THE LORD IS TOO OVERBEARING

Although Basil and company didn't spend a long time before closing the grave, they ended up standing silently in front of it for half an hour. With how well preserved Whitney's body was, it was just hard for them to leave.

'He looked no different from a sleeping person.'

'His skin—it was better than a sick person's, and he is dead!'

'Come on, why don't you show us your prankster side, Whitney? Come out of the grave, and say that you are alive!'

Death is a clear mark that signifies the end of our life. For ordinary people, when they die, they look like a dead person; however for Mages, due to their ability to use Magic, they would look no different from a living person.

While the thought of having one's loved one being reduced to a pile of bones by the decomposer is depressing for most people, having the body remained the same even after they are dead doesn't bring one happiness either.

As the body is reduced to a pile of bones, following it, one's sorrow will gradually leave. Nothing can remind oneself of one's dead loved one other than the grave one periodically visits.

One will still be reminded of the happy times one has spent with the dead, however one will rarely get wistful as one stares at the grave. One knows what the dead has become, thus one will be able to clearly say one's loved one is dead.

That, however, wasn't the case for Mages. Being able to preserve the dead body that well, it wasn't uncommon for them to not bury the body and keep it in a glass case to be displayed instead.

Although so far only old Mage family had done it, the fact that Mages still looked like a living person after they were dead was both astonishing and saddening.

In front of their eyes, presented the body of their dead loved one, but it looked so alive, it was hard to accept the fact that their loved one was already dead.

When they missed their dead loved one, sure, they would be able to directly see the face of said loved one instead of looking at the old photographs; however, it would only bring more sorrow instead of soothing their lost.

Their loved one was there, unmoving yet looking alive; they looked like they were sleeping, but they were dead. For those empathetic Mages, it was hard.

Why wouldn't just bury it? One might ask. The answer is, because the body of a Mage took a longer time to decompose. For most of the Mages, it was really disgraceful to bury a body in pristine condition, thus they kept it instead.

'Is he really dead? Is it okay to leave him here? What if he suddenly wakes up, and can't get out of the grave? Is it alright for us to leave now?!'

The difference that was barely noticeable made it easy for the Mages to deny the fact presented before their eyes. Still, in the end, as people who lived based on logic, they had to accept the fact their loved one was dead.

Just like that, Basil and company left Chyphorse Cemetery, leaving their deceased comrade alone as he had his eternal rest in his last resting place.

...

A day passed after the day Whitney was buried. The students of Rehearsal Class still refused to take any Mission despite the demands; mainly, because they were waiting for something they couldn't miss.

Basil's award ceremony.

The news had been spread madly throughout the Kingdom. Many Nobles who were normally not interested in such a thing even came to Randalvine to witness it.

Although Anthony didn't say anything about what he would award Basil with, all of them had a strong feeling that it would be something big. Basil's achievement in the battle was, after all, by no means ordinary.

The award ceremony was held in the King's throne room, thus only the selected few and Nobles could attend it. Anyone could still watch the ceremony however; it was broadcast throughout the Kingdom.

Not many people had their own Visual Orb—not all of them were Mages, after all—so many people crowded the public Projection Talisman, which was broadcasting the ceremony.

One of the public Projection Talismans was located near the palace, so many people gathered in front of it. If not for the fact they were looking at the projected scene in anticipation, one would think they were about to start a riot.

In the garden behind the palace, in the gazebo, Basil and Anthony sat. They were drinking their tea silently, looking really enjoying the peaceful time they had.

Clack.

Anthony was the first one to put his teacup down. He looked at Basil, who was still sipping his tea calmly, and couldn't help but smile.

'This lad... Has he forgotten who he is sitting in front of?' Anthony shook his head in amusement.

"Many people have crowded the palace—they are expecting the ceremony, and yet here we are sipping tea. I wonder how they will react if they know of this fact."

"Is that your way saying I am ruining your image?" Basil asked calmly.

Chuckling lightly, Anthony said, "Of course, not. I care about people's opinion on me just as much as I care how I look."

"You seem to have put a lot of effort to look presentable though."

"Just presentable enough."

Clack.

As Anthony smirked, Basil put his empty teacup down. He then looked silently at Anthony for a couple of seconds before nodding his head.

"Your family already hates me. It is time for us to go, lest I further anger them by making them wait."

"You really are... Straightforward, aren't you?" Anthony remarked in astonishment.

