Chapter 02 - The Emperor of the great Everheart

Seated on a throne completely made of shining gold, adorned with gems and precious stones along with the statues of two lions attached to either side of it, the sun of the empire looked down at Sage Theron, who was kneeling on one leg.

Golden blond hair, emerald-like red eyes, and a sharp gaze that would pierce through everything.

Adoring various valuable ornaments and a gorgeous golden crown with three red diamonds, he looked very imposing and dignified.

It was none other than Edmund Ashborn, the current Emperor of the great Everhart and the absolute ruler of the great Everhart, a being who is considered akin to the sky in the empire.

Currently, in front such being in the royal court was Sage Theron who was kneeling on one leg to show his respect.

It has been 17 days since the Emperor's messenger delivered the royal edict to Sage Theron and invited him to the Royal Palace.

They departed as soon as possible and after a long journey, Sage Theron and his family arrived at the royal Palace. 

The Journey itself went without any problem as they were accompanied by the Royal Escorts who were second to none in the whole empire.

Under the protection of royal escorts, Sage Theron and his family were escorted to the capital with the utmost respect and hospitality, and today, he was summoned in front of the Emperor for official matters.

'I know he is the emperor, but the pressure he gave off is no joke'

Even for Sage Theron, who was an 8th-class grand magician, it was hard to dismiss. Sage Theron lowered his head and placed his right hand on his chest and greeted the Emperor with respect.

"Glory to the great Everhart empire, Long live the Emperor"

He slightly gazed at the emperor who was nodding toward his greetings.

The emperor had deep Red eyes which shone like emerald and blond hair that symbolized the Royal family, with a well-built body and his natural charisma, the emperor looked as imposing as he should be.

'So that's the emperor', thought Sage Theron as he stood up. It was his first time seeing the emperor in person even though he had heard a great deal about him from the rumors.

It was no hidden matter among the public as to how the current emperor Edmund Ashborn rose to the throne.

In fact, it was actually quite popular.

Edmund Ashbord is an Emperor who seized the throne by eliminating all his competitors.

Even though he was the 6th prince, he occupied the throne by killing all his brothers and sisters and crowned himself while his clothes were still drenched in their blood.

And he didn't rest even after his coronation, he slaughtered all the children of the previous emperor, except the 9th prince and the 11th princess who renounced their right to the throne and settled in some remote regions.

Everyone else was slaughtered without mercy. He did not even leave the illegitimate children thinking that they might become obstacles for him in the future.

The incident was so shocking that it was still a topic of discussion among the commoners, of course, they didn't dare to utter any of this in front of the officials but it was a different story behind their backs.

And that's how Edmund Ashborn got his title…

'Heartless Emperor.'

Sage Theron stood with his back drenched in a cold sweat looking at the emperor, that's how much pressure he was excluding.

'Even though I, myself is an 8th class mage, I can't help but shudder at his Aura'

It was like he was telling Sage Theron that he is just an ant that he could crush at any time.

Though Sage Theron felt displeased at such pleasure, he endured as he was not the only one who was present in court.

The Prime minister, the mind of the great Everhart, and the strongest among the seven sages, the Sage of Wisdom, Sage Braham was seated in a position a bit lower than the emperor.

The Minister of wealth and Sage of Decisiveness, Sage Basara was seated to his right.

One of the three Dukes of the Empire, Mir Khan was present on his left.

And many more powerful and influential figures were present in the court with their gazes directed at Sage Theron.

At this movement, Theron was relieved that he left his daughter and wife in the residential area, if not, they might have collapsed under the pressure of such strong beings.

"Sage Theron"

Suddenly, the emperor began his speech and silence downed in the hall.

"I have heard a great deal about your deeds and powers, Sage Theron. Despite coming from a common background, you have worked hard and have reached heights that should have been impossible without any support."

Sage Theron, from the origin, was not a Nobel. Being from a humble common origin, he was just a peasant from a remote village. But he had the determination to reach the peak and he worked tirelessly for it!

And as a result he now stood at the apex of the magic world as an 8-star magician. All his achievements and powers were purely the results of his own hard work and talent. He had worked very hard to rise to be an 8th-circle mage, despite the lacking resources that he could access.

So, It was indeed an outstanding achievement that he was able to grow this strong.

"I am honored that you think so highly of me, your majesty"

But despite all that, Sage Theron wasn’t arrogant, he was still humble in front of the emperor.

"There is no need to be modest, you have earned it with your own effort," The emperor said as he seemed to be satisfied by Sage Theron’s words.

