The Exalt [Cultivation Fantasy]

The moment he stepped inside, countless eyes locked onto his figure on Erden's back. All the noble families and powers within the empire assembled in this grand hall to see him. All manners of stares, from the narrow inquisitive to the widened admiration to the raised questioning, gazed at him, studying him. He didn't cross through twenty years of strife and survival to shrink back from these looks. Oscar breezed his way deeper through the parted path between the masses.

The Swan Hall was as magnificent as he had read. It was a large open room, capable of fitting a thousand people, with great pillars reaching the high ceiling. Great statues of dragons outlined the edges, holding great golden tapestries of history in their hands and tongues. In the center of the ceiling, a large hole matched perfectly with the moon's current location, the lunar beams shining straight down, forming a circle of moonlight on a particular location, right before the emperor and Caires. This grand hall was typically meant for the grandest of occasions, such as a royal wedding or a coronation of a new ruler and blessing the person with the focused sunlight or moonlight.

'This is going overboard….' Oscar unmounted Erden, clanking his metal-tipped shoes on the sparkling floor. He entered the beaming spotlight of lunar blessings and bowed to his knees, lowering his head before Julius and Caires. The Pavilion Master, Remulus, appeared from nowhere at the sidelines, attracting a few whispers and murmurs.

"Tonight…" Julius announced, bringing the whispers to a halt. "Tonight, my Brilliant Drake Empire welcomes one of our own back home. Everyone here knows of this man." He raised his hands and spread them as if waiting to embrace someone. "Who doesn't know the legend? Who doesn't know what he has accomplished?"

His voice stopped short, silence rising as the tension built. The emperor unfurled a scroll and carried on, "Oscar Terr! You have secured the Divine Essence! You decimated the enemy forces along the Drakken Seas. You broke past the blockade and returned many of our own to safety. You tore down the nefarious Rurin Gaols. You fought in the north and undid the foul schemes of the Black Tortoise Empire. For your achievements and undying loyalty to your home, I grant you the title of Margrave, and your authority shall stretch to all of our borders." Amid the hushed clamors of the audience, Julius shouted, "Your Black Aegis Order shall be expanded to allow a hundred Knight Exalts. You shall be given Greenwich City and the lands around it."

While the rewards, including the title of nobility, seemed enticing, Oscar wasn't sure how to feel about it. It gave him power and authority but also burdened him with more responsibilities. The title of Margrave of the Borders? It only piled the expectations for him to throw himself into battle after battle, befitting his station. Hundred Exalts? That screamed out he would need them for the harsh wars ahead. The only consolation existed in the access to all the resources he could ever want.

Oscar clenched his hands, stopping when he noticed the seams slowly ripping. He lowered his head in respect and declared his intentions, "I, Oscar Terr, thank the emperor for these gracious rewards. May I serve the Brilliant Drake Empire well until my dying breath."

The emperor's shadow overlapped with his own on the floor. Julius unsheathed his sword and tapped the blade on Oscar's head. "I, Julius Evergrant Dragnar, anoint you. Now rise, Margrave Terr."

Oscar rose, towering over the emperor, and faced the audience. In unison, everyone deeply bowed and greeted him, declaring him the new Margrave. Peeking to his left, Oscar saw Remulus's face well up with satisfaction and pride, a wide grin lifting on the hairless face. Now, the awards ceremony was over, and the festivities began. The quartet played a smooth tune, masterfully using the strings and piano, a melody that mingled with the conversations.

Servants entered the room, carrying plates and trays of great delicacies, from small appetizers to entire beasts carved and prepared, a succulent scent wafting around the room. Attendants roamed the room, holding trays of glasses of wine for people to partake. Oscar watched irritably from a distance at the grand feast. As the guest of honor, he was forced to remain in the seat of honor and accept everyone's gifts and greetings. If only he could use Duality and leave a clone of himself here just to smile and nod.

"Thank you for your gifts," Oscar repeated the sentence to the point his lips forgot how to say anything else.

"Sorry, I am not interested in marrying anyone else. May your daughter be happy with someone else." Oscar lost count of how many precious noble daughters accompanied their parents. He cursed and admired their persistence, offering all kinds of rewards, even the inheritance of their land. One by one, group by group, it never ended. His face started to cramp from how long he had to hold his smile. How many more were there? He shut his eyes and relaxed momentarily before readjusting his numbed lips to a smile, but he gasped in surprise at the unexpected guest.

A woman waved at him. Rather than the normal dress most of the others wore, she wore a soldier's uniform close to his ceremonial outfit, but blue and gold, the Pavilion's colors. She had her green hair tied back into a bun and gazed into him with her sharp yellow eyes. She was Ivanka Klein, Frederick's aunt. She appeared to have aged only a few years, not a blemish or wrinkle on her visage yet.

"Greetings to the new Margrave. I represent the Klein Family." Ivanka humbly bowed.

"It's been a while. Last I saw of you was before you were drafted into Aunt Ward's army." Oscar said, recalling when she testified in the trial after leaking Fred's whereabouts to him. He suddenly felt old. Those events happened nearly thirty years ago.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"You must be close to the Grand Commander to call her in such a manner. To think the little boy from back then would surpass me in everything." Ivanka sighed. She turned left to right, shaking her head with another disappointing sigh. "That estranged nephew isn't here?"

"He wasn't invited. Besides, he gave up his family name." Oscar said.

"It's a shame. Part of me wanted to see how his father would react if he were here by your side. Clarence is over there, but he's afraid of greeting you." Ivanka snickered, clearly looking down on Fred's father. "Since Fred is close to you, one might say Fred outclasses his father. That prideful moron can never accept that."

