Chapter 18: Royal Capital: Offering Swords in Pledge of Allegiance
Adrien didn't return to the college until dark. After returning to the dormitory, he immediately ran into Lucien's room and hugged his roommate excitedly.
"I never imagined... I never imagined... Lucien... that everything you did was to defend the sanctity of academia and prevent the dean from trampling on tradition and discriminating against ordinary students... You... you..."
At this point, Adrian was choked with sobs.
"You... calm down first..."
Xiao Yun let Adrian let go of him: "Sit down and have a glass of water——"
"It's no use! I'm so excited now! Every part of me is excited!"
Adrien looked up, his face flushed, as he looked at Lucien: "I, who learned everything from His Majesty, am extremely excited! I! I!"
"You're so excited."
"—Well, I'm excited."
Adrien's eyes sparkled.
"Like everyone else in the empire, I've been hearing stories about the Twin Gods and the legends of the Holy Family over the past five thousand years since I was a child... But they are all ancient stories, too distant for me to truly relate to... Until today... Today, when I learned the truth from Your Majesty..."
"For the first time, I truly felt the name of the Holy Family, which had been ringing in my ears since I was a baby... This family not only possessed a beautiful appearance that would fascinate even the gods, but also possessed noble, pure, and compassionate souls that lived up to this beautiful appearance..."
"I truly feel the myth is right beside me... The myth is still alive... Standing before me... The myth... continues... A supreme destiny that cannot be glimpsed by human power..."
His voice became more and more rapid, and he was so excited that he could hardly breathe.
Lucien was worried that something might happen to him, so he poured him a glass of water. However, when he handed the water to him, the highly excited Adrien grabbed his right hand tightly with both hands and pressed it against his heart: "My heartbeat... can you feel it? My heart is pounding!"
"Feeling—"
"My heart beats for you. I serve you as my Lord and offer you my sword!"
"you--"
"According to tradition, the Duke of Dalavia's sword must be presented to the Emperor of the Sun Empire, but I... I haven't inherited the title yet, and my sword has no owner..."
Adrian looked at Lucien with an almost pleading look: "You are worthy of my sword!"
“This kind of thing…”
"I know you want to say that His Highness Yaris is more worthy of my sword, but if I offer my sword to His Highness Yaris, my father will definitely deprive me of my inheritance rights and kick me out of the house... I don't mind losing my inheritance rights and becoming a wandering mercenary. I'm just afraid that without my inheritance rights, I won't be able to effectively help you..."
"—What are you worried about?"
"My father said that there are irreconcilable contradictions between His Majesty and His Highness. The empire will one day be torn apart by civil war, and Dalavia may become the key to victory or defeat... Therefore, I cannot lose Dalavia's inheritance rights. I must ensure that Dalavia and I stand by your side when civil war breaks out..."
(Is the situation already so serious?)
Xiao Yun showed a solemn expression.
"Take my sword, Lucien—you will need it! His Highness Jarris will need it too!"
Adrien said with great certainty.
He finally let go of Lucien's hand and was now kneeling on one knee in front of Lucien, holding his sword in both hands, his eyes full of anticipation.
Xiao Yun was moved. He took Adrian's sword with both hands, kissed the hilt, and solemnly declared.
"Lucien Al-Sanctus is hereby made Adrian's sword master."
…
…
The duel that Adrian, the son of the Duke of Dalavia, challenged to Dean Durham of the Royal Academy to defend the honor of His Highness Jarris, his close friend Lucien, and the Holy Family ultimately failed to take place.
——After listening to Adrian's explanation, Emperor Edmund believed that Canoa Duron's defamatory remarks against the Holy Family and Yaris himself constituted blasphemy. He dismissed Canoa Duron from his position as president of the Royal Academy on the spot, threw him into a tower, and handed him over to the Dinos Priests for trial three days later.
However, Kanoa Duren died on the night he was imprisoned.
The official record is that he committed suicide by taking poison out of fear of punishment.
But the court officials generally believed that he died at the hands of fanatical admirers of the Holy Family, while some thought that the emperor had someone kill him.
"We must give some explanation to His Majesty Yaris and the priests of Denos."
"—It would be fine if he was dismissed for lack of ability, but this guy's reason for dismissal is... shameful! If I could get my hands on the prison, I would definitely kill him!"
"His Highness Yaris is of a sacred bloodline more noble and ancient than the royal family. How dare a third-rate fortune teller slander and attack him—"
"What if this fellow says something even more shameful during his trial by the priests? Wouldn't it be a disgrace to His Majesty, who appointed him as the president of the Imperial Academy against all odds..."
"Uh-huh!"
"...After all this discussion, does anyone know what he said to Master Lucien and Master Adrien that was too disgusting to hear?"
