2.4 - The Crown

"To conclude the coronation ceremony, do you, Asclepius, accept the crown and responsibility of ruling Britanny?"

The answer seemed obvious, and none of the witnesses present would have objected to my ascension. Many had, in fact, eagerly awaited this moment. I was kneeling, but as I rose to answer, my response shocked the assembly.

"No," I declared, my voice echoing through the grand hall. "I believe the crown would fit my friend Lancelot far better. He is a true noble, whereas I know nothing of ruling."

The silence that followed was deafening.

...

And so unfolded the event of my coronation—or rather, my abdication. Lancelot initially refused multiple times, especially when the furious gaze of the audience turned upon him. Their anger was palpable, a living thing that threatened to consume us all.

It was true that after I had collapsed in the arena, the public had done everything in their power to save my life. I had been literally carried in the arms of the people, unconscious for a time. Upon my recovery, they had eagerly initiated my coronation ceremony.

Shortly after regaining consciousness, I met a creature called Tengu, who claimed to be the Minister of War. He informed me that I had faced one of the kingdom's ministers in battle, and that he, along with the other ministers, had orchestrated a plan to seize control of the realm once and for all.

Two ministers in particular, Cuca and Adam—yes, the Father of Humanity himself—had vanished the moment Púca, the dragon I had slain, breathed his last. Perhaps one day I would encounter these two again, though they likely now considered me an enemy. Curiously, at least in this world, Adam was not my ancestor. Perhaps the serpent from Genesis was, but Adam certainly was not.

By this point, every citizen of the kingdom was more convinced than ever that it was my destiny to be king. However, before accepting the crown, I had asked Merlin to review the prophecy for me. What I discovered was eye-opening: the prophecy had never explicitly stated anything about becoming king. It merely said that the one who drew the sword would save Britanny, nothing more.

In fact, it was an error in the legend that had spread among the people—a misinterpretation that had propagated over time. I made a point of reminding them of this during the coronation when I declined to become king.

When questioned about my declaration of kingship during the arena battle, I deflected, explaining that I had spoken in the heat of the moment, feeling particularly special after accomplishing a feat comparable to that of a legendary hero. Hey, I was like Saint George now—we had both slain dragons, after all.

In any case, I insisted that Lancelot and Merlin should assume control of the kingdom, refusing the crown in every way possible. I won't deny that being king would have been intriguing, but I had other objectives in mind, including a mission to fulfill. I hadn't forgotten about Legion; I needed to find this Hiiden Hirvi.

The crux of the matter was that it would be exceedingly difficult for me to hunt down a random goblin tribe while simultaneously ruling a nation. Even if they allowed me to leave, they would send an entire army division with me, which I preferred to avoid if possible. Moreover, I had never wanted to govern in this manner; my potential in this world had always been to become a god, not a mere king.

At some point, I managed to convince everyone that it was better for me not to be king, though it took some effort. Once Lancelot and Merlin decided to assume control of the kingdom, I learned that Merlin intended to transform the country into a nation of mages and expel all those who had ever been complicit in slavery within the country. I only hope they don't become tyrants or something of the sort. Whether I wanted to admit it or not, I remembered that when Merlin had threatened to face me in battle, my Danger Sensor hadn't stopped bothering me—it was even worse than against the shapeshifter I had faced.

By this time, I had already left the kingdom and was setting out aimlessly to find this goblin tribe, confident that I would eventually encounter them due to my system.

It was time to review my skills. While I was recovering, the system had informed me that I had acquired Lancelot's skill, Swordmaster. Unfortunately, the Mind Reading aspect, which interested me most, hadn't fully transferred—only an inferior version. Apparently, I wasn't compatible with all its effects. This inferior version was similar; I could better analyze enemy movements in battle as well as their intentions, but it was so similar to Sixth Sense that it was almost immediately incorporated into it.

Essentially, it was a legendary skill with the sole effect of being better than the skill Excalibur itself provided me. However, as I was leaving the kingdom, I received a message from the system:

<<An external force is interfering with the system. Do you wish to allow basic skill Stealth, three subskills of epic Assassin (No Escape, Hunter, and Poison), Sixth Sense, two Preparation (Weaknesses Ace in Hole), legendary Swordmaster, Excalibur be sacrificed for creation a new skill?>>

<<Yes >> <<No >>

"What? Artemis, can you explain what's happening? Why does the system want to sacrifice so many skills at once?"

<<"Apparently, a superior force is bestowing blessing upon you, sir. I recommend accepting it.">>

"But a blessing that will affect so much? Ah, whatever. I hope I don't regret this—the answer is yes."

<<New secret skill acquired: Herald of Crom Dubh>>

"Secret skill? What's that?"

As I spoke, Excalibur glowed and was absorbed into my body.

<<"It appears to be a new category of skill, sir. It seems even more powerful than legendary skill. From what I understand, it's only possible obtain one if some force blesses you by lending significant portion its power. Crom Dubh must the name entity that blessed you. Would like me describe capabilities secret skill Herald Dubh?">>

"Of course! It better be worth it, since it consumed even my sword!"

<<"Herald of Crom Dubh:< p>

(Skills/Artifacts sacrificed: Excalibur; Swordmaster; Ace in the Hole; Poison;)

Divine Arsenal: You can summon any weapon you desire as long as you know it, with any effect you wish, be it fire, poison, curse, blessing, cold, electric, etc.

(Skills sacrificed: Swordmaster; Weaknesses; Stealth; Hunter; Sixth Sense)

Combatant: Your mastery with any weapon, armor, shield, or artifact you wield is unparalleled. Your combat strategies are linked to this skill. Your combat ability is linked to this skill.

