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Every Cardinal is given a Duty that they must dedicate a decade of their lives for. These Duties are not selected by man or woman, but by the writings of the Creators.
Mortals cannot hope to understand the Machinisms of the Creators.
The role of Cardinal is not chosen nor earned.
They simply Are.
Every Cardinal, regardless of how they find themselves in their role, will always find their Duty when they Are.
The Cardinals are not greater than mortals.
They simply Are.
-An excerpt found in a recovered Stone Journal at : Underrim Mountain Range, Pzekian Ruins Q-9, Archeology Site T-5
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“Today is quite the big day. Are you excited, young Josh?”
“For the Mana Tuning Ritual, or the festival afterwards? I can’t wait for the festival! The ritual on the other hand…”
The teenage boy looked up to the sound of the familiar baritone voice. His chauffeur’s normally formal outfit had more flare than usual. The usual white dress shirt was framed by a patterned maroon blazer that Josh rarely saw. The simplified crest of the Cardinal’s church was repeated in a checkered pattern, the shapes of an overlapped star and circle creating a mesmerizing effect. His pristinely pressed pants were the same shade of maroon, the pattern spiraling down only the right pant leg. The left leg was decorated by the standard issue plain and gray steel scabbard of the Church Guard, where the hilt of the chauffeur's sword was firmly planted.
A flash of light from below caught Josh’s eye, and he glanced down to see that tall man had put on the steel Church Guard greaves as well. If he remembered his lessons correctly, it meant that there was a good chance that the captain of the unit had arranged for a private meeting.
“Ryan, do I need to dress up too…?” Suddenly, Josh felt inadequate in his outfit, which he had assumed was good enough when he had thrown it on minutes before. His shirt was a freshly ironed cerulean dress shirt, loose at the top to show off his golden Sky and Ocean pendant, and sleeves rolled up to display a matching gold bracelet. His black slacks were a last minute birthday gift from the Sister, who was supposedly too busy with Church affairs to find a proper present.
Not that Josh minded — the Sister had already gifted him the pendant around his neck when she was finally called back for service months ago. The Cardinal had given him the bracelet at the same time, fussing about how the matching jewelry was his idea.
“If I may be casual, you look good sir. The colors align well, and your accessories should attract desirable attention. Any more flair, and you would look like the pretentious young ones that you wish to avoid.”
Josh thought he could see an approving glint in Ryan’s normally stoic silver gaze, which was always a sign that the day was going to be good. His companion’s brown hair was also glistening from the stray rays of morning sunlight that pierced the curtains. It seemed that even he had dressed himself up more than usual for today’s event. A warm and tingly sensation spread throughout Josh’s back, as the tight tension was loosened by a hair.
“Could we not have gone to the countryside for the ritual there? It’s so stuffy around the Cathedral.” The teenager snatched an apple from the usual fruit bowl, savoring the initial first crunch. He tossed the sweeter looking apple to his chauffeur, who retrieved out a tiny blade from the cupboard to neatly carve slices for himself.
“As you might have been able to guess, the Cardinal and Sister have been busy with their duties. The ritual at the Cathedral was the only one that they could pragmatically excuse themselves to observe.”
“Ah, fair enough. I guess the conflict with the West has been becoming more problematic after all. Ever since that war was declared, they haven’t been able to sneak off at all.”
“Indeed. I am satisfied to hear that you have been paying some attention to the political lessons. The instructor has been complaining that your eyes are unusually vacant during those lectures.”
“That’s nonsense. Gramps pays good money for those aging relics to come by the school and teach everyone. It’s the least I could do to pay attention.”
Josh saw one of Ryan’s eyebrows slowly arch upwards as he wordlessly continued to cut into the apple.
“Okay, I’ll admit I’ve fallen asleep a few times in Politics and History. It’s all old stuff that I’ve already read years ago though! I promise.”
“I can believe you based on the fact that you manage to score perfect marks in both of those courses, despite the complaints of your napping during lectures. You can still do better though. The children look up to you as their older brother.”
“I understand… oh! I think the carriage service has arrived.”
The clear metallic note from the doorbell rang through the apartment kitchen, giving Josh a clear escape from thinking about his responsibilities. His chauffeur sighed as the teenager grabbed both of their bags and sprinted out, letting the smirk out as he followed behind.
