Episode 211
* * *
The new sword, Badel Orhart, was there.
The world’s most noble knight, and the continent’s strongest swordsman.
Right in front of that very inspection, the six-winged cherub Aurelia was kneeling.
On a gently rippling lake. Leaving behind the water world that stretches out beyond the horizon.
A few petals danced and fell onto the lake. They were blood-red plum blossom leaves.
It was strong. Unbelievably so.
Was this the greatest sword on the continent that was once said to have been in a fierce battle with the ‘Warrior of the Other World’?
“… … It is my defeat.”
The six wings were torn apart by the fluttering blade petals, so horribly that it was unbearable to look at. The noble whiteness was covered in blood, and Aurelia muttered softly in pain.
The holy sword Durandal held in her hand was emitting a feeble light.
“Raise your head.”
And in front of her, the divine sword Badel Orhart, and at the same time, the first prince of the empire, Lancelot, spoke.
“It is the victory of the Virgin Mary.”
“… … !”
“I believe that you are worthy of holding the Holy Sword, and I respect your nobility.”
The swordsman said.
“What on earth are you hoping for?”
The false virgin asked. The new sword answered with a meaningful smile.
“May our lies be more valuable than the truth.”
* * *
The clash of four swords ended, and the two duels ended.
However, holding the Heavenly Sword and the Holy Sword was never the lot of the victors.
Because it was the share of the two losers.
“With this, I will stand against Dale of Saxony and seal the victor, Charlotte Orchard, upon the Sword of Heaven──.”
The Archduke of Lancaster, the new sword, continues speaking to the lady of the plum blossoms who is kneeling quietly.
“Furthermore, as the head of the Lancaster family, I hereby proclaim to the Empire that I will accept ‘Charlotte Orchard’ as the adopted daughter of the Lancaster family and bestow upon her the name of Lancaster.”
“grandee……!”
The Duke of Lancaster spoke. At those words, the expression on Sepilia’s face suddenly brightened.
“Do you understand what that means?”
“I understand very well.”
The Duke of Lancaster answered without a moment’s hesitation.
“Charlotte Lancaster is my eldest daughter and the sword that will lead the future of our Lancaster family from now on.”
Charlotte Lancaster nodded silently. At the same time, the divine sword lightly tapped Charlotte’s head and shoulders with the back of his sword, completing the weak ritual.
Dale of Saxony just watches her in silence.
The image of the world’s most noble swordsman, who does not hesitate to endure humiliation in order to remain by her lord’s side.
* * *
“Sword Master of the Holy Sword Durandal, Holy Swordsman Aurelia.”
The ceremony was conducted in a low-key manner. Then, Count Philip of Brandenburg, who was officially presiding over the sword test, spoke. With a certain solemnity.
“I, as the swordsman of the Holy Sword who has inherited the legacy of my proud father, the Holy Swordsman, I hereby command you to seal the holy maiden Aurelia!”
“……thank you.”
The pure white virgin, the false Aurelia, silently bowed her head. She turned her back to the pitch-black Aurelia, who was still watching her from Dale’s shadow.
It was just then.
“But, there’s one thing I want to point out! Lady Aurelia!”
Before he could finish the formalities, Philip opened his mouth.
“Please speak.”
“Lady Aurelia is still the daughter of a mere serf! Wouldn’t it be problematic for a daughter of a mere serf, with such lowly bloodline, to hold the Holy Sword?”
Philip shouted exaggeratedly, making a gesture of forced force. It was a common sight for nobles to show off their ‘bloodline’ by raping the daughters of mere maids or serfs.
“But if I, Philip, the proud son of the Holy Sword, unite with the Count of Brandenburg… …! The Virgin has a more certain legitimacy than anything else as the owner of the Holy Sword… … ”
Sling.
It was at that moment that Aurelia, kneeling, pulled out the hilt of the holy sword hanging from her waist.
“If you keep talking nonsense like that… … .”
After saying that, Aurelia shut her mouth.
The pale frost of the holy sword was silently scattered, and Philip’s expression turned pale before that frost.
“Oh, it was just a suggestion! It wasn’t coercion at all, I just hoped you’d reconsider… …!”
As he mumbled his words, Philip closed his mouth in surprise.
Next to the virgin, the First Prince of the Empire, Lancelot, turned his head with an expression devoid of any emotion.
The Archduke of Lancaster, who has newly taken possession of the position of the Divine Sword… … and looking at his adopted daughter, ‘Heavenly Sword Charlotte Orchard’.
It was at that moment that his eyes crossed with Saxon’s Dale, who was quietly watching him.
For a moment, an indescribable, complex emotion flashed across Lancelot’s face. But his agitation ended there.
“I swear that I will announce the above to the Empire in the name of the First Prince of the Empire, Lancelot.”
The chaos that unfolded during the sword test finally came to an end.
Only a few swordsmen and a handful of knights under Philip who watch over them know what happened here.