(Skill sacrificed: No Escape)

Grim Reaper: The souls of those you kill are yours for all intents and purposes. You can acquire one of their skills for yourself.">>

"Wow, that's a lot of information. Did this really make me stronger, Artemis?"

<<"It's safe to say yes, sir. Everything you could do before, can now, all enhanced. Moreover, a secret skill doesn't depend on other skills activate; be sure it will activate even against that should nullify the effect. Not another skill.">>

"Yes, but I kind of lost the sense of direction that Sixth Sense provided me, and I have fewer skills to sacrifice now if I want to acquire points in the middle of combat. But speaking of skills from the souls I have, Artemis, analyze Púca's soul."

<<"Púca has only one skill worth sacrificing his soul to acquire. It's called Shapeshifter, and it allows Púca assume any form he desires, also assuming some capabilities that are common form, such as increased jumping ability, regeneration, flight, or even breathing fire.">>

"Sacrifice Púca's soul and give me that skill."

<<"Are you sure, sir? If make a contract with him, Púca could prove useful and—">>

"Just do it, Artemis."

<<Possibility of skill evolution acquisition. Do you wish to sacrifice the common skills Pain Inhibition and Slash Resistance, along with subskills Bloodlust (Assassin), Adaptation (Preparation), Snake Form (The First Sin)?>>

<<Yes >> <<No >>

"Again? Well, yes, let it be."

<<New legendary skill acquired: Púca, The Shapeshifter>>

"What does it do, Artemis?"

<<"Púca, The Shapeshifter:< p>

(Skills/Artifacts sacrificed: Pain Inhibition; Slash Resistance; Bloodlust; Adaptation;)

Damage Nullification: Thanks to the ability to alter form, conventional methods that would cause you damage have no effect.

(Skills sacrificed/base: Shapeshifter; Snake Form)

Metamorph: Allows you to assume any form you desire. Previously, the ability was limited to assuming forms only with black coloration, but due to evolution, it now allows total control.">>

"Ah... that means I could assume my old appearance again, but I don't remember it. I notice that I've been forgetting more and more about my old world. Speaking of which, I wonder if with Divine Arsenal..."

I thought about materializing a weapon, specifically an automatic rifle of the model I used to use.

To my surprise, there it was. I thought about firing, so I aimed at a tree and... nothing. The rifles in my world fired heat beams with converted energy, but unfortunately, this one didn't seem to generate the necessary energy. I didn't know how more primitive weapons worked to test if it functioned with ammunition, so the most I could do was try to summon a bow.

The rifle disappeared and gave way to a bow and arrow. As soon as I pulled the string, an arrow materialized. It was fired at the tree, piercing the trunk and continuing into the forest.

But at that moment, I thought, why did I need a beam from a laser if I could materialize fire?

I imagined a sword of fire, and it came to my hand. Then I made a cut towards the sky, and a column of fire was fired from the sword. It eventually dissipated, cutting a cloud in two, but it was undeniably stronger than what I had in my world.

Thinking now, what kind of entity was this that provided me with such a powerful skill? Is there any way to connect with him, Artemis? Any conversation I can have?

<<"He is your god now, sir. You can pray. I believe he also wants to discuss matters with his protégé.">>

Before I pray, how many skills do I have now?

<<"A total of 3, The First Sin which is legendary, Púca, Shapeshifter equally and finally Herald Crom Dubh secret, sir.">>

Well, I think I better set up camp before it gets dark then.

...

Having the competence to summon and use an axe, it wasn't difficult to get firewood. And making fire wasn't a problem; I never thought setting up camp would be so practical. Care was needed, though; fire repels wild animals, but in a world like this, it can serve to attract creatures.

I think the best thing to do would be to pray before sleeping. Since crossing over to this world, I hadn't done this, and it's even stranger that I'm doing it now to a god I've never heard of, but I believe I have important matters to discuss with him.

I clasped my hands and knelt down. This was paganism, and God certainly existed in this world, which didn't make me very comfortable, but it was necessary if I wanted to find out what this secret skill was all about.

"Uh... good evening, wherever you are, Lord Crom Dubh. Thank you for the help with the borrowed power earlier. Is there anything you desire from me?"

At that moment, I felt a heavy energy, different from anything I had felt before. It was almost like a contact with the divine, but this wasn't exactly positive. A deep, experienced voice echoed through my mind, clearer than the purest of waters.

"Look at history, a snake is born in a nest where only it remained. In its first days, it kills a demon in my territory; I didn't receive its soul. Then a noble who has a connection with nature spirits dies in front of the snake; I didn't receive his soul. Then it happens again, with a king, and with a fairy. Tell me, child, did you really think you wouldn't attract the attention of the death god of this part of the world?"

"So you are the god of death? What do you mean by this part of the world?"

"Ah, how depressing. You don't know my name. I guess I really am a forgotten god by now, but my domain remains my domain. Each region of the world has its own pantheon of gods, boy, and with the name you chose to propagate, Asclepius, it seemed you wanted to attract our attention. What mortal would be so foolish as to steal the name of an entity?"

"And, no offense, but what did you see in me?"

"Potential... if you announce yourself as my herald, people will speak my name again, they will fear me again, new sacrifices will come. I am hungry, boy. No one worships me anymore, no one fears me anymore. And who better to announce a god of assassinations than a regicide?"

"Crom Dubh, one day I will be great, truly great. On that day, I want you to be by my side. You will be one of my knights."

Honestly, I don't know why I said that. It didn't seem like something I would typically say. It didn't even seem like something I had thought of myself; I simply said it. My voice came out on its own, and it was certainly something extremely offensive to a god, but still.

"HAHAHAHAHAH, I like your ambition. So be it. I'll be here if you need help. What do you intend to do?"

"Do you know where to find a goblin tribe?"