Suddenly, the nuances of my skill became much more important. Did [Immortality Lv. 20] mean I just had eternal youth, or was I physically impossible to kill? Naturally, I wished it were the latter, but the evidence I had suggested that was too good to be true.
First, Bardelli had said that “just a second longer and we would’ve been unable to save you.” If my hero skill were some sort of super healing skill, I doubt my situation would’ve been that bad, just from a mere fire explosion. Second, if I visibly healed faster to the naked eye, I’m sure someone would’ve commented on it. At the very least, Lily would’ve been eager to ask.
So, sadly, I could conclude that my [Immortality] skill wasn’t likely to provide more than eternal youth. It might even do less than that, merely preserving my life but not my youth. Not that I could confirm because Bardelli had refused to answer my questions! My attempts to convince the system to show me skill descriptions had fallen flat.
Maybe I could figure out if given a while, but I was starting to panic and needed to figure out what to say fast. I hadn’t expect the emperor to ask us to expose our skills in front of so many people!
“Staff,” Gyeong requested in his thick accent. A knight quickly passed him a wooden staff, and he stepped forward to replace Lily.
The Japanese guy twirled it with unexpected deftness, before slamming it down on the floor. The staff’s appearance shifted like reality was warping around it, lights and darks becoming more emphasized. It stretched out to five times its previous length, almost touching the ceiling. Still, Gyeong wielded it with ease, showcasing a few stances before returning the staff back to normal.
“Hmm,” the emperor hummed, his face impassive. “Perhaps there is more to the skill than immediately apparent. Who’s next?”
I wasn’t ready yet, so I made eye contact with Vijay and urged him to go with a few twitches of my head. He rolled his eyes and accepted.
“I guess I’ll go, but I can’t really show anything,” Vijay declared. That caught my attention- if I could claim that my skill couldn’t be used yet, maybe I could buy time.
“Then just tell us your skill name,” the emperor waved, unfazed.
“It’s called [Infinite Magic Compression], and it’s the best skill,” Vijay said. “Clearly from the name, no defense can block my magic.”
The emperor smiled in glee. “Perfect! A worthy hero! My court, applaud for this brave hero that will save our empire!” The crowd roared again, clapping and banging items on the tables. Vijay was taken aback by the reception, his apathetic expression melting into something warmer.
“Now, what about you, Hero Julius?” the emperor questioned, sending a chill down my spine.
Ok. Here it was. This was the crucial moment, where I decided whether I would pretend to be a useful hero or straight up admit my weakness. If I lied and got caught later, I couldn’t predict the punishment. If I lied and didn’t get caught, I might be forced to fight demons, which would assuredly kill me. If I told the truth… maybe I would be let go, kicked out to the streets but left alive. Maybe the emperor would be kind, or maybe he would dissect me to try and achieve immortality himself. Maybe I would be assassinated by the church.
In the end, I didn’t know enough about the situation. Therefore, I had no choice but to pick the path that guaranteed my immediate survival.
“My situation is a bit similar to Vijay’s,” I lead, shrugging with a carefully curated sympathetic expression on my face. “I don’t have much to show right now, but my skill will grow more important as time passes.”
Technically all the truth; I didn’t know whether there were [Lie Detection] skills after all.
“True power comes from accumulation,” the emperor noted, nodding his head. “Well, out with it. What’s your skill?”
He must’ve used a skill as I suddenly became incapable of staying silent. I was commanded to speak.
“My skill is unlimited. My abilities become stronger as time passes. I am sure that with enough time, there is no limit,” I declared. Again, all true statements, given that I could train skills forever without old age being a factor. I was betting that my awkward choice of words would make them think my skill was titled [Unlimited].
“Interesting. Perhaps, you will ensure that even if the demon king is too strong, we will still have hope, as long as our glorious empire can endure,” the emperor decided.
I internally let out a sigh of relief.
The emperor got to his feet, his body moving with controlled power. “Come forth, and be knighted as my heroes.”
The four of us walked forwards and simultaneously took a knee before him, guided by his [Imperial Charisma]. I bent my head and stared at the floor, complex feelings running through me.
“Our empire is in danger. Every day, children are orphaned as demons rampage, destroying innocent villages despite our military’s greatest efforts. So, heroes. Will you pledge allegiance to the cause?” He unsheathed an embellished sword that was previously hidden under his robe. The blade hummed with magical power, and the diamonds embedded in the hilt shined white.
