novelSetting Off
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Daneel had to take a step back as he heard everything Eloise said.
Each and every word she said was true.
Who was he?
A King- that too, one who had something as magical as the World Domination System.
What had he depended on to get him this far?
His determination to get what he wanted, even if he had to scheme for it.
That was exactly who he was, so wasn't that exactly how he was supposed to be regarding this matter, too?
At this moment, what he was shocked about most was that this very basic, simple truth had eluded him for so long, and had had to be brought up by someone else in order for him to become aware of it.
When he actually pondered on it for a little bit more, he realised that even though he might have known that this was how it was always supposed to be, the social norms that he had grown up with back on Earth had stopped that thought from coming forward, as he was conditioned to think that this was "wrong" in some way.
At face value, it was obvious how it could be taken that way, but the truth was that he would basically be who he was, and there was nothing wrong in that.
Also, he realised that they were right regarding the other topic, too: if they really did push the matter by being even bolder, he couldn't promise that he would value them as much as he would if, like they said, he became someone who could be clear, and ready to go out and do anything in order to pursue and "conquer" what he wished.
The more he thought about it, the more he liked it, and the more it felt... Right, as if it was how it had always been meant to be.
For a few minutes after Eloise said everything and waited with bated breath to see what the King would say, there was silence, as Daneel was looking down and thinking fiercely regarding everything.
But after that, when they saw a smile appear on his face, they inadvertently broke out into smiles, too, as they could tell that he had seen the truth for what it was.
Eloise and Xuan had spent quite a long time together in her sect, and they had talked a lot about this topic, and various others, before finding out that they were actually quite alike.
They had grown to like each other, both because of their shared interest, which actually did not cause them to come into conflict, and because both of them knew the frustration that had come when they had expressed their feelings and gotten nothing in return from the Kinh.
It was only with both of them looking at this from different perspectives did they begin to realize just what the problem was, before beginning to think about how it could be fixed.
Their motive behind all this was simple: they were afraid.
All around them, there were multiple cases where one party would pursue the other, and then, even if the other agreed, the former wouldn't be as valued as they would have been if they hadn't been so insistent in the first place, and had let the relationship take its natural course without forcing anything.
They were strong women who were clear about what they wanted for the future, so they knew that this was certainly something that they would never want to see.
Hence, the only solution was to make sure that whatever came to be, it would be because there was enough interest on both sides, instead of how it was right now, where both of them deeply wished to be with him, but he did not have anything firm or specific in his mind at the moment.
That was when they had hit upon this - that this was probably how he was supposed to be, and that he might not have realized it for whatever reason.
Maybe he might not have thought about it.
Or maybe he might have put it aside for too long because of all the things that he was always doing.
They had also thought up many backup plans in case this was not the truth - and they were clear about the fact that if it wasn't, it would become clear, as the King had never been someone to listen to something and agree to it directly without thinking about it by himself.
But this had definitely been the best case, and seeing that they were right made them smile happily and hold each other's hands.
Daneel folded his hands behind his back as he saw this, as he was also genuinely joyful that he had found how he wanted to be.
True, he could not change himself completely right away, but he was actually surprised when he felt each of the inhibitions that he had always had leave him, one by one.
They weren't all gone, but he didn't feel as awkward as before.
Thinking about it more, he realized that it was the effect of being changed twice - once by that memory of the Emperor, and once by this truth.
It was his character, and he had ignored it for so long.
But no more.
Taking a deep breath, he studied the joyful faces of the two woman in front of him, trying to see if he cared about one more than the other.
Just like Xuan had said, Eloise was closer to them, both because she had always been with him, and because she had done so much for him.
However, Xuan also held a special spot in his heart because she had stolen away his first kiss.
More importantly, she just had something about her which, although Daneel didn't understand as he hadn't spent a lot of time with her, he was definitely interested in.
Well, it wasn't like he had to decide now.
Just like they had said, he would pursue both of them, as it was at least clear now that he was interested, and he did not wish to ignore either of them. As for whom he might like more, or whether he might decide to be with both, as he was definitely no longer on Earth where that might be frowned upon, only time will tell.
Daneel was just about to feel happy that he had progressed so much in such a short time and could march forward without any hesitations, but the next moment, the two in front of him did something which made him realize that maybe... He still had a long way to go.
They had been smiling at each other while holding their hands, but after seeing him look at them like that and measure them up from head to toe, they both got mischievous expressions on their faces as they nodded at each other once more and started to walk towards him, still hand in hand.
Daneel didn't really know what they were doing, and he simply thought that they wanted to say something more.
However, in a flash, as soon as they reached him, both of them bent forward and kissed both the sides of his cheeks, which made him blush so hard that his face turned completely crimson.
