Castle Velena

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Shalltear Bloodfallen (2)

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Velena Palace had always been a perennial wonder, adorned with its tranquil, sprawling gardens and a central, grand castle that stood both intimidating and magnificent. However, it was at the cusp of dawn when the true splendor of the palace came to life, when the morning light delicately illuminated its graceful arches, marble columns, and stained glass windows.

The same dawn that saw the Bloody Valkyrie and her entourage make their entrance through the thrice reinforced and imbued Scarletite gates.

Shalltear let out a soft hum before opening her mouth in praise, "The view never gets old."

"Mayhaps taking permanent residence here wouldn't be a bad idea…" Tiana mused, her voice also touched by wonderment. Shalltear hummed at the suggestion but remained silent.

Truthfully, she felt that she and the vampire were admiring different things.

The Valkyrie admired the architectural splendour, her countenance composed and thoughtful. She pondered the likelihood of constructing such a palatial estate once she secured suitable land and amassed enough peasantry to establish her county.

'Well, I'm still some ways from that point,' she thought, a trace of amusement touching her. The need for development wasn't exclusive to her; other households like Fiore, Odle, Smaragdina, and more were also in line to reestablish their respective fiefdoms.

Yet, she held reservations about Demiurge and Sebas taking such initiatives unless expressly ordered to do so.

God knew those two were far too invested in their royal tasks to even entertain such things.

That made her smile before she returned her focus to admiring the grand palace. She watched as royal serfs worked its plants and paved paths, even as the countess's entourage passed, only stopping for a moment to bow at her passage.

The carriage came to a stop near the castle's steps where a welcome party awaited. It wasn't grand, she noticed, but then again, this wasn't a royal summons but rather a court summons.

She and Tiana stood, their appearances pristine and proper, before the carriage door opened. A small procession of maidservants welcomed them, and Shalltear made all the appropriate expressions and gestures as she moved upon the carpeted floor with delicate steps.

On the stairs' end were their prescribed guides—a sternly beautiful maid with a countenance that tried its best to appear serious but only managed displeasure, and a green-eyed, half-elf dressed in the formal royal guard uniform with a rune-inscribed saber on her left hip.

Shalltear smiled a delicate thing, as the pair bowed in sync: "On behalf of His Majesty, we would like to welcome you to Velena Palace, Lady Bloodfallen."

"Come now, Narberal. I told you to just refer to me as Shalltear. There's no need for such formalities among friends after all." She remarked, pointedly ignoring the squawk from Tiana.

Narberal, along with Solution and Lupusregina occasionally assisted in escorting Albedo to the Spa Resort when it came time for their monthly spa sessions. An act that was no doubt unknown to the king, as none of the Royal Guard ever played guard to the Lady Liaqen…

The knight spared a glance at the Pleiades Maid, studying.

…and it seemed the countess almost gave away that fact.

The Lightning Elementalist's face showed something akin to discomfort before the knight spoke up, voice sharp and clear:

"With all due respect, Lady Bloodfallen, such displays of familiarity should be reserved for private spaces, lest rumors begin to circulate."

Shalltear huffed at those words, but played along. "You Royal Knights are always so stiff. Though you should know that I'm not someone you deny."

That wasn't true, she was perhaps the most denied person she knew. But she liked saying the words… they made her feel like a proper exalted of the Nine.

The half-elf, rather than express offence at her words, merely bowed and offered an apology instead. The countess rolled her crimson eyes, an act that saw Narberal Gamma's face flash with amusement.

Though, she was quick to hide it.

Shalltear gestured to them to start walking, it would have been improper to just stand around chatting, after all. Not to mention the act would delay the other servants from their duties as leaving before the noble guest had been properly acquainted would be a severe breach of etiquette.

A breach that would most probably leave them without employment…and an unwashable stigma that would see them turned to outcasts among their kin.

Such was the risk of being a royal serf.

The others complied with her wishes with no vocal affirmation. To complete her overall look, Shalltear reached into her personal Riftspace (Inventory), the spatial fissure appearing just inches away from her right hand with a little exertion of her mana and intent.

She thrusted her hand into the lightless void without hesitation and grabbed at her favourite fan, an item made from the prismatic ore, Apoithakarah, and enchanted with cold charms. Far from intending to use it, it was the mere feel of its presence she desired.

…and to flaunt her wealth and draw some eyes.

Unexpectedly, the action reminded her of where she'd placed her ring. And thinking of it now, it was quite the obvious place to have put it, though she wondered what refrained her from looking in the first place.

Tiana was the one to speak next, "Well, dear knight, since it seems that you know our names, might we learn yours?"

