Chapter 62
3rd POV
The knights were all deeply moved.
When Sergei died and Alexandre succeeded the title, Anastasia, Alexandre's wife, was supposed to be the Lady of the Order. However, Anastasia died a horrible death after being imprisoned without receiving due honor.
Ekaterina was a tragic daughter who had been treated atrociously by her grandmother along with her mother. This is what the knights had imagined.
In addition, the story of Mardu, who came into direct contact with Ekaterina, has become all the rage. Like her brother Alexei, Ekaterina is brilliant, yet humble and kind. She always sends sweets to her tutor's young daughter which was such a kind of womanly concern. However, when a magical beast appeared in the school, she showed her dignified courage to fight it herself, allowing her classmates a chance to escape from the carnage.
Today, Ekaterina appeared in front of the knights for the first time, all dolled up and beautiful like a goddess, looking mature beyond her fifteen years. Who could be more suitable as the noble Lady of the Order? The hearts of the knights in attendance were filled with emotion.
If Ekaterina knew the inner thoughts of those knights, she would have said, "Excuse me! I'm sorry for scamming you!", she would probably scream with her hands on her head.
Today, there are four people who pledge allegiance and offer their swords to Ekaterina, including the Knight Commander Rozen, the Deputy Knight Commander, and the two captains who have come to the Imperial Capital.
Then, ten people, including Mardu, pledged their swords to Alexei and then to Ekaterina, as they were knighted into the Order.
When a knight offers his sword, the recipient is supposed to take the offered sword and strike the knight on the shoulder with it.
There are subtle differences in the manner of striking the knight, with some knights striking lightly, some striking just the shoulder, and some striking so hard that a bruise appears.
Yurinova is a light hitter. I heard that Yurimagna and Yurisein both beat their knights vigorously, but Yurinova was not suitable for the beating because Christina, the wife of Sergei, the founder of the order, was a kind and gentle woman.
Sergei seems to have been a devoted husband to his wife, and there was once an episode of his wife where a vassal complained about the way she pulled her sword out, to which Sergei responded that he would be the one to beat him up instead.
The Imperial Knights, the knights of the imperial family, are of the school that only applies it to the shoulders. It is said that this was simplified because it is the largest in the Imperial Kingdom and has many people.
Thank you, Christina-san. It is impossible for me to beat the shoulders of fourteen people to the point of bruising. In fact, swords are like metal rods. If you accidentally hit it hard enough, won't it break their bones?
That is what I thought, but I heard that bone fractures caused by the impact of fighting spirit are a common occurrence in knightly orders......I'm really glad I'm still just a child.
First, Knight Commander Rozen pulls his sword out of its scabbard, kneels down, and presents it to Ekaterina as an offering.
The sword used by the imperial knights is saber-shaped and lightly curved, like a Japanese sword. About a third of the way from the tip is double-edged. It is a functional and beautiful sword that can be used for both cutting and thrusting.
"I, Efrem Rozen, Commander of the Order of Yurinova, dedicate my sword, the soul of a knight, to the noble Lady of my Order, Lady Ekaterina, with love and loyalty."
Ekaterina took the sword from Rozen and tapped the blade on his shoulder as he recited the oath of allegiance. Then she uttered the oath.
"Ekaterina accepts the allegiance of Knight Commander Rozen with joy. I thank you for your past work and look forward to your future diligence."
She then gently struck him on the shoulder with the flat of her sword and held it in dedication before returning it to Rozen's hand.
"My Lady."
Again, holding the sword like an offering, Rozen bowed deeply.