The Omega Knight's Secret Baby Daddy is A PRINCE?!-Chapter 61: Speak Out.

Ezra immediately caught the whispers rising from the Sunward Sentinels around him.

"We already have to work with those jerks... now we have to actually work with them?"

"What is he thinking? Is this really the right way?"

"Did the princes approve this?"

"Is this some kind of punishment?"

The murmurs were low, but there were many of them. Too many.

From the corner of his eye, Ezra saw similar reactions from the other two orders.

Goldflame knights exchanged tight looks.

Dawnward Bloom members frowned openly, lines forming between their brows.

The air shifted.

It wasn’t a rebellion.

But it was close to resistance.

Ezra glanced at Helios.

To his surprise, Helios did not look startled. Not confused. Not irritated.

He looked... prepared.

In contrast, Kaelis’s jaw was tight, his expression visibly displeased. Aurien, too, seemed caught off guard, though far more composed.

’I see,’ Ezra thought quietly. ’That’s why Helios left early.’

He looked toward Aamon, who was watching the unrest with mild amusement, hands still clasped behind his back.

’They discussed this beforehand,’ Ezra realized. ’They planned it. But why this?’

It was...impractical.

"I am certain," Aamon began lightly, his voice carrying with ease, "that based on the enthusiastic buzzing in the air, many of you have questions."

A few knights stiffened.

"And since I am in a generous mood today," Aamon continued with a small chuckle, "instead of making you all run laps for breaking formation silence, I will allow questions."

Almost immediately, Aurien lifted his hand.

Not high.

Just enough.

"I have a question," he said calmly.

Aamon gestured toward him. "Go ahead, Prince Aurien."

Aurien stepped forward, hands clasped neatly behind his back. His posture was straight. Composed.

"Is all of this truly necessary?" he asked.

Ezra’s eyes widened slightly.

’Who in Aurethys is that?’

This was not the soft-spoken, easily flustered prince from earlier. His voice carried confidence.

Authority. It was steady, measured.

It was... commanding.

The shift was almost jarring.

Aamon tilted his head. "Necessary?"

"We all train within our respective orders," Aurien continued. "Our fighting styles are developed to complement one another. My knights spar together daily. I assume the same applies to my brothers’ orders."

Kaelis stepped forward as well, arms crossed loosely.

"I agree," he said. "As much as collaboration sounds appealing, mixing our members right before facing the largest horde in recent memory seems... inefficient."

His tone was controlled. Not mocking. For once.

Aamon’s gaze swept over both princes.

Then it moved.

To Helios.

Helios stepped forward without hesitation.

"This was my idea."

Silence dropped over the square.

Even the wind felt quieter.

Kaelis turned sharply toward him. Aurien’s brows lifted, just slightly.

Ezra stared at Helios’s back, at the broad line of his shoulders beneath the uniform.

’Why?’ he asked himself.

Because this was not a minor adjustment.

This was tearing at the foundation of how the orders had always operated.

Helios’s voice remained steady.

"We need to start thinking ahead," he said. "Forming new strategies. Acting as one larger force, instead of three separate ones."

A ripple of murmurs tried to rise again, but the weight of his tone pressed them back down.

"The horde is not moving like the previous ones," Helios continued. "It is adapting. Whether we like it or not. It is growing. An outbreak almost whipping out a whole island is not normal."

Ezra felt his stomach tighten.

"Ordinary citizens are turning into Dark Ones," Helios said, his voice lowering slightly. "They are becoming unpredictable. We cannot even be certain that someone standing behind us will not fall and turn mid-battle."

A quiet shift moved through the formation.

That fear was real.

A pause settled over the square.

"If we mix our knights," Helios went on, "we grow stronger. Not just in number, but in adaptability. Even if formations break, even if units scatter, every knight will know how to move with anyone."

He let the words sink in.

"We stop thinking as orders. We start thinking as one force."

The logic was clean.

Clear.

Ezra felt something settle in his chest.

’So that’s it,’ he realized. ’He’s not just preparing them for this horde. He’s preparing them for the future. Making sure none of us hesitate because we’re unfamiliar with one another.’

Helios continued, "You will not be grouped randomly. Each team will have balanced skill sets. Offensive. Defensive. Support. Captains will coordinate across units. The princes will oversee the larger movements."

Aamon’s faint smile deepened, almost imperceptibly.

"And," Helios added, his voice firm now, "if our knights cannot trust one another enough to fight side by side, then this joint operation means nothing."

The words landed heavier than the strategy itself.

Ezra swallowed.

Because that part was not only about battle.

It was about something deeper.

Trust.

Unity.

’You’re forcing them to rely on each other,’ Ezra thought. ’Even if they dislike it. Even if pride gets in the way.’

His gaze stayed fixed forward.

But inwardly, something shifted.

Helios was not just reacting to a horde.

He was building something larger.

And whether they liked it or not, he was right.

However...

Ezra’s brows slowly drew together.

There was a flaw.

