18. The Crossroads of an Era

Black flags went up across all of Macfeyden.

This was because the late emperor’s death was officially announced.

The Kramer couple moved early to the imperial capital, Phaesle, to attend the state funeral.

The prince received the sentence that he was a barbaric traitor who attempted to usurp the throne without qualification by assassinating the late emperor, and was executed.

That was the officially announced ending.

But the actual ending was different.

The prince captured in the Kramer territory was not escorted to the imperial family. Though she didn’t know what agreement Constantine and Madielle, who would soon become emperor, had reached, it was certain that the prince never left the Kramer territory. However, she didn’t know what happened to the prince after Constantine took him away.

Just, even though Saena had purified it, all the grass had died where the poison mist had passed, and judging by Constantine’s displeased face as he coldly surveyed that scene, she could only guess he probably didn’t see anything good.

He might have been sent to the shadow prison he mentioned briefly before, or suffered an even worse fate.

But she felt no inclination to stop it.

There are people to sympathize with, and people not to.

During the week-long state funeral, countless people brought flowers to mourn the late emperor. Unable to enter the imperial palace, they placed flowers outside, filling every gap along the castle walls. The sight was quite spectacular.

The late emperor’s reign had been moderate. It was a peaceful era with nothing particularly good or bad. The only regret was perhaps that he met an unfortunate end due to the sin of raising his son poorly.

Anyway, thus, one era ended.

And a new era began.

Right after the state funeral, the coronation ceremony was held for Crown Prince Madielle’s ascension to the imperial throne.

A time when the old departs and the new arrives.

A new emperor. A new era.

While newly wearing the emperor’s crown, Madielle simultaneously placed the consort’s crown on Lord Heviathan. Then she successfully demonstrated the succession by showing she could summon Achelion.

She had truly become a female emperor in name and reality.

Congratulatory envoys visited from neighboring countries, and there was a time for each family to make new oaths of loyalty.

Festivals were also held across the empire to celebrate this. The national treasury opened wide, and much wealth was contributed from each territory’s lord’s storehouse.

Nobles and commoners alike spent busy times commemorating this with joy.

* * *

After the coronation, there was one more major event in the imperial capital.

It was the official verification ceremony for the newly appeared Oathkeeper.

This was also Emperor Madielle’s first official event.

Opening a new reign together with an Oathkeeper who had first successfully contracted in 500 years was seen as an auspicious sign, so it was good for Madielle too. There was also a reason for deliberately making this the first event to be seen that way.

The plaza in front of the imperial palace was bustling with huge crowds from early morning.

This was because they decided to hold the verification ceremony as a public event.

The city overflowed with not only residents of the imperial capital and suburban residents but also people who came up from the provinces to see this unprecedented event that would surely be recorded as a major axis in history. Every inn was packed with people.

Since most people came out from dawn to secure spots to see the ceremony better, thinking ‘since we spent money on travel anyway,’ there was no room to even step despite it being long before the event.

“I think it’s starting!”

As the event time approached, knights appeared.

The knights formed a human curtain while controlling a certain radius based on the platform where the ceremony would be held.

People naturally followed the knights’ guidance to move outside the baseline and find spots again.

When the plaza organization and pathway securing was complete, carriages began appearing from afar. People started cheering. The area near the plaza quickly became very noisy.

“The carriages of all four ducal families are here!”

“We can see Guardian Spirits again this year!”

“Right! We get to see them outside of the parade too!”

Carriages with each family’s crest largely drawn lined up in order. And the carriage doors opened simultaneously. The four dukes stepped out of each carriage at once.

“The Oathkeepers!”

“Your Grace!”

Wearing formal uniforms with edges so sharp they seemed they would cut if touched, the four dukes walked onto the platform with disciplined posture and stood in their designated positions.

The positions matched the cardinal directions of each territory.

Then another carriage entered with the escort of knights.

“It’s the Imperial Guard!”

“It must be His Majesty the Emperor!”

“Long live the Emperor!”

As the carriage stopped in precise formation with the well-disciplined Imperial Guard, its door opened at the position exactly matching the wide path in the middle. A portable staircase was placed in front of the carriage door, and someone who appeared to be the Imperial Guard Commander stood in a very polite posture for escort.

