CHAPTER 13
THOUGHTS OF THE PARVIAN KING
Rudolf sat on the couch, his son's empty book open before him. He had been pondering for some time, trying to make sense of the words his son had left behind. "This is not my end," his son had written. He felt a shiver run down his spine as he uttered those words, thinking what could his son have meant by them? Was he suggesting that he would return somehow, even in death?
He leaned back in his chair, lost in thought. He had always known his son to be smart and determined, but this was something else entirely. It was as if his son had been trying to tell him something, some deeper truth that he couldn't quite grasp. As he sat there, pondering the meaning of the words, a thought occurred to him. Perhaps his son had meant something more metaphorical, something that didn't involve a physical return. Maybe he had meant that his legacy would live on, that his spirit would continue to inspire those who came after him.
Rudolf felt a sense of clarity washing over him as he glanced at Hans from the sides. The brat looked like Sam and sometimes acted like too, he thought maybe his dead son was referring to his second coming through Hans. With these thoughts in mind, he asked the boy who was busy in some idle chatter with Sierra.
Does it mention where the rest of the books are?
No, but he wrote about Mandate having records of them, their locations and their possessor.
Hans asked again, hoping to get a positive answer,
Can't we just borrow Mandate? I think they will listen if grandma asks them. After all, she was their king’s mother.
Hearing his words, Sierra couldn't help but feel a tinge of frustration. Sam was a mystery, and the knowledge he kept hidden from her felt like a wall between them. But his every action had some meaning attached to it. Sam didn't share these things with her, which meant she shouldn't interfere with them.
Lost in thought, Sierra was brought back to reality by the sound of constant tapping on the table. It was Hans, who had been waiting for her patiently. She sighed, feeling a bit relieved and said.
I think I should not meddle in...
Hans couldn't help but make a grumpy face as she spoke. He took a deep breath, trying to collect his thoughts. one of the books was in Rudolf's possession and he had just acquired it. The other known book belonged to Parv, but Hans had no idea how many others existed. All he knew was that the Mandate was the key to solving everything.
As he sighed in frustration, Hans felt like his curiosity leading him down a never-ending rabbit hole. He felt troubled, lost in his own thoughts when Rudolf suddenly inserted his opinion into their conversation.
"Acquiring the Mandate will indeed solve everything, Hans," He said in his deep, reassuring voice. "But we must tread carefully. we are talking about the treasure of Parv here"
He added with the same deep voice,
At Least finish this one first and think about the rest later, seeing the thickness of it, it's not even that long I guess.
Hans gave a nod, taking in Rudolf's words. As he turned his attention back to the book in his hand, he couldn't help but agree, the book was not as thick as a book of spells should be. In fact, calling it a book was an overstatement. It was more like a collection of handwritten notes, bound together in expensive hard leather.
Hans pushed aside thoughts about the other books of fate for now, determined to focus on the book before him titled "Limitless." He was eager to learn more about the strength that Sam possessed, the strength that had made him so formidable. Yet, before he could even ask, the words escaped his lips.
"What sort of strength does Sam possess to make him that strong?" Hans asked, turning to Sierra and Rudolf with a curious expression.
Rudolf, being his teacher, took the initiative to answer his question. With a thoughtful look on his face, he began to explain the source of Sam's incredible strength.
"Well, for starters, Sam was a knight, and a powerful one at that," his voice deepen and measured. "He had Wind aura and possessed many powerful artefacts. Fighting prolonged battles was his speciality, and he had a way of wearing down even the strongest of opponents."
Rudolf paused for a moment, lost in thought,
"I remember when we used to spar together, he would always surprise me with his strength and quick reflexes. Even when he wasn't as strong as I was, he could still match me."
Hans listened intently, his mind racing with the possibilities. He knew that he had a lot to learn if he was to match Sam's strengths and skills. Rudolf's words had given him a glimpse of what that man had achieved, and he was determined to surpass even those accomplishments.
But one thing lingered in his small mind,
How? How did he do that? Matching you, I mean.
Rudolf sighed and said,
Because Parvians claimed to be the descendant of the man you idolise. I never believed it until Samson hammered that fact.
Hans became more excited and asked to confirm,
You mean, Sir Dietrich, the knight king.
Rudolf nodded, agreeing with Hans. The boy turned to Sierra in surprise, and the lady who always recited those stories spoke,
I was born as the princess of Parv, the older sister to Arahan, Sam’s mother. The temple of Yudwin came for me when I awoke the divine mana. I had to leave Parv, disowning everything that I have born with, even my name.
Hans who had been standing in excitement, sat back in his chair, his brow furrowed in thought. Finally, things were starting to make sense.
A proud smile spread across his face as Rudolf patted his chest and said,
"Hard work was required to succeed in Knight discipline, this world was an unfair place to begin with. Sam was a talented person who worked harder than anyone. A fortunate one, whose hard work did not betray him. He became an insurmountable wall that no kind of labour could cross".
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
Hans sat there, a wry smile on his face, as he pondered the irony of it all. Here was a man, someone who had undoubtedly achieved great things in his life, only to meet his end because of a woman. It was almost comical, in a dark and twisted sort of way. And yet, even as he felt a chuckle rise in his throat, a part of him was fascinated by the story. Who was this woman, he wondered, who was strong enough to take down such a talented and accomplished man? What was her story, her motivation?
