The rumbling of a carriage could be heard from beyond the door. Faces still red, Roel and Alicia quickly pulled themselves together, and the excited Anna reined her emotions in. The romantic mood that had built-up popped like a bubble, replaced by solemnity.
Roel spied outside the door with narrowed eyes and saw an exquisite noble carriage slowly pulling into the courtyard.
Clip clop clip clop!
The rhythmic clattering of hooves echoed crisply, and the sound was surprisingly calming in this tense atmosphere. The appearance of the white steed, however, made Roel's pupils contract a little.
Frostwing Horse, the hybrid between the mystical pegasus and unicorn. It was a beast of noble birth, and there were very few of them in this world. It was usually impossible to see them outside of the Holy Capital—and most people wouldn't really think of rearing one either.
Frostwing Horses had exceptional specs, far surpassing that of other steeds, but its temper was terrible due to its noble blood.
Pegasii were beings of legend, known to be the steed of angels; whereas unicorns were licentious bastards who only allowed the purest of maidens to ride upon them. Legends spoke that the Frostwing Horses had once pledged their allegiance to the High Elves under one unbelievably shameless condition, 'Fulfill all of our demands.'
That's right. They wanted everything!
They demanded those with the bloodline of angels; they demanded the purest of maidens; there was no end to their demands!
They prided themselves on possessing the bloodline of two mythical creatures, but the truth was that they matched neither the pegasus nor the unicorn. While it might be possible for them to awaken both bloodlines to their purest form, becoming the greatest steed in the world with the powers of both mythical creatures combined, but that existed only in theory. To date, no one has ever seen such a formidable Frostwing Horse.
That being said, there weren't many houses that could afford to use them as carriage horses; or to be more exact, there was only one house that was able to do so.
Upon realizing this fact, Roel's body stiffened up. He lifted his gaze to take a look and saw the conspicuous emblem displayed on the side of the carriage. It was an insignia emblazoned with an impenetrable shield sporting two intersecting wings, named the Guardian of Radiant Wings.
This insignia was unique to a house within the Saint Mesit Theocracy, namely the royal family—the Xeclydes.
As the name, Saint Mesit Theocracy, suggested, it was a country in which politics and religion were intertwined. The head of the Xeclyde House was both emperor to the country and pope to the church. He headed the Genesis Goddess Church, which worshipped the Goddess of Creation, Sia.
The Genesis Goddess Church boasted the greatest religious following in this world, its believers spread across the entire human territory, and its influence comparable to that of Earth's Roman Catholic Church in Italy. The church's teachings profoundly impacted its followers' way of life.
A single house commanded unquestionable authority over this massive religion with uncountable followers, and that was the Xeclydes.
Typically speaking, there should have been no way a single house could have swallowed this humongous pie on its own. There were bound to be ambitious and power-hungry organizations who wanted a slice of their own, possibly demanding for the pope position to be rotated amongst major powers or for greater distribution of power over the religion.
But as the situation would have it, the Xeclydes managed to maintain a tight hold over the Genesis Goddess Church for the past thousand years, and there was only one reason for that—the Xyclydes had inherited the Angel Bloodline.
Angels were known to have assisted Sia during the First Epoch, and they were said to be the race closest to the gods. Was there anyone in the world who was more qualified to lead the religion worshipping Sia than the descendants of angels?
As important as legitimacy was, it was just the icing on the cake. Legitimacy wasn't sufficient to safeguard anything for a thousand years. The key to the Xeclydes' continued dominance was something far more crude—sheer power.
In this world, bloodlines weren't just good for boasting who and who were your father and grandfather. No, they were real symbols of power. There were many variations to the Angel Bloodline, but one thing for certain was that this bloodline was guaranteed to be Gold-tier as long as one was able to awaken it.
That was more than enough to guarantee the succession of their lineage. Anyone who was reincarnated into that family would be able to enjoy a life of predestined success, as if a protagonist of a novel.
Ey, how lucky.
Roel thought as he hurriedly took off the Emblem of Glory pinned in front of his chest.
"Lord Brother?"
Alicia blinked her eyes in surprise at Roel's movement.
However, there was no time to talk. The carriage had already come to a halt, and the servants rushed forth to open the golden carriage doors. Three people stepped out from within.
The first was Roel's father, Marquess Carter.
The second was a golden-haired man with a massive body and a solemn face.
The third was a young girl.
--------------------------------------------
"Welcome, Your Highness Kane. I am Roel Ascart. I have long since heard of your brave exploits from my father, and it is my honor to be able to meet you today."
At the foyer of the mansion, Roel greeted the golden-haired man as he directed huge eyes twinkling with the innocent admiration of a child toward him. His acting was near perfect, such that no one would have been able to pick a flaw with it.
Marquess Carter was a little stunned to see Roel acting in such an abnormal fashion, but the golden-haired man beside him burst into hearty laughter.
"Hahaha, Carter. I didn't think that a fellow like you would actually spout good things about me!"
The commander of the Holy Knights Order, Kane Xeclyde, was flattered by Roel's words. He hadn't thought that Chief Magician Carter, who often raised opposition toward his suggestions, would actually praise him before his child.
Looking at the beaming admiration on Roel's earnest face, Kane couldn't raise the slightest doubt toward the latter at all.
While Roel, as a noble, was expected to be able to speak pleasantries, he was also at an age where it was normal for kids to carry deep reverence toward gallant knights. Which kid had never dreamed of becoming a suave knight and saving a princess from the clutches of an evil dragon?
… Though admittedly, there was a far greater chance for the princesses of this world to be the ones doing the saving instead.
Kane took a second-look at Roel and affirmed his thoughts once more.
Ah, what a fine, honest youth!
Prince Kane nodded in great satisfaction before turning his gaze toward Alicia. Alicia raised her skirt slightly and curtsied, her movements as graceful as a true princess.
"I am Alicia Ascart, the adopted daughter of Marquess Carter. It's my pleasure to meet you, Your Highness Kane."
Alicia's greeting was polite, but there was a feeling of lofty coldness behind her words. It didn't appear to be a conscious intention on her part, but rather, it felt more like her natural disposition. Kane, despite his vast experiences with all sorts of people, was a little surprised to see such airs from a child.
"This child… I see."
Kane examined Alicia for a moment longer before a thought came to his mind; his gaze suddenly changed from surprise to a heavy expression. He reached out his hand and ruffled Alicia's soft hair lightly.
"You must be Larthe's child."
"Y-you know my father?"
"Of course, I was the one who mentored him!"
Kane thumped his chest like a proud military man before finally sighing deeply once more. He then turned to look at Carter.
"You did well. Take care of her."
"Don't worry, I won't let Larthe down."
The two men nodded in mutual agreement. While looking at Alicia, Kane suddenly recalled something, and he beckoned with his hand, saying, "Come here, Nora. Meet your new friends."
A beautiful figure silently walked forward. She was a golden-haired girl with eyes the color of sapphire, commanding a presence that rivaled the brilliant sun.
"Nora Xeclyde. It's a pleasure to meet the two of you."