"In recognition of your service to the empire till the movement and your achievements, I, Edmund Ashborn, the Emperor of the great Everhart will bestow upon you the title of Sage of Diligence, thus you shall be respected as one among the 7 sages of the Everhart, and henceforth I pronounce you as the new master of the 7th magic tower, Does any of you present here have any objections?"

No one dared to speak up, so the emperor continued.

"Since no one has any objections, I will ask you directly, Sage Theron, do you accept this position?"

The Emperor glared at Sage Theron as he asked that.

Sage Theron was also overjoyed, who would reject the glory of being one of the seven sages of the great Everhart? It meant that he would be officially on the same level as the Sage of Wisdom, Braham.

He couldn't be happier.

"I will humbly accept the grace, your majesty"

Sage Theron said so as he bowed respectfully to the emperor.

"Then it is decided, you shall take up the position as the new master of the 7th magic Tower in the capital as soon as possible, all preparations needed for your stay will be made in the magic tower itself.”

The emperor then turned towards Braham.

“Sir Braham, please take care of any further matters"

The Emperor instructed the Prime minister to oversee any further needs of Sage Theron.

"I shall do as you desire"

And Sage Braham replied to the emperor with a calm demeanor.

With that, the matters regarding rewarding Sage Theron as the 7th magic Tower's Master came to end and the court continued further discussion regarding various concerning issues.

Duke Mir was the first to rise.

"Your majesty, lately there has been an intel of the rebel army gathering around the Frostgate province....."

As the court continued with serious matters, Sage Theron was busy admiring the Sage of Wisdom,  Braham with shining eyes.

***

"Tower of Temperance in the North, Tower of Patience in the South, Tower of Purity in the East, Tower of Prudence in the west, Tower of justice in the Royal palace and Tower of Wisdom in the south of the capital, together there were six magic towers, each headed by one of the six sages"

Sage Braham explained as he slowly walked in the hallways of the royal palace.

His head was full of white hair, a light-white robe with a golden border design was covering his body, and his back was slightly bent indicating that he had lived for a long time, but despite that, he had very sharp eyes that seemed to pierce through everything.

Although he looked like a kind and easygoing gramps with his long white beard at first sight, there was a sort of majesty and mystery to this man.

"But now that you have joined, it will be 7 magic towers, I guess"

Sage Braham smiled gently, turning his head back.

Walking just behind him was the newly appointed master of the 7th magic tower, Sage of Diligence, Theron and he was looking at Prime minister Braham with eyes filled with pure admiration.

Even though he himself was above 50 years of age and also being an 8th-circle mage, he couldn't help but show utmost respect to the man in front of him.

Because, the one in front of him was none other than the Sage of Wisdom, Braham, who was known throughout the empire as the mind of great Everhart for his immense knowledge and insight.

There was a reason why he got a title as grand as that and it's not something like a secret as everyone in Everhart was aware of it.

Going back in time, even before the rise of the great Everhart empire, when the land was divided into small kingdoms and ruled by native lords, Sage Braham served as a minister in one of those kingdoms.

It was not clearly known what happened, but they say he suddenly stepped down from his position and went somewhere unknown.

And after ten years, he reappeared in the kingdom, along with a young man, who later became the first emperor of the Everhart empire.

They say Sage Braham was the one who aided the previous emperor to conquer the land and rise to glory. Along with the previous Emperor, he was one of the founding members of the great Everhart empire.

The previous emperor was a disciple of Sage Braham, and he was very fond of him, as a result, he appointed Sage Braham as the prime minister, and ever since then, his position has been unshaken.

It is said that the previous emperor even thought of sage Braham as his father figure, so there was pretty much no one in the entire Everhart who could stand against him except the emperor himself.

And despite all these things, his knowledge and wisdom were still unsurpassed.

All in all, it wouldn't be wrong to call him one of the pillars of the great Empire, that's why for the citizens of Everhart and all the mages, he was nothing short of a role model.

And since such a figure was personally guiding him towards his residence, Sage Theron couldn't help but feel excited.

Growing up Sage Braham has been a role model for him, and it was only now that he got to meet him that too being appointed as one of the seven sages. It was probably the happiest day in Sage Theron's life.

"I am honored that you think of me as an equal, Sir Braham"

It wasn't him being humble, Sage Theron really felt that way.

"Don't lower yourself, Sage Theron, You have worked hard to get into this position."

Sage Theron smiled with contentment and didn't say anything in return as he thought it may sound disrespectful. He quietly listened to Sage Braham's instructions while admiring him inwardly.

---***---