CHAPTER 492: CHAPTER 425: THE MAN WHO DEFIED GOD’S WILL (TWO IN ONE)_2

This prince was young, smart, filled with a sense of justice, and possessed a strong will. He was like a beam of light seeking to unveil the answer, arriving before Po Han.

"Find the answer, Rowley!

God’s plan is far from over!"

Po Han’s gills trembled fiercely,

"Find the true answer...

Otherwise, you will forever be at a loss."

Under the gaze of merfolk Po Han,

Prince Rowley nodded heavily,

"My people... they revere my father. They pray day and night, giving thanks to the Lord for sending him.

Some even pray to my father, praising him as they would praise God.

So many expectations rest upon my father.

Because of this, I must find an answer. Lord Po Han, will you assist me?"

Po Han shuddered, over a hundred years of confusion, as if all for the arrival of this day.

"I am willing, Rowley, I am willing...

I will witness your story, and record everything about you as they did your father.

I am willing to give up my house, my fishing grounds, my time, even my life!"

...............

...............

Some days ago, King Nimirda enacted the New Code, and his heart felt as if a great weight had been lifted; at this moment, he could finally taste the undeniable sway of kingship.

The king wandered alone in the palace, lost in thought.

Despite the torches, the palace was still mostly dim.

After a long while, his eyes fell upon the gold-covered throne, and then he slowly approached and stood before it.

Under the quiet of the night, King Nimirda once again thought of his father, King Oro. He remembered their last encounter, with King Oro turning his back to him, saying:

"Nimirda, leave this place.

Bear the consequences of your mistakes, as will I."

These words invaded his mind unexpectedly, sinking King Nimirda into nostalgic contemplation.

"Father... I have obtained my throne..."

In the loneliness of the darkness, King Nimirda spoke to himself:

"I built a New Kingdom here with my bare hands, all subjects adhere to me as a Holy King,

I have received much more than I imagined...

It seems,

not every mistake must bear consequences... right?"

King Nimirda was unclear how many faults he had committed in his life.

Indeed, there were far too many.

Was it a fault, or a mission, or perhaps God’s plan?

He was seen by the Exiles as Dertulian, a king of absolute wisdom and magnificent intelligence; he should have had an answer.

But he never did.

"Nevertheless... it doesn’t matter anymore."

King Nimirda reached out and placed his hand on the throne,

"So many tasked with missions, unaware of their missions.

Even King Dertulian himself, before witnessing a miracle, was unclear about the weight of his mission... right?"

The torch burned, and the sparks fell to the ground, Nimirda looked at the throne before him, the golden glow reflected his face, unquestionably majestic in the gloom.

Soon after, the dim palace welcomed an unexpected visitor, King Nimirda turned around, and it was his queen.

When the queen saw Nimirda, she first bowed her head and walked respectfully to him, then lowered her head and kissed his ring.

The Peace Kiss, an etiquette originating from the human world, often symbolizing reverence for those of higher status.

For a long time, King Nimirda had introduced many traditions and systems unique to other races into this kingdom.

King Nimirda looked at his queen, gentle yet timid.

In this realm, he was hailed as a Holy King, embodying faith, even his queen revered him.

"King... why have you come alone to this palace?"

The queen’s tone was nothing but submissive.

"Look at my throne,"

he said, as his gaze moved to the Seat of Inheritance,

"and take a look at our son’s as well."

King Nimirda had five offspring in total, quite a number for the sparsely prolific Elves; three were sons, two were daughters, one of which unfortunately died young, the rest had grown up.

The Queen certainly knew who the son in King Nimirda’s mouth was, it was his eldest son, Rowley.

"King, the throne you share with Rowley... it is so beautiful, it’s as if Angels crafted it."

The Queen said with a smile.

"As if crafted by Angels...

My Queen, you really know how to flatter me."

King Nimirda caressed the throne and spoke softly:

"The King’s Throne, no matter how beautiful, how splendid... it’s meaningless, merely a cold dead object.

What’s meaningful is the person who sits upon it, the laws born from our hands, the prayers that continue day and night...

And...

The mission bestowed by God."

The Queen, upon hearing this, bowed her head again and whispered a few prayers to God before lifting her face and asking:

"King... God has given you the mission to rule the earth, your name will be glorious forever...

But...

Will God grant the same mission to our child?"

King Nimirda gazed at the throne but did not answer directly, instead he said:

"The bloodline of King Dertulian still sits on the throne of Nus, doesn’t it?

As for Rowley, I have nothing to worry about, he is my heir."

The Queen then shook her head and said:

"Unlike you, I worry... about his character.

Rowley... he is too weak."

King Nimirda turned his head to look directly at his Queen,

"Weak? I have never heard such a thing from others.

But now that you mention it, I indeed recall some signs."

The Queen nodded and continued:

"With the establishment of the New Code, everyone has high hopes for Rowley.

His temperament is gentle, so there’s nothing but praise for Rowley everywhere, but in reality, he is someone who is easily influenced by others.

I worry,

he will not be able to bear the mission bestowed by God, nor the faith of the people."

"People’s... faith?"

King Nimirda’s focus fell on this phrase,

"What, what faith, isn’t our faith solely in God?"

The Queen, upon hearing this, looked at King Nimirda with surprise and disbelief,

"King...

Our Holy King!

We believe in God, but we also believe in you!

In our eyes, you are already a representative of God!"

Those words fell.

Like tidal waves crashing repeatedly against a dam until it bursts,

In a daze, King Nimirda felt a wave of dizziness, his figure swayed, nearly falling down.

Finally, he stepped back and sat on the throne, then gasped for air, that old phrase emerged abruptly, like a cold arrow piercing his heart.

"Nimirda, leave, leave this place.

Bear the consequences of your mistakes, as shall I."

His father’s face as he parted appeared vividly in his mind.

A heavy darkness spread throughout the Palace, suffocating King Nimirda.

The Queen panicked, immediately kneeling on the ground, unsure of what to do.

After a long while, King Nimirda bitterly smiled:

"Is this... my consequence?"

For over a hundred years, he endlessly emphasized his nobility, his mission, all to unify the entire Kingdom, to quell the various uprisings against him, behind the divine right to rule, the cult of the Holy King grew more and more intense.

The people of Logos left their homeland because they couldn’t accept the Undersea Kingdom that worshipped two Divines, and now, in fact, they revered King Nimirda as a living Divine, treating the "Nu Mirda Epic" as another Holy Scripture to recite.

No one questioned King Nimirda’s authority anymore, for he was the representative of God, and the Divine is infallible.

"Yes... this is the consequence. Perhaps..."

He did not continue...

I perhaps... have already strayed from God.

We will never reach Arcadia...