Despite the rattling events of the day before, the royal family decided to proceed with the coronation ceremony.
It was still early in the morning, but the capital was already bustling with life. The servants in the castle busily moved about as they decorated the castle with gold and silver. The floor was covered with the finest carpet, and the walls lit with kalranes.
It was amazing that the servants had managed to prepare this much, despite the limited time given to them.
"Please raise your arms," said one of the servants.
"This part here is wrinkled," said another. "Someone straighten it out."
Inside his room in the king's castle, Lark was being clothed by the butlers and the servants.
A dozen maids and three butlers currently attended to Lark. Some of them were fixing his hair, some preparing his clothes, and some were applying makeup on his face.
"Does it feel tight around the neck, Lord Lark?" said the head butler.
"It's fine," said Lark. "It doesn't feel stuffy."
The head butler nodded approvingly. "Then, we can probably add the empyrean brooch over here. Hey, bring the gemstone over here!"
"Yes, head butler!"
Layers upon layers of clothes were put on him, one after another.
Moreover, dozens of jewels were pinned on his clothes. And when all preparations were finally complete, the servants placed the coronation mantle over his shoulder.
"Ahh…" "How perfect!"
The servants gasped in awe as they looked at their finished product. It turned out way better than they'd expected. Lark's naturally good-looking face, coupled with his authoritative air, made him appear to be a domineering ruler.
Lark normally did not bother fixing his hair and garb even when meeting with royalty. He found it cumbersome and unnecessary. This was the first time since he took over this body he'd had his hair fixed and dressed this elegantly.
'Kahahaha! Look at you, Evander!' Kel' Vual said through mental transmission. He was hidden through invisibility magic inside Lark's room.
'I can't believe you let them put that much makeup on your face!' Kel' Vual's laughter echoed inside Lark's mind. The leader of the Arzomos Tribe had been laughing and teasing him since the servants started applying the makeup.
'Shut up, Kel,' Lark spat back. 'You know this is a rare occasion. It's not like I can refuse when this is part of their tradition.' The person ascending the throne should look as majestic as possible during the coronation ceremony. This was one of the rare occasions when appearances mattered the most. Knowing this, Lark did not object when the servants asked him to wear these gaudy clothes and jewels.
'Of course, of course!' Kel' Vual laughed. 'But I really wish I had a recording crystal with me right now!' Lark sighed. The leader of the Arzomos Tribe was really enjoying the spectacle.
"Is something the matter, Lord Lark?" said the head butler, hearing Lark's sigh. "Is something not to your liking?"
The head butler scanned Lark from head to foot, taking note of anything that might be amiss.
"No, it's nothing," said Lark.
Although Lark dismissed it, the head butler scanned Lark's garb once again, just to be sure. Their pride as servants of the royal family was at stake in this event. Everyone in the room wanted Lark to appear as majestic as possible during the coronation ceremony.
A servant entered the room and whispered something to the head butler.
The head butler nodded then said to Lark, "Lord Lark, we're almost done with the preparations. The Grand Chamberlain will be assisting you from here on out."
The Grand Chamberlain entered the room and respectfully bowed his head in greeting. He gazed at Lark for a moment, before flashing a polite smile.
"Please allow me to escort you to the grand hall, Lord Lark," said the Grand Chamberlain.
"Lead the way," said Lark.
"Please follow me," said the Grand Chamberlain.
Accompanied by the Grand Chamberlain, several royal guards and servants, Lark walked through the hallways and eventually arrived at the grand hall of the king's castle. The whole place was glimmering with gold, silver, and kalranes. Dozens of nobles, priests, government officials, merchants, heads of guilds, and other renowned people in the kingdom filled the grand hall. Even his disciples—Austen, George, Anandra, and Chryselle—were present.
The moment Lark entered, everyone turned in his direction. The chatter died down as everyone stared at Lark Marcus.
"Master!" said George, beaming. "You look dashing today!"
George repeatedly waved his hand above his head until Austen nudged him on the ribs. Chryselle's face was flushed as she stared at him, while Anandra wore a proud look on his face as he looked at his master.
Lark smiled.
This was the first time he'd seen his disciples wearing such expensive-looking clothes. Right now, they all looked like nobles. Anandra, in particular, looked like the prince of a kingdom. The default glare on his face, his smooth golden hair, and his large stature reminded Lark of the princes he'd met back in his previous life.
"To the dais, please. His Majesty is waiting," said the Grand Chamberlain.
Standing next to the dais were His Majesty, King Alvis, the retired General Carlos, Priestess Thea, and two priests from the Sun God's Temple.
Ushered by the Grand Chamberlain, Lark walked toward them, his gait slow but confident. Even when under everyone's gaze, Lark did not flinch nor cower. He'd been through a much bigger ceremony before.
