When the sun began to hide behind the outer walls, Himo and his family left the plaza. The knights had been sent to complete the ‘forest revival operation’, while the peasants returned to their daily lives. Until then, there was no sign of activity from the nobles.
As they walked amidst the streets leading to their manor, Mo glanced at Himo. “Are you sure about this?” It was already too late to back out. But he still wanted to know what his son thought about it.
“This?” The child tilted his head.
“Becoming a king. With how the populace reacted to your announcement, I doubt they’d be against it. But we have to find a way to deal with the nobles.” Needless to say, he didn’t mind it. As an overly doting father, he’d not hesitate even to fight against the nobles if it was necessary.
“Ah! But I’m not going to become the king.” Himo chuckled.
“Eh?” Mo, Ashey, and Eitha stared blankly at the child. “What do you mean?”
In response, Himo pointed a finger at his father. “Here’s the new king!” He laughed.
Everyone grew speechless.
After a few seconds, Mo crossed his arms. “I’m not entirely against it, but… at least give us a reason.”
Ashey asked, “Himo, are you serious?”
“Yep.” He nodded and glanced at his father. “If you’re the king, the nobles won’t bother us. Besides, I already have a better plan.”
“A plan?”
“I’ll tell you tomorrow!” He grinned and took out a few fried squids from the storage, holding them by the sticks. He had bought them a few hours before the execution—they were still hot. “Want some?”
“Yes!” Aria and Phylia nodded and grabbed one each. The others did the same. Himo’s parents munched on them absentmindedly, while Eitha savored on them as he took occasional glances at Himo.
When they reached the gate to enter their manor, a familiar ‘ding’ sounded in Himo’s mind.
[Quest Success: Save your family!]
[Quest Difficulty: S]
[Quest Reward: 150 BS points.]
[You now have 193 BS points!]
Himo’s eyes lit up. Wow… am I finally rich? This is more than enough to get the next fragment! Buy!
[Detracting 100 BS points…]
[Thanks for your patronage!]
[You now have 93 BS points!]
As a string of information entered in his mind, a voice sounded from behind.
“Big Brother, you were amazing! But who is the girl with you?” asked Aria. She had been fidgety about it from when they left the plaza, but only asked after finishing the fried squid.
“Ah.” Himo blinked. “She is Phylia.”
“I see!” Aria extended a hand to Phylia. She smiled. “Nice to meet you, Phy!”
Seeing her hand, the confused Phylia tilted her head. She racked up her memories of Himo’s teachings to understand what that gesture meant. “Aah!” Only a few moments later did she remember. She shook her hand. “Nice to meet you too.”
[That was the longest introduction the system has ever recorded. Couldn't the user make up a story about the meeting or something like that?]
Why do you even care— Wait, you recorded it?
Naturally, the system didn’t answer. Instead, Mo entered the conversation and teased him, “Himo, is she your girlfriend?” He wanted to engrave the flustered expression of his son in his mind.
"Eh?” Himo widened his eyes.
“No.” Phylia cut in before he could answer. She looked annoyed, almost as if her status had been lowered. “I’m Master’s propriety.”
Eh? Eeh? Eeeh? Himo’s heart skipped multiple beats. He paled. Why did I teach her those words?!
The Shus, meanwhile, stopped walking. Even the usually cold Eitha stopped. At that moment, both of his parents’ minds were occupied by the same thought: I didn’t know he was into that… it seems like we need to have a long talk today.
For the first time since he came to this new world, Himo felt despair.
-----
Himo and his family ate dinner, went to sleep, and, the next morning, prepared to move out. Their destination? The royal palace. As the new rulers, that had to become their new home. They put the necessary in storage rings and departed for their new home whilst leaving complex gazes to their former dwelling.
Hains and the elites followed behind them.
After walking through a massive gate, they were greeted by a land of green bisected by a cobblestone road that led to the palace. Trees were planted on both sides of the road, guiding the newcomers through a land where pink petals drifted along with a soft breeze. No person was in sight. With the change of rulers, only the new appointed souls could wander freely amidst those pristine lands.
As they walked closer, they caught glimpses of small animals wandering through the green; Aria tried to pet one—a squirrel—but it soon hid at the sight of the unknown faces.
Several small squares of plowed land were ready to make friends with flowers, while other squares had already grown friends long ago. The closer to the palace, the more splendid and mature the flowers were. And there were various kinds. They ranged from the most common roses to the rare chocolate cosmos. Evidently, the previous royals were passionate about the subject.
