Regressor of the Fallen Family

Chapter 233: The Coronation

The procession that had started from the main street of the Inner Castle had reached the front of the royal palace. As they arrived, the grand gates of the royal capital, which had regained their original splendor, swung open. The high officials, knights, and servants who had been standing by in formation within the large courtyard of the royal palace, all simultaneously bowed their heads.

"Hail to the King!"

The disciplined shouts of the well-dressed vassals, filled with proper ceremony, resonated with a different flavor of grandeur compared to the cheers of the crowd.

Following the procession, the knights, who accompanied them, lined up on both sides of the gates of the royal capital, and the crowd looked on towards the interior of the palace.

Logan walked alone down the path created by the high officials.

And his gaze was fixed upon a destination.

At the altar in front of the palace stood an old priest wearing a long, white hat several times taller than his head. 

Logan had seen him once before at the funeral of the former king.

The priest was Famiel Gernheim, the High Priest of Aion, the God of Water and Agriculture, and the first among the Nine Great Deities. He was in charge of the McLaine Temple, which was now responsible for overseeing all Grandia's temples.

His wrinkled face bore a kind smile as he awaited Logan's approach.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty."

"It's been a while, high Priest."

The two exchanged words, their faces full of smiles, after exchanging courteous greetings.

High Priest Famiel then solemnly took out a colorful scroll marked with nine insignias.

Raising his voice firmly, unlike before, he proclaimed,

"Logan McLaine, King of the McLaine Kingdom, heed the will of the divine!"

With a booming call that defied his age, the entirety of the area in front of the royal palace was filled with his voice, and Logan slowly knelt on one knee before him.

"Will you, in accordance with Aion's will, pursue natural order and foster agriculture?"

"Yes. I shall."

"Will you, in accordance with Aegeleon's will, pursue shining values and foster commerce?"

"Yes. I will do so."

"Will you, in accordance with Atran's will, pursue resilience and foster mining?"

"Yes. I will do so."

"Will you, following Anima's will——"

The High Priest continued with blessings, listing the symbols of the Nine Great Deities, to which Logan calmly repeated his steady responses.

Finally,

"In the name of the divine, I acknowledge and bless Logan McLaine's ascension as King of the McLaine Kingdom!"

With the High Priest Famiel's proclamation,

"Long live King Logan McLaine!"

"Long live the McLaine Kingdom!"

"We pledge our loyalty with body and soul!"

The array of vassals and high officials, now prostrated on the spot, lifted their voices enough to echo throughout the palace.

Logan, surveying them, raised his hand with a calm expression.

"I accept your oath. And I declare that I will usher in a new era as a kingdom for the divine and the people!"

His steady voice spread to every corner of the royal residence.

"Hurrah, hurrah, huzzah!"

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The prostrated vassals shouted back with a thunderous response.

The coronation ceremony outside the palace was thus concluded.

"Hail to the King!"

With the knight's call, the doors to the great hall opened, and Logan stepped slowly inside.

Although the ceremony had lasted several hours since noon and felt slightly overdone,

- "To elevate authority, the founding of the dynasty must be declared as lavishly as possible."

Recalling the stern insistence of his mentor, Logan managed his expressions carefully

And then among all the prostrated high officials and noble lords of the fiefs, Logan slowly approached the throne of the great hall.

Step by step.

In the heavy silence where not even a breath could be heard, Logan stopped in front of the throne, quietly stroking its armrest.

Just a few years ago, the thought of him sitting there had not even crossed his mind.

Even now, standing in front of it, it felt scarcely real.

However, 'This position will be a stepping stone to move the kingdom more efficiently and oppose the Empire. Perhaps this is for the best.'

With renewed resolve, Logan breathed deeply and settled upon the throne.

Then,

"Long live King Logan McLaine!"

"Long live the new McLaine Kingdom!"

"All of the kingdom's true blood pledges allegiance to you!"

The grand hall was filled once more with the praises of McLaine.

Shortly after,

"The McLaine Kingdom has succeeded the traditions of Grandia, and the temple recognizes its traditionality as well, now is the time to prove Your Majesty's legitimate succession!"

The voice of Duke Patrick McLaine, now the young lord and Logan's father, resounded as the doors of the great hall opened once again.

Knights with a clear box containing treasures slowly entered, placed in the center.

"Ah!"

Nobles standing nearby couldn't help but exclaim.

The Crown of the Ruler.

The Class 5 artifact that had been granted only to the kings of Grandia was still showing off its splendid light inside the box.

To Logan, it seemed to be merely mana scattering in all directions, searching for an owner, but regardless of its substance, the beauty of the crown was undeniable.

Logan's eyes lit up at the overflowing mana.

'There were talks about crafting something fitting for the start of a new dynasty, but...'

He was of the opinion that it would be wasteful to discard a Class 5 artifact, which the Empire, and no other, could make for such a trivial reason.

One of the treasures that counted among the few in the royal treasury.

Moreover, there was a legend associated with this crown:

- It does not react to anyone who is not of Grandia's true bloodline.

The suggestion to craft a new crown arose from concerns related to this legend.

However, Logan was already confident.

The nonsense about being the true bloodline of Grandia was merely an invention to fully utilize this treasure.

The pulse of mana he had felt at the deceased king's coronation.

There was no magic to distinguish a bloodline in the vibrations conveyed to his transcendental senses.

