Daneel didn"t know for how long they remained in that pose. All he remembered was that at one point, Xuan had started to cry, and soon after, Eloise joined in, leading to the king having to console both of them while holding back his own tears.
He knew the reasons behind both of theirs, but he was not so sure about his: perhaps it was just the shock of having all of the burdens which had been weighing down on him much more than he knew removed, or perhaps it was because he had somehow gained so much without even looking for it, and the fear that he had almost lost it was so strong that it brought him to tears when he thought about how things would have been if he had not done the things that had led to this moment, right now.
Whatever the case, the three of them continued to stand there, taking comfort in each other"s embrace, and letting their hearts feel at ease due to the knowledge that the one they had been beating for was finally within arm"s reach.
A knock finally interrupted them. Hearing it and coming back to her senses, Xuan blushed fiercely and ran to the side of the room where she knew a hidden door was present.
Just like he had thought, she was still fragile, and he knew that she was not ready to be in the presence of others, except for those whom she cared for and trusted.
There was a slight blush on Eloise"s cheeks, too, but she wiped it away and smiled warmly at Daneel before stepping away from his embrace. He still took her hand in his and squeezed it, before glancing fondly in the direction of the door through which Xuan had disappeared.
He knew he owed her a lot, as she was the one who had finally changed him, and for that, he would be forever grateful.
His awkwardness was still present, but it was a fact that he was learning quickly. The special moment was gone, though, so he allowed the door to open while getting ready to admonish those who had come in case they had disturbed them without having a good enough reason.
If it was Elanev or Aran, Daneel would definitely have decided to do the same to them when they were in a similar position, but alas, it was Kellor, the most eligible bachelor in the entirety of the continent.
Seeing him holding Eloise"s hand in that manner, he raised his eyebrows and then made to move back and leave, but Daneel said, "Come in, oh Grand Court Mage. You might be alone right now, but I bet that you have quite the slew of stories to tell regarding the romances of your past."
Seeing that the King was in a completely relaxed mood, Kellor chuckled and said, "Well, in essence, you"re not wrong, your Majesty. When I first became the Court Mage, there was a long period of time when multiple people tried to get me to marry. As you know, the probability of birthing someone with high potential is increased whenever one of the parents is already blessed with talent. There were many, many women, and there were even a few whom I courted for a while. Alas… None of them could even come close to the love I had for my axe, and hence, none of the relations.h.i.+ps progressed that far. Now, I apologize for ruining the mood, but I came to deliver the updates you requested. Even though the King"s heart has finally been claimed, we are still at war…"
Daneel and Eloise both sighed when they heard the Grand Court Mage"s words, mainly because they knew that he was right. True, they had finally gotten a moment away from all of the madness, but it was still there, and it still had to be handled with the most delicate care. They had set many plans in motion, and the time was quickly approaching when they would have to tie them all together and ready the continent for the biggest conflict that it had yet to face in modern times.
All of the things that he had just learned once again came to the forefront, but still, he maintained his smile, as he had already learned the knack of not having to completely separate everything that was going on in his mind. Eloise began to leave, but instead of letting go of her hand, Daneel pulled her close and gave her a small kiss on her forehead before saying, "I know that you already have all the updates, so go be with Xuan first. She"s still in need of company. I want you to slowly explain to her everything that is going on. Even though she"s still fragile, she was once trained to become the head of the G.o.ddess"s sanctum. I believe that she is strong enough to know about everything that has happened during her slumber."
Hearing the word "Xuan", surprise appeared in the Grand Court Mage"s eyes, but he waited until Eloise nodded and turned around to leave the room from the secret doorway that had once led to Daneel"s training quarters.
Even now, the formations that he had used long ago to absorb Energy from the blood of mosquitoes were still present, but that room had been modeled into a bedroom in which Xuan would be staying.
Eloise had done this on his orders before he had come, so it was there that the two of them would be staying until Xuan was back to normal.
It was only after the door closed that the Grand Court Mage opened his mouth, but Daneel took the initiative to speak first.
"I"ve just had a very interesting experience…"
Starting like so, he recounted the entire tale, and all throughout his narration, one by one, the sovereigns began to pop into the room, as he had decided to transmit this to all of them, no matter where they were.