“I do,” Lily spoke, and I could feel that her words held power. This ceremony- this oath would be binding. I expected to feel rage at this fundamental violation of autonomy, yet I didn’t. The emperor’s honeyed words echoed in my head seductively, urging me to be a hero and save the dying people.
Whatever skill he was using worked. At that moment, I truly wanted to fight for the people. If I had any combat ability I would be leaping like a lemming into the flames. The only reason I retained a hint of sanity was the truth that fighting with the other heroes would just slow them down.
That realization let me tweak the wording of my oath. After Gyeong and Vijay gave their oaths with starry, naïve eyes, I declared, “I will do what is in my power to fight the demon threat.” The instant I spoke, I knew I was chained to my words.
Thankfully, the emperor merely nodded at my wordy oath and didn’t comment. He didn’t see the loopholes I planted. Since I didn’t have power, I didn’t have to fight at all.
“Thank you, heroes. The Castelo Empire will reward you for your heroics. Now, Pope Bardelli, please lead them to their chambers.”
“Of course.” Bardelli appeared out of nowhere and motioned for us to follow him. I shakily got to my feet and forcefully calmed my demeanor, not letting slip any hint of my inner stress.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
Once the throne hall doors were closed behind me, Lily immediately asked, “So, you’re the pope, huh old man?”
I smacked my forehead in disbelief. Who calls the pope ‘old man’? Then again, I probably annoyed the old man more with my incessant questions.
Thankfully, now that I was oathbound, Bardelli was more inclined to help and finally told me how to learn what a skill does. It took a specific prayer exactly down to the word.
“Oh Holy Goddess, please enlighten me as to the effects of my skill [Immortality],” I prayed mentally.
Immortality Lv. 20 Prevents death from natural causes.
Despite knowing it would be so, I was still disheartened by the lack of anything more. It was strange. My (and my ancestors’) greatest desire had always been immortality, and yet now that I had it I wanted more. I cursed my monkey brain for never being satisfied.
Pain Tolerance Lv. 1 Pain becomes less of a debilitation.
The wording implied it wouldn’t remove pain, only let me push past it. I wasn’t looking forward to using this skill.
“Here are your rooms,” Bardelli said, pointing us to four luxurious suites. “I am needed at the church, so I cannot stay with you longer, but you will be attended to by servants. Rest for the night; I am sure the revelations of your holy duty have taken a toll. Tomorrow you will learn more.”
“Have fun!” Lily said, and the rest of us waved him goodbye.
While Lily and Gyeong went to their rooms, I grabbed Vijay’s shoulder.
“Huh? What the hell are you doing?” he blustered.
“Shh,” I hushed. “I’m having some doubts about this situation and you seemed like the only one who was taking things seriously.”
He seemed mollified by the subtle compliment. “Alright. What are you thinking?”
“I’m not sure I like being forcefully conscripted by another world’s country.”
If anyone would agree with me, it was Vijay, the guy who’d been complaining since the very beginning. Yet, he shook his head. “No, each of us decided to pledge our help. You were given the option to back out. Besides…” a dreamy look crossed over his face. “Don’t you think being a hero is cool?”
I carefully kept my face neutral, but internally I was gripped by a cold sense of fear. The suspicious misanthropist was gone, replaced with another naïve dreamer. What had the emperor done?
My memory of the crowd of nobles roaring in approval took on a darker light. How many of them were magically bound to the emperor, both in action and in mind?
Perhaps my twisting of my oath was the only reason I wasn’t the same.
“You’re right,” I said. “I was just worried about the others. They seem too naïve, and may not understand what they’re signing up for.”
Vijay nodded at that. “It’ll be fine. At worst, I’ll kill the demon king myself.” I chose not to refute that incredulous statement, and we separated.
In my room, I sat on my bed, quietly contemplating. Even when the magical lightbulbs turned off on their own and the sun set, I kept thinking.
***
I woke up to a servant shaking me awake. “Huh?” I groggily asked, unwilling to get out of the supernaturally comfortable bed.
“Master Julius, it is time to get up. Your lessons will start soon,” the maid said respectfully. She was dressed in a black and white uniform, and clearly selected in part because of her beauty.
I shot up and smacked my face. You can’t afford to be lulled into comfort, Julius. Information and deception are the only tools you have, so get your alchemical rear to that class!
“Thanks for waking me up,” I smiled gently at the maid, who blushed slightly. Her reaction was unusual, because I certainly wasn’t handsome. The paranoid voice in my head whispered that she was a honeypot trap. More reasonably, however, she simply wasn’t used to being thanked by powerful figures, especially a hero.
