Cornflower Witch

Chapter 60 Crown of Glory
After seeing off the old butler and his attendants, Silti and Linin returned to the mansion.

The girl looked at the small white chess piece on the table with some curiosity.

"Lining, do you know the value of this chess piece?"

"I don't know, Miss Tia," the maid replied indifferently.

"However, compared to those 20 useless gold coins, this piece is clearly much rarer."

Gold coins, or rather money, were not a problem for Lady Fran, but she had very few of these chess pieces in her inventory. Given Lady Fran's usual style, she would definitely prefer these pieces.

"I see." The girl nodded slightly, then tried to pick up the small white chess piece and feel the solidified 'castle' aura power within it.

"Can nobles all make these chess pieces?" This was the first time she had ever seen them.

“Only nobles with real power, that is, nobles with land, can do so,” Linin replied.

"Although nobles generally have the status that comes with their territory, they are not skilled in such extraordinary skills and secret arts. They need the assistance of scholars around them to create such chess pieces."

"However, most of the time nobles don't do that. They usually bestow the title directly in person, granting the power of the 'castle' attribute. This is simpler and can also establish a contract of loyalty with their subordinates."

"Therefore, these kinds of chess pieces are rarely seen on the market," Lining explained.

"In that case, wouldn't it mean that nobles can mass-produce soldiers or knights of the same rank as those with 'castle' attributes?" Hiltiya asked.

“Mass production is possible, provided you have a large enough territory and a sufficiently powerful position,” Lining continued in her reply.

"For example, a baron's highest rank is 'Second Tier Castle' guards, while a viscount's highest rank is 'Third Tier Castle' knights. Each time a rank is conferred, a portion of one's own rank will be permanently depleted."

"Currently, Viscount Scheffer has three knights under his command, which is his limit, and there is a risk of decline."

“If a nobleman is stripped of his title or loses his territory, then the knights and soldiers under his command will gradually lose the ‘castle’ attribute that he is blessed with.” Hearing this, Hiltiya couldn’t help but think of Iona, the daughter of Viscount Karen.

“No wonder those nobles in history were so keen on territory and population.” Hiltiya recalled the book she had read before.

"So, if an ordinary person who is completely mediocre were to ascend to the throne, wouldn't they also be able to rise to the top in one step and obtain a high-ranking 'sexual status'?" she thought to herself.

"Yes, there have been several such events in history. In fact, such a process of ascending the throne is itself a kind of 'ritual'."

[Royal Ritual - Crown of Glory] (Castle - Secret Words - Blood Law)
"During the Eighth Era, the dragon and fairy races dwindled, causing them to gradually withdraw from the mortal realm and carve out new courtyards in the heavens, far from the polluted Twilight Sea. Meanwhile, various weaker races gradually expanded across the continent, leading to a struggle for supremacy among a hundred races. During this time, Moransa, the eldest son of humanity and the 'Swan King,' pioneered the school of monarchy and promulgated the first mortal legal code, thus establishing the rudiments of a nation. His ascension to the throne, wielding the legal code, was recorded in countless poems and historical accounts, marking the beginning of the 'castle' archetype."
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Conditions: This ceremony requires the crowned person to have a sufficient population swearing allegiance (Blood Law), and the territory to be dotted with constructed stone towers, high walls, and castles symbolizing control over the territory (Castle), as well as the declaration and implementation of the territory's laws and rules (Secret Words). If you are familiar with the legendary experiences of the 'Swan King' Moransa, the more synchronized the various arrangements are with the legends of that time, the stronger the ceremony's effect will be.
Minutes: The ceremony requires swearing oaths of territory and loyalty, which are the cornerstones of the monarchy. During the ceremony, the crowned monarch's name is inscribed on the stone towers, high walls, and castles distributed throughout the territory, and a sufficient number of subjects declare their allegiance. The laws proclaimed during the ceremony will take effect, and the more residents in the territory who recognize and abide by the laws, the stronger the monarchy will be.
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Effect: Grants the crowned person in the ceremony the blessing of royal authority, elevates the rank of the 'Castle' attribute, and grants the ability to bestow or strip the 'Castle' class from the sworn person. (The larger the territory and the more loyalists, the stronger the blessing.)
After accepting the chess piece and placing it in the mansion's underground storage room, Hilti returned to the backyard to rest and read.