It was Faxul and Elanev who came last, and they were actually the most unkempt of all: their bodies were covered with wounds and it looked like they had been fighting, but Daneel did not comment on it or pause, as he knew that they were training together to develop something.
When he was done, all of them were staring at him with shock, and of course, the first questions that were asked were regarding the new kind of magic that he had seen.
They came like a flood from all the mages, but without even listening to them, Daneel raised both of his hands to stop the sovereigns who were asking and said, "I already told you all everything I know about it. It is incredible and fascinating and honestly, even a bit scary. However, I have reason to believe that we don"t need to worry about it right now - it is something of the Mainland, so we shall deal with it when the time comes. Now, let"s focus on the other pressing topic: the agents of the Church, and their impending attack. All of you, give me the updates regarding how our continent is doing."
The sovereigns needed a few moments to come to terms with what they had just learned, so Daneel waited while they handled the surging emotions in their mind.
Due to his experience and age, Kellor was the one who calmed down first, so he was the one who began with the updates.
"The training of the people is going well- but there are more and more questions regarding what the Big Four is doing. Through that war, we have exposed this hidden part of the continent to everyone, and in doing so, both good and bad things have happened- the good thing is that everyone is all the more motivated to fight for a world where there will be equality, but the bad part is that some resentment has also begun to surface against these forces which have been taking away so much for so long. It was to be expected, and I believe it can be handled as soon as we give the update that they are asking for. Also, the training of the Mage regiments is going well, and we are also prepared to once again enlist all those who were thought to have lost their mage powers in the conflict in the kingdom of the elves. Just like Your Majesty wanted, they have been living lives of luxury, and even though many of them were close to going into a depressed state due to losing their powers, they were given hints that there might be a way to gain them back. The belief that they have in you played a major part in this: by going through with our promise, we will be bringing it full circle, and because we are on the topic, I also report that support for your Highness is at an all-time high. It was always said that efforts made over time with sincerity always pay off, and that is exactly what is happening here: like a wave that gathers power until it reaches the sh.o.r.e, your following has become a tsunami that will not quiet down no matter what happens. More and more detractors are being convinced each day, and even though no force is being used, they are turning of their own accord as they have too many reasons to believe that they are wrong. A stubborn minority will always exist, but it grows smaller and smaller by the day. Finally, the efforts to increase your status to that of the G.o.dKing are also going well, but just like we were ordered, we are taking the approach where small pockets of people are being influenced all over Angaria, instead of trying to convert everyone."
"Yes, there is a very specific reason behind that which is related to the war, itself, and I expect that I"ll be able to make it clear to all of you soon. For now, though, this is the best approach, as getting too ambitious would also be very dangerous. All of you know everything that we had to do to get to this stage: it was not easy, and I believe that the belief of the people that we possess right now is something we deserve. There are many stories of people trying to achieve the same, but many times, their motive is often selfish. Here, we have been sincere, and that has paid off wonderfully. I give credit for this to all of you, my sovereigns, because it was your efforts which made it possible, and without you, I would still only be the King of Lanthanor. Continue. What of the Big Four? Percy, get over here!"
Daneel chose to give credit where credit was due, as he knew it to be right: each and every one of those in front of him had been instrumental in what they had achieved so far. It is only when Kellor put it in those words had he realized how huge the achievement was, and he was truly proud, but he also meant what he said: without all of the ardent effort that they had put in, it would have been impossible. Even now, it was like a fairytale, as this kind of support might have been impossible on Earth or any place which did not have the same conditions as Angaria, so Daneel truly was gladdened by where they stood right now.
He shouted the last four words, and instantly, a pompous looking man appeared in the room.
He looked like he had been prepared, though, as he said, "I knew I would be called sooner or later. The Big Four are changing, and-"
Suddenly, interrupting Percy, the loud sound of a door banging open was heard.
Everyone turned in that direction with surprise, only to find that an exquisite woman had arrived with red, swollen eyes that were shedding tears of pain.
Behind her, Eloise hurried out, and because even she looked surprised, it was obvious that she had no idea regarding just what was going on.
Before Daneel could ask, though, Xuan shouted in a tone filled with urgency and agony.
"Daneel, you need to know this right now! My master"s master, one of the strongest Peak Heroes on the continent, and the one whom I called my grandmother…is the leader of all the Heroes who went over to the Church!"