Caelus grinned at the stunned middle-aged man before him. It was none other than the nobleman from the livestock farm who had bought two cows from him at a high price.
"Well, well, if it isn't the big spender who just bought my secret tech. It's only been a day. Fallen on hard times, have we?"
The man's face was a mask of terror as he raised a trembling finger at Caelus. "You-you-you, why are you here?! And you're sitting in Lady Cocolia's seat! You're not allowed to sit there, get up now!"
"Silvermane Guards? This man is sitting in Her Excellency the Supreme Guardian's seat! Why are you just standing there watching? Have you all turned traitor?!"
The two Silvermane Guards who had escorted him in merely shot him a cold glance, then stood motionless.
After her return, Cocolia had instructed them to treat Caelus with absolute respect and to fulfill his requests to the best of their ability.
Although the order was baffling to all of them, an order was an order. They were soldiers; all they needed to do was execute the commands given by their superiors, without thinking too much about it.
Seeing the Silvermane Guards' inaction, the nobleman immediately realized something was wrong. He planned to spew a few threats and then leave. As for filing his complaint… he'd wait until Lady Cocolia returned!
But before he could open his mouth, Cocolia, now changed into a formal dress, emerged from a side room, followed by Bronya and March 7th, who were dressed in matching black and white.
Just as Cocolia was about to ask Caelus's opinion on their outfits, she noticed the extra person in the office. Her expression immediately turned frosty as she shot a cold gaze at the man.
"What are you doing here?"
Seeing Cocolia, the man, who had been slightly stooped, immediately straightened up. "Lady Cocolia, this man is too insolent! He's actually sitting in your seat, and he even extorted a pile of gold from me! I implore you to issue an order to sanction him!"
Cocolia glanced in the direction the man was pointing, then turned back and said flatly, "That will be his seat from now on. As of today, he is the current Supreme Guardian."
"Huh?"
The man was completely stunned. How did the Supreme Guardian suddenly change? And he hadn't even been notified! Was it really that hasty?!
Bronya, who had been forced into a formal dress, saw the look of utter shock and bewilderment on the man's face and felt a deep sense of empathy.
Finally, someone who thinks the same way I do!
Cocolia gave a dismissive wave to the Silvermane Guards at her side. "Throw him out. I have no time to deal with him right now."
They had far too many things to deal with at the moment; they couldn't be bothered with this fellow.
The two guards nodded, strode forward, and grabbed the man by his arms, dragging him out the door.
As he was being taken away, the man kept struggling and shouting "Why?", but no one paid him any mind.
---o---
After getting rid of the noisy pest, Cocolia led March 7th and Bronya before the desk.
"How do we look?"
Unlike Cocolia, who confidently showed off her figure, Bronya and March 7th were both a bit bashful. March shyly fiddled with the hem of her dress, occasionally stealing a glance at Caelus, awaiting his reaction.
Bronya, on the other hand, glared at Caelus with resentment. On the minimap, her icon, which represented a neutral yellow, was faintly tinged with red, showing a tendency to shift towards hostility.
Caelus paid it no mind, however. No matter how hostile Bronya became, she wouldn't be able to lay a finger on him.
"Fantastic!"
Caelus gave the three women a sincere thumbs-up. Whether it was Cocolia's mature curves or this pair of black and white chocolates in Bronya and March, they were all simply stunning.
Receiving Caelus's approval, Cocolia gave a satisfied nod. She then said she was going to prepare for the next steps and left, taking the reluctant Bronya with her.
After they left, March 7th finally relaxed her tense body. She let out a long sigh and walked over to Caelus's side, sitting directly on the desk.
"That was so nerve-wracking!"
Caelus looked up, admiring March 7th's new look while teasing her, "Why so nervous with me looking at you?"
March rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "It was because of Cocolia! While we were changing earlier, she kept nagging us about how important the succession ceremony is, and how we have to maintain proper etiquette and posture. She just kept going on and on… Anyone who didn't know better would think we were the ones taking an etiquette class!"
Caelus chuckled and didn't reply. Instead, he started recalling the construction method for an iron farm and calculating the various materials needed. He would prepare a list for Cocolia later so she could gather the materials.
March 7th sat on the desk, swinging her legs and looking at the scenery outside the window. She suddenly asked Caelus, "Caelus, how long are you planning to stay in Belobog?"
"Hmm… three days, probably."
Caelus did a rough calculation. It would take about two days to solve Belobog's various resource problems. The last day would be for troubleshooting.
Since he had demanded the position of Supreme Guardian from Cocolia, he naturally planned to turn Jarilo-VI into his own logistics base to solve future resource problems.
Besides, if he ever got a mod that was particularly difficult or numerically intensive to grind, he could just have the people of Jarilo-VI help him develop it. He wouldn't have to grind it all by himself.
"Three days… that fast?" March was a little surprised.
Caelus glanced at her. "Don't believe me?"
"Of course I believe you! It's just a little unexpected, that's all."
"Heh, there are many more things that will surprise you."
---o---
By the afternoon, Cocolia had her people notify the entire city of the change in the Supreme Guardian.
Upon hearing the news, everyone in the city was shocked. They all gathered at the appointed time in the central plaza where the succession ceremony was to be held.
The hastily constructed stage was empty, but the area below was already packed with people. A noisy chatter filled the air as people wildly discussed why Cocolia was stepping down and who would be taking her place while they waited for her to arrive.
"It must be Lady Bronya, right? She's Lady Cocolia's daughter, so it has to be her."
"Such a sudden change… I'm not so sure about Lady Bronya… Perhaps it's Captain Gepard? He has led the Silvermane Guards to protect Belobog for many years. It wouldn't be unacceptable for him to take over."
"If not them, then Captain Pela could work… even if she is a bit dorky."
As the crowd was engrossed in heated discussion, two Silvermane Guards walked onto the stage carrying a banner. They unfurled it, revealing the words: "Welcoming the New Supreme Guardian, the Nameless Caelus, to the Stage for a Speech."
"Holy crap, who the hell is this Nameless Caelus?!"
---