A stuffy party

Shiro leaned against the door to the grand-ball room and took a moment to catch his breath before standing up to straighten his uniform. Mind swirling with names and etiquette for the party behind those doors, just like during orientation for his university internship. Wasn't Death supposed to remove a person from work drama?

At the though of his death, phantom pains wrack his body. Forcing him to seek support from the doorframe again.He was sure actually having punctured lungs, or broken legs would be better than this. This phantom feeling that starts like radio static, then turns to pain, before tricking him into thinking it is over only to start a second wave. All in the space of a heart beat.

A murmured prayer followed by a rush of warm light washes over him, clearing the static, easing the pain and anchoring his mind. "Thanks Lily." Shiro breaths, equilibrium returning as he turns to look at his only confidant since arriving.

Normally the well read and steady Lily would keep her long golden hair bound in a tight bun or loose pony tail depending on the activity with unadorned linen robes. Tonight however, it is tucked up under the wimple of her well made but stern habit marking her status defiled.

Shiro still did not understand the whole "Defiled" thing. He knew it had something to do with Lily bursting into the room he had been summoned in, but he could not tell even now what caused it. To his mind if her sin was that she entered a holy place, then she should be called something like "the defiler" rather than "defiled."

Regardless being magically transported to another world had been disorienting enough. Adding Lily bursting into the sanctuary wailing about sabotage being promptly arrested for sacrilege had overwhelmed his already strained body and psyche prompting Shiro to pass out. When he awoke this time, the light was fading from Lily's hands and the king stood over him. He explained that by custom and the faith of the land Lily had been placed under his supervision as part of her redemption ritual under Royal and Papal decree. Allowing him to have a skilled healer whom he trusted discretely maintain Shiro's health.

That was the first time someone in this world spoke of how important it was that Shiro not present any weakness that could hurt the morale of the Kingdom, but the tutors made damned sure it was not his last. It felt like he was speed running a whole life's worth of parental guilt in weeks.

Trumpets sounded from inside the room, and Shiro brought himself up to his full height, almost triggering another wave of mental discord as he noted how much farther away the floor was these days. In Japan he had been shorter than average with unremarkable brown hair and eyes. Here he was six foot even with piercing blue eyes and hair that was some how even more blue.

He did not have time to dwell on the differences caused by the his transferring to this world, as the doors opened and he was sucked into the milling crowd.

"Saint's blessings mighty hero." One noble beamed, as Shiro and Lily rode the tides of the crowd.

"A pleasure to see you Baron such and such." Shiro replied politely as the next noble bid for his attention.

"We will surely show those monsters the might of the Saint now that you are here!" Gushed someone whose clothes seemed priestly.

Lily leaned forward and whispered the proper title and name into Shiro's ear at any signs of hesitation. The whole party very much reminded Shiro of a Christmas meet and greet he had participated in during the first year of his internship. Though with a hundred times more faces, and the expressions of "You will do big things for this company," replaced with variations of "We have high hopes for his contribution to the kingdom." Another difference was that back then he did not have a friend attempting to help keep him from embarrassing anyone.

Lily pressed a cool refreshing drink that reminded Shiro of lemonade, into his hand as the pair took temporary refuge in a pocket of calm near the wall.

Shiro gestures with his free hand to the group that had drawn the attention away from him.

"Who are they Lily?" He inquires.

The group in question wore looser, more flowing garments than were in apparent fashion among the gentry of the Holy Kingdom, who were all gilded in either milliary dress uniforms or pseudo uniforms. Another thing setting them apart was that there were women in the group who seemed to carry enough authority to be differed to, much to the politely hidden amusement of the Holy Kingdom dignitaries.

"I forget the name of their land but it is across the sea and have been receptive to Mi- emissaries" Lily answers.

Shiro's follow up question is lost in the noise of trumpets announcing the arrival of the royal family.

Each member of the royal family by blood were marked by their stunning golden hair among their nobles who were just barely not blonde. Making their procession through the bowing nobility that more grand. According to the history tutors that had helped the army of servants and well wishers keep him busy since arriving, the blonde hair of the royal family was a mark of the divine light placed by the Saint himself to show the world the family's aptitude to rule.

The crowd hushed as the King took his place on a raised dais, and with hands raised dramatically he began his speech:

Friends, Lords and Brothers, we are gathered on this auspicious occasion to greet the dawn of a new era!

The great darkness will now be beaten back by the light of the summoned hero! With his aid we will restore the seals on the demonesses and drive back the dark cult that seeks to rain their destruction upon all! once the seals are restored we will root out the source of the demonesses strength and banish them completely from this world!

It gladdens me that so far you all have done your part in this contest of good and evil keeping fast to the words of the great saint who first sealed this evil that we might have a chance to grow in the strength and wisdom to protect human kind.

Now the final days are upon us and we stand ready to usher in the golden age of faith!"

He paused here to raise a glass towards Shiro and gestured him towards the stage as the nobility cheered but Lily stirred nervously. "Behold the hero! Our shining example of virtue and strength! Source of the blinding light that will purge the evil!"

A thundering applause follows Shiro as he makes his way from the edge of the crowd to join the king on stage. Once the cheering calms two people in ornate clerical garments step forward, reverently carrying something just a bit longer than a man is tall and draped with a white sheet as the King continues "May his light leave no shadows in its wake!"

With a flourish the king yanked the cloth off, leaving behind an ornate glaive. The six foot long, white handled looked to be of some tusk or bone carved with delicate depictions of light and water. The blade was of an etched clear crystal in the shape of a fire bird, the cutting edge being the cunningly wrought edges of the creature's swept back wings, while a single black or purple gem glittered in place of its eye.

"The holy lance made for such a time and this hero by the foresight of the saint!" The King declared and gestured for Shiro to take the weapon.

As Shiro wrapped his hand around the haft to discover that the images of light and water were perfectly placed to add a textured grip without biting into the hand. Encouraged by the surprising comfort of the grip he lifted it into the air with a flourish. The weapon responded with a feeling of elation and purpose as the previously clear blade filled with liquid fire, lancing bright light in all directions, to the delight of the gathered crowd.

With rehearsed ease the Pope took up the attention of the crowd "Let us take this time to offer our thanks to the Saint for the gift of light!" his voice richer and warmer than the King's queuing the bishops to open the doors leading to the palace cathedral.

Even in the middle of the night like now the Cathedral was light in brilliant light from no source Shiro could discern, but were cunningly wrought so that someone had to actively try to cast a shadow.

As per the protocol training he received Shiro joined the stately procession behind the King who was behind the Pope and they would be the only three in the area behind the pulpit.

Shiro let the wash of attention flow over him as he took the seat that confirmed him as one of the three most powerful men in the Holy Kingdom. A feeling that only lasted a moment as his eyes found where Lily stood, her way into the sanctuary barred by soldiers. Shiro felt bad, knew he should do something, anything, but the look of anticipation on some of the Barons' faces, and the gentle hand of the king on his remind him,

Shiro the summoned hero, destined to save the world, is not above politics.