Chapter 48 : Chapter 48
Chapter 48. Pendragon
Inside the study of the lord’s residence in Lucerne City, Eli was bent over the preliminary warehouse accounts Harlan had organized and the city defense repair plans Brandon had submitted.
Just as he finished reviewing a draft proposal on tax reductions meant to encourage the city’s blacksmiths to resume their trade, a guard knight’s report came from outside the study.
“My lord! An envoy from Thorne City seeks an audience!”
Eli set down his quill, and a flash of understanding and anticipation passed through his blue eyes. “Show him in.”
The door was pushed open, and a young officer strode in, clad in black-and-crimson-trimmed light armor bearing the insignia of House Hohenzollern.
He was travel-worn, but his appearance was neat and his gaze sharp. Clearly, he had undergone strict training.
He stopped about three paces from Eli’s desk.
“Lord Eli Black!
By order of Sir Lucius La Roche, Governor of the Western Frontier, I have come to deliver your ennoblement decree!”
With that, he drew a parchment scroll from his robes, bound with a golden ribbon and sealed with the roaring golden lion wax seal of the La Roche Family, and respectfully presented it with both hands.
Eli rose and accepted it.
When he unrolled the scroll, he saw elegant yet forceful script written across the tough parchment:
Administrative Decree of the Western Frontier of the Kingdom of Orlando
Frontier Knight Eli Black, loyal and valiant, led his forces to eradicate the rebels and recover Lucerne City, rendering distinguished service...
In recognition of these merits, he is hereby elevated to the rank of baron of the kingdom.
Title: Baron of Lucerne... hereditary in perpetuity...
At the bottom, besides Lucius’s signature and crest, there was another, smaller signature beside it—the countersignature of Marquess Marcus Hohenzollern.
The matter was settled at last. Sir Lucius had kept his promise.
To rise from a Frontier Knight to a baron with a lawful fief and a hereditary title—this step carried enormous significance.
It meant that the Black Territory and Lucerne City now truly possessed a legal foundation.
Eli Black had formally entered the ranks of the kingdom’s nobility.
Eli’s fingers brushed across the crest on the scroll, that symbol of power and recognition, and he drew in a deep breath to suppress the surging emotions in his heart.
At that moment, the young envoy from Thorne City spoke again.
“My lord baron, according to the custom of the kingdom, when a newly enfeoffed noble’s lands lie far from the original family’s domain, or when he must establish an independent line of inheritance, he may apply to the kingdom’s College of Arms to change his family surname. This is to distinguish his line from the main house and avoid any future... inheritance disputes.”
At those words, Eli’s gaze sharpened slightly.
The envoy had struck directly at the heart of the matter.
Now that he possessed both the Barony of Lucerne and the Black Territory, he would inevitably have to establish a family line of his own in the future.
If he continued to bear the surname Black, it would not only be easy to confuse his line with the royal-domain Black family,
but might also lead to inheritance disputes in some distant future.
Separating himself into an independent house was imperative.
He pondered for a moment, a great many names flashing through his mind.
“Pendragon.”
Eli’s voice was clear and firm.
“My new surname shall be Pendragon.”
The envoy froze slightly, then nodded solemnly.
He immediately took out the record book and quill he carried with him.
“Then, my lord baron, do you already have a design in mind for your family crest?”
A family crest?
Eli’s eyes fell upon the mithril longsword resting on the sword stand beside his desk—Silver.
“The crest,” Eli said, as inspiration came to him.
“The field shall be a deep night-sky blue. At the center—a black dragon with its wings spread. The dragon’s eyes shall be silver.”
“A night-sky blue field, a black dragon with outspread wings, silver dragon eyes,” the envoy repeated, recording it quickly.
“The moment I return to Thorne City, I will submit the application and registration to the College of Arms on your behalf. From this moment onward, you are recognized by the kingdom as—Baron Eli Pendragon!”
Eli Pendragon.
That name proclaimed the birth of a new noble, and also the rise of a brand-new power upon the wasteland of the Western Frontier.
Eli accepted the baronial appointment letter that symbolized his change in status and placed it beside Silver, the symbol of strength.
At that moment, Brandon, who had been standing in attendance inside the study, seemed to look a little younger.
This old veteran, who had witnessed Eli walk the entire road from an exiled wastrel to the man he was today, was the first to move.
Without the slightest hesitation, he stepped forward, dropped heavily to one knee, and shouted with all his strength,
“I pay my respects to Baron Eli Pendragon!”
At once, the two elite Black Crow Knights guarding the doorway,
as well as Captain Buck, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, all dropped to one knee as well.
“We pay our respects to Baron Pendragon!”
The guard knights outside the door and the soldiers in the corridor, hearing the commotion within,
also dropped to one knee one after another. The sound of clashing armor rang out in unison.
“We pay our respects to the baron!”
The cheers spread like a wave, rapidly sweeping outward from the lord’s residence.
