LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 115: The Godslayer Dragon
"...Hmm?"
Aiwass, upon hearing this, was a bit surprised, "Teach you to read?"
"Yes," Hayna said with a mix of nostalgia and amazement, "In our village, actually, there were very few educated people.
"In the whole of Shepherd Bay County, there were only a little over three hundred thousand people, most of whom were herders, with only one real city; the rest were towns and villages. And in Eagle Cape Village, we had less than a thousand people, a few more raising cattle than shepherding sheep. Farmers usually grew potatoes and turnips and occasionally some would grow ginger to earn money.
"There were no factories in our village, no high-rise buildings; the tallest building was only three stories high, and we didn't even have a middle school. I went to middle school in another town in Shepherd Bay County. The most famous cultured person in our village was Grandpa Jacob.
"He was a journalist in Flute Town, but later left the newspaper to become a freelance writer. Flute Town is very close to our village, and although it only has a population of over five thousand, there are very many tourists—there, one can catch great trout and salmon, and the scenery is lovely. When people from Glass Island talk about 'going to the countryside for a holiday,' they usually mean visiting a few of the notable towns in Shepherd Bay County, including Flute Town.
"I attended middle school in Flute Town and could easily run back home on the weekends. But then my mom said it was too hard on the shoes, so I stopped going back.
"Back then, what I loved the most was going to the train station to watch the crowds get on and off the trains. I thought it was magical; boarding a train seemed like entering another world, and those who came off the trains seemed as if they weren't from the same world as us.
"Those coming off the trains seemed ethereal, like a dream or a soap bubble. When the dream ended, they would disappear, never to be seen again."
At this point, Hayna laughed a bit sheepishly, "It's funny, isn't it? After all, back then I had never been on a train. The whole of Flute Town had only one railway. Of course, looking back now, it doesn't seem like much... after all, I've become one of those people who leave on a train."
"Not at all," Aiwass said earnestly, "I find it very interesting, really."
This was the first time he had heard Hayna talk about her past.
When Hayna talked about her hometown, she became exceptionally focused and extremely happy.
Stay tuned to empire
Her azure eyes seemed to shine, like a flawless sapphire.
She truly loved her homeland.
Hayna spoke softly, "Flute Town and our Eagle Cape Village are just separated by a lake, that is Sapphire Lake. It's the largest lake in Avalon, and I think the most beautiful.
"There, many, many swans nest—according to Avalon's laws, the royal family owns all rights to the wild swans of Avalon, so every year the Swan Minister would come to our village to count the swans, to see if anyone has been poaching them... This is the only 'minister' we saw from Flute Town."
Swan Minister...
Aiwass was suddenly speechless.
…Well, that counts as a minister too, I guess.
According to the laws of Avalon, swans were food that only the royal family was entitled to enjoy.
More than a delicacy, it was closer to a symbol of the Path of Authority.
Occasionally, the royal family would also bestow swans upon some knights, mainly those who had achieved military merits or ministers who had worked diligently lately. And then the knight receiving the gift could hold a banquet to show off the grace and honor they had received.
However, over the past hundred years or so, the royal family also began selling some swans at high prices to wealthy merchants; this was partly because the knight families were not as interested in the symbolism behind the swans anymore… and partly because the status of merchants was continuously rising.
The Swan Minister was a position specifically in charge of managing the swans. The minister had to report the number of swans each year and take care of sick or injured swans, as well as provide a regular supply of a specified number of swans to the royal family. His direct superior was the Chamberlain, which was the position held by both Arthur and Mycroft from the Hermeses.
But in reality, this position was pretty much a sinecure. Busy for only one month of the year, the rest of the time was spent idly. Because of the lack of exposure to substantive work, there was naturally no chance for further promotion. The status of this kind of minister on Glass Island wasn't even as high as that of a university professor—at least professors could usually assume some technical official position, and might be ranked even higher.
"When I was little, I would pester Grandpa Jacob to tell us stories. He later published the stories he told us into a book."
Hayna said, clearly enamored, "I still remember the contents.
"The most memorable one was a story about an animal kingdom—the world was ruled by carnivores led by a red Ursa Major and a golden lion, while herbivores like the white horse and the green deer were wily and brave, eventually overcoming the Ursa Major to become the new kings. And the golden lion, after swallowing a black mole, was dug out from inside by the mole..."
"...Hmm?"
Upon hearing this story, Aiwass was taken aback.
He thought carefully for a moment, then revealed a smile with interest, "I see... I wonder how you, senior, could have an affinity for the Path of Transcendence. It turns out you didn't veer off the path, but you truly possess the affinity for the Path of Transcendence, which is why you instinctively remembered this story, even if you were unaware of its meaning."
"Now that this is the case, we can talk about it. Senior, do you remember? When we went to the Pelican Bar, I once asked you a question, 'Have you ever thought about why Avalon follows the Path of Authority?'"
"I remember."
