Chapter 42. A chosen one
AT THE SAME TIME
ALEXANDER
I didn’t even realize I had moved. One second, everyone was screaming about rankings, wedding candidates, cursed cathedral ghosts, and whatever insane thing the system had invented next. The next second I was standing in front of Iris, the cathedral had become strangely quiet. Moonlight poured through the shattered stained-glass windows. Ancient candles had lit themselves along the walls. White flower petals drifted through the air despite there being no wind.
The ghost priest looked delighted. The mysterious woman standing near the altar looked even more delighted. Iris simply stared at me, for once, she wasn’t smiling, she looked nervous which was somehow more terrifying.
"Master?" She asked quietly.
"I..." I started.
Then my body moved before my brain could catch up. I reached for her hand and everyone froze including me.
"Oh no." Michael whispered.
I lifted Iris’s hand. Then kissed it, very gently and the entire cathedral stopped functioning.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Victor dropped his sword. Reynold sat down on a nearby bench, Scarlet stopped breathing, Noa’s eye twitched, Rosalia slowly covered her face. Aiko adjusted his glasses.
"Critical emotional event detected." He announced.
"STOP ANALYZING IT!" Everyone ordered.
I finally realized what I had just done. My soul attempted to leave my body.
"Oh."I gasped.
I looked at Iris, she looked at me, her face was completely red, the vampire queen, the legendary SSS ranked monster, the woman who could punch dragons through mountains. Was blushing. Hard. The ghost priest looked ready to cry from happiness.
"The king remembers." He whispered emotionally.
"I DO NOT REMEMBER ANYTHING!" I shouted.
Too late. Because Iris suddenly moved, fast, very fast. One moment she was standing in front of me. The next both of her hands grabbed my collar.
"Master." She said and her voice was very calm.
Way too calm. That was the dangerous calm.
"Iris?"I asked.
"Yes?"She asked.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"I asked.
"You kissed my hand."She said.
"That was an accident."I said.
"No."She shook her head.
"It absolutely was."I said again.
"No."She refused.
"Iris."I said again.
She pulled me forward and my brain immediately realized what was happening. Unfortunately my body was slower.
"WAIT-"I gasped.
The cathedral exploded, not literally, emotionally. Because Iris kissed me directly, right there, in front of everyone. The entire expedition died spiritually, Victor and Michael fainted. Three academy students fainted, a fourth student started taking notes as Reynold confiscated the notes. Scarlet’s holy magic exploded accidentally, Noa cracked the stone floor. Rosalia laughed so hard she nearly fell over.
"AND WE HAVE A WINNER!"The mysterious woman near the altar pointed dramatically.
"DING."A giant golden screen appeared. The system returned.
Everyone immediately looked horrified.
"BRIDE CANDIDATE RANKING UPDATED #1 IRIS"The system announced.
A massive golden crown appeared beside her name.
"NOOOOOOO!" Scarlet shouted.
"UNACCEPTABLE!" Rosalia pointed at the screen.
"Biased." Noa said coldly.
"System evaluation complete." The system continued.
"STOP EVALUATING!" Michael ordered from the floor.
"Additional bonus achieved: FIRST KISS EVEN. Cathedral Recognition: SUCCESS. Ancient ceremony progress: 100%."The system said.
The ghost priest immediately gasped, the mysterious woman gasped and even the sword gasped.
"YOU CAN GASP?!" I glared at the sword.
"I DID NOT KNOW I COULD!" The sword shouted back.
The altar suddenly began glowing, everyone turned as the ancient wedding altar at the center of the cathedral radiated silver light. Runes spread across the floor. The entire building shook.
"DING. Main objective updated. Final key fragment located. Location: wedding altar. Reward available."The system said.
Everyone stared, then slowly looked toward the altar, then slowly looked toward me and Iris and then slowly looked back toward the altar.
"I hate destiny."Michael opened one eye.
The final key fragment slowly rose from the altar surrounded by silver light.
"The path to the castle is opening, my king."The ghost priest smiled.
The cathedral trembled far beyond the mountains. A distant bell echoed through the world.
"DING.The system flickered. "Castle awakening progress: 72%. Warning: the castle has noticed you."
Nobody liked that message, absolutely nobody. Except Auron’s sword, because it immediately vibrated excitedly.
"Oh."He said.
"Oh no." I said.
"Oh yes." The sword replied.
