novelnext Page 253
Page 253
As time passed, Pendraken rarely made headlines anymore—as the capital of the Britannian Empire, how many days were spent with His Majesty the Emperor's speeches on "how to legitimately fight each other to evolve, to acquire, to dominate, and to win."
It was as if, after the upheaval in District 11, everyone, from inside the palace to outside the streets, was quietly waiting for this day to arrive.
When the news of the military parade and the announcement of the "secret" spread far and wide, even the traffic control measures on the main avenues of the capital could not contain the ecstasy of the millions of citizens.
Today, the streets and alleys of Pendraken are crowded with people watching from the roadside, the sky is full of helicopters carrying journalists, and Schneizel's skyship Avalon floats directly above the towering podium.
His royal brothers and sisters stood on either side of him, but the Emperor never appeared—until Schneizel strolled leisurely to the microphone table draped with the lion and serpent flag, where he was truly taken aback.
It was somewhat unusual; the Emperor's inflammatory tone was quite different from the Second Prince's polite and soft-spoken manner.
Why isn't Father Emperor coming? Only Schneizel knows the answer to that question.
……
"It is now 9 a.m. Pendraken time. It is a great honor to celebrate this day with you, my thousands of subjects of Holy Britannia."
“A long time ago, I heard a story in Seattle and Vancouver: In the vast ocean, dolphins are the most intelligent and far-sighted creatures. While other creatures spend their days wagging their tails and wagging their fins in the deep sea, they repeat a unique behavior of leaping out of the crest of a wave and diving into the trough of a wave day after day.”
"They do this not only to prove that they are the best in the ocean, but also because, in the quiet of the night, when people in the seaside huts are annoyed by the sound of the waves leaping, they are unaware that these intelligent spirits living deep in the sea have already transformed into birds and are heading towards the magnificent starry sky above. As for the mediocre fish and the restless mortals, they can only rise and fall on the surface of the sea."
"Our Britannia is a great nation. As His Majesty the Emperor said, we admire strength and are full of vigor. We are not, as the hypocritical villains claim under the banner of justice, indiscriminately slaughtering lives. On the contrary, they lack the patience to understand the principle of raising an army for a thousand days to use it for one."
"Everything we do is in preparation for the unknown future. Opportunity always favors the prepared. When opportunity comes to us, the holy empire will take the lead and move forward without hesitation toward the unknown stars above and the splendid future."
"We have the belief to keep exploring and striving, we have become an ambitious role model, and today, we will have a stage to realize our grand ambitions, Area 45."
……
Meanwhile, in Area 11, Nunnally and Suzaku Kururugi were at the Governor's Mansion in front of Tokyo Bay, watching the television broadcast from the Imperial Capital thousands of miles away on a large screen alongside rows of officials.
The hall was filled with Schneizel's gentle voice from the speakers, but beside Nanali, there could be a faint sound of flapping wings—sometime during which time Kelly had started raising a small, white call duck, which she liked to rub in her spare time.
"District 45 is a wonderful world, and every adventurous life is eager to write its name on this new stage. As I speak, millions of soldiers of the Empire have already set foot there, proving the arrival of Britannia to the new world."
Schneizel spoke fluently, but the more Kelly listened, the less she understood.
"They are the true pioneers, they are the true heroes, and today, these glorious heroes will share this moment of honor with everyone on the roads of Pendraken. It is only with great regret that my dear sister Elizabeth, as the leader of the pioneers, is unable to join us in celebrating this moment because she is bound by her duty to leave the New World."
Hearing this, the seemingly calm and composed Kelly was already thoroughly disgusted—yes, apart from the royal family and nobles, probably not many people knew how much of a trick Schneizel had played.
Tens of thousands of officers and soldiers, who had not yet been handed over to Elizabeth's command or were never even intended to be, were all labeled "battle-hardened expeditionary soldiers," thus deceiving the public and eliciting cheers. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of real expeditionary soldiers were on the devastated battlefield of District 45, receiving no news signals from the capital—they were almost completely unaware of the existence of the parade.
And once you understand how Schneizel kept Elizabeth in Berlin, it's not hard to understand why, as the true deputy commander of the expeditionary force, Kylier could only sit on Honshu Island and miss the parade.
……
However, the siblings had anticipated that their elder brother would try to sabotage them.
When Suzaku asked when their personal guards would appear, Kelly replied mysteriously, "Just wait, just wait."
The ceremony was very simple. After the people on and off the stage led the audience in singing the national anthem, Schneizel waved his hand gently, and the formations at the other end of the avenue began to walk in one by one.
"Our beloved Emperor is unable to attend due to other commitments, but fortunately, he has agreed to send his personal guards to join us in the festivities."