Dwarves?
He saw several people, who appeared to be dwarves, as he walked toward the dais. Lark also saw several brown-skinned men wearing unusual clothes. He surmised that they were probably envoys from the other nations.
Were they from the empire, the Mullgray Islands, or the Republic of Everfrost? The dwarven kingdom and the United Grakas Alliance aside, these were the only nations near the Kingdom of Lukas.
Lark had heard there were also other nations north from here. Nations that shared their borders with the Great Empire.
The Principality of Rinvixia.
The Kingdom of Steelwall.
The Three States Alliance.
But Lark doubted these nations would have had enough time to send their delegations for the coronation ceremony, considering the distance.
I heard that the dwarves kept to themselves, thought Lark. But they still came, huh?
It was surprising that the dwarven kingdom decided to send representatives for the coronation ceremony of a human nation. For centuries, the dwarves believed that there was nothing to be gleaned or learned from mere humans, after all.
"Lord Lark," King Alvis greeted him the moment he reached the dais.
The king was smiling from ear to ear. To an outsider, it would have appeared as though passing on the crown to Lark was the greatest honor in King Alvis' life.
King Alvis said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "I'm truly grateful that you accepted this offer. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you, Lord Lark."
A heartfelt expression of gratitude. The king truly loved the kingdom and his subjects more than anyone.
"The honor is mine, Your Majesty," said Lark.
King Alvis laughed. "Is that so?" He cheekily added, "My daughter, Esmeralda, told me that she learned so much during her stay in Blackstone Town. If by chance Lord Lark wishes for an heir—" "Your Majesty," said Lark. "Forgive my impertinence, but as I've said before, I have no intention of taking your daughter as my wife."
King Alvis coughed. "Of course, of course. But if by chance you change your mind… I'm sure that my daughter…" The old king was really stubborn. Lark wryly smiled.
After that brief exchange, they soon proceeded with the coronation ceremony. Unlike the other nations in the continent, the Kingdom of Lukas was a staunch believer of the Water God and the Sun God. These two religions formed the foundation of this kingdom.
The Sun God represented the royal family's might. A representation of unyielding justice. While the Water God represented the royal family's virtuousness. A representation of sincerity, loyalty, and kindness.
For centuries, all coronation ceremonies in the Kingdom of Lukas had been preceded by rituals from these two temples. The blessing of the two Gods were needed before someone could ascend the throne. This was why it was truly fortunate that the temple assumed a neutral stance during the previous scandal several days ago. Otherwise, had Lark Marcus been branded as a heretic, it would have been impossible for him to ascend the throne.
The rituals of the two temples were quite straightforward and simple.
The priests from the Sun God's Temple lit several large candles, knelt, and prayed. Priestess Thea of the Water God's Temple, on the other hand, simply asked Lark to wash his hands in a basin filled with blessed water.
"By the authority granted unto us by the Sun God…" "By the authority granted unto us by the Water God…" The priests from the two temples chanted in unison.
"We declare Lark Marcus a child of Eternal Fire…" "We declare Lark Marcus a child of The Healing Water…" Everyone in the grand hall, the envoys from the other nations included, silently watched as the ritual took place.
"May the light of the Seven Gods shine upon this child!"
"May the light of the Seven Gods shine upon this child!"
It was a simple ritual, and Lark was certain that no spells nor mana were involved. Still, to the citizens of the Kingdom of Lukas, this was a sacred ceremony—a tradition—that had been passed down for centuries.
After the ritual, the priests and priestess bowed their heads and stepped down the dais.
The Grand Chamberlain activated a voice-amplifying artifact. He said in a clear voice, "Lark of the House Marcus has been blessed by the Sun God and the Water God! Be honored, take delight! For the new king is blessed by the light!"
The Grand Chamberlain paused and took in the gazes of everyone present. His dignified voice echoed, "We shall now proceed with the passing of the crown!"
With those words as a cue, Lark knelt on one knee and lowered his head.
King Alvis raised the royal staff in his hand and placed it on Lark's shoulder. His voice also amplified by the artifact, King Alvis spoke, "The seven gemstones embedded in this crown symbolize the seven virtues a ruler must uphold at all times.
"A ruler must not only be honest, but also just. A ruler must be compassionate to the struggles of his people. A ruler must be courageous.
He must be willing to die for his motherland. A ruler must be selfless. He must take into consideration the welfare of his subjects first before himself.
A ruler must be pious. He must be a devout of the Sun God and the Water God. A ruler must be the father to the land. He must take care of his children and have only their best interest in mind. And lastly, a ruler must be virtuous at all times, no matter the consequences, no matter the hurdles before his path."
