Chapter 93: Echoes of Vows
Priam hurried out of his room, heading to the clan’s main building. When he entered, he was taken to the meeting room.
Inside, Shione, Lumiere, and Flaris were already there, together with Leader Orlaith.
The door closed, and everyone saw countless inscription runes light up around the room. It was like a prison of glowing runes.
That was a sign that the entire environment had been sealed, so they could discuss something secret without any chance of being heard.
Everyone became tense, and Orlaith looked at the four of them seriously.
"I received a very important ’invitation.’ Tonight, we will leave for a universe of the Primordial Chaos Beasts. We will stay there for a few days, because I and all the allied humanoid and demon clans will discuss some things."
"As for you, you will be invited because Elder Ladomi will be promoted to Grand Elder of the Aether-Wood Deer race. That same night, a small banquet will take place. In this kind of party, the young people from the entire alliance get to know each other and exchange tips. This is an event of utmost importance for the future generations."
She spoke in a solemn tone and looked at her children.
Shione and Lumiere nodded, understanding. Certainly, as the children of the Leader, they had already had to go through similar things before.
"Another important factor is that, in a few days, it will be the date of the recruitment event of the Divine Plane sects in all universes. Because of that, all members of the alliance will send their best young people. I’ll be frank... the Divine Thunderhead Sect, which the four of you will try to enter, is just a tiny and irrelevant ant."
She sighed. "But the other young people you will meet have received all kinds of resources and training, possessing a great chance of entering the greatest sects of their universes. Because of that, it is a great opportunity for the four of you, whether to make friends, or to see them fight and learn some things."
The four nodded slightly, all thoughtful.
At that moment, Orlaith sighed and stared fixedly at Priam.
"Boy, I know you are proud and talented enough to back it up. But... our clan is only one of the 13 that secretly support the Aether-Wood Deer race. And also... we are not very well regarded by the others. The others are not idiots. They really do possess far more than you can imagine, and unfortunately, we cannot compare. You cannot be arrogant or even get offended easily in that place. Try to keep a low profile. We are only going to a party peacefully."
She spoke with genuine concern, as if she were certain Priam could not resist losing an opportunity to create chaos.
And also... after what she had seen in that room, when he saved his mother, she felt that Priam should keep a lower profile.
Priam clearly had something very special that, if the others discovered it, would cause a calamity. He had to become strong enough to protect himself alone, since the clan would not be able to protect him much longer.
Priam snorted, nodding slightly.
’Me, arrogant? When was I arrogant? I never cause problems... they’re the ones attracted to me!’
***
When night came, Priam received a luxurious outfit from the clan.
It was black, elegant, with glowing golden marks. It had been made to be beautiful, but at the same time flexible enough to be used in a fight.
He got dressed and went to say goodbye to his father and mother.
He told them he would have to stay away for a week.
When she heard that, Seien’s eyes shone in a different way.
Priam noticed it, but did not react on the surface.
’Did I just give her a golden opportunity simply because I’ll be away for a few days?’
He was a bit doubtful, but sensing his mother’s excitement, he was almost certain it was something along those lines. It would be quite uncomfortable to ask directly. If it truly was something related to husband and wife, his mother would be placed in an embarrassing situation, to say the least.
He chose to ignore it, then turned around and left.
...
Outside the annex, bathed in the soft moonlight of the night, Flora was waiting for him.
She was leaning against the wall in a strange way. With her head lowered, her fingers nervously played with the hem of her dress. Priam noticed that restlessness from far away. Clearly, there was something very different about her today.
He took light steps, approaching without making a sound.
When Flora finally noticed his presence and raised her gaze...
...her body froze completely. Her eyes widened, fixing on Priam without even blinking.
Priam felt a little uncomfortable under that silent scrutiny and looked at his own clothes.
He murmured in a confused tone. "Is something wrong with my clothes?"
"!"
Flora’s startle was obvious. She gave a small jump, waking from that trance.
Priam saw her abruptly look away toward the ground, while an intense and uncontrollable blush rose across her cheeks.
"N-no... s-sorry... g-good luck, Master!" she murmured, the words stumbling over each other.
Priam nodded, feeling the atmosphere become even stranger. But he was not dense.
’Wait a second. She really...’