Someone stepped out of the carriage holding the precisely extended arm.

The sky-blue hair that was practically the imperial family’s symbol was neatly arranged up, with the emperor’s crown sitting atop. Attendants followed behind to properly spread the large cape draped over her shoulders.

The emperor climbed onto the platform slowly with a solemn face.

At this, the carriage that had carried the emperor left and another carriage entered.

“Is it the Oathkeeper?”

“The Oathkeeper must be riding in it?”

Expectant guesses poured from everywhere as people sensed this was the last carriage. However, voices grew quieter when the carriage stopped. Everyone closed their mouths to concentrate.

Similarly, a portable staircase was placed in front of the carriage door.

Swoosh.

As the door opened silently and someone’s hand emerged, people held their breath.

‘Finally…!’

They had been curious for months.

This was the moment when the identity of the new Oathkeeper would finally be revealed. People gulped dryly.

The full figure that emerged from the carriage was finally revealed under the sun.

“……?”

“Why is everything covered?”

The Oathkeeper covered their entire body with a hooded robe.

As people watched the overall figure descending the stairs, they soon noticed something.

“The Oathkeeper seems… short?”

“Right. They look quite small too?”

They noticed the build was very different from the Oathkeepers of other ducal families.

“…Could they be underage?”

“Oh? That could be possible.”

“Ah, is that why they protected them by not exposing them outside?”

People murmured. And those speculations became almost established facts as they started laying out more plausible guesses.

They said things like since they contracted at such a young age, their talent must be incredible, or no, maybe they were actually the least capable among Oathkeepers and that’s why they were hidden until now. Not stopping there, some even suggested they might be Duke Kramer’s illegitimate child that he had hidden somewhere all this time.

However, regardless of all that, the fact that they were an Oathkeeper remained unchanged.

“The verification ceremony begins–!”

The military band’s drums and trumpets rang out and the ceremony began.

“Oathkeeper, come stand before Us.”

The Oathkeeper quietly came to stand before the emperor.

When the two figures stood close, their build became even more apparent. The new Oathkeeper was even smaller than Emperor Madielle.

Seeing this contrast, people became more convinced. They must surely be a boy.

“We shall proceed with the verification procedure.”

The emperor moved to the center of the platform.

“This is the verification stone passed down through the imperial family. When you place your palm on it and infuse Guardian Spirit power, the form of wings will appear.”

In the center of the platform stood a waist-high pedestal with what looked like a crude disc-shaped object placed on top.

It was a crude stone artifact that appeared either accidentally shaped into a disc or barely carved. It looked so unremarkable that, without knowing its purpose, one might easily mistake it for an ordinary rock.

However, when Duke Rosedale approached and placed his hand on it and infused power, the form of wings appeared floating in the air. Then Canis, Duke Rosedale’s Guardian Spirit, appeared spreading his wings and stood behind his master.

Waaah–!

People cheered at the mystical and majestic sight.

Following that, Duke Francis, Duke Aberdeen, and Duke Kramer each infused power into the verification stone in the same way, and each time their families’ Guardian Spirits—Halcon, Erenhorn, and Morev—appeared to stand behind their respective masters.

When the four Guardian Spirits, each about twice human height, took their positions in the four directions, the platform that had seemed quite large at first now looked somewhat cramped.

After Constantine, the emperor also infused power into the verification stone. Along with wings, Achelion appeared as well. Though her succession had already been proven at the coronation, this was her first time showing it before the imperial citizens.

Waaah–!

This became another occasion to prove and announce to all that Madielle was indeed an emperor with flawless qualifications.

“……”

And finally, it was the new Oathkeeper’s turn. It was Saena’s turn.

She slowly approached the verification stone and raised her hand over it.

With tension, Yolly’s power began to infuse. Though Saena felt slightly dizzy as she felt the verification stone drawing in tremendous power, she couldn’t remove her hand.

Whoosh–!

Finally, wings appeared in the air once again.

‘Yolly!’

With great wings fluttering, a form began to materialize behind the new Oathkeeper.

As the clear form spread its wings wide, a great wind pressure formed downward, making the clothes of people on the platform flutter.

Saena was no exception, as her robe billowed in the wind before settling down, causing her hood to fall back.

