The True Successor
The True Successor
"That day was probably when I was around ten years old—my Awakening Day."
The Crown Prince stood before the main gate of the royal palace, but his gaze seemed fixed on his childhood.
"While everyone else was on edge, I waited for the Awakening Ceremony with a very relaxed mind. By then, I had already given up on obtaining 'Mana Resonance'."
Like the royalty of Carlos, who delayed their awakening until the age of ten in order to obtain 'Mana Resonance', the Crown Prince seemed to have waited until he was ten as well.
"After all, they say that royals destined to obtain Mana Resonance can sense the signs beforehand. I heard they perceive mana better than others and have extraordinary awareness of their surroundings."
Indeed, even before I obtained 'Mana Resonance', I had experienced such signs.
"But I couldn't feel a single thing."
The Crown Prince chuckled and continued.
"That day, just a few hours before the Awakening Ceremony was to begin... my father brought a stranger into my room."
About ten years ago,
The Crown Prince—no, Prince Antonio, before he became the Crown Prince—was waiting in his room for the Awakening Ceremony to begin.
While the Prince's room was quiet, the palace outside was in an uproar.
Not much time had passed since the principality was founded, so both the royal palace and the capital were bustling with energy.
On top of that, this was the very first Awakening Ceremony for the royal family since the principality's establishment.
Since this was the first royal Awakening Ceremony they were holding, the maids and butlers were bound to be frantic.
But the ten-year-old boy had no interest in all the commotion. He knew that everyone would end up disappointed.
As he waited, the noisy exterior grew quiet, and the door opened.
Prince Antonio sprang to his feet and bowed to the person entering.
There was only one person who could quiet everyone so quickly.
And then the young Grand Prince entered.
Though he was still a young king in his early thirties, in Antonio's eyes, he was the most magnificent and terrifying person in the world.
Prince Antonio felt both afraid and proud to have such a man as his father.
"Antonio. There is someone you must meet before the Awakening Ceremony begins."
At the Grand Prince's words, Prince Antonio raised his head and saw a man standing behind the King.
The man made a vague impression, and his age was difficult to discern. The Prince could tell only that he was a man of some age.
"Who might you be...?"
The Prince asked cautiously, but neither the Grand Prince nor the man answered.
Instead, the Grand Prince turned to the man and asked,
"Will my son be able to properly obtain the ability?"
The man replied to the King's question.
"A long time has passed since then. The broken artifact... no, the unrefined technology has stabilized sufficiently. Your Highness will be able to obtain the perfect ability."
It was an ordinary answer, but the Prince couldn't help being startled.
He could hardly believe anyone would speak so casually to his terrifying father. The Prince had never seen anyone answer his father that way.
"Very well. You did not lie to me when you came to find me before, either."
"I only ever wish to be of help to the King and this principality."
What was more, his terrifying father, the Grand Prince, had accepted the man's words so calmly.
Prince Antonio felt that today was a fascinating day, full of firsts.
With that conversation over, the King stepped aside, and the man approached the Prince.
Even as the man drew close, the Prince still couldn't tell how old he was.
"May I hold your arm for a moment?"
The Prince looked at his father and saw the Grand Prince nod.
"You may do so."
The man casually grabbed the Prince's arm.
Come to think of it, the man had one hand on the Prince's arm while keeping his other hand shoved into his pants pocket.
It was an insolent attitude that should never be displayed in front of royalty.
Yet the Prince didn't feel that it was disrespectful.
And on second thought, this man had been acting the exact same way in front of the Grand Prince.
That had made such an impression on him that, even after a long time had passed and the man's face had faded from memory, this particular recollection remained.
Hum.
The Prince could feel something entering his body.
It felt as if someone were chattering inside his head, while strange feelings and sensations tore through his mind and entire body.
As the Prince suffered for a long while from sensations he was experiencing for the first time in his life, the man let go of his arm.
"It is done. Now, you will be able to obtain 'Mana Resonance' during the Awakening Ceremony."
"Is there still no reward you desire this time?"
"Your Highness obtaining the ability you desire is my reward."
The Grand Prince frowned at the man's words.
"Just what on earth do you want...?"
The Prince, who had barely regained his senses, was greatly shocked by the King's muttered words.
His father wasn't someone who would normally say something so uncertain.
And so, the man departed, and that day, the Prince was able to obtain 'Mana Resonance' at the Awakening Ceremony.
"I never saw the man I met that day again. I can't even remember his face now, but if I were to see him again, I would recognize him instantly."
The Crown Prince's long explanation came to an end.
It was far more detailed than I had expected, and it was a story that would cause a massive uproar if others found out.
Why on earth had he told me such a story...?
Though I felt some concern, I had still managed to hear a highly important tale.
A person who could draw out 'Mana Resonance'—which was supposed to be passed down to only one person at a time—from any royal.
"Do you really not remember anything else about that man?"
There was too little information about the man who had enabled him to obtain the ability.
The fact that he could act so brazenly in front of royalty meant there was a high possibility he was of noble birth, and since he seemed to have bestowed the ability upon the Grand Prince as well, perhaps he was quite old but possessed a youthful appearance.
It was certainly peculiar, but it wasn't enough to track down a person.
