Cornflower Witch

Chapter 282 Ceremony of Loyalty: The Peacock Oath
It was war, but Hiltiya, riding on her horse, still felt little sense of reality as she watched the advancing battle lines in the distance.

The war she imagined should be a collaborative effort involving countless corporations and logistics departments, a total mobilization of all aspects and fields. However, this should be a scene that only exists in the post-industrial era. The wars in the world today are still in a relatively primitive stage, and there are not even many systematic military strategies.

For the past two months, all she's done is lead a group of people to a place, where the enemy quickly surrenders, and she leaves some people behind to receive them before continuing to the next place. There are very few actual battles; so-called victories are as easy as drinking water.

It wasn't until she arrived at the walls of White Cliff City today that she sensed something different: the army of the Kingdom of Antiy had finally assembled and deployed in neat formations.

There are about forty knights on the other side. This should be all the knightly fighting force of the Kingdom of Antiy in Regas. The rest will stay behind to fight in Antiy and the Kingdom of Winter.

As for Hilti's side, besides her, there were only sixteen knights, all of whom were newly promoted, and no one knew their exact combat strength.

However, the girl didn't have high hopes for them. Most of the 'castle' elemental power that the New Legas Kingdom had accumulated was concentrated on her. Even Princess Musa didn't have as much as her. If she had time to accumulate, it wouldn't be a problem for Hilti to advance to 'fifth-tier castle'.

But that would take too long.

Mounted on horseback, the young woman slowly drew her knight's longsword, its silver blade adorned with entwined cornflower decorations, combining both beauty and practicality.

She slowly raised the sword, the blade forming a perfect 90° angle with her body. The blade flipped, reflecting bursts of light from the sky, and then a pale golden pattern spread from her palm to the blade.

【Holy White Knight's Hall - Sword of the Sun】(Castle - Blazing Sun)

The power of the blazing sun flowed along the blade, then radiated light, bathing the knights beside him in a pale golden glow, replenishing their vitality and increasing their strength.

This is a secret technique that only fourth-tier members of the 'Holy White Knights Hall' can learn and use. It can enhance the power of the blazing sun aspect to the allies beside them, greatly improving their strength. Hilti had seen those high-ranking knights demonstrate it before in the Radiant Gold Plains. They didn't hide it at the time because it was something that only high-ranking members of the castle could learn. She hadn't followed the path of knights at the time, so naturally she couldn't learn it.

Unexpectedly, in just a few months, she transformed into a [Tier 4 Castle]. How quickly things change!

After empowering herself and her allies, Hilti swung her sword, and the soldiers behind her formed a tight formation and advanced slowly. At this moment, the curtain of the knights unfolded, enveloping and resonating with all the soldiers, forming a unified and solid formation, like a city wall advancing.

This is the nature of the 'castle': not much change, simple and unadorned, but also exceptionally practical.

Soon after, the two armies clashed, and Hiltiya spurred her warhorse to gallop straight at Prince Fere in the enemy ranks.

As she charged, a pale gold crown rose above her head, and many soldiers shouted at the same time. The golden crown cast a faint golden light, which also gilded her armor and weapons with pale gold patterns.

【The Cycling of the Laurel】: When you charge forward alone under the spotlight, you receive the blessing of the 'Castle' aspect. (The more people who admire, respect, and love you, the stronger the blessing effect.)
At this moment, the girl in white floral armor continued to rise in aura, breaking through the fourth rank and briefly reaching the fifth rank. Her surging aura was like burning golden flames, enveloping her entire body. Like a burning meteor, she broke away from her own lines and crashed directly into the enemy ranks. The front line of halberd-wielding soldiers was instantly broken through, and the griffon knights following behind Hiltiya also continued to tear and expand along this gap.

Directly ahead, Hilti's charge continued, as she constantly switched between using her lance and longsword, defeating the knights who blocked her way, and getting closer and closer to Prince Ferre.

As the menacing enemy approached, the overwhelming aura suffocating Prince Ferez, a fear of death rising rapidly within him.

He hesitated for only three seconds, and as he watched the girl pierce another knight who was blocking his way with her lance, the tension in his heart finally snapped, and he began to turn his horse around and retreat.

"Prince Fere has escaped!" a griffon rider shouted upon seeing this.

Prince Frederick has escaped!

Shouts echoed across the plains, and Antiy's lines began to crumble. But by then, there was no chance to regroup. The Griffin Knights, led by Hilti, tore through Antiy's army's lines like scissors.

What started as a small breach gradually expanded, and panic and fear spread throughout the enemy ranks.

At the forefront, Hilti threw away the longsword that had been dulled from its swing, and a white lance appeared in her hand, aimed at Prince Fere in the distance.

Spiral Spear

Golden patterns spread across the gun barrel until the blade was finally coated with a layer of gold, then it was suddenly thrown out, piercing through the enemy ranks like lightning, and finally embedded in Prince Ferreira's vest.

Golden electricity pierced his body, causing him to cough up blood. He then fell from his horse and was captured by the arriving Griffin Knights.

Thus, Anti's 30,000-strong army began to collapse. Their lines were breached one after another, and their defeat was swift and devastating. The remaining soldiers fled in panic in all directions.

The victorious New Regas army pursued and stormed into the city, and by that afternoon, White Cliff had been liberated, with the blue eagle-lion banner planted atop the palace tower.

By this time, most of the conquered territories within Regas had been restored, and the remaining Antiochians were no longer able to stop the resurgence of New Regas.

