A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing

After Erik and others had retreated to the palace, Enkai and the floating carts filled with fallen warriors were the last to enter the city. This quickly brought an air of solemnity to the otherwise joyful city as the people mourned their loved ones.

Later that day, Erik and the others led a funeral ceremony for the dead. Erik was quite curious about the event, as it was interesting to see how the burial methods for the Enkarians had progressed.

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He knew that Naeku's people originally consisted of a large group of fleeing Egyptians who integrated into a Maasai tribe thousands of years ago. During that time, many of their traditions became intermingled. Compromises had to be reached, especially regarding the burial of their people.

After all, burial was extremely important to the Egyptians, but the Maasai preferred to leave their corpses behind, claiming they would return to nature.

In the end, this divide produced a great many different burial ceremonies, some pure Egyptian, others pure Maasai, and some a mixture of the two. Because of this, the custom was now that the family would determine how the remains of their loved one would be handled.

Thus, the Enkarian ceremony they performed today was a rather simple honouring of the dead, followed by each family claiming their loved one and declaring how their remains would be handled.

Naturally, Erik remained present throughout. Although he had no real part in this ceremony, it was important for him to show his face to a people that was still unfamiliar with him.

Plus, as someone who was raised by Sámi parents, honouring the dead was actually quite important to him. And, as one of those parents, it was no different for Runa, who remained by her son's side during the entire thing.

It was a solemn time for the entirety of Enkare Nkai, but it didn't last forever. After the ceremonies were over, it was time for the celebration to start. Before long, the entire city descended into one big party.

And it lasted for several days.

Music filled the air constantly, plays and performances entertained thousands, exotic food and drinks excited the senses. It was a celebration worthy of the monumental battle they'd thought. After nearly a year of uncertainty and doubt, with the possibility of death looming over their kingdom every moment of every day, the elation these people felt was hard to describe.

And it wasn't just in Enkare Nkai, either. Every major city under Naeku's family's rule had essentially stopped everything to engage in a city-wide celebration of joy at their continued freedom and safety.

At the same time, the warriors were also returning to their homes, many of whom did not actually live in Enkare Nkai. They naturally spread word of the events that day. Specifically about their new emperor.

Although everyone had heard some rumours about Erik before, it was only now that tales about the Silver Emperor were truly starting to circulate.

Although there were still a small number of people who thought they'd simply exchanged one oppressor for another, these voices were easily drowned out by the massive outpouring of support from the warriors who were there that day. These warriors knew one immutable fact: they'd all be dead without him.

Some, most of whom had already been disgruntled with Ankhur's rule for any number of mostly ridiculous reasons, even preferred this new emperor over their king, feeling like this new ruler had solved a problem the old one couldn't.

Which… wasn't entirely unfair.

But these voices were few. Many still held great love and devotion for the Bastet-Seti family, who'd ruled them fairly for several years after stabilizing the severely chaotic, post-awakening horn of Africa.

Regardless, while all this was going on, some people decided to capitalize on the situation—specifically, Elora. She realized that this was the perfect time to solidify Erik's following and deployed various different tactics to do so.

First, she enlisted respected elders, storytellers, and warriors to recount the battle, focusing on Erik's bravery, leadership, and the miraculous ways in which his actions turned the tide against overwhelming odds. These stories were told at every celebration, quickly spreading like wildfire.

At the same time, she started spreading flyers with heroic images of Erik in his new outfit, captioned with his new moniker, Silver Emperor. Together, these pictures and stories framed him as both a warrior and wise ruler who secured their people's future.

Second, she knew that nothing swayed public opinion more than a ruler who honoured his people. She orchestrated opportunities for him to personally recognize fallen warriors and their families.

He met with widows, children, and parents, offering both words of respect and tangible support in the form of gear, supplies, or a simple promise of protection. This move not only solidified his image as a just ruler but ensured that the families of those who had fought for him would remain fiercely loyal.

She also arranged for select warriors—those who had fought bravely and had influence within their ranks—to be publicly honoured. These warriors were given promotions and gifts, ensuring their allegiance to Erik while simultaneously reinforcing the idea that valour and loyalty were rewarded under his rule. Naturally, she relied heavily on Naeku for help in this department.@@novelbin@@

Finally, she decided it was the perfect time to unleash Nora on an unsuspecting and vulnerable populace. After giving her some instructions and a few items to aid her, she sent Nora and Anne out on their own with one goal: do what you think is best.

Truthfully, Elora wanted to see if she'd been right about this one being a natural preacher.

Nora did not disappoint. Having been given free rein and the tools she needed to propagate her message, Nora set out to convince the joyful populace of what she already knew to be true: their new emperor was divine.

Of course, the results of this effort wouldn't be immediately apparent, but Elora was certainly curious to see what would come of it.

Eventually, however, the celebrations started coming to an end and life started slowly returning to normal. Thus, it was time for Erik and his allies to discuss their next steps…