Chapter 75: The Answer of a King

Silence filled the Hall of Guardians.

Hundreds of stone warriors remained kneeling.

Their empty eyes faced forward.

Their swords rested before them.

The enormous guardian before Kael had not drawn its blade.

Instead...

It waited.

"What does it mean..."

"...to become emperor?"

The question echoed through the chamber.

Walter looked toward Kael.

Leon folded his arms.

Even Commander Aldric remained perfectly still.

No one spoke.

This wasn't their trial.

Kael slowly looked around the hall.

The countless statues.

The empty throne.

The dragon is surrounded by eleven stars.

Then...

He remembered something.

Dragonspire Palace

Several weeks earlier.

The Imperial Garden.

The emperor had once asked the first prince a question.

"What is an emperor?"

Cassian had answered:

"The protector of the Empire."

Then...

"What is the Empire?"

Kael hadn't been there.

But he had often asked himself that same question.

He looked back at the guardian.

Then answered.

"An Emperor..."

"...is not someone who sits on a throne."

Nothing happened.

The guardian remained motionless.

Kael continued.

"A throne is only a chair."

"A crown is only metal."

"If that's all it took..."

"Anyone could become emperor."

The blue flames around the chamber flickered.

"The Empire isn't made of palaces."

"It isn't made of gold."

"It isn't made of noble families."

"It's made of people."

Walter quietly smiled.

"The farmer growing food."

"The blacksmith forging armor."

"The merchant risking dangerous roads."

"The soldier standing on forgotten walls."

Kael looked toward Commander Aldric.

"The commander..."

"...who waits twenty years because he gave his word."

Aldric lowered his head.

"If becoming emperor means anything..."

"It means carrying every one of those people."

"They may never know your name."

"They may never thank you."

"They may even curse you."

"But you still carry them."

"Not because they deserve it."

"Because it's your duty."

Silence.

Then Kael finished.

"So..."

"To become Emperor..."

"...means placing the Empire above yourself."

The chamber became completely still.

Even the flames stopped moving.

Judgment

Several long seconds passed.

No one breathed.

Then...

The guardian slowly rose to its full height.

Its golden eyes burned brighter.

Walter tightened his grip on his shield.

"Here it comes..."

Instead...

The guardian placed one fist over its chest.

Then bowed deeply.

"Answer accepted."

The sound echoed throughout the chamber.

Behind them...

One after another...

Every stone guardian lowered its head.

Hundreds.

Then thousands.

Like an army saluting its commander.

The entire hall trembled.

Walter stared in disbelief.

"...Did..."

"...did we just pass?"

Leon let out a slow breath.

"I think we did."

The Hall Awakens

The empty throne began to glow.

Not with magic.

With light.

Warm golden light.

Ancient symbols slowly appeared across the floor.

They stretched from the throne...

Toward every guardian.

Toward every pillar.

Toward Kael.

The system appeared.

Trial One Complete

Trial of Conviction

Result:

Excellent

Reward Calculating...

Reward Received

Leadership +3

Charisma +2

Imperial Authority +1

New Passive Skill Unlocked

Imperial Presence (Dormant)

Your words naturally inspire confidence in those who choose to follow you.

Current Effect:

Very Low

Growth Requirement:

Earn genuine loyalty.

Kael looked at the notification.

It wasn't overwhelming.

It wasn't a broken ability.

It fit the kind of ruler he wanted to become.

The Guardian Speaks

The ancient guardian stepped aside.

For the first time...

It removed its helmet.

Gasps echoed through the chamber.

It wasn't a monster.

Nor was it human.

Its face had become stone long ago.

Yet traces of the man it once was remained.

"I was..."

"...Commander Orion."

"First Guardian of Ironridge."

His voice carried both pride...

And sorrow.

"We guarded this place..."

"So that future generations..."

"...would remember."

Kael frowned.

"Remember what?"

The guardian looked toward the empty throne.

"That the Empire..."

"...was not built by one family."

Silence.

"It was built..."

"...by countless people whose names history forgot."

Walter slowly turned toward the Hall of Names they had passed.

"Those names..."

"We're real."

Commander Orion nodded.

"They were the first guardians."

"The first builders."

"The first explorers."

"The first commanders."

"They came from every corner of the continent."

Kael's eyes narrowed.

"Every corner?"

"Yes."

"For long before the Empire..."

"There were many kingdoms."

"They stood together."

"Not because they agreed."

"Because they had no other choice."

A Fragment of History

The guardian raised one stone hand.

Light gathered above his palm.

A small image appeared.

Like a memory.

Kael saw people wearing different armor.

Speaking different languages.

Standing beside one another while constructing enormous walls.

Not as slaves.

Not as conquered enemies.

As equals.

Then...

The vision disappeared.

"The rest..."

"...has been lost."

"I can only remember fragments."

The guardian slowly turned back toward the throne.

"My duty..."

"...ends when yours begins."

Cracks spread across his stone body.

Walter stepped forward.

"Wait."

"We still have questions."

Commander Orion smiled.

"So do I."

Then...

His body crumbled into dust.

The golden light faded.

Only his sword remained.

Standing upright where he had fallen.

The Emperor's Study

Far away...

The Emperor quietly closed an old book.

Without looking up, he spoke.

"It has begun."

Magnus frowned.

"What has?"

The emperor stared toward the eastern sky.

"The Empire..."

"...is beginning to remember."

The Next Door

Back in the Hall of Guardians...

The throne slowly moved aside.

Behind it...

Another passage appeared.

Unlike the first...

This one descended even deeper.

Cold air drifted upward.

Along the walls...

Ancient blue crystals glowed faintly.

The system appeared once more.

Main Quest Updated

The Emperor's Eyes

New Objective:

Discover the Second Vault.

Current Exploration:

18%

Kael looked toward his companions.

"We rest here."

"No one goes farther today."

Walter immediately sighed in relief.

"Finally..."

"Someone around here understands the value of sleep."

Laughter spread through the Black Dragons.

Even after discovering one of the Empire's greatest secrets...

They were still soldiers.

And tomorrow...

They would continue deeper into the forgotten history buried beneath Ironridge.