Chapter 167: The First King
[Music recommendation: Sid Acharya - A Lifetime Ago]
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An hour after their discussion, their carriages entered a path lined with neatly trimmed trees to welcome any passersby.
When Eve looked out of the window, she saw the grand museum looming ahead like a monument carved from time itself. Its pale stone facade gleamed under the afternoon light. Every column was etched with intricate patterns, with the statues of ancient scholars guarding the marble steps leading to massive wooden doors, while golden light from tall windows lent the place a soft glow.
Soon, the carriages lined up before the towering structure, the rhythmic clattering of hooves finally coming to a stop. Ivan stepped out first, then turned to extend his hand for Eve. She took it and gracefully stepped down, followed closely by Damien.
As the other students disembarked, they gathered at the entrance, followed by the two professors who led the way up the marble steps to the opulent structure. They were soon greeted by the head of the museum, who was an old man in his sixties with neatly combed grey hair and a moustache, with glasses resting on the bridge of his nose above warm brown eyes.
He offered a faint, welcoming smile as he greeted the professors and then the students, ushering them inside.
As they stepped onto the gleaming white marble floor, the man began, "My name is Doran, and I’ll be your guide for today’s tour. Our Crown Prince has already sent word of your arrival, asking us to personally attend to your group. As the manager of this establishment, I’ll be assisting you today."
"I see. We had the privilege of meeting Prince Valon not too long ago," Professor Dante replied dryly. "I didn’t know he’d be quick enough to extend his hospitality here as well."
Doran, not catching the sarcasm, simply smiled and took it as a compliment to his prince.
Professor Seira sighed inwardly, sending a silent prayer that they wouldn’t be kicked out by the kingdom authorities because of Professor Dante’s honey-coated sharp tongue.
They followed Doran into a grand room lined with portraits of the past monarchs of the Kingdom of Dartmouth. As Doran gave a brief description of each reigning ruler, some students listened attentively and took notes, while others merely glanced around, clearly uninterested in the dull history of another kingdom’s royalty.
Ivan was among those who looked barely interested in the subject until they stopped in front of a giant portrait of the first king, framed in a beautiful golden frame. His molten red eyes traced the image of a robust man with long brown hair and pale green eyes that shone with valour. The king stood tall and proud, with a golden sword gripped firmly in his hand.
As Ivan’s gaze narrowed on the sword in the man’s hand, in an instant, the world around him blurred. A flash of an image, fleeting yet vivid, tore through his mind. Someone was handing that very same golden sword to another man, and a faint voice echoed:
’I leave this to you. You must never let it fall into the wrong hands...’
A sharp pain lanced through Ivan’s head, forcing him to close his eyes as his brows knitted together. Eve, standing beside him, immediately noticed. Reaching out, she touched his arm and whispered, "What’s wrong?"
Ivan suddenly schooled his expression and gave her a reassuring pat on her hand, "Nothing," he said quietly.
Saying that he looked at the portrait again with renewed interest and heard Doran continue, "This right here is the portrait of very first King of the Kingdom of Dartmouth. King Zevran Kaine. They say he is the founder of this kingdom after fighting in the Great War of Dark Ruins."
Doran then gestured towards the majestic golden sword in the king’s hand and added, "This sword that you see him holding is said to be the sword blessed to him by the gods themselves as a gift for the great valour he displayed in assisting them fight dark forces."
The students whispered amongst themselves as they admired the beautiful sword held by the king. One of them spoke up, "Where is the sword now? I noticed it doesn’t appear in the portraits of any other king."
Doran cleared his throat before answering, "Ah, right. That’s because it is said that King Zevran sealed the sword away somewhere safe before his passing. According to the records, he declared in his will that it was not his right to choose the next wielder of the sword, but the sword’s right to choose for itself."
"What does that mean?" one of the students asked.
"I was told," Doran continued, "that the sword, not being of this realm, possesses a soul of its own. Only when it recognises someone as worthy will it allow itself to be wielded again. Unfortunately, there isn’t much information beyond that. What we do know is that the sword is said to still be waiting for its rightful owner, though no one knows where it rests."
"If no one knows where it is, how can anyone try to claim it?" another student asked.
"Ah...that," Doran said with a faint smile, "King Zevran once said that when the rightful owner appears, the sword will call to them and reveal its location."
"How interesting," someone murmured.
"If the sword has not chosen any other king since then, does that mean it could belong to someone outside the royal family?" another curious student asked.
"I’m not sure I have the answer to that," Doran replied politely.
After staring at the portrait for some more time, Doran ushered the group to the next section, but Eve and Ivan stood there for a minute longer. Their gaze was still fixed on the portrait of the first king.
Eve couldn’t quite place it, but something about this king felt oddly familiar. Perhaps it was because he had similar features to Prince Valon. But that wasn’t all, there was something familiar about him.
Her eyes drifted to the sword again, and suddenly her heart skipped a beat as a vivid image of a strong hand gripping the hilt flashed in her mind.
Ivan, attuned to her in every sense, heard the change in her heartbeat and glanced at her, "Everything alright?"
Eve turned to Ivan and shook her head lightly, "No, it’s nothing. My mind just wandered for a moment," she said softly. She then looked around, noticing the group was already entering the next section. She took his hand and asked, "Let’s go to the next section?"
Ivan gave her a slight nod, turning his gaze to the king and the sword one last time with a blank expression before walking along with her to join the rest of the group.
The next section displayed numerous artefacts enclosed in glass cases for preservation. Some were smaller relics, a cracked helmet once belonging to a brave warrior, a shattered shield, a tarnished antique mirror. Larger exhibits included the heavy chains once used to bind prisoners, full sets of ancient armour, and an array of swords and weapons wielded by soldiers of an ancient era.
As Eve and Ivan took a scroll with others to hear about the items from Doran, they felt a little strange as they stared at the items. Either of them could explain it, so they chose to stay silent rather than voice it.
As they were led deeper into a more exclusive section, Doran stopped at the entrance of the veiled door by a thick velvet red curtain and informed, "This section is normally not open to general visitors, but since you are our honoured delegates from the prestigious Blood Moon Academy and esteemed guests of our Crown Prince, it has been specially opened for you."
"How delightful!" Professor Dante exclaimed, flashing his trademark megawatt smile. "We’re absolutely thrilled to see what lies beyond this mysterious veil," he drawled in a playful tone.
Doran chuckled at the enthusiasm and smiled broadly in return.
Doran continued, "This section is said to contain enchanted items. As you may have read in history, the Great War of Ruins was fought by two celestial beings, blessed by the grace of the gods. After the war ended and they departed, the items they used were found to hold remnants of their divine power. What you will see inside this room are two such confirmed relics by King Zevran himself. Interestingly, they cannot be touched or moved by anyone. To this day, they remain exactly where they were originally discovered."
"So how were the items transported here?" one of the curious students asked.
Doran smiled and replied, "The museum was built around the items in this chamber. Our first king had it constructed as a memento to the two celestial beings after their departure."
"Seems like the king really missed them," one of the students murmured under their breath.
Doran, having caught the comment, gave a faint nod. "Yes, our king grieved for many years after they left."
"Mr. Doran, if no one can touch the items, then why aren’t they shown to the general public?" another student asked.