Before long, all of Lucerne City was faintly echoing with the spontaneous cheers of soldiers and townsfolk who had learned the news.
“Long live Baron Pendragon!”
Looking at the loyal subordinates kneeling before him and listening to the cheers outside the window, Eli gave a helpless smile and lifted a hand in a gesture for them to rise.
“Up, all of you. It is only a title. Not a single one of the things that must be done will be any less because of it.”
He turned to the envoy from Thorne City.
“You have traveled hard to get here, Envoy. Brandon, arrange the best room and the best food and drink. Make certain the envoy is well received.”
“Yes, Baron!” Brandon answered loudly, then rose at once to make the arrangements.
Eli’s gaze swept across Buck and the others as he said in a ringing voice,
“Pass the word! Tonight, a victory banquet will be held in the square before the lord’s residence.
All residents, the newly appointed administrators of Lucerne City, and all respected elders of the city may attend.
We will celebrate Lucerne’s rebirth, and we will also celebrate... our new beginning!”
“Roar—!!!”
An even greater wave of cheers nearly lifted the roof.
Night fell, and the central square of Lucerne City was illuminated as brightly as day by massive bonfires blazing high.
The air was filled with the rich scent of roasted meat.
Upon the temporary wooden platform erected at the center of the square, Baron Eli Pendragon stood tall and steady.
He wore no magnificent ceremonial robes. He was still dressed in practical black leather armor, with only a plain dark-blue cloak over it.
But his snow-white hair and the sword Silver hanging at his waist made him the undisputed focus of the entire gathering.
At his side stood Buck, stern-faced; Brandon, smiling faintly; and several of Lucerne City’s newly appointed administrators.
Below the platform, the Black Crow Knights, the veterans from the Black Territory, Lucerne City’s new recruits, and the invited commoners packed the square in a sea of heads.
Every face shone with excitement, reverence, and anticipation.
Eli raised a hand, and an invisible pressure instantly silenced the noisy square, leaving only the crackling of the bonfires.
“My people!”
His voice was not loud,
“Tonight, we gather here not to praise my so-called personal achievements, nor to celebrate some empty baronial title!”
His eyes swept across the crowd below.
“Tonight, we celebrate the rebirth of Lucerne City! We celebrate the fact that the dark shadow once hanging over your heads— the tyranny of Grumm and his lackeys—has been completely swept away. We celebrate that you, the people of Lucerne City, can now rebuild your homes with your own hands, and fight for a life of dignity.”
The words were simple, but they struck directly at the heart.
At once, many commoners in the crowd had red-rimmed eyes, and Martha could not help but wipe the corners of her eyes with the back of her rough hand.
“Tonight is also a night of gratitude!”
Eli’s voice suddenly rose, carrying sincere emotion.
“I thank Brandon beside me—this old soldier who used his experience and dedication to restore life to this city scarred by war!
I thank Captain Buck and his Black Crow Knights. It was their sharp blades that severed the chains and safeguarded order!
I thank every brave soldier. It was your loyalty and sacrifice that bought today’s peace!
And above all, I thank every citizen of Lucerne City gathered here. It was you who straightened your backs amid the ruins.
You chose trust. You chose to stand with me, with the Black Territory, and together carve out a future!”
His gaze came to rest on the newly appointed administrators.
“And I also thank every person willing to work so that this city may rise again.
Lucerne City does not stand because of me alone. It stands because of all of us!”
Applause!
Thunderous applause erupted in an instant, surging across the entire square like a roaring tide!
The soldiers slammed their fists against their breastplates, the commoners waved their arms excitedly, and many openly wept.
A relaxed and genuine smile appeared on Eli’s face.
“Enough words. Let the rest be proven in time by our own hands. And now, I declare—”
He swept his eyes over the entire crowd, his voice carrying unmistakable cheer.
“Let the victory banquet begin!”
“Roar—!!!”
“Long live the baron!”
“Long live Pendragon!”
The deafening cheers instantly swallowed the entire square.
Eli stepped down from the wooden platform and, under the protection of Buck and Brandon, symbolically clinked cups with several administrators and representatives of the soldiers, accepting the heartfelt congratulations of the crowd.
The ale was sharp, the roasted meat fragrant, and the air was filled with pure joy and release.
Holding a wooden mug, he walked to a relatively quiet corner at the edge of the square.
The firelight danced across his face, illuminating that snow-white hair.
He lifted his head and looked toward the bright moon hanging high in the deep night sky.
The moonlight was like frost, its clear radiance spilling everywhere.
Without warning, Aila’s clear violet eyes rose in his mind.
“Soon...” he murmured to himself, then drained the cool ale in one swallow. The fiery liquid slid down his throat, leaving behind a trace of heat.
His gaze withdrew from the moon and turned toward the deeper eastern reaches beyond Nightsong Forest.
That direction led to Sabda’s territory.
Sabda Medici’s invitation... the time had come.
He would go and see what medicine the second son of the Duke of the Southern Frontier was really selling.