Episode 8

While being carried by Azrael to the meeting place, Sakura noticed her surrounding change from expensive furniture and paintings to a more modest and bare surrounding. Yet it didn't give off discarded or dirty, but a more serious and less for show type feel, it was just less extravagant.

'This must be the knights training area.'

while thinking that she just moves around to better look at her surrounding, causing Azrael to pause in steps so she doesn't fall, ' He really doesn't have any experience with kids, he hasn't really shifted his hold to follow my movements, but just kept pausing and waited for me to stop moving around'.

While those thoughts filled her mind, she stopped moving and decided to just stare at him. Years as an Adventurer and knight, he has noticed her full attention is now on him, yet he wasn't feeling any discomfort with the realization of this, to him if the princess wishes to stare, then she can, her actions and words are absolute to him.

But truth is, she is just a toddler to him, so he hasn't really felt it be a situation to worry about, not like she was planning to attack him or anything.

While staring at him, Sakura noticed again how handsome he is, and while being held by him, she felt his body had a more muscular feel than lean like Raphael and her dad.

His eyes held a ting of purple, yet mixed with brown, giving off such a mystical yet eerie feel.

'It may even be impossible to be born with such eyes unless you were born in a fantasy world' while gazing at his face, she noticed his tanned skin added a more exotic look because of his eyes, 'damn, I can stare at them all day, they can literally take your soul away'.

While taking her eyes away from his face, she looks down and noticed he had really long legs too.

'All of them are bit in the tall side, except Raphael and Uriel, I think they are in the more average ranges. But I think this guy might be 6'3 or something, he's seriously fucking huge.' She felt like she can see everything from his arms that she had that spontaneous moment of raising her arms and yell.

"I'm thu kighn uf thu wurd!!". 'IM THE KING OF THE WORLD!, is what I wanted to say, but why did it slur so badly!?' She made a crying face in her mind.

"Your highness, are you perhaps... happy?" Azrael noticed Sakura's yell, yet he couldn't quite understand, but he has noticed she was smiling and spreading her arms wide while doing so. Sakura looks up at him in surprise, since this was the first time he tried to actually talk to her, but she then smiled and let out a small "aye!".

While getting her answer, he for the first time they met, let out a smile, which felt like a refreshing spring. Sakura mouth was wide open in surprise, but still had the chance to blurt out,".... cute".

To her, his smile wasn't the type to have flowers bloom around him, or a devilish sexy charm that can enchant someone, or even that softness, but it was the type that causes one to feel a soothing emotion, a type that makes you let down your defense because it was just... just too different from his normal expression, it gave him a more innocent sense than the rigid, straight line he keeps his lips formed.

'It's an adorable boyish charm attack! I took a critical hit!!'

On the outside her expression was a gaping mouth, while in the inside she was rolling around while screeching of how adorable it is. But then he went back to serious mode and looked forward again.

Sakura raised her hands to her cheeks and felt the warmth in them, 'I thought I got used to good looking men, then another one with their own charm hits me straight in the eyes with their looks, I can't, my heart can't take anymore attacks.'

While thinking this, Sakura sadly forgot that there is still a few more left that will strike her with their own looks and leave her dying inside because of it.

While still thinking of his smile, she noticed his steps have slowed down to a stop, he was facing a door that was as tall as him and were doubled door. It was the color of garnett. While arriving before the door, Sakura can hear noises through it. But she can't make out what it is.

'The soundproofing is no joke', until Azrael reaches out and opens it. She was hit with loud shouting and laughter, and what she sees are men arm wrestling with each other and on each side there are groups of men cheering, there were even a few men half naked with sweat trickling down their muscles bodies.

While there were others just watching the show while laughing in different tables and a few that seem exasperated with their comrades.

While taking this all in, Sakura had a moment of deep realization. ' All of them... all of them are so fucking good looking, why the fuck aren't their any ugly ones here?!?'

While squinting her eyes at the scene, she did discover a few with average looks, yet it wasn't considered bad, rather it was a refreshing sight from all the handsome men.

'What's more each one has their charm, but even so...' she looks up at Azrael then at the men in the room.

'... seems that my dad and his companions are at a different level of handsomeness, because even when I was momentarily blinded, I was able to adjust quicker than when I saw Raphael and Azrael.'

Thinking so, she started to worry about how she had still not interacted closely to the rest of her father's trusting vessels, and she knew their looks were out of this world when she saw them from a safe distance, image when she is being carried by them?

