You were made to farm, and now you're the emperor of an empire?

Chapter 358 This bastard won't listen to reason!
Ionus has many titles, including 'Birth of the Gods', 'Knight of Conquest', 'Determiner of Fate', 'Guardian of the Earth', and 'Priest of the First Men'.

Mortals explain Ionus's background by using the concept of divine right of kings.

The gods felt that the earth had been in chaos for too long, so they sent Ionus from the heavens to save humanity—in legend, he was not born from a mother's womb, but descended directly to the earth as an angel.

This simple and easy-to-understand explanation was extremely popular among the people, to the point that even a century later, some people believed he would return to save the land once again.

Of course, that's not the case.

Ionus was not the son of the gods.

A century ago, there was a claim that Ionus came from Sinnoh, but it was considered a rumor at the time because it was not verified.

Tashina: There are rumors that Ionus is a Sinnoh, let me clarify that it is not a rumor.

The Sinnoh Kingdom is the successor to the Dark Empire, but not its entirety.

The conqueror received another portion of the legacy, which laid the foundation for this land, and he named it 'Black Iron'.

It is a strange metal forged from a mixture of magic steel, mithril, adamantite, and other materials.

It doesn't have the high defense of the Shield Guards, the high mobility of the Storm Riders, the high attack of the Shattered Archers, or the ease of acquisition of the Oak Elite...

However, 'Black Iron' has the best overall performance and the longest combat endurance. This all-around warrior has no weaknesses and truly deserves the title of the strongest warrior.

For example, while the Shield Guards are indeed invincible, the copper plate armor puts a tremendous strain on the human body and cannot be worn for extended periods. Otherwise, even without combat, just daily activities can shorten lifespan or even lead to sudden death.

The black iron armor is very lightweight, allowing one to be fully armed for more than ten hours a day. Mid-level and high-level knights can even sleep in it without any problem, as it does not put too much strain on their bodies.

There were over a thousand of these 'Black Iron' during the Conquerors' era, forming the foundation of the Black Iron Kingdom. At its peak, the number was far greater than that.

Later, Ionus went to the Land of Fallen Gods—a place the Church denies, vehemently opposing and suppressing such heresy—but to treasure hunters and bounty hunters, the Land of Fallen Gods was a more alluring and distant legend than the Conqueror's Treasury.

Many people have heard of the legendary place where the gods fell, but no one knows where it is located.

Iotahina also didn't know, only that Ionus forged the Black Iron Crown in the land of the fallen gods and brought back three artifacts from there.

The Iron Crown belongs to Ionus.

The three sacred artifacts belonged to the three dukes.

This was personally bestowed by the conqueror.

Raging Tide has deep-sea blood. Oak has elven blood. Only Cracked Armor has Sinnoh blood, with very prominent physical characteristics.

Purebred Sinnoh people are tall and strong, with adult males reaching 1.9 meters in height and females around 1.8 meters. They have a long growth cycle and a lifespan between one hundred and two hundred years, with those of superior bloodlines living up to two or three hundred years. They also possess strong immunity and are not susceptible to common diseases.

However, they may also have their lifespan shortened due to fighting or other reasons.

Sinnoh people have fair and firm skin, three-dimensional and deep facial features, hair colors such as brown, black, and red, and eyes colors such as light green, emerald green, and crimson.

The King of Sinnoh has always regarded the nations of the land as barbarians, and this attitude is not without reason.

Because they were once a powerful and advanced human species, but have since declined. Over the long years, they have intermarried with the local population, diminishing their genetic advantages such as height and lifespan, and losing much of their former glory.

However, in Tashina's eyes, Roman's bloodline was very pure and rare, untainted by lowly bloodlines, while her own bloodline was equally noble, coming from ancient Shinonomiy.

Roman said, "So, I'm also an Old Sinnoh." Tashina said, "That's right. As far as I know, the first Razor came from the primeval forest south of Black Keep and was an exile from Old Sinnoh."

In the Dark Ages, the human race collapsed, and the ancient Shinonians were displaced. To resist their great enemy, they either crossed oceans, died far from home, or rebuilt their kingdom.

Some Sinnoh people entered the primeval forest south of the Pegasus Plain and were called the 'Ancient Sinnoh of the South'.

Their civilization and bloodline have declined drastically. They have lost the lineage of the Sinnoh Empire and do not even know who their ancestors were. The glorious empire has degenerated into a primitive tribe that lives by hunting.

Later, that tribe followed the conquerors, and the best hunter became the Archer of the Cracked Armor, while the rest of the hunters became the Broken Archers.

However, that disgraceful history was eventually covered up.

The young child of the Cracked Armor family was still too young to know much of the truth. Tashina told him everything, and everyone present was shocked. They had never expected that the illustrious Cracked Armor family had such a history.

Roman squinted at Tashina, wondering if this woman was trying to play the emotional card and expand her influence.
She was telling the truth. The two are related by blood, which creates a sense of closeness and makes it easier for them to accept each other.

For example, if Roman were to die suddenly one day, it would be perfectly logical and legal for Princess White Steel to inherit the riches of Origin. After all, Roman had no successor, while the Black Iron royal family and the Cracked Armor lineage had kinship ties in the past, with various relationships intertwined. So what's wrong with inheriting Roman's estate?
"What? My ancestors served your ancestors, so you want me to serve you too?"

Tashina replied matter-of-factly, "Is that not allowed?"

Roman retorted, "Then why can't you risk your life for me?"

Tashina said, "Because the Duke of the Cracked Armor is not as prestigious as the Conqueror."

Roman scoffed, "That was Cracked Armor, not me. And you're not your ancestor either."

That bastard won't listen to reason!
Tasina had a toothache.

The Conqueror is the first queen. She possesses noble blood and is the reigning Queen of the Black Iron. Being on par with Roman is the limit for her. She cannot be inferior to anyone, otherwise it would be an insult to her bloodline. Her competitive spirit is extremely strong.

Roman didn't actually dislike Tashina. The White Steel Princess was sensible and had a strong sense of the big picture—although she was after his family's wealth, she was still worthy of his respect.

Everyone in the conference room was a loyal follower. Seeing the two leaders vying for power, no one got involved and could only count ants with their heads down.

Tashina, having no hope of seizing power, said resentfully, "All the troops are here? Is that all?"

Jet stood up and said, "Your Highness, they are all elites."

They suffered heavy losses at Blackburg and didn't replenish their ranks after returning because they couldn't find good recruits; they currently have just over 13,000 men. This information was shared with Tasina, which could be considered special treatment.

Before Tashina, no outsider had ever had such a clear understanding of the specific situation of the valley.

Tashina was surprised to learn that the two cities had only a little over 200,000 people. When she came, she thought the valley had at least 400,000 to 500,000 people, or even a million.

Now it is discovered that the population here is about the same as that of Blackburg, while the military strength in the valley is several times that of Blackburg.

What's even more astonishing is that these troops are professional soldiers, each soldier being essentially a low-tier version of a war knight.

Jet, as the commander of the regiment, was well aware of their qualities.

You could say they were few in number, but that doesn't mean they were weak in combat.

(End of this chapter)