Wreath of Lilies, Cauldron of Poison

Chapter 75

The Procession of the Maiden

“Wake up, you little monster!” Connie said as she firmly and cheerfully kicked Martell awake.

“W-whuh?”

While the strawberry haired boy rolled over in surprise, Illumca threw the window wide open. Sunlight came in and shone over the boy’s face.

“Argh…! So bright!”

Illumca had a brief look out the window.

The streets were jam-packed with people moving in one direction. Men and women, young and old, rich and poor. Everyone had the same look of excitement on their faces. The more business minded ones were shouting their wares of mainly food, drinks, and praying items. All with distinctively marked up prices. Yet no one cared. For that day was a day of celebration.

“Up and at’em, boy. We are going to watch the Maiden’s Ceremony,” Connie said as she spread her arms open and let Illumca help her put her outer robe on. The dark elf fumbled with the belt a fair bit before she managed to make a decent knot. A small triumphant smile adorned her beautiful face after.

“Mmm…I’m starting to get the hang of this.”

“I thought you weren’t interested in the whole thing,” the beastfolk boy groaned as he smoothed his bed hair with his fingers.

“Well at the start I was, but after thinking it over again, I thought. “Hey, we’ve already come so far already. Would be a waste if we don’t join in the festivities, right?”” She turned to Illumca for support. “Don’t you agree, Illumca?”

To her surprise, Illumca did not immediately agree with her.

“I prefer something quieter myself,” the dark elf replied with a conservative shrug of her shoulders after a moment of pondering. “I…do not like crowds.”

“Really? You were quite enthusiastic when we were strolling the harbor last time.”

“That’s because I’m strolling with you. Personally? I’d prefer staying indoors,” she said again.

“Oh, come on. We’ll have a lot of time for staying still like a rock later! I mean, we could even do weeks if all goes well!”

“Huh?” Martell whipped his head over when he heard Connie’s words.

“Did you look outside? I doubt we could even see the parade with all those people standing so close together,” she replied. She could endure walking in a crowd, but to have strangers touching her was more than she could bear.

“Come on,” the blonde-haired girl played with her lock of red hair with a mischievous smile. “You think people like us need to join the people on the streets? I have a plan”

“You have a plan?” Martell asked. “Also, what do you mean by staying still like a – “

“No talking, only doing,” Connie said, pointedly ignoring the beastfolk’s question. “So, how are you with heights?”

It was cold outside. The sun was shining bright overhead, yet what little warmth it could provide was no match for the wintry winds.

Just outside the Brookspire Gate was a lavish palanquin decorated with seashells and gold. On it was a beautiful throne crafted of ancient wood. The faded purple and blue paint had been retouched so many times that the paint was a good deal thicker on some parts.

A certain affluent family that had served the Faith for many years offered a large piece of uncut cloth with the color of natural Indigo to place upon the throne, giving the palanquin a subtle elegance instead of a garish attempt at a show of status.

And it was on this very throne that the current Maiden of Water was sitting. Tirelessly blessing the many people who came to her as they knelt 5 steps before her presence. With a bronze water basin held by a stout Priestess, she dipped her finger and sprinkled the water on her believer. There were 4 Priestesses standing on either side of her holding bronze censers. The stimulating scents of frankincense and resin burning on them tickled the nose as the wind blew the smoke seaward. The smoke was a symbolic gesture, showing that their prayers and praises were being delivered to Junnaveil.

“Next one,” Babblebrook, who was leading the blessing said after an old man profusely thanked the Maiden and stepped down.

A man wearing a hood came forward as many others had done. But this man did not stop where he was supposed to stop. Seeing this, the Church Knights standing beside the palanquin moved to stop him with their spears. As they did so, the man slightly looked up, revealing a face that she recognized.

“Y-you - ?”

Akira put a finger on his lips and gestured with a nod of his head. He stepped back to avoif confrontation with her loyal guards.

“Leeet…the man…approach.”

After being ordered to stand down, the Church Knights reluctantly moved away. Much to the chagrin of the envious believers behind him.

Sakagami Akira knelt before her, acting as if he was a stout believer and whispered just barely audible to her ears.

“Maiden of Water. I am here to warn you. Whatever you are about to do today, you need to stop.”

“…I…don’t know…whaaat you mean,” Allenca feigned ignorance. However, she felt as if her heart had almost jumped out of her chest. Her fingers dug into her lap.

“Please hear me out. You know what I can do. You are one of the few who knew the full extent of my True Clairvoyance. And what little glimpse I saw in the future of Calendia was…despair.”

