“Priam,” said Protheus, extending his hand.
The Champion shook it with a grin. “Apologies for the interruption. I’m a bit pressed for ti.”
“That doesn’t excuse breaking into a public building, attacking the guards, and violating your king’s privacy," a sharp voice interjected as a woman stepped out of the royal chamber. Her platinum-white hair and preternaturally perfect features marked her as an Empyrean of royal blood. Priam guessed she was either a sister or cousin of Esmée.
“I’m aware, and I extend my apologies,” Priam replied, inclining his head slightly. “Though, I’d like to point out that Protheus isn’t my king.”
Protheus, the Empyrean woman, and the squad of knights arriving to secure the hallway all wore the sa expression of surprise. Priam grimaced at their collective astonishnt.
“Either I have a terrible reputation, or you’re used to dealing with elites who think they’re above the law.”
“The latter,” Protheus sighed. “You wouldn’t believe how many fools I’ve had to execute for thinking that might make right.”
“Power does tend to go to so people’s heads.”
“Glad that’s not your case. I have a feeling executing you would be... challenging.”
Priam smirked. In a fight against the entirety of humanity's elite, he would bet on himself. Although surrounded by his knights, Protheus must be a nightmare to fight.
The Champion’s expression told the king everything he needed to know and he cast a glance at the leader of the knights. Without a word, the man stepped aside, standing at attention, and his squad followed suit. “We’ll have a better discussion in the eting room than in this hallway.”
“Lead the way.”
Protheus moved through the newly cleared passage, and Priam followed. The group navigated a series of stone corridors reminiscent of a dieval castle. Priam imdiately noticed the minimalistic decor—just a few banners serving as tapestries and intricate engravings carved into the very walls to brighten the otherwise stark military structure.
A notification from his add-on drew his attention. Scanning the engravings, he was surprised to realize they weren’t rely decorative—they were components of a massive ritual.
“A revelation array?” he murmured.
Protheus must have had keen perception because he responded. “Correct. The architect’s intention was to create a defensive barrier, but I believe that if this building is ever besieged, defeat would be inevitable. This revelation array detects spies and thieves, which I find more practical.”
Priam gave the king a complicated look. Protheus didn’t know it, but Jasmine was currently visiting his vault.
“There’s a secondary array,” Priam noted, deftly steering the conversation.
“I didn’t think you were an expert on runes.”
“I’m sothing of a polymath myself,” Priam replied with a sly grin.
Protheus laughed. It must have been rare, as Eloïse and the knights exchanged surprised glances. A king must feel lonely, too powerful to have friends…
The presence of Priam, a Champion capable of opposing him, was undoubtedly refreshing.
“There is indeed a second array, designed to trigger an alert when it detects intrusions. You’ve just demonstrated its limitations—my guards had to sound the alarm manually.”
Priam studied the walls for a mont before explaining. “Judging by this section, it identifies individuals and cross-references them against a whitelist. I’m… difficult to identify.”
He left it at that, keeping the details of his [Ciphered Record] to himself. Unable to classify him, the array had effectively ignored him. If Priam hadn’t deliberately alerted the guards at the castle gates, he could have infiltrated unnoticed.
“Eloïse,” Protheus prompted.
“I’ll have the architects revise the detection thod,” the Empyrean noted.
Priam stayed silent. His resistance encrypted his information, making whitelist comparisons nearly impossible. It was possible to address this by configuring the alarm to trigger whenever it encountered an unknown entity, but such a trigger-happy defense posed other challenges. The Champion shrugged. At the end of the day, it wasn’t his problem.
The procession stopped before a set of double stone doors that opened to reveal a familiar sight.
“… The Round Table? Really?”
“I want my advisors to feel free to voice their opinions,” Protheus said. “Sotis, our legends can be inspiring.”
“Sure, but it’s a dangerous tale for a king. You know what they say about Guinevere and Lancelot.”
In so versions, the queen preferred Aroundight to Excalibur…
Protheus chuckled. “My knights cannot betray .”
“Convenient,” Priam smiled, entering the room. Two people were already waiting inside. The Champion moved to the only chair without a banner. Several knights bristled at his breach of etiquette, but by sitting before the king, Priam conveyed a ssage: I am not a subject of Protheus.
The king sat without comnt, and Eloïse took the chair to his left. The two early arrivals also sat, leaving several chairs empty as the doors closed.
“Cecilia, Mistress of the Arcane, whom you’ve t before,” Protheus introduced. The young woman who had once opened a portal for Priam to the Moon inclined her head. “Markus, our Minister of Health.”