The final key fragment floated above the altar, surrounded by silver light. Everyone was still trying to recover from the fact that the system had apparently witnessed everything and immediately turned it into a ranked event. Michael was lying on a bench staring at the ceiling.
"I no longer have the strength to file reports."He said.
"Understandable." Reynold nodded.
Then the mysterious woman suddenly clapped her hands. Once. The entire cathedral went silent. The smile on her face hadn’t changed, but something about her suddenly felt older, much older. The playful atmosphere vanished, and ancient power filled the cathedral. The ghost priest immediately knelt, the sword immediately became silent, and even Iris straightened slightly. That alone scared me.
"Wait." I frowned.
"Oh dear. I suppose introductions are overdue."The woman sighed.
Golden light spread beneath her feet. Her appearance flickered, for a moment everyone saw something different. A royal cathedral, a kingdom at its peak, thousands of candles, ancient kings, royal weddings, coronations, promises, oaths and history itself. Then the vision vanished.
"My name is Seraphina."The woman curtsied elegantly.
"I was the Cathedral Wedding Spirit assigned to King Auron over eight hundred years ago."Then she smiled.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"No."Michael sat up.
"I officiated royal marriages."Seraphina ignored him. She pointed at the altar. "Blessed heirs." She pointed toward the ceiling. "Crowned kings." She pointed toward me. "And apparently I am doing this again."
"WHY?!" I gasped.
"I honestly have no idea." Seraphina admitted.
That somehow made it worse.
"DING."The system suddenly appeared. Historical archive verified. Entity: Seraphina. Status: cathedral wedding spirit. Authority level: royal. Threat assessment: low. Emotional damage potential: catastrophic."
Rosalia immediately laughed, Michael looked like he wanted to cry.
"I agree with the system."He said.
"Thank you."Seraphina smiled proudly.
"I wasn’t complimenting you."Michael said.
Then Seraphina turned toward the altar. Her expression became serious.
"The king’s path must continue."She said as the entire cathedral trembled.
The final key fragment flew from the altar. The three fragments floated together. CLICK. Silver light exploded throughout the building as the fragments merged and a complete black key appeared. Ancient runes glowed across its surface.
"DING. Key of the first king acquired. Main quest updated. Castle access granted.The system said.
The floor shook violently. BOOOOOOOOM! Everyone stumbled as the wall behind the altar cracked. An enormous corridor appeared, not a tunnel, not a cave. A corridor, a perfectly preserved royal hallway stretching into impossible darkness. Golden chandeliers floated overhead, ancient banners hung untouched by time. Red carpets covered the floor. The corridor simply continued beyond sight. Like a road connecting directly to another world.
"THAT WAS NOT THERE!"Victor pointed dramatically.
"Correct." Aiko nodded.
"THAT IS NOT NORMAL!"Victor screamed.
"Also correct."Aiko nodded.
"I hate magical architecture."Michael grabbed his face.
The corridor continued glowing.
"DING!"Then the system exploded again. Quest progress reward issued. Level up! Level 11 to level 12."The system said.
Golden energy surged through my body. The exhaustion from the goblin battle vanished instantly.
"DING! Bonus reward granted. Royal compatibility increased. Current synchronization: 25%."The system said.
"Oh no." I whispered.
"Oh yes." The sword replied.
I hated that sword. The system wasn’t finished.
"DING! New passive skill acquired. Royal presence Lv. 1. Description: people connected to the first kingdom are more likely to trust, obey, or recognize the user."The system said.
Victor immediately dropped to one knee.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"I DIDN’T MEAN TO DO THAT!" Victor yelled.
"DING!"The system cheerfully continued. Additional effect: ancient royal units may identify the user as their rightful king. Everyone slowly turned toward Gork. The massive goblin general froze as we knew his name for a while now.
"My King."He immediately slammed his fist against his chest.
"Oh come on!" I shouted.
"I thought we established this already."Gork looked confused.
"I DON’T WANT ESTABLISHMENTS!"I groaned.
Meanwhile, Seraphina looked down the corridor. For the first time, her smile faded, a strange sadness appeared in her eyes.
"The castle is awake."She said. Seraphina slowly looked at me. "Alexander. The moment you walk through that corridor, the castle will know you have returned."
A cold chill ran down my spine. The sound of distant bells echoed once. The corridor brightened and somewhere beyond it, a massive gate slowly began opening by itself, and somehow I had the feeling it wasn’t waiting for Auron. It was waiting for me.