But he knew better than to ask. The atmosphere in the room was already heavy enough, weighed down by the grief of the elder couples who had lost their friend. To bring up such questions would only add to their sadness, and Hans didn't want to do that.
So instead, he turned to the book on the table beside him, running his fingers over the worn cover. Maybe there were answers here, he thought, hidden within the pages. He dragged himself back to his room, lying in the bed he opened the book and began to read, losing himself in the world of words and ideas.
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>
> We got to the ghost isles today. Everyone opposed Master and mother leaving the war, but I wanted them to take a break. But I could understand why people would have been afraid of their absence. these two were fighting for nearly six years and they deserved some rest. It was bound to attract anxiety in public, but for once, I wanted them away from this bloodshed.
>
> Meeting them after six years, I could see that time was not fair to them. Master’s bright face was haggard and his eyes sank deep. My beautiful mother almost aged twice in the battlefield. This felt like a reminder to me that I was not strong enough to take their responsibilities, but if you are reading this then, I even failed to do the basic thing as their son.
>
> The main thing a child could do for their parents is being healthy and well. I clearly failed at that, so please do it for me.
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> END OF PAGE 3
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Hans understood the inner thoughts of a sixteen-year-old boy who desired strength for no other reason than to make his parents' lives easier. While lying in his bed, Hans turned the next page and continued to read.
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> Today, the teacher told me about the rumoured mana method of the beast of Ghost Isles. I couldn’t believe that there are some ways through which they could use mana directly without absorbing it. I tried experimenting with their way of using mana and got a backlash. For a full week, I was unconscious. Mother beat the crap out of me when I woke up, so I decided not to tell her next time when I practise.”
>
> Next day, while observing the beasts, I concluded that the beasts have some sort of filter that can filter their desired type of mana from the pure mana of nature. So my hypothesis of getting mana without storing it becomes false. It is a real letdown that I can’t imitate the beasts. But fortunately I came around a beast known as treants and while fighting it I found out the beast having wood mana property was very adept in using nature’s raw mana. It was hard to beat a treant because mana was dancing to their rhythms and its attacks grew more powerful as the time increased while I was losing my stamina and aura. I had no choice but to follow my teacher's first lesson- ‘if you can’t beat it, then just run’, so I ran home.
>
> Fighting treant has become my daily routine. It is a fascinating beast. As a beastmaster, I really want to subdue one and take it as my summons. After our daily struggles and observing the flow of mana surrounding it, I reached the conclusion that the wood attribute was best to manipulate the pure mana of nature directly.
>
> I started researching wood mana possessors and came around two people of the past one of them was known as harvester, his real name was not known but people worshipped him as the saint flora and according to Reina and Eleanor there was no one born with that mana in elves.
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> END OF PAGE 4
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As the fourth page ended, Hans closed the book, secured it, and dashed to Sierra and Rudolf to inform them of his findings, like an eager kid thirsty to show off. When he saw them, Samson's words flashed through his mind: these two had fought their entire lives for others, and now the red demons have breached the barrier.
The threat of another war was looming over their heads. A thought came to his mind, “Rudolf and Sierra might have to fight once again”. Just like Samson, Hans also wanted to provide a comfortable life for them. To do that, he must grow strong, stronger than anyone. He had unknowingly inherited Samson's will, and his resolve to learn from this book had grown even stronger.
He came to the kitchen, jumping happily and greeted everyone. It was noon and Sierra had cooked a lot of dishes that Rudolf had hunted for them. He sat and began gulping the food only to be stopped by Rudolf's odd expression.
Seeing him stop in the middle, Rudolf asked the boy,
What is it, squeaky?
Hans snapped out of his thoughts and excitingly told them about the context of the book. He spared the unnecessary details, one thing that troubled him was that Sam knew about Hans when he was sixteen and, additionally; he knew his thought process and actions. Farsightedness and intellect were one thing, but he literally was predicting everything happening in the future.
It was beyond anyone's calculation so he asked them,
How it was possible for a sixteen-year-old to know everything happening right now?
Rudolf got baffled and asked back,
What?
knowing everything that is happening to me.
Sierra replied to Hans,
The god Osiris is the answer.
She turned to Hans, who was innocently looking back at her. She added,
Hans, you are a believer of Yudwin. You must not stray away from the temple’s path as Sam did.
Now it was Hans's turn to get startled. He spoke the same words as Rudolf "What"?
Sierra continued,
Sam’s faith in Yudwin grew weaker when he got introduced to the Parvian god’s ways. He became an avid devotee of Osiris’ temple and spread her teachings to his people.
Ignoring Sierra's concern, Hans asked her,
What do you mean by god Osiris is the answer?
Sierra asked Hans
Do you think this is all a coincidence? You can't have an aura or mana circles (mana heart) but, yet you get a book stating that you could become a mage and achieve the dream of an endless mana supply.
Hans asked doubtfully
That's what I am wondering about. No matter how thoroughly he planned to guide me, it is just absurd that he knew these things, happening ahead of time.
She responded positively,
Osiris is not only the goddess of warfare and destruction but is also believed to be the controller of time. Sam told me about many events of the future that were yet to come. He must have written these things after receiving her guidance. But no matter what, the goddess you must always serve is Yudwin.
Hans agreed, but he also became curious about this god that Sam had believed in. She must be someone great for Sam to follow her, but seeing his grandmother’s attitude towards the foreign god, Hans didn't push his curiosity further and ended the conversation by asking his final question.
Gramps, what are Treants?
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