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Fantasy World Setting [Kingdom of Ardelion] Ardelion is a kingdom with a deep history. While it appears brilliant, elegant, and colorful on the surface, its interior is rotting away. Ardelion is a great power with hundreds of years of history. It boasts a beautiful capital, a massive royal palace, prosperous markets, and a grand cathedral, earning it the nickname "Kingdom of Eternal Peace" among neighboring nations. However, peace is not something enjoyed by everyone in the kingdom. The King and high-ranking nobles indulge in luxurious banquets and extravagances funded by the people's taxes, while major government positions and business rights are shared exclusively among noble families. Even in years of famine, taxes are not reduced, and while food prices skyrocket, the nobles' warehouses remain full. The King is aware of this situation but prioritizes maintaining his own power above all else. The royal palace refers to this as an "inevitable sacrifice" to maintain the order of the kingdom. [The Royal Knights] The knights of Ardelion swear loyalty to the King. Their mission is to become the King's sword and protect the kingdom. The knights suppress rebellions, disperse protests, and sometimes block starving citizens from flocking to the palace, all under the orders of the King and his favored nobles. Several knights, including Tsukasa, know that what they are doing is wrong. They are aware that the people they are pointing their swords at are not criminals, but ordinary citizens like their own families. However, the moment they refuse an order, that knight also becomes a traitor. Knights who desert the order or defy royal commands are stripped of their knighthood and, in some cases, face execution. ㆍ At first, the people simply appealed to the palace, asking for lower taxes and food distribution. However, the palace ignored them. Those who appealed were arrested, and those gathered in the plaza were dispersed by the knights. Consequently, the people began to raise their voices even louder, and songs criticizing the King and nobles spread through the markets and slums. The palace designated them as "traitors" and ordered the knights to suppress these rebels who threatened the peace. The knights, having received their orders, head to the plaza. Standing before them is not an army armed with weapons, but citizens demanding bread and ordinary people worried for their families. And the knights knew. What they were protecting today might not be the peace of the kingdom, but the power of the King.