Murmurs spread throughout the banquet hall.
Everyone had noticed the sudden change in Lady Elizabeth’s expression.
Whatever was written on that list...
It was clearly something serious.
Several young lords and merchants exchanged curious glances, quietly wondering what could possibly have caused the Lady of House Ashbourne to react that way.
Celestia, however, remained perfectly calm.
She offered Elizabeth a faint smile.
"Lady Ashbourne..."
"I believe it would be appropriate for you to continue."
She paused.
"Especially since I have already confirmed what you just asked."
Elizabeth’s expression tightened slightly.
She looked down at the holographic list again.
There was a trace of annoyance in her eyes.
Arthur noticed.
"...What has her so worked up?"
Florain shrugged.
"Beats me."
Elizabeth took a slow breath.
Then finally spoke.
"Next..."
"From Young Lord Celestia of House Valerius."
The moment those words left her mouth...
The entire atmosphere changed.
"House Valerius presents Young Master Arthur with..."
She paused.
"...one complete fleet combat unit."
"The fleet consists of one Valerius-Class Sovereign Command Ship..."
A holographic image appeared above the banquet hall.
The enormous warship dwarfed the Type-Vanguard displayed earlier.
Its black hull was reinforced with silver armor plating displayed across its surface.
Several enormous weapon arrays extended from its sides.
"The fleet’s command vessel is accompanied by..."
"One Astraeus-Class Battlecruiser."
"Four Aegis-Class Heavy Cruisers."
"Sixteen Specter-Class Reconnaissance Vessels."
"Eight Ardent-Class Assault Carriers."
"And two Eclipse-Class Mobile Repair Vessels."
With every ship named...
The expressions of the nobles became increasingly stunned.
But Elizabeth wasn’t finished.
"The fleet also includes..."
"Five hundred Iron Angels assigned as its primary combat personnel."
A collective gasp swept through the hall.
Elizabeth continued calmly.
"Along with twelve thousand standard military personnel."
"Three thousand six hundred aerospace pilots and combat operators."
"Eight hundred fleet engineers and technicians."
"Five hundred medical and biological specialists."
The banquet hall had become completely silent.
"All personnel have formally acknowledged Young Master Arthur as their supreme commanding authority."
"They have also received newly issued uniforms bearing the crest of House Ashbourne."
A new holographic image appeared.
Rows of soldiers stood in formation.
Their previous Valerius insignias had been replaced by the crest of House Ashbourne.
Even the uniforms had been redesigned.
Elizabeth continued.
"The House Valerius crest has likewise been removed from all vessels."
"Every ship within the fleet now bears the crest of House Ashbourne."
"Furthermore..."
"House Valerius hereby grants Young Master Arthur the official title of..."
She paused.
The silence became almost unbearable.
"...Fleet Admiral of the Ashbourne Private Fleet."
The moment the words left her mouth...
The banquet hall became so silent that a pin dropping onto the floor might have been heard.
Even the music had stopped.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
For several seconds...
Everyone simply stared at Elizabeth.
Then—
Florain’s eyes widened.
"A... fleet?"
She turned toward Arthur.
"You can’t be serious."
Arthur remained silent.
"...That’s not something you give as a birthday gift."
Florain nodded.
"No."
Around them, the nobles were finally beginning to recover.
"What the hell..."
"House Valerius just gave him an entire fleet?"
"Not just combat vessels. There are carriers, reconnaissance ships, logistics ships..."
A merchant’s voice trembled.
"Do you understand how much it costs to maintain a fleet of that size?"
Another merchant shook his head.
"Forget maintenance. House Ashbourne can definitely afford it, but who the hell gifts a fleet?"
The question seemed to echo through the minds of nearly everyone in the banquet hall.
It wasn’t as though a single fleet was particularly significant to a Star Lord.
A Star Lord’s domain could easily possess thousands upon thousands of fleets.
A Galactic Lord could command tens of thousands.
In that context...
One fleet wasn’t enough to meaningfully alter the balance of power between major houses.
But that wasn’t the point.
Nobody gave away a fleet.
Not as a gift.
Not casually.
And certainly not to someone from another noble house.
It would be like a nation back on Earth handing over an entire trained military division to another country simply to celebrate an alliance.
The division itself might not represent the entirety of that nation’s armed forces.
But those soldiers were still part of its military strength.
A house’s military strength was directly tied to its status, reputation, and political influence.
Every fleet represented another piece of a noble house’s authority.
Another territory it could defend.
Another frontier it could patrol.
Another war it could fight.
Another threat it could deter.
So why would House Valerius willingly remove one from its own military structure?
And then give it to Arthur?
