Chapter 71 - 71 – What Then?
Kyle seemed quite troubled.
'I spent like two to three weeks underground. How am I going to explain my absence to Samson?'
"Foolish mortal, I can see that secular matters are troubling you. You will learn with time," Theodor spoke.
"Hey, about that," Kyle said. "What am I supposed to tell my friends and colleagues? I was just mining on a random hill, and now I've been missing for like three weeks or so."
"Friends are a sign of weakness!" Theodor shouted. "A true Transcendent rules alone!"
"Does Hieronymus have friends?" Kyle asked.
"He says he does, but I don't believe him," Theodor spoke with annoyance.
"So, what am I going to say to them?" Kyle asked.
"To whom?"
Kyle got a bit annoyed and rephrased the question.
"You must under no circumstances tell anyone about what happened!" Theodor thundered.
"Why not?" Kyle asked.
"You are in the possession of an Aristocrat's Body!" Theodor shouted. "The only people who have the means to grant Aristocrat's Bodies are outstanding even in the Third Realm! Late Demon Masters, Peak Holy Paladins, Peak Grand Masters, Late Royal Knights! And even then, they only have enough to grant the ritual to one or two descendants, at most!"
"All of these people have their own fiefdoms and own vast stretches of land! They have their own private army, and they own cities!"
"And yet, all of them desire to join Hieronymus' court! All of them would sacrifice all their belongings and families so that they could join the royal palace as an advisor!"
"The competition between them is beyond intense!"
"If one of them has an heir with an Aristocrat's Body in the Third Realm, they are sure to join the court."
"However, there are only limited places in the court, and any additional member means fewer opportunities for the others!"
"Heirs with an Aristocrat's Body are constantly assassinated."
"Because of that, they are raised in isolation. They take on the guise of people following the inferior paths to power until they become powerful enough to appear in public."
Kyle took a deep breath. "That's... bad."
"Foolish mortal, has something worried your feeble mind?" Theodor asked, forgetting the topic again like the goldfish he was.
"What if I tell the royal family that I am your inheritor?" Kyle asked.
"Foolish!" Theodor thundered in Kyle's mind. "When I left, I have sworn vengeance on the royal family and this land! They would kill you!"
"Besides, you are supposed to end Hieronymus' lineage, not join it!"
Kyle grew annoyed. "Then what am I supposed to tell the others?!"
"What others? There are no others! There is only you and me! Whatever life you had before becoming my heir is forfeit!"
"You will not return to your so-called home! You will learn how to fight! You will learn how to mine! You will learn how to forge!"
Kyle's eyes narrowed.
"No," he said.
"Refusal?!" Theodor thundered. "I do not know what you are refusing, but I do not tolerate disobedience!"
"No, I will not abandon my home, and I will not abandon the people who helped me," Kyle shouted. "These people saved my life! Samson rescued me from the wilderness and then rescued me again from dying in prison!"
"I have a debt, and I will repay it!" Kyle shouted.
"Insolent mortal! Follow your master's instructions!" Theodor shouted. "You are alone! You are strong! You do not need love or friendship! These things are a poison to the mind!"
Kyle wordlessly turned around and started walking.
"Where are you going?" Theodor asked.
"Back home."
"You will stop this instance!"
"No."
"Refusal?! Follow your master's command!"
"No."
This continued for almost two minutes.
"You can't stop me," Kyle said. "You can blow yourself up, but you won't do that. I am still your inheritor, and I am still going to follow your commands to a certain degree. However, I refuse to abandon the people who saved me."
Kyle could feel Theodor's anger and frustration.
"Fine! You forced me to do this!" Theodor shouted.
Kyle stopped walking.
'Wait, is he actually going to blow himself up? I mean, I don't want to betray Samson, but I want to die even less!'
"AAAHHH!"
Theodor started to shout.
Then, he became silent.
"There! I've done it!" Theodor said.
"Done what?" Kyle asked.
"I deleted my knowledge of creating an advanced Golem manufacturer!" Theodor shouted.
Kyle blinked.
"Why?" he asked.
"So that I have more space to command you! You might be a foolish mortal, but with this limited space, not even I am able to stop you!"
"I deleted something that you would learn in the future! I weakened your future! If you refuse to follow, I will delete more!"
Kyle blinked a couple of times. "Wait, so you can now remember more than three sentences?"
"That's what I said!" Theodor shouted.
'Dude's no longer a goldfish,' Kyle thought.
"So, you can just delete knowledge at will?" Kyle asked.
"Of course I can! This Inheritance Crystal is my creation! I am its master!" Theodor spoke grandly.
Kyle just looked forward for a bit.
"So, I can actually ask you for some advice now," Kyle said.
"My advice is to turn around immediately!" Theodor shouted.
"Hey Boss, listen, I am not going to abandon the people I owe something to. Sure, if you held me at gunpoint, I might abandon them, but it really needs a lot for me to do that," Kyle said.
"Foolish mortal! These concepts are for the weak!" Theodor shouted.
"Okay," Kyle answered. "So, you want to turn me into someone who does not repay favors, correct?"
"That is the way of true power, yes!" Theodor shouted.
"Assuming you succeed," Kyle said. "Assuming I turn into someone who would betray everyone for my own gain. Assuming I become a Transcendent or whatever. Assuming I got the power to kill Hieronymus."
"Then, who's to stop me from just not fulfilling your last wish?"
Theodor didn't answer.
"At that point, you would have already given me everything you ever had. After all, I would be stronger than you in your prime."
"You gave me a tremendous favor by essentially remaking my body and giving me all this knowledge. I want to repay you."
"But seriously, if you keep insulting me and forcing me to do things I don't want to, I might grow to resent you."
"Right now, only my own desire to help you and that big red button of yours makes me help you."
"If I become powerful, that big red button won't work anymore."
"Then what?"
"What will you do if I just join Hieronymus?"
Silence.