Chapter 94: Black Death: Collective Allegiance [VIP]
After passing through the long corridor lined with crimson Rosamarie flowers on both sides, the group entered the main house, which was decorated in a simple and capable style and was used for private talks.
The room was furnished with minimal furniture, not even a rug on the floor, and a large magical crystal mirror was embedded in the wall.
The midday sun shone into the room through the window, making it a little dazzling.
Haras glanced at the timer in front of the crystal mirror and said respectfully, "Including the start time, we'll just make it in time for the meeting to start."
"Excuse me, Mr. Harrah."
"My pleasure."
After Haras personally inspected the windows and the barrier, he officially activated the magic path.
Swish——
Bright light fills the room.
On the other side of the mirror was a spacious room, with quite a few people gathered in the room, most of whom were people Xiao Yun knew.
Seeing Xiao Yun in the mirror, everyone greeted him.
"Lucien, long time no see!"
"Uncle Alfrid, is your leg okay?"
"I'm doing fine now."
"Master Lucien, when will you return to the capital? Ansel and I miss you very much."
"Marus, how are you doing?"
“…”
"——His Highness Yaris is here!"
The crowd that was greeting Xiao Yun warmly suddenly quieted down, and looked excitedly at Yaris who slowly entered the room with the help of the servants.
"--elder brother!"
Xiao Yun's lips trembled: "Your body...why is it..."
"I twisted my ankle going down the stairs yesterday evening, and Dr. Moss insisted I use a wheelchair."
Yaris sat in a wheelchair and said nonchalantly, "I'm sorry for making everyone worry."
(Did you really just twist your ankle while going down the stairs?)
Xiao Yun didn't believe it.
Yaris's body is already thinner and more slender than that of ordinary people. Now sitting in a wheelchair, he looks even smaller like a doll, and his face is as pale as a ghost that may disappear in the darkness at any time.
Obviously, most of the people participating in the meeting did not believe this reason. They looked at Yaris worriedly, their eyes full of anxiety.
Yaris looked around, confirming that the target group was present. He smiled and said, "Although most of the people attending this meeting know each other, I still hope that everyone can introduce themselves and explain the reasons and purposes for coming here before the meeting officially begins."
"First, I am myself, Yaris Aldo Santis, the 357th Patriarch of the Holy Family and the 134th High Priest of the Twin Gods. I appear here on behalf of the Holy Family and the Priesthood of Denos, and I hope everyone will join me in swearing allegiance to my half-brother."
Hearing this, the crowd made a small commotion.
Yaris raised his hand, signaling them to be quiet.
He smiled at his brother in the mirror and said solemnly and calmly, "Your Majesty Lucien!"
“…”
After a brief silence, Xiao Yun nodded gently: "I accept."
Then, the former Prime Minister, Duke Alfrid, stepped forward and said, "My domain and I have decided to swear allegiance to the young Majesty Lucien d'Al-Saintes!"
"I am Malus, the second-in-command of the Imperial Knights. My loyalty and that of all the knights under my command belongs to His Majesty Lucien!"
"I am the Paladin Ansel. On behalf of my Knights, I salute His Majesty Lucien!"
“…”
"I am Professor Allen, Vice President of the Royal Academy. After careful and rational consideration, the Royal Academy and the Academic Union to which I belong have decided to pledge their loyalty to His Majesty Lucien, the benevolent, tolerant, and fair academic protector!"
“…”
"I am the tribune responsible for public security in the capital. We, the Knights of the Capital, unanimously support His Majesty Lucien!"
“…”
"I come from the Demonic Tower. I represent the wishes of the Grand Master. The Grand Master believes that His Majesty Lucien is the true ruler of the empire."
“…”
"We, the citizens of the Lower City, Mills, Amy, and Nemo, and everyone in the Lower City, sincerely hope that His Majesty Lucien, who hails from the Holy Family and truly represents the Empire's five thousand years of civilization and glory, will be officially enthroned soon. We are willing to sacrifice our lives for this cause."
“…”
One after another, people saluted Xiao Yun and expressed their loyalty, their cheeks flushed with excitement.
After the last participant introduced himself, Yaris raised his head and said bluntly:
"It's not easy for me to make up my mind to condemn my cousin, whom I grew up with, and overthrow his rule, but I have to do it because Edmund is an arrogant, rude, and tyrannical monarch. His rule has brought countless sufferings to the people, but he himself has no regrets and even tried to implement an even more brutal tyranny!"
"Allowing such a person to continue sitting on the throne will only bring endless troubles to the country and the people. Correct Edmund's mistake!"
