The Guard's Oath

Doom felt a bit dazed, as if everything that had just happened were a hallucination, yet it felt incomparably real.

"An incredible strike!" The Champion Swordsman stepped forward, excitedly gripping his shoulder. "Perfect timing; you launched the most effective attack at the most opportune moment."

The sweep caused the short-legged Orc to lose its balance, and by utilizing the momentum of the follow-through combined with the rotation of his body, he accumulated immense power. As the Orc fell, he drove his left fist upward, shattering the fragile facial bones and destroying the central nervous system.

It was breathtaking—using simple techniques to achieve the most intuitive results.

Haran patted his shoulder with a large hand, the sheer force snapping him back to reality, and he finally realized he had returned to the present.

"Short-stack! Short-stack! Short-stack!"

His keen senses returned, and the whistling of the Orcs and their continuous cheering filled his ears.

"Champion Swordsman." Blood sprayed from the Orcs dripped down Doom's face as he revealed a gentle, chilling smile. "Has the image you held of me changed?"

"Doom, Third Prince." Haran's expression was serious, his movements solemn.

He placed his left palm over his heart and bowed slightly to Doom. "I am ashamed for looking down upon you; I should not have judged you by the standards of an ordinary person."

This was a warrior's understanding, representing "heart-to-heart" sincerity, the most earnest form of body language.

"I accept your apology." Doom said, using both hands to support Haran's tall frame, staring directly into his battle-scarred, handsome face. "But you need not dwell on it. I am an anomaly outside your understanding, a unique existence that has never appeared before."

"If I were a normal citizen of Nul, your judgment would have been entirely correct."

"You mean..." Haran was astonished by Doom's strength, which far exceeded his physique, as he lifted him with such ease. After a moment of thought, he felt relieved. "Do I need to supplement my knowledge about you to make my future judgments more accurate?"

"It is not just you who must learn," Doom's gaze swept over the Night Watchers at the edge of the arena, his tone filled with majesty. "Everyone must learn."

"I am Doom Norwick, the third son of the Norwick Dynasty. I am destined to walk the path of a warrior; you must grow accustomed to me and understand me so that you may fight by my side."

The youth stood with heroic spirit, devoid of the arrogance of victory, calmly stating a fact.

The Night Watchers were astonished by the youth's radiant confidence, which emanated from within and shone with unadorned transparency.

The proud warriors were moved; there was no contempt in their eyes as they spoke in unison, solemnly: "Then we shall wait for you on the battlefield, Doom Slayer!"

At the edge of the arena, the King of the Norwick Dynasty nodded repeatedly; he highly approved of this son.

"Look at him." The King of the Norwick Dynasty turned his head and whispered into the ear of Queen Daisy. "You have raised him well; he is intelligent and purposeful."

"He has used his actions to prove himself, striking down the locals' 'distrust' of outsiders, and has allowed himself to integrate rapidly into the ranks of the warriors."

"He knows he will step onto the battlefield in the future and is destined to become a leader. The Night Watchers will carry what they saw and heard today to the distant battlefields of the wasteland, and eventually, everyone will know of such an extraordinary prince."

"He makes people naturally hold expectations for him; even upon first meeting, some will believe in him without hesitation."

"He will become a legend passed down by word of mouth, a person who commands the attention of the masses."

The King of the Norwick Dynasty kept speaking, the satisfaction in his eyes growing ever deeper; he loved this son who had descended from the heavens.

Before meeting him, it was a hazy anticipation, but after seeing him, his affection was plain for all to see.

"As long as you don't think he is too calculating." Queen Daisy curled her lips, her smile gentle, the pride in her eyes impossible to hide.

"He is excellent." The King of the Norwick Dynasty stood up, took his wife's fair hand, and pulled her up with great gentility.

"Scheming is a manifestation of wisdom; schemes used for the right path are a good thing. The enemies he will face in the future are unlike anything we have ever seen. To defeat them, both strength and wisdom are indispensable."

"Sometimes we must compromise. We must be more ruthless and cunning than the enemy to defeat them."

"Let us go, my Queen. Let us witness his victory and witness the oath of the guards."

Queen Daisy placed her hand on the arm armor of the King of the Norwick Dynasty. Together, they embodied the romance of iron and roses—resilient yet gentle, serious yet elegant.

"Champion Swordsman! Haran Ogilvy."