At last, they reached the palace. Its appearance was rather modest, resembling more a smaller manor than an actual palace. Its white wall presented several windows whose glass had peculiar patterns, and four towers stood at each corner, ending in a blue pyramid top. There was, however, something odd. The same black rods that stood on the capital’s walls, were also atop the four towers, in a much bigger size.
Stepping forward, Himo pushed open the main entrance—an arch-shaped doorway—and turned back to look at his family. He grinned. “Here’s our new home!”
-----
A few days later, a crowd gathered in a large hall of the royal palace. Under the illumination of several chandeliers at the sides and the light coming from large windows, they sat on chairs around a long wooden table. Many of them were plump, and they all wore intricate clothes reflecting their noble nature.
At the head of the table, Mo—Himo’s father—clapped once to get their attention. “Thanks for coming here! Let’s get immediately to the point: this banquet will serve as the inauguration of the new crown. If any of you is against the change of rulers, speak now or forever hold your peace!” His sharp tone forced the nobles to straighten their backs. While they owned riches over most, they couldn’t hold a candle against the head of a (former) military family by themselves.
But while they were intimidated, it didn’t mean they were spineless. One noble stood up from his seat instantly. “May I ask a question?”
“Feel free.” Mo nodded.
“Will our standings be threatened by the new rule?”
“No.” Mo shook his head. While it was true that they didn’t protect the former royals and couldn’t be trusted, a part of their income would be taxed monthly. Their money was necessary for the functioning of the kingdom.
The noble said, “Thank you.” Then, he sat back on his chair.
And another one stood up. She glanced at the child sitting on Mo’s right side before saying, “I apologize for asking this, but... may I inquire on who will be the king?”
Himo chuckled at her question, which brought his father to roll his eyes.
Mo replied, “Naturally, it’ll be me.” He couldn’t help but glance at his son.
“Paying respects to His Majesty the King.” Every noble stood up and bowed, then sat once again. They heaved a sigh of relief. They knew what happened in the main plaza, but they couldn’t accept to be ruled by a ten years old kid. As it was the father, however, they had no qualms about it.
And then, Himo stood up. “Wait. We’re not done yet. You’ve asked that because you feared I would be the king, correct?” He took out an emblem from his storage ring and displayed it to the nobles. It was entirely made in gold. It had an acronym written on its front: MHS-SG.
The nobles were all confused. They stared at the emblem, but couldn’t understand what it meant nor why the child had brought it out.
“This is the [Maximum Honorary Seal - Supreme Grade] that I made specifically forge for me.” Himo grinned. “Just by showing it, anything that I say has the priority over that of the king’s—whether it is the nobles or the citizens, anyone will have to follow my words whenever I show it. And don’t worry, only I can use it, so there’s no risk of counterfeits.”
The nobles widened their eyes in shock. Many stood up abruptly. “If you think—” But Himo’s cold gaze shut them up before they could speak. They felt to be stared at by a monster about to rip them to shreds.
“If I think… what?” Himo stared at the noble who had just spoken. The current Himo was different from the past—he had reached the Dantian Core Formation’s first string. Consequently, abilities such as [Intimidation] became way more effective.
The noble’s back was covered in cold sweat. “I-If… If you think that I’m not happy about this, you'd be mistaken! I am delighted to have such a wonderful sovereign!”
“That’s great.” Himo smiled. [Intimidation] was super effective!
[The system didn’t expect that the user would be this shameless.]
What do you mean?
[Not only did the user give all the responsibilities to the king, but you also took all the authority for yourself.]
Himo chuckled yet again and didn’t say anything to refute those words. Instead, he clapped. “Now, let’s eat to our heart’s content! We can hold further questions for later!”
Following his words, the servants walked in the hall while holding the dishes. The rest of the banquet went on without a hitch.
-----
Later on that day, the coronation ceremony of the new king took place in the plaza. The same family that was about to get executed, became rulers a few days later—the news made its way to the closest kingdoms and empires, causing a tidal wave of shock to creep into the minds of peasants and rulers alike. And not just that. The information about Himo’s emblem was also revealed. Some kingdoms sent people to verify such ludicrous news, but everything was soon confirmed. A child had become the highest figure of a kingdom—even higher than the king.
As the world wondered if the now-named Shu Kingdom had gone crazy, Himo strolled through a hallway of the palace. Phylia, as usual, walked by his side.
Ding!
[The user now possesses sufficient authority over a territory.]
[A new function has been revealed!]
[To unlock the new function is required to pay 25 BS points.]
Ding!
[The user now possesses a sufficient cultivation level.]
[A new function has been revealed!]
[To unlock the new function is required to pay 25 BS points.]
“Two functions…” Himo muttered as his eyes glanced at the unlock method written on the two displays. He froze. “My points!”