“Let me help you get dressed,” she offered, but I gently rejected her.
“Bringing me my clothes is help enough.” Today I was presented clothes that were significantly less tacky, with a green collared shirt and black slacks. After sending the maid outside I quickly dressed, then left for breakfast.
Breakfast was served in a small ballroom, already filled with a small amount of people. There were multiple tables and servants carrying food all over the place. I quickly spotted Lily and made my way over to her.
“Hi Lily,” I greeted.
“Hey Julius!” she returned. Her clothes kept the same blue theme as yesterday, but she wore pants instead of a dress. I catalogued that detail before moving on.
“So, we get to eat with the nobles, huh. Any idea where to sit?”
“Uh, I think there’s an open table over there?”
We made our way over to a small circular table and sat down. Immediately, a butler came over and set down a platter of bread and cheeses. “I’ll be back with refreshments,” he promised before leaving.
“Fancy,” Lily noted before grabbing some bread. Rather than the food, I was more concerned with the nobles subtly glancing at us. They seemed to be holding themselves back from approaching.
Soon, I spotted Vijay with Gyeong and a girl with long black hair, and waved them over. When they got closer, the girl introduced herself with a curtsy. “Greetings, my name is Princess Adriana Castelo.” Her connection with the emperor was clear from her similar facial features.
“Hi Emily, my name’s Lily!”
“You can call me Julius,” I added.
“Nice to meet you, Lily and Julius. Can I sit with you? I was just talking with Vijay and Gyeong over here,” she smiled.
“Of course,” Lily intoned. “Come! Sit right here.” She patted the seat next to her, clearly eager to talk to another girl.
I was not so enthused. Indeed, after Vijay and Gyeong got themselves situated, Adriana quickly directed the conversation to an uncomfortable area.
“So, have you all thought about how you’re going to fight the demon king?” she asked conspiratorially.
“It’s not that hard. I just need to blast him to pieces,” Vijay scoffed.
Adriana leaned against him and trailed a finger down his chest. “Oh, I’m sure you could, mister hero,” she said sultrily.
I thought it was painfully obvious what she was doing- seducing the hero and ensuring that his power would be added to the imperial family. Vijay, however, blushed furiously, unused to such attention.
“Need plan,” Gyeong added in his broken English.
“Yeah! We heroes need to work together,” Lily said.
“We should probably learn more about skills before we make a plan,” I added sensibly.
“Usually heroes’ roles are determined by their blessed skill, though,” Adriana rebutted, still leaning against Vijay. “What was your skill, again? Would it make you a good front line fighter?”
And there it was. The leading, inquisitive questions designed to weasel information out of me.
“My skill doesn’t pigeonhole me,” I said simply, before rerouting the conversation. “What’s more important is what types of skills there are. Adriana, could you help us?”
She sighed dramatically but acquiesced. “Well, there are aura skills for melee fighting, and mana skills to let us use magic, as well as a few skills that don’t require an energy pool, like [Sword] or [Reflexes].”
So much information, revealed so casually. First, magic needed skills to be cast. Second, there was an additional energy pool called aura. Third, while there were a few skills that did not require energy pools, likely passive skills, the active skills would generally require one or the other.
“What’s the difference between aura and magic?” I immediately asked.
“You’ll learn that in your lessons,” she waved dismissively. “Boring stuff. Why don’t we talk about more fun things, like the world you came from! I heard there are flying carriages that don’t use mana there.”
“Planes. Very fast, in sky,” Gyeong nodded.
“I thought heroes were summoned every hundred years? How did they know about planes?” Lily pointed out.
“Our current theory is that time passes at a different rate in both planets,” Adriana provided. “Precisely, every hundred years here, only ten years pass in your world. So, what’s new in the past ten years?”
Information from earth, a technologically advanced world, was very valuable. But, the topic prevented her from questioning us more on our skills, so I let it happen. The more I said about my skill, the greater chance a contradiction would show and people would get suspicious. So, we talked about virtual reality and self-driving cars for the remainder of breakfast.
Finally, Adriana said her goodbyes and a servant led us to a small classroom. A prim and proper teacher with slicked back brown hair greeted us in front of a chalkboard. “Hello heroes. My name is Peter Volschinger. Take a seat in the front row; today I’ll be teaching you the basics about this world and the system.”
Finally, it was time for me to learn what made this world tick.