As soon as the words fell, the chattering crowd fell silent for an instant, and then each found an excuse to leave in a hurry.
…
…
"elder brother--"
After getting off the carriage, Xiao Yun learned from the housekeeper that his brother was in the greenhouse. He ran all the way to the glass greenhouse and found Yaris next to the indoor marble fountain decorated with a statue of a goddess.
"elder brother!"
"Are you back?"
Yaris closed the book in his hand, looked at his panting brother with a smile in his eyes.
He had just returned to Silver Moon Palace from Denos last night and was refusing all visitors today.
Because he didn't have to meet any guests, Yaris, who was leaning leisurely on the sofa reading a book, was dressed very casually. His long black hair, which was as shiny as flowing water, was draped without any decoration. He was wearing a white robe with only a small amount of silver embroidery on the cuffs and collar, and a comfortable wide-sleeved silk robe on the outside. His pale skin was rarely flushed with a faint red.
Perhaps because the clothes were too loose, Yaris looked thinner and more slender than before, like an elf that could be taken away by the wind at any time.
Xiao Yun felt a pang of pain in his heart.
(Yaris, what exactly did you suffer on the ninth floor of the God Tower?)
"The Royal Academy's matter—"
"I already know."
Jaris waved and asked Lucien to sit next to him.
"You've done a great job, even better than I expected. John said everyone in the academic district wants to thank you in person."
"I...I just did what I could..."
“It’s been a huge help to them.”
Yaris adjusted his sitting position, and Xiao Yun's breath was immediately filled with the unique sweet and slightly seductive scent of Bishaluya.
"You helped them and deserve their thanks, but you have to remember that you are different from them."
"no the same?"
"no the same."
Yaris's voice was very soft, mixed with the gurgling sound of the fountain, so comfortable that it was intoxicating.
"After all, you and they are not from the same world. To achieve what they seek, they must go through revolution, and revolution will bring war and death to the country and even the world, tens of thousands and millions of people will lose their lives, and the ultimate outcome may not necessarily be good..."
"...Failure is inevitable. Even if they succeed, their enthusiasm outweighs their practicality, and they don't know how to properly transform this new world, which exists only in their dreams and no one has ever truly seen, from imagination into reality..."
"They are passionate, brave, and fearless, but also radical, blind, and impulsive, easily swept away by emotions and losing their rationality..."
"When interacting with them, you must always remain calm and avoid being carried away by their passion. You must learn to respect them, but also know how to control them, manage them, and lead them away from fanaticism."
"But--"
Xiao Yun thought of the painter.
"what's on your mind?"
"I'm thinking about the painter who burned his painstakingly created work just because of his brother's words..."
"He does have a bit of a fanaticism."
Yaris said nonchalantly.
(…Just a little?)
Xiao Yun doesn't think so.
A sentence came out of his mouth inexplicably -
"We might as well kill him and worship him as a god."
"What are you talking about?"
"I……"
Xiao Yun looked up and was about to tell Yaris about his concerns.
"Your Highness—"
John Deere suddenly appeared with a serious look on his face.
"I'm sorry to interrupt your good time, brothers, but there's something I must confirm with you right away."
"What is it?"
"The death of Kanoa Duren really has nothing to do with Your Highness?"
"The moment Edmund threw him into prison, he was doomed. I didn't need to do anything."
Yaris looked at John unhappily: "Why do you ask this question suddenly?"
"Last night, I performed an autopsy on Durham's body."
"The poison that caused Duren's death was related to the Silver Moon Palace."
John Deere added.
"You suspect—"
"If Duren died on His Highness's orders, the killer would never have used any poison that could be associated with the Silver Moon Palace. I'm worried..."
"Are you worried that someone will kill Duren and make a fuss about his death?"
"yes."
"Is that Edmund?"
"Your Majesty has indeed been overactive recently."
"He must be planning another conspiracy against me."
Yaris sighed sadly, and his slender fingers fiddled with the Rosa Marie blooming near the fountain.
"...Ulysses qualified as a high-level mage three days ago. Alfred will soon be asked by Edmund to return home to recuperate."
…
…
"Excuse me—"
Count Caron, a bearded man who is very popular in the palace, walked into the Silver Moon Palace surrounded by flowers.
After curtsying to Yaris, Caron, the chief commander of the Imperial Palace Guard, said helplessly:
"His Majesty invites His Highness and Young Master to the palace. He has a few questions regarding Du Lun that he needs to confirm with His Highness and Young Master in person."
"oh--?"
"What does he want to confirm?"
"Does Durham's death satisfy us?"
“What recommendations do we have for the next president of the Royal Academy?”
"Or—"
Yaris lowered his eyes, a fleeting smile hanging on the corner of his mouth.
"—He wants to know whether those dirty rumors Duren told about the Holy Family are true or not?"
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