622 Inheritor of the Promise
Emeros was startled at the words of the Prince. He never expected that the truth about his being would be written in legends.
He had expected it to be hidden in obscurity but underestimated the powerful kingdoms beyond.
"Does your grace think that I am the inheritor?" Emeros looked amused.
"It does seem that way. The truth is, everyone, is vying for that. Not just in the Floating Continents but even in the Continents Above the Sky. You see, further up the Floating Continents is another floating continent. Each planet has one, and there, the strongest peaks of the kingdom live. Crowns are said to sit on those highlands. And the legend of the Inheritor is deeply engraved in the romance of every member of these three planets. And everything you described matches this legend."
"...I do not know of such things, my Prince. All that I know is that I gained power and knowledge."
"Shocking knowledge, to be precise. The Force Paladin is quite a way. You can harness Holy without being Holy. Such deeds seem miraculous."
"And what will the Prince have of me?"
"You assume that you will die in my hands and that I will find a way to claim it? Wrong. I do have ulterior motives. But I cannot inherit what is destined-"
"Fated."
"...Fine. I cannot inherit what is fated to be yours. I will, however, ask you the same vow you offered to Merovus."
Emeros was surprised.
"A Vow of Equals?"
"Yes. Do you not understand the implication of that? If I am right, and you are desti- Fated to be the king, your vow will throw me to prominence." The Prince explained.
"...If that's the case, then I shall accept it. But your grace should know the implication of this truth. I had never heard of this legend, and I had no knowledge of the legends in the Floating Continents and the Continents Above the Sky. Therefore-"
"Obviously, knowledge and rumors of this will be kept hidden. Do not worry. Everyone present in that little show of yours will keep the secret. Information of everything you revealed will naturally be kept within this kingdom as they would only share the knowledge of it when all have equally grown stronger. So the events that passed will be kept secret in the Floating Continents. I, myself, will leave out key information. I will make Perment the center of it all. With your permission, of course."
"As long as he is protected."
"If we take the Vow of Equals, your allies will be my allies. I will naturally protect them. Shall we?" The Prince held out his hand with the vow already formed.
Emeros saw it and hesitated. If he reached out, the vision of that world would appear, and the Prince will truly know the secret."
"Add a clause that we must protect each other secretly and do our best to save each other." Emeros frowned.
"I agree. But my dear Emeros. If you are indeed who I think you are, you will suffer in this deal." The Prince smiled.
Emeros was silent. The Prince was right. That clause would force Emeros to shield the Prince. He could tell that the Code of Vasilius valued vows such as these. As the inheritor, he cannot turn back on his word.
"...If your heart and actions truly show that you treat me an equal, then let it be so," Emeros added his clause and extended his hand, and the Prince reached for the handshake without hesitation.
Once more, they were in the world of great white horizons.
The grand throne stood at its exalted height.
Prince Alistair saw the vision and trembled.
He wept and wept, for his suspicion was true!
"The King... has returned! The King has returned!" Alistair fell and worshiped before the Throne.
"You who holds my Prince in honor, by honor shall you be bound. The Vow you have made is solidified, and you will be judged by your words and actions. Stand by the Prince and inherit the gifts and powers that the Prince will bestow. This is my decree. It shall be so."
The vision quickly vanished.
At once, the Prince kneeled.
They had been alone together as the Prince had expected an important talk.
But now, the scene that would have caused all his subjects to explode in shock appeared.
The vision was too grand. Alistair saw and felt great joy. Before him was the promised inheritor!
Emeros was also unsure how to react when the Prince bowed to him. The Vow of Equals would have made them equals, yet this Prince chose to bow and honor him higher.
"My Prince." Prince Alistair disregarded his title and called Emeros for who he was.
Emeros could only remain silent and not know what to do. But somehow, he began to think that what Alistair showed was true loyalty.
"The true Prince is here! The true Prince is here!" Alistair began to weep.
"...Why are you... like this?" Emeros could not ignore the desperation of Alistair.
"My prince, if you think the politics of the mortal lands are insane, it's harsher in my world. I bear the title of Prince. But it is not a title of honor. It is a title of great terror for those who are weak. I am the least of brothers and would be the first to perish in the coming bid for the throne. The life of my father is fading away. And his death will spark a battle in my family. The battle for the throne. I have but a few years left. My political power, intellect, and talent are all incompatible. And I don't have enough power and control to let me leave. The people that I have to grow fewer by the second. And only those who took care of me since my birth and those who could not abandon me remain. Do you understand, Prince? That in you, I will finally have a shot!" Alistair raised his head.
"So that's it. You are gambling it all on me?" Emeros asked.
"Yes. I will give you the platform and help you go to that place. I will use whatever authority I have to give you what you need. As equals, that will be my role."
"And my role is to save you. Quite a bothersome task you set me up."
"My Prince, I told you that you would be the one who would be at a disadvantage!" Alistair laughed.
"So be it. Though you use me, I couldn't have gone here without your help. I will need your connection to succeed. And from the looks of it, we may need to trap people who will try to steal my knowledge."
"Was it... him? Did Rorcast and Vivindel become what they are now because of that King?"
"Yes... The truth is, I'm still unsure of what it means to be his inheritor. Even my parents don't know."
"Your parents?"
"Alistair. You are desperate, and you have connections. You are also the smartest man that I can talk to. Even though you are the weakest of those who fly above, you are still one from above. So I will tell you everything about me. And in turn, I need you to help me craft a plan." Emeros's eyes looked serious.
"I will do anything, my Prince. We are Equals, but you are still the source."
"...Do you have a formation plate that I could use?"
"Of course..." The Prince nodded and took out a talisman.
It wasn't long after a knock was heard, and the Formation Plate was left in the room with Alistair and Emeros.
"I shall you the true tale. Not of this Tri-planet region. But of the Universe. Let me start from the beginning." Emeros held his hand, and the power of Dark Fire appeared.
Alistair was amazed at the power that Emeros wielded.
"The story does not begin with the King. Vasilius isn't who my parents taught him to be. And by the looks of it, even my mother believed Vasilius to be a god. But he could very well be a God above all. But this story doesn't begin here. It begins in a world far away from this place. I do not know if you will even believe me. But you believe Vasilius and honor him as the true king. So, I will tell you what even my allies do not know. The tale of Kyros Steele... I shall start with that!" Emeros decided.
Emeros talked and talked.
He began from the Beginning and talked about End. He told of things that were too unbelievable for Alistair to understand.
He spoke of a Trinity. Kyros. And Noxus. And the battle of End. And finally, he spoke of the appearance of his father and the power that he gained.
Emeros created a powerful energy conversion circle using the power of Dark Fire alone.
"Kyros and Noxus used their blood and mana to summon their power. Since they were their gods and fallen, they could summon the power by their name. Now, as someone who is an equal, you would have the opportunity to use the name of Vasilius. Just like Movers. Do you want power? This is the easiest way I can offer you."
"What is this circle?"
"I know that it's quite rare. But with your wealth, you could use it to strengthen those who serve you. And this should help you gain more powerful followers. As long as you find numerous powerful gemstones and power and find monsters that can naturally summon elemental magic, you can create an Elemental Core with this."
Alistair felt as if the world stopped moving.
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