Chapter 454 - 450: Merge
"I will take the Kingship Trials," Ryder declared, shocking everyone once again.
Today was full of shocks for High Dukes. First, the information about Salem visiting the Demon Realm. And just when they thought it was it and we're about to leave, came the information about Ryder trying to attempt the Kingship Trial?
"I don't think this is the right time to do it," High Duke Magma straight away refuted.
"I agree. You should delay the plans. There's no need to attempt that so soon," High Duke Eston echoed the words of Magma.
Ryder was surprised. He had thought they would agree. Why were they trying to get him to delay? Did they really not wish for him to finish the Kingship Trial and take the position of the Emperor?
'Well, if I were in their place, I would have also denied. A kid being a prince is good but letting him become the sole authority when I haven't tested is not possible. They must be thinking the same thing,' Ryder thought, trying to guess their reasoning.
He soon realized how wrong he was, though as High Duke Oris also supported this notion. Fortunately, High Duke Oris also gave reasoning behind his objection, which made Ryder understand why they were against it.
"It would be better not to do it now. Our relationship with the Death Domain is not good right now. Not only did their people try to kill you, but you also went there and kidnapped the girl from their place," High Duke Eston said. "If you go there, they'll leave everything to try and kill you."
"That girl... Oh right, Elisia. The second candidate for the Death Domain Hair. That crazy girl who formed the plan to infiltrate Devilia's Palace to kill me. I had forgotten about her. We worked so hard to kidnap her from the Death Domain, right in front of their Prince," Ryder muttered as he smiled wryly.
"How's the interrogation going with her? Did you manage to find out anything?" He asked High Duke Eaton, who was keeping Elisia in his special Space Prison.
"That girl is really stubborn. High Duke Oris and I have been trying really hard to get answers from her. Albeit she doesn't talk much. We did manage to find some things out, though," High Duke Eston said.
"What did you find out?" Ryder asked curiously.
"The weapon that she possesses is actually the weapon that the Death Emperor had used in the battle against His Majesty Salem in the last war. This girl is actually selected as an heir by the weapon," High Duke Eston said.
"That is as per the rumors. That's why there are two heirs in the Death Domain— the weapon heir and the bloodline heir. Anyway, it's strange. Their Prince isn't asking for her return?" Ryder wondered. "Is he really happy that we took out an enemy of his throne?"
"We did get a few requests from them to return the girl safely. They haven't taken any offensive action yet. While requesting, their tone has been very cordial as well. It's somewhat unsettling," High Duke Oris said.
'These guys are dealing with all that, but they didn't tell me? As expected, they only tell me big things. They handle little things on their own. That's to be expected, I guess. I'm only a prince and a kid before their eyes,' Ryder thought after realizing that he didn't know so much.
'That's why I need to become the Emperor. I need all the authority I can get as soon as I can. After I become the Emperor, they won't be able to do anything. I'll be the sole ruler.'
He didn't let his thoughts show on his face, though.
"It's really strange. Why are they so calm? They aren't threatening war or anything. Even if they are weaker, they should still be getting worried and take strict actions. Their Royal Weapon is with the girl who is with their enemy. Still, they're only asking for the girl and not the weapon?" he expressed his surprise.
"Anyway, you must have received that weapon from the girl. Where do you keep it?" Ryder asked, wondering about the weapon of the Death Emperor.
He continued, "They infiltrated last time. They can try again. The girl is in space prison, so that's fine. But the weapon also needs to be secure."
"We don't possess the weapon," High Duke Oris answered. "It's still with the girl."
"It's with her? Why do you let the girl still have it? Take possession of it."
"We can't. As I said, the weapon has selected the girl as the heir. It's Bound with her soul. We can't take it without her permission. And she doesn't give permission no matter how much we try," High Duke Eston explained.
"What if you take it with force? Why do you even need permission?" Ryder asked curiously.
He suddenly remembered that he hadn't seen the girl carrying the weapon when she was captured.
"Ah, I get it. She must be keeping that weapon in her special space. You can't get access to that place. That's why..."
"Not really. She does have a special space that we can't access, but that's not where the weapon is. It's actually merged with her soul. It only appears when she calls for it," High Duke Eston refuted Ryder's assumption.
" What's stopping that girl from just taking that weapon out and using it against us then? Can she still not get out of your Prison? Shouldn't the weapon of the Death Emperor be stronger?" Ryder asked, surprised. The girl still possessed one of the strongest weapons even when she was under arrest?
It was as if a criminal was arrested, but he was allowed to keep a rocket launcher? All weapons need to be confiscated to make sure that no mishap happens.
"You don't need to be concerned about that. We took precautions. She can't call out the weapon," High Duke Oris said. "Anyway, it's better not to go into detail about how we achieved it. The important thing is that she can't use the weapon now."
Ryder gazed at High Duke Oris suspiciously, but he didn't say anything to oppose that. Even he didn't wish to go into technical details about how they stopped her. From what he guessed, it must be one of their skills.
"What else did you manage to find out from her? Was she the mastermind behind the attacks?" Ryder asked curiously.
"She says she was, but I have my suspicions. We're still interrogating her slowly. Hopefully, we'll find our more soon enough," High Duke Eston explained.