Chapter 33: The Gold Iron Angel

One of Lord Elizabeth’s generals stood aboard the bridge of the fleet vessel that had been assigned to the Young Master.

She had personally been placed in charge of screening the fleet’s personnel, ensuring that every soldier, officer, and crew member was genuinely loyal to Young Master Arthur.

The woman possessed long blue hair and a pair of dark blue eyes.

Two Iron Angel officers stood silently behind her, flanking her from either side.

Her name was General Caelith Veyra.

Caelith lowered the holographic file in her hand slightly.

Her expression was grim.

She had been reviewing the records of the fleet’s former commander, who had now been appointed Vice Commander following Arthur’s acquisition of the fleet.

And she wasn’t particularly pleased with what she had found.

The woman in question stood directly before her.

Octoria.

She possessed long purple hair that cascaded down her back and a pair of striking purple eyes.

Her black and gold military uniform was immaculate, bearing the Ashbourne crest prominently on the right side of her chest.

Numerous commendation badges adorned her uniform.

Her military record was...

Impressive.

Far more impressive than Caelith had expected.

Octoria had participated in countless military campaigns and possessed numerous stellar achievements.

Yet none of those things were what bothered Caelith.

It was one particular detail.

Gold Iron Angel.

Caelith’s gaze hardened.

Among the eight known Iron Angel types, Gold-ranked Iron Angels stood directly beneath the Astral Diamond type, the strongest known conventional Iron Angel classification in the Empire. The types were as follows:

Iron

Steel

Platinum

Silver

Mercury

Obsidian

Gold

Astral Diamond

Even when compared to Astral Diamonds, Gold Iron Angels were terrifyingly powerful.

But that power came with a price.

They were among the Iron Angel types most susceptible to dangerous psychological tendencies and Chi instability.

Without proper regulation, their immense Chi reserves could gradually distort their minds.

In severe cases...

They could descend into Chi Psychosis.

That was why powerful Riki Handlers were often assigned to Gold Iron Angels.

Their handlers constantly regulated their Chi, stabilized their emotions, and prevented them from losing themselves to the overwhelming power coursing through their bodies.

Caelith slowly lowered the holographic file.

There was one glaring problem.

This fleet had no Riki Handler.

And now that Arthur had been given ownership of it, the responsibility would ultimately fall upon him.

Which meant...

If Octoria ever lost control, Arthur would have to rely on a Riki Handler from House Ashbourne to keep her stable, else his life would be in danger if he happened to be close to her.

Caelith wasn’t particularly fond of that thought.

Her gaze finally settled on Octoria.

The purple-haired woman stood calmly before her with a pleasant smile.

She didn’t look like someone who had participated in countless battles.

She looked far too composed.

Caelith narrowed her eyes.

Then she spoke.

"Vice Commander Octoria."

Octoria’s smile remained.

"Yes, General?"

Caelith raised the holographic file slightly.

"I must say..."

She glanced through the information once more.

"You have a rather impressive track record."

Octoria politely bowed her head.

"Thank you."

Caelith’s expression remained unchanged.

"But there’s something I don’t understand."

She lowered the file.

Her dark blue eyes met Octoria’s purple ones.

"Are you certain you want to spend the rest of your military career serving under a naive young master?"

The atmosphere aboard the bridge suddenly became noticeably quieter.

Octoria’s pleasant smile remained.

But her eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

Caelith continued.

"You have served in some of House Valerius’ most significant campaigns."

"You’ve commanded multiple other fleets."

"You’ve fought alongside elite Iron Angel units."

"And yet you’ve willingly accepted a position beneath a young man who has only just reached adulthood."

She paused.

"Why?"

Octoria placed a hand against her chest.

"Well, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t somewhat hurt that House Valerius would discard me in such a manner."

She gave a small shrug.

"But then again..."

"It makes sense they would."

Octoria reached up and shifted her hair slightly, revealing a bulging piece of flesh near the left corner of her forehead.

"I’ve gotten rather close to going psycho."

Her tone remained surprisingly casual.

"My mental evaluation file should have made that very obvious."

She lowered her hand.

"So, any day now..."

"I’ll probably have to be put down before I wreak havoc."

Caelith sighed.

She pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I personally knew the gift of a fleet from House Valerius was too good to be true."

Her gaze shifted toward Octoria.

"Besides, all of the Iron Angels on this fleet have either shown no cultivation progress in the last decade or have problems staying transformed for a long period of time."

Caelith’s expression darkened.

"House Valerius basically dumped a collection of ticking time bombs on us and called it a gift."

Octoria responded in a mildly cheerful tone.

"A fleet is still a fleet, nonetheless."

She smiled.

"We should be capable of completing a couple of high-profile missions before some of them have to retire."

She paused.

"Or, better yet, the Young Master can choose to keep things simple, and he won’t have to worry about his new toys breaking on him."

She placed a hand against her chest.

"As for me personally, if he’s able to make proper use of an old soldier like me before I breathe my last breath..."

Her smile widened.

"...then I’ll be more than happy to serve my new commander."

Caelith glanced beside her and gestured for one of the officers standing nearby to step forward.

The officer immediately approached.

Caelith handed her the holographic file.

"Inform Lord Elizabeth of the fleet’s need for a Riki Handler."

She paused.

"Preferably one at the Lord Realm."

The officer nodded.

"Yes, General."

Caelith then turned her attention back toward Octoria.

"And inform the Young Master that he is finally allowed to address his fleet."

The officer gave a salute.

"Understood, General."

She took the file and turned, making her way out.

General Caelith also turned and began to leave.

After taking a few steps, however, she suddenly paused.

She glanced back at Octoria.

"You didn’t mention anything about your feelings towards House Valerius."

She narrowed her eyes.

"Why is that?"

Octoria’s expression saddened for a brief moment.

But she quickly regained her composure.

"House Valerius constantly disposes of incapable personnel."

She gave a small, bitter smile.

"So I knew this fate awaited me at some point."

She shrugged.

"Therefore, I have no feelings or need to come crawling back to my old house or beg for the Young Master’s approval."

Caelith stared at her intensely for a moment.

She discerned what she said to be true.

Then, after a brief silence, she finally glanced back in the direction she had been heading.

"Understood."

She paused.

"Good luck, then."

With those final words, Caelith left.