"Thinking back now, his manner of speaking sounded like someone from the Empire. It was a bit archaic and old-fashioned."
As expected, was he indeed a member of the Organization?
It felt as though the scope had narrowed, but there was still too little information to reach any firm conclusion.
The Crown Prince chuckled, briefly reminiscing about the past.
"For a long time, I wondered if he might truly be a 'Sage of Awakening' who loved our principality."
The Crown Prince's expression instantly hardened.
"But after that, the Second Prince of the Carlos Kingdom—and not long ago, even Princess Aisha—obtained 'Mana Resonance'."
At the Crown Prince's words, my expression stiffened as well.
"That's what made me think. Perhaps that man didn't just grant the ability to our principality, but to the Second Prince and the Princess as well."
Just as the Crown Prince said, I had to verify this.
Whether the royalty of the Kingdom had also obtained their abilities through someone else's assistance.
Fortunately, thanks to fixing the orb, there was no need to ask. Now, I could verify it just by getting close to them.
"I worry that what that man truly wanted was this very civil war."
It seemed the Crown Prince was worried that the Kingdom and the principality had been dragged into a civil war through the manipulation of a third party.
And that he himself was one of those who had been dragged into it.
It seemed the Crown Prince couldn't bring himself to think that the Grand Prince had also undergone a Forced Awakening like him.
Was he still afraid of his father even now?
Then again, if the Grand Prince were included, the timeline would inevitably become far too long.
To awaken 'Mana Resonance' in the royals starting decades ago just to incite a civil war in the Carlos Kingdom...
It was a story no one would believe.
Even for me, it was hard to believe, but at the same time, it was too unsettling to completely ignore.
"If you get the chance, please check the Princess or the princes. See if they were also awakened like me."
As expected, there was a reason he had shared such a secret with me.
He wanted me to resolve his curiosity on his behalf.
Though he mentioned the other princes as well, in the end, he was asking me to check with the Princess.
"Since I brought this up behind my father's back, keep it a secret."
The Crown Prince winked and deactivated the soundproof barrier he had set up.
It wasn't a particularly pleasant sight, so I subtly turned my head away.
With our conversation over, I climbed into the carriage.
The Crown Prince waved to the departing carriage, and it quickly sped away from the royal palace.
I fell into deep thought as I watched the royal palace recede into the distance.
In any case, I intended to look into it just as the Crown Prince had suggested.
I trusted the Princess, but it was a matter that required verification.
We met Lesty at the inn, immediately mounted the horses we had left in its care, and departed the capital.
It seemed Lesty had also met with the believers and gathered various pieces of information, but unfortunately, there was nothing different from what we had heard at the royal palace.
Since the full-scale civil war had not yet begun, perhaps it was only natural that there was no extraordinary news.
Curiously, the Tsar Empire was quiet.
Neither the stories heard at the royal palace nor the information Lesty brought back mentioned the Empire making a move.
Whether it was because of the monster rebellion I had instigated or for some other reason, the Empire was simply observing the Kingdom, which was currently preoccupied with its civil war.
With nothing left but to return, we moved swiftly.
We rode without rest toward the southeast, where the Gracia Territory was located.
This time as well, thanks to Balea unleashing her ability, we were able to travel at incredible speed.
Balea had made the horses see illusions, forcing them to run continuously without stopping.
I was curious about what kind of illusions she had made the horses see, but neither Lesty nor I asked Balea.
We were afraid of what kind of answer we might receive.
The horses kept galloping forward, their faces flushed red as they drooled.
Out of the principality, through various territories, and all the way to the Gracia Territory.
And there, at the domain border, I caught sight of the Princess and her knights.
"Thank goodness. I was worried we might miss each other."
The Princess, clad in armor atop her horse, was immensely delighted to see us.
The Princess said she was worried our paths might cross, but in reality, there was no way that would happen.
Because I knew exactly where she was and where she was heading.
It was all thanks to the Celine Cult.
Although the Celine Cult hadn't been of much help in the principality, when it came to the civil war, they delivered information with incredible speed, far exceeding expectations.
We had heard in a timely manner from the Celine Cult's believers that Soroka Fortress, which the Princess and I had visited, had rejected the Second Prince's orders and maintained its neutrality, and that the enraged Second Prince had decided to strike Soroka Fortress as an example.
We had also heard all of this from the believers before even leaving the principality: that the Princess was leading her knights to aid Soroka Fortress.
The reason we had ridden so hard was to catch up to the Princess.
And just as the Princess felt relieved, I too could feel at ease upon seeing her.
< Knight-type Hero Ability User >
< Abilities Used >
- Mana Resonance: Level 1
< Sword Aura-Utilizing Heroic Ability User >
< Abilities Used >
- Mana Materialization: Level 2
There was no Forced Awakening indicator attached to the Princess.
They were all abilities she had awakened purely on her own.
'They said Mana Resonance is passed down to only one person at a time... Then, does that mean both princes underwent a Forced Awakening?'
Leaving aside a special case like myself, in the end, it meant Princess Aisha was the only one who had properly inherited the ability.
'If that's the case, then Princess Aisha is the true successor to the throne of the Carlos Kingdom!'
And that true successor to the throne was sitting atop a large horse, smiling brightly at me.