144 -) The Parade
Year 1452, month 08, day 12
We were at the place where part of the parade would proceed. Today was the day before the auction, and we had taken care of all the objectives I planned before coming here. It would be good if I could establish a branch of the guild here too, but it is just impossible, at least for now.
There was no way the people in the capital, who engage in intense lobbying, would let a third party act on its own without their approval. So I am planning to hold on until my influence grows and the guild gains enough reputation and foothold.
"DUM... DUM... DUM!.. Rat-a-tat-tat!” The parade started with drumming sounds.
The whole main road, which leads from the eastern entrance of the inner city to the eastern exit of the outer city, is filled with people who want to watch the event unfolding. The soldiers were trying their best to keep the crowd from stepping onto the road so that what was about to come could pass without any issue.
I even saw a few cases where soldiers had to hit some civilians because they didn't listen and pushed forward. Since it is about the safety of the grand prince, the leader of the Union and the capital, it is understandable for them to be harsh.
“It seems like it will be a while for him to show up,” I said to Sarya, who was sitting beside me.
We found out that after the parade, the grand prince will make a speech before sending a troop of hundreds of soldiers. I heard that there is a disagreement related to succession in a city located on the northeast side of the Union.
It seems the current leader of the city disregarded certain laws regarding succession and refused to uphold some of the traditions he must follow after his succession. For some reason, the main point is why he did not follow the tradition rather than the issue with the law.
I don’t know the details, but I heard that the issue has escalated to the point that the grand prince had to step in. The main agitator of the new city lord is the other city lords around that city, so it is said that it is counted as a dispute between cities. So after several attempts to mediate, the capital deemed it necessary for a countable size of armed forces to be deployed to the area until the disagreement came to a head.
We wanted to see the ruler of the Union with our own eyes. So when we heard that there were seats being sold around the venue where the grand prince would be holding the speech, we bought one even though it was 1 gold coin per seat. There were seats ranging from 1 silver coin to 10, too, but it would be hard to see anything there.
“What do you expect? He is the most important person in the whole Hazaroth Union, after all.” Sarya said while looking toward the location where the grand prince should be showing up.
“I know, I know,” I said with a sigh. “But it's still boring to wait without knowing how long it will take.”
“Come on, don’t be a whiny baby.” She turned toward me and said. “I am here and in the same situation as you, too.”
“It would be unbearable without you, though.” I said with a chuckle, then leaned toward her with a mischievous expression before asking, “Won’t you keep me busy until he arrives?”
“Y-you!” She was startled and frantically looked around before whispering to me, “D-don’t try anything stupid, okay? T-there are many people around, so someone may think we are weird.”
“... Hahaha,” I just stared at her as I enjoyed her frantic and embarrassed expression before starting to laugh.
“Oh! Isn’t it them?” “It is the Silver Regiment!”
“Whoa! I can’t believe the grand prince would send them!”
While my laugh had yet to subside, I heard the people start to get up and speak excitedly. When I turned toward where they were looking, I saw a group of people clad in silver armour coming toward us in an orderly manner.
Only a few rows could be seen at first, but after a few dozen seconds, I could see more of them, and even a carriage whose top and sides were mostly open was seen coming behind them.
The organized troop moved on the road between cheering crowds as they accompanied the grand prince, who was coming behind them in the carriage with 4 people with him. It took more than 5 minutes for them to reach the venue since they were moving slowly and the road was long.
I could see the grand prince and the people with him were waving their hands to the people they passed. Once they cleared the long, straight path, they entered the wide venue where the audience had gathered and stopped in the middle.
Since they were in front of us now, I could see the details more clearly. The carriage is in the middle, and the Silver Regiment, which is said to be an elite troop, is placed in front of the carriage. There were around 300 people.
They stood straight without moving, not even flinching. The armour they wore shone silver as their names implied. The space between each soldier looked exactly the same, except 2 lines.
I wondered why, so I used the Identify. As soon as I saw what it revealed, I understood the reason. Each line divided the group based on their jobs. There were 3 groups, and they were knights, sword masters, and spear masters.