The carriage ride to the venue was brief. In fact, the Cathedral was close enough to Josh’s apartment that he easily could have walked, but today was a formal occasion. As he was taught in Etiquettes, some pomp and flair was required for days like this, and Ryan was always more than happy to oblige. The open air carriage itself was nothing special, it was actually the cheapest option that Josh could find, but it still exuded the bare minimum level of class that would demand respect from the elites.
Josh hated anything that could paint him in a pretentious manner. However, since it had become public that he was the Cardinal’s Last Son, expectations had been set for him. It was an odd title to him since he definitely saw the Cardinal more as his grandfather, but he wasn’t going to accidentally disrespect the image of his lifelong caretaker.
It was a good decision. The roads that led to the entrance of the Cathedral Grounds were so packed with other carriages, that a near complete standstill of carriage traffic
“Young Master, we have arrived. Thank you again for allowing us the opportunity to provide you with our services. We hope that you will commission us again.”
The carriage driver, a bright eyed man who looked only a few years older than Josh, graciously helped him and Ryan off the main cabin. He even provided a heavy cloth mat for them to step on, preventing them from potentially slipping on the polished stone road.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
“Thank you for the pleasant ride. May the Twins bless you.”
Josh and the carriage driver did a polite bow to each other, before they both somewhat stiffly turned around to continue their day.
“Well done. So far you’ve handled the day excellently.” Ryan commented, almost a bit dryly.
“We’ve only done two things so far. I’d hope I’ve done well!”
The Cathedral in front of them was as grand as it ever was. It was one of the largest buildings in the city, only slightly smaller than the Royal Castle, and looked as if it were carved from a singular mountain of white marble. Josh found himself admiring the Eternity Vein once again, despite having admired it countless times. The singular continuous gray gradient stroke that wrapped itself around The Cathedral was likely the only reason why the pure white stone did not blind everyone who looked at the building.
“Young Master, I’m sure that you hardly require this advice, but please keep in mind your etiquette. We do represent the Orphanage of the Two Creators Cathedral today. It is a great opportunity to secure more favor among the fledgling aristocracy.” Ryan squinted further down the road, a glimmer of surprise reaching his eyebrows. “Or even the Major Noble Families.”
Josh followed his gaze and also raised his eyebrows. A group of three, a pair of guardians and a girl probably around his age, was standing barely close enough for Josh to see the details on their body. The two guardians wore golden masks, both carved with the same face, topped by formal officer helmets with tall black plumes. Their outfit continued the uninspired plain black military theme at first, but the excess of gold among the buttons, zippers, and stitches quickly built the impression of opulence. Even their boots, which were structured exactly like Ryan’s greaves, betrayed the assumed uniformity of the Church Guard by replacing the standard steel with an absurd gold metal.
That has to be a cheaper gold alloy material. No way they could keep pure gold greaves in pristine condition. Josh grimaced to himself. Still an insane flex of wealth. I wonder which House they’re from.
The girl’s low cut outfit was more subtle, but the color scheme was unmistakably identical. Her gleaming pale skin was brilliantly contrasted by the pure black fabric of her dress, which the designer had brilliantly engineered to just be short enough in certain areas to accentuate its effects. The sleeves were abruptly cut short halfway down her forearms, with soft black gloves covering past her wrist. Her dress ended above her knees, but her leggings covered the rest of her legs, ending in a surprisingly simple set of black heels. Gold stitches illustrated a simple storyboard of a flower — a marigold? blossoming and flourishing along her hips. With a start, Josh suddenly realized that the distance between them had closed rather quickly, and he snapped his eyes back up to see the girl staring back at him, her striking silver eyes piercing through him, as if she was judging him for checking her out.
Which at that point, he undeniably was.
Another one of Ryan’s rare chuckles snapped him out of the staring contest, and Josh felt heat flush to his cheeks.
“My apologies, miss. I was too impressed by the skills of your tailor and your natural beauty.” Josh managed to barely choke out through his suddenly dry mouth. Thankfully, she was very pretty, which made his excuse flow more naturally than it should have. Her equally lumiscient silver hair was tied up in a tight high bun, with a single gold pin keeping it together. This highlighted her angular face, which Josh would later swear rivaled the sculptures of the goddesses.
“You are well within your rights to admire, but even admiration must have its cost. Luckily, your appearance is… passable, so consider yourself exempt from paying a toll.” The girl’s voice was confident but dismissive, as if she had already dismissed dozens of gawkers before him.
