I was a demon woman belonging to the group known as the Civil Official Girls.
In that moment, I was overwhelmed with emotion.
Taking place before my very eyes was the Ritual of Land Creation—the legend of the man guided by a phoenix to become the world's first king. The sword bestowed by a fairy served as the symbol of the power to rule the world, while the shield represented the power to protect it. According to the lore, despite wielding such artifacts, the man did not succumb to the allure of power. By showing the magnanimity to entrust them to others, he was recognized by God as worthy of kingship.
In the versions of the story commonly known to the public, the sword was handed to a human warrior and the shield to a Dragon Shrine Maiden. However, I had desperately wanted the Demon King to be the person to receive the sword here. When I proposed the idea to the Village Head, he agreed immediately. As expected of the Village Head; he truly understood.
So then, why were you so flustered, Lord Demon King? Please, receive the sword with dignity. We performed a very thorough rehearsal, after all.
I had wanted to hand the shield to a Dragon Shrine Maiden as well, but I couldn't think of a suitable candidate. While I was fretting over what to do, Lord Dos volunteered for the role. Since he was a dragon himself, there was no problem at all. Yes, that shouldn't be an issue, right? I was counting on him.
Finally, as for the role of presenting the crown... yes, I left that to Shiso-san. I understood her feelings well; since she had helped us plan this ritual from the start, it was a responsibility she refused to yield.
"Eh? You’re going to purify your body for the ritual now?"
That was fine, but I warned her that being late was strictly forbidden. The real performance was scheduled for the following morning.
"Oh? What is it, little cat?"
The cat seemed to be meowing in protest. Come to think of it, his name was the same as the deity who handed over the crown in the legends. Still, it was simply impossible for a cat to present a crown during a ceremony. I promised to scratch his head later and asked him to forgive us.
Whenever I closed my eyes, the memory of all the hardships we had faced up to that point came rushing back... No, that wouldn't do. It would be a waste. I had to keep my eyes open and sear this sight into my memory.
While the Village Head climbed the yagura float to change his costume, I moved on to the next set of preparations. I checked with the Demon King to see if his boarding timing was alright and asked what he planned to do with the sword. Did he want to hold it throughout the parade? That was fine, but I told him not to lose it.
Lord Dos was also appearing in the parade, so I directed him to his designated spot. When I asked about the shield, he asked me to take charge of it for a moment. He then handed me an additional, older shield to hold.
"I understand, but... what is this shield?"
Honestly, compared to the shield Gatto-san had crafted, this one had a very simple construction. Lord Dos explained that it was the shield used during the ritual of old, passed down through the dragon race for generations. I asked if they had performed this same ritual somewhere else before.
"Eight thousand years ago?"
I thought he was pulling my leg—that was the actual era of the original Land Creation.
"Wait... this is the real thing? ...Y-You’re joking, right?"
With a thunderous boom, the fire pillars from Granmaria and the other Angels' dive-bombing runs rose into the air. The sound resonated deep within my chest. Traditionally, there were only three Fires of Nation Building, but we had doubled the number to six for this event. I didn't think it was good to simply mimic tradition in every detail; sometimes, reform was necessary.
And no, it was absolutely not because the Angels had gotten into a fight over which of them would be excluded from the performance. Truly.
The Village Head’s costume changes were proceeding smoothly, shifting from the Spider King to the Beast King and then the Bird King. It had been well worth the effort of consulting with Lady Zabuton. Finally, he would become King Urulbraza, the hero who defeated a Demon King from several generations past. As a demon, it gave me somewhat complex feelings, but he was a figure that simply could not be omitted from the narrative.
Come to think of it, back when the Village Head first returned from the Northern Dungeon, Lady Lu and Lady Tia had been researching King Urulbraza. I wondered what that had been about. It was right around the time Urza-chan arrived at the village, if I recalled correctly.
Oops, I couldn't get distracted now. It was almost time for the parade participants to rotate. I had to be especially careful to relay the instructions to Lady Flora and Lady Yuri, who had agreed to participate in the second half. If I made a mistake and they missed their turn, they would certainly hold a grudge. I made sure to communicate clearly with everyone else as well.
"Oh? Lady Yuri, are you swapping places with the Demon King?"
And when did Gol, Sil, and Bron arrive? I thought they weren't supposed to be coming back yet. Had they been brought here by force? They were going to ride the palanquin with Lady Yuri and act as flag-bearers? I wished them luck.
"Lord Alfred. Please finish up your conversation with Gol and the others. It’s almost time to depart."
"Wait... Lady Lu, Lady Tia, Lady Ria, Lady Ann, Lady Hakuren, Lady Frau, Lady Sena, and Lady Rusty. Are you all staying on the yagura float? Swapping with Lady Flora and Lady Ya? I mean, that's fine, but... is that really alright?"
I eventually accepted their decision. However, it would be meaningless if the Village Head got down; there was no substitute for him. I told him he only had a little further to go and asked him to hang in there.
I asked Lady Zabuton to fix the Village Head’s costume, as it had become slightly disarrayed. For the second half, Kuro and Yuki were also going to climb onto the yagura. Since the Village Head was exhausted, I hoped they would provide him with some comfort. Since Kuro and Yuki were leaving their posts, Uno took over as the substitute leader. He looked a bit nervous, but with Kurosan there to support him, there was no need to worry.
Many of the suggestions I had proposed were incorporated into this parade. I was incredibly happy, and the experience was genuinely fun. If I had to voice a single complaint, it would be regarding Aegis, the phoenix chick. I understood he was still just a hatchling, but I couldn't help wishing he had grown a bit more for the occasion. He was round and adorable, which didn't quite fit the majestic image I had in mind.
Still, it was fine. I just had to use my mind's eye. If I looked closely enough, I could see the figure of a powerful, regal phoenix.
Wait... Aegis was a male, right? Or was he a female? Well, I suppose either way was fine.
On a side note, I asked the Fairy Queen if it was really alright to yield the role of handing the sword and shield to Urza-chan. She had mentioned that if she were the one to hand them over, it would "cease to be a joke." I pointed out that the items being presented were just a sword and shield made by Gatto-san, but she insisted the items themselves didn't matter—it was the act of who handed them over that carried weight. As proof, she claimed that during the original event, the sword was just a wooden stick and the shield was something they had picked up off the ground.
The Fairy Queen wore a nostalgic expression as she gazed at the ancient shield Lord Dos was holding.
...I—I decided to pretend I hadn't heard a word of that.