Chapter 742: A Gift Too Great I - Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

CH742 A Gift Too Great I *** Silence followed the Duke’s declaration as Alex and Udara stared at him in stunned disbelief. Saul, on the other hand, seemed to have prior knowledge of the letter’s contents—at the very least, he appeared far less surprised than either Alex or Udara. For a brief moment, Alex found his mind completely blank. This was far different from what he had expected. While he had hoped to receive a noble title, he had only dared to hope for the rank of Baron at most. For the Emperor himself to name him an Honour Count was far beyond anything he had anticipated. Although the title did not come with a land enfeoffment, it should not be confused with an Honorary Count title. Honorary nobles were granted the prestige of a noble rank, but usually without the land, power, authority, or privileges normally associated with that position. Honour nobility was somewhat different. It allowed the recipient of the title to exercise the authority of the rank, drawing not from their own power, but from the authority of the individual who had granted it. In essence, Alex was not yet a Count in his own right. However, he could exercise the powers of a Count by drawing upon the authority of the Imperial Family itself. In addition to this, the Emperor had also bestowed upon him the title of Pioneer Knight. As the name implied, Pioneer Knights were pioneers officially sanctioned by the Crown to seek out, reclaim and/or claim new territories for themselves—and by extension, for the Empire—beyond Imperial borders. With the title of Pioneer Knight, all territory reclaimed from the Great Berserk Beast Forest would belong to Alex. That single clause transformed the Imperial Edict from a mere honour into a charter for expansion—a legal foundation upon which an entire domain could one day be built. Of course, there was a catch. Alex could not hold any land within Imperial borders without strong justification. While this restriction applied to all nobles, the requirements imposed upon Pioneer Knights were considerably more stringent. Even if a landed noble were to attack a Pioneer Knight, there were still numerous conditions that had to be met before the Pioneer Knight could legally use that incident as justification to conquer the attacker’s lands in retaliation. More often than not, such matters would instead be settled through war reparations—enforced by the Empire itself. When the Honour Count and Pioneer Knight titles were combined, it seemed as though the Emperor had handed Alex tremendous power with which to claim the territory he needed for his future domain, both within the Empire and upon the Verdantian Plane. However, Alex did not celebrate this apparent windfall. In fact, he became so wary that, for a brief moment, he considered conjuring a Space Gate and fleeing. Fortunately, rationality triumphed over his extreme paranoia, and he did not do anything so foolish. Instead, his gaze towards Duke Cyrindale turned cautious, suspicious, and cold. "Why?" he asked. Duke Cyrindale did not mind the arguably rude shift in attitude or the blunt question. In fact, the man smiled and nodded in appreciation. Even so, he feigned ignorance and asked, "What do you mean, ’why’? Isn’t this what you wanted? What you need?" "That’s exactly the problem. There’s a saying: ’If an offer is too good to be true, then chances are it is.’ In my experience, that saying has always proven true," Alex replied. "Good. That means you’re not a fool. You’d be surprised by the number of idiots I have to deal with amongst the newer nobles who fail to understand such a simple principle," Duke Cyrindale said, shaking his head. The Duke rolled up the Imperial Edict and handed it over to Alex, who accepted it. He had no choice. An Imperial Edict had to be received no matter what. Any concerns or objections could only be dealt with afterwards. "Walk with me," the Duke said. The Duke then led Alex, Saul, and Udara out of the subterranean courtyard and back into Oxborn Castle. Eventually, they arrived at a lounge where pastries and beverages were promptly served by the castle maids under the supervision of the chief butler. Throughout the entire journey, the Duke said nothing regarding the matter, allowing Alex to tumble further down the rabbit hole of his own thoughts while he quietly observed the youth. It was difficult to discern what conclusions Duke Cyrindale had ultimately reached regarding Alex. Nevertheless, after the maids withdrew from the room and the door closed behind them, the Duke finally decided to satisfy Alex’s curiosity—and ease some of his caution. "You asked why His Majesty the Emperor granted you, a foreigner he has never met, so much power, correct?" the Duke said. Alex responded with a cautious nod. "A number of factors combined to produce the result we see today," the Duke revealed. "The first is that I vouched for you. I have met you, and I believe I have a fairly accurate assessment of both your character and competence. The Emperor, in turn, trusts my judgement. "But the deciding factor is that the Empire—or rather, House Piccard—needs the continued existence of House Skywalker. This duality has always benefited the Empire. As such, your emergence is something His Majesty cannot afford to overlook... nor waste." Unfortunately, Duke Cyrindale’s explanation did little to ease Alex’s caution. If anything, it only caused his brows to furrow further. After all, he neither knew nor understood the relationship between the Piccard Royal Family and House Skywalker within the Celahan Empire. The Duke could clearly see that Alex still harboured doubts, yet he made no attempt to dispel them. Instead, he continued, "The Empire will celebrate its next centennial anniversary in approximately two years’ time. Every noble within the Empire is expected to attend. You will meet the Emperor then, and your progress regarding the tasks entrusted to you will be examined." "Tasks? As in plural?" Alex raised an eyebrow. The Duke merely smiled, offering no further explanation. "Sir, you are needed." The Duke’s Chamberlain entered the room and respectfully informed him. He stepped closer and whispered something into the Duke’s ear. The Duke’s expression dropped ever so slightly, like a ripple passing across a calm ocean, before returning to its usual composure. However, that brief moment of anger or annoyance caused a trace of his aura to leak out, and Alex did not miss it. ’Half-Legend?’ Alex’s eyes flashed as the informal colloquial classification surfaced within his mind. ’He has already begun his Legendary Ascension. He has surpassed the Peak Saint Rank and is now closer to becoming a true Legend than he is a Saint.’ Alex could not help but feel surprised. ’If the Deities knew this...’ A thoughtful look appeared in his eyes. ’They probably won’t allow it.’ ***