Chapter 22

My breath forms white clouds in the cold air. A thin layer of frost remains on the stone pavement of the square below.

My teeth chatter, not just from the cold, but from nervousness.

Behind me, the King, Queen, and a line of distinguished nobles stand in formation.

Beyond them, the Carving Regiment is arrayed.

Dressed in brand new dark blue capes and formal uniforms, they stand at attention, holding their instruments. They must be clenching their teeth from the cold and tension, their eyes sharper than usual, focused on me.

I nod slightly to the first conductor, Jean.

As Jean raises his baton, the drummers take their positions.

Yes.

It’s impressive. I’m in awe. Their posture is perfect.

Jean’s baton rises high, and with a whistle, the lead drum begins its monotonous roll. After 12 repetitions, the formation starts to move.

As we advance to the center of the square, I raise my hand, and Jean’s whistle stops the drum roll.

The movement is precise, their stern faces unchanged.

The disciplined movement of the trained knights changes the atmosphere of the square.

I signal to the trumpeter, Arthur, and the solemn prologue begins.

I gently wave my long, beautiful baton.

The first conductor, Jean, and the second conductor, Leopold, then move the formation.

Dark blue winter uniforms.

The hems and collars of the capes are embroidered with the traditional patterns and crest of Carving, sewn with silver thread.

The soldiers, wearing hats pulled low over their heads, have white gloves that stand out against the blue sky.

All designed by Mr. Peyan.

I wear a long white coat with a stand-up collar to match my priestly attire.

The command baton, as tall as me, is adorned with gold and jingles with every movement.

When the wind flutters my long coat, it looks like a painting.

This was a gift from Mr. Peyan to the Etua Temple, tailored specifically for me.

With this performance, the Carving Regiment will be popular for a while.

The autumn tour of the Maiden Princess was suddenly postponed a month before the scheduled date due to a visit to a disaster-stricken area in another region.

This is common, but the citizens who had been looking forward to it were disappointed.

Then, another request came.

A performance by the Carving Regiment for the King’s inspection.

Since the Spring Festival, Mr. Joshua had been adding training to the regiment.

This became a rumor, and it seems the Queen, who is of knightly origin, took an interest.

They were called to perform as entertainment the day after the New Year’s Festival, where all the distinguished rulers of the country gather.

The regiment, which had been practicing more complex performances and adding more instruments for the Maiden Princess tour, saw a surge in morale for the inspection performance.

For some reason, Mr. Romelia came to the Etua Temple and offered to help with the performance.

Without mentioning Mr. Peyan’s name, I talked to Mr. Joshua, but it seems Mr. Joshua already knew.

The priestly attire was donated in Mr. Peyan’s name, after all.

The symphony, twice as long as the one from the Spring Festival, was rearranged. More brass instruments were added, and the focus was on aligning the movements rather than making them flashy, resulting in a more disciplined and military-like appearance.

Musically, it still has room for improvement, but what is required here is the discipline of a military unit.

The precision of the movements, which show the elite nature of the border guards, and the high morale, are evident in the short performance.

I paid attention to these details while arranging the performance.

The fanfare rings out, and the soldiers shout.

"Glory to our country! Gratitude to the goddess!"

Of course, in the ancient language.

Mr. Peyan also praised this performance. It feels good to be praised by someone with good taste.

With a loud thud, I strike my long baton, and the soldiers turn in unison, marching off the stage in perfect formation.

A loud applause breaks the silence in the hall.

I turn and bow deeply to the King and Queen, and to Mr. Joshua, who is seated in the same row, as well as the Maiden Princess and the High Priest beside him.

The King and Queen are very pleased. That’s good.

Lady Alicia is trying hard to talk to Mr. Joshua.

Mr. Joshua, who doesn’t seem to hear her, nods at me, and I return the nod.

As I step down from the podium and head to the waiting tent, the knights cheer.

I place a finger to my lips, meaning, "Not yet, we’re still in front of the King."

Everyone looks embarrassed and falls silent, but laughter leaks from the edges of their mouths.

We must maintain our performance until we leave the ceremony venue. We can’t disappoint the audience.

But, I’m tired. My teeth finally stop chattering.

It’s cold, and I was so nervous.

I sigh and reflect on what’s to come.

After this, there will be a consolation dinner at the palace.

Before that, I need to oversee the loading of the instruments from the tent onto the wagons.

Since the instruments are already packed, I need to make sure they are loaded onto the wagons.

The dinner will be relaxed as Mr. Joshua and the other guests won’t be attending, but I need to be careful not to wander around the palace, as Commander Gordon has warned me.

I take a candy from my priestly attire and pop it into my mouth.

"U, hahaha. Candy again."

Jean can’t help but laugh.

Everyone else chuckles too.

This is special candy given to me by the High Priest, small star-shaped sweets.

I push the bag towards Jean, and he distributes it to everyone.

Sweet things help relieve tension and fatigue.

We can’t let our guard down until we leave the palace, so let’s take a short break here.