Chapter 157: Day of the Celebration (part one)
Year 960 of the Roland Empire, on June 12, the day of the summer festivals.
From early in the morning, the capital's police officers had long gone out in full force to patrol the streets. However, what is worrying police chief Sack is the amount of city defense garrison forces inside the capital.
These guards are obviously mobilized from the four nearby supporting cities. With bright armors that showed off their sheen, every soldier was heavily armed like they were heading off to face an enemy. It's true in recent days that the amount of people in the capital had increased exponentially for the festival, but did those military soldiers really need to look so formidable?
With a quick observation, police chief Sack saw that something was not right. Instead of the celebratory clothing's for the summer festival, these military soldiers all wore the newly minted combat style clothing's that was recently rationed out during the spring season of this year! And what were more disturbing are the weapons they carried. With swords strapped to their waists, all of the soldiers he saw carried the typical war shields you would see on a real battlefield!
Filled with doubt as he watched the newest team of passing military soldiers, police chief Sack frowns as he stood at one of the main street corners. Because of aching in his heart, chief Sack decided to turn back and get someone from the office to inquire about the situation from the military high command.
But soon, the bad news came popping up one after another. Earlier in the morning, he sent out four teams of police officers to patrol the streets, but each of the teams sent someone back to report they were being blockaded by the city defense forces.
Just as Sack was full of anger from the bad news, a deputy commander of the defense garrison army came barging in. Wearing the outfit of the garrison defense forces, a fifth level knight badge was pinned to this person's chest.
"Chief Sack!" This guy looked unconcerned with his action and quickly broke into the office with his two attendants. Then with a formal voice, the guy read out a command: "High commands special order. In order to keep the peace of the capital city, all deployment of the police forces will be temporarily under the command of the defense garrison forces. The one that shall be overseeing the police force is the second division's General Jean Claude!"
With that said, this guy puts the military order document on top of Sack's table.
Second Division's General Jean-Claude?
That Jean-Claude is responsible for the city defense! What right does he have to order our department!
39 years old Sack saw that on the military command document, the name that was signed on it was the high command's deputy commander Earl Raymond of the Rowling family, as well as the high commander seal of approval.
Seeing this, Sack suddenly felt a chill run down his spine… Is something about to happen? From ages past, the police force had always been responsible for the security inside the city, and the city defense garrison forces are responsible for the outer perimeters beyond the city walls. This is the rule…. But now, the military high command suddenly wants to take over the police force?
In his heart, chief Sack knew that even if the command was real, the legal formality is not right! In order to fully take over the police force, only his majesty the emperor can give out such a command. But as Sack faced the murderous cold person in front of him, he noticed the military officer already had one of his hands above his sword hilt. In his mind, Sack feared that if he refused, the guy in front of him would no doubt kill him on the spot!
Sack was fully aware of his strength. Although he held the title of a fourth level knight, but his true strength can't even be a match for a third level knight. It was only thanks to his family ties that he was able to sit on such a high position inside the security department…. As such, he could not stop himself from scorning the guards outside his office for letting these people in so easily!
"Fine then..." Hesitating for a moment, Sack didn't dare deny the order because of his own weakness: "May I know how we can cooperate with the military department?"
"It's very simple." This unfamiliar officer pulled his hand away from his sword handle: "From now on, you are only responsible for the area around the magic union. As for the other areas, they will be handled by the city defense garrison forces….." A little grin appeared on the officer's face: "General Jean Claude's order. In order to keep the peace in the capital and keep the security department safe during this important time, a team of military soldiers will be placed in the police headquarters to make sure you guys are safe until the festival is over…."
Sack was enraged now: "What! You are openly encircling the police department!!! How dare you! I want to see that baster Jean Claude right now!"
"I'm sorry, this is military order!" The unknown officer sneers loudly: "Chief Sack, please cooperate!"
Just when he said this, another couple of heavily armed soldiers came barging in. With a peek, Sack saw that the guards outside were already knocked out. Although he was outraged by all this, he was also scared because he can tell the outside was already surrounding by groups of garrison soldiers!
As for the other police officers inside the police department, they were all smart enough to obediently go into their rooms because if they didn't, swords would be pointed at their necks.
"Are you going to rebel?!" Sack feebly sits down on his chair.
"It's to protect" The official spoke in a light tone: "As long as you don't cause trouble, I will ensure that you are safe!"