“Young Lady Felicia, I believe we have sufficiently made a large enough impression for the Ritual.” The guard to her left was staring at Ryan as he spoke. “Let us depart before your list of suitors becomes too overbearing.”
Felicia glanced at Josh, then up to Ryan, as if she was expecting something. Surprisingly, Ryan caught the unspoken request, despite being occupied with warily staring back at the girl’s companion.
“Young Master Joshua, we best be moving along as well.”
“Of course! We can’t keep Gramps — erm, Cardinal Crandell waiting.” Josh stumbled, nearly forgetting to do a quick bow of respect to the other party of three before briskly walking away with his chauffeur.
Ryan saw Josh flash him a questioning glance, and offered his explanation. “I must admit, today has exceeded my expectations. I had known that it would be full of surprises, but I was not prepared for one of this degree, especially not this early.”
“You knew that guard? I could almost feel the daggers flying from his eyes.”
“Yes. He was one of my fellow squad mates from my time at the Church Guard. I did not think we had separated on poor terms, but I must admit I have been unable to attend the reunions. Ah, it’s possible he may be holding a grudge from that.”
“Does Gramps have you attending to other duties while you aren’t with me? I thought you had a good amount of free time.”
The pair skirted around a small gathering of spectators. There were a few street performers, singing the praises of the Two Creators, their overturned hats on the ground holding just a few coins.
“Glory to The Ocean and The Sky for always providing! Glory to The Creators for always guiding!
The Ocean blesses our people with heart! The Sky blesses our people with wisdom!
Even when departed, they empower our kingdom!
Even when the road is prolonged, they will never be hard to find!
The North and South, The Creators are there. The East and West, one should begin to beware.”
Josh wrinkled his nose at the last few lines. They didn’t follow any scripture, stories, nor hymns that he remembered.
“The Cardinal asks little of me when I am off duty. It is mainly the captains and commanders that request my presence, just as they do today.” Ryan flipped a bronze coin to the buskers, nodding in acknowledgment as they briefly bowed in thanks towards him. “Speaking of the captains and commanders, I must attend to them soon. Try not to be caught by Young Lady Felicia alone. It seems we must increase the frequency of your courtship lessons.”
“I’ll be fine! Besides, what are the odds that she comes up again?” Josh tried to ignore the warmth in his ears. “There are hundreds of others turning seventeen this Harvest Cycle, just like me here. I’m sure I’m another face in the crowd.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure of that. Young Lady Felicia, it is a pleasure to have you in our company so soon again.”
Ryan let out another audible chuckle as he respectfully bowed towards the presence behind Josh. To his credit, the teenager managed to not jump up at the sound of the quickly familiar stern female voice.
“Lady Felicia, I am happy to make your acquaintance again.” Josh couldn’t help but notice her new accessory, a handbag draped over her shoulder. Its design was plain to the point where it wouldn’t have stood out — if it wasn’t sparkling and silver.
“You can drop the formalities, Sir Josh. Your guardian seems much more casual than mine were. Those two are always so stuffy for no reason.” Felicia let out a deep sigh, her earlier air of refinement almost completely gone. “Do you know how difficult it is for me to make friends around my age? I haven’t seen someone under the age of twenty in weeks. WEEKS!”
“Ahem. I will take my leave. Young Master, please treat the Young Lady appropriately.” A soft smile passed Ryan’s face, one of the gentler expressions that Josh had seen in a long time, as he turned towards Felicia. “He’s also quite lonely. It may be a breach of etiquette for me to request this, but please treat him well.”
Felicia nodded. “But of course.”
Ryan said his farewell to Josh, reminding the boy that once the meeting with his higher ups were over, he would be among the crowd watching the Ritual.
“Alright, shall we go in?”
Josh looked at Felicia, who finally began to seem as nervous as he felt about the Ritual. The Cathedral doors were already open, but the brightness from the sun bouncing along the pristine marble made it hard to peer inside the significantly darker interior. Despite entering that tall entrance dozens of times since his adoptive grandfather sided returned to service, the thought of going in seemed intimidating.
He offered his elbow to his new companion, unsure if it was the etiquette training kicking in or if he needed the physical support to walk in. “Guess so.”
Her hand was comfortably warm as it wrapped around, surprisingly with no quips. “Let’s go then.”