"I thought you liked straightforward people."

Shaking his head as he stood up, Anthony patted Basil's shoulder. He couldn't help feeling bitter as he observed the lad in front of him.

Clad in his white military suit, Basil was exuding the aura of a supreme leader. It was hard for Anthony to accept the fact that such an outstanding youth wasn't born in his family.

'What a shame, what a shame.' Shaking his head to shake off his bitterness, with Basil in tow, Anthony headed to his throne room.

By the time they arrived in front of the door connecting to the throne room, the officials immediately announced Anthony's arrival. Basil was pulled aside, and told to stand in the place they had prepared, which no one's eyes could spot.

"Greetings Your Majesty!"

Looking briefly at the people kneeling in front of him, Anthony said, "You may be at ease." He sat down in his throne, and motioned Eldridge, his counselor to proceed with the ceremony.

"Five days ago, our Kingdom, after facing its very first crisis after winning the war against Frachtenhein and Lichtenberg, achieved a glorious victory."

"Looking back, many were lost in the struggle. However, it shan't ever be the reason for us to ignore our triumph! Our loss shan't ever be forgotten either, for it is there to remind us of our mistakes. We learn from it, and become stronger!"

"In the battle to end the Outbreak, a historical event which sparks our nightmare of the Age of Chaos, an outstanding young man achieved something unimaginable. He played a very big role in the battle."

"Hard work never goes unrewarded. Today, our benevolent King will award that young man, the Hero, and you shall be the witness of this historical moment. Everyone, please welcome the Supreme Genius, Basil Pacifer!"

As soon as his name was called, Basil walked from the left side of the room, which had been where he was told to wait, to the front of Anthony's throne. His gait was leisure yet imposing.

Witnessing the youth who had been a hot topic for the past five days directly, the people couldn't help being amazed and baffled. They had heard many ridiculous rumours about Basil, and now they could understand why.

Basil was just too otherworldly. Even though he had a youthful face, they felt like they were looking at an extremely experienced veteran.

His power that toppled the majority of the people present in the room aside, his demeanor was also so regal, it was hard for them to not instinctively bow their head at him. He was that impressive, and they found it absurd.

'Absurd rumours? This lad looks like he really can make a Dragon his pet!' This is, unironically, true. Basil had ever made a Dragon his pet, even though he killed it in the end due to how annoying it was.

"I greet Your Majesty." Upon being in front of Anthony, Basil kneeled ceremonially.

"Arise, Basil Pacifer," Anthony said with a smile, prompting Basil to stand up straightly. "Your achievements have pleasantly surprised me. I fought alongside you in the battlefield, and it is not an exaggeration when I say I am really impressed."

"Thank you for viewing me that highly, Your Majesty."

"Anyone who views you any lower will have to get their sanity checked." Anthony chuckled, surprising the people. It was his first time chuckling in a ceremony.

Standing up, Anthony walked towards Basil. "You became the Hero of Woster when you defeated Lucilla, you became the Saviour of Raneil when you Sealed it, and you became the Mythical Slayer when you slew Scylla and Charybdis."

Stopping right in front of Basil, with a warm smile, Anthony remarked, "The amount of abominations you have eliminated is simply mind-boggling. Truly, you are the brightest talent our Kingdom has ever given birth to that I have seen so far."

Opening his palm, a badge that was half the size of his palm appeared out of thin air. The badge had a circular shield-like shape with two swords crossing each other in the back; in the middle of it, there was a small golden apple.

No one could tell for sure what the badge was since it was their first time seeing it. Some of the older Nobles seemed to recognize it, but they weren't too sure due to the weight it carried.

"For your outstanding achievements, I, Anthony Lionheart Braxtein, your King, award you the title of The Kingdom's Golden Apple! May your future brighten the future of the Kingdom!"

Under the shocked gaze of the people present in the throne room, Anthony patted Basil's shoulder with a bright grin. In response, Basil smiled lightly out of courtesy and amusement.

Basil Pacifer, a name that no one had known before, was reintroduced to the world as the name of one of the Kingdom's prominent figures that day.

Iliana and Ione, who were amongst the crowd, looked at the scene solemnly, meanwhile the devoted followers of the Church amongst the Nobles had a dissatisfied look on their face.

All of them couldn't exactly tell where the game the King and the Supreme Genius were playing would lead to.

———

End of Volume 5