"Perhaps some people think that my brother was nominated as the commander-in-chief and supreme commander of this operation. No matter how tyrannical and cruel his actions were, he was the supreme commander of the country. We must put forward a person of status."
Yaris looked at him proudly. He was the only person we could find who met all the requirements. Wang, 7 was a man of high moral character who was admired by everyone and had great achievements in military and political fields.
"——I really can't think of anyone better than Lucy..."
Adrien shouted excitedly.
Upon hearing this, everyone looked through the crystal mirror again at Xiao Yun who was far away in Dalavia.
Xiao Yun raised his head and calmly accepted everyone's gaze. "The only thing I want to do and can do now is to do my best to lead everyone to end Edmund's tyranny and allow the empire to smoothly enter a new era."
"Yes, you are a natural emperor."
Yaris said as a matter of course.
"Your Highness Yaris, you——"
Duke Alfrid seemed hesitant.
"Putting aside my extremely weak and crippled body, even in terms of temperament and personality, my brother is more suitable for the throne than me."
Yaris smiled and said, "In fact, as early as the day when Lucien miraculously survived death and returned to my side, the fate that was above the gods had already sent down an oracle. He told me, who was praying for Lucien on the ninth floor of the Ziggurat at that time, that Lucien was born for the throne. I must do everything I can to help him ascend the throne!"
"It is God's will to have His Majesty Lucien ascend the throne! Everything we do now is in accordance with God's will! God is on our side, and our righteous actions will surely succeed!"
Malus, who had been Lucien's epee teacher, made a passionate appeal.
People were infected by his passion, their eyes burned again, and strong and angry patriotic feelings surged in their hearts.
"God is on our side throughout, but we still have to take our enemies seriously."
Yaris said in a calm and strange tone: "About the lizard monster by Lake Lilia...about the Black Death that ravaged Dalavia..."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yun looked at Haras.
"--My pleasure."
Haras understood, stepped forward, and after a brief self-introduction, he told everyone about the strange things that happened in Dalavia during the Black Death.
Everyone was stunned and the air fell into silence for a moment.
a long time--
"...Is this all true? Has our emperor really already..."
"As Duke Dalavia's most trusted confidant, my loyalty to the empire prevents me from believing that our emperor would do such a cruel and inhumane thing to his own subjects. However... everyone in the city of Ted witnessed the strange events described above..."
Haras' voice was filled with sorrow and grief. "The Dalavian people have always been honest and simple. They have borne the blood tax for a thousand years for the peace and stability of the empire without complaint... But this time, this time..."
"He clearly wants to exterminate the Dalavians!"
Mills, a representative from the Lower Town, who is a Dalavian, spoke out.
Others were also outraged, angrily condemning the protests and worrying that their hometowns would become the next Dalaviya.
"Okay, everyone, let's calm down and look at something a little more unusual."
Yaris winked at the magicians in the corner.
The magicians then brought out the body parts of the lizard monster from the Lilia Lake and the remains of the monster that attacked the Little Love Palace late at night.
"I believe that even among those of you invited to this gathering, many believe that the lizard monsters by Lake Lilia are fabricated slanders fabricated by our brothers, or that they are hallucinations I experienced while experiencing a high fever. Therefore—in order to help everyone understand the kind of enemy we are fighting and why Edmund transformed from a stubborn, ignorant, and arrogant monarch into a cruel and bloodthirsty monster in such a short period of time, I must show you these things that go beyond common sense."
"—Whether you believe it or not, Edmund has been possessed by a terrifying demon and has become its minion."
Xiao Yun added worriedly, "This is why my brother and I, even though we knew that war would lead to massive deaths, production would grind to a halt, and urban construction would be destroyed...we still decided to raise the banner of rebellion! Because we are human, we cannot stand by and watch our country and our people being sold to the devil by our emperor!"
"...But why, why did he do this? He's already the emperor, why would he make a deal with the demon?"
Duke Alfrid took the lead and asked the question that lingered in everyone's mind.
"because--"
Yaris hesitated to speak.
Xiao Yun spoke sturdily and firmly, "Because Edmund isn't satisfied with his current throne. He wants to be immortal, to enjoy unparalleled power forever, and to make everyone in the world crawl at his feet and become his slaves, just like the True Human Empire of the Eastern Continent! When his dream becomes reality, the people of the Western Continent will suffer a fate even more extreme and cruel than that of the people of the True Human Empire!"
"That's a future none of us want to see!"