Sack is already regretting his move of deploying all of the police forces out early in the morning. With the police headquarter empty of officers, they had nothing left to retaliate with.
"Fine then." Sack yields to fate and nodded: "You said earlier to have my people patrol the area around the magic union, but now my people is stuck in here. How do you expect me to give the order out?"
"It's simple." From his bosom, the officer pulled a couple of blank command parchments and placed it in front of Sack: "You just need to place the command and my people will deliver it to your people."
With a stunned faced, his hand trembled as he picked up the ink quill…..
Most people did not of this event. When the sun finally came up, the civilians living nearby only thought it was odd when they saw the police department being surrounded by heavily armed military soldiers.
With cold and murderous faces, any civilians that came too close would flinch and run away when their eyes made contact with these soldiers. Unlike the festive moods of everyone around them, these soldiers looked like they were readying to go to war!
Then the word started to spread in the capital. All city gates are to be locked and traveling in and out of the capital is temporarily prohibited. This was out of the norm, but most were just speculating that this was all in preparation for the activation of the barrier around the capital city.
After all, the continent had already enjoyed hundreds of years of peace since the last major coup, so how can an ordinary citizen possibly think of this as a coup? Therefore, no panic or riot ever occurred during this day.
Until late into the morning, around 3,000 garrison Calvary soldiers suddenly appeared outside the capital and flanked each of the city gates.
After meditating for one night, Du Wei had completely filled the five colored gemstone ring in his possession. Then with the help of Marde, he wore the most luxurious dress robe he can find. Afterwards, the countess sent someone to give him a new pair of boots for him to wear for the ceremony.
When Du Wei came out of his own building, he was already aware of the tension building up inside his home. Armed and ready to go, 300 of the most elite guards of the Rowling Household was already awaiting their arrival outside the Earl's mansion.
As for his father, Earl Raymond wore his usual high military commander uniform; yet, after ironing it out, the neckline and sleeves made him look extra sharp despite his old age. Escorted by captain Alpha, the Earl led the way in the front of the pack as the two got on their pure black steeds. Unlike the regular horses in the capital, each of the mounts ridden by the Rowling Household are specially bred war horses of the Rowling Plains. Not only are they stronger than the average horse, their size were exceptionally bigger.
Once the Earl began to put on his white riding gloves, hen suddenly turned around and glanced at Du Wei: "Let's go then, we will depart for the central square. Since the ceremony is today, the place must be quite lively. We must hurry or we will be late."
Instead of bringing the countess along, the Earl used the excuse of sickness to keep his wife at home and only brought Du Wei.
Traditionally, men's of the Rowling Household never ride in a carriage for these ceremonies. As such, Alpha had prepared a top class white horse for Du Wei. But once Du Wei was on top of his mount, he noticed something as he looked around: "Is brother also not going?"
"Gabri... I'm keeping him at Mr. Blue Ocean's home." The Earl dismissively replied this to his question. Then just as he was about to head out, the Earl suddenly looked at Du Wei again: "I... The things I said to you a couple of days ago, did you think it through?"
"I've thought it through." Du Wei's tone was very flat as he replied. Then he asked: "Father, do you feel certain?"
"Nothing is a certainty in this world. As long as it is at least 70%, then it is a very high chance." Earl lets out a weak laugh.
Chapter 158: Day of the Celebration (part two)
Following the cue of the Earl, the 300 Rowling Household elite guards also mounted. But unlike the regular Calvary of the empire, each of the horses hung a gold bell that gave out a sweet chime on every galloping step.
Finally, under the protection of the elite guards, Du Wei and his father came to the central square outside the walls of the royal palace.
The central square is the largest square in the capital city. With its back facing the royal palace, this enormous square can accommodate tens of thousands of troops. Not only that, the wide roads running on the sides is enough to allow five to six carriages to move side by side next to each other.
During the annual summer festival, this place would always be as lively as now. Not only will his majesty the emperor make a rare appearance on top of the palace walls, other powerful figures will also participate like the president of the magic union and the pope of the temple.
Of course, that is not enough to catch the attention of so many people. Down below the central square, there will be parades to showcase the might of the empire's army and prop shows performed by the general populous.
Calm like granite, Du Wei's face didn't show any emotional change along the way no matter how many military soldiers he saw on the streets. Thus, by the time Du Wei reached to the central square, the day was already nearing noon.
