Interlude: "The Book of Cain"

That year, a single thesis was published.

It would later be known as "The Book of Cain," named after its author.

Its official title was "An Examination of Causality in the System of the Virgin of the Barrier, Regarding the Longevity of Service Through Connection with the Earth's Veins and Sacred Power, and the Transfer of Sacred Power."

The thesis began by tracing back to the earliest days of the nation's founding.

According to records, all the original Virgins of the Barrier were descendants of the six Great Territorial Nobles.

Several hypotheses were proposed to explain why only descendants of the Great Territorial Nobles had been chosen.

That they were offered in exchange for the grant of a Great Territory.

That they were offered in exchange for the incorporation of regional magnates into the Empire.

That they were purely noble volunteers, without any reward.

That they were not, in fact, blood relations at all.

That something required them to be of the same bloodline...

On paper, the theory that only blood relatives could fulfill the requirement held the most weight.

In truth, the great noble houses other than the Grand Dukedom have remained unchanged since the founding of the realm. Though some have altered their names due to various circumstances, the fundamental bloodlines have not shifted. The Grand Dukedom itself, descended from imperial families who renounced their royal status, likewise has not broken its bloodline.

Holy power is divided into seven colors—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and white. Each is associated with a distinct elemental magic: red with fire, orange with gold, yellow with earth, green with wood, blue with water, purple with shadow, and white with light. Each great noble house possesses a unique color of holy power, with no two sharing the same hue.

It is well known that the imperial family wields white and purple. The author herself, belonging to the great noble house of Emmental, is recorded as bearing the holy power of blue. Though some individuals carry hues of other colors, such variations are due to personal differences and are not considered in this discussion.

Returning to the question of why the first generation of Maidens were kin to the great noble houses: it is hypothesized that the sealing magic operates through an interaction between the power of the earth's veins and the holy power of the Maidens. Perhaps seven great noble houses—six, or even seven including the Imperial Domain—were each established with the same power, and each entrusted to a house of strong holy lineage. It is concluded that placing the Maiden who serves as the keystone within the bloodline maximized the ritual's efficacy.

Indeed, ancient records indicate that for several generations following the first, the position was held predominantly by direct blood relatives. The average tenure lasted approximately forty years—considerably long.

By mid-era, though not direct descendants, daughters of the house continued to assume the role of Maiden. It is speculated this arose as the nation grew more stable. The average tenure during this period was approximately twenty years—roughly half that of antiquity.

In the modern age, the role has increasingly been filled not by daughters of the house, but by girls from distant lineages, even those whose sacred power is weak.

This shorter tenure has come to be defined as an issue. The average length of service is now ten years, and in some cases, succession occurs as early as three years.

Two causes have been cited for this shortened tenure: first, an inherent deficiency in sacred power; second, incompatibility with the earth’s current.

Sacred power either supports or resists, depending on its hue.

For instance, if one with red, the force of fire, fights against one with green, the strength of wood, the red—capable of burning the wood—would prevail. Yet if green is reinforced by blue, the wood gains strength, the fire weakens, and the wood might win… in this manner.

As an exception, white light harmonizes with any hue, while purple darkness dislikes most other colors.

It is speculated that the same principle may apply to the earth’s ley lines.

Indeed, the color of the ley lines in Emmental is blue. The sacred power of the noble house is also blue. The sacred power of the maiden at that time was yellow. In terms of compatibility, the relationship is akin to damming water and making it turbid—certainly not a favorable match.

It is recorded that maidens whose sacred power impedes the earth’s ley lines tend to have shorter tenures.

It is suspected that the maiden of the southern great estate faces the same condition. The southern great estate, a marquisate rich in mines, is recorded as having once been home to a maiden of noble birth from a nearby baronial family, possessing the sacred power of fire. From this, one may infer that if the estate’s earth power matches that of the ruling family, its hue would be amber—indicating gold power. Gold power, it is said, is melted by fire. Thus, it has been raised as a concern that the maiden may not be able to fully manifest her strength.

As a means to resolve this issue, the offering of sacred power is proposed as effective. Indeed, in Emmental, the situation improved through the offering of a Sacred Stone crafted by a collaborator attuned to the land’s power.

Whether such an offering must come from the ruling family or may be made by a member of another house remains to be determined through future examination.

Records indicate that noble families of even older times offered prayers of gratitude to the church once a year, leading to the hypothesis that they may have presented the Sacred Stone.

It is suggested that this practice may be the origin of the imperial family’s rite of offering the Sacred Stone during the New Year’s celebration.

The rite of offering the Sacred Stone is a ceremony among the imperial family, in which the Sacred Stone nurtured throughout the year and grown to its greatest size is presented to the First Saintess. It is said that the custom of offering the Sacred Stone to a beloved person arose as a reflection of this ritual.

Thus, it is customary among imperial nobles to master the crafting of the Sacred Stone before graduating from the academy, presenting it as a proposal to a beloved or cherished one. A knight offers the Sacred Stone at the conclusion of the ritual of severing the head—Litteraschlarck—as proof of loyalty, declaring it to be his own heart. Therefore, noble sons and daughters in training await that moment, diligently crafting their own Sacred Stones. To create one large and beautiful requires great expenditure of sacred power; thus, young ones unskilled in its use cultivate theirs bit by bit, day by day. To present a Sacred Stone too small risks mockery at the tea gathering the following day. It is said, with solemn certainty, that a nobleman of a baronial house who once proposed with a Sacred Stone no larger than half a fingertip had his engagement broken and spent his life unmarried.

So it was said in noble circles of the Empire—whether true or not—that the minimum size for a Sacred Stone in a proposal was at least the width of a thumb's nail, that the size of the Sacred Stone reflected the depth of one's love, or that even a Sacred Stone no larger than the tip of a little finger would be desired if it belonged to one's beloved.

Aside from that.

From the moment it was first published, this paper had been shocking.

In recent years, a short tenure had become a source of great concern for the great land nobles.

It was customary to grant appropriate benefits and rewards to families that produced noblewomen. These amounts were considerable. Being forced to end one's term prematurely was thus a significant burden.

And though some fallen nobles, on the brink of ruin, willingly offered their daughters for the reward, the vast majority were noble families who, with tears in their eyes, sent their daughters forth for the good of the nation. Not out of joy, but out of necessity. Noble houses were not infinite, nor were eligible young ladies in endless supply. The loss of one generation of noblewomen was feared to threaten the collapse of the entire realm.

At such a time, the publication of the paper arrived like a lifeline.

The first to seize upon it was the Marquis of the southern province, whose domain had been pointed out as weak.

He immediately established contact with the Emmental family and began joint research.

The results were remarkable, achieving a substantial extension of their term.

Through this process, one truth became clear.

The Sacred Stone, when properly aligned in color, functions normally regardless of which house or who crafted it; yet, if imbued with the holy light, it grants supplementary effect, and even ancient Sacred Stones may still yield results.

From these findings, the noble houses of the great domain began conducting experimental annual offerings of Sacred Stones, observing measurable effects.

Moreover, during the selection of maidens, greater care is now taken to assign them to locations compatible with their inherent strength.

As the saying goes in the Eastern Lands—“Learn from the old to understand the new”—and indeed, this is true. Though not all mysteries have been unveiled, the significant progress achieved has been widely recognized and highly esteemed.