Chapter 211

The Divine Sword, Bader Orhart, was there.

The most noble knight in the world, and the continent’s strongest swordsman.

Facing that very inspection, the six-winged cherubim Aurelia knelt.

Above the gently rippling lake. Leaving behind the watery world stretching to the horizon.

Several petals danced down onto the lake, scattering like fallen blossoms. They were blood-red plum blossoms.

It was powerful. Incredibly so.

Was this the continent’s greatest sword, once said to have fought fiercely to a standstill against the ‘Hero of Another World’ before meeting a mutual demise?

“…I admit defeat.”

The six wings lay crushed beneath petals of scattered blades, torn apart so horribly it was unbearable to look upon. The noble, pure white was now drenched in blood, and in her agony, Aurelia murmured softly.

The sacred sword Durandal in her hand emitted a feeble glow.

“Raise your head.”

And before her, the Divine Sword Badel Orhart, simultaneously the First Imperial Prince Lancelot, spoke.

“Victory belongs to the Holy Maiden.”

“……!”

“I believe you alone are worthy to wield the holy sword, and furthermore, I wish to honor your nobility.”

The Divine Sword spoke.

“What on earth are you hoping for?”

The False Virgin asked. The Divine Sword answered with a meaningful smile.

“That our falsehoods may prove more valuable than truth itself.”

The clash of the four swords came to an end, and the two duels concluded.

But wielding the Heavenly Sword and the Sacred Sword was never the victors’ lot.

For it belonged to the two defeated.

“With this, we shall crown the victor, Charlotte Orhart, as the Heavenly Sword’s master to stand against Saxony’s Dale──.”

The Duke of Lancaster, the Divine Sword, continued his words toward the lady of plum blossoms, who knelt silently.

“Furthermore, as the head of the Lancaster family, I hereby proclaim to the Empire that from this moment onward, ‘Charlotte Orhart’ shall be accepted as the adopted daughter of our Lancaster Grand Ducal House and shall be granted the name of Lancaster.”

“Duke…!”

The Duke of Lancaster spoke. At those words, a shadow passed over the face of the sword-eared Sefilia.

“Do you understand the meaning of those words?”

“I understand perfectly well.”

The Duke of Lancaster answered without a moment’s hesitation.

“Charlotte Lancaster is the sword that will guide the future of our House Lancaster from this moment onward, and she is my eldest daughter.”

Charlotte Lancaster nodded silently. Simultaneously, the divine sword tapped lightly against Charlotte’s head and shoulders with its flat edge, concluding the brief ritual.

Dale of Saxony watched her silently.

The image of the most noble sword maiden in the world, who would endure any shame to remain by her lord’s side.

“Lady Aurelia, Swordmaster of the Sacred Sword Durandal.”

The ceremony was conducted modestly. Then Count Philip of Brandenburg, who officially presided over the sword trial, spoke. Deliberately solemnly.

“I, as the Swordmaster of the Sacred Sword, carrying on the legacy of my proud father, the Sacred Swordmaster, hereby command that the Sacred Maiden, Lady Aurelia, be enshrined!”

“……Thank you.”

The pure white Holy Maiden, the false Aurelia, silently bowed her head. Leaving behind the jet-black Aurelia who still watched over her from within Dale’s shadow.

It was at that very moment.

“But, but there is one thing I wish to address! Lady Aurelia!”

Philip opened his mouth, halting the ceremonial proceedings.

“Speak.”

“Lady Aurelia is still merely the daughter of a serf! For the daughter of a mere serf to wield the Sacred Sword with her lowly bloodline—would that not be problematic in many ways?”

Philip shouted dramatically, exaggerating his gestures with feigned force. It was a common sight among nobles to flaunt their ‘bloodline’ when abusing mere maids or serfs’ daughters.

“But Philip, if you, the proud son of the Sacred Sword, were to unite with the Count of Brandenburg…! The Sacred Maiden would possess the most undeniable legitimacy as the Sword’s rightful heir…”

Swoosh.

It was then. After the silence, Aurelia, kneeling, drew the hilt of the sacred sword hanging at her waist.

“If you utter another word of that nonsense…”

She stopped speaking there.

Without a word, the pale gleam of the holy sword flashed, and Philip’s face turned ashen before it.

“Ah, it was merely a suggestion! Not coercion at all, just a hope that you might reconsider…”

Stammering out those words, Philip shut his mouth in sudden alarm.

Beside the Holy Maiden, Lancelot, the First Prince of the Empire, turned his head away with an expression devoid of any emotion.

The Duke of Lancaster, who had newly secured the position of Divine Sword… and his adopted daughter, ‘Heavenly Sword Charlotte Orhart’.

It was at that very moment. His gaze met that of Saxony’s Dale, who was quietly watching him.

For a moment, an indescribably complex emotion flashed across Lancelot’s face. But his agitation ended there.

“I swear, in the name of Lancelot, First Prince of the Empire, to announce these events to the Empire.”

At last, the bloodbath that had unfolded in the Sword Trial came to an end.

Only a handful of swordsmen and the few knights under Philip’s command who witnessed them know the truth of what transpired here.

