NOVEL NEXT 74 – The General Talks to the King (Part 1)
Chapter 74 - The General Talks to the King (Part 1)
At the top of that elevated area stood the king. He was a middle-aged man with blonde hair, clearly a bit overweight.
He wouldn’t even be able to carry a shield in a Spartan battle...
My disappointment was palpable upon seeing the great leader of the human kingdom, and I was almost certain I could kill him with a lightning bolt from where I stood. However, I noticed that the people around him were above-average mages, and they definitely had countermeasures for anything that might come his way.
No one would be crazy enough to attack the king, especially since this is a private event reserved only for the high-ranking nobles of the kingdom.
I let out a small internal laugh.
I wonder if I have some kind of obsession with plotting the deaths of high-ranking figures. Haha.
“Today, I am very happy that my heir is becoming a man!” the king said near the stone, and his voice echoed throughout the hall.
People started clapping, and my mother appeared with Aunt Margie, giving us a look that made it clear we should follow suit.
“T-Thank you!” the king said with a laugh.
This king seems a bit off; he’s slurring his words. Is he drunk? If so, he’s even more of an idiot than I thought.
The applause grew louder after his thanks.
A blonde boy ascended to the platform and stood next to the king.
“Duncan, my heir and your future king, will be a great mage!” he proclaimed.
Hmm… So the boy must take after his mother, then.
“My son is a rare mage with three elemental affinities. He wields fire, wind, and earth. A true prodigy and one of the few in the entire kingdom with three elements,” the king said with pride.
Many people began to whisper among themselves, their expressions showing astonishment.
“Aunt, is that really a big deal? My teacher never mentioned anyone having more than two elemental affinities,” I asked.
“Because it’s extremely rare. It’s uncommon for a mage to be like you and Chloe, born with two elements, and even rarer to have a third,” she replied, still focused on the king.
Chloe made a puzzled face.
“But Mom, don’t we have the ice element?”
“No, my dear. What we do is fuse elements. The more elements a person has, the larger their mana channels, giving them greater potential. What we do is combine the mana from our channels,” she explained.
“So that kid really is a prodigy...” I murmured.
We continued to listen to the king.
“A round of applause for my son! Your future king and great mage!” the king shouted, and everyone clapped.
The banquet began serving food, and we all sat down. No one could stand up until the king finished visiting the tables of the higher-ranking nobles. He would go around, greeting each table and introducing his heir. It was a ceremony designed to forge a connection between the top families and the future king.
“This is exhausting…” my mother said as she sipped her water.
“I agree,” Aunt Margie sighed. “How many dinner invitations have you received?”
Dinner invitations?
“I’ve lost count… A bunch of fools came over, bragging about their families, mentioning properties and other things as if they could impress me,” my mother replied.
My aunt chuckled.
“Your beauty draws attention from everyone,” Aunt Margie said to my mother.
“I agree, Aunt Katie, you’re really beautiful,” Kinue added.
“Wait! You were courted!?” I asked, irritated.
Who the hell were those bastards!?
My mother laughed and pinched my cheeks. “It’s okay, my baby. It’s normal for ladies to receive such invitations, but don’t worry, there will never be anyone else in my life.”
“It’s normal, Nathan. It doesn’t just happen to women; it happens to men too. These events are common for meeting nobility, making connections, or even… finding ‘love,’” my aunt explained.
“Those trash don’t even deserve the air I breathe,” my mother said with a serious expression.
If I’m scared of her right now, I can only imagine how she intimidates everyone else…
The servants began placing various dishes on our table, offering different options. Aunt Margie was thrilled when they brought a bottle of rare wine, which she immediately began to enjoy.
“Icarus! That thing over there! Get it for me, please!” Athena begged.
The crazy Goddess was sitting in an empty chair, wanting me to touch the food so she could create an illusory copy for herself.
Enough… It’s going to look weird if I keep touching everything and then letting it go.
“Please! I’ve behaved and kept quiet these days. I didn’t even say anything when you complimented Chloe and Kinue.”
I sighed.
“Isn’t that the king and his entourage?” I pointed to a table nearby, and when they looked, I quickly touched all the food on the table.
Happy now?
Athena nodded in satisfaction and started eating.
“It looks like we’re next and the last table,” Aunt Margie murmured.
“Thank goodness, I need to get up and go to the bathroom,” my mother said.
We continued eating, but my cousin wasn’t touching her food.
“I’m a bit nervous,” Kinue said.
“Me too,” Chloe added.
My mother reassured them, “Don’t worry. It’ll be formal, and they’ll guide the conversation. You’ll only need to respond.”
“Just be careful not to be impolite,” Aunt Margie added.
We nodded and waited for the king’s entourage to approach our table, but then something unexpected happened to me.
“Ow!” I felt a sharp pain in my head as if a knife was stabbing near my eyes.
The pain was so intense and sudden that I instinctively lowered my head.
“Nathan?” my mother called out, seeing me clutching my face.
My aunt looked at me.
“Could it be? Is it happening here? Now?” Aunt Margie asked.
“Yes… the pain’s back,” I said, trying to focus, but it was too much.
“Are you okay, Nate?” Chloe asked.
“Do you need my help with anything?” Kinue asked.
Sometimes I had these headaches, and my eyes would burn, but it was inside them. The pain was quick, but I could feel needles being driven into the back of my eyes. This was a symptom of my mana channels being formed, connecting the Mana Gem, eyes, and brain to work together when the awakening happens and I activate the Special Eyes.
“Don’t worry, it’s passing…”
My mother took my face in her hands and looked into my eyes.
"The white part was glowing a bit, but it's already fading," she said, pulling me into a hug.
What I’ve discovered over the past few years is that the rate of people awakening these Special Eyes is even lower than I thought. Only one person has awakened these eyes in the last 100 years, and that person is already dead. At their funeral, nobles showed up trying to buy their eyes. Everyone wanted to possess that power, and in the human kingdom... those people are truly the most greedy.
They tried to buy the eyes of a dead person from their relatives, and that person probably suffered from constant 'harassment' and offers of money during their life. It’s impossible for the magical surgery to succeed, but everyone wants to possess something like that, even if it’s just to try implanting one eye.