Malus, the second-in-command of the Imperial Knights, shouted fiercely, "We all deeply love our homeland and our people. We will never allow our country to fall into hell! For this reason, we gather here and swear allegiance from the bottom of our hearts to His Majesty Lucien, the only one who can lead us to overthrow the tyrant's rule!"
He drew his sword and walked to the crystal mirror: "Your Majesty, I swear to you by my sword that you are my only sovereign and the owner of my life. If you doubt my loyalty, you can take my life at any time!"
"Malus—"
Xiao Yun said gently, "I'm sorry. I'm far away in Dalavia and can't kiss your sword and return it to you as usual, but I have indeed received your loyalty! Please allow my brother to complete the ceremony on my behalf!"
"Long live His Majesty!"
Malus turned around and handed the sword to Yaris beside him.
Yaris reached out and took a piece of linen from Lucien's wardrobe from the servant's hand. He solemnly wrapped it around Malus's sword, and his slender fingers traced the blessing runes through the linen: "May the gods bear witness to your loyalty!"
Afterwards, the generals present swore allegiance one by one and accepted the blessings given by Yaris in the name of the gods.
After the oath-taking ceremony, Yaris gently told everyone, "Although I can't reveal more for now, in addition to the Denos Priesthood, the Magic Guild, the Academic Guild, and the Science Union, our actions have also received support from several countries in the Western Continent. They have promised to send troops in an emergency to assist us in fighting evil and saving the Western Continent!"
"Long live!"
People shouted excitedly, and the serious hall felt a little more relaxed.
Adrian also looked at Xiao Yun with wide eyes: "We will definitely win, right?"
"Yes, victory will ultimately belong to justice, and we are the agents of justice."
Xiao Yun revealed the Goddess of Justice ring on the ring finger of his left hand.
"Hail! Your Majesty! Long live!"
The people cheered again, as if caught in the magic contained in the words "Long live" and "Your Majesty".
"... Considering that even the Little Love Goddess Palace has the Emperor's spies infiltrated, my brother and I will inform the appropriate individuals of the specific details of the operation at the appropriate time and in the appropriate manner, and do everything possible to prevent any leaks of intelligence."
"That's for sure."
Alfrid echoed.
At this moment, the head attendant, Kelly, suddenly whispered to Yaris, "Your Highness, it's time for you to return to your bedroom for massage therapy."
"ah……"
Yaris bit his lip and said helplessly, "Please forgive my weakness and absence. My brother will be fully responsible for what happens next."
"elder brother--"
Yaris looked at Xiao Yun in the crystal mirror. After their eyes met, he nodded solemnly and signaled Kelly to push the wheelchair and take him back to the bedroom.
…
…
After conferring with the people far away in Dinos through the huge crystal mirror embedded in the wall, Xiao Yun left the room and returned to his living room in Winter Castle.
The magician immediately emerged from the darkness and said respectfully, "Your Highness is waiting for you—"
"good."
As these words were spoken, another crystal mirror in the living room slowly lit up.
On the other side of the mirror was Yaris leaning on the bed. He looked extremely tired, as if he had exhausted all his physical strength and could only lie on the bed and gasp for breath.
Xiao Yun looked at this abnormal scene and asked seriously, "Brother, you didn't return to the bedroom early for massage therapy, right?"
"As expected... I can't hide anything from you..."
Yaris smiled weakly and said frankly, "He tried to break into Denos, and I didn't allow him to interfere with us."
"but--"
"It's okay. Denos is a city built around the divine tower, and it already has a sacred barrier. I can also draw on the power of the gods. I'm just a little tired..."
Yaris spoke breathlessly, exhausted.
"So, I will never be able to become a commander, no matter how high my prestige or how many people support me... My body is too fragile, and I could die at any time... Even if I survived, I would be constantly sick and have high fevers, unable to deal with various emergencies in time, let alone put on armor and stand at the front to boost everyone's morale... I can only wait for you... I finally waited for you..."
He smiled weakly. "Actually, my health is much worse than I let on."
"Dr. Moss said I was experiencing motor neurodegeneration. This disease can't be cured, only alleviated... At first, I was just weak and had frequent high fevers. Gradually, it developed into an inability to walk or write. My facial muscles became stiff, chewing and swallowing became difficult, and my speech became slurred... In the end, my body became a prison for my soul, and I couldn't even move my eyeballs..."
"Why is this happening?"
"This is the fate that every generation of black-haired, black-eyed high priest has been unable to escape... According to the records left by previous generations, it usually begins after the age of twenty-five. I never thought that I, I would..."
"Why does this only happen to the black-haired, black-eyed high priest?"
