Chapter 1764: Succession [5]

"A request, you say?" Zenith repeated curiously.

"That is right. Before I accept you as a master, I want one thing from you."

It was a little blunt for someone asking another for a favor, but that was just August's way of speaking.

"Alright, then. Let us hear it."

Zenith entertained his whims. After all, he wasn't the only one curious about what August was scheming. This room was filled with people who supported him. Rather than feeling offended by his request, they were intrigued by what August possibly coveted enough to use as a reward for taking the throne.

August nodded, took a deep breath, and spread his arms.

"As you can see, I have come here with my friends and allies who have helped me immensely in my journey to take that throne. As such, I cannot possibly take the benefits quietly while they are forced to watch from the sidelines. Sir Emperor, instead of just receiving me as your disciple, could you take all of us instead? I would prefer if they received the same treatment so they can grow and achieve their own dreams in the future."

It was a request that left everyone shocked, even Valerie and the rest.

It was preposterous to ask a master to take multiple unwanted disciples already. When that master was someone of Zenith's caliber, it became insane.

They were all grateful for August's thoughts, but they really didn't help him for benefits. The six of them were happy enough seeing him gain recognition like this, but to be mentioned was completely out of their expectations.

"To ensure that I heard you clearly, are you asking me to accept six disciples and raise all of you into Holy Dragons?" Zenith asked.

"Yes. That is the essence of my request," August responded confidently.

"That is quite bold. How are you certain that I will be able to teach them all? Even you will mainly learn how to lead from me. Your strength training will mostly be taken care of by the memories of your ancestor, no?"

"Maybe, but it's enough if they have access to the same amount of resources as the imperial prince. You can do your best to teach, and if you find that you are incompatible with anyone, then we can just search for teachers who are."

August looked at his friends with a smile.

"Whatever path they decide to walk, I want you to support. That is my request."

Rather than selfish, wasn't it selfless?

In a sense, perhaps. However, August posed it in such a way that the Dragon Emperor couldn't refuse.

If he was saying that he wouldn't accept the throne unless his friends also received benefits, then wasn't it impossible to deny him? Arulion was in desperate need of change. From the moment he was placed in front of that crowd, August had become the face of hope and change.

It was necessary to have him officially become a successor and start acting within the kingdom to prove his worth. If he didn't, the dragon kingdom would likely start moving towards another era of chaos.

"Hahaha!"

Zenith laughed as he considered it.

"You are indeed a smart child. I have no choice at all, do I?"

He sounded exasperated, but it was clearly a friendly tone.

"Very well then. The friends you have brought with you, including, of course, the child who was taken to the medical center, will receive the same amount of support from Arulion as you do. As long as they stay on paths that do not harm the kingdom, I will spare no expense in aiding them in their journeys. Is that enough?"

"If it's sworn on a pact, then it is enough."

The Dragon Emperor grinned.

'Right, it's his child, after all. This boy already has the necessary framework to lead a people.'

He did nothing without assurance and leveraged his worth properly in order to gain as much as possible. That was the trait of a businessman, not a ruler, but it still portrayed the ability to make decisions properly.

If he could do the same thing on a larger scale to bring benefits to the kingdom, it was more than enough.

Their small negotiation was over, which meant all that was left to do was carry out the ceremony and crown August on a broadcast that covered the entire kingdom.

A momentous occasion was about to begin in Arulion.

It was an event that would heal, an event that would bring the people, both new and old, closer.

And it was the event that would mark the start of August's reign over the kingdom.

His dreams...

...they weren't so far away anymore, were they?

***

The ceremony wasn't anything more than that. Even in the culture of dragons, certain official procedures had to be followed for things to be properly recorded. The ceremony gave everyone a defining moment of August being crowned to latch onto, which solidified his position.

It only took half an hour at most. Afterward, August's friends wanted to barrage him with many questions and words, most of them warm, but they didn't get the opportunity.

August was swiftly whisked away by the Dragon Emperor. It was something they wanted to contest, but Melania and Valerie held the rest back for one reason.

"See the man who was walking next to the Emperor? That's August's dad."

Since there was something of a family matter going on, they saved their words for later. They had all the time in the world, after all.

They allowed some nearby attendants to lead them on a tour of the palace they were in. Meanwhile, August finally received the chance to speak to Damien in private. The Dragon Emperor was present as well, but he was related to most of what they needed to talk about, so it was fine.

"Did you heal those people?" he asked.

"You already knew that, didn't you?" Damien responded.

Since his son was older now, he was definitely more comfortable speaking casually. He really only had to watch for curses at this point. The rest of his demeanor could easily shine through.

August nodded without caring much. It made sense. He was only questioning why Damien allowed the Dragon Emperor to pretend like it was his power, but there was probably some deal between them.

"Did you take care of the Holy Dragons?" he asked next.

"Nope," Damien responded.

It seemed August was a bit grumpy at the moment. He understood why, but it really was unwarranted.

"The Holy Dragons left on their own. If you remember what happened back then, the vaults of the Aureat Clan were emptied out by...someone. Anyway, among those artifacts are the ones that allowed the Holy Dragons to convert the Fate of Arulion and the lineages of its people into their own power. Those artifacts are the reason why the common populace degraded so much over time, and without them, those old dragons will die as their bodies reject their foreign souls."

"Oh...okay?"

It was more of a bombshell than August expected. Clearly, the schemes in Arulion ran deep. This specific one was solved strangely by an outsider, which was definitely anti-climactic, but...

Well, the Holy Dragons would eventually return in either victory or defeat, right? He just had to make a mental note to prepare for it.

"Then...what about the Holy Clans?"

August's somewhat cold exterior was definitely melting as his assumptions turned out to be no more than that, but he stood stalwart on what he thought he believed.

Damien shook his head with a smile.

'This brat...'

He obviously cared most about this point, but he refused to admit it.

"You could say yes or you could say no depending on how you look at it," he responded mysteriously.

He could tell that his son was feeling extremely disappointed when he returned and found his main enemies gone. He had corralled the Holy Clans to support August's plans, but he didn't get rid of them, did he?

Even he knew not to steal other people's prey.

Still, he didn't like that August came back with such an expression.

He had been through a lot. Clearly, the world didn't treat him amazingly. He did so much so that he could stand up to those people and rule the dragon kingdom on his own, both for the people and to make his father proud.

He could still do that. Damien didn't want to inhibit his son's journey.

But, before he did that, he figured he'd try to lighten the mood a little.

He looked at Zenith and then back at August.

"By the way, he's my subordinate now. I think I forgot to mention that."

August nodded casually.

"Oh, the Emperor? Yeah that makes-"

His words were not interrupted. He just realized what he was saying a little late.

He looked at his father with eyes as wide as saucers and a mouth wide enough to fit a horse inside.

"WHO is your WHAT?!"

A set of words said with such hilarity that Damien couldn't hold in his laughter.

Really, no matter how he looked at it, there was no better way to react to that kind of information.