'Ah... I'm going to die from being overly exposed to men with otherworldly looks'. She had a smile on yet her eyes were dead from such a thought.

While everything happened for just a second, the men quickly noticed Azrael and all quickly formed a straight line and saluted him

"Sir!!".

"At ease"

Azrael raised his arm to indicate they can ease up, he then walked into the room and closed the door. When he entered fully, they finally noticed Sakura in their commanders arms.

Just by looking at their faces you can see the confusion and shock they recieved from this sight. Especially since it was their commander their talking about. He was a man that you can tell by a glance he doesn't know how to interact with children.

What's more, a toddler was so out of place in his arms, her eyes that seem as light is reflecting out of them, those big doe eyes that shows her curiosity. The silver in her eyes twinkling with the brown popping out, causing them to contrast each other yet created a mystical combination, her small rosy lips and baby fat cheeks give an adorable urge to just pinch them, just to see how she will look when she pouts. The little white and coral dress giving her an angelic appearance, especially when combined with her silver and blond locks of hair that reach her lower shoulder.

It feels like they are witnessing a small messenger of a god arrive through that door, yet when one of them were looking at her hair, he has noticed a small tiara in it. His eyes widen in realization and he started to switch from the tiara to her face a couple of times and blurted out, " Is she... her highness Sakura?".

The others quickly looked at him and then "Yes, it is, for today till later in the afternoon, she will be with us."

When they heard Azrael confirming it, and adding that she will stay with them from most of the day, they quickly looked at him then at Sakura, their eyes widened till the point Sakura worried that their eyes will pop out.

"S-Sir!? Are you sure this is appropriate!? Her highness is still but a toddler, she may be traumatized if she is surrounded by a group of men who are sweaty and fighting around!"

One man walked up to Azrael, he had curtly hair, his eyes and heir had the attribution of earth. He gave off a plain yet warm feel. Everone else in the room seem to agree with him when they started to nod their head like pecking chickens

'He must be second-in-command'. Sakura sees he was the one to step out first and speak reason to his commander.

' He is right, if I was a normal toddler, I would have already bawled my eyes out when I saw Azrael face to face, especially since he was fully standing and looking down at me".

While thinking that, she looked behind the man at the other soldiers, and made eye contact with all of them, they seemed to freeze up when she suddenly smiled and waved at them, "Hellu~" her pronunciation was a bit off but they were able to understand that she was greeting them. It took them aback but they still bowed with their hand placed in their chest and in a 90 degree angle, an appropriate courtesy passed down from royal knight to another when they meet a royalty, while when their in the present of their emperors, they would kneel in one knee and bow with their hand over their heart, a way to show full respect to their emperor.

Azrael allowed them to show such courtesy, since it is right if them to bow to her highness, since she is of royalty and the child of the emperor.

"You may rise, and it was already decided by the emperor". When the man heard that it was decided by Sakura's dad, he didn't argue again and let it be.

'Wow, they seem to be really loyal to my dad'. With the approval of their emperor, they now begin their training since their commander is here. Watching them leave through a different door that leads to outside, she is carried out to a large open space, with a side filled with racks of different classes of weapons, and another area opposite filled with target practices for bows, throwing knives and even throwing axes.

Then in the middle of this space, there is an open air arena, big enough for all the knights to use and still have enough space to move around.

Azrael let's out instructions, and it seems the knights were used to this and right away begin their training when he dismissed them. She stares at one section of the knights go to the racks to choose a weapon, then head to the arena. And then another group of knights head to the target area, each person choosing a different weapon to start throwing.

'Now that I think about it, the knights in the game were trained to at least the bare minimum of different types of weapons, they are mostly trained with the sword, but each one should have a second weapon they can specializes in.'

While remembering a bit of the games setting, Azrael turns to his second in command,

"Do you know were Uriel is? I was supposed to meet him here".

"Ah, the royal healer was called on by the other healers because a surprised visit of one of the Divine religion arrived to discuss something with him".

"... I see." The straight line in his lips turned into a scowl, causing his face to reach a frightening expression.

'Wow he really seems to not like those divine people for some reason' Sakura felt a chill run through her spine when she saw him like this.

"Ah!, Sir Azrael please ease up your expression, you'll frighten her highness!" The second-in-command notice her highness face paled up and trembled a bit. Azrael noticed too and closed his eyes, took a deep breath and exhales to let out his displeasure. When he opens his eyes he becomes calm again. He looks down at Sakura, and you can see his guilt when he looks at her.

