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Accompanied by Mardov, the group moved to the Main Hall. A gigantic chandelier hung from the ceiling, and huge paintings depicting episodes from the founding era adorned the walls. The glittering hall was adorned with flags bearing the Jurnova family crest and the flag of the Knights of Jurnova.
In addition to the Imperial Capital’s permanent guard, the Knights of the Duchy, who had been recruited for tomorrow’s guard duty, were lined up in rows in the Great Hall.
There were about 100 of them in total. The sight of knights dressed in formal attire and carrying swords, lined up in orderly, dignified regalia, was a spectacular sight.

.

I heard the Knights of Jurnova numbered around 1,000.
In the past, the Knights of Jurnova had served as the family’s private army, constantly engaged in battles against other nations or noble houses. But now, four hundred years into the Empire’s reign, both domestic and foreign affairs had long stabilized. These days, the knights’ primary duty was hunting down magical beasts. The Jurnova domain was home to some of the most dangerous of such creatures, and so the Knights of Jurnova—who fought them—were famed as one of the strongest and most disciplined forces in the realm. They also took part in disaster relief and rescue operations.

I guess if I were to adapt them to modern values, they’d probably be something like a hybrid between a Monster Defense Force from a tokusatsu show and the Japanese Self-Defense Force?
They held a selection for new recruits to fill vacant positions every April, and those chosen would swear their oath of loyalty on the eve of the imperial procession. The strong and noble Knights of Jurnova were an object of admiration throughout the Jurnova lands, with hopeful applicants flooding in each year.

However, it seemed that not all territories held their knights in such esteem. In some regions, the knights were merely the tyrannical lord’s enforcers, or lazy money drains on the domain’s finances, amongst other things. Speaking of, there was one Knight Order that numbered around ten thousand strong—making them a massive money guzzler—and their main purpose was oppressing revolutions (or rather, uprisings?) of the impoverished peasants burdened by heavy taxes, and it was the Knights of Jurmagna. No wonder they were despised by the common folk.

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“His Grac, Duke Aleksei Jurnova and, Lady Ekaterina Jurnova, have arrived!”

At Rozen’s resounding announcement, the assembled knights clicked their heels, placed their fists to their chests, and bowed their heads.
Led by Rozen, Aleksei and Ekaterina advanced before the knights and took their place upon a raised platform facing them.

“Raise your heads.”

At Rozen’s command, the knights lifted their faces to gaze upon the Jurnova siblings.

Their expressions, directed toward the beautiful brother and sister, were filled with deep emotion and joy.

First, Aleksei.
Aleksei had been ten when their grandfather, Sergei, passed away. At thirteen, he led his first magical-beast subjugation mission. In that debut, he displayed such power, courage, and composure that his knights came to revere him—his ability to slay beasts with his own strength, his level-headed command decisions, and his intelligence all earning their loyalty.
Though Aleksei had been the de facto leader of the order since his grandfather’s death, the formal position still belonged to his father, Aleksandr. Until last year, it was Aleksandr who received the knights’ vows of loyalty, and their lady patron had been their grandmother, Alexandra.
But the knights had never respected Aleksandr—a man who sent a mere boy on dangerous missions while he himself played lord only at banquets and ceremonies.
Now, the one who had shared their hardships since childhood was finally, in both name and truth, becoming their leader. As Aleksei received the loyalty of new knights, the veterans could not help but feel deeply moved.

Then there was Ekaterina.
When Sergei died and Aleksandr inherited the title, it should have been his wife, Anastasia, who served as the order’s lady patron. But Anastasia was denied her rightful honor, imprisoned, and met a tragic end.
To the knights, Ekaterina was the daughter who had suffered beside her mother—the tragic young lady mistreated by her cruel grandmother.
And by now, the tales spread by Mardov had reached everyone: how Ekaterina was brilliant like her brother, yet humble and kind; how she sent sweets to her tutor’s little daughter; how, when a magical beast appeared at her academy, she had bravely stayed behind to fight while her classmates fled.
Now, at fifteen, this young lady appeared before them for the first time—and she was beautiful as a goddess.
Was there any lady more fitting to be the knights’ patroness? The hearts of the assembled knights swelled with reverence.

If Ekaterina knew what they were all thinking, she would probably clutch her head and scream, “I’m sorry! I swear I’m a fraud!”

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Today, those swearing their oaths of loyalty and offering their swords to her were four men: Rozen the Commander, His Vice-Commander, and two captains stationed in the capital.
Ten new recruits—including Mardov—would also swear their loyalty to Aleksei first, then offer their swords to Ekaterina.

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In this ceremony, when a knight offered their sword, the recipient would take it and touch it to the knight’s shoulder.
The exact manner differed slightly among knightly orders—some tapped lightly, some merely touched the shoulder, while others struck hard enough to leave bruises.
Jurnova belonged to the “light tap” school. The older the order, the more likely it was to favor the “strike-hard-for-spirited-determination” style (basically “battle spirit injection”). Both Jurmagna and Jursein were said to do the latter. But the Jurnova founder’s wife, Kristina—the very first lady of the knights—had been a gentle, petite woman, unsuited for such violent gestures.
Sergei, the founder himself, was said to have been a devoted husband. When a retainer mocked Kristina’s gentle way, Sergei supposedly drew his sword and said, “Then I’ll cut you down in her stead.” A wild yet romantic tale. Their portrait still hung in the gallery—Sergei was tall, while Kristina, small and delicate, made for quite the contrast beside him.
Incidentally, the Imperial Knight Order—the emperor’s personal order—were the “just-touch-the-shoulder” type, mainly because their massive membership made simplicity a necessity.

Thank you, Lady Kristina. I could never whack fourteen people hard enough to leave bruises. I mean, these are swords—metal rods! If I accidentally swing too hard, wouldn’t that break a bone?
Apparently, though, “spirit-injection shoulder fractures” are a common knightly workplace hazard…
I’m so glad our order’s gentle about it.

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First, Commander Rozen drew his sword, knelt, and presented it to Ekaterina with both hands.
The swords used by the knights of the Empire were sabers—slightly curved like Japanese blades, with the upper third double-edged for both slashing and thrusting. They were both beautiful and practical.

“I, Efrem Rozen, Commander of the Knights of Jurnova, dedicate my sword, the soul of chivalric code, with love and loyalty to the noble lady of our order, Lady Ekaterina.”

Receiving the sword from Rozen, Ekaterina touched it gently to his shoulder and spoke her oath:

“I, Ekaterina, gladly accept the loyalty of Commander Rozen. I thank you for your past service and look forward to your continued devotion.”

Then she lightly tapped his shoulder with the flat of the blade, held the sword aloft, and returned it to him.

“My lady.”

Rozen lifted the sword once more and bowed deeply.

.

…Wait, was that last line actually part of the ceremony?
Still, having a dignified gentleman like Rozen kneel before me was both awe-inspiring and heart-pounding.
What a wonderful, history-lover’s dream of an event! Though honestly, I was so nervous I’d rather have been hiding in a corner watching instead of being the one receiving swords.
But as Onii-sama’s sister, I have no such choice.
Thirteen more to go—hang in there, me!

Despite Ekaterina’s frantic inner panic, the ceremony proceeded without a hitch.
The ten new members were officially welcomed into the Knights of Jurnova.

And when the vows were complete and Aleksei and Ekaterina departed, the hall erupted in cheerful chatter. The new recruits were warmly congratulated by their seniors—each one saying how lucky they were to have been able to offer their swords to those two.