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As Louis nodded and smiled calmly at the crowd cheering for him, he glanced back at his father, who gazed at the crowd with a proud smile.
This speech had been broadcast live across all television and internet networks. Everyone in Frostbane, and even in other countries, had witnessed it.
"For all citizens who wish to speak with my father, I will also be present and address any of your questions, no matter how difficult, as long as they concern these events and the future of our country. Private meetings will begin tomorrow morning at 9 AM. Everyone is invited."
"WOOOOOOOHHH!"
The crowd roared with excitement. They finally had the chance to speak directly with the King and Prince, to ask about the country's problems, to confront them, and to have a unique experience they might never have again.
Of course, risks existed, assassination attempts among them, but Gustaf and Louis were far from weak. Every person allowed inside would be a registered citizen who underwent special analysis and scanning beforehand.
"That is all. Have a nice day."
Louis and Gustaf walked away after those words. The responsibility on their shoulders now felt heavier than ever, but they were certain they could bear it.
Afterward, Louis and Gustaf met with several nobles from the capital, mostly the heads of the most important families. These nobles held various government titles and worked with the royal family to maintain stability, security, and the economy.
Many protested some of Louis planned reforms: increasing minimum salaries, recognizing the Nameless Streets as part of the capital, and giving the poor a genuine chance to improve their lives while granting them full citizenship.
Louis listened attentively to every word, nodding, then expressed his own ideals and plans with remarkable pragmatism and a firm voice full of conviction.
With the King's support and the entire VPI behind them, Louis conducted a series of polls, allowing the nobles to vote on what they accepted or rejected.
Because of his words and how he had won over several nobles who valued strong personality and strength, Louis succeeded in passing many of his reforms, though not all.
Nonetheless, most of what he had promised would now happen and was already being implemented.
The Frostbane Kingdom possessed a strong economy despite everything, largely due to the products it sold worldwide, especially the refined Fantasium Crystals produced daily in the hundreds of underground factories within the VPI. These crystals were the fuel of the new era; every piece of technology required them. Electricity had become obsolete, and nuclear power, though still used, could not energize magical artifacts.
Although the capital's nobles largely agreed with the Prince and King's new policies and future plans, nobles from other districts were too far away to attend in person. Only a few joined via online livestream.
What irritated Louis most was that, aside from Agustina and her mother, who was still recovering from the side effects of her illness after being cured, no other noble from the District Alliance had attended.
This clearly signaled that those nobles no longer agreed with the policies or even recognized him or his father as rulers. They were most likely aiming to become an independent nation now that Benladra no longer united everyone under her rule and strength.
If it depended only on the people Benladra had brought from Yggdrasil who became nobles, loyalty to the family might still exist. But most of the District Alliance consisted of second- and even third-generation nobles. Of course, those Benladra originally brought to assist her remained, and they were most present in the capital and surrounding districts. Yet at least seventy percent of the District Alliance nobles were second- or third generation, some of whom had driven out their ancestors or, as Louis suspected, even murdered them.
The VPI was not exactly a police force. Such systems did not exist in this country. There were only knights, soldiers, and guards. After all, the entire country had been built from scratch by Benladra and Gustaf from the remnants of the VPI after a great catastrophe that erased half of the former North American nation.
All previous government structures had vanished. Everything had to be rebuilt from the beginning. Benladra relied mostly on her own knowledge and that of the nobles she brought to construct this country under a society resembling medieval Europe from Yggdrasil, mixed with modern elements. The result was a chaotic nation that Louis still struggled to fully understand.
If not for William, he would likely know far less. William viewed everything through the lens of a video game. Questions such as how magic truly functioned, how Consciousness and Intent could be embedded in Martial Arts, the intricacies of Cultivation, and more remained beyond his knowledge, leaving Louis without guidance on those matters.
After a tiring day filled with work, Louis returned to his room. Being a prince was not about doing whatever he pleased while enjoying leisure. It carried heavy responsibilities, especially since he aimed to assist his father in governing the country... at least for this year, as the next year he would enter the Sinners Academy.
