The assassins who had appeared with such overwhelming momentum, aiming for the Emperor.
When taking Kain’s life proved difficult due to the fierce resistance of the Imperial Guard, they seemed to change their target.
From the moment Kain invoked the authority of a Star Throne through his Sigil, their original plan had already gone awry.
The jet-black assassins appeared to judge that achieving their initial objective was now impossible.
Thus, rather than pointlessly maintaining the barrier, they decided to turn Kain’s coronation into a scene of nightmare and shifted their approach.
Some had demonized their very existence due to the terror they displayed at the start of the coronation, but this clearly proved they were intelligent beings.
“Take cover!”
The moment a knight’s warning rang out, dozens of daggers thrown skyward by the assassin began splitting mid-air while scattering thick black aura.
Even by rough estimate, they easily exceeded several hundred.
To slaughter as many lives as possible in the shortest time, they had chosen the most efficient method.
Though the power of each divided fragment was mediocre compared to their original strength, it was more than enough to take the lives of innocent citizens.
“No…!”
A horrific nightmare seemed about to unfold vividly before their eyes.
Star Throne or whatever—do something about this situation! I have to protect these people!
And at the very moment Kain burned with desperation inside…
[The Baron of Protection, Vendelhaven, is moved by your noble resolve and permits the use of his authority.]
[The authority of the Baron of Protection, Vendelhaven, “Noble Shield,” activates.]
Another authority of Vendelhaven manifested.
A single Sigil represented one Star Throne, but the authorities exercisable through a Sigil were not limited to one.
However, to be granted new authorities, one normally needed continual communion with the Star Throne that owned the Sigil and raise basic proficiency by using its powers.
At this moment, Vendelhaven responded to Kain’s intense will to protect others and skipped all the tedious procedures to grant a new authority.
In that instant, Kain felt the power of the Star Throne settle in both his hands.
Though quite far from the citizens, an intense certainty welled up that using this power would protect them all.
There is no reason to hesitate.
The Baron of Protection, Vendelhaven, was a moderate Star Throne; he did not demand heinous resources as the price for using his Sigil.
At most, a small amount of mana.
Kain unhesitatingly manifested the authority.
As he stretched out both arms, his body rose into the air.
The golden aura flowing from his entire body reached the tens of thousands of citizens and formed protective barriers around them.
The hundreds—thousands—of daggers the assassin rained down arrived late, but they could not pierce the barriers completed by the power of a Star Throne.
“Cough!”
He had succeeded in protecting the citizens, but…
Because an untrained body had used such immense authority, immediately after activation Kain vomited dark-red blood and crashed toward the center of the grand plaza.
Thanks to Baron Heinrich Denver—who had suffered a deep abdominal wound—rushing to catch him, greater injury was avoided, but Kain belatedly realized he had overtaxed the wastrel body with the authority.
I overdid it. Even the tiny amount of mana I had is now completely empty.
His vision blurred.
An emptied circle would recover with time, but for now he could do nothing.
If he forced actions requiring continuous mana while the circle was empty, the consequences would be irreversible.
“His Imperial Majesty has protected us!”
“Long live His Imperial Majesty!”
The golden wave that began from Kain had clearly shielded the innocent, so the citizens chanted the Emperor’s name in joyous acclaim.
Though he had vomited blood, the outcome was the best possible.
In a coronation watched by countless citizens, their Emperor had personally saved their lives.
Two still remain…
Yet even amid the fervent praise, Kain could not rest easily.
Staggering, his gaze remained fixed on the two remaining assassins.
The pair that had beenently focused on maintaining the barrier now slowly shifted to combat readiness.
Accordingly, the dark walls and barrier covering the grand plaza began to recede.
Having failed to kill the Emperor, the assassins seemed determined to slaughter as many loyalist nobles as possible and drew longswords infused with black aura.
But…
This is the worst miscalculation.
They had overestimated their own strength.
And underestimated the power of the few remaining heroes of the Felberg Empire.
Changing targets here stemmed from the judgment that, though they could not kill the Emperor, they could still massacre many loyalist nobles.
The judgment itself was not wrong.
But abandoning barrier maintenance to draw their swords was a blunder.
Before they could begin proper slaughter, an entity brimming with enormous mana appeared in the grand plaza.
“Heh heh heh, so the rumors were true.”