“A pompous title for a simple doctor,” the man replied with a sharp gaze and an easy smile.
“Eloïse, my chief advisor and…” Protheus hesitated, searching for the right words. Priam didn’t bother hiding his amusent.
“And lover. It’s funny, isn’t it? The king of humanity and its Champion both falling for an Empyrean princess,” Priam teased. At Eloïse’s outraged look, he quickly clarified, “In my case, I ant Princess Esmée.”
“Oh.” Eloïse visibly relaxed, relieved not to be the next Helen of Troy. Humanity didn’t need its two heroes fighting over the sa woman. “How is my dear sister?”
“She…” Priam hesitated. How was the princess? It was a complicated question. His rival rarely shared her feelings, but Priam knew the geass placed her under imnse pressure. Constantly monitored, her freedom compromised, her very thoughts scrutinized—her life must be unbearable. For the hundredth ti, Priam asked himself the sa question: Should I do sothing? Her geass prevented her from asking for help, but soone as clever as her would have found a way if she truly wanted it. Yet, even at the end of Back in Ti, she had said nothing.
Uncertainty gnawed at Priam. Esmée had her plans, and he didn’t want to disrupt them by intervening unilaterally.
“So, even the family genius hasn’t freed herself from the geass,” Eloïse concluded from the Champion’s silence.
“Indeed. Your phrasing implies you’ve succeeded,” Priam noted, curious.
Eloïse turned to Protheus, who nodded. “All Empyrean princesses are monitored. By accepting into his service, my new king freed from my father’s control.”
Priam narrowed his eyes. He knew Protheus could claim the loyalty of certain humans, making it difficult for them to leave his service. At the first Reunion, Priam had even forced criminals to swear allegiance to the king. Why fill prisons when soldiers were needed?
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Still, Eloïse’s explanation hinted at sothing more significant.
“Your knights automatically sever their old allegiances,” Priam observed. “You can break magical contracts, right?”
“Correct,” Protheus admitted. “As a reward for the Impossible Tutorial, the System granted the perfect tool for my mission.”
There was much to unpack in that revelation, but Priam focused on the future.
“I hope for your sake that there are limits to your power. Otherwise, high Tiers will descend to execute you.”
ntored by a phoenix Prince, Priam knew the vast universe held countless prodigies targeted by predatory contracts. So factions weren’t above enslaving lower Tiers before helping them ascend to new heights. The System occasionally offered a way out to the worthy, but such opportunities were rare.
Wielded well, Protheus’ Talent was far more dangerous for the Hope sector than [He Who Eludes Death].
The king grimaced. “There are limits, of course… but they don’t concern you. Unless you want to break Esmée’s chains?”
“Everyone has their secrets,” Priam shrugged. “Regarding Esmée, could you accept her allegiance to free her from the geass, then release her afterward?”
“Impossible. A knight can only regain their freedom upon their master’s death or after accomplishing an extraordinary feat in their service.”
“Sha.”
The Talent was less broken than Priam had hoped, but reality rarely cared about his desires. Esmée would refuse to trade one master for another, and Priam didn’t trust Protheus enough to give him too much leverage.
“Now that introductions are done, perhaps you’ll tell us why you’re here?” the king prompted.
Priam nodded and laid out the reasons for his visit. The possibility for Champions to access the Hope sector, the temporary constraints imposed by Elysium’s laws, his friendships with a few hoplites, his idea to endure his Tribulations in a relatively safe location, and his fury upon discovering the casual killing of humans.
“The boy you’re describing was nad Markus,” Protheus sighed. “A bus driver who thought becoming a fighter would be cool. Reality hit him hard during the Tutorial, but by then, it was too late. That mission was supposed to be his last before leaving the army.”
The king’s expression darkened with sorrow.
“He was one of your knights?”
“No, but I make it a point to talk to my soldiers. Knowing the nas of those who fight by my side matters.”
Priam’s respect for the king skyrocketed.
“For Markus and the others, I plan to face my Tribulations near the Arkanian capital. They’ll pay for what they’ve done to us.”
Protheus furrowed his brow. “I won’t stop you, but I don’t agree.”
“Because of the innocents?” Priam wasn’t oblivious. n, won, and children had died during his first Tribulations—collateral damage from the locusts and the deadly rain. “I’m not a monster. I’ll target their army.”
“Bah, the Arkanians aren’t my people. You could go full nuclear on their capital, and I’d still sleep fine. However, they have a role to play. Tell , what do you think humanity needs to survive the next few years?”
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