The first contingent was the royal guard of Emperor Charles Britannia. Each of them wore a black crown with yellow mane and a short cloak on their back. The sashes across their gray robes were dyed the same crimson as the emperor's collar. The spears they held were all pointed directly at the sky in front of them, and a lion and snake banner fluttered gently behind the spear of the guard leader.
Ordinary people usually only see their vague figures on television, and naturally have little chance to examine those creations that are just over two meters tall—which look like a spear attached to the bolt of a rifle, with a stock and a trigger.
The guards walked past the platform, pulled the trigger of the only bullet, and slowly stepped over the rain of petals that had been splashed from the makeshift tower by the roadside, accompanied by the crisp sound of gunfire.
After the military band, forming the second phalanx, slowly passed by, all that remained was Schneizel's seemingly eloquent speech, which in reality sounded absurd and ridiculous to Kelly.
"The 1st Army, they are the first in Britannia, and also the first in the Expeditionary Force 45..."
"The Lancaster's Shield Legion, they guard the glory of the Empire, they display the majesty of Britannia on the other side of the world..."
"The Knights of Saint Raphael, reliable allies from Britannia in Europe, now..."
Nunnally and Suzaku watched as Kelly put the duck aside, their throats churning with an indescribable mix of bitter laughter and sobs. The lonely prince shook his head and sneered at Schneizel on the screen, who remained impassive. He was almost the only one who understood that none of the armies' names and the exaggerated praises had ever been under their command, nor had they ever set foot in District 45.
There was no imposing figure of their father, only their elder brother's legitimate deception of the public, and themselves and their sister huddled in a place that didn't even qualify as a seat of honor.
Looking at those frivolous faces with their unsteady steps, some striding confidently along the avenues of the capital, others standing arrogantly atop the advancing KMF, yet their bodies remained untouched by the smoke of gunpowder or the blood of war. The cheers, flower petals, and applause were all taken by them and Schneizel, never to reach the pillows of those still in the underground city of Berlin, those wounded soldiers still fast asleep.
"fraud……"
……
"Is that your and Her Highness Elizabeth's personal guard?" Kelly's thoughts and gaze were completely off the screen, unless Suzaku reminded her.
"While we enjoy our glory today, my sister Elizabeth, the commander of the expeditionary force, is welcoming new warriors to District 45," Schneizel continued, fabricating a grand narrative. "She specifically instructed me to send her personal guards to the capital."
Following Schneizel's words, the eyes of the roadside cameras and the audience all turned towards him, but there was a faint sense of lingering fear.
Can you imagine what it feels like to have an ice cube floating on top of hot porridge? After the smiling vases in the front row passed by, Elizabeth's personal guard, led by Grafria and Isca, marched in neat rows with their eyes fixed ahead, and walked to the foot of the tower where the flower petals were scattered.
The honor guards, bayonets strapped to their right shoulders, stood with menacing expressions and unsmiling faces; some even bore scars on their faces—the difference in their skill was immediately apparent, revealing who was the cold-blooded butcher fresh from the battlefield.
"So many people?" Suzaku counted them; there were at least a hundred or so. But according to Kelly, when the Royal Guard returned from District 45, there were only about 50 people left.
Indeed, even Schneizel knew this, it's just a pity that his dear brother hadn't foreseen it. Kelly secretly sent a message to Marshal Aucheni on the EU front, and the Marshal sent more than 50 newly recruited girls to the Royal Guard to the Pendraken base after several transfers.
Whether these 50-odd were truly newly selected guards was no longer important. By the time Schneizel realized it, it was already a fait accompli. Kelly also offered the explanation, "Since you think we are busy with the war in District 45, then when the guards return to prepare for the parade, we can also use this opportunity to train the new recruits." This did manage to salvage the situation somewhat—after all, they had already come to the capital, and it was unrealistic for the emperor to try to trip them up face-to-face.
……
Kelly gradually became smug, watching the displeasure hidden on Schneizel's face on the screen, and watching the guards in front of the camera slowly step towards the front of the platform, raising their hands in preparation for applause.
"Ready! Rise!" Grafria and Iska shouted. Suddenly, more than a hundred uniformed guards raised their left hands and grabbed the handguards of their ceremonial rifles. After taking a few steps, they simultaneously swung their rifles and bayonets forward.
The servant girl scattering flower petals on the tower was so startled by the commotion that she almost fell, and even the cameramen next to the tower were caught off guard and trembled three times.
