The wide road ahead of us goes straight across the town and leads directly to the castle. The perfect venue for the parade.
The sidewalks are filled with the commoners, and the air is buzzing with their constant murmurs of wonder. We aren't worshiped here, and barely anyone knows anything about us, so they aren't raving about our presence, but they do know Yunia, and that just makes them very curious about who we are.
The Townsguard line up on the curb to keep the commoners off of the road. Their armor is made with simple scales, which have been polished more finely than usual, giving them all a faint gleam, though it's a far cry from the shine of my or even Hana's or Aoi's scales.
The houses are all decorated with long strips of silver or white cloth and smaller strips of black cloth, following suit with the colors of our heraldry. The town hasn't become fully white like Goloria, but it definitely reminds me of it because of how the prominence of our colors drowns out the colorful buildings.
Our official flags are displayed at regular intervals along the road, adding to the white of the town, but most of the white and silver comes from the decorations displayed by the commoners.
The median strip of the road usually has some small gardens or holes to the lower levels, but it has been temporarily converted into more road space so that the parade can have an easier time moving through.
For every one hundred men, one of the Townsguard carries our rally banner, which reminds me of a roman standard. It's a long pole that carries our flag with the silver head of a roaring dragon at the top, but it isn't just any dragon, it's me, my dragon form. The silvery scales are so polished that they're almost like mirrors, and the spikes along its length can actually turn it into a viable weapon, if that's ever needed. Dragonkin rally banners are made with that consideration in mind, after all.
The Winch casts a huge shadow over us as it floats just above the gate, holding a beautiful, polished green gem that shines brightly, though few in the crowds know that there are actually mages feeding it mana to keep it shining.
The buzzing grows louder as the crowd notices that the gate has opened, and after waiting for a moment to add some dramatic flair, the parade starts moving.
Shala and the more beautiful of our maids walk in the front of our procession, rolling out a white carpet with silver details for us to step on. They're wearing minimal clothing, using a lot of jewelry that covers strategic locations instead. A bit of Chimeric flair to add some fun.
Before anyone steps on the carpet, they all have to cast a magic-tool-powered [Clean] to make sure that no dirt remains on their boots. How clean the carpet remains after we pass through is also an important part of the Ceremony.
The parade is led by elven dancers because it wouldn't be an elven ceremony without them. They spin around with their long "hanging dousnadeias" trailing after them, creating long and beautiful lines through the air wherever they go. Some of them use coats of feathers for prettier moves, while others enhance their performances with magic tricks, but their job is to merely look impressive and set the mood.
Drummers, flute-players, and a few assorted instruments both set the tempo of the march and give a background melody for the crowd to enjoy. The music is so soft and pleasant that it doesn't hurt my ears, unlike the few parades I've been to on Earth.
After the performers come the priests and Templars, who cast healing spells at the crowd at random and showcase their skills as they march. They're given a prominent location in the parade to show off my close relationship with the temple. Albeit a token move in Teresina's eyes, its greatest impact is on the outsiders.
Coming right behind them are our knights, all sporting their shining wooden armor, which have been waxed until they're more polished than steel. The weather mages told us that today was going to be sunny, and to our relief, they were absolutely correct since the sun hits their armor just right, giving them an almost angelic air.
Palo leads them with the poise of an action hero. He's famous in the town, and he definitely has a few fans because we occasionally hear his name being shouted, which causes him to turn his head and blind the crowd with his bright smile.
The Celestial Horns do have an angelic air, though, as they flank the entire parade, floating along the flanks with their white wings spread wide and their armor glowing with actual divine light. Instead of the brightness being "annoying" to the onlookers, this time, it makes even the priests shed tears at its purity.
After the knights, the first half of the Lordsguard walks onwards. One huge regiment of men in full wooden plate, marching in absolutely perfect unison with so many feet stomping against the ground that the rumble can be felt for kilometri. Most of them are rookies who didn't know their left foot from their right just a few days ago, but intense training and a potent boost from [Weaverism] does wonders.
Our open carriage stays in the middle of the Lordsguard, being pulled forward by four mean-looking black Gatuns. We stand proudly in our ent-like Ramodia armor, except for Alissa and Roxanne, who uses the Camalo set, and we all keep our helmets off so that they may see our faces.
The bark of our armor has been decorated with silver and gold flowers for beauty, while our gauntlets have blood-red flowers to mark us as "bloodied," symbolizing our experience in warfare.
