[Saluena]: “My name is Saluena. Saluena Hadion. A thousand years ago I was a knight in the Goddess’s order and at the end of my service I became known as the Dark Violet Knight.”
Saluena’s dignified voice replaced the church’s hymn and filled the room.
[Saluena]: “You already know the story. Standing here is Iris Calvafon. A modern day grimoire master picked by the Goddess Illya……..”
I……stood there and watched. She’s talking about me, I’m at the center of all this, but I’m not really involved.
It feels like I’m occupying a separate space…….yes, like I’m sitting at a distance, watching a drama unfold on stage. It’s happening right there in front of me, but it’s like there’s an invisible wall standing between us.
[Saluena]: “And so, our knight order shall bear the name of the Goddess!!”
[Iris]: “――!?”
But, that’s wrong. This isn’t a drama.
Saluena turned, her eyes focusing on me. It wasn’t the gaze of an actor looking out towards her audience. It was an intense look that pierced through my very being.
(The ring…….is shining.)
I remembered that strange feeling I had back at Soletta’s Warrior Guild. It wasn’t just my imagination after all.
The engravings of the sacred flower on my silver ring shone with a bright white light before slowly beginning to change shape. And right before my eyes was of course……
[Marie]: “…….the ring……changed shape?”
Marie-sama, the sisters, and all the warrior priestesses keenly watched the change taking place in my left hand.
[Marie]: “…….is that…….a grimoire?”
[Lapris]: “It is indeed.”
Lapris answered Marie-sama’s question as she jumped off Unicorn’s back and fluttered over to my shoulder.
[Lapris]: “The Goddess Illya placed her wish to Iris at the church in Soletta Ritta. That wish…..to become our hope. I’m the one who received that wish, and I’m the one who passed it on. So there’s no mistake you hear?”
Lapris was acting differently than she had at the church back then, using the same tone she always uses when she’s around us.
[Lapris]: “Come on Iris. Open up. And then, let it out. The Goddess’s wish.”
[Iris]: “……..okay.”
What is it I can do? Is it really okay for me to be here to begin with? Those questions are still smoldering in the back of my mind.
But, if it wasn’t for the Goddess’s power…….I wouldn’t be standing here right now. She’s helped me so many times, both directly and indirectly, so I want to meet her expectations. If my strength can help even a little, then I want to return the favor.
I get it now. This is how Peachseed-san and the others felt back then. I can’t sit still. It’s like there’s an itch on my back that needs to be scratched.
The thought of saying no never even crossed my mind. I understand that the option is there for me, but I’m a stubborn child who still has a lot of growing up to do.
[Iris]: “…..Riviera Von Iliana.”
I traced the grimoire’s title with my finger before flipping open the cover. A huge burst of light spilled from its opened pages, pushing back the church’s blue hue and dying everything in white.
[Iris]: “On behalf of the Goddess Illya, I Iris Calvafon bestow upon you your name, the strength of your blades……..and your honor.”
A stream of letters rise to the surface from that blinding sea. I take a deep breath, spinning out the text verbatim as each new word comes froward.
[Iris]: “Warrior priestess Grimm Lanselva”
[Grimm]: “Yes!”
As I repeated a name aloud, one of the warrior priestesses responded with a brief call.
A strong-willed looking woman with golden hair tied in the back.
[Iris]: “Milius Luotung”
[Milius]: “Yes!”
A beautiful woman with raven black hair who had to be about the same age as Saluena.
[Iris]: “Ruruka Ruruka”¹
[Ruruka]: “Yes!”
A cheerful girl with short hair a shade of green I’ve never seen before.
One by one, I kept reciting names until I had called fifty of them.
[Iris]: “With the words of your oath, a contract is formed. Choose your answer carefully. Do you have the mind to offer your swords to me?”
With each of their names called, each woman proudly stuck out their chests, answering my call to arms in unison.
[Riviera Von Iliana]: {“We offer to you our eternal loyalty”}
It was the same promise priestesses and sisters often give to the Goddess at the end of their prayers. And now those very same words were being aimed my way.
Fifty warrior priestesses…….oh jeez, my body is trembling under the weight of having to take responsibility for the lives of fifty of the Goddess’s knights. But, I don’t buckle.
Because I have my comrades. People who will stand next to me and help lift that weight off.
I took my eyes off the grimoire for an instant. And then, I glanced towards Rose-san. She had her hands folded in front of her chest as if she were in prayer as she watched me from the side. She was a bit surprised at first when our gazes met, but she quickly got past it and gave me a smile.
[Iris]: “In that case…….”
The knights of the Goddess now belong to me. But that’s a burden I’m not carrying alone. Knowing that for sure, I turned to the last page of my grimoire without any hesitation.
[Iris]: “In that case! Bear a new name from now on!! You are knights. You are the Riviera Von Iliana. You are, one of us!!”
[Riviera Von Iliana]: {“Ooooh!!”}
I quietly closed my grimoire while listening to the cheers of my knights. Immediately after that, there was a small click like a door being locked before the book transformed back into a ring. It spun around in the air, falling so slowly that even a nonathletic girl with zero reflexes like me was able to catch it.
I grabbed the ring from the air and refitted it back on my left index finger. It used to be a little loose on me, but now it fits perfectly.
On this day, under the watchful eye of an archbishop, I became the owner of the Goddess’s knights in both name and now, reality.
1. So for any Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ fans out there, this woman’s name is spelled the same as Roux Louka. Why didn’t I have that be her name? Because the name Ruruka Ruruka seemed more plausible than Roux Louka Roux Louka.