The heavy, majestic voice of the King of the Norwick Dynasty rang out, dragging into a ritualistic high pitch: "Fulfill what you have promised."

Doom felt somewhat reserved, looking at the father he had never seen before but deeply revered, as he walked slowly toward him with his mother. He was nervous.

It was not until he saw the reassurance and affirmation in his father's eyes that his suspended heart finally settled.

There is no child who does not yearn for a father's approval, not even Doom, a Primarch created by Emperor.

In the process of growing up, being acknowledged by one's father and loved by one's mother is a very happy thing.

"Give me a ceremonial longsword!" Haran called out to the Night Watchers, preparing to fulfill the guardian oath.

In the Guardian Domain, when a qualified Night Watcher completes all training, the first thing they do is swear an oath of allegiance.

The first object of allegiance is Nul; the Night Watchers defend its purity and peace with their lives. The second is the King of the Norwick Dynasty, to whom they carry out their loyalty for a lifetime.

Most Night Watchers only make two oaths: to maintain loyalty to the King of the Norwick Dynasty and to guard Nul.

Only a few will pledge allegiance to those who possess the right to be served.

A typical example is the princes of the Norwick Dynasty, as well as the Queen, becoming their personal guards. Without endangering Nul or departing from the rules of the Norwick Dynasty, they choose a master worthy of their loyalty.

Haran requested a ceremonial longsword to carry out his promise of pledging allegiance to the Third Prince of the Norwick Dynasty.

"That is unnecessary." The King of the Norwick Dynasty flicked aside his cloak, removed the hilt from his waist, and used a combat weapon instead of a ceremonial one to witness the oath between the two.

"Take it, son."

Doom's hands trembled slightly as he took the hilt from his father's hands—a hilt that was somewhat too large for him at his current age.

In such a solemn oath ceremony, everyone present precisely found their place.

The Night Watchers, as military officials, stood on the left, holding spears that ignited with dimensional blades of light. The scholars, as civil officials, stood on the right with their hands folded inside their robes, eyes closed and heads bowed.

Queen Daisy wiped the blood from Doom Norwick's face, straightened his clothes, and smoothed his disheveled hair.

Everything was ready. King Norwick and his wife stood to the left and right behind Doom, with civil and military officials lined up on both sides. Haran Ogilvy knelt on one knee, his towering frame still level with Doom's gaze.

Doom's expression was solemn as he pressed the mechanism on the hilt of the King's War Sword. A brilliant blue dimensional blade of light sprang forth, which he carefully rested upon Haran's left shoulder.

Haran Ogilvy, clad in battle-scarred white power armor, lowered the proud head of a Champion Swordsman and recited the oath of allegiance to the prince:

"In the name of the King's War Sword and the champion, witnessed by the King and Queen, I, Haran Ogilvy, hereby take this oath:

My blood shall be your shield, guarding your safety; my sword shall be my vow, severing your foes.

Loyalty outweighs the soul, honor weighs heavier than life. Your will is my direction, your enemies are my mortal foes.

This oath is forged like steel, this heart is as steadfast as the stars. Until my final breath, until my blade is shattered, my soul shall remain bound to this vow."

After the oath was recited, Doom swept the light sword over Haran's head and rested it on his right shoulder, saying solemnly, "I, Doom Norwick, accept your oath and accept your loyalty!"

Neither of them knew that at the moment the warrior swore his oath, the Blood God was greatly pleased within the churning Warp.

He loved warriors, and he did not hesitate to bestow his blessing upon that warrior who possessed an equally burning soul.

"My Lord, what is your emblem?" Haran asked.

Guards who pledged allegiance to the royal family were gifted the personal emblem of a royal member to signify the sworn bond between them.

Doom had no personal emblem; under the laws of the Guardian Domain, he was still considered a newborn.

"Doom, why not use this?"

Just as Doom was at a loss, Queen Daisy's gentle voice came from beside him as she lightly pulled back his robe, revealing the blood-red rune mark on his chest.

"Very well. It was born with me; it is the most fitting personal emblem indeed."

In an unexpected battle, the Champion Swordsman had become Doom's personal guard due to the stakes of a duel.

It was not until they embarked on the path of conquering the stars that the Champion Swordsman realized the truth. The King and Queen had known Doom would win, and Doom had known he would win as well.

King Norwick had dug a pit, and he had jumped into it with great delight.