Chapter 987 The Event 5
Silence.
As if a blade had ridden on invisible waves to destroy all the sound in the chamber, a period of silence that was so deep that it felt as if one could hear many, many heartbeats thundering in the chests of those who prided themselves on their icy coolness if they just strained their ears began right after the King's last word was heard in the chamber.
The kid had always been a bit of a showman, but the Head hadn't expected that that side of him would be on full display on such an important day.
Thinking on it more, though, he realized that perhaps…it was exactly what was needed to handle the group in front of him.
Gone were the words and actions filled with caution, which showed his desire to think of the future, and take careful steps.
Gone was the doubt that moving too quickly might make others ally against him.
Gone was the subterfuge, gone was the nervousness, and gone…was the King who had hesitated to take the step toward becoming someone more.
The Head had to control himself from beaming proudly as he knew that it was finally time…time for the man who cared the most for this continent to take his rightful place at its head, and although he didn't yet know how he was going to accomplish it, these words were enough for him to understand that like always, the King had a plan, and this plan would finally unite Angaria, whether it wanted to become one entity, or not.
Since when had he become such an ardent follower who didn't even question the methods of someone whose claims reached the sky?
Musing on this, he saw that like many others, he, too, had been swept along in the tide of the King's passing.
He wasn't the first, and he definitely wouldn't be the last.
"Sit. Down."
Feeling embarrassed for losing himself in his thoughts again, the Head narrowed his eyes as he saw that the Mother of Healing had just brought her walking stick down on the ground, hard, while looking in a certain direction.
Berating himself for stepping away from the ways of a leader in such a crucial time, he followed her eyes to a certain place in the Chamber where a woman was surrounded by a glowing, transparent dome.
The elementary particles making up the dome were actually being controlled by the stick in the Mother of Healing's hand, and as the Head saw this, he realized that if she had resorted to using this secret Artifact of hers which had been hidden all these years in plain sight, then it must be for a very important reason.
Furrowing his brow and tapping his finger on his chin, he studied the woman in the dome, while remembering who she was.
As soon as he recalled this information, he got up with shock, but before he could speak, the Mother's voice rang out from beside him.
"No one leaves without my permission. The King has been kind enough to provide us a show…let's all watch. Head, set up a viewing platform so that we can all do so together. Until he is done, no one leaves."
"I was just…"
"Going to the bathroom, I'm sure. Well, relieve yourself here. Or hold it in, which we can do for days. Or…maybe you wanted to go tell your husband who's fighting the King that he has a plan? Pipe down! I won't hear any of your threats, or pleas. Heroes of the Order…sit, and relax. If he fails, those of you who spoke against him will be right. If he doesn't…well, let's just say that our lives are going to get far more interesting. Head, get some refreshments. Now…we're all in."
The Head couldn't have put it in a better way. Only, the Mother's last sentence was uttered with a sigh, but as he looked around the room, he understood why.
The strong stance of the Mother had irked many who had been against the King from the beginning. He could see their glowers and their anger, and thus, it became obvious that the Mother was betting everything on the King's promise.
If he kept it, they would be rewarded with a unified Angaria, as no one would dare to speak even after such a massive force failed to kill him.
If he didn't…it was safe to say that they would be signing their death warrants, as Heroes were known to hold a grudge.
Despite this risk hanging over his head, though…the Head smiled broadly, and with his mind filled with anticipation, he went about following the Mother's requests.
…
Seeing the millions of people continuously look up with worry, grief, and fear, Joselyn reaffirmed her decision to do whatever was necessary to make sure that the King's will would be done.
Back in her heyday, when she was the head of one of the biggest businesses in Angaria with an eye on the politics of the continent, if she was told that there could be someone with such overwhelming, universal support, she would have scoffed loudly at the notion.
Now…she was seeing it with her own eyes, but even then, she couldn't believe it.
How much hard work, sincerity, and dedication must this have taken?
It was more precious than anything she had ever seen, and no matter what, it had to live.
"Move that group of 300 over there. If they're still thinking of fighting, tell them they'll have their chance after the unification."
As she gave this order to the 10 mages in front of her, one of them flew off to do her bidding.
After hearing the King's words that said that she would be commanding them in his stead, they hadn't even raised a question, and it was obvious that they were ready to even go to their deaths if she commanded it.
Such was the devotion that that man had. And thus…he had to survive.