[Saluena]: “My name is Saluena. Saluena Hadion. A thousand years ago I was a knight in the Goddess’s order and at the end of my service I became known as the Dark Violet Knight.”
Saluena’s dignified voice replaced the church’s hymn and filled the room.
[Saluena]: “You already know the story. Standing here is Iris Calvafon. A modern day grimoire master picked by the Goddess Illya……..”
I……stood there and watched. She’s talking about me, I’m at the center of all this, but I’m not really involved.
It feels like I’m occupying a separate space…….yes, like I’m sitting at a distance, watching a drama unfold on stage. It’s happening right there in front of me, but it’s like there’s an invisible wall standing between us.
[Saluena]: “And so, our knight order shall bear the name of the Goddess!!”
[Iris]: “――!?”
But, that’s wrong. This isn’t a drama.
Saluena turned, her eyes focusing on me. It wasn’t the gaze of an actor looking out towards her audience. It was an intense look that pierced through my very being.
(The ring…….is shining.)
I remembered that strange feeling I had back at Soletta’s Warrior Guild. It wasn’t just my imagination after all.
The engravings of the sacred flower on my silver ring shone with a bright white light before slowly beginning to change shape. And right before my eyes was of course……
[Marie]: “…….the ring……changed shape?”
Marie-sama, the sisters, and all the warrior priestesses keenly watched the change taking place in my left hand.
[Marie]: “…….is that…….a grimoire?”
[Lapris]: “It is indeed.”
Lapris answered Marie-sama’s question as she jumped off Unicorn’s back and fluttered over to my shoulder.
[Lapris]: “The Goddess Illya placed her wish to Iris at the church in Soletta Ritta. That wish…..to become our hope. I’m the one who received that wish, and I’m the one who passed it on. So there’s no mistake you hear?”
Lapris was acting differently than she had at the church back then, using the same tone she always uses when she’s around us.
[Lapris]: “Come on Iris. Open up. And then, let it out. The Goddess’s wish.”
[Iris]: “……..okay.”
What is it I can do? Is it really okay for me to be here to begin with? Those questions are still smoldering in the back of my mind.
But, if it wasn’t for the Goddess’s power…….I wouldn’t be standing here right now. She’s helped me so many times, both directly and indirectly, so I want to meet her expectations. If my strength can help even a little, then I want to return the favor.
I get it now. This is how Peachseed-san and the others felt back then. I can’t sit still. It’s like there’s an itch on my back that needs to be scratched.
The thought of saying no never even crossed my mind. I understand that the option is there for me, but I’m a stubborn child who still has a lot of growing up to do.
[Iris]: “…..Riviera Von Iliana.”
I traced the grimoire’s title with my finger before flipping open the cover. A huge burst of light spilled from its opened pages, pushing back the church’s blue hue and dying everything in white.
[Iris]: “On behalf of the Goddess Illya, I Iris Calvafon bestow upon you your name, the strength of your blades……..and your honor.”
A stream of letters rise to the surface from that blinding sea. I take a deep breath, spinning out the text verbatim as each new word comes froward.
[Iris]: “Warrior priestess Grimm Lanselva”
[Grimm]: “Yes!”
As I repeated a name aloud, one of the warrior priestesses responded with a brief call.
A strong-willed looking woman with golden hair tied in the back.
[Iris]: “Milius Luotung”
[Milius]: “Yes!”
A beautiful woman with raven black hair who had to be about the same age as Saluena.
[Iris]: “Ruruka Ruruka”¹
[Ruruka]: “Yes!”
A cheerful girl with short hair a shade of green I’ve never seen before.
One by one, I kept reciting names until I had called fifty of them.
[Iris]: “With the words of your oath, a contract is formed. Choose your answer carefully. Do you have the mind to offer your swords to me?”
With each of their names called, each woman proudly stuck out their chests, answering my call to arms in unison.
[Riviera Von Iliana]: {“We offer to you our eternal loyalty”}
It was the same promise priestesses and sisters often give to the Goddess at the end of their prayers. And now those very same words were being aimed my way.
Fifty warrior priestesses…….oh jeez, my body is trembling under the weight of having to take responsibility for the lives of fifty of the Goddess’s knights. But, I don’t buckle.
Because I have my comrades. People who will stand next to me and help lift that weight off.
I took my eyes off the grimoire for an instant. And then, I glanced towards Rose-san. She had her hands folded in front of her chest as if she were in prayer as she watched me from the side. She was a bit surprised at first when our gazes met, but she quickly got past it and gave me a smile.
[Iris]: “In that case…….”
The knights of the Goddess now belong to me. But that’s a burden I’m not carrying alone. Knowing that for sure, I turned to the last page of my grimoire without any hesitation.
[Iris]: “In that case! Bear a new name from now on!! You are knights. You are the Riviera Von Iliana. You are, one of us!!”
[Riviera Von Iliana]: {“Ooooh!!”}
I quietly closed my grimoire while listening to the cheers of my knights. Immediately after that, there was a small click like a door being locked before the book transformed back into a ring. It spun around in the air, falling so slowly that even a nonathletic girl with zero reflexes like me was able to catch it.
I grabbed the ring from the air and refitted it back on my left index finger. It used to be a little loose on me, but now it fits perfectly.
On this day, under the watchful eye of an archbishop, I became the owner of the Goddess’s knights in both name and now, reality.
1. So for any Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ fans out there, this woman’s name is spelled the same as Roux Louka. Why didn’t I have that be her name? Because the name Ruruka Ruruka seemed more plausible than Roux Louka Roux Louka.
