For the citizens of the Central Continent, the past few weeks had been some of the most exhilarating in their entire lives.
First of all, it was a fact that they had never been equipped with the ability to find out about the most important events in the continent right away. Typically, they would rely on traveling bards who would pa.s.s information regarding what was happening in other Kingdoms to them, which was why the arrival of bards in many towns and villages was always celebrated like a festival.
Of course, the Network Trinkets had made it so that this particular tradition had stopped for the most part, but there were not too many people complaining about this as most bards who were worth their salt had already been employed by the Network, itself.
Secondly, it was because there were so many events happening that kept shocking them one after the other, making them sit on the edge of their seat and wondering what will happen next.
Of course, it had all started with the events surrounding the Kingdom of Eldinor, where all the elves of Angaria had almost been wiped off in one go.
Following that, so many things had led to the current situation where an Alliance had formed that actually comprised of three Kingdoms - and all the aged netizens of almost every settlement all over the Central Continent made everyone know that this was unprecedented, and was something that they had never imagined that they would see for as long as they lived.
No one had any disillusions that the saga had come to an end, because the Network was reporting every day about the unrest in the kingdom of Axelor caused by the sudden death of the King, and the reveal regarding his cruel and evil actions that had resulted in the deaths of thousands and even tens of thousands of Axelorians.
Many of those who weren"t affected by Axelor felt pity on hearing this for this kingdom, and lamented that their difficulties must surely not be over, as it was obvious that a Kingdom in this state was most eligible for being taken over by different one.
Even those who had only laid eyes on an army once or twice suddenly became expert war strategists who began to speculate which force would move against Axelor and take advantage of the unrest to gain control.
Only… As the hours pa.s.sed, no news of this sort came to light, which made everyone feel puzzled.
Of course, if they had known that the two remaining forces other than Axelor - those of Arafell and the Alliance were in full cognizance of the fact that moving on this Kingdom would make them targets for the Big Four, it would have made sense why this current situation where such a weak kingdom was left to itself had come to be.
Thus, all the suspense regarding what would be the final end of the Kingdom of Axelor finally came to a head when the two magical words "Breaking News!" once again appeared on their screen.
This was followed by the image of a clean-shaven man with gentle features and a wide brow that seemed to contain boundless wisdom.
At first glance, he would look like a wise adviser whose duty was to advise a ruler on the decisions that they could take for the betterment of their Kingdom.
However…when the spectator"s eyes traveled down to what he was wearing, they saw the patches of dried blood on his clothes and the left-over blood on the sword in his hands which made it clear that he had just been through some sort of battle.
He seemed to be standing at a spot in front of the Palace which was still in ruins from the explosion that had killed the King, and it was visible that thousands of Axelorians had gathered in front of him.
Opening his mouth, he spoke in a clear voice.
"Axelorians. The task that I took upon myself for the good of our Kingdom is done. The Royal Family sought to take up the mantle of the King and continue his cruelties. I, along with the commanders who understood my cause and have always advocated against the evil acts of the King, gave them the offer to surrender and let go of that objective. However, they refused and tried to kill us, which lead to us having no choice but to vanquish them all. Let this…be my apology to you for all those years when I could only stand beside the King and watch while he indiscriminately killed so many loyal citizens. Forgive me…for I was powerless to do anything."
As the man"s voice broke due to the honest emotions he was displaying that moved even those watching through the trinkets, the announcer"s voice was heard in the pause.
"This is Minister Navaris of Axelor, who was the King"s most trusted advisor. However, it was always apparent that the King only loved to torture this man, as he was one who wanted to save the people, but had no other option except to see them suffer and die in front of him. Even during the time of the King, he helmed many attempts to at least decrease the occurrence of Purges, and he was successful to an extent. This resulted in him becoming a beloved character among the citizens. Now, his support is at an all-time high."
The spectators couldn"t believe their ears.
There had always been such a virtuous character in Axelor?
Some felt doubt, but when the speech continued a few moments after the announcer"s voice was heard, these naysayers had no option but to shut their mouths and consider whether this really was the truth.
The man looked back at a group of people who were as bloodstained as him.
They nodded encouragingly, but he shook his head, which made them widen their eyes.
Turning back around to the people, the Minister first dropped the sword in his hands.
"Clang!"
This sound echoed throughout the area where there was pin-drop silence, and with this as the background, the Minister spoke his heart.
"These commanders wish for me to take up the duty of leading this Kingdom, because I was the one who took care of all the administrative matters anyway. However…I refuse. Even if I do this, and do a good job of leading this Kingdom that I love so much, I cannot guarantee that my sons and daughters will do the same. Maybe, in a few hundred years, this will repeat. I cannot stand for that! So, I propose a different system. Down with Kings and Queens who might or might not have our interests at heart! We, the people, should be the ones to choose our ruler! I have studied this for a long time, and I propose a system like the one in Eldinor. I propose…that Axelor will henceforth choose its ruler by voting!"