It was an idealistic view of a ruler. But King Alvis could confidently say that unlike his father, the so-called Tyrant King, he did his best to follow this path throughout his life. Whenever he felt that he'd been going astray, King Alvis would always recite these words in his head. A reminder that he should always remain a kind and virtuous ruler.
"Lark Marcus, do you accept these virtues," said King Alvis, "these responsibilities, as the new king of this nation?"
Lark closed his eyes and said, "I will uphold them to the best of my ability. In the name of the Seven Gods, I swear to be a virtuous ruler of this kingdom."
King Alvis raised his royal staff and using its tip, struck the ground seven times.
"With the blessings of the Seven Gods, I therefore declare Lark Marcus"—King Alvis' voice echoed through the grand hall—"the seventh King of the Kingdom of Lukas!"
King Alvis lightly lowered his head, and the Grand Chamberlain took the crown from him and placed it on top of Lark Marcus' head. The moment the crown had been transferred on to Lark's head, the entire grand hall went into an uproar. Lark's disciples—the brothers in particular— shouted in glee. The nobles clapped, the merchants cheered, and the priests clasped their hands in prayer. Duke Drakus clenched his fists. Finally, the Marcus family had become royalty!
After King Alvis handed the royal staff to Lark, Lark stood and faced the crowd. This simple action stirred the crowd even further. Austen and George hugged each other and did their weird tap dance, Chryselle placed her hand on her chest, and Anandra nodded approvingly at his master. Big Mona laughed out loud, while Reginal Vont stared at Lark with an expressionless face.
"Now, King Lark," said the Grand Chamberlain. "The citizens are waiting for your appearance."
The balcony near the grand hall had been modified just for this event.
With the Grand Chamberlain at the lead, Lark went to the balcony to greet his subjects.
To Lark's surprise, the moment he appeared, the crowd that had been waiting below the castle cheered. The ground trembled as the people shouted and cheered for the newly crowned king of the nation.
"He's finally here!"
"It's the new king!"
"The coronation ceremony is over!"
"King Lark!"
"King Lark!"
Lark did not know how Big Mona had managed it, but it seemed his popularity had shot through the roof in a short period of time. From spite-filled stares, the tens of thousands of people below were now looking at him with hope-filled and expectant eyes. It felt as though they were looking at their savior, the man who would bring salvation to this kingdom.
King Alvis walked toward him and softly uttered words near his ear.
"King Lark… The name has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" said King Alvis. "Please speak to the people, Your Majesty."
For almost a minute, Lark gazed at the people gathered below. There were easily more than ten thousand of them. And all of them gathered here just to see him, the newly crowned king of the nation.
Lark amplified his voice using magic, "Citizens of the kingdom."
The cheers started dying out. Everyone attentively listened as Lark spoke. To everyone's surprise, despite his young appearance, Lark's voice sounded dignified. An air of authority incomparable even to King Alvis emanated from him. An air of authority that made everyone listen to his every word.
"I am Lark Marcus, the seventh King of Lukas."
The remaining chatter died. It was strange how that single statement carried such power. It felt as though each word carried great weight that pressed down on everyone's shoulders.
"Most of you must have heard of the events that transpired in the western territories, particularly the ports and the Kelvin Duchy," said Lark.
Several people nodded. The demon invasion was a popular topic in the capital even now. Most of the people were uneasy, afraid of the future of the kingdom.
"Fear not," said Lark, his voice echoing not only through the castle, but to the nearby places in the capital. "For I will accompany everyone in this battle."
Massive amounts of mana, visible even to non-magicians, gushed out of Lark's body and started forming an absurdly large magic circle spanning three hundred meters in diameter. It appeared right above the castle, covering a portion of the sky.
This was the first time the citizens of the kingdom, even the magicians, had seen a magic formation this large.
Just for this event—for the sake of raising everyone's morale—Lark decided to pour more mana and forcefully expand this grand scale magic to six times its normal size.
Grand Scale Magic: Pixies Dust.
"The Kingdom of Lukas shall remain strong," said Lark, his voice deeper and fiercer than before.
The magic formation glowed, shattered, and turned into innumerable particles of golden light. It was the same healing spell he'd used in Lion City, when he annihilated the demon horde that had managed to penetrate its defense.
Lark decided to use this spell during his speech for one reason: It was one of the most beautiful spells under his arsenal.
"Be it against our fellow humans, be it against monsters or demons."
The spell continued raining from the sky, covering the city with golden light. The castle had turned silent. No one had never seen such an ethereal sight. It felt as though the newly crowned king was a god who'd decided to come down and lend his hand to mere mortals.
"Our nation, the Kingdom of Lukas, shall not fall."