Free Web NovelChapter 38: The Great Hall
When the Sungrade patriarch called for us, I knew we weren’t going to his chamber or some private place. It was an official call from the highest seat of the west.
He did not call for me as just his son but as someone who had made a great contribution in the past war.
The fact that he had called for me instead of coming to see me alone meant a great deal to us who understood his intentions.
So, by the orders of the patriarch, we now stood before a grand gate on the central floor of the castle, a place that one can see as nothing less than the throne room of the imperial capital.
[ "Young master Prism Von Sungrade has arrived with his personal assistant, Head maid Lexie." ]
The grand door of the Great Hall.
It was made of (Redstone), a rare metal that was found deep into the Demon forest, was six meters tall and two meters wide.
Intricately carved on it were magical enchantments, patterns that were so attractive, fine and vivid that they made a complex painting depicting the Sungrade’s victory against the demonic beings beyond the forest.
’I’ve seen it in my past life as well. But that was just in the old records.’
Seeing it firsthand was a different experience altogether. Additionally, now that I was seeing it myself, I could tell this was no ordinary carving.
’Our ancestors who made this must be geniuses of their era.’
Each stroke, each fine line, each and every one of the micro-detail of this door contained information.
’It’s all coded knowledge.’
I’ll need some time to decipher it and turn it into something usable, but now that Nix and I have seen this, we don’t have to worry about it anymore.
{ "Enter." }
After the guards announced our arrival, from beyond the door, the powerful voice of the patriarch that we were so familiar with, gave his permission.
-Szaaaaaaaaaa.
At the same time, the door slowly started opening on the inside, revealing the great hall that was present beyond them.
-Step. Step. Step.
Our minds had gone blank as we entered the hall.
Sitting right before us on a great throne made of a thousand year old charred trunk was the patriarch of the family and my father, while on both sides of the room that stretched eight hundred meters to the front, on smaller wooden chairs, were the same elders that had graced us with their presence during the Proof of Worth.
Unlike the patriarch that was wearing the same lavish looking, formal clothes, the elders wore cardigans of different colours.
Some were shades of red ranging from a fiery red to the light pink that barely looked red to most eyes. Some others, however, also embraced different colours to depict their unique specialities.
"You’re in the presence of the great elders. Pay your respect, Child." The patriarch commanded us, and we obeyed his words as we bet a knee before them.
They were the great elders of Sungrade, masters that had accepted the effects of time and previously important figures of the family.
Some of them were as old as the door we saw outside, still alive thanks to their unique bloodlines and special beast connections.
They were the guardians and the guide of the family, the ones who counseled the family head as well as those closest to him.
They were also the ones in charge of looking after the second, third and fourth cradle so if one wanted to enter them, they’d need their permission.
On top of that, almost each one of them were a (Level-6) tamer by current standard.
They were confined to this city and had dedicated their lives to the family, but they were also the very first who died when the family fell so, I guess we can call them somewhat foolish.
"Rise, Prism."
We rose up following his command and looked around the hall.
There people here, the hooded elders with their glowing eyes fixed on us, seemed extremely interested in us.
Some of them were looking at Felix and Nix, while some were glaring daggers at me.
I could feel their eyes on the back of my head.
Some were not placed with my presence here, while some were happy. The intensity of their gaze revealed more about them than what they may think I realise.
"Firstly, please accept my apologies. I had a few things to take care of and couldn’t visit you after you woke up."
He was apologising first instead of getting started with the main topic... and it surprised the elders present.
They all knew his personality and how he would have reacted if there was anyone else in my place.
Apologising while sitting on that chair meant more than what one may realise.
’As curious a thing ’power’ was, there were many things about it that did not make any sense.’
Small statements like these from the people in power like him might be used right against them if need arises.
But he knew that well when he said those words. He wasn’t just a powerful individual after all.
"Secondly, your contribution during the recent battle against the demonic forces was not a burden that a young boy like you should have carried at all."
He was accepting another mistake he had made.