Two weeks later, a grand coronation ceremony was held in White Cliff City. Amidst countless flowers and cheers, knights clad in pale blue cloaks marched forward in procession. Princess Musa, wearing a cloak draped in black lion mane, rode ahead, waving to the residents along the way. Beside her stood white knights, their helmets still on, fully clad in armor. Hiltiya peered through the gaps in her helmet, occasionally glancing at the golden-haired princess before her. They circled White Cliff City once before entering the palace. With Hiltiya's assistance, Princess Musa dismounted and stood before the palace gates, gazing into the distance for a long time.

The gentle and beautiful princess turned her head, smiled slightly at Hilti, and then curtsied.

"Tia, walk ahead of me. This is your glory, and I am merely an accompaniment."

After thinking for a moment, Hiltiya took her first step and stepped onto the steps in front of the palace. Princess Musa followed slowly, lifting the hem of her skirt, and entered the palace she had been away from for so long.

As the group entered, the maids and guards along the way bowed their heads in respect until they arrived at the royal hall, where a throne had been prepared.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Princess Musa slowly walked towards the steps, turned around, and then a knight came to the steps with an exquisite crown, bowing to present it to her.

Following the procedure, Hilti picked up the crown, and then Princess Musa slowly lowered her head. Hilti placed the crown on Princess Musa's head and adjusted it to be upright.

"Alright," Hiltiya said softly, then released her fingers.

Soon after, Princess Musa slowly raised her head, lifted her skirt again, and bowed to the white knight. Then, the knights and ministers in the kingdom's hall congratulated her.

Of course, this is not the end; the most important part, the oath-taking stage, will follow.

The waiters set up the long table and laid out a clean white tablecloth. Then, one by one, the maids brought out the exquisite dishes and placed them on the tablecloth, followed by fine wines, and finally, the grand finale, carried by four people.

The large silver lid was lifted to reveal a roasted peacock, still incredibly lifelike, its blue-green feathers spread out in a magnificent display.

After that, knights stepped forward one by one, placed their hands on the peacock's head, and announced their oath. This is the ceremonial ceremony passed down by the 'Royal School'.

[Loyalty Ceremony - Peacock Oath] (Castle, Emerald Honey, Secret Words)

At a banquet in the kingdom, the Swan King Moransa prepared a rare and delicious peacock feast. Using the peacock's magnificent and beautiful feathers as a metaphor, he told the knights present that they should regard honor and dignity as the highest pursuit and never give up. So the knights present took the peacock as their witness and made their vows.
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Conditions: This ceremony requires a king (castle) to whom allegiance is to be pledged, a peacock feast (emerald honey) as proof of the oath, and a solemn vow (secret words). The more the arrangements are synchronized with the legend of that time, the stronger the effect of the ceremony.
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Summary: This ceremony is commonly seen after a king's coronation or at the start of a grand war. A large number of knights and subjects swear allegiance at a banquet. Their oaths and the king's investiture form a stable and solid connection, integrating them into the royal system and granting them the rank bestowed by the state. However, if they break their oaths, it can trigger a backlash in the future.
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Effect: Grants the knight the 'Castle' rank bonus, and the large number of knights who pledge allegiance will also strengthen the stability of the monarchy. If the oath-taker breaks the oath after the ceremony is completed, he will suffer the backlash of the oath.

The vows echoed one after another in the kingdom's hall, each one different.

"I am willing to protect Regas with my life, to be his sword and shield."

"I will follow Lady Hilti's guidance to uphold justice in Regas and protect the royal bloodline of Regas."

“I will fight against the enemies of Regas and defend its lands and honor.”

"I will guard the banner of the Griffin with gun and sword, and drive away anyone who challenges its majesty."

“I will protect the people of the land of Regas from the filth of twilight and the oppression of wicked enemies.”

"I am willing to be loyal to Her Majesty Musa and wield my sword to slay her enemies."

"I thought..."

One by one, the knights stepped forward to take their oaths and then stood by the long table. After the last knight finished reciting his oath, Princess Musa descended the steps and used the ceremonial dagger handed to her by a maid to cut open the peacock. A pale white fragrance filled the air. Then, the maids carefully cut the peacock meat and placed it into each of the plates, which were then presented to the knights present.

After eating the peacock meat, a strange connection formed between them, and the new Regas monarchy was built on this framework, just like the 'Knight King' Regard of yesteryear. Most of the knights present would become vassals of nobles in various places, and they would further enfeoff their subordinates' lower-ranking nobles, so that the monarchy would spread like a spider web throughout the major towns of Regas, eventually extending to the villages.

Among the armored personnel, only Hiltiya did not take an oath, nor was she required to. Afterwards, Hiltiya stood beside Queen Musa, with a group of knights and ministers standing on either side, allowing the court painters to record the scene and quickly depict it.

The final, expansive mural will be copied into the main hall of the palace. This mural depicts the founding of the new Kingdom of Regas and its newly adopted flag.

Its main body is a winged blue eagle lion, whose background color is divided in two by slanted lines, with light blue on the upper side and light green on the lower side. If it is a royal hall or a royal occasion, the blue eagle lion will be surrounded by fir leaf patterns, and a white crown will be painted on its head.

The eagle is the symbol of the new nation, while the fir leaves surrounding it represent the bloodline and oath of the former 'Knight King' Regard. The white crown is a tribute to the heroic act of a white knight who gave the crown to the king.

　The 'Peacock Oath' is a widely circulated French poem that originated from the 'Romance of Alexander' and often appears in knightly oath ceremonies.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)