The King, the Duke, Elford, and Torman all had ugly expressions. The fact that such an offer by the prince was made indicated that he was believed. And they didn't know how to argue their way out of the situation.
"I graciously accept. But first, my Prince… I would like to offer the Baron and Count my promises. For I know, the invitation extends to me. Yet my friends also need their place. After all, the opened portals that the four mages opened can still be closed. Beyond our moral responsibilities of this land that denounces death and destruction unlike the Duke and King…"
"Liar!" The King raged, but no one paid attention anymore.
"...the portal that opens is also a chance to inherit the hidden abode of a mysterious king. A grand power far beyond anything our three planets possess."
"Let us discuss it privately." The Prince smiled.
"In any case, I would trouble Baron Merovus to take his stand at the center of us. I may need to inscribe something on you. But I would also like to take this chance to solidify my backers. Baron Merovus. I will do this if you make a vow with me. A vow of equals."
"A Vow of Equals?" Merovus asked.
"That's the term this country uses to make a vow of alliance." The Count answered. He was off the massive throne that smashed him and was doing his best not to glare at the Prince, who caused the massive seat to plummet down on him.
"Oh? Why not? But is it not beneath you to make a vow with someone as low as me? You are no longer a slave but a person of power, a young hero, Emeros."
"Of course not. I walk the Path I call the Force Paladin. I have studied Paladin arts for many years. So I can tell when I see a Paladin of great talent. Team, surround him and assume the formation we did to block the Duke's… erm… unimpressive attack."
The Duke's teeth were gnashing so hard that many could hear it.
But as everyone was moving, Perment moved closer to Emeros.
"Studied Paladin arts? You never showed that power down there…!"
"I couldn't do that yet," Emeros whispered back with some restrained chuckle.
Perment was mumbling many strange and annoyed things. Because not just the strangers but Emeros's own friends were startled at his capabilities.
Emeros drew the Vow on his right arm, and it began to glow. The Count also removed the gauntlet of Merovus and drew the Vow on his right arm.
"The Vow of Equals assures that the two of us see neither to be beneath one. It is a vow that promises as equals, we will also look out for each other. I am Emeros… Steele." Emeros felt that using the name Vasilius would be too dangerous. So he chose the name of Steele.
"I accept. From this day forward, we will now be Equals—allies who will stand together. Your burden is my burden. Your concerns are my own. As Equals, we shall stand together no matter how vast the distance and difference between our power." Merovus gave his amazing demands that would force a tighter alliance between them.
Merovus offered his arm as the Count drew the Vow on him.
But drawn vows gave a strange glow of light.
Emeros reached out to Merovus's hand.
At once, Merovus was sent into a strange white world.
In front of him was Emeros, and the two continued to shake hands.
"A vow of equals offered by a prince. And the lowly have accepted. Such is the dream of Vasilius. A world not governed by a single king but shared by kings and queens of equal standing. Lowly one who has taken this vow with your prince, accept my mark." The strange being on a lofty throne raised his hand, creating a small letter that flew toward Merovus.
At once, he was back in the throne room.
Emeros was smiling at him and made a motion of putting his forefinger on his lips.
Merovus was amazed. He could feel a mark form behind him.
"Hail Equal! As promised, I will teach you my teachings. Team… provide the energy from me. Perment, use the formula and flow the energy as you would purge impurities in an alchemy bin. Vivindel, do the same." Emeros ordered.
Perment nodded, and Vivindel suddenly extended his body and made numerous crisscrossing lines.
"It's easy to have a vine Mage Captain. It makes these magical circles easier to change. And Perment is also a genius in the energy conversion circle. I believe Elford and Torman stole the idea from Perment and found a hieroglyph written in the First Word language of the Gods. I have seen their letter and can alter it freely. Combined with the legacy of the King, the Dark Dependent nature can change." Emeros smiled as he moved along the rest and drew on them.
He then paused as he reached Serena and had a conflicted expression.
"Young Master?"
"Erm… This formation needs me to draw at your… chest." Emeros whispered at Serena and tried to hide his blush.
"Master. My body is yours. You are free to do what you see fit to it." Serena whispered back. But her tone was very passionate and enticing.
Emeros trembled. He had conquered great horrors in the mines, but he had never conquered such emotions.
"Please be still, Serena." Emeros answered as he reached inside her clothes, Vivindel began to detach itself from the sides and covered the two. This allowed Emeros to draw an additional mark on Serena's chest.
"Master… Don't tell me you're a virgin…?" Vivindel quietly whispered only at the hearing of Emeros and Serena.
"What?! You're the virgin, you stupid vine!"
"Actually… I have been meaning to ask if you could help me hire some... female companions… well… you know. I may be a vine, but I can still feel, and I do have ways to do that. And it's been so long since I've had my fun..."
"Hentai tentacle porn…!" Emeros could not help but have a strange, vivid imagination from Calaminus.
"What?" Vivindel asked.
"Shut up and just keep us covered." Emeros threw away these bizarre thoughts.
"...Master, just to be clear. Only you are allowed to make use of my body. Not some strange, old, creepy vine." Serena glared at Vivindel.
Once the task was complete, the group returned to their respective position. Everyone noticed Emeros's red expression, and many began to plot how they could honey pot this genius hero.
"Equal Merovus… We will begin by purging out the energy. I have used the same symbol of Greed that Elford used. But this is not Black Magic. Thanks to my light, I've altered it so that it is neutral. And we will use some of the rare ores we found in the mine." Emeros went over to the corpse of Rorcast and unearthed numerous precious gems hidden in the beast's body.
He handed the gems over to his team, who held to at least two each.
"Why are they holding gems?" Baron Yen, the scholar, asked.
"Right. This is called the Conversion of Magic to Life. In this formula, instead of using dead monsters, we will use ores to grant experience to him."
"WHAT?!"
The room exploded in surprise.
BOOM!
Without any more delays, Emeros activated the magic, and the energy between them all began to surge out.
"Equal Merovus. I will purge the darkness within and let the fire from these ores burn it. It will hurt. Bear it! You will gain some experience and some resistance to fire. Learn from this, as you may also be able to harness the fire energy within!" Emeros warned.
Merovus was surprised at the benefits and had a serious expression.
The energy began to sweep through him, and this time, dark energy began to leak out as the light had once left him.
Merovus was in great pain. Yet he contained the urge to shout and howl. This was because he could feel the darkness leave him.
Many mages were actively using Gauge magic to see how much energy was being bestowed on the man.
The process took nearly a minute, and Emeros removed his hand from Merovus.
Merovus fell to his knees and began to pant.
"Impossible… Two thousand points worth of experience points!" A mage was shocked.
At once, an explosion of questions, exclamations, and some even ran back to contact their respective kingdom of what they had seen.
Bestowing experience points always risked lives for fighters who had to fight. But if it was only magical ores and mines, it would be a different story. Acquiring magical ores was always easier than facing a herd or pack of monsters. Even in war, both sides would do their best to ensure the corpses would not be acquired!
Ores were only used as supplemental energy to help the energy conversion circle function. But never was there a time that the energy would be used to grant experience points!
Merovus slowly stood up and sensed the energy in him. he could tell he had gained a rather substantial amount. But there was something within his force energy that felt different.
"I'm... now more resistant to fire!" He realized it.
Prince Alistair was stunned. He had thought that Emeros would be a rising star among the geniuses of his land. But now, with his superior knowledge, he knew that he would rise even higher than those stars in his kingdom.
"I must establish a deeper connection with this Emeros. He would be my path to kingship!" Alistair decided.
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