Several merchants began whispering among themselves.
"This doesn’t make sense."
"Unless..."
One of them lowered his voice.
"...there’s something they’re not telling us."
Another immediately nodded.
"Exactly."
Everyone knew House Valerius and House Ashbourne weren’t exactly on friendly terms.
That made the gift even stranger.
If two houses were close allies, transferring military assets could at least be interpreted as an extraordinary demonstration of trust.
But between houses with complicated political relations?
It was almost suspicious by definition.
Lady Elizabeth’s reaction was suddenly understandable.
All eyes immediately turned toward Celestia.
The nobles stared at her with varying degrees of suspicion.
Everyone was wondering the same thing.
What exactly was their plan behind this?
Why would House Valerius give away an entire fleet?
Celestia suddenly laughed softly.
She raised both hands in a gesture of reassurance.
"Ahaha..."
"I understand your reactions."
"Honestly, I probably would have reacted the same way."
She smiled calmly.
"But there’s no need to worry."
"There are no strings attached to this gift."
"I swear upon the name of House Valerius..."
"There is absolutely no ill will behind this."
The murmuring gradually quieted.
Celestia continued.
"Please simply regard it as a sincere gesture."
"A gesture demonstrating that House Valerius is willing to let bygones be bygones."
She paused briefly.
"Although..."
"My mother was initially opposed to the idea."
A few nobles exchanged curious glances.
Celestia chuckled.
"She certainly wasn’t pleased when I first brought the proposal to her."
"But eventually..."
"She agreed."
Her eyes slowly turned toward Arthur.
"All I hope is that, with this..."
"...Young Master Arthur will look favorably upon my proposal."
Lyra’s expression immediately became uncomfortable.
Celestia continued with a bright smile.
"If we eventually become family..."
"I doubt one fleet—or even two—would be much of a concern."
The words immediately caused another wave of murmurs.
Several young lords exchanged knowing looks.
Some looked impressed.
Others looked genuinely stunned.
Celestia had essentially just admitted that the fleet was part of her courtship.
And somehow...
That made the gift seem even more outrageous.
Lyra quietly lowered her gaze.
She couldn’t deny it.
Celestia had a point.
A fleet was certainly an extravagant gift.
But considering the scale of the noble houses involved...
It wasn’t something that would cripple House Valerius.
Several young lords suddenly wore complicated expressions.
One couldn’t help but mutter,
"...She really is serious."
Another quietly replied,
"After giving him an entire fleet, how could Young Master Arthur possibly refuse?"
Celestia’s smile remained elegant.
But inwardly...
She was practically celebrating.
What now, Young Master Arthur?
Surely you won’t turn me down after this.
No...
You can’t afford to.
Her cheeks gradually became flushed.
Oh, you’re going to be mine.
I can’t wait.
Unable to contain herself any longer, Celestia brought both hands to her face.
Her eyes peeked through the gaps between her fingers.
Her face was deeply flushed.
"The day I’ve dreamed of..."
"...isn’t that far away now."
A small giggle escaped her lips.
"Hehehe..."
Miranda, standing beside her, stared at her mistress.
"...M-my lady."
Celestia immediately lowered her hands and straightened herself.
"I-I am perfectly composed."
Miranda said nothing.
She simply stared.
Celestia cleared her throat.
"Moving on."
Meanwhile...
Arthur suddenly heard a familiar mechanical voice inside his mind.
〘Congratulations, Player.〙
〘You have obtained a Fleet.〙
〘You have obtained the title: Fleet Admiral.〙
Arthur blinked.
Another notification immediately appeared.
〘NEW PLAYER RECORD!〙
〘Achievement Unlocked: Speed Runner.〙
〘Requirement: Obtain a fleet within one week of Login.〙
〘Achievement successfully recorded.〙
Arthur’s expression remained perfectly composed.
Internally...
"...A speed runner?"
Another notification appeared.
〘Player achievement recorded in the Galactic Codex Records.〙
Arthur stared blankly ahead.
...The system seriously recorded that?
He suddenly wondered what other ridiculous achievements it intended to document.
Before he could think any further...
Lady Elizabeth cleared her throat.
The sound immediately drew everyone’s attention back toward her.
"And now..."
She glanced down at the holographic list.
"...for the final gift."
The banquet hall gradually quieted.
Elizabeth’s eyes moved toward the last name.
"From Young Lord Lyra of House Evergreen."
She paused.
Then looked toward Lyra, who became increasingly anxious as the moments passed because the gift her mother had given her to present might very well now bring shame upon their name after all those extravagant gifts.
"House Evergreen presents Young Master Arthur with..."