Hayna nodded honestly, "I've always remembered... You said that once you came to school and had some spare time, you would discuss it with me. I've been waiting, but it didn't seem right to rush you. After all, you've encountered a whole bunch of things since you just started school, and with final exams coming up, you're quite busy."
"Then I'm going to tell you now," Aiwass said, and then gestured for Lily to sit down as well.
He took a sip of tea and a bite of refreshment, then his expression became serious, "This is a secret that I will never share with outsiders. After hearing it from me, you must never speak of it to anyone else. Just by narrating the knowledge contained here, one could be sentenced to death."
Hearing such a stern and serious warning, Hayna and Lily were both surprised.
They had never seen Aiwass take anything so seriously before.
Only after they had sworn an oath, did Aiwass slowly nod and begin to explain the story written by his grandfather, "This story, in fact, has three layers. The first layer is simply a fairy tale, while the second layer tells of the destruction of the Alktos Kingdom and the Heracel Empire. The white horse signifies the Knights of the Round Table of Avalon, and the green deer symbolizes the Elves and the Holy Nation—the Holy Nation is entwined around a great tree, with vines and ivy, and the deer is the symbol of the Candle Master."
"The golden lion represents the Heracel Empire, while the mole stands for the Necrogo, also commonly known as the 'Son of the Moon'. Because Necrogo can only transform after death, they all break through the ground after awakening, just like moles that dig through the earth."
"I see..."
Hayna realized, "The destruction of the once Giant Kingdom of Alktos was actually related to the Holy Nation... No wonder the Founding Families have Guardian Spirits."
But she was somewhat puzzled, "But with that degree of information... it doesn't seem to be as terrifying as you suggested, right?"
"That's correct," Aiwass responded, "because in this story, he also concealed a third layer of mystery."
"Do you know that five hundred years ago there was no 'Authority' Path? The Path of Authority is a relatively young path," Aiwass revealed the secret history he had obtained only from the mid-stage of the game.
This secret was only available in the Shadow of Avalon version. But in fact, it was only in Avalon that it was top secret; it wasn't as hard to discover from other nations.
And as part of a Founding Family, the Moriarty Family actually had this knowledge passed down internally. It's just that Old Moriarty disappeared before passing it on to Aiwass.
—But that's okay.
It's fine if you don't pass it on to me, since I already know it. If anyone asks, it was what the old man said.
"Five hundred years ago, this path was known as the 'Path of Strength'. Knights, warriors, berserkers, challengers, gladiators... these were all Extraordinary Professions belonging to the 'Path of Strength'. Its former master, the 'Supreme Heaven', in the minds of people, was an immensely huge bear covered in blood and fire, and today's Ursa Major is His constellation.
"It is said that Giants have the blood of the Crimson Bear, which is why they are so tall and naturally strong, capable of running as soon as they are born. Thus, the Giant Kingdom of Alktos worshipped the Supreme Heaven, and they were all followers of the Path of Strength."
Upon hearing this, Hayna suddenly opened her eyes wide.
"Back then, there was a legendary human warrior whose name must not be mentioned, who was protected by the Crimson Bear and possessed the great power of both the Path of Strength and Transcendence. Eventually, he overpowered and slayed an extremely powerful White Dragon, bathed in the dragon's blood through a ritual of the Path of Transcendence, transforming into the Crowned White Dragon, ascending as the Crowned Celestial Marshal of the Path of Strength."
"Later, the Crowned Celestial Marshal grew stronger and even surpassed the Crimson Bear. Ultimately, he decided to lead a rebellion at a certain moment. The Marshal once again took the form of a human warrior and descended into the world. He formed the Knights of the Round Table, with the support of the Elves, to attack the then immensely powerful Giant Kingdom, which enslaved and devoured other races."
"Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Goblins were all slaves and food for the Giants. They were even capable of preying on Dragons; not even empires dared provoke them."
"Simultaneously, the Crowned Celestial Marshal and the Supreme Heaven waged a war. The White Dragon and the Crimson Bear grappled in the Dream Realm, and a corner of the Dream Realm even collapsed because of it. Today's 'Falls Abyss' area in the Dream Realm is the giant crater formed when the Dragon threw the Bear down into the realm."
"The human realm's war was going poorly because the Giants were too strong. The strongest twenty-one Knights of the Round Table, under the leadership of Guinevere's Holy Grail ritual, drank dragon's blood, sacrificed themselves, and transformed into powerful Phantom Demons. Only then did they ultimately defeat the Giant Kingdom and behead the Giant King."
"The war lasted a very long time. In the end, the Supreme Heaven fell, and the path changed hands. The 'Path of Strength' became the 'Path of Authority', and the Crowned Celestial Marshal is now the Silver-Crowned Dragon. Lancelot I was the only survivor among the twenty-one Knights of the Round Table. Those twenty who did not survive are the ancestors of today's Founding Families."
Aiwass said meaningfully, "This is why Avalon holds the Path of Authority in such high regard... and it is also the real reason why Transcendence is forbidden in Avalon."