The knight glanced at her maid, her thoughts hidden under a blank facade. Seriously, why were the royal guards so stiff and unflappable? Shalltear knew that the trait wasn't common to the Order. For instance, her own knights were a carefree lot…maybe a bit too much.

'Perhaps it's the food they feed them here?' She playfully mused before she was interrupted by the dame's words.

"I doubt such a thing will be necessary, Madam Nuryovas."

"Please call her Tiana. Any acts of respect will only serve to bolster her ego. And it is absolutely necessary, seeing as you'll spend the rest of the day in our company." The countess countered, fan flicking to shroud a part of her face, "And if that isn't enough to convince you than consider it an order."

The knight's expression finally crumbled, relenting. Shalltear noted the woman was actually easy on the eyes now that her face wasn't so hard. She guessed that even the brutal training of the Order wouldn't be enough to rob one of their natural beauty.

The dame gave a short bow, the rustling of her red cape giving the action a theatrical flair. "This one goes by the name of Syndra, Syndra of the Raerdirrith house."

The family name rang hollow to Shalltear's ears, but Tiana seemed to recognise it. Hmmm, perhaps she should ask about it later. After all, it wouldn't do for someone of her stature to appear ignorant.

The countess closed her fan and tapped the knight's breast plate playfully…teasingly.

"Now, was that so difficult to do?" The Valkyrie giggled, "Though I hope you won't mind me calling you, Syndra."

The knight tried to reject before catching herself. That made Shalltear grin even more…

'Oh, I like this one.'

The walk resumed, and she turned to Narberal, "Narberal, could you exalt me with one of your refreshing spells, I feel rather tired."

"Of course, my lady." The Elementalist stretched one of her hands and a cylindrical spell formula began to take shape, "[Rejuvenation]!"

A tingly sensation of both energy and relaxation washed over Shalltear and scared away the staleness that had claimed her muscles. And from the looks of it, it seemed the maid had been generous with her talents.

Honestly, if the girl hadn't been a royal serf and a special unit member, the countess would have employed her, gods knew how rare it was for a caster to learn convenient magic over those brutish spells of theirs.

Of course she pointedly ignored the fact that she too was a pursuer of destructive magic.

The small party continued with their walk, conversing and inquiring all the while. Shalltear learned that she was actually the last of the court members to arrive, barring the two royal members who were still locked in their bed chambers. That had made her cringe. It wasn't a pleasant thing to hear that your love interest was currently busy rearranging someone else's innards, after all.

Tiana had laughed…an act that earned her a thwack on the head.

Even so, the countess wondered how the maid and the knight came about that knowledge. Was there a royal schedule that informed them when the royals were due coupling? Or maybe the pair made announcements before they started?

She dared not ask the specifics, at least not now. Dame Syndra was already looking murderous as it was, and she feared dear Narberal would suffer the knight's ire if pushed further.

Still, this was great gossip to bring up in her next escapade with her friends. Oh, she could already see Albedo's smug face crumbling into so much embarrassment and humiliation.

The party came by the training grounds, where the off-duty royal guards resharpened their techniques and grace… If someone were to ask how they came by here, Shalltear would play it off as coincidental and unplanned.

Finding a suitable place, she and Tiana sat while Narberal stood in attendance and Syndra guarded them from no one at all. Even so, all the ladies watched the training grounds…each for different reasons. Of course hers and Tiana's primary reasons were similar: leering. It was honestly hard not to when all the knights were all handsome, half-naked men working up a good sweat.

Her secondary reason was to affirm if the Lord Liaqen had enhanced the royal knights' overall performance and potential with Generosity? Because these men fought on a higher level than her household's knights, worse, they were almost her equals in physical grace.

Shalltear watched as one Psy-Knight made a mockery out of a Bulwark Knight with a mutated Healing Factor. With her Sanguis Aspectu, she saw how the psyker overlaid the psionic force on his body and weapon to enhance his attributes.

But that wasn't all her analytical gaze revealed. It also identified weaknesses in the bodies of the two knights—weaknesses that would be anything but simple for her to capitalize on with her Spuit Lance had she been their opponent.

She ignored that part of her mystic eyes and just focused on the Psy-Knight's dance.

He tore through the tanker's defensives, a tethered connection of the esoteric power lazing the movements of his opponent. A wooden sword glowed with the caress of two energies as it opened a gash on the bulwark's trapezius. Blood sprayed out of the fresh wound, bringing the two's spar to a close.

The countess, even this far, felt her heritage connect to the fresh blood all the way to the knight's wound, wanting to drain out the strong essence from the thicker liquid. She cancelled the connection, unwanting.

She had come here to ogle and gauge, not to parasite from her king's knights.

