ITIF SS 1

The Coronation Ceremony

After seizing the imperial throne that had nearly been stolen from him, there were many voices insisting that he must undergo a proper coronation ceremony.

Though Kavelaseth disliked superficially flashy acts without substance, this time he took a step back.

[Occupying the imperial palace through military force—while it was the best choice for reclaiming the throne that should have been yours originally, it also served as an excellent example of Your Majesty’s character.]

[…….]

[However, it still wouldn’t be bad to arrange an occasion to proclaim before everyone that Your Majesty is the legitimate imperial heir of the Phasis Empire……. What do you think, Your Majesty?]

This was Giselle Grante’s opinion.

Count Preston, who had assisted Kavelaseth for a long time, shared her view.

[Yes. I also agree with Lady Amaterasu’s opinion. I believe it would be better to hold a coronation ceremony. The day of the coronation could be designated as an imperial holiday for future celebrations…….]

As a result, they decided to proceed with the coronation ceremony for the new Emperor Kavelaseth.

On the day scheduled for the coronation, the area in front of the Grand Temple was packed with people who had gathered from across the empire.

Not only the Imperial Knights but also the private soldiers of nobles belonging to the alliance were mobilized to control the crowds converging on the capital.

Kavelaseth Cardia.

The fact that he bore the mark of the Heavenly Descendant was now so widely known that virtually no imperial citizen was unaware of it, and expectations for the new emperor had risen considerably.

This wasn’t limited to commoners alone.

While the previous emperor, who had held absolute power, had ruled the Phasis Empire like a tyrant for quite some time, the nobles who had been holding their breath below the surface also eagerly awaited the new emperor’s coronation.

With the death of Kavelaseth’s biological father, the former emperor, and even Joshua, who had been considered the next emperor, now imprisoned, they seemed to judge that this was the only path to restore stability to the empire.

****

In one of the Grand Temple’s conference rooms, Kavelaseth, who was about to be crowned, his fiancée Giselle Grante, and the nobles of the alliance had gathered.

Kavelaseth and the alliance nobles had long desired a new emperor, and they were intoxicated with the joy of achieving their long-held wish once again.

At that moment, the High Priest who entered the conference room spoke meaningfully.

“All preparations necessary for the coronation ceremony are complete.”

With the change of emperor, many changes came to the empire, one of which was the new High Priest.

He was devout, incorrupt, and highly respected among the priests.

For this reason, he had fallen out of favor with the former High Priest, who had colluded with the Empress to pursue only personal gain.

Kavelaseth appointed him after he had spent quite a long time rotating through small, shabby temples in remote regions.

Of course, there were initially more voices of opposition.

This was because remnants of the former High Priest, not yet fully purged, remained both inside and outside the Grand Temple.

However, this was a necessary step to eliminate all remaining supporters of the Empress and Crown Prince Joshua.

[I actually think it’s a good opportunity.]

To the nobles who expressed doubts about Kavelaseth’s choice, Giselle Grante calmly asserted her opinion.

[Because we can uproot the rotten roots all at once. This is better than gradually weeding them out.]

At that moment, Kavelaseth was inwardly surprised—because Giselle Grante’s thinking aligned so perfectly with his own.

While he was thinking that he had fallen for her once again, a middle-aged noble raised an opposing opinion.

[Lady Amaterasu seems unaware, so allow me to offer my view: sudden major changes will cause much confusion. Therefore, we should handle matters gradually, with incremental changes.]

[…….]

‘To add one more thing, rotten roots are not the type that completely disappear just because you remove them.’

However, after listening to the middle-aged noble’s words in full, Giselle Grante said this:

[Count Western’s words also have merit. Even if we pull out rotten tree roots, they’ll rot again if water pools there. That’s why we need to change the water periodically.]

Then she exposed the connection between the Empress’s family, the House of Marquis Antares, and Count Western.

[……!]

Count Western realized it had all been a trap, but it was already too late.

“……May we begin?”

Kavelaseth, who had been briefly recalling past events while looking at the new High Priest, turned his head forward.

Soon his eyes met with Giselle Grante, who was sitting on the sofa opposite him. As their gazes connected, she nodded with a faint smile.

With a satisfied smile, Kavelaseth looked at Count Preston and Marquis Howard, then one by one at the alliance nobles.

They all readily nodded.

Only after obtaining everyone’s consent did Kavelaseth rise from his seat.