They have every right to call them an elite troop, or rather, the Silver Regiment, since every individual had at least a tier 3 job. They were all on foot except the one who looked like their leader. He also had an armour set shining like silver, but it was clear that his armour was superior to theirs. The armor looked thicker, and there were several finely crafted embellishments.
He stood on his well-groomed brown horse and looked down upon his soldiers. I also looked for his job, and not to my surprise, he was a high knight. He must be at least a high knight, a spear king, or a sword king to be the commander of such a people.
There was also a group of guards placed behind the carriage. They were wearing armor that looked like it was made of gold. They were much less in number, around 100, but to my surprise, both their jobs and equipment were more qualified than those of the Silver Regiment.
Their jobs were high knight, sword king, and spear king, the tier 4 jobs. And 10 of them were waiting at the side of the carriage, 5 at right and 5 at left. I thought they were the same, but it caught me off guard. Their jobs were 2 sword saints, 2 spear saints, and 6 royal guards. That was my first time seeing someone with a tier 5 job.
The crowd was buzzing, so either to appease their excitement or enjoy the attention, the people in the carriage showed no sign of starting the ceremony for quite a while. At most, they waved their hands or spoke among themselves.
The one who made a move first was the commander of the Silver Regiment. He took off his helmet and placed it under his left armpit. Then he hit the left side of his chest with his right hand with a thud before crying out.
“The commander of the Silver Regiment, Rhaxor Silverguard, greets his majesty!” He said with a loud and husky voice, but what caught my interest was a completely different thing.
“Thud!” And right after he finished his sentence, all units of the Silver Regiment stomped their heels hard on the ground at the exact same time.
“Wow, isn’t he a beastman? A dragonkin at that.” I said, bewildered.
“Yes, but it is no surprise," Sarya said from beside me. “Anyone knows that his majesty is fond of good fighters. He would show respect to them without paying any mind to their race or background.” She looked a bit unsure but proud for some reason. She then added. “He is not the only one; you can see many like him among the Silver Regiment or even in the Golden Guards.”
Golden Guards is the name of the group who protect the Grand Prince and his family from the closest proximity. They are the ones currently behind and to the sides of the carriage and likely to be first to respond if there is any threat toward it.
As Sarya said, there were many beastmen in both the Golden Guards and the Silver Regiment. I did not pay much attention at first, but as soon as the commander of the Silver Regiment named Rhaxor Silverguard took off his helmet that was obstructing his appearance, I noticed that he was not the only one.
“So it is not the whole Hazarath Union that discriminates against beastmen,” I said as if asking.
“Hmm…” Sarya put her right hand below her chin as if thinking before opening her mouth again, “It is true that the discrimination against beastmen is lower compared to the south, where there are more beastmen and more conflict. However, it is a known fact by most of the people that his majesty has additional fondness toward them.”
“Did you not say he just likes the ones with good prowess?” I asked, still trying to estimate the ratio of the beastmen in both guards and the regiment compared to humans. “It seems like the beastmen are more than humans to me.”
“Isn’t it because beastmen are more inclined to be good fighters than humans?” She said as if stating a matter of fact.
“That is a good point.” I nodded.
When we finished our discussion, one of the men sitting across the Grant Prince stood up and looked around. “Khum, khum.” He cleared his throat and nodded at the man with a dark purple robe beside him, who, in return, made a hand gesture as if activating something.
“Dear people of the Hazaroth Union!” He called to the crowd, but his voice was booming as if he were using a megaphone. “Ahrims of the capital, Balgar, and Respectable lords of the cities! I, Beric Vandemir, the current holding lord of the Vanore, the cousin and blood relative of his majesty, greets you!” His greeting was indeed long.
***
Beric Vandemir
Race: Human
Sex: Male
Status: Normal
Equipment:
Mythril Dagger ◙+◙+○
Mythril Amulet ◙+◙+
Golden Ring ◙+
Job: Jewelry Merchant Lvl 45
***
What I did not know was that he was a relative of the Grand Prince.
“Do you know the name of the Grand Prince?” She must have seen my confusion, so Sarya asked.
“Isn’t it Harkon Hazarhan?” I replied as if waiting for confirmation.