"Because... the human body is an extremely sophisticated genetic machine. Even the slightest change could have dire consequences. However, due to religious requirements and the gods' arrangements, Holy Family 7 must continuously produce high priests with black hair and black eyes..."
"The gene controlling black hair and black eyes is conflicting with other genes?"
Upon hearing this, Yaris was silent for a long time, then slowly shook his head: "...I don't know."
(No! He's lying! He knows the real reason, but he can't tell it!)
(Why can’t I tell you? Because…is this motor neurodegeneration artificially edited into the genes?)
(But given the technological capabilities of this world, if someone truly possessed such highly precise gene editing technology and could tamper with the High Priest's genes at will... then wouldn't they be, be, be, a god?)
The bold guess was like a sharp knife piercing his heart. Xiao Yun unconsciously clenched his fists, and Adlon's words rang in his ears.
(…She lay in a room shone with intense white light. A beam of light descended from the sky, cut open her belly, and placed a shining seed into her body. When she woke up, she discovered that there were indeed suture marks on her lower abdomen. When she reached out to touch the scar, the mark disappeared. A month later, the doctor announced that she was pregnant.)
"I've thought about suicide more than once... I wanted to use death to escape the curse of pain in the early stages of motor neuron degeneration, until... until you came back to me... It was you who gave me the strength to stop thinking about death and escaping. I must cherish the little time I have, work hard to stand up, and protect our country and our land with you..."
"You should think more positively."
Xiao Yun suppressed his inner uneasiness and comforted Yaris: "Pessimism makes people depressed, and their health gets worse day by day."
"Lucien, I'm sorry I did something that made you unhappy without realizing it..."
"Just making a promise is not enough. I hope you can sincerely change your mindset and stop being pessimistic and depressed..."
"Um."
Yaris nodded repeatedly, his expression looking like a child who was caught doing something bad by his parents.
"...I feel like I'm losing control of you."
Xiao Yun sighed helplessly and expressed the question that had been lingering in his mind since the beginning of the meeting.
"Why did you lead them in shouting 'Long Live His Majesty' to me?! I said I wanted to emulate the Eternal Empire and create a new world without emperors, without classes, and with equal citizenship for all..."
"If you are angry about my behavior, I apologize, but I refuse to change. Because this is the best solution at the moment and the only form of rebellion that can unite all those who participate in our team."
Yaris said seriously, "I know you don't want to be emperor, but the reality is you must become emperor. Lead the nobles and people who believe that 'an empire must have an emperor' to overthrow the Yula Dynasty. Then gradually promote the idea that 'a country doesn't necessarily need a king' and guide them into a new era without emperors and without classes."
(——Will you take such big steps that you might end up getting your balls pulled?)
Xiao Yun looked melancholy.
"From the time the Eternal Empire was destroyed by divine retribution to the time you told me you wanted to build a new world without emperors, without classes, and where everyone was equal, a full six thousand years passed. During these six thousand years, almost everyone lived by the ironclad rules that 'a country must have a king' and 'a city must have a mayor.' Even in free cities with a parliamentary system, all affairs were decided by a small number of people in the parliament... Everyone believed, from the bottom of their hearts, that the descendants of nobles were nobles, and the children of peasants were peasants..."
"Individual efforts are meaningless in the face of an indestructible system."
"Yes."
Yaris nodded dejectedly. "Take Alfonso, for example. Without my financial support, his life would have been... So Luis could confidently claim that being loved by him was a gift from the gods to Alfonso, and he would never believe until his death that Alfonso had never been moved."
"You knew I had no intention of becoming emperor, yet you still led everyone in shouting 'Your Majesty' to me. This was because you hoped that after overthrowing Edmund's autocratic rule, I would issue various decrees as emperor, improve productivity, popularize cultural education, sow the seeds of freedom and democracy in everyone's heart, and gradually lead the world into a new era..."
"Yes, Lucien."
Yaris looked at Xiao Yun sadly. "To turn this dream into reality, we need a healthy body, powerful strength, unparalleled appeal, an original intention that won't be corrupted by desire, and a relay of success from generation to generation... You almost meet all of the above conditions, except for the last one... the last one, the last one... Well, the last one is not completely impossible..."
Hearing this, Xiao Yun couldn't help but stare into Yaris's eyes. The black eyes that were as bright as a night lake were now flashing with a suspicious light.
"What are you going to do, Yaris?"
"Don't worry, Lucien. I always know what I'm doing and what I'm capable of."
Yaris smiled clearly, like a naughty child.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