"Haaa... A lot has happened today," Louis sighed inwardly, staring at the ceiling with an exhausted expression. He noticed Handy quickly emerging from his soul and staring at him. "What? Were you angry that we stopped that Priest by any chance?"
"..." Handy shook its hand and then placed its index finger on Louis' forehead.
"What is it? What do you want?" Louis asked annoyedly. He had little patience for this creature and shook it away.
Handy seemed to grow sad for a moment, but Louis quickly fed it Fantasium Crystals until it became happy again. Then it moved to rest.
"I suppose it wasn't that affected by what happened. Aside from astonishment, I don't remember Handy ever reacting in any other way toward the Abyssal Hands..." Louis thought. "This likely means that he is indeed disconnected from the Abyssal Mother now. I wonder how I can evolve you though. Staying as a small arm with a hand is not really a good thing..."
Louis had considered using the materials left behind by the Abyssal Hands and the Children of the Painless Abyss: crystallized miasma, liquid miasma, and their corpses. However, he had already investigated the area where everything happened. So far, most of that sector and the surrounding area was being quarantined and cleansed by the VPI.
"Right... I completely forgot about Selene and Melisa... ugh, they're not here though. Does that mean they were placed in a containment zone?" Louis wondered. "This is not what we agreed on, father..."
Feeling as though he would fall asleep at any moment, Louis checked his Status after all this time.
♢♢♢♢
Name: Louis Drakeheart Yggdrasil
Classification: Sinner (Dragon–Human–Anomaly)
Spiral: Hollow Spiral of the Ashen Wyrm, Desecrated Soul Spiral Fragment, Self-Flagellation Spiral Fragment
Tier: 8 – Graveborn
Fantasy Heart: Level 20 -> 37/50
Vitality: 434
Strength: 403
Intelligence: 366
Dexterity: 423
Fantasium: 4400
Fantasium Affinity: 59%
Madness Index: 11%
Bonds:
Dragon Family Bond – Mother Benladra (Level 10/10)
Friendship Bond – Mirai (Level 3/10)
Subordination Bond – Cardoon Zorba (Level 8/10)
Bonded Entities:
Abyssal Mother's Caressing Hand – Handy (Level 4/10)
Elemental Affinities:
Ash Element: A++ Rank
Ice Element: A++ Rank
Void Element: S Rank
Dragon Element: D Rank
Incarnation:
Gravewalker – Tier 8 (Growth: 76%)
Necromancer Fragment – Tier 9
Pugilist Fragment – Tier 9
Known Abilities:
Ashen Frost – Tier 8 (Growth: 57%)
Death-Sense – Tier 8 (Growth: 41%)
Soul Enslavement Fragment – Tier 9
Iron Body Fragment – Tier 9
Bonded Abilities:
Healing Prayer Fragment – Tier 7 (Handy)
♢♢♢♢
His stats had increased drastically once more. He had, after all, leveled up seventeen times during that battle. His stat growth had also doubled with each level. Every time his Tier increased as a Spiralwalker, the higher his Fantasy Heart level could rise and the more stats he would gain.
One thing that surprised Louis was that his Madness Index had decreased for the first time, dropping all the way to 11% from what had seemed to be nearly 40%. It appeared that the enlightenment he received from his mother had allowed him to reach a greater state of inner peace, healing the accumulated madness provoked by the Spiral.
"I need to learn more Spells..."
Louis had learned a couple of new Spells before the battle, among them the Dragon Spells "Dragon Strength," "Dragon Jaws," and "Dragon Fangs." These were Spells that only those with Dragon Bloodline and Dragon Element Affinity could ever conjure.
These Spells allowed him to better enhance the power of his Martial Arts and perhaps more accurately channel the Legacy of his mother embedded within her Holy Dragon Lance Style Martial Arts.
"How was she even able to plant her own Intent and Consciousness into a Martial Art though? It feels like such a thing doesn't make any sense..."
