Chapter 1440 Enlightenment [1]
Regardless of the storms outside, it will always be peaceful at home.
It was a saying not everyone could relate to, but it was perfect for this moment.
Soft winds breezed through the main palace. It, standing high and proud over the rest of the Brightmoon Principality, always gave off a domineering appearance, but it was never arrogant. Rather, it was comforting.
Surrounded by lush, green grasses and tall natural foliage that perfectly bordered the palace's territory and the cries of beautiful beasts that resided in those greeneries, wild yet free of negative intent, the main palace had a particular aura to it today that it usually didn't possess.
Countless people were gathered. Everyone even slightly important to the palace, anyone who'd gained a position from a Sword to a common maid, was gathered in the palace's main hall.
Those who didn't reside in the main palace didn't have the privilege to be here personally, but they were watching through projections spanning the entire territory.
The main hall was decorated particularly today.
It wasn't lined with long tables that could seat hundreds at once. Rather, it was a collection of seats that took up the entire hall, leaving only a single strip of land in the middle.
Grand decorations lined the walls with countless precious materials that normal people couldn't even dream of, and murals with ancestry dating back hundreds of millions of years painted the ceiling.
It was almost as if Void Palace was planning to host a grand wedding.
But that wasn't the case.
"Are you ready, Milord?"
A maid spoke to the man of the hour, the reason why every chair in the main hall and even the space outside it was crowded with people, respectfully awaiting his presence.
"Of course I am."
Damien responded with a smile.
He didn't look like his usual self today.
His hair was properly tamed, flowing down to border his face perfectly and showcase his natural charm. His clothes weren't randomly put together from what was in his subspace, but instead were custom-made for this day with his measurements in mind.
It was a somewhat ancient garb that felt burdensome to wear. It was heavy, colored black and purple to match Void Palace's tones, and large, as if meant to be worn by an Emperor who only needed to sit on his throne.
However, Damien had to admit he looked good.
As he saw himself in the mirror, he questioned if he was even the man he saw.
He didn't look how he remembered himself.
He'd gotten older. His features became more defined and set, and an air of maturity surrounded his face and body that was never present before.
He'd gotten bigger. His body wasn't just built to be optimized for battle anymore, but was versatile and perfect for a variety of things.
He looked like a man he once aspired to be, and when he realized that he wasn't anywhere near his end goal, he smiled.
'Well, this is a pretty big step in and of itself.'
"Since you are ready, then please make your way to the main hall. Everything else is already in place."
Damien nodded at the maid's urging. He was more than prepared for what was to come.
Today was the day he walked down the aisle.
Not to become someone's bride, but to officially take his post.
He'd been acting covertly so his presence wouldn't alert people to the palace's revival, but the time for that was over.
They'd revealed their intentions, and at a juncture like this, it was actually better for Damien to become a target and take attention away from the palace itself.
He entered the main hall confidently.
Even as he felt the auras of those he loved and cared about, along with those he'd just recently gotten to know enveloping him, he didn't budge.
For today, he needed to be stalwart in all things, giving off an image that wasn't the Damien Void anyone here knew.
The main hall was engulfed in silence the moment his presence was recognized.
Claire, Serena, Hugo, Persia, and the 10 Swords stood on a raised platform at the end of the aisle, waiting for him.
He approached them with the same confidence, his back straight and his eyes up.
When he arrived in their midst, they parted ways and made space for him.
They lined up in two rows on either side of him, creating a straight line to the final seat in the hall.
This was the throne Damien would one day inherit.
He looked at it intently, but frankly, he didn't feel anything.
Maybe it was because this one was just a prop for the sake of the occasion, but the throne just felt so small to him.
Nevertheless, it was his birthright, and he didn't plan to ignore it.
He walked towards it, and in the eyes of everyone present, he took his seat.
This was the day he officially became the Young Lord of Void Palace.
This ceremony was being held because Damien had gained the respect and loyalty of those in the palace, and since it was time for him to head into the fray again, it was about time for them to announce his status to the entire world.
The event was a mess of grand speeches and ceremonious rituals, but to Damien, it ended the moment he sat down on that seat.
Now he could do it for real.
He could use his authority without worry.
And, he could set a net for a few fishes he'd been trying to catch.
Damien planned to set out that very night. While the celebration would continue for a few more days, he couldn't tell the Dimensional Crack to just wait for him.
However, he encountered an unexpected obstacle.
And it wasn't necessarily a bad one.
The scenery got to him.
The peace, the calm, the security, he suddenly felt it suffocating him.
He almost couldn't believe this kind of harmony was possible in the world.
He'd never seen it before, that much was for certain.
No matter where he went, there were always countless conflicts that never seemed to end. Any time one conflict was solved, another would arise. No place could simply maintain peace because it wanted to.
But Void Palace was different.
They didn't brainwash people like the Divine Order and they didn't rule through fear or money like the Straea Clan or Kyushu Federation.
They didn't have the strict ancestral rules of the Dragon Clan nor did they adhere to a certain faith or ideology like the Holy Empire.
They were just naturally themselves, and the atmosphere it created was so genuine Damien almost couldn't stand it.
'What…is this feeling?'
There was something resonating deep within him that he couldn't understand.
He couldn't focus on anything, so, in the dead of night, instead of leaving for the Dimensional Crack, he took an aimless walk around the main palace.
He allowed the planar layers to teleport him around randomly, and somehow, he ended up outside the palace entirely.
He found himself at a small waterfall leading into a creek, surrounded by only three or four trees that didn't seem like they had any inhabitants.
It was a small area that didn't seem to have any relation to anything, but since the palace's teleportation led here, it must've had some meaning.
Damien didn't really question it, though.
Instead, he found himself sitting down at the edge of that creek, staring at his own reflection in its clear waters.
Something unexplainable was happening in his mind.
Almost like…
Enlightenment.
