There was no more amazement or possessiveness left.
After that, the ruler he came into contact with was completely different from the rumors. She was someone who would personally help him put on the sacred artifact, carefully observe it, and patiently explain how to use it. She was gentle, patient, incredibly strong, and wise.
General Qi lowered his eyes and pushed down the emotions that kept rising from the bottom of his heart.
"Your Majesty... I, thank Your Majesty."
Sacred artifacts were treasures that every nation dreamed of obtaining, yet she had just given one to him like that. Waves of emotion surged in General Qi's heart, but he said nothing more to refuse.
These past six months had already made him fully understand that the ruler would never act without thinking everything through.
There was no need for him to say anything more about her decision.
He only needed to remember this generous grace deeply, and carve it firmly into his heart, never to forget it for the rest of his life.
After Damon and Egbert finished organizing the army, they waited outside the tent.
Before departure, Elara called Damon into the tent and gave him the [Shadow Cloak].
She had brought back many divine gifts this time, and part of them were specifically meant for the loyal followers who had stayed with her all this time.
The [Shadow Cloak] could make the wearer invisible to the eye, which was already quite an impressive support item in this ancient world.
Damon was skilled at long-range attacks. Although the [Shadow Cloak] didn't perfectly suit him, it would still be useful for escape, ambush, or hiding.
Elara chose to give it to him because, first, she didn't currently have any long-range divine weapons on hand. Second, the cloak could greatly increase survival ability in battlefield assassinations.
Damon, General Qi, and the others had followed her since she first arrived in this world. Elara was more patient with them than with others and didn't want anything bad to happen to them.
She would give them anything she could, as a way to strengthen and stabilize her own power from another angle.
Inside the tent.
Elara unfolded the [Shadow Cloak] like a cape and personally draped it over Damon's shoulders.
Damon was tall and strong, with well-shaped, firm muscles. His handsome, sharp face made him look like one of those fitness models she often saw in gyms in her past life.
Elara compared him to General Qi and realized Damon was actually a couple of centimeters taller.
He was over 190 cm tall, and even though she had grown a lot in the past few months, she still had to look up to see his face.
But there was no need for her to look up. As soon as Damon entered the tent, he knelt down in front of her.
His tall body bent low, his face lowered. His posture showed complete submission.
"Your Majesty."
Elara placed the [Shadow Cloak] on him and demonstrated how to use its invisibility feature. She carefully explained how it worked.
"Outside of battle, the cloak can also turn invisible on its own. You can wear it normally and others won't know you have a divine item on you. If anything happens, you can activate it anytime. Just take your time and get used to it."
Compared to General Qi, Damon's reaction was even more shocked when Elara so casually gave him such a rare divine item.
He stared in disbelief at the [Shadow Cloak] that had already turned half-invisible on his body.
After a moment, he suddenly turned back, reaching out to remove the cloak in a hurry but with great care.
"Your Majesty, this is a divine gift. And it's so powerful. You should keep it for yourself. I can't"
Elara pressed his hand down to stop him and cut him off.
"Damon, these divine items were brought back from the Hundred Nations Banquet just for you all. I have my own ways to protect myself, so don't worry too much."
"You all are my most trusted and irreplaceable pillars. You've helped me with rebellions, the throne, and war. I want you to stay by my side always, so you can't afford to get hurt, especially not in battle."
"This cloak can help keep you safe. You deserve it. And it's not even the best thing out there. When I find something more suitable for you, I'll give you an even stronger divine item."
As Elara's calm and elegant voice reached his ears, Damon's broad chest rose and fell slightly.
His heart was filled with intense emotion that he could no longer hold back.
Having grown up in the harsh conditions of the Plumera Kingdom, and now being promoted by Her Majesty, he had seen far more in his role as deputy minister of the military than he ever imagined.
How could he not understand how valuable divine items were to every country in this world?
When other monarchs received divine items, they locked them away deep inside the palace, refusing to let anyone even glance at them.
They all hoped to pass them down as sacred heirlooms to secure their rule.
Elara gave him this powerful divine artifact without hesitation. Her only request was that he must never get into danger on the battlefield and that he must always stay by her side from now on.
Damon didn't even know which of the two requests moved him more.
To him, neither request felt like a burden. They were blessings.
For the past few months, every time he thought of Elara, he couldn't hold back all kinds of emotions rising inside him.
Now, looking at the beautiful Empress calmly gazing at him from the main seat, Damon's heart once again swelled with deep gratitude and joy. He was grateful he had met such a ruler.
"Your subject gives thanks to Your Majesty! I swear I will always stay by Your Majesty's side!" Forever, never leaving!
All those overwhelming emotions in his heart were finally condensed into this vow as heavy as gold.
Damon lowered his eyes and didn't let Elara see the storm of emotions surging in them.
Seeing that he had accepted it, Elara didn't say anything more.
After Damon stepped back, Elara changed clothes and left the camp.
With Damon and Egbert, who had also changed, and the two hundred thousand troops following behind, they headed overnight toward the northern border of Plumera Kingdom.
The northern border of Plumera Kingdom.
Since Elara had arrived in this world, she had never been north of Plumera City.
In that first month when she had nothing at all and couldn't even face Lord Gregory directly, she had borrowed the reputation of a royal uncle she had never met in the north.
Commander Shu, the regent who didn't handle government affairs, was very strange.
He neither seized power with troops nor tried to take the throne.
After leading several hundred thousand elite soldiers into the north, he remained silent like a hibernating tiger.
Even when Elara borrowed his name, he didn't react.
The southern capital was turned upside down by her, and even the emperor had been replaced, but he still didn't respond.
Elara had once guessed what this uncle with no blood ties intended to do, but she couldn't figure it out due to a serious lack of information. It couldn't be that he was just that bored and wanted to isolate himself in the north, ignoring everything else, right?
Over the past few months, one major event followed another. Since she couldn't figure it out, Elara temporarily stopped thinking about Commander Shu.
Now, taking advantage of the proper excuse of resisting the incoming army from the Salvia Kingdom, she personally entered the northern region. She could finally take a proper look at this silent royal uncle's situation.
At the northern border checkpoint.
The city guards stationed outside the pass stood in neat, disciplined lines.
Their expressions were serious and alert. It was clear they had undergone strict training for many years, completely different from the useless, drunk soldiers Elara had seen in Plumera City when she first arrived in this world.
After checking the identities of Elara and the others, the captain of the gate looked at the mass of two hundred thousand troops behind them.
He gave Elara a slight bow and didn't block their entry. He only asked Elara to rest in the city for a while, then immediately sent word to report to the regent.
The northern region covered a full third of Plumera Kingdom's land. There were seven or eight major cities and prefectures within it.
The first city of the north, where Commander Shu resided, was located at the farthest northern end.
It was called Beichen Prefecture.
Normally, with the average message speed of ordinary soldiers in this world, delivering a message from here to Beichen and getting a reply would take at least a full day.
But after Elara and the others entered the city, they had only rested for about an hour and a half when a reply came back from the northern capital, where Commander Shu was located.
"Your Majesty, the Prince warmly welcomes Your arrival.
But due to the urgent war situation, he cannot come personally. A feast has already been prepared in Beichen Prefecture, awaiting Your Majesty and the generals."