At least, in his mind, there was.

Kaelis no longer looked irritated. Aurien no longer looked confused. After Helios explained, both of them seemed to understand.

But something sat uneasily in Ezra’s chest that he did not want to voice out.

Becaue it was Helios’s plan.

And if Helios had decided on it, then it was most likely the smartest option. Thought through. Calculated.

Foolproof.

...Wasn’t it?

"Speak out, boy."

Aamon’s voice cut cleanly across the square.

Ezra’s head lifted immediately, eyes scanning before landing on the obvious target.

Him.

’Huh?’

Aamon was looking directly at him.

"Ezra Belloren," Aamon continued calmly. "You look like you have something on your mind."

Every gaze shifted.

Kaelis.

Aurien.

Ninety knights.

And Helios.

Helios’s expression was not harsh. Not disapproving.

Just curious.

And somehow, that was worse.

Ezra felt his shoulders tense under that gaze.

’I could say nothing,’ he thought. ’I could let it pass.’

But Aamon had practically raised him. Trained him. Shaped him.

If he lied, Aamon would know.

Helios would know.

And Ezra had never been good at lying to the two men who knew him best.

He stepped forward.

Hands clasped behind his back.

"I have a small concern, Captain Aamon."

"A concern?" Aamon’s tone remained light. "Is it something Prince Helios failed to address?"

Ezra’s finger twitched faintly at his side.

’Why does he have to phrase it like that?’ he thought irritably. ’This man enjoys cornering me.’

He inhaled slowly.

"While I believe Prince Helios’s explanation is sound," Ezra said evenly, "and the strategy itself is well-constructed, my concern lies with us. The knights."

Aamon nodded once. "I did not train you to circle your point. Speak plainly."

Ezra did.

"Each knight order is loyal to one prince," he said. "We respect others. Of course. But loyalty is not something that can simply be erased by rearranging formations."

He let his gaze sweep briefly across the square.

"The moment we are mixed, there will be a comparison. Competition. A desire to prove oneself."

He looked back at Aamon.

"And not only for pride."

The air grew heavier.

"I cannot guarantee that the Sunward Sentinels will not attempt to outperform the others," Ezra admitted. "Nor can I guarantee that the Goldflame Order or Dawnward Bloom will not do the same."

He swallowed.

"It is human nature. Especially when there is still no heir to the throne."

That part landed harder than he expected.

"This mission," Ezra continued steadily, "is not just about defeating a horde. It is also an opportunity. For princes to gain favor. For orders to demonstrate superiority."

He did not look at Helios when he said it.

He did not look at Kaelis.

But he did not retract it either.

"Mixing groups may encourage teamwork," he added. "But it also gives knights the opportunity to show off. To compete. And that could lead to friction at the worst possible moment."

Silence followed.

No one immediately denied it.

Because no one could.

Aamon regarded him thoughtfully.

"But the Ember Guard and Dawnward Bloom have worked together before," Aamon said. "There were no issues."

"Not in mixed units," Ezra replied. "They fought as coordinated allies. Not as intertwined teams."

He paused.

"And...was there truly no issue at all?"

Aamon stared at him.

Hard.

Long.

Ezra did not look away.

From the corner of his eye, he caught Kaelis and Aurien exchanging a glance. Subtle. Quick.

Aamon sighed.

"Indeed," he said at last, "there was an incident. A minor clash between opposing knights."

A murmur rippled through the square. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Behind Ezra, someone snickered.

Of course it was Guy.

"Figures," Guy muttered under his breath.

Unfortunately, he did not mutter quietly enough.

"Whaddya say, Guy Man?" a knight from the Goldflame Order shot back. "A man with a name like that shouldn’t have opinions. Especially when you weren’t even there."

Ezra closed his eyes briefly.

’Here we go.’

"Hah? I don’t even know who you are, crazy eyes," Guy replied instantly.

A few Sentinels chuckled.

"You don’t get to insult Guy," Gareth added loudly. "Not when your order lost three men because of your own stupidity and had to replace them with a rookie."

That did it.

"What the hell did you just say?"

"Say it again!"

"I’ll slit your throat!"

"Try it!"

Voices overlapped. Boots shifted. The air shifted with it.

Ezra’s body tensed automatically.

Across from him, Razor stepped forward half an inch. Zaide straightened as well.

All three captains were ready.

’In front of the princes?’ Ezra thought, disbelief flashing through him. ’In front of Aamon?’

The audacity was almost impressive.

But before any of them could move—

Three bursts of golden light flared.

It was not blinding.

It was commanding.

The glow pulsed from the front of each formation.

"Enough."

Aurien’s voice was no longer soft. It was cold. Precise. His golden eyes shone faintly as light gathered in his palm.

Helios stood tall at the head of the Sentinels, golden light steady in his hand, expression unreadable.

Kaelis, smirk gone, gaze sharp, raised his own glowing hand.

The square fell silent in an instant.

Even the wind seemed to pause.

’Now they’ve done it.