"We've done our part. Now it's time to do yours. Farewell, for now, King. We'll be looking forward to you."
Saying so, they teleported away, leaving Daneel looking around with a blank expression on his face before raising his hands to touch the spots where their lips had touched his skin.
However, a moment later, that embarrassment faded away... And was replaced by a smile as remembered just how great it felt.
Daneel knew that this day was very important, as it had changed him in ways that would only become clear later on.
He continued to spend a little more time here, as it was even more important to him now both because of the significance it held as it was the place where his "revolution" has truly begun, and now, it was also the place where it could be said that he had grown from a boy to be a man.
An hour passed, and he was still fondly remembering the past and thinking about what he would do in the future.
However, he was startled out of this state by a message from Elanev.
"So... I just got a message from that giant who is responsible for the Academy incurring more repair costs than if an actual goddamn war had happened on the grounds..."
...
A few moments later, three people were standing in Daneel's quarters in front of Drakos's beating heart.
The one in the middle of them held up a trinket, before a gruff, yet innocent voice was heard in the room.
"Bam is calling you to tell you that if you no here soon, your Kingdom goes Bam-Bam. Master says no, but Bam will do it anyway and blame it on Mini-Bam."
The extremely child-like message would normally not have had any effect on these three individuals, where one of them was even in possession of a vast database of Hero-level information that practically made him the strongest person on the continent.
Only... remembering the devastation that had been wrought on the Academy Grounds due to the simple test, only shivers of fright passed through the bodies of the two people on the scene.
The third, however, seemed proud, as his chest was puffed out and there was a broad smile on his face.
Finally, Daneel spoke out.
"Well... it's hard to ignore such a well-worded message. Do you have anything to take care of?"
Elanev, who was beside him, shook his head and said, "Nope, I've been waiting for you to say the word. You know that I was ready to go even before that whole thing with Axelor started."
With a nod, Daneel thought for a bit and said, "All right, let's go, then. I'm ready, too. It shouldn't be too long of a trip, anyway. I do have some... matters to deal with here, but I'll use this time to decide just what I'll do regarding them. Meet me outside in 5 minutes."
Both of them were about to depart, but they were interrupted by the old man bursting out into booming laughter and saying, "Bwahahaha! Finally, the two of you shall see the brilliant planning of this Senior Fists of Justice! Blood shall flow and screams shall echo! Let's go!"
Shooting an expression filled with pity toward his elder brother, Daneel teleported away to the Royal Tailor.
...
It was the early evening, with the sun just about to set.
People were scrambling to get home, with many talking about the new show that had been announced today on the Network.
It followed the personal and professional lives of six twenty to thirty-something-year-old'Friends' living in the capital of Lanthanor, and it would focus both on the frustrations they faced in work and also on the inter-arching romantic storylines between different pairs among them.
The main selling point of the show was that a very reputable comedy show manager had been contracted to direct it, and everyone was abuzz about how it would definitely be one of his most prominent works. The trailer, itself, had been rife with witty humor, and even though some found it strange that they could hear someone laughing from the Network each time a joke was told, they quickly grew accustomed to it and found it fun to laugh along.
While hearing these conversations and feeling happy that the Network was progressing well, Daneel and Elanev approached an unremarkable village which was located at a spot between the Kingdom of Arafell and the Hidden Kill Sect.
It was isolated from both of these forces, though, because both of them were quite inland whereas this one was much nearer to the coast.
As soon as they entered the village, they headed to a specific establishment which had a banner that said "Fighters for Hire."
Approaching the one who was manning the store which had nothing but a bare counter and a few chairs for customers to sit on, Daneel asked, "'Unbeatable' or'Unbreakable'- which word best describes a Fighter's might?"
With a smile that exposed the missing teeth in his mouth, the man answered, "It is neither- the answer is'Unyielding'. Follow me."
Although the man said that, he remained unmoving, but before Daneel could say anything, the floor below them gave out.
This would normally have meant nothing as Daneel could simply fly, but an extremely strong gravitation force immediately came into effect, pulling them both downwards.
Whoosh!
They started to fall through a narrow, cylindrical cavity, and not even 3 seconds later, Daneel could see that a floor littered with human bones was approaching.
He was calm as the system's subroutines would save him anyway, and he had even activated the Basilisk's Breath and taken control of the situation.
So, right before they splattered on the ground, he cast a Champion-level Anti-Gravity spell that nullified the force acting on them and allowed him to gracefully drop himself, and Elanev to the ground.
Looking around at all the bones around them, Elanev frowned, but looked up when he saw Daneel point a finger forward.
They were in a cave lit with torches, and in front of them was a sentence that was carved into the stone under an opening in large letters.
"Only walk forward if you are prepared to face pain that will make you pray for death."
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