Chapter 88 A New King Ascends, A New Age Begins
"People of Lanthanor"
"People of Lanthanor"
"People of Lanthanor"
"People of Lantha...."
Daneel's voice echoed throughout the Capital, as if he were an omnipresent God that was everywhere at once. The capital was currently jam-packed with the citizens of the Kingdom, most flocking in to see if the Nobility really would be purged. Daneel really had to thank the Church of Rectitude for giving him the perfect opportunity to take the throne.
Yes, it was indeed Daneel's intention to take the throne. From the moment more than four years ago when he had stepped foot in this world, his mind and thinking had changed a lot.
Initially, all he had wanted was to gain revenge for his father. Each day spent seeing him hobble around with that mark on his forehead which branded him as a deserter stabbed in his heart, making him feel that he would be happy if he somehow got his family back into the state they were before the disaster occurred. Thus, he had started out with the goal to simply gain power to realize this dream.
When he heard people cheer his name for the first time in front of the library for helping to apprehend the cruel duo who threw commoners out for their sick pleasure, a clarity had begun to form in him regarding what he wanted to do with his life.
Unlike his life back on earth where he was almost powerless to change anything, here he had an almighty system which awarded him with incredible things whenever he took steps towards the overall goal of World Domination.
Granted, although Daneel did not yet naively think that things would go smoothly and result in him conquering the whole world, his mindset slowly changed to accommodate the idea of being in command and changing certain things.
Mainly, this stemmed from dissatisfaction and disgust at the way the current ruling authority acted. In fact, this was the same frustration which drove millions of people on to the streets to hopefully witness the abolition of the said rule.
Only, unlike them, Daneel was equipped with tools and allies that if used properly, could place him on that pedestral to replace the ruling authority himself. He could not bring himself to stand idly by and let the Kingdom he was born in be taken over by forces who would only treat the general populace worse than what was prevalent now.
"What would I do better?", had been the topic his thoughts treaded on most of the nights when he lay on his bed, exhausted from a long day of training and enchanting.
Step by step, plan by plan, he did everything he could to place himself in this current situation.
Although he still did not know what the far future would hold, he knew that right now, he wanted to be King.
He wanted to be the King that people could look up to and feel glad knowing that the person on the throne actually cared about them.
He wanted to be the King that people would fear before committing transgressions that went against the law.
Above all, he wanted to be the King that drove away the sea of bitterness and hatred in the people's hearts that had been building up for a long, long time.
Although his thoughts had been steadily attuning towards this goal from the moment he decided to take part in the struggle for the throne, it was only at this instant that he gained full clarity of his desire to be King.
"I am Daneel, son of a deserter and a resident of the slums where my family lives by the wages my mother earns from toiling day and night to clean houses and wash clothes. But my life would have been different if this King was not the one in power."
Attracting the attention of the myriad people watching the screen, Daneel let the words flow from his mouth.
"My father would still be in the military, because he wouldn't have been thrown out and branded as a deserter because he hurt the ego of a Noble whose orders would have sent twenty young recruits to their deaths.
"My mother would not have calluses on her hands from working all day just to earn some bread for us to eat.
"My childhood would have been filled with memories of learning and fun instead of those of starvation and hopelessness.
"And my family of three could even have become one of four or five due to not having to worry about being able to feed an additional son or daughter."
As Daneel laid his heart bare, tears glistened in his eyes threatening to fall. His voice carried a cadence and passion which made those hearing feel as if he were talking about their own lives instead of his.
"I know many of you dream just like me of a world where our life wouldn't have been affected by this King allowing the Royal Family to go rampant with no regard to law or consequences, resulting in so many lives trampled, crushed and shattered."
Anger erupted anew in the people's hearts, as these words reminded them of their fates which had been altered due to the Royal Family.
As for those who hadn't been affected, they found themselves horrified and afraid seeing the expressions of grief, pain, and loss of those around them whose tears were falling unabated.
