The Holy Grail War Blessed by the Gods

Nitocris seemed somewhat surprised, but quickly shook her head.

"Lord Osmandis must have his own reasons for doing this, and I have said too much. Lord Osmandis is waiting for you on the balcony. Please follow me."

“Osmandis is still the same troublesome guy who lives entirely within his own rules. But if I had said that earlier, I wouldn’t have been in such a hurry to leave. Since there’s a festive occasion, of course I’m going to stay.”

Listening to Nitocris's words, Manshu could guess the reason behind it. Since he had only started preparing for it the day he arrived, if he left without saying goodbye because he didn't know, wouldn't all his preparations have been in vain?

Ascending the steps to the terrace used for viewing the scenery below, Osmandis sat alone at a table laden with food.

Osmandis tossed the Holy Grail onto the table and used it as a wine vessel, filling it with what appeared to be just as fine wine.

"I haven't seen such a lively scene in a long time. Although it's a bit simple, it still reminds me of the first time I celebrated Saide Day."

Osmandis held his wine glass, turned his head to look down, and spoke in a reminiscent tone.

"At that time, God Ammon granted me eternal years, wishing me to repeat these 30 years of festivals, and wishing me to regain my vitality like the moon. In the blink of an eye, God Ammon's blessings have all come true, but the only regret is that my vitality has not been restored like the moon, but has still inevitably decayed."

As the radiant sun, as the greatest and strongest pharaoh, my remaining physical body on earth is far too fragile, allowing me to be tempted by the poisoned cup and nearly commit a mistake.

"No, let's not talk about it. Tonight is a lovely night; the breeze is pleasant, the sky is beautiful, it's undoubtedly a delightful time. Let's celebrate this grand festival together."

Osmandis quickly snapped out of his reverie, raised his wine glass to Manjustra, and said...

"Indeed, it was a delightful night. Both the sky and the earth were equally vast, and the glorious temple so dominated the land that even those who were not pharaohs could understand how the pharaoh's glory existed as the world."

What wonderful weather and time! Holding such a grand festival here must surely be a testament to the great Amun-Ra's bestowal of life and royalty upon his beloved child. (VI)

Manshu, having rarely seen such a spectacle, readily uttered whatever came to mind.

As he spoke, he walked to the table, picked up the wine glass, and scooped wine from the Holy Grail.

"This is the first time I've witnessed such a joyous scene, to see festivals in such a chaotic land. It truly allows me to witness the rule and glory of Pharaoh Osmandis."

The wine in that glass was also quite exquisite, on a completely different level from anything I had tasted before.

Since we've received such a gift from someone else, it wouldn't be too much to say a few kind words.

Moreover, the lively scene below was also prepared for him. Although it was also for these people, the reason was to celebrate for himself, so he should accept this sentiment.

"Hahaha! Of course, it's more accurate to say that there are very few people like you who can appreciate my glory and my royal power until now."

If we weren't both Pharaohs, such a grave offense of disrespect for the Pharaoh's divine power would have already reduced me to ashes under my solar boat.

Osmandis placed his wine glass on the table and let out a hearty laugh.

"Although Egypt, which I summoned, is no longer as prosperous as it was under my rule, it is still enough to celebrate. How many days do you intend to stay here? Although it is impossible to stay for sixty-seven days, Egypt's current strength is sufficient for more than ten days."

The duration of Saïd was also not fixed. It can be said that most of the details of this festival were decided by the pharaoh himself. According to records, Pharaoh Amenhotep III of the Eighteenth Dynasty held it for sixty-seven days.

"I'll stay here for seven days, but even pleasure needs to be moderated. And I need to borrow some people from you to go to the mountainous region and convey some messages to the mountain people on my behalf."

"There is no need to discuss such trivial matters with me. As a fellow Pharaoh of Egypt and the ruler of the world, you are free to command the people who are bathed in our glory."

Seven days is not a short time, and Osmandis was quite satisfied with the answer. As for Manshu's request, he simply waved it off without a second thought.

“If you are still worried about such a small matter, you can ask Nitocris instead. There is no need to mention it to me.”

Then came some casual conversation and discussions about what to do during the upcoming Saeed Day celebrations.