But when the events of the Sword Pavilion descend the mountain to be formally announced, and further spread across the continent through people’s mouths…

Like a butterfly’s wingbeat stirring a typhoon, it will unleash a whirlwind unlike anything seen before.

“Your Highness, the Duke of Lancaster.”

Vanessa Orhart, widow of the legendary swordsman Bader, bowed her head quietly.

And now, the Duke of Lancaster, reborn as yet 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 merely a formality for Charlotte’s sake; nothing will change.”

What Charlotte Orhart needed to do to secure the name of Lancaster was not particularly difficult. After all, there was a widow who had lost her husband, and a man who had lost his wife.

“Even if it’s nothing but an empty shell, I don’t care. I simply wish to settle the debt I owe for failing to help an old friend long ago.”

“Did you teach my daughter his sword techniques?”

“Yes.”

The Duke of Lancaster answered, and Vanessa’s expression clouded. Under Saxony’s protection, the daughter of the Divine Sword had already grown into a proper knight. But becoming a daughter of the Lancaster family, and further, inheriting the sword of the Divine Sword Bader, was an act carrying meaning far beyond that.

Yet there was nothing that could be undone.

After the Sword Trial concluded, and as the events that unfolded there spread across the entire continent through the gossip of enthusiasts.

Dale of Saxony, too, had finally completed his trial and returned to his domain.

He carried with him four of the continent’s Seven Swords.

“I’m glad to be back,”

Dale spoke, but Charlotte Lancaster, the Heavenly Sword, did not reply.

“Did you know from the start that His Highness the Archduke and Mother would remarry?”

After the silence, Charlotte asked in return, and Dale nodded.

“There are those who bring the secret whispers from across the continent.”

Leaving behind the blue butterfly fluttering behind his back.

“Still, I never imagined you’d get your hands on the Plum Blossom Sword.”

“No one could have imagined it.”

Charlotte laughed.

“I’ve been watching your progress all along.”

“Through those who bring whispers from across the continent?”

“Yes.”

Dale nodded.

“That you left House Saxon to join a mercenary company, participated in Count Baramir’s fief war, stood as the standard-bearer of the right wing, broke through the enemy’s left flank, and captured their nobleman after an encircling maneuver.”

“……!”

After that, I fought in five fief wars, then left the mercenary company to hunt monsters as an adventurer. Later, I exterminated a troublesome troll pack in the Imperial Free City of Proona and became the city’s hero.

Dale’s mouth flowed effortlessly with Charlotte’s exploits.

“To me, you are a sword beyond compare.”

Dale said. It wasn’t the cold demeanor he’d shown during the sword trial; it was the Dale Charlotte remembered, through and through.

“…Dale.”

Charlotte bit her lip, unable to find the words to continue. She wanted to voice the emotions surging up her throat at any moment.

But Charlotte Lancaster merely smiled quietly.

Because I don’t think about swords.

“Miss Charlotte has returned.”

That night, in the Saxon Duke’s office.

The Lord of Death and Darkness, the one who stood at the pinnacle of the Black Mage Tower, Dale’s father, the ‘Black Duke’, spoke.

“And that after securing the Lancaster family’s castle, no less.”

“It was beyond my expectations as well.”

“But you should have anticipated it now.”

The Duke of Saxony replied.

She is no longer a fallen noble of a ruined nation. She is the eldest daughter of the Duke of Lancaster, holder of the Seven Swords of the Continent.

“What is it you wish to say?”

“She can no longer exist as a mere knight protecting you. Moreover, Saxony’s protection has now lost its meaning.”

The Duke of Saxony replied, with the cold composure befitting one of the empire’s foremost nobles.

“Should she wish to remain in our Saxon Duchy beyond this point, she must pay the corresponding price.”

“Is this a noble’s bargain?”

Dale asked, and the Duke of Saxony nodded silently. There are many ways for nobles to solidify and unite their cartel. But among them, there was only one thing that a man and woman of marriageable age could exchange at that very moment.

“May I have a moment to consider?”

“Very well. Just…”

The Duke of Saxony nodded. After nodding, he smiled as if the coldness of moments before had been a lie.

“Remember, I always support your decisions.”

“Thank you, Father.”

Dale bowed his head and turned away.

Some time later.

Beyond the Duchy of Saxony lay the Demon Realm, and beyond that, the Dark Continent. Led by the immortal Frederick, the former lords of Saxony began gathering at the ‘Shadow Demon Tower’.

In the White Magic Tower of the Sistine Papacy, a secret pact for ‘Church-State Independence’ was sworn, spearheaded by the Holy Maiden Aurelia.

The three great ducal houses of the Empire, among them the Grand Duchy of Lancaster and the Duchy of Saxony, officially announced the betrothal of their eldest daughter and eldest son.

Finally, through the blue spiderweb, whispers reached us that another of the Three Great Dukes, the Duke of Exile, had sent a secret envoy to contact the White Magic Tower and join the ‘Independent Alliance’.

Things Dale knew, things he didn’t know, and even matters Dale himself was directly entangled in.

The situation was rapidly shifting.

Amidst it all, the one thing Dale could be certain of was that the sparks burning everywhere would not take long to ignite an explosion.