Instead, my thoughts drifted to the words of the late Holy Emperor.
“My daughter will be all right. I know you shall protect her. What worries me is you, Tylera. Be wary of Detraas. Never allow yourself to trust him.”
I still didn’t know what he’d truly meant by that. But if there was one thing I could wish for, it was that Detraas was telling the truth. If we both remained faithful to the ones we served, perhaps then we could live without regrets.
The next day, the two of us stood side by side before the doors to the throne room.
I wore my armor, however, Detraas was dressed not as one of the Eight Imperial Knights but as a member of the imperial family.
I knew he would be, but I’d never once considered bringing my royal princess attire. I hadn’t had any intention of giving the hero any chance to notice, because I wouldn’t have been able to bear it if he were to realize what was going to happen and worry about me on top of everything else.
The doors opened, and the figures waiting inside came into view.
The chamber was filled with nobles from Ellana and the priests of the Holy Church. Only the hero and Larutas were in attendance from Gardir.
The Holy Emperor was seated on the throne, flanked on either side by the holy regent and the imperial regent, the emperor’s attendants. The dais they occupied rose above a floor spread with a blue carpet that stretched from the throne all the way to our entrance.
Six of the holy sorcerers and seven imperial knights stood to the left and right of the carpet. The hero stood by the knights, awaiting our approach.
I was the first to step forward. This was tradition in Ellana, where women held precedence.
Detraas followed once I began to walk, and together we made our way to the foot of the dais, where we knelt.
“Sister…” The young Holy Emperor called out to me, starting to rise from her seat, but the holy regent cleared his throat softly and met her gaze, and she slowly sat back down.
Everyone in the chamber pretended nothing had happened.
The Holy Emperor turned to the side and gave a small nod. At this, the imperial regent raised his voice.
“Princess Tylera Fille Gardir, you are granted permission to address the court.”
There was always something unsettling about this custom, having the woman instead of her family announce her own marriage. But here, it was entirely natural. Everyone waited in silence for my words.
“…”
Just as I started to speak, it happened. Once again, the Holy Emperor rose to her feet. The holy regent began to move, as if to intervene—but before he could, the Holy Emperor’s body lifted into the air and a radiance burst forth from within her. The light gradually expanded and enveloped her, taking on the shape of a person.
Divine power…
I didn’t fully understand it.
Ancient texts described it as “a special power imbued by the gods, distinct from magic.”
The teachings of the Endian Holy Church called it “divine power that the gods used to form the land and create the waters.”
It was the power of creation itself.
And the only being in this world who could wield that power was the Holy Emperor. It was an ability passed from emperor to emperor by which the gods came down to the mortal realm—a miracle known as the Divine Descent.
The emperor’s own will played no part in its use. When the gods wished to convey their words to mortals, the Holy Emperor’s power was activated entirely beyond their control, allowing the gods to speak through them.
Hence why the emperor was called “the mouthpiece of the gods”.
The light fully wrapped around her, now a complete figure, rising until it nearly touched the ceiling.
Everyone present sank to their knees, watching in awed silence.
The hero…
I hadn’t foreseen this, but I’d explained to the hero that during the Divine Descent, he must show respect by bowing down on both knees. Whether he knew that was what he was witnessing, though, was another matter.
I didn’t need to worry, in the end. I saw him kneeling as instructed in the corner of my eye.
Only then was I able to let out a breath.
The next moment, the Holy Emperor spoke. Although the voice came from her throat, it didn’t sound like anything I’d ever heard, but was heavy and overwhelmingly powerful.
“In Toria…twin demons are born. And with them…thousands of fiends will rise, making Yufyu a place of death. The day is near.”
The light dispersed into a fading mist once she was finished speaking, and the emperor slowly drifted down to collapse in the holy regent’s arms.
Talk of our marriage was immediately set aside, replaced by urgent discussions on how to subdue the monsters.
Hours later, we returned to the barracks to relay the plans once the strategy had been decided.
Ellana resolved to dispatch the third legion of the Holy Emperor’s army to Toria the following day. Preparations had already begun.
That would provide thirty thousand soldiers.