"Pharaoh, the altar has been built. When will the flame of purification be lit?"

"I understand."

Upon receiving the message from his servant, Osmandis rose from his seat and walked to the edge of the pavilion.

"You people of Egypt, whom we rule! Look up at the sky, prostrate yourself on the earth, and gaze upon the glory of the sun! Ha ha ha..."

Osmandis looked down from the edge of the tower, spread his arms, and his solar boat sailed across the sky.

The sun boat, appearing in the sky like the rising sun, cast its scorching flames downwards.

Unlike the aimless and boundless destruction, this time the sun's blazing fire was to fall upon the temples and the altars within the shrines.

The jubilant crowd on the ground knelt down, praising the Pharaoh and the gods.

"This time, time is limited, and we cannot spend five days to complete the purification ceremony. We can only use the remaining sunlight and the radiance of God to purify the courtyard and sanctuary for the celebration."

After lighting the purifying flames, Osmandis retrieved his solar boat and turned to explain to Manju.

"Enjoy the holiday to the fullest; this is my gift to you."

As the purifying flames were lit, the celebration officially began. The people offered their sacrifices to the gods in the erected temple, leaving the real festival to begin the next day.

The banquet for the three above Liu also ended quickly. Osmandis summoned several priests to return and explain the details of tomorrow's festival to Manju.

⑹“You are the protagonist of tomorrow, and as the Pharaoh, you cannot afford to make any mistakes.”

3. Thus Manju returned to his residence with the priests, listening to the proceedings while watching them bring in the scepter, crown, and robes.

The first day of the festival is not troublesome; the real celebrations begin on the second day.

Not long after the sun rose, a priest came to remind Manshu. Manshu put on the pharaoh's clothes, wore the double crown, picked up the scepter and flail, and went down from the great temple.

②The procession had already gathered below the great temple, with priests carrying statues of many deities, including famous great gods and minor regional gods.

First, offerings were made to those lesser-known gods who did not have dedicated temples, so sacrifices were made to them directly in public places.

This task didn't even require the Pharaoh to do it personally. Manju simply went there to count the offerings to be made, and then the priests distributed the offerings to the minor gods who were participating in the festival.

The procession officially begins only after the sacrifices to the minor gods are completed.

Statues of pharaohs and gods, as well as temples built by the priesthood for this land, were displayed, while ordinary people followed behind the procession, led by priests.

If some people missed the initial arrival, they would lie prostrate on either side of the road when they encountered the parade, and then stand up and follow behind the procession after it had passed.

Upon arriving at the temple, Manjushri must ascend the altar in the temple courtyard and sit on the throne facing south.

Two stone statues of deities stood in each direction on the altar, their hands raised as if placing them on Manjushri's head to bless the Pharaoh. Priests stood in rows below the altar, watching the interaction between the Pharaoh and the gods.

The process involves visiting all the major temples in the city, eventually arriving at the temple built to celebrate Sacred Heart.

The statues of the gods that were brought in were placed in the shrines of the Sacred Heart Temple. While the Pharaoh rested in the temple palace, the people dispersed to celebrate on their own.

The shrines placed in the temples were divided into two parts, Upper and Lower Egypt, to house statues of gods from different regions.

The sacrifices to the gods will take place tomorrow, and this is the main celebration of the festival.

After such a parade, the day was almost over, and for Manshu, it was quite a novel experience.

However, this was not enough to make him feel tired, so after arriving at the temple, he did not rest, but instead sought out Nitocris and talked to her about taking the mountainous region.

After explaining the matter, Nitocris quickly left to make arrangements.

However, considering that it was during a festival, Nitocris did not send anyone, but instead asked Osmandis to send the Sphinx instead.

After all, it would be a shame to deprive people of the opportunity to celebrate the festival by doing such trivial things.

Chapter Thirteen Rebirth

The first day of celebrations quickly came to an end. As the procession and the celebrating crowds dispersed, night fell, leaving only the firelight of the altar illuminating the area.

However, Manju couldn't fall asleep yet. He only rested for a short while in the small pyramid built for the festival before arriving at the temple below the pyramid.

The instruction last night wasn't much; it only informed Manshu that some of the arrangements from the previous days were still left for today.