But by the time what happened in the Sword Hall was officially announced down the mountain and spread across the continent by word of mouth…
Just as the flapping of a butterfly’s wings can cause a typhoon, it will bring about a whirlpool unlike any other.
* * *
“His Excellency the Duke of Lancaster.”
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Vanessa Orhart, the widow of the new sword Bardell, quietly bowed her head.
And now, the Duke of Lancaster, reborn with another divine sword, stood before him.
“As you know, it has been quite some time since my wife passed away.”
The Duke of Lancaster said.
“This is just a formality for Charlotte, nothing will change.”
What Charlotte Orchardt had to do to get her hands on the Lancaster name was not that difficult. There was a widow who had lost her husband, and a man who had lost his wife.
“Even if it’s just a shell, I don’t care. I just want to settle the debt I owe my old friend for not being able to help him.”
“Did you teach your daughter how to use his sword?”
“Yes.”
The Duke of Lancaster answered, and Vanessa’s expression darkened. Under the protection of Saxony, the daughter of the new sword had already grown into a respectable knight. However, becoming a daughter of the Lancaster family and inheriting the new sword of Badel was an act that had a greater meaning.
Still, there was nothing that could be undone.
* * *
After the sword test was over, the news of what happened there spread throughout the continent through the mouths of the nobles.
Dale of Saxony also finally finished his trials and returned to his domain.
With the four swords of the Seven Continents in his hand.
“I’m glad to be back.”
Dale spoke, and Charlotte Lancaster, the Heavenly Sword, did not answer.
“Did you know from the beginning that Your Highness and your mother were going to remarry?”
After a silence, Charlotte asked again, and Dale nodded.
“There are those who bring secret whispers from all over the continent.”
Behind him, a blue butterfly fluttering its wings.
“Still, I never imagined that you would get your hands on the Plum Sword.”
“No one could have imagined it.”
Charlotte laughed.
“I have been watching your performance all along.”
“Through those who bring whispers from all over the continent?”
“huh.”
Dale nodded.
“That you left the House of Saxony, enlisted in the mercenary band, took part in the battle for Count Baramir’s territory, stood as the standard-bearer on the right wing, broke through the enemy’s left wing, and captured the enemy noble after an encirclement maneuver.”
“… … !”
“After that, I took part in five territory wars, then left the mercenary band and became an adventurer, hunting monsters. After that, I subdued the troublesome troll group in the Imperial Free City of Prona, and became the hero of the city.”
Charlotte’s story flowed out of Dale’s mouth without hesitation.
“To me, you are a sword that cannot be exchanged for anything.”
Dale said. It wasn’t the cold look he had shown during the sword test, but the Dale that Charlotte remembered.
“… … Dale.”
Charlotte bit her lip, unable to continue speaking. She wanted to put into words the emotions that were welling up in her throat at any moment.
But Charlotte Lancaster just smiled quietly.
Because the sword doesn’t think.
* * *
“Miss Charlotte has returned.”
That night, in the Duke of Saxony’s office.
Dale’s father, the ‘Black Duke’, the lord of death and darkness and the one who stands at the top of the Black Tower, opened his mouth.
“And that’s after getting my hands on the Lancaster family’s castle.”
“It was something I didn’t expect either.”
“But now it is something to be expected.”
The Duke of Saxony answered.
“She is no longer a fallen noble of a ruined country. She is the eldest daughter of the Lancaster Archduke, who holds the title of Seven Swords of the Continent.”
“What do you want to say?”
“She can no longer exist as a mere knight to protect you. Moreover, the protection of our Saxony has now lost its meaning.”
The Duke of Saxony answered with a coolness befitting one of the most noble of the empire.
“If she wishes to remain in our Duchy of Saxony any longer, she will have to pay a corresponding price.”
“Is this a noble deal?”
Dale asked, and the Duke of Saxony nodded silently. There are many ways for nobles to consolidate and unite their cartels. But of all of them, there was only one that could be exchanged between married couples at the time.
“Could you give me a moment to think about it?”
“Just do it. Just… …”
The Duke of Saxony nodded. After nodding, he smiled as if his coolness from before had been a lie.
“Remember that I always support your decisions.”
“Thank you, Father.”
Dale bowed his head and turned away.
* * *
Some time after that.
Beyond the Duchy of Saxony, the Demon King’s Territory, and beyond that Demon King’s Territory, the old Saxon lords, led by the Immortal Duke Frederick, began to gather at the ‘Shadow Tower’.
In the White Tower of the Sistine Chapel, a secret oath for ‘national independence’ was made, led by the Virgin Aurelia.
The three major ducal houses of the Empire, the Archduke of Lancaster and the Duke of Saxony, have officially announced the engagement of their eldest daughter to their eldest son.
Finally, whispers were heard through the blue spiderweb that another of the three great peacocks, the drowned peacock’s secret agent, had contacted the White Tower and joined the ‘Independence Alliance’.
Things Dale knows, things he doesn’t know, and even things he’s directly involved in.
The situation was changing rapidly.
One thing Dale was sure of was that it wouldn’t take long for the embers burning everywhere to explode.
