Chapter 125 : Chapter 125
Chapter 125. The... Drama at Thorne Cathedral
The four groups, representing the Frontier Lords from the Royal Domain, the Eastern Frontier, the Southern Frontier, and the small number from the Northern Frontier, advanced along Thorne City's broad main avenue under the guidance of the Western Frontier officials at the front, heading toward the center of the city.
On both sides of the street, a fully armored Western Frontier soldier stood every few paces, his face stern.
They held long spears and maintained order like statues.
Many of Thorne City's citizens had been drawn out by the spectacle and crowded along both sides of the road.
Pointing at the mixed and variously dressed procession, they whispered among themselves.
"Look at that lot. Their noses are practically pointing at the sky!"
One citizen spoke to his companion in a low voice, his tone thick with disdain.
"Shh! Keep your voice down! Do not let them hear you!
"Those people are all noble lords. I hear they are Frontier Lords who seized land out there, and they are fierce."
His companion immediately tugged at him and warned him in a hushed voice.
"Frontier Lords? What are they swaggering around our Western Frontier for..."
"Well, do not say that. I have made quite a bit of money off them, hehe..."
Quite a few lords in the procession heard these undisguised remarks, and irritation and displeasure appeared on their faces.
In their own territories, they were still figures whose word was law. When had they ever been discussed so freely by commoners?
But under the cold, merciless gaze of the Western Frontier soldiers standing at both sides, they could only forcibly swallow their anger, pretend not to hear, and continue onward.
That oppressive atmosphere made them realize even more clearly that here, the true authority belonged to House La Roche.
After walking for some time, they turned a corner, and an utterly magnificent structure finally appeared before them.
It had been built from enormous blocks of white stone, and its soaring spires seemed ready to pierce the heavens.
The colored glass windows shimmered with splendid light beneath the sun.
Above the main doors were carved an elaborate sun motif and the golden lion crest of House La Roche.
Velin leaned close to Eli and could not help muttering in a low voice,
"Good heavens... this Thorne Cathedral looks even grander than the Cathedral of Light in the royal capital..."
Another Royal Domain lord at his side, Connor, seemed somewhat unconvinced and curled his lip in rebuttal.
"Hmph. It only looks flashy on the outside. What would Western Frontier people know about art?
"For all we know, the inside is crude. What is that saying again? Fine feathers, rotten flesh beneath."
"Connor."
One of the Western Frontier officials leading the way seemed to have overheard them.
He glanced back at the two of them with an even, unreadable gaze, and both men immediately shut their mouths.
The cathedral's heavy doors had already been thrown open.
The scene within gradually revealed itself before them.
The entire hall had been cleared in advance and appeared unusually spacious and solemn.
When everyone followed the procession into the cathedral, Connor, who had just confidently declared that the interior must be rough and unimpressive, was slapped in the face by reality on the spot.
The inside of the cathedral was extravagance taken to its limit!
The floor was paved with gleaming marble polished bright as a mirror. The massive stone columns were carved with exquisite reliefs and gilded ornamentation.
Most awe-inspiring of all was the vast dome high above their heads.
Painted across it was a magnificent mural depicting scenes from myth—creation by the gods, the battles of heroes, and more.
The colors were brilliant, and the figures so lifelike that they seemed capable of stepping out of the walls at any moment.
Eli could not help lifting his eyes as well, and at a glance he spotted the majestic, mysterious... dragon.
"Good Lord... with a dome this high, how did they even paint it up there?"
Someone could not help exclaiming in astonishment.
"It is magnificent... this technique... this spirit... what a masterpiece!"
"This style... it looks somewhat like the work of the late Master Loren. Could it be that the Western Frontier actually brought in Master Loren?"
Several Eastern Frontier lords who seemed to know something about art had clearly stepped into their area of expertise.
They all craned their necks upward and began discussing the mural on the dome, as well as the great hanging tapestries and works of art displayed along the walls.
Their tones were full of amazement and admiration.
Under the officials' direction, the lords were seated according to their regions in the fan-shaped seating area that had already been arranged at the front of the cathedral.
The Royal Domain, the Eastern Frontier, the Southern Frontier, and the Northern Frontier sat in clearly separated groups.
Once seated, the whispering began again.
Everyone was speculating about why Sir Lucius had gone to such lengths to summon them all to so solemn a place, and what great matter he intended to announce.
At that moment, Camilla, accompanied by her maid Amber, walked past the front of the Eastern Frontier section and happened to pass by Eli.
She seemed to be looking straight ahead, but in the instant that they crossed paths,
her shoulder "accidentally" slammed hard into Eli.
The deliberate provocation knocked Eli slightly off balance, and a flash of anger immediately rose in his chest.
After striking him, Camilla continued forward with a cold face, as though nothing had happened.
Eli watched her proud retreating figure, and his eyes turned cold.
At the exact moment they passed one another, Eli extremely discreetly used the back of his hand to land another hard smack on Camilla's shapely backside beneath her formal attire.
Smack. The crisp sound was faint, but unmistakable.
"You—!" Camilla's whole body stiffened, and she spun around in an instant.
Flames of fury blazed in her gray eyes as she stared at Eli.
She had not expected him to be so bold!
But Eli had already turned away as though nothing had happened, leaving her only his back. He even leaned toward Velin beside him and quietly said something.
Amber looked in confusion at her mistress, who had suddenly turned around and whose face had flushed red with humiliation.
In a small voice, she asked, "My lady, what is it?"
Camilla's chest rose and fell sharply, and she ground her teeth together, wishing she could draw her blade on the spot and cut down that shameless rogue.
But noticing the gazes turning toward them and remembering the place they were in, she could only force her anger down.
"Nothing!"