"But unlike most, I was blessed with a means to change everything. Thus, I trained, planned and bled to stand here, right now with the power to purge this Kingdom of the bane that cripples it.
"As one who came from amongst you, I know that I can take care of this Kingdom and begin the path of recovery to the great nation that we once were.
"I know that I can be the King who cares for his people, instead of one who only cares for himself."
As he said these words, the image in the panels irrevocably etched itself into all of those who were watching. He stood tall with hands behind his back, head upraised while his eyes shone with the magnetism of one who knew exactly what he wanted to do. The sheer confidence and maturity he exuded made him look like someone well beyond his years.
As Daneel paused, letting his words sink in, he looked at the King who now had his upper body raised using his two hands as support while he watched Daneel speak to the people. A regretful expression was on his face while he listened to Daneel tell his story.
For his reign to begin, the King needed to be killed. This would be the action which would tie the people to him in the strongest way possible.
Yet, the man had saved him just a moment before. Thus, a small conflict had arisen in his mind before he began his speech which urged him to consider leaving the King alive. This conflict only grew in intensity due to the regret on the King's face, making the small suspicion arise that the King had maybe realized the error in his ways.
But as Daneel spoke while taking note of the expressions of the King, this conflict was beaten down and abolished by something he observed.
In the King's mind, seeing the Vice Sect Master trapped by Daneel meant that he had taken his revenge. Thus, that wish was replaced by his previous one: to live longer.
With his experience in dealing with people, he knew that anyone decent would hesitate to cut down someone who saved their life. Yet, he had indeed done quite a lot to warrant his death.
Thus, he had to do something right now to make the hesitation stronger. His pride was put aside again like the many times before in his life during the instances when he chose his own power over the general people's well being. Besides, it had been satiated by taking his revenge.
Fake regret appearing on his face, he tried to make it look as real as possible while ignoring the pain that racked his body from the internal injuries.
That something that Daneel observed was his eyes. Even with the many years of experience of the King, it was difficult to make an emotion which didn't exist spread to one's eyes to make it look most realistic. Besides, the King couldn't even focus completely due to his pain.
In his eyes, Daneel saw the opportunism to use the fact that he had saved his life to extend his own life. Matching this with the expression of jubilation before when he saw the Vice Sect Master become trapped, Daneel put two and two together.
Just like most of the King's life, his objective had been selfishness. Selfishness to take revenge.
As he realized this, Daneel made a needle-like ice prick appear in front of the King's heart, making his face pale with shock.
The view in the panels swiveled around to show the King, who was trying to move back despite his pain to escape the ice prick. Alas, he was just too injured and could not display the strength of an Exalted Human.
The ice prick went straight through his heart without hesitation, while Daneel's eyes flashed with all the painful memories he had long buried in his heart.
"No more will arrogant despots decide our fate. No more will the Citizens of Lanthanor live lives filled with injustice and fear. Just like this selfish King, anyone who threatens the well-being of my Kingdom will meet the same end.
"Will you support me in this cause and accept me as your King?", he finally asked, as his voice resounded across the silent streets.
No one knew who started the screams, but on that day, a single cheer could be heard throughout the Capital as millions of people chanted one name.
It would later be told in stories that this singular voice of a unified people could be heard across the Kingdom and throughout the heavens, where the Gods looked down and graced the momentous occasion with a clear sky, driving away the dark clouds which had been present both above the Kingdom and inside the people.
The rays of sunlight were said to herald the birth of a new Lanthanor, helmed by a man destined to become a World Dominator.
Whatever the stories said, one thing was true: the sound of the cheering really did echo across the land, making a single name become known to all.
"KING DANEEL! KING DANEEL! KING DANEEL! KING DANEEL! KING DANEEL! KING DANEEL! KING DANEEL! KING DANEEL! KING DANEEL! KING DANEEL! KING DANEEL! KING DANEEL! KING DANEEL!"