'It's nothing but a rumor spawned over time by those who were illegitimate or secondary claimants to the throne.'

That is why he had specifically proposed this ceremony.

To use the superhuman artifact as is, while adding justification to it.

Thud.

The Crown of the Ruler descended before the steps leading up to the throne.

Logan, watching the knights retreat, saw concern still in the eyes of his father and mentor.

- 'Why not try it on before then?'

- 'Looking for its owner in the light? Even without that, no one would oppose Your Majesty.'

Smiling lightly at those words, Logan lifted the crown from the box with ease and placed it atop his head amidst the mixture of anticipation and worry in everyone's eyes.

Then,

Woooo.

After emitting a dazzling light, the crown began to collect its radiance with a faint vibration.

The mana that had been scattering was now forming coherent magic, imbuing itself into Logan's body.

In that moment, Logan could clearly feel its power.

'A Class 5 defense barrier, class 4 detoxification and fatigue relief, and even automatic repair.'

Indeed, the Crown of the Ruler lived up to its reputation as the finest artifact.

And then,

"Could it be...?"

"The crown has acknowledged His Majesty!"

"Eh, does this mean he truly descends from Grandia's lineage?"

Amidst the nobles, murmurs mixed with astonishment spread.

Logan heard them and realized that he had also secured the ancillary effect he had intended.

He then looked around with a composed expression and declared,

"I, Logan McLaine, proclaim from this place the beginning of the McLaine dynasty, continuing Grandia's 'tradition', and announce the start of a new era."

"Hurrah, hurrah, huzzah!"

"Hurrah, hurrah, huzzah!"

At the sound of Logan's voice, Lord Ken Gong led the chant, a half beat later, as all the nobles in the great hall knelt again, crying out hurrahs.

'After all, I've come this far.'

It certainly wasn't the initial plan.

But as he overcame each obstacle that lay before him, he found himself standing here.

He may not have always made the best decisions up to this point.

Perhaps there were better choices available.

But what was certain was that, while it may have been insufficient, he had always tried his best, and this was the result of his efforts.

Logan once again reminded himself that each moment up to now had been part of the process of doing his best.

'So I will continue to do the best that I can.'

Toward the many voices cheering for him, with sincerity to eventually fill them to the brim.

And to wash away the deep-seated resentment that still lingered within him.

'I will keep striving.'

Logan reaffirmed his commitment, raising his hand toward the assembly.

"Woww!"

The bursting cheers seemed to support his resolve.

* * *

- A new dynasty has begun.

- Martial law has been lifted.

- A festival celebrating the start of the new dynasty is commencing.

Flags with firework patterns announcing the start of the new dynasty were hung throughout the capital, and invited merchants and street vendors opened their stalls along the streets.

Yet, even as the news of the changed world and the festive news spread, the citizens of the capital did not easily venture out from their homes.

"It's all the same with those noble bastards. They're just swapping food among themselves, what's going to change?"

"It's scarier. Have you forgotten the massacre they committed when they entered the capital?"

"Don't wander around because it's a festival. You might be taken away silently and killed without a trace."

The rumors grew more ominous and the streets became more desolate, despite it being the festive period.

"Tsk tsk. What new dynasty? It's a usurpation."

"They killed the predecessor king to take the throne, so a curse would only be fitting."

"I am a person of Grandia, not McLaine since when?"

Invisible murmurs continued to simmer, unwilling to die down.

As these whispers accumulated, they gave rise to the idea that, being borne out of bloodshed, the new dynasty would soon embark on a reign of terror.

Baseless rumors began to spread among the citizens of the capital as if they were the established truth.

Eventually, less than a week after the coronation, Lord Ken Gong and Patrick found themselves compelled to visit the king's office.

"Your Majesty, the unsettling rumors have left the public discontent. Perhaps we should open up the royal storerooms to encourage the people to participate in the festival more actively?"

"If it's not enough, I'm willing to open up all the storerooms of Esperanza as well."

"How could we just push the burden on Esperanza alone? We will open the McLaine storerooms too. Please, Your Majesty, grant us permission."

Despite their insistent and grave faces, Logan curtly dismissed their requests.

"No, don't bother with such pointless acts. Temporarily winning over public favor means nothing more than wasting resources."

However, the mood in the capital was dreadfully sour.

"Rumors are stirring unrest. Without some action, things could worsen. If this continues, the atmosphere for the founding festival could be..."

"There are many things that need to be done. We refuse to squander resources merely to lift spirits."

Faced with Logan's steadiness, the two had no choice but to step back with anxious expressions.

After Ken Gong and Patrick left, Logan turned towards the window.

His red eyes, overlooking the desolate streets below, were deep with contemplation.

* * * 

As the desolate festival drew towards an end, Logan convened his close associates before the first royal council of the new dynasty.

"The main objective of the new dynasty is the strengthening of national defense. In preparation for the imperial invasion that could start in 3 to 4 years or, at the latest, within 5 years, that goal must take priority over all else."

"In this situation, you still mean to...?"

"Shouldn't we at least quell the public unrest before we proceed?"

The close associates all wore vexed expressions at Logan's words.

They were well aware of the atmosphere in the capital. But Logan's stance was unyielding.

"It's better to deal with a bad mood now than to end up enslaved or dead together in a few years. If you have any ideas for bolstering military strength, please share them."

His red eyes, firm with resolve, shone menacingly.