"I Appolagize your highness, I have allowed myself to show my discontent with you here, I'll make sure not to do so again".

While seing his commander apologize to her highness, he wonders if his commander knows that since her highness is just a small child, she might not understand what he is trying to say, and will just feel uncomfortable with him. But before he can say anything, Sakura beat him to it.

"Aye! It. Fine." She smiled up at him to reassure him that she didn't mind. She can tell that there seems to be a type of disorder between their empire and that of the Devine religion or whatever. Not noticing that the second in command looked at her in surprise 'did she truly understand what Azrael said?'.

"...Rad, Conrad! Are you listening?" Azrael started to call upon his second-in-command, Conrad, to get any other follow up but it seems he was distracted by something.

"Oh! Uh yeah, I'm sorry, I ended up getting distracted a bit, but yes there isn't much more to report".

"Understood, you may continue watching over the other knights, soon their will be a new batch coming from apprenticeship, we will see how many will join." Conrad nods and walks away.

While watching them train, she can tell who is more well matched with what weapons and see how much they must have trained to reach the level they are in.

'But I see that they switch every 30 minutes with a weapon that doesn't seem to be their strongpoint, only to switch back to their base weapons, why?'

"Are you curious of why they're even practicing with weapons that they aren't proficient in?" Azrael begins their conversation again. Normally a person wouldn't ask such a question to a child, since children wouldn't really notice such a thing, but since it is Sakura, who isn't really a 3 year old, she responds as a person whose mind is more fully developed than that of a child. She turns to him and nods. So then he begins to explain.

"We are his majesty royal knights, those especially trained and follow direct orders of his majesty, we are to fully put our out most to protect him over anyone else, but knowing your father, he doesn't need any real protection, even then, there are even a small group, that protects him from the shadows, they are the elite of the elite, they are the same level of strength to me or the general and they are more in depth of protecting Mihkael."

While telling me all the hidden factors of the empire, he made her remember a moment of the game wher she, or "Sakura" ended up fighting with such men since she tried to assassinate her father.

"You... WHY!?!?", The emperor held the side of his chest, just inches away from his heart, there was a gaping hole, created by a knife manifested by dark magic, yet there was a hint of corruption mixed with it too, however it wasn't noticed because of the shocking situation that they appeared to be in.

Sakura gazes at the wound and raises her arm that holds the knife, a moment of realization and fear appears in her face, her eyes held deep pain when she sees the wound on her father.

She takes a step closer, her body shaking, but then she sensed something and quickly used earth magic to block multiple hidden weapons aimed at her, she spreads out dark arrows to each area to distract them because she knew she wouldn't be able to defeat them. She then used spatial magic to teleport away, but not without looking at her father, her eyes showing pain and guilt, even a bit of fear of what she had done, because it wasn't by her own volition that such a thing occurred.

Mihkael noticed and shouted for Sakura, but it was too late. That would be the last time he would see her as herself, the next time, she would be fully controlled by the corruption.

While thinking about that moment, sakura snapped herself out of her memories and listend to the rest of what Azrael was saying.

"Since his majesty believes he would just be wasting talented people, yet didn't want to dismiss them so they don't become disheartened, he decided to have them train to protect the people in the castle, if we ever have an attack where they reach the inner palace, then he wants the royal knights to spread out to defend those who can't defend themselves, so if any enemy uses a weapon that isn't a sword, then he has them training to deflect those weapons, and if the knights lose their weapon in any way then they can quickly readjust to another one if needed.

The same if the emperor or any of his royal family have to leave to visit a different empire or kingdom, the royal knights will be there to quickly defend against bandits or assassins, thats why they are training to use such weapons against each other, so they can learn how to block and deflect axes or machetes, arrows and throwing knives, because those are probably weapons bandits and assassins will normally have."

Azrael calmly explain all this to her, not thinking twice if she understands or not.

"Ohh~ smart." Sakura can see how well trained they are and how well her father thought of training his knights, 'to make sure their are less casualty to his knights, dad really cares about his people.'

Sakura can tell a lot of her dads personality because of this, while just sitting in his lap and hearing him talk, she notices a commotion from the far left side of the training area and so did Azrael, but since he had a sharp eye, he noticed the fully white armor that seemed as if it was made of pearl by how it glistened, as well as the swords sheath that was pure white.

"... Holy knights." Azrael let out a small growl when he said that.

'Uh-oh shit is about to go down.'

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