“……!”

“Huh?”

People rubbed their eyes and focused on the new Oathkeeper.

Meanwhile, Duke Kramer approached the center and stood beside the new Oathkeeper.

He seemed to whisper something quietly, and the new Oathkeeper removed their robe. Duke Kramer took the removed robe and handed it to an attendant standing to the side before returning to his position.

“…A woman?”

“It’s not a boy but a woman!?”

“A female Oathkeeper?”

The person who emerged from the robe was not a boy but a woman. The small build was revealed to be because she was female, not because she was a boy.

People were shocked. There had never been female Oathkeepers before, so they had naturally assumed it would be a boy.

Though a female emperor had ascended, they thought that was an exceptional case, yet another exception had appeared.

And in the noble viewing section, not among the common people, some began to recognize her.

“I’ve seen that face somewhere? Does anyone know who she is?”

“…Could she be the Duchess?”

The way Duke Kramer had briefly approached and stood with her seemed familiar somehow.

“Ah! Duchess Kramer!”

“Oh my! That’s right! It is her!”

A woman with long black hair braided into one and draped down her back, wearing a simple silver-gray dress with a uniform-like feel.

Saena’s face with all traces of smile completely erased looked stern yet solid (actually she was just nervous), earning people’s admiration.

Meanwhile, the Guardian Spirit’s long-stretched wings gradually folded, and a massive wolf with silvery fur fluttering descended to the ground.

Whenever its keen glowing eyes moved slowly to touch in all directions, people who met that gaze unconsciously shrank back tensely. This was because they could see something like ethereal purple flames wavering within the pupils.

However, when that gaze reached and stopped at its master, the purple gradually faded, seeping away.

Saena placed her hand on the snout of the massive wolf that had met her gaze and slowly stroked upward. The intimacy with the Guardian Spirit felt there was enough for anyone to recognize that this was indeed her Guardian Spirit.

“An Oathkeeper is one who promises. One who protects. One who does not break.”

The emperor opened her mouth.

“As the empire’s sixth Oathkeeper, you must strive to protect that power and work for the duty of not breaking it. According to that promise, you must use that power for the empire, for the imperial citizens, for the weak.”

Those with a Guardian Spirit’s power had duties as clear as their rights.

The emperor was reiterating this once again.

“Master of Purification and Recovery. Do you swear to always remember and strive for your duties as an Oathkeeper?”

“Yes. I swear.”

“The verification procedure is complete! Saena Kramer. I hereby proclaim to the empire the master of the Recovery Wolf, Guardian Spirit ‘Yulis’!”

Yulis was the new official name chosen because they said Yolly diminished the Guardian Spirit’s dignity (though whether there was any dignity to diminish was questionable).

Though Yolly himself had no particular complaints about his name, Saena agreed to newly create Yulis considering his social face(?). Though they would still call him Yolly in private, Yulis would be his public name.

‘Recovery Wolf’ was a slightly generalized attribute.

This was due to Constantine’s advice that calling him ‘Purification Wolf’ would too obviously reveal his ability, which wouldn’t be good.

Since purification was also a kind of recovery, and Yolly’s existence had recovered and restored many things, it wasn’t wrong and was decided that way.

“Furthermore, We bestow the title of Marquis Celtic upon the new Oathkeeper! This shall become a right that is inherited along with the Covenant!”

When the emperor’s proclamation ended, the four Guardian Spirits of the ducal houses kicked off the ground and rose into the air. And Yolly rose too.

The sight of five massive Guardian Spirits floating high above the platform was both majestic and intimidating.

Woaaah–!

Tremendous cheers rang out.

Saena Celtic Kramer.

Daughter of Count Debov.

The beloved wife that Duke Kramer, former master of Morev, cherished throughout his life.

The starting point that revived women’s right of title succession in the empire as Marquis Celtic.

Master of the Recovery Wolf, Guardian Spirit Yulis.

The great scholar who rewrote the translation of Arlesian.

The day her name, which would come to be called by various titles in the future, became known throughout the empire was a very fine day.

—Saya.

‘Yes.’

—Live healthily, happily, for a very long time. Understand?

‘Yes.’

It was such a day—when the sky was high, the wind was cool, and the sunlight was gentle.