Cecilia was crouched down, feeding seeds to a sparrow.
The interior of the knight order was completely empty. This was due to the massive drinking party that took place yesterday.
Because the drinks were all expensive, everyone emptied their glasses completely and as a result, the entire team was wiped out.
Cecilia was serving. Although she’s a minor and couldn’t drink, it was a personal hobby of hers.
‘Director Kairon must have woken up by now, right?’
Incidentally, Kairon also participated.
He’s the type who never drinks unless it’s a holiday, but apparently, he found the liquor too precious to pass up.
Feeling somewhat guilty, she made sure to prepare some food before coming to work. Of course, all she prepared was granola with milk.
“Eat well.”
“Chirp!”
Cecilia gently stroked the sparrow’s small head.
The sparrow paid no mind and pecked at the seeds.
That the sparrow didn’t fly away… this is the charm of a sword heroine, recognized even by sparrows…!
Flap!
However, once its belly was full, the sparrow spread its wings and flew off into the sky.
“Gratitude, with a platinum flower please.”
The sparrow responded by circling in the air before dropping a white substance.
Plop.
The sticky sparrow droppings almost hit Cecilia, who maintained an indifferent face as she watched the bird fly away.
‘…Repaying a favor with poop?’
Apparently trusting this harmful assistant wasn’t wise.
“Wind, si…”
“Ahh, Lady Cecilia.”
“…”
Cecilia turned around.
Beatrice had just arrived for work and stood there with a fresh smile on her face.
“Good morning.”
“Yeah, good morning.”
“Did only we come to work?”
“Hangovers.”
“…Is it okay for us to be here alone?”
“It’s fine since I’m here.”
Cecilia placed her hands on her hips with confidence.
Beatrice chuckled awkwardly.
“That’s true.”
“Is Betty okay?”
“Hmm… Since I don’t really like alcohol, I didn’t drink.”
“I see. Then help me out. I need to write some reports.”
“Understood!”
As Cecilia climbed up to the second floor, she thought.
“A beautiful sword heroine who paid for drinks and took on the next day’s work. Everyone’s affinity must have gone up, right?”
Ah, I’m totally an angel!
Cecilia was endlessly impressed with her own protagonist power.
Today is another good morning.
“Much hard work, Rude.”
The Queen’s garden.
A small child stood on one knee with their head bowed.
“If the Queen wishes it, this is the least I can do.”
“Your confidence is delightful. This is why I can’t dislike the Windsor Knight Order.”
Queen Lydia smiled warmly while patting Rude on the head.
Rude maintained a stoic expression to keep his dignity but was internally happy.
The queen’s touch is only second to Cecilia’s.
“Still, I worry about you, Sir Ertheleon.”
Behind her, standing silently stood the Sword Saint Ertheleon who nodded.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Can you contend with the new Demon King?”
A knight must always display confidence to their lord.
However, Ertheleon the Sword Saint, the strongest knight of the Rianen Kingdom, was a realistic person.
“It’s not possible.”
“You gave a different answer last time.”
“The previous Demon King was someone I could handle with my strength.”
“And what about now?”
In response to Lydia’s calm question, Ertheleon replied without hesitation.
“Please forgive me, but the intense fighting force detected near the Demon King’s Castle surpasses that of a human.”
“So it’s something only a Sword God can contend with.”
“Having not witnessed it myself, I can’t be certain, but the accounts I’ve gathered align with what I detected.”
“That possibility is slim, eh.”
Ertheleon didn’t bother adding further explanations.
Because the emergence of a Demon King beyond human capability was a phrase he couldn’t bring himself to say aloud.
“At least, the current Demon King seems peaceful-minded, and the probability of internal strife emerging from a new power due to their overwhelming might is low.”
Lydia smiled faintly.
“Also, according to Rude’s findings, the problem is that the life of the Flame is less than a year.”
Rude the Mage.
Additionally, the court magician of Viaton.
A mage focuses on theory, while a mage specialist focuses on practical measurements, making them opposites.
But when these two combine their powers, the synergy is extraordinary. They are regarded as the best mage and mage specialist, not just in the Rianen Kingdom, but worldwide.
These two have worked tirelessly to study the current flame situation.
And today, their results are finally out.
With a very low margin of error, it’s almost a prophecy, close to a high probability prediction.
After 500 years of the Rianen Kingdom.
The sacred Flame is extinguished – a hopeless conclusion.
“It’s about time we prepare. The court magician from Viaton agrees with this opinion.”
For the first time, Rude looked up and offered his opinion.
“The time has come for Your Majesty to use your authority.”
“Ah, I really don’t want to do that.”
Lydia sighed deeply like a young child, slouching.
“Does Sir Ertheleon also think the same?”
“Well… isn’t there really no other way?”
“The Demon King, can we really not stop him? What if the entire Windsor Knight Order attacks?”
“If we get Sir Kairon’s help, the chances of victory are high.”
Ertheleon’s eyes dimmed.
Rude also wore a bitter smile.
“There is a high probability that the result will be mutual annihilation. However, if that can bring peace to humanity…”
Rude continued Ertheleon’s words with a tone that was near certain.
“The Windsor Knight Order will gladly offer our hearts.”
“However, all resilience will be completely lost after that.”
“Humans will perish. Even if we k*ll the Demon King, without the Windsor Knight Order, we cannot stand against the Demon Army.”
The Rianen Kingdom was humanity’s last stronghold.
Those born in this land blessed by the Goddess, and especially the Windsor Knight Order, wielding the most powerful talents, were the delicate counterweights that balanced the gap between humans and demons.
The moment they disappear, the scales of fate will inevitably tip towards the demons.
“Hmph, that old man of the Empire knows nothing.”