Louis remained very clueless about the inner workings of this world even with William's knowledge. The reason was simple: William viewed everything through the lens of a video game. Questions such as how magic truly existed or worked, how Consciousness and Intent could be embedded in Martial Arts, the intricacies of Cultivation, and more were all things he was completely ignorant of, unable to assist Louis.
He quickly opened his shadow and took out a small silver-colored bead. It was a Spiral Stone that originally belonged to the Boss of The Knife. He had kept it but never consumed it, mostly because he had planned to use it to reinforce his weapon instead.
However, Louis began to consider eating it.
"If I eat the same Spiral Stone again... Do I gain something else? Can I upgrade the one I already have?"
He felt slightly frustrated that the Spiral Fragments he possessed could not grow. He wanted more power, and the two Spiral Fragments he had, though useful, could be far more if they could actually continue to develop.
"Well, so be it."
He opened his mouth, placed the stone inside, bit down, and swallowed it. Slowly, Louis felt the Fragment of the Self-Flagellation Spiral beginning to glow mysteriously.
It was expanding.
"Is this it?!"
Louis felt excited for a moment, but his excitement faded as quickly as it came.
What he obtained was not the full Spiral yet. He had only gained a bit more from it. Perhaps if he ate three more Stones he would finally complete it at this pace.
Of course, there was a small chance he could obtain the whole Spiral, but his luck was not with him today, unfortunately.
[You have consumed the [Spiral Stone of Self-Flagellation]]
[Your Vitality has increased by +20.]
[Your Strength has increased by +20.]
[You have learned the Ability: [Pain Weaponization Fragment (Tier 8)]
"Another fragment, but this is still new... Maybe I should have consumed this earlier instead of hesitating so much. It is much better to consume these things rather than save them for a weapon that may eventually break."
After all, the crimson spear gifted to him by the Empress of Yamato had been destroyed in that battle, and the physical body of his White Lance had also been destroyed.
However, the Soul of the Weapon remained within the interior of his soul, slowly regenerating by absorbing his Soul Essence and Fantasium.
After a few more weeks, he might be able to summon his weapon once more, now as a Soul-Bound Soul Gear.
"Come, Pugilist."
Louis summoned the Pugilist. He noticed that it was no longer just two floating arms; the entire upper torso had manifested, though it still lacked a head and the rest of the body.
"Hoh, not bad. A torso. This should help a bit more. At least I can use your tough exterior as a shield..." Louis nodded. "Necromancer, Gravewalker, come."
The two other Incarnations quickly manifested. The Necromancer remained just a large skeletal hand and would stay that way unless Louis consumed another Desecrated Soul Stone or performed the ritual by killing a blood-related family member, something he had no intention of doing.
As for the Gravewalker, its form seemed a bit more consistent. Fortunately, it no longer looked as though it might crumble into pieces at any moment.
"You all seem quite healthy, except you, Necromancer. Why are you still just a hand?"
"..."
The Necromancer's hand dropped to the floor as if offended by his words. Handy emerged to comfort it, caressing the hand. Both hands then touched and interlocked fingers. Louis dared not ask what their relationship was.
"Pugilist, from now on prioritize protecting me with your bulky body," Louis said. "You're now a floating shield."
"...!" The Pugilist slammed its metallic chest with its fists like a gorilla, agreeing.
"As for you, Gravewalker, now that I know there's some consciousness inside of you, I want you to create an Ash Spell. Can you do that?" Louis asked.
Instead of trying pointlessly to create more himself, he decided to ask the entity literally made of ashes to do the work for him.
"Graaaahhh..."
The Gravewalker, the only one capable of making any sound, groaned like a zombie and then began to rapidly conjure ashes from its claws, shaping them into countless forms.
"Good. As for me... I guess now that I've tapped into my Dragon Heritage a bit more, it's time I take the dust off some old books..."
Louis quickly moved his bed aside, revealing a small chest beneath. He opened it using the little golden key he wore on his necklace.
Inside, he found photos, books, and other keepsakes from his mother and his dragon family.
Among these books was an important one called...
"Dragon Heart Refinement Method... I wonder if I can learn it now."
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