"He only has himself to blame for driving away his own son. But are you alright? The Klein Family lands are in occupied territory. And you haven't progressed much." Oscar sensed her current realm to be the Greater Knight Exalt realm. For twenty years, she stayed within the Knight Exalt realms.

"I don't care for the lands. I wish for Clarence to be more humbled by the experience. As for my training, I take it slow and steady. You're the weird one. Never mind your core changing. Your progress from Elite Exalt to the peak of Knight Exalt is far too quick." Ivanka praised.

"Are you lacking the necessary means to enter the Marshal Exalt realm?" Oscar asked.

"That's the current problem. It's the truth for many." Ivanka groaned, a strand of her green hair falling out of place. "Waiting for the wellsprings of elemental power to accumulate naturally takes a long time. The royal family has their means, but others must wait."

Oscar went silent for a few seconds. There was a chance for her. "Recently, I obtained several elemental elixirs to facilitate the advancement. I'll ask the Pavilion Master to gift you one."

"No need. There must be others more worthy than me. I don't want our chances to be lowered just because of a moment of nepotism." Ivanka rejected Oscar's gift, true to her fair nature that elevated her to the ranks of Judges. Oscar dropped the notion and steered the conversation into more idle talk.

A few minutes later, Ivanka departed to the prying eyes of the others, the result of being the one who spoke with him the longest. Oscar didn't worry for her, knowing her nature not to be bothered by others. However, the long drivel of praises and empty words from strangers continued, and Oscar responded to each one, keeping his legs from shaking, the eagerness to hurry home building inside him. As the hero, he could end it short now, having greeted so many guests already, but he endured, planting himself in the chair. He had one more goal to accomplish before leaving.

Soon, his quarry arrived to greet him. A handsome man approached. White streaks of age lined his blonde hair. Deep wrinkled already settled like chasms in his mature face, but it only added to his charm, some noble ladies even admiring him from a distance with blushing faces. Dressed in the finest red suit, the man bowed his head slightly with a brash smile.

"Greetings, Margrave Terr. I understand you are of the same generation as my son. Truly, a generation of wonders." The man raised a glass and sipped. His meaning was all too clear, putting his son at the forefront of the generation, far ahead of Oscar.

"Indeed, Lord Lockwood, or do you prefer I say Duke? I must congratulate you on your promotion. I must say I can understand how the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Your son truly takes after you." Oscar had gathered various intel on the Lockwoods. This man, Brian Lockwood, rose from a baron to duke thanks to Gilbert's prodigal talent and was said to have quite a promiscuous reputation, attracting many women to his side. Indeed, father and son were just alike.

Brian Lockwood laughed, "You are exactly correct, Margrave."

Oscar smiled back, "I wonder what sort of person his mother was. I heard she was a commoner you picked up. Was there anything notable about her?"

"Bah! Her?" Perhaps due to Oscar's praises and cozying up, Brian seemed more unrestrained in his speech. Good. Oscar wanted to learn as much as possible about the mother, a person with blue hair and blue eyes. Inciting a man's vanity to loosen his lips was child's play compared to attempting to unravel Fenu's silver tongue. Brian downed the drink and grunted, "I don't recall how we met, but I brought her back from one of the surrounding villages. The only notable thing was how she couldn't do anything. She didn't even have money, only some cheap necklace."

"A necklace? What did it look like? Just a rock on a string?" Oscar spurred him on.

"No. It was a seven-pointed star. At first, I believed it held some value. But after an inspection, I discovered it was a worthless cheap product." Brian Lockwood sneered, talking at lengths about his own businesses and prospects, wanting Oscar to join him. But Oscar had already lost interest in further conversation and cut it short. He greeted the rest of the nobles, including Serena and her husband, a man of tall stature like Volstolf, clad in armor from head to toe, Gavir Rubinberg. Seeing their arms linked together, Oscar blessed them to live happy lives, though Gavir seemed eager to spar.

After finishing his greetings, Oscar wandered to the buffet and partook in the meals, noticing the significant lack of seafood. Thanks to the blockade, fresh seawater fish was hard to come by. Many came up to ask him to dance, but he flatly rejected every person. Hours later, the quartet stopped playing, and people began to leave the venue. Returning to the carriage, Oscar leaned his sweaty hair on the soft velvet seat.

"Good work." Erden smacked his lips.

"How can there be so many of them? Do we have infinite land to give out?" Oscar complained. Calming down, he focused and said, "Gilbert's father is a typical lost cause. I wonder why he hasn't taken any revenge?"

"Not worth the time? Or a more cruel method would be to pull them down at their highest. In any case, we know for certain that his mother is like Evelyn, a divine person of blue." Erden yawned.

"There are too many questions, but the people who can answer them are nowhere to be found." Oscar frowned. The carriage wheeled along the smooth road. Oscar stared out at the bright lights glittering from the towers, the festivities extending to the rest of Dragonheart City, not just the Imperial Palace. He had a thought. "Maybe I should attend the local festivals."

Suddenly, the carriage stopped, and Oscar lurched forward. Something was wrong. Getting off, he noticed the rider and the horses all fell down, soft snores resounding from their figures. Along the gates of his estate, the guards were also asleep. Oscar shook and shouted for them to wake up, but none could be roused from their deep slumber. What happened here?

A low creaking of metal groaned from the gates as they slowly opened, and Oscar unleashed his Ein, ready for anything, while Erden stomped flames under his hooves. But a figure exited and bowed her head.

"Sirsi? What is going on?" Oscar sharpened his gaze, sensing danger, his instincts shouting at him to be wary.

Sirsi, the brown-haired maid with round glasses, sighed loudly in a boisterous voice, unlike her usually timid self. She pulled off her glasses and threw them to the ground. "Geez, you're finally here."

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