“Then let us begin the coronation ceremony.”

With his cloak fluttering, Kavelaseth advanced into the Grand Temple’s spacious hall where bright light streamed in.

****

The emperor’s coronation ceremony ended without incident, and the road leading to the imperial palace was filled with people who had poured out.

This was to catch even a glimpse of the new emperor up close.

Knights stationed in advance were controlling traffic on the streets.

Waaaah!

As the carriage carrying Kavelaseth and Giselle Grante entered the square, the people’s cheers grew louder.

Waaaah!

What the people expected from the emperor was clear.

Qualities recognized by heaven, a monarch worthy of reverence, a commanding presence that captivates and influences people.

And Kavelaseth was a man who fit this ideal image of a ruler perfectly.

However, only a very small number of nobles could encounter him up close.

While wielding absolute power arbitrarily like the previous emperor was forbidden, some staging was necessary to inspire awe. So they needed to show them.

How fair and just the new emperor could be toward those who committed crimes.

The first step was the execution ceremony.

When the carriage carrying the two arrived at the square, preparations for the execution ceremony were already complete.

“The execution ceremony shall commence!”

As the emperor’s carriage arrived, the executioner announced the start of the execution ceremony.

Soon, led by the Empress and Crown Prince who had been deposed for the crime of regicide, members of the Antares family and nobles who had joined them were brought forward in succession to the platform.

The former Empress Patricia, who had killed her husband the emperor and tried to control her son like a puppet after making him emperor, the former Crown Prince Joshua, and all their allied families.

How much hardship they had endured in prison could be immediately understood from their appearance.

Their hair, always kept immaculate, was now disheveled and tangled, and their clothes were torn here and there, looking shabby.

“Even if they were born into noble status as royals or aristocrats, once they can’t wash and wear dirty clothes, they’re no different from me.”

A homeless man in the front row of the platform pointed his finger at them and laughed heartily.

At the homeless man’s words, people in the square burst into laughter.

His exposed teeth were blackened and had gaps here and there.

His completely white hair gleamed as if it hadn’t been washed in a long time, and the clothes he wore were so grimy their original color was indiscernible.

Judging only by their current appearance, it was clear that royals and high nobles were no different from a homeless man.

“Why are they laughing like that?”

“Ah, well…….”

People near the platform relayed the words for those behind them.

“…….”

Led by knights’ hands onto the platform, Patricia hunched her body and slightly raised her head.

Thousands of eyes fixed on her. As she tried to meet them directly, she felt terrified and afraid.

However, if she remained still, something even more horrifying would surely happen.

So she limped forward a bit more. Then she cried out to everyone in the square as if screaming.

“This is a false accusation! Someone plotted this to slander me!”

“…….”

A moment of silence fell.

Patricia saw this as an opportunity. Clutching her stomach, which was empty from not eating for days, she shouted with all her might.

“Think carefully, everyone! I am the Empress of the Phasis Empire. And the authority of an empress comes from the empire’s sun. Would I, with such authority, have assassinated His Majesty the Emperor? It’s absurd!”

As she raised doubts, murmuring voices began to be heard here and there throughout the square.

After briefly gauging the people’s reaction, Patricia opened her mouth again.

“At this rate, the Phasis Empire will fall into the hands of a northern immigrant bloodline. The mark of the Heavenly Descendant? There’s no way such a thing would be on someone as lowborn as Kavelaseth……!”

At that moment, something blunt flew from somewhere and struck her face hard.

“How dare you speak his name so carelessly!”

Starting with that voice, criticism erupted from all around.

Groaning in pain, Patricia hurriedly checked what had hit her.

It looked like a half-eaten apple.

‘How dare they do this to me……!’

Humiliation and rage boiled within her.

Just as Patricia was glaring with murderous eyes at the people pouring out words of condemnation.

“……Wh-what are you doing!”

Knights grabbed both her arms. Patricia struggled with all her might.

But she was powerless against the strength of the sturdy knights.

Forced to kneel before the guillotine, Patricia thrashed about wildly.

“Let go! Let me go! You’re all making a terrible mistake! God will be angry!”

Despite not having had a sip of water for days, tears streamed from her eyes, and her dress skirt, no different from a rag, gradually became soaked.

She felt humiliated to be making such a spectacle before those she had considered no better than vermin, but now was not the time to worry about such things.

“…….”

The last thing captured in Patricia’s tear-blurred vision was the face of her son, Joshua.