“…”

“If you still intent to do it even after my warning…” Sakagami Akira clenched his teeth and said with a painful tone. “I…might have to stand in your way.”

“…”

The answer was silence.

“…I will leave now. The Procession will begin in about 10 minutes. I need to be there with the Prince. Please, think about it.”

After he left, Allenca’s mind was in turmoil. But she had to keep up appearances, thus absent-mindedly did she continue her work.

Just as Akira said, not long after she caught the sight of the banner of Calendia’s Royal Family. Followed by 3 magnificent horses ridden by the Hero of Calendia, the Commander of the White Lion and the current Crown Prince. They came through the gate accompanied by 20 of the Kingdom’s finest Knights. All of them wore their finest armor, gleaming bright against the morning sun.

A slight feeling of discomfort made her expression froze for barely a second. After the disastrous loss of the Church Knights during the kidnapping, they were left with only the bare bones of people needed to carry the palanquin. Seeing the Knights of the Kingdom just made that even more real.

The Prince lead his horse forward and got down, followed by the Hero and the Commander.

The Prince bowed slightly and began. “I, Prince Mikael Calendia represent the Royal Family to greet you as per tradition, O Maiden of Water. So that you may enter the city and lead us wandering children to her embrace.”

Despite the pretty words, Babblebrook and Allenca could feel the hostility in his tone. Made worse by his creepy contemptuous smile.

“May the peeeople…and the Royal Family…beee blessed by…Junnaveil’s ever flowing love,” Allenca replied, placing the people in front of the Royal Family deliberately in that sentence.

“May you also be blessed by her ever-present love.”

With that formality done, the Prince and his entourage returned to the formation and the Procession for the beginning of the Ceremony could finally begin in earnest.

For the sake of the success of the Ceremony, the Kingdom had made precautions against any possibility of attacks. Including the danger of the possibility of well-trained archers aiming for the Maiden of Water’s life. And Courandhel being Courandhel, with its many towering buildings, it could not be helped that it presented many strategic positions.

And that was the reason why the rooftops were guarded tightly by members of the Knights. Anyone who tried to sneak onto the rooftops would find themselves on the wrong end of a sword.

And it so happened to be that Connie chose one particular spot that happened to be one that provided the best view of the Procession from start to end. The top of an abandoned belltower overlooking the main street and the church.

And it also could not be helped that Illumca had to silence a poor member of the Knighthood who was just doing his job.

Non-lethally, of course.

“When you said you had a plan, I didn’t think you mean something like this,” Illumca sighed. She was sitting on the stone railing with one leg dangling over it. Her hands were peeling an apple while occasionally glancing at the people below her.

To the side, Martell was crouched on all four like a small cat, trying to get a good look at the procession. By now the Palanquin had already reached halfway through the main street, led by the Prince and his entourage. The people were waving and clasped their hands together as soon as they laid their eyes upon the Maiden of Water.

Connie herself was yawning while scratching her butt in the most unwomanly manner, her cheek lazily propped on her right hand.

Behind them, an archer bearing the symbol of the Order of White Lion was tied up and left asleep, dreaming about something that made him smile creepily.

“If I had some tobacco and pipe to smoke it with, this would be much pleasurable.”

“Oh, you were a smoker Connie?” Illumca asked as she fed a piece of apple to Connie. She bit into it and chewed it noisily.

“Used to have a pipe with me everywhere I go. A beautiful piece crafted by a friend. Made of brass and rosewood with mouthpiece made of Ice Jade. No matter how hot the pipe gets, it would never burn the lips.”

“Hum. The lack of Church Knights really does make a difference,” Martell commented. “And those Knights from the Orders are extra shiny compared to the Church Knights carrying the palanquin on their shoulders.”

“Looks like they tried extra hard to make their armor shine like mirrors,” Illumca added while wincing from the reflection of the sun from their armors. A side effect of her elvish sharp eyes.

“If you do not have it, fake it. As they say,” Connie commented. “Nevertheless. It is a joyous occasion. And we are here to observe and enjoy it before continuing with our daily grind tomorrow. And for the Kingdom, it is a welcome distraction from the fear of the Demons.”

“By the way, did you see Zalkhin Altanghazar anywhere? I thought she would be with the people from Al-Khemia. But she isn’t.”

“Oh, interested in her, are you?” Connie teased. “Well, look at you, getting all fuzzy on her.”

“N-no! It’s just that they are legends, you know. The Tonsulde. Even in my clan, they were referred to with reference.”

“Ssh…look,” Illumca shushed them as she leaned over to get a better look. “The Palanquin has reached the Main Square.”