“Pathetic fellows. We share the same race, but they only hinder…”
The Empire was, at least, a possibility. But long ago, the Empire had focused more on fighting humans than demons.
Even now, the Empire was salivating over the land of the Rianen Kingdom.
Perhaps if the Windsor Knight Order perishes battling the Demon King, the Rianen Kingdom will fall not to the Demon Army, but to the Empire Army.
“In the end, the Windsor Knight Order must not be lost. That means there’s something I must do, right?”
Lydia strolled through the garden as if dancing, her hands behind her back.
After twirling around, she struck a V pose and smiled faintly.
“What would you do without me?”
“…”
“Your Majesty, please preserve your dignity. This isn’t someone else’s country; it’s your country.”
“Ertheleon’s sharp words always sting…”
“Those aren’t sharp words, they’re wise counsel!”
Lydia chuckled softly.
“Please don’t worry too much. I’ve been thinking about a single wish to offer to the Goddess for a long time.”
Lydia looked up at the sky.
“And yet, I worry. My choices have always been right, but they can’t always be right forever.”
In truth, when she thought of the wish long ago, she never imagined the variables of now.
But the variable wasn’t the abnormality in the sacred flame or the weakening power of the Goddess.
‘Cecilia Windsor.’
Queen Lydia’s variable was a single sword heroine named Cecilia.
“I once thought that the Goddess’s blessing had to be directed towards many people to shine its light. When various blessings come together, the light becomes even more brilliant and beautiful.”
But that was easier said than done.
It’s incredibly difficult for numerous individuals to unite into one, for the human race.
That’s why Queen Lydia always prepared answers, yet still felt uneasy.
Is there truly no other way?
Is there no certain path of hope other than the unstable hope based solely on human benevolence?
Recently, Queen Lydia felt like the outline of this long dialogue was starting to come into view.
“But anything that’s divided becomes weaker.”
“Perhaps there is no protagonist in the great epic of the Goddess. If not, my role is to be the moon that illuminates the protagonist.”
The problem, however, is that this protagonist doesn’t want to be a protagonist at all.
I want to shine some moonlight on him, but he keeps running away, which gets increasingly frustrating.
“Still, if I toss it lightly, maybe he’ll have no choice but to catch it?”
Lydia smiled gently as she looked at two mysterious people.
“In short, these are things I need to consider.”
“I’ll bear all the worries while you enjoy the year of granted leisure.”
Queen Lydia suddenly remembered something.
“Also, please convey this to Cecilia.”
*
“An announcement from Queen Majesty.”
– Have fun playing for a year!
Cecilia frowned at the hastily scribbled handwriting.
Is this something that has to be delivered as a royal command?
“…She also wants a reply.”
Ertheleon flushed with embarrassment.
Cecilia stared coldly at Ertheleon and thought.
Since Her Majesty doesn’t just do this occasionally. …There must not be much meaning behind it.
“I will work hard to have fun.”
“…Thank you for answering without picking a fight. By doing so, you’ve just preserved the honor of the guardian knight.”
“Ah, yes…”
‘If she means for me to become a guardian knight, I might have to go into exile.’
With that, Cecilia quickly decided her own future and waved her hand to bid farewell.
Ertheleon’s retreating back looked sad.
“Wow… To receive a royal command directly from the Queen herself is incredible.”
Once Ertheleon disappeared, Beatrice exclaimed in awe.
“Hmph.”
Cecilia basked in pride.
“I keep getting meaningless invitations…”
“Invitations?”
But her pride was shattered in an instant.
“Yes. There’s a grand ball coming up, and my father wants me to attend and secure some grain and support this time…”
Beatrice looked gloomy.
But Cecilia was restless.
‘I want to go… I won’t have time if I don’t go now…!’
The perfect Cecilia.
But even she had one flaw…
That flaw was that she hadn’t yet made her debut as a debutante!
‘Now is the chance. If I don’t do it now, I’ll have no time when things officially start…!’
Once formal events begin, there would be no time to attend such gatherings.
That is, this was a great chance to embed an illusion in newbies’ minds with a tale like: “Ah, Sword Heroine Cecilia’s debutante dance? That was incredible. Everyone at the ball was entranced!”
‘I have to seize this chance!’
However, the issue was that it would look strange for a sword heroine to say, “Sure, I’ll go! I want to attend a ball!”
So she needed the title of a reluctant heroine attending an undesirable event at a friend’s urging.
Beatrice was the perfect candidate.
“Participating wouldn’t be bad. We’re in a ceasefire period, and I’ll have time for now.”
“Still, I feel guilty about rejecting my father’s wishes by not attending and, as a knight under the royal family, it would be disrespectful if people found out I went to such places.”
“!”
Cecilia grabbed Beatrice’s shoulder when it seemed like she was about to throw the invitation away.
“…Don’t worry. Our knights don’t care about stuff like that. As you saw yesterday, they’re all alcoholics.”
“Of course, I understand that, but just because others do it, it doesn’t mean I should do something wrong too…”
Beatrice was trembling with fear.
Cecilia’s gaze was lifeless.
“What did you say?”
“I will attend.”
Beatrice, sharp with insight, saved her life by accepting.
She was grateful to be able to leave work alive.
Meanwhile, with everything going her way, Cecilia was in good spirits.
She was perched on the roof of the Windsor Knight Order’s building, gazing up at the moon.
Everything was proceeding smoothly. Now all that was left was waiting.
Cecilia had never been happier.
“Hm, still, just in case.”
“Moonlight, please don’t break anything and give me newbies. Lots of them!”
Cecilia clasped her hands together and prayed earnestly.
I hope this fervent prayer reaches the Earth where it’s already the year 22nd century.
