The Mandate of Heaven is not fixed; it belongs only to the virtuous. Throughout history, emperors and kings have all conformed to the turns of fortune, receiving the Mandate of Heaven to rule the world.
I was once a mere Prince who had not inherited the throne. Because my father the King's virtue was shallow, the common people suffered in hardship. Though I had the intent to save them, my strength was insufficient, leading to turmoil in the Northern Country and the partition of the land by local heroes.
Now the turn of fortune has arrived, and the one who bears the Mandate of Heaven has appeared. Only Cerydra, whose achievements reach the heavens and earth, whose illustrious merits are known throughout the world, who brings benevolence and peace to the people, who possesses the wisdom to resolve crises, and the courage to settle disasters, has won the submission of all under heaven.
I shall conform to the Mandate of Heaven and abdicate the throne to Cerydra. It is hoped that everyone will cleanse their hearts and change their thoughts to support the new dynasty and together assist in a prosperous reign.
Announce this to the world, so that all may hear and know.
Through the Authority of the Demigod of the Ocean, Hysilens successfully made the Prince of the Northern Country, Numa Seika, issue such an edict for abdication after Cerydra performed the Three Refusals and Three Resignations.
What were the Three Refusals and Three Resignations?
In ancient times, when powerful ministers usurped the throne, they had to perform three acts of refusal to feign humility and beautify the usurpation.
Although Cerydra used such formal documents, she did not conceal the fact of her usurpation in her actions at all.
After all, this was not a world of ordinary people, but an otherworldly realm where special powers existed and the strong were respected...
So I will say it plainly: I am usurping your throne, what can you do about it?
The largest city in the Northern Country was also the location of the former King's Royal Palace.
Clearly, this place was still in a state of war and chaos just a month ago, but with the entry of Cerydra's Army, order returned to this city.
On this day, the residents of the city took to the streets one after another to cheer, no longer hiding in their homes as before, not even needing to wear masks when going out...
Because they knew that this country had welcomed a new monarch, a complete rebirth!
Inside the Royal Palace, Numa Seika stood before the throne on the high platform, reading the long-prepared Abdication Edict, a sense of confusion revealed in his eyes.
Below the throne, over a hundred Chrysos Heir made no sound, just quietly watching Numa Seika, waiting for him to finish reading the edict.
In fact, anyone below the stage could see the abnormality in Numa Seika, but no one stepped forward to stop it, simply because they were all Chrysos Heir, all direct subordinates of Cerydra.
For a mere puppet Prince, they could have just killed him to take the throne; many among the Chrysos Heir had such thoughts, but they were stopped by Cerydra.
Cerydra knew well that this Akame ga Kill World was a huge pit, filled with insects, scums, trash, and beasts everywhere!
As the soon-to-be Empress, Cerydra despised the methods of those scums and loathed the foul deeds they had done in the past, so she intended to use Numa Seika to complete a dignified usurpation.
Cerydra wanted to use this method to tell everyone in the Akame ga Kill World that even a usurpation could be done in a civilized manner, without necessarily using insulting methods against the predecessor.
That's right, Cerydra wanted to use herself as the standard to re-establish a set of laws for this world, even if it was the law of usurpation!
As Numa Seika, standing before the throne, finished reading the edict for abdication, Hysilens below the stage took the lead in applauding, while everyone turned around to look at the Palace gates behind them.
Rumble—!
The heavy doors were pushed open, and a young girl wearing a crimson cape and magnificent attire appeared, accompanied by a shining golden light.
After glancing around the surroundings, Cerydra revealed a confident smile, then stepped onto the red carpet inside the Royal Palace and began walking toward the throne at the deepest part of the Royal Palace.
Though her stature was petite, every step Cerydra took was heavy and powerful, sending clear echoes through the Palace, while the surrounding Chrysos Heir also happened to applaud, cheering for the arrival of the new Empress.
Cerydra thus passed by those Chrysos Heir one by one, welcoming their gazes of admiration, worship, or complexity...
Hysilens's expression never changed; even standing at the front of everyone, she still maintained a smile.
Esdeath beside her was the same, performing almost the exact same actions as Hysilens, but the sharp light revealed in her eyes spoke of the excitement in her heart.
As for Najenda, she could only applaud with a complex expression. Just a few months ago, she was still a General of The Empire, but now she had directly become the Dux Benevolentia of the Northern Country, and next, she might have to fight a life-and-death battle against The Empire... In the end, she could only sigh at the fickleness of fate.
Fortunately, after observing for this period of time, Najenda found that the Northern Country established by Cerydra seemed to be in a better situation than the internal state of The Empire? This might be the greatest stroke of luck in her life.
And her subordinate Lubbock had been granted the Peerage of Pure Love, though due to his status, he did not stand beside her but in a position further back...
Then, under the gaze of everyone, Cerydra lifted her foot and stepped onto the stairs before the throne.
"From now on, I leave everything of the Northern Country to you!"
With a bewildered gaze, Numa Seika thus handed his edict of succession into Cerydra's hands, then looked toward the ministers below the stage.
"From this day forth, I, Numa Seika, am no longer the Prince of the Northern Country. The throne of the Northern Country is formally handed over to Cerydra."
As the words fell, Numa Seika walked down the stairs and stood among the ministers below.
At this moment, Cerydra also turned around, facing the ministers to announce: "This act by Numa Seika conforms to the Mandate of Heaven and benefits the country and the people. As the Empress about to ascend, I cannot fail to provide a reward for this."
"Therefore, Numa Seika is granted the title of Duke of Shanyang, and may enjoy glory and wealth for the rest of his life!"
"We follow the Imperial command!" xN
From then on, Numa Seika officially met his end, heading to his granted fief, never to leave for life, and never to conduct recruiting and training troops for life. As long as he obeyed the law, he could enjoy glory for a lifetime.
After finishing all this, Cerydra turned around again and formally sat on the throne that symbolized the supreme power of the Northern Country.
Looking at the magnificent Palace around her and the ministers below the stage, Cerydra couldn't help but feel some emotion.
In Amphoreus, she was originally a refugee who was pushed onto the throne by Nobles. But in the current Akame ga Kill World, Cerydra had achieved this by herself, becoming the new ruler of the Northern Country.
With a casual wave from Cerydra, blue light bloomed from her hand, forming streaks of blue fireworks that flew into the sky.
Ding—!
A huge blue phantom appeared in mid-air, which was precisely Cerydra's image. The cheering Soldiers and residents in the city also stopped at this moment, their heads turning to look at the phantom in the sky.
It was hard to imagine that the petite figure on the throne could now look down upon the entire Royal Capital, almost as if... she were treating the Royal Capital as a Chess Piece?
For the residents and Soldiers in the city, this was almost the first time they had seen the Empress's appearance, and they were truly quite surprised.
They hadn't expected their new Empress to be so beautiful...
She must surely be a kind monarch, right?
Thus, under the expectant gazes of everyone, Cerydra officially made her declaration...
"Having received the Mandate from Heaven, may he lead a long and prosperous life!"