……

The next day, she went to Maester Hyde's house and met her friend whom she had not seen for several days.

"Wow, Tia has advanced too!" The group congratulated her happily.

They had expected that Siltiya would advance, but they were curious why the girl herself wasn't in a hurry, and now that she had finally advanced.

"Yes," the girl smiled and accepted everyone's congratulations, after which the others became curious again.

"How is the advancement of the 'Emerald Honey' aspect different from the 'Blood Law'?" "Well." The girl lightly touched her chin with her fingers, recalling the sensations.

"It probably doesn't emphasize individual physique and combat power as much as 'Blood Law,' and is more inclined to nurture support." Not all classes focus on combat, but that doesn't mean they are weak.

For example, for Viscount Xuefeng, having a 'Tier 3 Mist Shadow' wizard under his command would be far more effective and helpful to the viscount than having two 'Tier 3 Castle' knights.

This is because wizards have a variety of methods and possess various esoteric knowledge, enabling them to provide assistance to viscounts in multiple areas, while knights can do more limited things, especially in peacetime.

Following Thorin, Mike, and Ray, Hilti was the fourth in the class to advance to the next level. Shortly after, Baron, Komia, and others also reached the first level. However, Baron chose 'First Level - Castle', while Komia chose 'First Level - Mist Shadow'.

The students' continuous progress pleased Viscount Schefeng, the owner of the territory, who invited them to dinner at the castle.

That night, Maester Hyde and many students enjoyed a sumptuous dinner, and Viscount Scheerfeng generously had a tailor sew a winter suit for each of them as a gift for the upcoming winter.

Compared to the light summer clothes, winter clothes use more materials and are often more durable, and can be worn for many years. This gift is a real lifesaver for some ordinary students.

At night, after the banquet, the students dispersed, with only a few remaining, as they were already living in the castle.

Iona stood up from her seat, her golden hair reflecting a soft glow in the candlelight. She looked quite beautiful tonight in a red dress.

"I'm going back to rest, Uncle." She and Viscount Xue Feng were relatives.

“Alright, you can go back now, Iona.” Viscount Scheffen, who had been drinking a little, didn’t seem to mind and continued talking to Maester Hyde about recent events.

Leaving the candlelit restaurant, Iona walked alone through the castle's long corridors, where some areas were unlit and felt somewhat cold under the moonlight.

"Have they all advanced?" she muttered to herself, turning her gaze to the outside of the castle as she watched the students walking out below, her mind churning with various thoughts.

Originally, when she first came to Hyde Academy, as a former student of the Royal Academy, she had already stepped into the 'First Tier · Blazing Sun' realm, which gave her an advantage far exceeding that of her classmates. This also soothed her somewhat fragile and upset state of mind.

However, as those inexperienced students gradually mastered the knowledge and caught up, her advantage became less obvious, and it even seemed that her progress was slow.

She has just turned 17 and is at the 'First Tier - Blazing Sun' level. She has mastered two third-stage abilities: [Breathing Technique Lv.3] (Blood Law) and [Golden Needle Piercing Blade Lv.3] (Blood Blade). Even in the Royal Academy, she is a student with good grades.

Unfortunately, she was behind schedule. If her father were still alive and provided her with ample learning resources, she would probably have completed the [Golden Thorn Apprentice] rank long ago. Her more distant goal was the 'Third-Tier Blazing Sun' rank [Golden Sun Swordsman], a rank of the 'Blazing Sun School', which was exceptionally powerful and often made her a top performer among her peers.

If she can reach the 'Third Tier · Blazing Sun' level before she turns thirty, she will be hailed as a genius. Only then can she return to the upper echelons of the kingdom's noble circles and gain certain social standing. Otherwise, those great nobles will simply ignore her, and there will be no way to rescue her father or restore the family's glory.

Should she continue waiting? She felt that if she continued to stagnate like this, she would probably have no chance of winning the competition a few months later and obtaining the qualification to enter the Hidden Forest.

Yes, Viscount Xue Feng is her uncle, but faced with a more outstanding and promising student, would he really choose her without hesitation and leave the spot for her? Iona was unsure and dared not make a promise.

Iona's pace slowed, until she finally stopped atop a watchtower in the castle, gazing at the night sky.

The silvery moon hung high, but was chased by clouds and mist, causing the moon to sometimes fall into them, becoming dim and without light.

(End of this chapter)