Chapter 100: The game of points
In the presence of the guests, the celebration at the Sungrades continued in a more relaxed manner.
The emperor, along with his two children and the people who followed them, had moved to a different place within the castle.
The main stage of the celebration was becoming louder with the music and dancing.
With the boys of the Sungrade house entertaining the crowd with their dancing skills and with the ladies joining them, things proceeded warmly.
Alex and little Mime as well as Maria had returned to their chambers for the time being, a little too overwhelmed by all the chaos out there.
They would return after some rest so while they were here, the ladies took care of the nobles who had countless questions.
-Swiiiiiiiiiiiish...
At the same time, in the closed off conference room of the house, the emperor was looking straight at his two heirs.
"You must already know about the succession traditions of our country."
"Yes, father."
"Yes..."
Things were divided into three rounds.
The first one was about winning public support, the second about proving their skill levels, and the third one about their ability to survive.
Regardless of how many successors there are, they were supposed to go before the masses not as royals but as common folks.
During the testing period, they were stripped off of all their family support and they needed to become someone that leads people of common origin.
Only if they gather substantial support from any of the local masses, they would be qualified for the next phase where their individual skill levels would be tested directly by the divine beast of Topaz.
It was a completely separate process, something that not even the current emperor could escape.
The great Turtle that guarded the Topaz and the imperial family were also the one who had blocked the path of many of the able successors.
Before his wise eyes, everything there was and everything there can be was revealed. He chose the ones who could change the world and those who could harm more people than they can save.
The divine being could tell them all kinds of things. They had all kinds of answers, and for those they tested, they had all kinds of questions as well.
-Swiiiiiiiiish.
The current emperor had passed the trial of that great being, and even if he doesn’t consider the third phase where the remaining candidates had to fight each other until only one was left standing, the previous two were impotent.
"Both of you will be stripped off your status as the imperial heirs for one month, during which you must live among the common people."
Usually, the timeframe for this test was a year.
However, the emperor would make sure the one month these two spend among the common problems is worth more than a year that they would spend among them.
"Following that, you will journey south to meet the grand guardian."
The divine turtle was a being of immense significance to the Topaz royalty.
They were the true protector of their realm and they were the reason everything was still here.
For those wanting the throne, it was an absolute requirement to finish his trials.
"Then, you will travel across the empire."
A good ruler did not only have strength but also support of people that were both strong and smart.
The emperor had experienced it in recent times: without the nine people that helped him and the ones who looked after the empire in his absence, both the empire and him would be gone.
These two would have fought for what they cannot handle and the dark forces that dance in the background would have taken away everything they had.
As smart as the prince was, he was not all knowing. And as powerful or ambitious as the princess was, she was no absolute.
Both of them had their weaknesses that could very well get them killed. And this last test would help them deal with those weaknesses.
"Each of the nobles within this empire will receive a special note from me. You two must visit each of them, and you must get their acknowledgement not with force, but with your skills."
The nobles of the empire would have a chance to ask any one thing from both of the heirs.
They can make them do anything they want within a certain timeframe.
-Swiiiiiiiiish...
The prince and the princess could very well negotiate with them but they must get their acknowledgement.
Also, this didn’t apply only to the nobles who were under them or against them.
This task wasn’t limited to just the high nobles but each and every lord of the empire that existed under his authority.
"This is your task. Succeed, and the empire’s yours. I swear this on our forefathers, on the Topaz name and on my devotion to the Great Mother."
-Ooooooooooooooooooooong!
"...?!"
A familiar golden light, unexpected to each individual present, appeared around the old emperor.
He had just sworn an oath, an absolute oath of honor that bound him and his words to his very existence.
He meant it when he said he would hand over the empire to the one who succeeded.
He was serious about this.
"With Dame Catherine and all the people present here as witnesses, I am announcing my decision."
The head maid that had served the imperial family for generations was also one of the strongest knights of the empire.
If she, a high elf, was the witness, then there was nothing to doubt here.
His words would be kept even in u fortunate events. But that also means that under certain unfortunate events, the empire would not have any legitimate successor at all.
But that was a price that he was ready to pay.
"You can choose your region for the first test."
He wasn’t going to force them in any of the worst places of his choice.
-Swiiiiiiiiiiiish.
He knew the socio-geographic side of the empire better than anyone else. So, he would make their own choices into the worst decisions of their lives.
"We are guests here today so I hope you take your time and come to a sensible conclusion soon."
The celebration would go on for the entire week for the Sungrades but the emperor would leave at first light tomorrow.
He had stayed away from the throne for too long. So now that he had announced the plans for his retirement, he wanted to go and wrap things up.
The hellfire inside him was gone now so he was a little stronger.
His life was still short so he must make most of what he had left.
That said, his declaration wasn’t perceived as simply as he had intended.
"Then I will take my leave for now, father. I wish you a good rest."
The prince wasn’t too happy about this.
And the princess...
"..."
Well, she had been shattered and guilty ever since she saw the emperor, still alive and well.