Unlike those who shouted superfluous slogans on stage, whose movements were like acrobatics, and who didn't even stop or linger, none of the hundred-plus men even glanced at Schneizel. Elizabeth's guards, guns at the ready, strode away, mimicking the gazes of German soldiers and the steps of Soviet troops in the 45th-division film, right past thousands of eyes and cameras.
Schneizel slightly raised an eyebrow, while his royal brothers and sisters on either side stared in astonishment at this seemingly heartless behavior. Only a few children remained by the roadside, shouting and yelling. This cold, machine-like "performance" was hardly inspiring, and its unconventional and aloof manner certainly left a deep impression on countless members of the royal family and commoners alike.
"Your Highness, you..."
"Good! Great! Hahahaha!" Kelly, who had been sitting quietly, suddenly sat up with a laugh, looked at Suzaku, then at Count Rosenberg, who had been arguing with him, and then at the many people with puzzled looks in their eyes, before calmly walking out the door.
He dialed Marshal Auchindoun's number and said, "Next step, we can move on to the next step, hahahahaha."
……
On the high platform beside the avenue where Elizabeth's personal guard had gone, there was a seating area for a group of high-ranking officials.
Amidst the bustling stands, a middle-aged man held a pen and began sketching on a scroll. He squeezed through the crowd, glancing at the marching formations on the main road, then thoughtfully scribbling a few lines. He repeated this process, leaving behind hundreds of words of essential ink in his palm.
He closed the booklet, and before he could even take a few more glances at the photograph pinned to the title page with a paperclip, he vaguely heard a few familiar coughs. In another stand in the distance, he saw a familiar figure.
“Do you remember me? Last week, outside the capital, at the memorial garden of the Knights of Agincourt.” He spoke politely to the middle-aged man in a colonel’s uniform.
"Oh?" The officer looked him up and down thoughtfully, then glanced at the photograph on the title page of his book. "What a coincidence, your daughter is also in this order of knights? And she's already so grown up?!"
"No, no, no, my Angela is still a virgin." The gentleman, holding the book, waved his hands awkwardly and hurriedly explained.
Yes, that day Angelie was waiting to hand over Lilizia's belongings to a special person who had come from the mainland for transport, but unexpectedly, it was her own biological father who came to see her. This is how this photo came about.
Angelina stood to one side, while the little girl leaned between her father's legs, with replicas of Lilizia's sword, uniform, and headband medals hanging from her hands and head—the photo was quite meaningful.
"Let me introduce myself. I am Salen Vorian, Angeli Vorian's father, and I work at the Pendraken Empire's Academy of Literature and History." Mr. Salen politely handed over his business card. "So, you are his descendant?"
"Ah, cough cough cough..." The colonel seemed to be in poor health, his bow was a little unnatural. "Georgston Intek, belongs to the Imperial Guard, and my only daughter is also serving in your daughter's knightly order."
"Oh? What a coincidence?"
"To be honest, Your Excellency... cough!" The officer closed his eyes slightly, "If it weren't for my health issues preventing me from traveling too far..."
As the two were talking, a soldier came looking for Colonel Georgeston.
"A concert invitation?" The two men took the item from the soldier with surprise, looking at the text on it. "Tucson Opera House, performance by Her Highness Elizabeth's Royal Guard?"
[System Notification: New content has been unlocked in the profiles of Angelie Vorian and Shisian Inteker]
Chapter 352, Section 448: When People Are No Longer Loyal
Built on the Sonora Desert, with the desolate Mojave to the west and the endless wilderness of the Colorado Plateau to the east, the world does not quite understand why the emperor of the Britannian Empire chose Pendraken as its site, and how it could have become the lush, ever-sleeping capital it is today.
[Note 022: According to the illustrations in the animated TV series, Pendraken's geographical location is roughly equivalent to Phoenix, the capital of Arizona in the real world. There is also a theory that it's Mexicali, Mexico.]
Just as every corner of the capital city is isolated in another world, only when people in the capital step out of the buildings can they feel a trace of reality—looking around, apart from scattered villages and towns, only the lonely city of Tucson stands silently in the southeast of Pendraken.
For this reason, Tucson often became a link connecting Pendraken, a hundred miles away. Even if guests from the south only stayed here for one night, they could still get a glimpse of the capital's scenery, including the huge Tucson Opera House.
After all, Britannia is a country where you can easily grab a nobleman on the street, and theaters are a standard feature of big cities. But today, the Tucson Opera House was unexpectedly filled with many commoners.
Why invite so many commoners to a concert by the royal guard of an imperial princess? No one understood Elizabeth's purpose in putting on this unconventional show—Mr. Salem and Mr. Georgeston were equally puzzled when they arrived at the theater by carriage.