That was about the final part of the festival, the offering of land to the gods. Although the steps involved the pharaoh running back and forth between two buildings symbolizing the territory of the country, the actual movements were more like dance steps.

After recounting all the final details, the priests respectfully left the temple to continue preparing for tomorrow's activities, while Manju returned to the pyramid to rest.

The next morning, the priests carried the royal ship, symbolizing the sun boat of Ra, and Manjushri emerged from the pyramid and went to the temple courtyard.

Priests who served different gods stood before the shrines where the various gods resided, holding symbols representing their deities, awaiting the arrival of the Pharaoh.

Next, they would visit these gods, and then the priests would come to pay homage to the Pharaoh on behalf of the gods and bestow blessings upon him.

There are about forty major gods of Upper and Lower Egypt enshrined here, including Osiris, Mut, Shu, Ammon, Anubis, Isis, Set, Thoth, Ptah, and others.

Most of the famous gods were here, and this action also meant that the Pharaoh received the blessings of almost all the gods of Egypt.

"Pharaoh offered all his beautiful and pure items as sacrifices to the gods in the shrines of the North." (4§2○)

"The Pharaoh offered sacrifices of all the beautiful and pure things to the gods in all the shrines in the south."

The south is Upper Egypt, and the north is Lower Egypt. After completing this sacrificial process, Manjusaka returned to the throne of the sun boat carried by the priests.

Next, the priests of the gods would represent the gods in offering blessings. After the priests passed by, the people participating in the procession would march in a line under the direction of the priests.

However, they would not approach the sun boat directly, but would instead stand at a certain distance, where the officer in charge of the festival ceremony would call out from the front, "Kneel down!"

Then the people knelt on the ground, kissed the earth, and offered their loyalty to the Pharaoh.

“In the name of the Pharaoh, in the name of Amun-Ra, the king of the gods, I bestow upon you abundance and health.”

In response, the Pharaoh would bestow gifts upon those who participated in the ceremony, usually things like cattle and sheep, but for Manjushri, bestowing blessings seemed to be an even simpler matter.

The blessing bestowed upon ordinary people does not require great power, but only a little vitality that allows them to feel a sense of spiritual upliftment and relief from physical discomfort.

Indeed, more power has been bestowed upon this land, allowing the Nile's light to shine even brighter.

The people who received the gift praised him even more fervently. As this phase gradually came to an end, Manju returned to the Temple of the Holy Spirit beneath the small pyramid.

At this time, one should change into festive attire, take a flail and shepherd's staff, and ritual items to pray for the resurrection of God and the long-term stability of the land, and then enter a building shaped like a shrine symbolizing a tomb.

The sun boat also came for this purpose; the royal boat was carried out from the festival courtyard and made its way to the artificial lake that had been dug out earlier.

The procession followed behind the sun boat, with priests reciting the story of Ra, the god of the sun boat, bringing day and night each day.

There was not just one sun boat, but two royal boats, which represented the two sun boats that Ra rode during the day and at night, namely Mandjet and Mesektet.

At that time, the artificial lake, which served as the destination, naturally became a symbol of the Nile River.

Upon reaching the lake, people lowered the sun boat from their shoulders and placed it into the lake.

The next boat would be rowed into the lake, where the sacrifice to Osiris would be completed in the presence of only high-ranking priests and nobles. ⑨

Manjushri raised the pillar of death, representing Osiris's spine, and recited the story of Osiris's resurrection, praying for the resurrection of the gods and the Pharaoh.

After this process, the solar boat would row back to the lake, and then the pharaoh would walk alone into the building symbolizing the burial ground. ④

All the preceding actions served as preparation for this ceremony, whether it was the sacrifice to Osiris or the symbolic journey of the solar boat procession, both of which symbolized the cycle of life and death, signifying the pharaoh's rebirth during the festival. ⑧

The building, which served as a cemetery, depicts the Ennead and Horus, with a bed in the center surrounded by lion heads and other animal figures. ④

The pharaoh needed to lie alone on his bed to complete the process of his death and resurrection. ②

He placed all the symbols of royal power and his formal attire to the side of the bed, and then lay down on it. ⑨

From the very beginning, the festival seemed to lack much mystery, and despite existing in this land of mystery, it didn't seem to generate much buzz.