She shot one savage glare at Eli's back, then returned to her front-row seat in the Eastern Frontier section with a livid face.
That small disturbance temporarily subsided.
At last, all the lords had taken their seats.
William Claude stepped beneath the raised platform at the front together with a group of Western Frontier officials.
"My lords, please wait a moment. Sir Lucius will arrive shortly."
The moment his words fell—
Wooo—wooo—
A low, solemn blast of horns suddenly sounded from behind the side colonnade of the cathedral.
It was grand and severe, instantly drowning out every other sound.
William's expression sharpened, and he hurriedly raised his voice.
"My lords, please rise! Receive Sir Lucius!"
Whatever they thought inwardly, the Frontier Lords who had only just sat down could only rise again in ragged fashion.
Beside Eli, Connor, the Royal Domain lord who had earlier been criticizing the cathedral, smacked his lips and grumbled in an extremely low voice,
"Hah... What a grand display. One would think His Majesty himself had come in person..."
Velin quickly jabbed him with an elbow and whispered, "Connor!
"You are always so loose-tongued! Watch your mouth! This is the Western Frontier!"
Just then, the herald standing at the cathedral entrance drew a deep breath and proclaimed in a booming voice,
"Of the great House La Roche of the Western Frontier, brother to Duke Federico of the Western Frontier—
"Governor of the Western Frontier—Lord Lucius La Roche has arrived—!"
The horns fell silent at precisely the right moment.
Immediately afterward, the great bell above the cathedral was struck, and its long, sonorous toll echoed over all of Thorne City.
Under the gaze of every eye, Lucius La Roche emerged slowly from the side passage.
He wore magnificent golden armor worked with lion patterns, over which hung a golden cloak.
His face was expressionless as his calm gaze swept across the standing crowd before him.
When it passed over the area where Eli stood, it paused for the briefest fraction of a second.
He slowly walked up onto the raised platform, turned, and faced everyone.
"My lords, be seated."
His voice was not loud, yet it carried a natural authority.
Everyone sat as instructed. The cathedral fell utterly silent, and all eyes focused on the figure atop the platform.
Lucius dispensed with any unnecessary pleasantries and went straight to the point.
"My lords, though you are far away opening territory in the Western Frontier, do you know... what has happened recently in the royal capital?"
The instant those words fell, a burst of suppressed agitation and murmuring rippled through the hall!
"The royal capital?"
"What could have happened there?"
"I have heard nothing..."
Eli saw Lucius's gaze angle toward his side, and there was a clear signal in it.
He knew it was time for his role as the planted supporter to step onto the stage.
He rose at once and asked in a ringing voice,
"By your leave, Lord Lucius!
"We have been cut off from news and indeed have heard nothing of any change in the royal capital. What has happened? I beg Lord Lucius to inform us!"
Lucius gave a slight nod at Eli's cooperation, then raised a hand to signal for silence.
When the murmuring had somewhat subsided, he finally spoke in a grave and solemn tone.
"Not long ago, our great king, Augustus Aurora... was summoned by the gods and has returned to the divine kingdom."
He paused, allowing that shocking news to ferment fully.
"What?!"
"His Majesty... is dead?!"
"How... how is that possible?!"
The hall instantly exploded like a nest of hornets! Cries of alarm and disbelief rose one after another!
The news was far too shocking and had caught every one of them off guard.
After waiting several seconds, Lucius continued,
"In accordance with the laws of the kingdom and the royal laws of succession,
"His Highness Prince Aiden shall soon be formally crowned at the Great Council and ascend the throne as King Aiden I."
A new king ascending the throne?
The commotion below grew even greater.
Lucius gestured to the herald at his side.
The herald immediately stepped forward, drew a deep breath, and shouted,
"Silence—!"
The booming cry carried enough force to compel the crowd into silence once more, though every face was still filled with shock and disbelief.
Lucius's gaze swept over the lords below, all wearing different expressions, and he continued,
"I presume all of you understand what a transfer of royal power often signifies...
"In order to ensure your safety, and to prevent you from being innocently drawn into the whirlpool of the royal capital..."
"As Governor of the Western Frontier, I hereby decree that from this day forward, all Frontier Lords officially recognized by the kingdom and dispatched to the Western Frontier, along with the armed forces under their command,
"may not leave the Western Frontier without my approval!
"This order shall remain in force until the kingdom's situation has been completely stabilized!
"This is a protective measure. I trust that you will understand and obey it."
"What?!"
"On what grounds do you stop us from going home?!"
"What kind of protection is that supposed to be?!"
The hall instantly exploded again!
This time, the voices of dissatisfaction and protest were even fiercer and more direct than they had been when they first learned of the king's death!
Many lords loudly voiced their opposition. Upon hearing that such a great upheaval had occurred in the kingdom, quite a few had already been planning to return home.
Standing atop the platform, Lucius remained as calm as ever, as though he had long expected this response.
His gaze turned once more toward Eli's section.
The corner of Eli's mouth twitched despite himself.
But the play had already begun, and he had no choice but to continue acting his part.
In the middle of the rising chorus of objections, Eli suddenly leapt to his feet and, with all his strength, let out an abrupt shout:
"I—REFUSE—TO—ACCEPT—THIS!!!"
That single roar struck like thunder out of a clear sky and instantly crushed all the uproar beneath it.
In the blink of an eye, the entire cathedral fell silent as the grave.
Every gaze—whether astonished, confused, worried, or amused—
turned in perfect unison toward Eli, who had suddenly stood up wearing a face full of indignant fury.
At the front, Camilla, who had only moments ago still been simmering in anger and humiliation, heard Eli's declaration and, for once, a smile surfaced on her cold face.
"As expected, what a foolish man..."