“Right. So it is only natural for you to be confused.” She said while still looking toward the man named Beric Vandemir, who was talking about Vanore, which is important for the capital and the Union’s trade network, and other stuff. Then she turned toward me and asked again, “Do you know, then? What is the surname of his majesty’s great-grandfather?”
“... Isn’t it also Hazarhan?” I said as if it would be only natural.
If the dynasty were to be changed, it would be one thing, but she is asking about the current leader’s great-grandfather. So it is only natural to assume that they will have the same surname.
“No.” She shook her head. “It was Vandemir.” She said as she gestured with her head toward the man named Beric Vandemir, who was still speaking.
“... How can that be?” I muttered as I started to think.
“Hazarhans were not the ruling family at that time.” She said.
“Ah…” Something clicked as soon as she said that, so I let out a strange sound.
The leader of the Hazaroth Union is called the Grand Prince. I don’t know why, but it could be related to the election that decides the ruler. Contrary to kingdoms and the Empire around here, the Hazaroth Union uses the votes of the other cities and prominent Ahrims to decide who will be the next ruler.
Of course, it is mostly in name only. Currently, there is a crown prince named Varian Hazarhan, the eldest son of the Grand Prince, Harkon Hazarhan. Everyone knows that he will be the next ruler, and when the time comes, he will be selected as the new Grand Prince, nearly certain.
There were a few exceptions, but most of them were also among siblings, as the winner was still in the same family. In extreme situations, such as a head change with a different surname, the current Grand Prince or his successor would face a serious problem.
If that happens, the family that rules the Union changes, and the new ruler gets a new surname. Then their children also continue to get the same surname from then on. However, it is an extremely rare situation.
There could also be a situation where another city lord or a strong Ahrim nominates themselves, but it is not a good choice at all. Most voters would prefer the current situation unless there is a serious problem with the crown prince. So either they have to be so strong, or they have to endure the backlash in the case of failure.
If they win, they gain the ruling rights of the capital. If they lose, they could be the enemy of the new ruler, and other people who vote for the crown prince would cut ties with them.
The Hazaroth Union was a union where the cities were free in most cases. Even city lords were not all-powerful, as they had to maintain certain authority and goodwill with Ahrims in the city. So naturally, the Grand Prince was not that powerful and didn't hold much authority.
There is one way to be in power after attaining the position of a Grand Prince. It is to lead the capital well, gain people’s trust, and make the Union great again. If you can do that, all of the people in the Hazaroth Union will support you with what you want to do, as it benefits them in return.
“I spoke too much and took your precious time.” Beric Vandemir apologized and bowed his head a bit to show his will. “As I said, the Silver Regiment will act as a guard to prevent the situation from escalating for both sides. The Grand Prince also pays much attention to the prosperity of the cities in the Union, so he wants the chaos to subside as soon as possible. That is why he came all the way here to dispatch the Silver Regiment, the hands and feet of his majesty!” He boosted his compliment toward the Grand Prince as if he was not doing so all the time during his talk. Then he turned toward him and bowed deeply before straightening up and continuing, “Since his majesty came all the way here, he will grant a speech to all of you! Please pay your respect to his majesty, the Grand Prince of the prosperous Hazaroth Union, the lord of the most famous city, Balgar, the head of the renowned house of Vandemir! Salute!”
“Thud!” All of the soldiers, including the Golden Guards (Except the 10 who were beside the carriage), stomped their heels hard on the ground at the exact same time and saluted. The whole crowd and even people who were sitting in the expensive seats stood up and saluted.
The whole venue turned into deep silence. Even the children did not make a sound, which was the most fascinating part of it.
“Creeeak…” The sound of him getting up from his seat was heard even from afar, and his footsteps also sounded clear, “Thud, thud, thud…” That was how silent it was.
The man walked in the middle of the space on top of the carriage before stopping. He looked like he was in his 40s. His posture was wide, and his demeanor was confident. His clothes looked like those of a noble, but it would not be weird for a fighter to wear. A slightly curved sword was hanging at his waist.
He looked around at first, then turned to the man in the dark purple robe and nodded just like Beric Vandemir did. When the man made a similar hand gesture, he took his stance and spoke.
“Greetings, the citizens of the great Hazaroth Union. I am the Grand Prince Harkon Hazarhan.