Turning Chapter 1029

Chapter 1029

Emperor Keilusa greeted them with the Empress in the grand hall of the first palace, not the second palace. A few ministers, each carrying an aura of gentle yet substantial presence, quietly stood by his side.

"It's good to see you all here again in good health."

The members of the Cavalry seemed tense, not knowing why the Emperor had asked to see them here. All except one person, Yuder, who already knew that this place was more special than any other hall in the Imperial Palace.

'I can't believe he summoned the Cavalry here...'

The ceiling was so high that it looked down upon humans majestically, and the floor was painted in red, the symbol of the imperial family. Two special pillars stood on either side of the huge doors, with two ancient words engraved on them.

Even Yuder, who didn't know much about ancient languages, knew that those words meant 'glory'.

That's right. The place where Emperor Keilusa welcomed the Cavalry was none other than the Hall of Glory.

It was an honorable place where those who would become the heads of important organizations visited to be appointed, and where Yuder Aile had held his appointment ceremony as the Commander of the Cavalry under the name Yudrain Aile.

'I never thought I'd come back here like this.'

Even if they didn't come here for an appointment ceremony, being praised in the Hall of Glory meant having that much prestige. Just having entered this place to receive an award from the Emperor was enough to be treated differently from ordinary people. No matter what gossip was spread outside, at least now the Cavalry members would be treated on par with titled nobles within the Imperial Palace.

The memory of the appointment ceremony from his previous life briefly surfaced in his dream before quickly disappearing. Now, those memories were no longer nightmares for Yuder. Especially when he thought about what was to come.

"Everything you have accomplished in the South this time has been nothing short of miraculous. In the face of sudden danger and disaster, you risked your lives to save countless people, so I must also give you a fitting reward."

The Emperor's face, looking down at the faces of the tense Cavalry members who had bowed their heads, held a ruler-like coldness, but his eyes were gentle. When those eyes turned to his younger brother and Yuder standing right behind him, they briefly took on an even warmer glow.

"I declare that I will bestow upon the Cavalry and all those who have contributed to this matter, gold and jewels commensurate with their deeds after a detailed meeting. I will also grant the Cavalry as a whole a third-grade entry permit to the Imperial Palace, and this will be permanently assigned to all those who will belong to the Cavalry in the future."

Yuder was quite surprised inwardly.

'Aside from the financial rewards... a third-grade entry permit to the Imperial Palace?'

People perceive all the spaces within the First Wall of the capital as the Imperial Palace. However, in reality, the First Wall is quite wide. This was because the Sun Palace where the Emperor resided, other palaces where the imperial family stayed, and other buildings divided by purpose all existed within it.

Therefore, for those who had no business with the Emperor or members of the imperial family but only wanted to use other spaces within the First Wall, an Imperial Palace entry permit was created. Depending on the grade, the number of spaces that could be entered differed, and naturally, the higher the grade of the entry permit, the more places one could enter more easily.

Even nobles with titles had to go through complicated reporting and inspection procedures every time they visited if they didn't have an Imperial Palace entry permit, making the Imperial Palace entry permit itself considered another form of nobility.

As meaningful as it was, it wasn't given to just anyone, and when the Emperor changed, the Imperial Palace entry permit issued by the previous Emperor also lost its qualification, so it was said to be more difficult to maintain than a title.

Emperor Keilusa had bestowed it upon the entire Cavalry.

'The third grade is the lowest in effectiveness among the Imperial Palace entry permits. However, even among the nobles residing in the capital, there are countless people who don't even have that third-grade entry permit.'

In his previous life, Yudrain Aile naturally had a first-grade Imperial Palace entry permit. The first grade allowed one to freely enter where the Emperor was staying without separate contact in case of an emergency, and it was a high enough grade to be allowed to carry weapons around.

Of course, he actually used secret passages more often when meeting Emperor Katchian, so he rarely used it, but just by having a first-grade entry permit, Yuder was able to wield far more influence than the actual title he held.

'So in effect... it's almost the same as giving a title to the entire Cavalry. And permanently, even to those who will join in the future.'

If they had actually tried to bestow titles on the entire Cavalry, there would have been a much bigger uproar and opposition than when Yuder received the title of Baron Aile during the Western incident. Of course, if they wanted to break through that opposition, they could have, but the meaning of the Cavalry's achievements would have been damaged and erased in the process, and above all, it would have taken a long time.

However, the Imperial Palace entry permit was entirely the Emperor's authority, and since the qualification was lost upon his death, the nobles had no grounds to strongly oppose it. Yet, it could quickly take care of everything they wanted, so it could be called a truly practical choice.

'Granting entry permits doesn't preclude bestowing titles on those deserving, which will now begin quietly behind the scenes.'

The image of Emperor Katchian from his previous life, who used to bestow titles on the Cavalry as a means to control and shake others, came to mind. Compared to those times, when even meritorious deeds were met with threats or disdain, Emperor Keilusa proved to be truly astute.

As the Emperor finished his declaration, the Empress rose to follow. She personally presented medals made of the highest-grade magic stones and jewels to Yuder, the three Deputy Commanders, Gakane, and several other members, along with words of virtue. The members' faces brightened considerably when they heard that several of those medals would also be sent to the meritorious individuals in the South.

The medals alone were already a tremendous award, but the Emperor and Empress didn't stop there. They finally called Yuder out once more and bestowed an additional special award.

"Baron Yuder Aile. As of today, by imperial decree, your title is hereby elevated from non-heritable to heritable status as of today. As proof, this signet ring has been commissioned and is now awarded to you."

This was also a much simpler and more practical award than bestowing a new title. It was just the right line to barely shut the mouths of the nobles who were blindly opposing Yuder, fearing he might receive an even higher title, while still making them furious.

'A signet ring personally crafted by order of the Emperor and Empress...'

After receiving his baronial title previously, Yuder had boldly skipped the process of creating his own seal, reasoning that there was no point in crafting a seal for a title that wouldn't be passed down and would only be necessary for official documents.

Even when the officials who came to handle his title-related work were startled and asked if he was serious, he ignored them and ended it by substituting it with only his handwritten signature, completely erasing any related matters from his mind. He never thought he would separately receive this as a bestowal.

Yuder recited words of gratitude with his mouth out of habit while looking down at the box containing the signet ring the Empress had handed him. In his previous life, Yudrain Aile's seal used the emblem of an extinct family that he had been guided to use since he had no successor.

'It was a common emblem with two flowers drawn on a shield, I think.'

Unlike that seal, which he only used when stamping documents and had already become hazy in his memory, the pattern drawn on the box before his eyes was very delicate and beautiful.

'I don't think I've ever seen tree branches symbolizing nature occupying the outer frame part before.'

Between the tree branches spreading in all directions were lines like falling rays of light. Looking closely, each of them had different shapes and held various meanings.

The lines with pointed ends represented swords, and the lines divided into small, multiple strands represented light and fire. Some looked like wind, while others resembled water. Finally, the word 'Aile' placed at the very top was clean and concise, unlike the ancient-looking font commonly seen in the emblems of old families, but it somehow fit well.

To put all of that nicely on top of the wood, the creator must have agonized quite a bit. Yuder quietly gazed at it and bowed deeply.

"I was too preoccupied to commission a seal for myself, Your Majesty. That you would concern yourself with such a minor matter and bestow this kindness upon me, I am deeply moved."

"Do you like it?" the Emperor quietly asked. It was unexpected for him to ask such a question after bestowing an award, as he had never done so before, but Yuder answered honestly.