The Vice Captain, the ten members of her Royal Guard, and even General Raikuro widened their eyes.
None of them had expected her to speak those words. At least not so quickly, and not without pause.
"Thank you, Princess Yuki. Serving you has been the honor of my life!" Captain Kagekatsu shouted, his voice ringing with emotion.
With both hands, he presented his sword, the steel trembling slightly in his grip as he held it out before her.
"Like this sword, your life is now forfeit. Do you accept your fate?" Princess Yuki asked as she took hold of the sword.
"I accept." Captain Kagekatsu replied quietly.
The room fell silent, thick with unspoken tension. Only the distant echo of marching boots could be heard, like a heartbeat growing fainter.
"Princess, I…" Vice Captain Kazanari couldn't help but interrupt.
General Raikuro raised his hand to silence him.
The Princess could make any decision she wanted, and even the wrong decision.
But she would need to make the decision on her own and bear the consequences of her will.
That was the burden of Royalty.
His duty, and the duty of every man in that hall, was not to question her.
It was to stand behind her, right or wrong, to the very end.
"Good. This sword has accompanied you from the moment you were knighted as Captain of my Royal Guard," Princess Yuki said solemnly, her voice calm yet commanding.
"Your fate will be one and the same with it."
As she spoke, a faint shimmer formed around her right hand. Then, with a soft hum that distorted the air, a swirl of extremely rare Space Energy gathered in her palm. The air thinned and bent, as if space itself were shifting in reverence.
Akira's eyes widened in shock.
"The Royal Element… Space Energy?"
Back in his world, there were nine elements known to man.
The five basic elements, Iron Wood Water Fire Earth and the four advanced elements, Wind Lightning Light and Darkness.
Two were ranked even higher than the advanced class. Time and Space, the so-called Royal Elements.
They were long believed to be infinitely more powerful than the nine elements beneath them… but tragically, also thought to be lost forever.
The final element, known only in myths as the Emperor Element, remained a complete mystery. Who once had it, how powerful it was and what it could do, was completely unknown.
Time, Space, and Emperor. The trio of the strongest elements. Missing.
And yet here it was…
Space Energy. Flowing gently in Yuki's hand like silk-woven starlight.
"To think that my Yuki is so powerful here." Akira chuckled to himself. He was apathetic to the fate of the irritating old man Captain Kagekatsu, and was only interested to see how 'his' Yuki would resolve the situation.
But mid-chuckle, his smile froze.
What Princess Yuki did next stunned him completely.
With a swift motion, she struck the sword's hilt, dissolving it clean off with her Space Energy. The weapon was left with only the grip and exposed blade.
"Captain Kagekatsu is now dead to me, and to the Royal Family," she said softly, her voice carrying a weight far beyond its volume.
She turned toward Akira, her gaze steady.
"You are now Protector Kagekatsu." she declared. "And your life will be devoted to protecting this young man as an extension of my will, in gratitude for him saving mine."
She then gestured gracefully, her fingers gliding through the air as she beckoned Akira forward.
Akira didn't move.
"What the hell just happened?" he muttered, stunned. "Did she… did she just force this damned old man… into my life?!"
Next to her, General Raikuro and the eleven Royal Guards stood grinning from ear to ear, their armored shoulders visibly shaking with restrained laughter.
Their Princess was clever.
Their Princess was compassionate.
And most of all… She was brilliantly manipulative.
What a wonderful feeling… when a subordinate realized just how incredible their boss truly was!
Princess Yuki's smile faded as she noticed Akira still standing stiffly in place, eyes wide with disbelief.
Her brow twitched.
"Damn it, you little punk… Are you really going to ruin my elegant and graceful moment by freezing like that?" she thought sharply, her eyes narrowing into a glare sharp enough to cut stone.
She silently willed him to move and radiated royal menace with the full force of her mind.
But Akira continued to stare at her, dumbstruck, as if trying to decipher whether what he'd just heard was real or an elaborate prank.
Thankfully, General Raikuro stepped in with the seasoned calm of a man used to saving ceremonial disasters.
Without a word, he reached out, grabbed the back of Akira's collar, and dragged him forward like a misbehaving student being hauled to the front of class.
Princess Yuki's death glare vanished instantly.
She replaced it with a radiant, sweet smile so sudden it might have given whiplash.
"This youth here." she said gently. "I ask you now, will you accept Kagekatsu's life, bound to your service for as long as he draws breath?"
Akira opened his mouth, and the words "Hell no!" were already halfway out.
But then… he glanced sideways.
Kagekatsu was staring at him, eyes wide, face streaked with sweat and… was that a tear? His lips were trembling, caught somewhere between humiliation and hope.
For a man raised on duty, this strange twist of fate was either a second chance… or a final humiliation.
Akira sighed.
"Hell n…yes. Yes, I accept," he muttered, dragging a hand down his face in surrender.
"Very good. It is now resolved," Princess Yuki said, a deep breath of relief escaping her lips. "Protector Kagekatsu. Greet your new master."
Kagekatsu immediately fell to one knee and bowed deeply to Akira, who stiffened as if someone had just handed him a live grenade.
Before he could recover, General Raikuro turned to him with a gruff tone.
"You, boy. What is your name?"
Akira straightened his shoulders, squared his stance, and let out a breath that carried a decade of ego, pride, and dramatic flair.
"You mortals." he declared with full gravitas. "May call me… Shinobi-sama."