Thunderous applause made those who had the "remote trinket" hastily turn down the volume as it was so loud that it made some clutch their ears with pain.
"Down with Kings and Queens."
This statement had a certain kind of charm to it, which made many remember those rulers who had simply abused their power and done nothing for the citizens.
Of course, there had also been those who were virtuous, like King Daneel, right now, so not everyone was swayed.
Yet…a seed was born in the minds of many, who began to wonder about the merits and demerits of the system of monarchy.
"Subsequent reports state that the voting system has been accepted by all, and the first vote will be held in a day"s time. The Minister is leading in support, and he will most likely be the first democratic ruler of Axelor. As soon as there are more developments…"
…
Meanwhile, Eloise and Xuan were cloistered in a room in the Palace of Lanthanor where they were also watching this broadcast.
Eloise had already managed everything regarding the Network and had come to talk to Xuan, who hadn"t spoken out yet and was still seeing the screen.
Finally, she said, "This man looks kind-hearted. Even I heard about his cruel fate to stand beside the King and watch while purges occurred. Such happenings are also a topic of gossip in the Sect, you know."
Eloise nodded. She felt the same.
"I agree. Maybe that Kingdom will finally see prosperity for at least a little while under his rule. Anyway, what did you wish to talk to me about?"
As Xuan heard this, she turned to the side to look into Eloise"s eyes and asked, "Do you think it really worked? I never expected that he would agree just like that."
To this, Eloise smiled confidently and said, "Yes. He has always been one who can be decisive when he feels that something is right."
Xuan nodded and sighed, before replying, "Good, then. It was worth it to set aside both of our characters to do this. If he had stayed the same as before, who knows what could have happened. From now, whatever happens…I will be content that I was at least helpful."
Eloise nodded too, and looked down before speaking.
"Yes. Others might have taken advantage, and pushed themselves onto him. But like I said, even if we do run the risk that helping him grow up regarding this matter might result in him pursuing us and realizing that he would not want to spend his life with either of us, it will still be worth it because we will always know that we did the right thing as those who care for him. I just…wish that won"t happen, though."
No response came from Xuan, and the room devolved into silence as the two women sat and wondered what the future held for them.
…
Bang!
In response to the man jumping forward to attack, it was Elanev who stepped forward and stretched out his fist casually.
It looked as if this would result in him being blown away because he was being lazy while the other also had the advantage of momentum with him, what actually happened made even Daneel raise one eyebrow.
The man"s fist collided with Elanev"s, but Daneel watched with surprise as all the force smoothly traveled through Elanev"s body and exited through his feet.
It was almost like…his elder brother had easily absorbed the attack like some lightning rod that could take the awesome power of lightning and still stand to tell the tale.
Like a conduit that conducted force, his body had moved rhythmically, sending the force from his fist to his upper body, then his legs, and then into the ground.
The man in the bearskin fell to the ground and growled angrily, but he raised his hand to stop the other two who had also been ready to attack.
The next moment, though…he ignored Elanev, and spoke to Daneel.
"Do not speak of this to anyone else. The Chief will answer your questions. Follow us."
Saying so, he turned around and began walking on the bridge that connected the two mountains.
This made Daneel and Elanev once again look at each other with confusion.
Yes, something was definitely weird here.
Daneel was most intrigued about the blood, however.
With Drakos"s help, he had detected that all the blood was being collected and transferred somewhere.
There were multiple uses that came to mind, but he wanted to find out specifically what they were doing with it.
Enjoying the vistas around them, the two walked along the bridge, and as they got closer and closer to the fort, they started to realize just how gigantic it was.
Soon, they approached a ma.s.sive gate, but before they neared it, they came upon a large clearing in front of the fort which was empty save for a few trees here and there.
To their right, though…was the Giant who had wrought havoc upon the Academy of Lanthanor.
There was a normal-sized man beside the Giant, and as it laid its eyes on Daneel, it pointed at him and spoke in a voice that was audible to all in the area.
"He"s the puny guy that Bam blew away. So weak! Bam can break him like a twig!"
Usually, Daneel would have let this go as even though this Giant was simple-minded, it was at the Hero-level.
However…he was in no mood to do that, as it didn"t sit well with him at all that he was being so submissive.
So, getting an idea, Daneel shouted, "Hey, Bam! I don"t agree! In fact, I think I"m stronger than you! Want to test that? Let"s arm-wrestle, and find out!"