The story was short, succinct. Yi Qiang wanted to speed through this as much as possible, so he could get everything he had to complete done and then move on. As for what exactly he wanted to move on to, Yi Qiang wasn't quite sure yet, but he was sure he wouldn't be lacking purpose for long.
Just like the man who had led him here, Officer Ilvedoran, the peak of their reactions was when they were told Captain Saril had still chosen to make him undergo the test despite knowing he was a Chosen. However, the reactions themselves were not something Yi Qiang had expected. The First Prince and Third Prince, though they tried to hide it, seemed to approve of Saril's behavior. The Second Prince's reaction was minimal, just based on his ostensible lack of engagement in Yi Qiang's story, but the archer was beginning to think that the man's casual laziness was not as simple as it seemed.
The way his eyes secretly glittered at Yi Qiang, the way his actions were carefully calculated to be just low-key enough; all of it reeked of a facade.
It didn't affect Yi Qiang, though, whatever the nobles of the city did on their free time, whether that was plotting, training, or just reading. So he continued with the story and paid no mind to the following silence that fell over the room.
It was a silence of thought, but it didn't last for long. Almost defiantly, the honorable seal that seemed to prohibit speaking was first cleaved into two by the Second Prince's impertinent voice.
"Looks simple. We don't press charges and you get off, Captain Saril will be considered punished for his actions, and the matter's done and done. You can be on your merry way."
Almost expecting this, the First Prince quickly responded before that statement took hold in anyone else's minds.
"Well, Second Prince, the matter isn't as simple as all that," he said condescendingly. "We need to first decide whether Saril did anything wrong."
The Second Prince seemed annoyed, shifting his weight to face the First Prince slightly more.
"That's obvious; he did. He knowingly defied precedent, regardless of the reason, to inconvenience an adventurer. Even beyond that, he was aware of the Chosen's status before taking him over to be tested, and deliberately continued to do so without seeking to receive proper approval. Or is First Prince going to tell me that's okay now?"
The elder brother coolly replied:
"No, that's certainly illegal, but that is not where my doubts lie. I'm skeptical on whether this Chosen is telling the truth. We can't let a death this high up in the command chain go wrongfully unpunished, after all."
Yi Qiang didn't miss the ever-so-slight creasing of the Second Prince's brow at this. I have no issue with the two guards being called over, they accompanied us the whole time; I just don't know how much of the truth they'll tell. Will the impart the complete, unbiased story or will they twist it drastically, making me look like a liar.
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"Second Prince, surely you're not thinking of refusing? You must see that is a very suspicious decision?" Suddenly, the Third Prince spoke, clearly siding with his less casual fellow prince.
The Second Prince finally relented, nodding and saying, "Yes, fine, never let it be said I impeded justice, eh? Hah, I'm interested to see if anything conflicts. Are the Chosen liars?"
Hearing this, Yi Qiang felt kind of miffed, Shenyu as well at his brother being implied to be a liar, or at least readily possible for him to be one. That was, of course, until he heard a whisper right next to his ear.
"They're planning something. Yeah, it's me, the Second Prince. No, you can't respond, but I can talk to you silently using this skill - it's terribly useful. So, you're probably confused, or at least if you don't care enough to be confused, you're noting the conflict in your mind without really knowing anything. Well, it turns out that you're actually a pretty important piece in the development and future of the continent. You and your fellow Chosen.
"Well before your arrival, we were forewarned with some information. We were told by the gods that hordes of Chosen would arrive one day, foreign to our lands, with a unique potential for growth and, above al else, immortal. As could be imagined, many people reacted to this differently, but more important than that, some problems began to crop up.
"There was a question that was at the forefront of all this vague conflict: how were we to treat the Chosen? And the answer was different among different factions. In this city, there were two primary answers: subdue them, and treat them well. I'm of the latter, while my first brother is of the former. And since the Third Prince is in his pocket, so is that guy.
"You coming here, then, is essentially the inciting incident for the conflict over this entire issue. And I realize you may think it doesn't concern you, and you may be wondering why I'm telling you this, but the truth is you're an incredibly important piece to the puzzle - as a Dragonbound Chosen, you're the posterchild of the Chosen's potential. In less than a year, you gained enough power to easily slay Captain Saril. While I'm sure you're outstanding among the Chosen as well - I haven't heard of any other similar feats as of yet from my informants - this is just prime example of how terrifying the Chosen are. That means we have to make a decision on how to treat you, and we have to make that choice now. Since the more we delay, the less important we will be to you Chosen, since you're foreigners, and the less the chances of a prosperous relationship or just the best possible outcome.
"So, simply put, one faction in this city has to win you over, and I want that to be mine - I feel like suppressing the Chosen will certainly end badly, just like it ended badly when we suppressed the Dragons and just like it ended badly when we tried to rule the humans. But my brothers don't feel the same way, so I must resort to other tactics to let the best outcome play out. So I know you can't respond, but raise your pinkie slightly if you're interested in cooperation, or for more information, raise your index finger slightly."
This... was unexpected. A political war over the Chosen, the players? Yi Qiang also never even considered that it was indeed possible for the non-players to suppress teh players, as he was sure there were other, non-player people who had long since reached a pinnacle of power that players would not be able to surpass for quite some time.
This seemed like something Yi Qiang could do - get involved in a political war. It seemed profitable and challenging - the two things Yi Qiang seeked in his next activity. That did leave him with Shenyu as a weak spot, so until he grew up some more and was able to defend himself, Yi Qiang planned on holding back from any direct confrontation.
He raised his pinkie ever-so-slightly.
"Excellent," the Second Prince whispered once again, "now we need to worry about this. I don't trust those two, especially my first brother. He's poisonous, that one, and I wouldn't put it past him to pressure the guards you say served as witnesses to lie, in order to frame you. But don't worry, I'll try to pull you out of any trouble you land into."