My appearance is completely human, but I can still charm a few of the elves with a dashing smile due to my rather high "Charisma"; Alissa gently waves at the crowd, but she doesn't display any real excitement; Roxanne smiles smugly like an ojou-sama, greatly enjoying her time on the pseudo-walkway; Hana basks in the glory, her fiery, mane-like hair waving in the breeze like a conqueror basking over the corpses of their enemies; Ciel attracts the most stunned looks with the (ironic) purity of her smile; Lina is stiff like a statue since she can barely muster the energy to move due to her anxiety, leaving her expression locked in a stern look; Aoi looks down on everyone, her dual-colored eyes intensely staring at each commoner, driving a small taste of fear into their hearts, but also showing them that there's intelligence behind her gaze; Yunia looks like a queen, her composure absolute, her grace divine, her elegance perfect, and her stern gaze unwavering; and finally, Gify proudly stands on my shoulder, her little wings neatly tucked in, and her cute beak raised high.
I wish that we had a camera to film us, because a moment like this isn't likely to happen again, and I'd like to be able to immortalize our glory.
Before us, small, leaf-shaped sheets of conjured tin foil are thrown down onto our path from the houses along with petals of flowers. There's a joke here to be made about perverted elves and flowers being the reproductive organs of plants, but I'm currently too distracted by my massively inflated ego to properly think about that.
The nature spirits populate the crowns of the tree-houses along with many other elves, almost like animal plushies cutely lined up for a photo. Their eyes closely follow Gify, though I don't know why.
Gih!
I guess even nature spirits can become celebrities…
The golems remain at attention behind us, Ted and Suzy floating creepily, while Jarn looks like an actual statue. Our silent protectors tirelessly scan through the crowd for any sort of danger, but even the heretics wouldn't be able to kill me right now.
Behind the first regiment, our personal cargo ship floats close to the ground, decorated in our colors and carrying all the High Officers along with Oritiki.
At first, they're all regarded with curiosity since their race composition is almost as varied as ours, then someone recognizes Silvano, and the banshees start screaming. I'm actually quite impressed with how famous that fucker is.
The crowd doesn't fully understand what's going on since only a small percentage of the people actually recognizes them, but the hype spreads like wildfire, and everyone starts cheering for us.
After our ship, the mages of our court march on with commendable harmony since they haven't ever been trained in how to march. What they did train was their spells, and they perform them admirably. They conjure and throw huge rocks up high into the air, then blow them up with a variety of spells; they perform barrages, surprising the children when their low [Sense Mana] gets overwhelmed by the storm of mana stirred up by the spells; they display feats of control, playing with flames and lightning as they spin them around their bodies as if they were harmless ribbons.
The more beautiful-looking members of the castle's staff follow after them, and half of the second regiment of the Lordsguard comes right after that, then a few more performers make up the tail end of the parade.
The Floater follows us closely from above, shading us from the hot sun, and they occasionally aim upwards and fire their [Beam], drawing "oohs" and "aahs" from the crowd.
The Wasps fly in formation just a meter above our heads, weaving in between the tree-houses and sometimes stopping in the air to release their Trinity Cannons. These small planes impress the children the most, who point at them and yell about how they're huge kites.
The Wasps can't perform any very complex maneuvers because the Eagle-Class ships are making laps all over the main road and firing their [Beams] towards the sky like a laser show.
The Dragon-Class ships are the ones acting out actual maneuvers, putting on a show with their coordinated flight and boasting their unmatched speed by racing each other while leaving the Eagles behind.
The Carrier circles around the town, its beautiful design the most striking and easily recognizable, and I'm personally fond of the slowly waving wings that are arranged all along its flanks. The big Trinity Cannons put on an impressive show, but they're only fired for brief moments since the sky is too busy with the other ships to risk an extended display.
The mood is absolutely festive, and I see it all developing in real-time as the reserved elves mellow out and their eyes become filled with wonder.
I grab Yunia's hand and give her a loving smile, which she returns for a brief moment. This is a big moment for her, and while she doesn't let through a hint of her real feelings, I know very well how hard her heart is beating and how much her eyes ache to cry.
I'm actually pretty impressed with how well things are going, and how beautiful the parade turned out to be. I'm not usually the kind to worry excessively, with the presence of the girls inside my mind nullifying most of my fears, but things have progressed so smoothly that I didn't have any reason to actually reflect on all of this…
And I still don't have a reason to reflect on it. I guess it just doesn't feel "real" yet.
My mind almost blanks as I start to really enjoy the cheering because the overall mood is simply too strong to resist.
[Battlefield Perception] suddenly triggers, and I see through the girls' eyes as a half-eaten not-apple gets thrown towards me with devilish precision. The golems don't react since they perceive no threat from it, so I catch it in my gauntlet without even looking at it.