"I listened to my wife and my elder daughter, and we certainly won thanks to that." I could tell his grip on the chair had tightened when he spoke those words.
The rage was clear in his eyes as well.
"But you still got hurt doing that."
-Oooooooooooooooooong!
While his eyes fell down with a hint of sadness present in them, some of the elders activated their magic wands to recreate the scenes from the forest.
"You had fought bravely to bring us that quick victory." My father knew that repelling the demons would have been an easy task overall.
The battle would not have lasted for too long if they had continued on with the pace they were going.
All of the people present here knew how many factors could affect a battle, and that was the very reason they had been careful of the lord.
But these were demons we were talking about. And a lord on top of that.
If I weren’t there, the battle would have gone on for longer. Father would have stayed at the city walls to take care of the demonic beasts and while the lord was still deep in here, it would have connected with the forest’s consciousness.
We don’t know what may have happened in that case, so it was a good thing that I stalled the creature inside my Mind Maze for a few hours while the others took care of the situation outside.
"The people do not know of the sacrifices you and all the ones following you have made, but, we know." One of the elders in the back spoke with his deep, almost ethereal voice.
The people that followed me ended up dying to the demon. The only ones who made it out of it alive were the green falcon and me.
And since we have found out that the Green Falcon was being controlled by the Faceless Manipulator ever since he arrived in this city, we are suspecting him to be behind the unnecessary bloodshed of our comrades.
Ultimately, I was the only one who made it out of that forest among us.
"We all thank you for your service, Prism of Sungrade." The elder who was speaking raised his hand as a ball of light materialised in front of him.
"You were playing with that creature, weren’t you?" Another old voice spoke as they raised their hand before them, creating a similar ball of light.
-Oooooooooooong!
Following them, the rest of the elders raised their hands to create a ball of light, and right after the last elder did that with an annoyed sound of his clicking tongue, the light balls gathered together in the center of the hall.
"You have proven your worth, Prism Von Ignasia Sungrade." Patriarch raised his hand last, and from his hands, a green ball of fire shot out, merging with the light that was amalgamating together.
I knew what they were doing right now... but the name my father just called me with...
’Ignasia.’
Though everyone called her Asia, that was my mother’s name.
He just made my mother’s name my middle name when it was an imperial custom to have the mother’s family name as the middle name.
And to solidify that decision, through the bright light in front of us, a stone slab made of condensed energy was born with my name, along with my official recognition by the family, burning on it in carved green texts.
"This..."
I was utterly angry right now.
For a moment, it almost felt like that father of mine was making a mockery out of my mother’s name.
He knew this did not follow the customs, but even though giving me a name that wasn’t attached to his own would bring him more trouble than me, he was taking this risk.
"...why?" I questioned myself, asked myself just what reason could he possibly have for doing this.
He was putting his own honor as the Sungrade patriarch on the line to give me a name that went against the empire’s customs.
I wanted to know why he was doing this to the son of the very person he had killed.
But I could not find any answers to that on my own.
And... I did not have the strength to ask him directly either.
"Miss Lexie. Please take care of this." The slab flew gently and landed in Lexie’s hands.
And as stunned as she was, she bowed down formally as she accepted it.
She knew what she needed to do with it so she didn’t ask them any questions either.
However, the way the Elders were looking at him, whispering among themselves, and sighing as if they knew the answers that we did not, ignited more questions inside me than a moment ago.
"Now that the formalities have been taken care of..." the room fell silent once again when father’s voice echoed throughout the chamber. "We should reward the young boy for his achievements, right?"
That was actually the main reason I was called here.
But, the patriarch’s actions had made my mind chaotic.
’Just why...’
Why would he do something so unnecessary?
My mother had no great family name and she was rather an ordinary individual from what I know.
I was happy to have her name added to mine, but at the same time, I don’t have a good feeling about this.
’It almost feels like there are ulterior motives behind his actions.’
And I just don’t like this... being dragged into something that may start trouble for the people I genuinely, truly want to protect.
