81 Side Story 1 - Andrew Eridan (1)

[POV - Andrew Eridan]

Two days. It sounds slightly long when imagined, but that's not always the case. My last two days had blurred over from the speed of the events that took place. In two days, my old existence as the reject prince was shattered. In two days, I became a new person, free from old pains. All of it was from one person: my master, Seran Greenwood.

Our first meeting was less than ideal, in all honesty. On the bright side, maybe, I can't recall it correctly. What I remember was being told that I had been crippled and that my adolescent views of the imperial family dynamics were an innocent lie, a lie I dreamed up in an attempt to blind myself from reality. I truly believed that my family was just dysfunctional to some extent, and I guess that is still true. What I didn't want to believe was the cruelty of being a prince, that I had been crippled by my own family, and that it was silently ignored by my father, who undoubtedly knew about it.

Master recognized the truth in an instant and revealed it to me without hesitation. In a moment where I wasn't thinking clearly, I said I would be his disciple if he could do what he said and cure me. He then showed his overwhelming power and completely cured my body and soul, and the explosion of sensation that came from being, for lack of a better explanation, set free was beyond all words. It was like a heavy grey fog over my existence had been blown away, purifying and enriching what had been hidden away for years. If that wasn't enough, he even gave me gifts upon accepting my discipleship that, honestly, I can never repay: a life-saving charm that could not be traded for anything in the world, and a unique ability named [Soul Sword] to assist me in my new journey through the class grades and chase after my ancestor. Even Rexus, my ever-loyal companion and protector, received gifts to match, enough to make him kneel in respect.

After that, time went in a blur as we went to the Imperial Palace to meet Grandpa Wyndham, the Prime Minister that had witnessed the ascension of six generations of emperors and seniormost official still in office. Master had been summoned due to his need to speak with my father, both as representatives of their nations. Grandpa Wyndham was happier than I'd ever seen before when he met Master, something I found incredible from the get-go.

Of course, the most incredible knowledge I'd ever learned came when we all met together for informal negotiation. The ancient Polypheme Sect may have been messing around with something beyond our world? Wait, before that, there are things other than gods outside our world? Those space beast creatures are horrifying, to say the least. I mean, one was indirectly responsible for the appearance of the Devil Emperor, while another annihilated a city with a tiny scale! Guildmaster Johann had already summoned his clansmen earlier after Master had explained it to him. Once again, Master is incredible, cracking an ancient unsolved case wide open, and by accident!

Then we got to meet my legendary ancestor, Barnett Eridan, the conqueror of the Western Continent and one of the first Blessed Ones of Demeter. Sadly, I recall very little of it, as his aura and pressure was overwhelming. Even with Master's help, I was incapable of moving at all. I'm sure even my thoughts slowed down. If there's anything I do recall, it was his shock at hearing of the discovery of the resting place of one of the ancient Sword of Hope heroes. I mean, that makes sense, after all. The legendary Assassin King was well-known to have left no remains behind after his final battle with the Second Devil Minister. The crest of the Sword of Hope on his sarcophagus and his likeness perfectly carved to stand behind it, there was almost no doubt that the last two heroes buried him in the Western Continent.

For the last few hours of the day, Master imparted me with his teachings. With the help of one of his innumerable, for all that anyone knows, abilities, he looked into what particular aspect I should focus on. Based on my physique and soul, he said I should aim for speed or agility. One of his metaphors for the pinnacle of this aspect was that there are two kinds of strengths that are invincible: unmatched power that can crush everything in its path and unrivalled speed that can move faster than anything can react. The former was the path that my ancestor followed, and it had led him to the summit of the continent, while the latter was Master's suggestion for me. Considering I had always been physically weak, the only thing I had ever been good at was running. With that in mind, I had no qualms deciding to follow Master's advice.

Come morning time, Master, Rexus, and I took the teleportation array to Greenwood City. No matter how it was described, words could not do it justice. I'd never seen such creations, nor had I ever witnessed a society where all were equal, and slaves were nonexistent. According to Master, Greenwood City's government was centred on what he called a 'semi-constitutional monarchy', where the king was, for the most part, a ceremonial monarch, but where royalty still holds significant executive and/or legislative power. Apparently, his reasoning was that he wanted to make a country where the monarch was not the highest power, but it still could help shape the nation. Of the government branches in Greenwood City, the highest power, in theory, was the Judicial system. Without any exceptions, even the monarch was not above the law, a fact that Master stressed greatly. As he said, a corrupt ruler brings about a corrupt nation.