I take a bite out of the soft fruit, then I throw it back at the fucking stupid kid, and the fruit explodes on his forehead.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
The crowd chuckles and cheers, and we move on like nothing happened.
As the parade draws closer to the castle, the Shell grows in our sight. It has four gigantic canvases covering a huge section of it at each of the cardinal directions, covering an obvious surprise. Now that makes me anxious due to the ridiculousness of the concept.
I force myself to think of something else and continue to enjoy the parade. More precisely, I enjoy all the female attention I'm getting. Whatever reservations I'm feeling right now will quickly disappear once I start to "enjoy" the benefits of being famous.
Soon after that, we reach the Prasa de Ananci, the plaza where we held the selection for the Lordsguard, and a horn marks our arrival, signaling the start of the prayers, but going quiet would be the last thing the commoners would do. Prayer is to be held with chanting, singing, and dancing.
It's a party, really, though alcohol isn't supposed to be distributed, at least not yet.
Our men enter the Shell, and we follow them in, but while they spread out and return to their positions, we continue on towards the castle with only a token squad of Lordsguard following us and our ship with the Officers.
The happy sounds of laughter and wonder gradually become muffled as the party is left behind, to continue without us, though they do pray for us, for our success. They all pray to the Old Gods, and a smaller group of them to the Humanoid Gods, that the Reniandisabis goes well, and I softly pray for the same.
The journey is short and quiet. We're all mentally preparing ourselves for our own grand performance, and there's nothing that needs to be said at this point.
We pass the multiple empty mansions populating our outer and inner circles. So many noble families could've been living here, but only Ereia's family dared to come back before the Ceremony. The thought of it leaves me a bit bitter, so I file it away for later.
We enter the castle grounds, and our carriage ride finally ends, then we dismount and turn to the Officers waiting for our orders.
A [Gate] suddenly opens near our group, then Osaria, the twins, Klein, and Anton all come through.
Klein instantly latches onto me, and I return the hug for a moment, then she immediately latches onto Hana.
"Good luck," Klein mumbles softly.
"I'm sure it'll all go well," Osaria assures me as she buries my head in her dark tits.
"So are we," Alissa answers in my stead since my mouth is currently blocked.
The twins also hug Yunia, though a lot more reservedly, with them a bit embarrassed to do it in front of everybody.
Once everyone is satisfied, I turn to the Officers and sternly state, "You all know what to do. We'll see each other after the Reniandisabis."
"Good luck, my Lord," Sandoro murmurs, and I give him a confident nod.
I store the golems in my "Items" and turn to Alcander. He lowers his head respectfully and opens a [Gate] to the main hall, which we all take. Now we must make our final preparations.
We sit on our thrones, and I ring the bell, then Alcander opens an [Eternal Gate] right outside the entrance to the castle, and we wait as all the Lords gather outside.
The reply bell is sounded, so we order Poosh to open the huge double doors.
The main hall is inundated by the presence of a few dozen high-level men and women. Their feet barely make a sound because they're all wearing heavy elven armor, all colored in a dull dark brown except for Confiel, who boldly walks in with his pure white armor, and the only shining to be seen among them comes from the few staves holding gems so powerful that they'd cause a disaster if they were broken.
They give us wary gazes as they see our state, but their eyes all invariably fall upon the main attraction, Patrono, which is proudly displayed in the center of the hall.
We don't wear any armor nor equip any weapons, which contrasts heavily against the Lords, who are all ready for battle. Even our clothes are completely casual, though lavish, but all of the girls are wearing thin, casual dresses, which are definitely inappropriate to fight in.
We stare at them as they approach in silence, our demeanor calm and aloof, mocking the seriousness of the Reniandisabis, and Gify even sleeps soundly on Alissa's lap, as if there was no chance that a fight could ever break out.
Then the double door closes, isolating us all from our men waiting outside. Now it's only us and the Lords.
The Crown Lords move to the walls, signifying that they're merely observers of what comes next. The elven lands are divided into three territories: Glorampina, the High Forest (Aloresta), and Antano. Each territory is further divided into Western and Eastern halves, which are ruled by a family of Crown Lords. All fourteen of those Crown Lords are present as observers.
There's a trio among them whose presence causes a pang of guilt in Yunia. Crown Lord Lotus Angila of Western Antano and her two husbands. She's the mother of her former fiancée. Nothing bad will result from their meeting, but it's just that it hurts her a bit to see them.