The upper-level boxes were still reserved for people of status, including the two of them. The two glanced down casually and saw ordinary audience members moving among the rows of seats on the first floor of the concert hall, picking up a notebook that had been placed there beforehand and flipping through it.
On each of the two gentlemen's chairs was a small booklet, about the thickness of a finger, with the title "Performance Score" on the cover.
“I suspect that Her Highness Elizabeth is not here simply to sing for everyone,” Mr. Salen said, flipping through the sheet music, on the title page of which was written a sentence.
"Dear Britannian people, this is a musical treasure that the 45th District Expeditionary Force discovered in another world in the past. We have modified some of the lyrics while retaining the original melody and translated them into English to present you with this unprecedented audio-visual feast."
"If you have some musical talent, or are a music lover, we welcome you to accompany us with your hands during the performance. We sincerely hope that our performance will leave a deep impression on you – From all the members of the performing guard."
"This?" Mr. Salen was about to flip to the next page to look at the names of the pieces and the lyrics when he saw "accompanying us" and fell into confusion.
Symphony concerts have always been known for their solemnity, so why did they behave so disrespectfully at the military parade? What is this time?
……
The musicians on the stage were already seated, and the guard girls, dressed in the military uniforms from the previous day's parade, were also standing on the stage. Thus, amidst the sparse applause from the VIPs in the upper boxes and the shouts and cheers from the commoners in the lower audience, the two vastly different welcoming scenes, Grafria and Iska, the two captains of the guard, finally appeared on stage with the band conductor.
"Thank you all so much for your enthusiasm. I'm sure you all had the chance to meet me in person or on screen the other day in the capital. Today, as members of the Imperial Guard, we will show you a side of ourselves that is different from what we see on the parade ground..."
After a brief and simple opening, the two team leaders stood in front of the microphone stands on either side of the conductor, and the sound of the horns slowly rose from the orchestra pit amidst the applause of the audience.
"So, what's the name of this first song?" Georgeston turned to look at the sheet music in Salen's hand.
"When People Are No Longer Faithful"
……
"When people are no longer loyal, our loyalty will remain forever."
"There are countless brave warriors in the world who become the wheels that drive us forward."
"Our youthful comrades, our glorious names will live on forever."
"Set an example, uphold virtue, and be unafraid of sacrifice."
……
"With battle flags flying high and triumphant songs being sung, we will support him for life."
"Loyalty is spread across the vast sky, like the bright moon, like the morning glow."
"We will keep our oath forever, through a thousand years, through cold winters and hot summers."
"All things are bathed in your glory, holy Britannia!"
……
The lyrics and accompaniment were repeated several times, and the commoners sitting below, still wanting more, were actually humming along—Grafria and Iska, in front of the microphone, were somewhat surprised, seemingly not expecting the opening song to be so well received.
Before the audience could even applaud, the violins, following the trumpet's playing, gradually raised their pitches, taking the originally melodious tune to a more distinct staff.
"Hail (Long Live), hail, the great empire, above all things in the world." The melody swayed and drifted smoothly into the next song. "Whenever, wherever, brothers and sisters, hand in hand."
"From the aurora borealis in the Icelandic night sky to the Gulf of Finland, from the tranquil Tierra del Fuego to the snow-covered Greenland." Of course, the score in the hands of the audience did not directly write "The Song of the Germans," but instead composed "Our Fatherland Above All Else."
The girls in the royal guard couldn't help but chuckle as they sang these lines. It seemed that in the eyes of the Britannians, changing lyrics related to the enemy's country to sing about their own territory was a very satisfying way to conquer.
As expected, the VIPs in the box remained unmoved and kept their faces taut, while the genuinely outgoing commoners in the audience started joining in again. Clearly, the melody of the second song was much more catchy and upbeat. By the third verse, you could already hear people holding sheet music and singing along.
"The youth of the empire, the loyalty of the empire, the fine wine of the empire, the songs of the empire."
……
Seeing the hall become so noisy, Mr. Salen in the private room became a little uneasy.
“What if Her Highness Elizabeth did it on purpose?” Mr. Georgeston glanced at him, then looked at the sheet music in his hands and in the hands of the common audience.
"What good will this do?"
“Ha, you are indeed not very familiar with military affairs.” Georgeston smiled. “Do you know why soldiers almost always follow their commanders to the death when the generals lead the charge? It means that you have put aside your status and position and are willing to live and die with them, who are of humble origins. This is far more powerful than any verbal appeal.”
"So that means..." Mr. Salen nodded thoughtfully, then glanced at the officials in the next box who were giving him cold looks, "Has Her Highness Elizabeth forgotten her bloodline after being in District 45 for so long?"