Ch. 51 – Twelve Years Later

Over ten years of Maven acting as the Saintess flew by in a blur. Ever since she firmed her resolve to face reality all that time ago, Maven had busily worked to build herself a base of support - all to prepare for the upcoming war with the demon race.

As of late, Maven felt pretty confident in her chances. The average citizen was on her side, the Wings of the Saintess held a fair bit of political and economic power, and Maven's position was practically unassailable. How could her confidence not grow through the roof?

"Are you ready to go, Maven?" Fae asked as she helped Maven don her ceremonial robes. Now fifteen years old, the ornate clothing suited Maven's adolescent stature much more than it used to - serving to emphasize her pristine and otherworldly beauty.

Despite Fae and Shayna growing used to the sight of Maven in full Saintess-mode, they still ended up positively enamored at the vision of perfection in front of them. Luckily, they managed to shake themselves out of their stupor to ensure Maven looked presentable for the King's birthday celebration.

"I guess so... You know I don't like that calculating king, so why do I have to go and put on a show for his stupid birthday?" Maven said in displeasure, cheeks puffed cutely as she pouted.

"Now, now, young Miss, the citizens are looking forward to seeing you. Surely you wouldn't want to let them down? Why not just enjoy the opportunity to go outside? You so rarely get to do so, after all." Shayna spoke comforting and encouraging words as she took care of any last touches.

With everyone all set, Maven and company all entered the prepared magic carriage in front of the church. To avoid the appearance of subservience to the Church of Light, the King decided to host the event in the grand plaza near the palace. Thus, Maven had to take a bit of a hike to get to her destination. Fae, Shayna, Kannon, and Henna all kept Maven entertained during the journey.

When Maven's carriage arrived, the plaza was already packed to the brim with people. At the front, the area nearest to the palace, a large stone stage could be seen floating a meter or two above the cobblestone ground. As fantastical as that sight may be, what really drew the eye were the enormous magical projections that allowed those at the back to see the King's address - like the fantasy version of a movie and hologram hybrid.

"Thank you for joining me here for this joyous event, my citizens!" The King proclaimed grandly. "It's your support that gives our kingdom its strength." While emphasizing the word strength, he motioned towards the sky. This motion led Maven to look up, wondering what the King could have up his sleeve. Shrewd as he was, he would definitely take this opportunity to make an impression.

*Whoosh*

Dozens of strikingly beautiful marble platforms blinked into existence high above the crowd and gradually descended towards the ground.

"Oooooo!"

The crowd exclaimed in surprise as the small platforms approached, eventually noticing what they carried - dozens and dozens of finely dressed noble men and women. Those nobles riding the impressive magical platforms eventually settled a few meters above the crowds heads. Though most of the citizens were simply impressed with the showmanship of the performance, a few looked rather displeased at the fact that nobles were literally looking down on them. However, the nobles just preened themselves pridefully while ignoring the dirty commoners and bowing toward the king.

"Those wastrels..." Henna's disembodied voice drifted about the carriage in response to the sight.

"Indeed," Shayna replied while nodding in agreement, "I can only imagine the hundreds of thousands of gold coins those fools spent to show off like this. Those floating platforms are known to be horribly inefficient while the magic gems that power them aren't cheap."

"But isn't it cool?!" Kannon asked from her perch on Maven's head. "I know exactly how awesome it feels to float through the air and look down at the world below!"

Smiling at Kannon's childish arm waving, Fae said, "I don't think those nobles are up to anything nearly so innocent. They probably just wanted to show off their wealth and power to cow the populace."

"That's horrible! Bullying is wrong!" Kannon shouted while waving her tiny fist through the air, brow adorably wrinkled in displeasure.

"Yes, it is." Maven said with a gentle smile. "Now, we can't hide in here forever. Let's go meet the King. You feeling up to some mischief, Henna? Wouldn't it be fun to pull a prank on those stuck up nobles while we're up there? "

"Fufufu, You've sure changed, Maven... Never thought you'd be the one to instigate a prank, but I like it!" Henna said with an invisible smirk. "I'll find the most arrogant noble and give 'em a nice wedgie - it's a goddess' job to reward the people."

Exiting the carriage, Maven and her entourage put on their game face and gracefully approached the stage. As they walked, the group forced themselves to ignore both the feverish gazes of the ground-locked commoners and the inscrutable eyes of the nobility.

"Maaaaven, I hate it when people just stare at us like this!" Kannon whined as they arrived right at the edge of the stage, just as the King finished a lovely and rousing speech - which Maven just let flow in one ear and out the other.

Spotting the Maven's arrival, the King said, "And now, lovely people of the capital, lease give a warm welcome to the pride and joy of our kingdom - the Saintess of Light! She was kindly joined us here today to bless this joyous occasion and take care of you all!" The King was practically shouting by the end, appealing his love for the people while inviting Maven to join him on the stage.

The crowd, seeing their most respected ruler and most beloved Saintess at the same time, almost went mad with joy.