Chapter 1003 Talking to the Sovereigns 1
The chanting went on for a long, long time, and even as the seconds passed, it did not seem that it would stop, as the emotions felt by the people of Angaria at that moment were truly unmatched and unrivaled in intensity.
Mothers, daughters, children, fathers, all cheered, as if this was their coronation, and as if there was no way that there could be anything that could make them happier in their entire lives.
Despite the words of the King that spoke of ill portents, the people could sense that even he was filled with the joy of accomplishing something that he had dreamt of for a long time, and hence, they chose to enjoy this victory as much as they could, instead of wasting time by worrying about the war that was coming for them all.
Many started to scream themselves hoarse, but to their surprise, as soon as they did so, drink and food magically appeared near them, along with plush chairs and couches which almost seem to have the magical power of sweeping one's feet from under them and making them sit and relax.
The people were tired from all of the twists and turns of the day, and hence, many started to gladly sit down and enjoy the refreshments which almost looked like they were shining, knowing that they had been provided by the one who was in the air.
Soon enough, it turned into the biggest party in the entire continent: millions feasted on all kinds of meat and drink, and there seemed to be enough to feed the people for days on end. Whenever a plate became empty, it would disappear and be replaced by one that was full.
Most of the people were overcome by the mood of the area, so they didn't question anything, and just enjoyed themselves as much as they could, laughing and joking with their friends and creating memories that would stay in their minds for a long, long time even after this day passed.
It was only the mages who couldn't stop themselves from seeing the amazing and brilliant complexity of the spell that was being weaved all around them. A massive formation was actively checking the status of all of the millions of enchanted plates that had been sent here loaded with food. Many of the mages who were very interested in such complex spells could not stop themselves from sitting down and marveling at such intricate skill, but others couldn't help but ask how the king could have prepared all this on such short notice.
One possibility was that he had already had these prepared even before the coronation was done, but could anyone plan that far ahead? Could someone really prepare for both death and a party before going into a confrontation? It was just absurd!
Seeing these faces filled with puzzlement, Daneel couldn't help but chuckle, as they were wrong: the system had managed to create a clone of him wherever he was needed so that he could cast the requisite spells in just a flash, utilizing the Godnet of the Emperor which had been his ultimate dream during his age.
Even with the Emperor's elaborate plans, this was something that would have been wholly impossible for him before, but now, it almost seemed as if the resources of the system were infinitely inexhaustible, so without questioning it further, Daneel had begun to enjoy himself, too.
Just then, after making themselves snap out of the shock that they, too, felt on seeing such an incredible piece of spell work, the sovereigns reached him, ganging up all around him as if they were a group of debtors come to collect.
Seeing all of their faces, Daneel wondered whether he should feel guilty, but right now, all that he felt was… Relief.
It shone in his eyes, clearly, and with that, it became obvious that even he had been afraid for his own life before.
These people were so close to him that he didn't even need to speak to convey his thoughts, and as if to prove that, Faxul, who had been the angriest among the lot, calmed down and raised one eyebrow before seeing, "So, at that moment when he held your head… You were really going to die? The situation wasn't in your control?"
He nodded, and expressions of realizations came on almost all the ten faces present in front of him.
These were followed by consternation and even a bit of fear in the cases of both Xuan and Eloise, while the rest had complicated faces, as they wondered how it must have felt to be on the precipice of going into the abyss, while knowing that doing so would doom the fate of the entire continent.
While they all sorted out their own thoughts, Daneel went through their conversation during the entire event.
It was a bit disingenuous, but it was their fault, too - the channel they had been using was one in which Daneel was also present, and because he had the system, it had recorded all of the messages that had been transmitted on it even though he had not been able to receive them before, when he had been trapped inside the Artefact.
Xuan and Percy weren't a part of the channel, and hence, they had not been conversing with the others. In the heat of the situation, it looked like the others had also been completely absorbed in the attack, and hence, they hadn't thought to add these newly appointed sovereigns to that secure line of communication.
Still, their faces showed the same emotions, so Daneel knew that even their conversation mustn't have differed much from what he was reading. And seeing the love and care that they felt for him, he felt truly happy and content to have obtained such valuable comrades on such a difficult path.
So, of course, the first thing he was supposed to do was clear: apologize.
"I'm…"
"Oh, keep it to yourself."
As Elanev snapped this at Daneel, he stopped, as he hadn't expected this from his elder brother.
Were they so angry that they didn't even want to listen to him speak?