Physicians and Healers rushed the ground, wanting to check up on the injured. They started to heal the wounds with spells and potions, careful not to over do the healing process, lest the knights lost growth from their painful efforts. The Physicians cast their [Bio-scans], working with the Flesh Moulders to mend the wounds with Grafting just enough to maximise benefits from the spar sessions.

The nuances of healing magic were a dizzying affair to watch through. Most of the spells cast hid so many temporal and nulling effects that a person couldn't just be treated with a single spell without losing something from it.

"That was a nice showing." Tiana said beside her, a bitten cream horn in her hand. Narberal, in a show of pure excellence, had prepared them tea and cakes.

Shalltear nodded after taking a sip of the warm flavoured water, "Quite, especially that Psy-Knight. He seems to be a natural with Mana Manipulation. Makes me wonder if he wouldn't have served better as an Artificer."

"You think his talents are wasted here, my lady?"

Syndra inquired beside her, her tone as bland as ever.

The countess shook her head, "Not with the way he goes about his talents. I'm sure if he had been an Artificer, someone like Cocytus would have lamented his potential as a warrior." She explained, before regarding the half-elf with a neatly trimmed raised brow, "What about you, Syndra. What did you think of their fight?"

"I think they could have done without the streaking, my lady."

That made Shalltear pause before laughing, who knew that the knight had it in her.

"A fair point, I suppose." She admitted, calming down, "But I was talking more in terms of their martial prowess?"

Syndra gave it thought, a hum escaping her larynx unnoticed, "Issac has always been a creative fighter with a lot of potential. Though he tends to focus more on spectacle flairs rather than efficiency. Although in this bout it seemed like he overpowered his opponent, this was only so due to the conditions set…and his blatant disregard for them."

"Oh, and what were those conditions?"

"Restrictions on mystical powers…at least ones that require conscious thought for their usage."

They all turned their attention to the training ground where the knight in question was getting a tongue lashing from the grounds master.

Shalltear supposed that was true, knights did have way more abilities than those two had shown, after all. Though that made her curious about one thing:

"I wonder why he did so…"

"Isn't it obvious, the bastard was trying to impress the maidservants who had gathered here." Tiana answered her query with some amusement in her tone.

Surprisingly, Syndra nodded in agreement. "Though know that such blatant disregard for orders is completely absent when he is on the clock."

And now she was looking out for him. Like a band of thieves, these knights.

An hour went by just like that, and some where during then, Commander Cocytus joined in the action and started decimating everyone of the knights. Shalltear was honestly curious how the man managed to detach himself from his clingy wife...

However the spectacle came to an end when the time for the court meeting came.

•••••••The Knight Order Exposition•••••••

Titles: Ser [Male] and Dame [Female]

Ranks: Squire [Trainee] and Knight [Anointed].

Specialities: Swordsmanship, Hand-to-Hand Combat, Spearing.

General Skills: Leadership, Riding, Diplomacy, Noble Etiquette, Husbandry, Scholar.

Recruitment:

To attain knighthood, aspiring individuals must undergo a rigorous recruitment process within the Order, which entails a multitude of trials, talents, and a significant dose of luck. Given their scarcity and formidable might, knights predominantly align their services and allegiances with the nobility. Consequently, the knighthood has been classified into two distinct categories among the common populace: the Royal Knights and the Noble Knights.

Duration:

It takes 7 years for one to go from a Recruit to Squire and then a Knight.

Awards:

Knighthood Status— Prestige.

Knight Armour— Legacy-grade item which is soul-bound.

Personal Weapon— Relic-grade weapon which is soul-bound.

Personal Mount— A uniquely bred horse.

Royal Appreciation— 10 platinum coins annual.

Assured Employment— Becoming a noble retainer.

Meta-Knowledge

Level: (70 - 85)

Job Classes

Fighter (10)

Sub-class [Knight (5)]

Swordsman (10)

Sub-class [Cosmic Swordsman (5)]

Weaponsmaster (10)

Mana Channeller (10)

Monster Slayer (10)

Champion (10)

========Author's Notes========

The Saint: I want to emphasize that this world is not a LitRPG or Gamelit setting, where there's an invisible system or experience points gained from combat. In this realm, abilities are firmly rooted in reality. The magic system is complex and unforgiving, and any mystical abilities attained require substantial effort and dedication.

I will expand on this in-story.

Point is, people won't be farting spells and magic just because they believed hard enough or are in an extreme emotional state.

The Knight Order will be expanded on in about 10 chapters.

And remember, the most of the characters that bear the names of the Guardians are just tributes, familiarities will be limited.

Remember to comment and provide feedback.

Bye bye!