Packed with crowds of people, many nobles were already sitting inside the square awaiting the start of the ceremony. As for the thousands of regular civilians that came to attend the event, they were forced to stand on the sides behind the roads running along the central square to make room for the expected parades.
As the Earl dismounted, this usually cold faced father of his actually pulled against Du Wei's hand and personally led him onto the tall platform specially reserved for the noble classes in the central square. But what surprised Du Wei the most is not the action of his father, but the looks on the other nobles present. With unease and worry, most of the people he came across didn't dare face them.
Ordinary people may not understand the oddity of today, but the rich and noble classes all have a clear picture of what's going on! For the past two days, the residential areas of the noble classes were placed under heavy security by the military. Some were dissatisfied by this so they went into the palace to seek his majesty the emperor to protest, but the emperor refused to meet any of them!
Listening to the ruckus down below, Du Wei sat down on top of the tall platform and watched the regular civilians still immersing themselves in the celebratory atmosphere. Seeing the joyous faces on these people, Du Wei couldn't help but sigh in his heart for what is to come of them….
Finally, when the time struck noon and the sun hung in the middle of the sky, the golden gate of the royal palace slowly opened. Riding out first were the golden colored palace guards on their white horses, followed by the honor guards with their clarions. With a single blow, the traditional trumpet sound of a Calvary charge is as clear as day.
Then following close behind, the palace maids, court officials, and scholars walked out in groups once by one. In the end, two half naked muscular wrestlers came out with a golden drum. With muscles like rock, these two eye popping individuals singlehandedly managed to lift the thing like it was nothing.
With the horns stopped, the two wrestlers picked up the drum sticks….
Then Dong! Dong! Dong...
This heavy drum beat is just like knocking on the very minds of an individual's soul! As the beat spread far into the distance, the noise in the crowds began to die down because everyone knew that according to tradition, this sound is the prelude to the coming of the emperor!
Once the 12 drum beats finished, the current ruler of this piece of land, Augustine the 6th will finally make his appearance!
With a clear clarion call, all the nobles present on the tall platform stood up and performed a proper salute towards the general direction of the palace gate. As for the army generals, they instead performed a regular standard knight salute.
Unlike the others looking over at the palace gate, Du Wei glanced at his father only to find that his expression was completely calm. Even though Earl Raymond was facing the giant gates of the imperial palace, his body was still bent over in salute without standing straight!
Others were already giving them the gaze of questioning, but right now, none dares to openly question the weird actions of the Earl.
For the first time, Du Wei was finally able to see the image of the emperor….
And his first impression was "old"!
Though the emperor's may look lavishing in his well adorned clothing, but this 70 years old guy is already a dying old man! As Du Wei observed the emperor carefully, he could not stop himself from gasping…. On top of the diamond encrusted crown, he can see the main jewel adorning it was a five colored gemstone like the one in his possession!
The pace of Augustine the 6th was very slow like his reaction could not keep up. Although it's a day of celebration, but the half closed eyes of this old man looked very serious like it was devoid of happiness. From appearances, Du Wei can somehow make out the resemblance with Prince Son, but unlike the friendly aura of the prince, this emperor looked dignified in his composure and had a warlike atmosphere coming out of him.
Despite all this, Du Wei can still make out the years of aging in the emperor's movements. And what is even more shocking for Du Wei is that in his careful observation, the emperor's hand was secretly shaking when he passed by Du Wei and his father!
Walking onto his own platform, the emperor stood alone with at least 20 meters of distance between everyone nearby. But there are always exceptions. Two people were following closely behind the emperor on each side. On the left, the guy wore a red robe similar to that of the magic union, but it's obvious he was a court mage and not of the magic union. And on the right, a thin man wearing a grey robe stood there with vigilant eyes. Though his chest didn't have a badge to showcase his warrior level, but his arm still held a sword of undeniable quality.
Only these two men are allowed to follow behind the emperor, this includes the prince that is standing 20 meters away like the rest of the people present.
When Du Wei saw Prince Son nearby, his face still looked relax like everything happening today is none of his concern. And to top it off, when the prince noticed Du Wei was looking over at him, the prince even gave him a friendly smile.
As for that crown prince, he still didn't show up yet.
Sweeping through the audience with his eyes, Augustine the 6th's was just like that of an old lion, while old, but still full of vigor!
"So then... Let it begin!"
Though his voice was hoarse, but he didn't waste time uttering crap and simply said this one sentence before sitting down.
