Chapter 182: Leaving (2) (2/2)
The white knight on the other hand was looking at the young prince, and future king of Lustburg, and he had to admit that he was quite surprised.
'How did he grow so much in such little time?'
Even though Camelia had bound and gagged him back then[2], he had still been present in the coliseum and had observed his fight with the wolf girl standing in silence behind the prince.
From what he had observed, he was sure that if he fought with his partner, he would win without much problem.
But right now,
*Gulp*
'We would lose now if we fought him now.'
He did not know why, but he could feel a certain 'weight' that the prince had been lacking in the past. A regal aura of authority or power or a mix of both. At the same time, he felt as if he was standing in front of a dangerous beast rather than a human being.
This wasn't all, after the prince formed his own contract, the difference in power would become even wider.
A bitter taste spread in his mouth at the realization that his years of training were nothing in front of such monstrous talent. But at the same time, he felt joy.
Joy at the fact of having a powerful ruler, and joy at the fact that the woman he respected more than anything in the world was not wrong in her choice.
Even though he had a crush on Camelia in the past, he knew that he could never walk alongside her. But the prince could.
Sol could protect her while he could not.
Sol could make her face lit up in joy at the mere mention of his name, while he couldn't.
Finally and honestly the most important point, Camelia loved Sol, not him.
This was more than enough for the white knight to give up.
All he wished for was her happiness.
Everything he had was thanks to her, and he would never forget her grace.
Bowing his head deeper, he answered the question,
”Her grace told me to inform you that your turn would soon come. After all, the nobles of age get tested, it would be your turn to show your capacity to the world.”
”...Is that so?”
Being a King was no different from being a star in a way. If you did not show yourself, if you did not appear grand like a star shining high in the sky, people would not give you the respect they ought to.
Even though Sol already knew his Capacity, he needed to show it to the world. To show to both the commoner, noble, and foreigner alike that the prince was different from the masses, that his talents knew no bounds.
For royalty, being humble meant being weak. Nothing more, nothing less.
Standing up, he moved the black cape behind him and began to walk away.
”Well then, the show shall go on. As they say.”
All the feelings of fear and stress and worries vanished from his face.
A ruler should never show his weak face if it wasn't necessary to gain the affection of the populace.
-----
In the assembly hall, after the noble's children were tested, some with surprisingly good results as three with CP between 30 and 50 had been discovered this year, the mood was at an all-time high.
The nobles were already noting the name of the three lucky guys, even though they knew that those three would most likely join the paladins or the black knights.
Standing on the podium, the priestess that had been doing the testing, took a step back and let a golden-haired woman take their places.
She wore a long white robe and her face was hidden behind a veil.
But no one could confuse her for anyone else.
The moment she entered, even with an announcement, all the people present, be it commoners or high nobles felt as if their heart was being cleansed. It was as if they were standing in front of something that was simply too beautiful to look at.
But before they could even compose themselves, a second announcement caused their hearts to drum.
”His highness, the legitimate crown prince of Lusturg, Sol Dragona Luxuria! May his light shine on the Kingdom!”
The large doors opened while all noises vanished.
Then, the silence was replaced by the sound of slow and steady steps.
Finally, once Sol appeared in front of their high, clad in gold and white, Camelia's voice resonated,
”Kneel in front of the crown prince and salute his arrival.”
Then, like a wave in the sea, all the people present, no matter what was their standings, kneeled chanted in unison,
”Welcome, Your highness!”
----
[1]:
-----3rd tier
E=10 CP
D=20
C=30
------2nd tier
B=50
A=70
------ 1st tier
S=100
[2]
(AN: The tiers were first explained by Medea in CH 25. For the chances of awakening Capacity, it was in CH 12. Setsuna and Sol used their horns in CH 54. Hahaha. Man what an epic scene. Though I feel like I went a little overboard. Man, topping this scene for his true coronation, when he will finally go from His highness to His Majesty will be difficult. But I believe I can do it. Anyway, while some might complain because of all the information in this chapter. I believe it's necessary. After all, some of my readers have been with me for more or less 13 months ago now. Things tend to get blurry after so long.)