their senses cheered for the Lion King who would never exist again.

Last year’s Serafina’s Lion King was forgotten in people’s memories.

Only the Lion King with indifferent eyes remained.

***

Meanwhile, Gilbert, who was standing at the front of the parade as the Lion King, was a little embarrassed by the sudden enthusiasm. Following the advice of Camilla, who was enthusiastic about preparing for the parade, I just looked at the people indifferently, but the people who had been holding their breath suddenly started going crazy.

– Lion King! Lion King!

– Gilbert! Gilbert!

What? What on earth is going on? Gilbert couldn’t help but wonder. As far as he knew, the greatest Lion King of all time was definitely Serafina. Seraphina, who was born as a vessel for the emperor, was able to show off the image of the Lion King itself because she overflowed with dignity just by remaining still.

So, if I were to pick the best Lion King, it was always Seraphina, but looking at the current reaction, it seemed like that would be overturned.

In fact, Gilbert played the role of the Lion King quite a few times during his time playing Tactical Combat. Although it was very difficult to defeat Seraphina in a competitive match as an academy cadet, it was not impossible.

Wasn’t it famous that the original stagnant people were hung up on something they couldn’t break? Gilbert was also one of those users, and after much hardship, he was able to rise to the level of defeating Seraphina.

Of course, I took on the role of the Lion King and participated in the parade, but I had never received such crazy cheers before. No matter how excellent his manipulation skills were, the character Ian had inherent limitations.

Isn’t it possible to overcome Seraphina, who was born as a vessel for the emperor, even if she is a muppet from a count family?

Moreover, because it was so embedded in the game setting, Gilbert had never once been called the best Lion King.

However, this time, whether it was because it was a reality rather than a game, or whether it was due to the influence of ‘Gilbert’ that he did not even know about, he was receiving crazy cheers. If you listen closely, you can even hear people saying that this is the best Lion King parade ever.

“Umhuhu! As expected!”

What was so good was that right behind them, Camilla, who was in charge of assisting the Lion King, was laughing while covering her mouth. It seemed like he knew in advance that this would happen.

“Did you expect it?”

“Of course! Because my eyes are never wrong!”

Since the parade was in progress, he was careful not to show off, but when Gilbert glanced back, he saw Camilla with an expression of joy that made her look like she couldn’t stand it. I couldn’t understand why Gilbert himself liked being called the greatest lion king of all time.

Since I was such a nerd that my work was focused on fun and interest, all I could think of was that I was chosen somewhere.

Gilbert, ignoring Camilla giggling behind him, led the black horse along the designated marching course. Originally, he did not have horseback riding skills, but he was able to acquire the skills as soon as he got on a horse, perhaps because the original Gilbert had horseback riding skills.

Although Gilbert’s body had memories of learning horseback riding, it was literally something the original Gilbert had learned, not something he had actually learned. Because of that, I had some anxiety, but it seemed like my worries were unfounded and I acquired the skills so naturally. Perhaps his original talent for riding and moving things was shining through.

Anyway, he continued his march, aided by his horseback riding skills, toured Demeia Academy once, and then headed to the academy’s main gate.

This parade, which was created with the motif of the Lion King’s triumphal ceremony, always had a speech at the main gate of the academy followed by the drawing of the sword and the raising of the sword as the final order. It is a declaration and aspiration of sorts that he will inherit the spirit of the Lion King and become a talented person who will bring glory to the empire.

Finally arriving in front of the academy’s main gate, Gilbert turned his black horse around with familiar skill and looked back at the parade procession and audience that had followed him. After pausing for a moment to look at them carefully, I grabbed the handle of the ceremonial sword worn at my side.

This was a custom of the parade as a kind of signal. It meant that the Lion King’s triumphal speech, which was the crown jewel of the parade and the final event, would begin, and people usually did not make any sound to hear the speech.

The people who had been applauding and cheering until now all remained silent after seeing Gilbert’s actions.

Gilbert quietly held his sword and recalled the words he had prepared in advance. I wasn’t preparing any grand speech. To begin with, I wasn’t particularly good at speaking. Moreover, Seraphina, who had been the Lion King the previous year, even gave a memorable speech.

No matter how hard Gilbert tried, it was impossible to put together such a famous speech. In the end, all he could do was bring back what was not in this world but was in the other world.

I took a deep breath and focused my eyes. The low-pitched voice spread to everyone watching through amplification magic.

“Remember that we must die!”

Don’t be arrogant.

No one always wins.

“Remember that we are human!”

Don’t be cocky.

Humans cannot be omnipotent.

“Look back, we are here now, but remember that we too are only human!”

Don’t forget death.

Remember that humans always die.

As soon as Gilbert uttered his last words, he pulled out his sword and raised it high in the sky. The audience, who had so far listened to Gilbert’s short but heart-pounding speech, cheered louder than before when they saw him.

Memento Mori.

After all, there is an answer in history. After successfully completing his speech, Gilbert lowered the corners of his mouth that were slowly rising and nodded inwardly.

***

The moment the triumphal speech, the last order of the parade, ended.

[Members listen. The time for revolution has arrived.]

The raid begins.