With a gentle wave of the emperor's hand, the two wrestlers below once again began beating the giant drum. With rapid beats, the sound of drum rolling echoed into the distance…..
Nearby at the end of the main street, a loud horn reached the ears of everyone in the square. Then Du Wei immediately sensed a strong war like atmosphere drawing near from the distance!
Donning armors colored in gold, the 3,000 infantry soldiers sparkled under the sunlight as they marched through the main streets in a neat formation!
With neat trampling pace, the shaking on the ground sounded very rhythmic like it was singing!
Swish! Swish! Swish…..
Hearing this, the crowds on the street started cheering and those on the side began throwing flower pedals into the air as the soldiers passed by.
"Father." Du Wei looked at the oncoming soldiers before turning to his father to whisper in a low voice: "When will the show you prepared begin?"
Earl Raymond still looked calm as he reply: "Soon"
When Earl Raymond's voice died down, the infantry formation was already through the central square and stood neatly under the nose of the emperor. In one swift motion, all 3,000 soldiers pulled their swords out and pointed it up into the sky!
Augustine the 6th smiles faintly as he nodded, and then as a tribute to the soldiers, he lifted his hand to show his gratitude...
Right then, the sound of horse hooves galloping could be heard in the nearby streets!
Like thunder, the beating was filled with strength and power!
Under the screams and cries of surprise in the distance, a company of heavy cavalry galloped into view! Clearly the elite of the elites, each of these knights wore a badge of third level or more! With pure black steel as the main material in the forging of their armor, each of these knights rode a black horse that matched their status. And to make it even more mind blowing, their capes were all uniformly red, indicating their status of "iron blood riders"!
Despite the fact that there are a thousand riders on horseback, their beats were in sync and orderly. This clearly shows how skilled they are in their horse riding techniques.
When they neared the central square, the troopers suddenly slowed down without losing formation. Then like two teams of waves, the company slowly split apart in the middle and rode a golden knight different from the rest!
Just like the other riders, this knight rode on a black war horse. The only exception was the golden yellow armor. There's no way to figure out what it was made out of, but if Du Wei had to guess, it was likely produced from some special magic material. The reason for his guess is simple. When the person made his appearance, Du Wei immediately sensed a fluctuation in the air!
Riding to the front of the pack, the knight slowly removed his helmet as the cape on his back fluttered in the wind. Du Wei immediately recognized the face and was certain that the person is the crown prince!
At least 70% in similarity to the emperor, the crown prince lacked the friendly attitude of Prince Son. However, this person is as dignified as the emperor himself, except that he had a cold ruthlessness in his eyes!
"My lord." As Du Wei was watching the Crown Prince, the sound of footsteps and a low voice reached his ears from the behind. Middle aged, a shrewd looking 40 year old with light armor came up to the earl and said: "Everything in the outer city is already arranged."
Earl Raymond nodded and then glance at Du Wei before saying: "Du Wei, come, I'll introduce you. This is the second division's General Jean-Claude. He is not only my subordinate, but also my friend."
Du Wei had no time to say anything to this general because a scream came from the square!
Still on horseback, the Crown Prince suddenly pulled out his sword and aimed it at the emperor in the distant.
"Your Majesty... Father!" The Prince's voice came out steady. Even though the place was noisy, but the voice clearly fell into the ears of everyone present! Apparently, the strength of this Crown Prince is not bad!
"My dear father." The Prince's voice was filled with traces of awe-inspiring will: "I like to ask you is the sword in my hand sharp?!"
When his voice died down, the knights nearby all shouted in unison to create a majestic cry: "Sharp!!"
This aligned shout almost scared the nearby people to the ground!
"My father! My warriors here, are they mighty?!"
Just like the first time, all the knights shouted loudly: "Mighty!!"
Flicking his sharp blade, the Crown Prince used his sharp eyes to peer at Augustine the 6th: "Such sharp blades, such mighty warriors! Is it enough to inherent this great empire?!"
Everyone in the audience was shocked!
Still sitting in his chair Augustine the 6th had a deep depressing face as his palm trembled…..
With their swords in hand, the thousand heavy cavalry knights all pointed their swords at the emperor. Backed by this gesture, the Crown Prince had a cold and determined gaze in his eyes as he said the next words:
"Father, you stalled your decision for 20 years. Now on this day, I demand a answer!!!"
At this moment, the sky had a dark cloud drift pass and blocked out the afternoon sun. In a flash, darkness enveloped the capital...
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