There's also Herbaco Aureo, a tanned silver elf from Western Glorampina, who has four beautiful wives, of which only one is also an elf. I feel a sort of kinship with him, and I dare say he might be "one of my people."
I turn my gaze away from them and focus on the subordinate Lords. They've all awkwardly stopped a few meters from Patrono, seemingly afraid of the Heavenly Weapon.
Our own territory is divided into five, and they're each ruled by a family of Heart Lords, of which there are eight Heart Lords present. There are also over twenty Root Lords, but they're the equivalent of a village chief, and my knights are stronger than most of them. Individually, they don't hold much power, but there's something that could unite them: us, either for us or against us.
My gaze falls upon Heart Lord Ira Saponaria, a strong, middle-aged golden elf sporting a golden daddy mustache, an enviable stubble, and a buzz cut. His face is so blocky, and his eyes are so beady that he looks more like a human than an elf, which is quite ironic considering his prejudice against non-elves.
His wife is slightly younger and has such a delicate face that she's definitely a pure elf. She's wearing a white Snow Weave robe with the silver lines of an enchantment, and its semi-transparency makes most of her gentle curves very noticeable.
He disgusts me so much that I wish I could fuck his wife in front of him. I wish I could make her addicted to my cum, then breed her, impregnating her with my child. I'd treat her lovingly and add her to my harem as a concubine, then I'd give our definitely not elven child all the love they deserve, all just to spite this fucking racist.
It isn't the time yet to work myself into a rage, so I ignore him completely, then everyone reaches their positions and stops there, waiting for us, but we don't make a move.
As the silence settles in, my eyes are drawn to the sexy Mendecassa sisters. They're also wearing Snow Weave "robes," but their dousnadeias are so small and thin that I can easily make out the shapes of their nipples and pussy lips. If they aren't among the racists, they'll be prime candidates for some "cultural exchange."
After a sufficiently long awkward silence, Yunia turns her eyes to Ira and lazily raises an eyebrow at him as her cold and prickly voice resounds throughout the wide hall, "Well? Do you have anything to say, Lord Ira?"
The man stares back at her with an impassive face for a moment, completely unmoved. "I don't understand what you mean, Lord," he calmly responds, and his gruff voice doesn't have a hint of confusion in it.
"Really…?" I press him and form a very bitter frown. "You're going to do this?"
He turns his beady eyes to me, and his nose wrinkles in distaste. "I hope that you aren't trying to tarnish my reputation with wild claims, Lords."
"I don't think we should continue this interrogation. Abandon the plan," Yunia suggests through [Bind].
I feel like growling, but I reign in the rage, and Alissa answers in my stead with a very slow and deliberate tone, "You haven't done anything to be in our good graces. Remember that."
He doesn't respond besides narrowing his eyes in suspicion at her.
I sigh out loud then spread my arms wide and announce, "Let the Reniandisabis begin."
But only silence follows.
After waiting for another awkwardly long moment, I sigh again and facepalm, then I start ranting dramatically, "Have the goblins ripped out your tongues to make you stop squealing like pigs? What's this childish behavior for…?"
I scan the crowd, but they're still completely calm, despite being called out.
Alright, then, let's turn the dial up to eleven.
I stand up from my throne and scowl, then I [Equip] Patrono, instantly summoning it into my hand. The sudden use of magic causes the melee Lords to reflexively grab the sheaths of their weapons in wariness while a few even flinch in fear.
Just what I wanted.
I make sure to point the edge of the blade towards them so they may all see that this is the real thing. No other metal can hold its shape like Patrono when it's thinner than a hair strand without being ripped apart by the slightest breeze.
I take a single step forward and scowl angrily as I growl out, "If you don't speak, I'll rip your limbs off one by one! You either talk now, or I'll make you talk with your screams!"
The Root Lords look over at Patrono worriedly, and I feel their united front starting to falter.
"You mock our ways," Ira suddenly speaks out, still wearing a stony mask.
So, they've chosen him as the fall guy? Bait, sacrificial goat, guinea pig, what are you, Ira?
I immediately jerk my head towards him and point Patrono directly at his heart. "And you all mock us, but who wields the Heavenly Weapon?"
"Are you threatening us? During the Reniandisabis?" He questions right back, now letting anger color his tone.
Yunia's cold voice cools down the rising heat for a moment, "We won't kill anybody, but let me remind you that we were the ones to break through this very Shell."
"You could've come here days ago and paid your respect to us, but none of you did," Roxanne comments with a tinge of bitterness, and it's a punch in the gut for the Root Lords, cracking their resolve even further.
