[Completed] Legend of the Five Knights I: Rise of a Guardian Angel

Episode 49: New Knowledge

"We're back!" Tetsuya yelled as he stretched his muscular arms toward the gold-covered ceiling of the palace.

"Welcome back," Kuroshi said as he stood on top of the mosaic of his ancestors. "Your team is the only one that has yet to train. Don't tell me you became a knight to loaf around? The way you and Hideo are right now, I'm afraid we can't take you with us to the north."

"What?" Tetsuya asked, eyes wide.

"King Osamu told me to keep you and your teams here. He's afraid that you two will hold back our efforts to take down the so-called 'demon' rampaging in Kuroyuki." He put his hands on his hips. "Though if you ask me, it's also a good idea to keep reserves here. This could be a ploy from our enemy to distract us."

"But is leaving two former rebels in charge of the palace a good idea?" Reno muttered with a pout.

Kuroshi chuckled. "True that! But I'll say your sister and you are both wild cards no matter if you're here or on the battlefield. After all, who is to say you won't backstab the king shall he turn his back to you during battle? Plus, here it should be easier for Kohri to keep an eye on the two of you."

"Right! I'll guard the Imperial Palace until my dying breath," Kohri said, bowing his head to him. "In return, please defend my homeland in my place."

The robed man snickered. "Wow, didn't expect you to react so politely. You feeling, okay, Kohri?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay. It's just... I'm worried about my homeland."

"No need to worry, it's in good hands. Now, remember to keep watch over the palace as you promised."

The hammer knight smiled. "Of course!"

"So you've thought this through," Suzuki said, smiling. "Here, I thought you might've become lax around us, no longer seeing us as a threat."

"We really should keep an eye on them," Tetsu said, laughing nervously.

"Don't worry, with the amount of firepower we're packing, they'll likely return here in no time. That is, unless if the one they're dealing with is a high ranking demon or abyssmal," Kuroshi said.

"What do you know of the hierarchy of the abyssmals?" Setsuko asked, crossing her arms together.

Kuroshi tilted his head to the side. "To be honest, I am more aware of their high ranking leadership rather than the lower ones."

"How?" Serrano questioned, raising an eyebrow.

The man sighed. "Let's just say I've met some among the upper leadership." He turned his gaze toward Roa and Etsuo. "Anyway, the three highest levels of the abyssmal leadership are The Foundation, The Pillars, and The Rulers."

"Rulers? Don't you mean The Roof?" Takuya said, chuckling at his own joke.

"Haha, you would think that'll be it, huh? Guess it's an open-air temple!"

"Can you two not joke at this time?" Serrano asked, sighing.

"And here's the serious Serrano," Setsuko said, laughing. "But he's right. So what do you know about these upper three echelons?"

"Well, the main leaders are those who belong to The Pillars. They serve as the governors of Abyssia. The Rulers delegated authority to them, sort of like how our king delegates authority to the grand dukes."

Serrano rubbed his chin and nodded as if in understanding. "So The Pillars are the Grand Dukes of Abyssia..."

"Pretty much, though I wouldn't say that my equivalency is completely correct." He waved at them. "Come, let's go to the Angelic Dome. I got something to show you. I'll explain more on the way."