Of course, there was no way to gather so many men overnight. First, an advance force of five thousand stationed in the Holy City of Endia would set out immediately, with the main host to follow as it assembled.
The hero’s knights, who we’d brought with us, were to join the vanguard en route to Toria. There were only fifty of them, however, so Ellana would formally request reinforcements. I accepted and pledged to send an appeal to Gardir for additional troops.
“Larutas, I have something to ask you,” I said.
“You want me to go to Gardir alone and arrange the reinforcements, correct?”
“Yes, thank you. Once the briefing here is complete, I’ll draft a request for the king. I’d like you to depart today, if possible. When you cross into Gardir, you have my authorization to use the guild’s teleportation circles. I’ll prepare the permit as well.”
“Understood. But how many soldiers do you think we’ll need?”
“What’s your estimate?”
He paused.
“Twin demons are likely large creatures. But ‘twin’ could either mean double-headed or two separate monsters. Let us assume for now that it means two bodies. If we interpret ‘thousands of fiends’ as a round figure, ten thousand, for example, that would be a horde of medium-sized monsters.”
“I asked for your opinion, Larutas.”
He was just repeating what they’d said in the earlier council.
“You hardly need the opinion of a minor noble such as myself, no?”
“I value your judgment. Or do you mean you wish to see us under-deployed, to bring death upon us all? You should know that even if you try to flee, it would be useless. Your name will be listed as the chief strategist of the reinforcements.”
He scratched his head with a sigh.
“The consensus in the meeting was that fifty thousand troops would be required, thirty thousand from Ellana and twenty thousand divided between Gardir and Toria. But I believe that won’t be enough. If ‘twin’ refers to two-headed monsters, how many of them will there be? In past Divine Descents, whenever the god’s warnings left the number of great beasts unspecified, at least three appeared. We should set out with seventy thousand men.”
I expected nothing less from a man of his rank. He’d studied the precedent well.
“I agree. That leaves forty thousand unaccounted for. If Toria perceives a threat, they’ll mobilize every soldier they have to match Ellana’s thirty thousand.”
“So then our kingdom should only have to provide ten thousand,” he said innocently.
“The more troops, the better. If both nations are committing thirty thousand each, Gardir will hardly be allowed to offer ten. I’ll write to the king that we should match them.”
“Understood.”
Our discussion concluded, I turned to look at the hero, who’d been silently walking beside me this whole time. I could guess what he was thinking.
“You mustn’t worry about the Holy Emperor, Hero.”
“But she didn’t wake up after that, did she?”
“When one so young undergoes a Divine Descent, it’s normal for them to sleep for three days due to the strain.”
“Still, it’s scary she didn’t wake up.”
“It’ll be all right. The gods protect their chosen vessel. They leave a little of their divine power behind in the emperor’s body, which allows them to sense malice, repel disease, and avert disaster. The Holy Emperor won’t die.”
“That’s good, then.”
It was easy to see that the hero’s cheerful mood wasn’t just because he’d stepped out of the spire and into the sunlight.
The next morning, I went to his house to get ready for our departure. He was already outside, all packed and waiting for me, beaming like he couldn’t hold it in.
“Morning, Ty!”
“Good morning. You’re in a fine mood today. Did you have some kind of nice dream?”
“No, that’s not it. After we said good-bye yesterday, it really sank in that your wedding was postponed. I’m glad you didn’t have to marry someone you don’t like.”
I almost told him I really didn’t care one way or the other, but I didn’t want to ruin his good mood. So instead, I looked for something else to talk about and settled on the book he was clutching so tightly.
“You’re holding that book like it’s your greatest treasure. Where’d you get it?”
“Heh-heh. This book is my teacher, Ty.”
“You know you can’t just take things out of the Hero’s Home without permission.”
“It’s fine, really! No one’s going to mind something like this. More importantly, I’m going to get so much stronger! Just you wait.”
I doubted reading alone would make him any stronger, but I kept that thought to myself. Again, there was no reason to spoil his excitement.
“The Holy Emperor asked me to protect you, and I told her that I would, Ty!”
I sighed and decided there was no point in arguing anymore. Still, seeing him so endlessly bright and cheerful made me a little warm inside.
I simply walked behind him, following wherever he led until we reached the inn.