A pointed hat and tattered grey robe reminiscent of a stereotypical fantasy novel mage.
An old wooden staff with no distinguishing features—not even a common magic crystal.
An old mage with time-worn white hair and beard contrasting a nearly wrinkle-free face appeared beside Kain.
Neither Baron Heinrich Denver nor Count Steiner Landerck had reacted.
The moment knights noticed the old man’s approach and hastily tried to respond, he raised both hands to show he meant no fight.
“I am an ally. Though exiled a hundred years ago, I remain loyal to the imperial house.”
At the extraordinary old man’s gentle smile, Kain let out a quiet chuckle.
From his appearance and the line about being exiled a hundred years ago yet still loyal, Kain knew who he was.
A Meister-class grand mage wrongfully accused and exiled a century ago.
In the setting, known as the Exiled Grand Mage.
In the main story without DLCs applied, he never appeared.
This was Damien Pavel’s first entrance.
At the coronation, Kain had survived a deadly crisis using the power of his Sigil.
Though another massacre had nearly occurred due to the last remaining assassins, thanks to the unexpected aid of Grand Mage Damien Pavel—who revealed himself after a hundred years—the threat was eliminated without further casualties.
The moment Kain confirmed the final assassin fall, he lost consciousness.
He had exhausted all stamina and mana.
He regained consciousness three days after the coronation.
[The Main Story Chapter 1: The Bloody Coronation has been completed. A random Sigil is granted as reward.]
[Engraving of the Sigil of the Viscount of Swiftness, Brignac, successful.]
The moment he awoke, Kain checked the system message in the corner of his vision.
The random reward for surviving the coronation was the Sigil of the Viscount of Swiftness, Brignac.
As the title suggested, Brignac was a lower-ranked Star Throne than Vendelhaven, but it was also one that could grant Kain a power he desperately needed right now.
“Momentary Swiftness, was it?”
The representative authority contained in Brignac’s Sigil automatically granted acceleration and enhancement to perception, reflexes, and overall physical abilities when the bearer faced a critical situation.
Compared to the absurd authority the Crimson Archduke had once displayed, it might seem modest.
Yet upon seeing the Sigil he had obtained, Kain breathed a sigh of relief.
In truth, this Sigil’s authority was arguably the most necessary for him at present.
The body of Kain, who had lived as a wastrel for so long, was untrained and thus vulnerable to surprise attacks.
Even in the grand plaza earlier, his body had failed to react to the sudden ambush.
Without escorts, he would already have died then.
No matter how many Sigils one possessed, if one could not activate them, death came helplessly.
The fact that the authority of swiftness would automatically activate in a critical moment to accelerate the body…
Meant securing the time needed to activate other Sigils in emergencies.
In that sense, possessing this Sigil was like being granted an extra life.
“Not bad.”
Recalling the settings of the newly acquired Sigil, Kain smiled quietly.
In this dark fantasy world that had seemed devoid of dreams or hope, a ray of light finally appeared.
Though he had spent nearly the entire day lying down due to extreme exhaustion, his condition was excellent.
Kain had been feeling heavy pressure at the reality of having to replace the dead protagonist and see the ending.
But now hope was visible; he could relax a little.
“Let’s rest for now.”
He needed to recover his depleted stamina before seeking further opportunities.
Kain lay in bed, quietly closed his eyes, and rested.
While he rested, Aaron Valerian led priests of the Emperor’s Cult to support his recovery.
Several days passed like that.
“The priest says there is no major health issue, but because Your Majesty completely drained the mana from your circle, you must convalesce for at least three more days.”
Due to overusing the Sigil, even after maximal rest Kain still spent most of his day in bed.
Baron Heinrich Denver, anxious beside him as escort commander, relayed the priest’s words.
“Three days…”
The former wastrel prince Kain—who had survived what was essentially a scheduled death at the coronation and become the undisputed Emperor of the Felberg Empire—let out a deep sigh at Denver’s words.
“Baron Denver. I’m sorry, but I cannot stay cooped up in the bedroom for three days.”
“Your Imperial Majesty, I beg your pardon, but it is not three days—it is ‘at least’ three. It cannot be shortened further. If you leave the bedroom before three days pass, Count Landerck will have my head.”
Despite Denver’s pleading, Kain’s expression remained full of dissatisfaction.