They haven't shown us any respect, but while we can't rightfully kill anyone yet, after today…
I release Patrono and use [Telekinesis] to guide it back to its stand as I calmly enunciate, "Consider these words as an act of mercy, for there'll be no second chances."
Now that's a threat.
"Lord Yulania, you have changed a lot," Amada Anquili speaks out. She's a female golden-elf Heart Lord who looks like she's the same age as Shala, and she's a melee fighter, so she might have about a decade left before retirement.
"I haven't," Yunia answers stoically, adding a dramatic pause before she continues, "I've always been like this. I only followed my father's ideals because I respected him, but he failed, and now he's dead. It'll be better for all of us if we let his light be extinguished."
Everyone makes brief, somber faces. Mavel Este was loved and respected…
"And now you lie with the very same person who helped kill him?" Amada presumptuously asks, her mouth hanging open in bewilderment.
"I love the man and women who saved me!" Yunia hisses, deliberately letting her mask crack for a moment.
"But you're his Blood Slave!" Amada shouts back.
I narrow my eyes at her and glare as I coldly ask, "And why does that matter?"
Amada glances at me and grits her teeth in frustration.
I take another step and growl. "Why does that matter?!"
Yunia shakes her head, making her beautiful golden drills bounce, then rests her head on her fist in boredom and lashes out at her, "You think that I've suddenly become human just because he's my master? Lord Amada, you disappoint me."
"I've never heard of a slave Lord," Amada grumbles in a last, half-hearted attempt.
I grin and shout triumphantly, "True, but she isn't a Blood Slave anymore!"
"And slavery is incompatible with marriage," Alissa states matter-of-factly with a nod, and she notices Confiel and his wives raising their eyebrows in surprise.
"We've all become True Nobles and gained the right to rise above slavery," Lina quietly adds.
Amada bites her lip in anger and backs down.
Unfortunately, this doesn't confirm that Amada is a racist, but only that she's a bit prejudiced against slaves.
"Yet you're still so young for a Lord…" Heart Lord Rador Iqueza comments with a subtle smile. He's a pretty golden-elf man with a strong jaw, Tolkien style, and the deliberate way he moves tells me that every muscle of his body could be made of steel.
Heart Lord Iril Laribeiro chuckles amusedly. He's a rather young and handsome silver elf with a nice jawline. He's a manlier Legolas, like an older brother of his who preferred the sword over the bow.
The fact that only some of the Heart Lords have said anything so far strikes me as odd. Did someone really rip out the tongues from the Root Lords?
"Do you have something against youth?" Iril asks Rador in a very casual tone, which is completely at odds with the mood of the room.
Rador narrows his eyes in annoyance and responds slowly, as if he were talking to a child, "No, but they might be the youngest Lords alive, making them comparable to imperial Princes."
"Hey! I'm the oldest, and I'm far from being a hatchling," Hana angrily complains.
"And I'm a former priestess who fully completed her training," Ciel calmly adds, the only one among us with any hint of kindness in her tone.
Rador smiles elegantly and lowers his head as he explains himself, "I didn't mean to presume your ages, but even if you were all high-level imperial Princes, you're all still lacking so much experience that I wonder why you were allowed to take the Lordship." Then he shoots a sneaky glance at Confiel, who shows no sign of even acknowledging it.
Yunia flicks her wrist dismissively, seeming even more bored as she pushes aside his concerns, "Don't be so conceited, Lord Rador. You know very well that most of the Lordship's duties could be done by a moron as long as they can hit hard enough."
He raises his head and gives her a deadly serious look. "Can you manage the Lordship's business and not squander it all away?"
"Better than you could," she quips, making him grit his teeth, but he isn't done yet.
He lets the insult go right past him and forms his face into a stony mask. "And when the need arises for a true Crown Lord, will you be there to answer the call and assume your responsibilities?"
Yunia's face mirrors his to display her conviction. "You know there's no way I can prove that besides giving my word."
"We'll do everything required of a Lord, both the elven and the imperial way," I add in the same tone.
Ira suddenly smirks triumphantly, throwing away his mask as he calls us out, "Oh? Is that so? Then can you show us how far your combat skills have progressed? I remember the records saying that you barely survived against the Symbol of Hate, an aberrant that was considered to be weaker than the average for its kind due to its insane behavior."
You've activated my trap card!
I grin with a maniacal smile, catching Ira off-guard and wiping away the stupid smirk from his face. "With pleasure!" I happily shout, making my voice echo loudly in the otherwise completely silent hall, then I take another step. "I'll even give you my word that I won't use the Heavenly Weapon. In fact, I won't even use armor or draw a weapon at all!"