The thought did not even need to be completed. The answer was written all over the girl’s face. Priam was wearing formal clothes, flawless and elegant. The visual impact on that young woman had been a critical hit.
And the reason was not even because Priam was the most beautiful man in the world... The "problem" was the way Flora saw him.
Flora was almost the same age as him, a young maiden who had no time for anything besides work.
Ever since Priam had arrived at the main clan, he had never treated her with the typical coldness of a master toward servants. He acted like a close friend and genuinely cared about her well-being. The two had even spent many nights talking in a friendly way.
Naturally, the girl’s pure feelings began to bloom.
Priam froze in place, not knowing how to react. He did not see her with romantic eyes. And even if he did, in less than a month he would leave for the Divine Plane, with no prediction of when he would return.
’Shit... am I going to end up hurting her? What do I do? Pretend I’m clueless? Or... should I try to tell her directly to forget it?’
A new kind of panic, mixed with a bizarre sense of strangeness, took over him.
But, deep down, it felt good to know that someone liked him in such a genuine way.
Suddenly, Flora gathered every drop of courage she had. She raised her head and looked at him. The shine in her eyes was so intense that it made Priam himself swallow hard.
"Oh!" she exclaimed with fake surprise, trying to pretend nothing had happened and that she had just noticed something important.
She took light steps toward him. When she stopped right in front of him, a shy and sweet smile shaped her lips as she took something from her pocket.
"Master forgot the outfit’s pendant."
She was holding a beautiful brooch only a few centimeters wide, cut in the shape of a diamond, bearing an incredibly vivid sapphire-blue gem.
Flora stretched out her slightly trembling hand, fitting the brooch perfectly in the center of Priam’s chest, just below the collar. Her fingers brushed lightly against the fabric, and Priam could feel her chaotic energy fluctuations. The girl’s heart was racing.
Without the courage to look into his eyes, she murmured softly:
"This gem is called Echoes of Vows... My people say that when you give it to someone important, a silent vow of devotion is sealed. Even if the words are never spoken aloud, the feelings will forever echo within the stone..."
She hesitated in the middle of the sentence, the air escaping from her lungs. But she took a deep breath and continued with adorable seriousness:
"It has no practical value for a Mage... but it matches the color of one of your eyes. So I thought it would be..."
"Thank you. It really matches the outfit very well," Priam interrupted her, offering a genuine smile and a soft tone of voice.
"..."
Flora froze.
She slowly raised her eyes. Her mouth opened in a small "O," and her face reached a shade of red that would make a ripe apple look pale.
[An ally’s loyalty has evolved]
[Flora Felicia] [Loyalty: Unshakable (UP)]
[+300 GP]
Priam glanced at the System screen that had appeared out of nowhere.
’Holy shit... I made things worse, didn’t I?’
His intention had only been to act mature and gentle to ease the atmosphere. The shot backfired masterfully.
Flora could not endure the pressure for more than five seconds. She abruptly lowered her head, her legs moving on automatic as she stepped back.
"I... I... forgot... I forgot something important!"
Priam sighed internally, but maintained his posture. "Yes, good night. You may go. We’ll see each other in a few days."
"Yes!" she shouted without looking back, turning around and running almost desperately, disappearing into the corridor.
"..."
Priam stood still under the moonlight for a long time.
He soon let out a heavy sigh, deciding to push that problem aside for now.
He looked down, analyzing the bluish gem on his chest.
Thinking about it, he had really felt that the outfit was kind of incomplete when he put it on. But who had delivered the clothes...?
’Wait a second. That was Flaris’s personal servant!’
And that servant was also Flora’s cousin.
If she already had the brooch in her pocket before even meeting him, then the butler had not "forgotten" to add the accessory.
He had removed it on purpose so Flora could personally give that important gem.
’Shit... this gem has a huge meaning to her, and I accepted it without even blinking...’
Priam took a deep breath.
’Her family won’t come approach me like in Earth’s anime, telling me I have to marry her now, right?’
Priam soon laughed softly. Of course that would not happen, because it would be pretty ridiculous... at least, he hoped so.
He felt half dazed, half guilty, but, ironically, a little excited. That was a completely new and intriguing experience.
"Well... I’m living intensely, aren’t I?"