Chapter 38
Chapter 38 “Heart of a king”
“Aragon Roland drifted here on a wrecked boat. It was a pity that his boat approached the island. As a result, the whole boat was swallowed up. So I took him here and we had a deal.” Chris said rather unclearly.
But such hint was enough!
Duwei, of course, read about the history of the Roland empire! When he was a child, his first teacher, Earl Raymond, taught him many things and he also read the emperor’s biography of the founding of the empire. He read it thoroughly.
Aragon Roland, the great founder of the Roland empire….his life, on Duwei’s opinion, seemed to be the one of the book of legends!
This Aragon had the same tough luck and experiences as most of the heroes in a book. The catchphrase of that period:
‘His luck is so strong that it has almost gone against time! His life is harder than a cockroach to determine!’
His biography has described in details the experiences of the first emperor who founded the empire. Aragorn was born in a declining aristocratic family. He wasn’t even the eldest son of the family, but third, so he had no title in inheritance. Since he was a child, he liked adventurous activities.
When he was 16 years old, he left home and traveled alone through adventures. Aragon had the experience of the life of a mercenary, and he was a young man full of adventurous fantasy.
And that was the most adventurous era in Middle Kingdom. It was different from now when the entire Middle Kingdom is covered with the Roland empire banners.
At that time, Middle Kingdom was in the age of civil wars between countless small and big countries. Civil wars were never ceased, small and big countries occupied, conflicted, plotted, used tricks on each other…..we can say that the era was the era of heroes and legends.
Sixteen-year-old Aragon spent several years between mercenaries, and then he was attracted by the marine adventure.
At that time, Aragon was twenty-one years old and was a good swordsman. And during his several years of mercenary life, he had saved a certain amount of money. He invested all his property to a merchant ship and proceeded the oceanic trade adventure.
In his first experience with the sea, Aragon had to suffer difficulties. His ship encountered perils and went down the sea. Only he miraculously escaped the fate and saved his life!
So all the historians says that……if there had not been this shipwreck, he could have become a great marine merchant, instead of the emperor!
However, because of this tragedy, his dream of marine trade went shattered into pieces. Aragon returned home and was inherited a part of the property after father’s death.
As his father was an inferior noble with a small title, so his property could not be much. Aragon again did something that the others could think that he was dissipating the fortune….he sold out all his property and organized a small private army.
Everyone mocked at his decision because his country was peaceful and far away from war, so any private army was not needed.
Aragon was confident! In less than half a year, the war will arrive. This small country will be involved in a war between two powers, and will be swallowed up in a month. And then again two powers will go to the war to take the prey back.
Two brothers of Aragon were killed in the chaos of war, and their manors and farms were plundered to ashes.
Aragon, with his private army, joined to an army of a great country and was awarded a high military position.
After that, Aragon showed his great strength!
He showed a very strong military ability. On the battlefield, he killed the enemy generals with one move, and he become the most famous General in Middle Kingdom. Aragon accumulated innumerable exploits in the war….
After the war, he received a title and manor….it was much more larger than the old manor of his father!
Later, Aragon refused the summon of that great country and quitted the army. He turned to advance in the magician union….. in less than a month, he got the magician qualification!
After three years, the war broke out again, at that time Aragon was already a senior magician!
Throughout history, no one could do this!
Once a man asked Aragon why he had become a magician, then the answer of this young noble was: My army needs the collaboration of magicians in the battle….it is a pity that magicians are rare, I can not muster magicians. So I can only learn the magic.
When the war broke out again, the country, where Aragon lived, was in great danger. Enemy besieged it for more than three months. At that time, the king ordered all nobles in his country to lead their private army to fight for the king……but Aragon was the last to arrive.
At that moment, the friend and foe army fought to be completely exhausted.
There was no doubt that it was high time for Aragon.
In the final battle, Aragon killed the enemy general who was a great knight, again! And then Aragon cast a magic spell to nullify the magic of the enemy head magician!
The war situation changed…..the war was over, but the power of the weakened country was almost in the Aragon’s hands! At that time, the king had to award Aragon the title of Duke.
A year later…..the king died of an illness (on this issue, historians have the dispute. Most think that the death of the king is too ‘coincidental’. In the peak period of Aragon’s prestige, the king died, and he had no immediate descendant. So the throne inheritance issue was in a dilemma. Although there are no clear historical records, but the words are implicitly suggesting us that these events were all related to the great emperor. )
The final benefited was, with no doubt, Aragon.
He married the collateral niece of the ex-king, and made her queen!
Three years later, the queen died of an illness, and Aragon was crowned king!
In the later history.
Aragon Roland was known to be an invincible commander. His army was invincible and occupied countless countries. Less than 15 years later, he unified entire Middle Kingdom, and everywhere was covered with thorns flower flags! He founded the great empire that existed so far！
All of these are like a tale in the storybook, aren’t they?
Duwei tried to recall all that he could remember about the lives of the first emperor….
Apparently, according to what Chris said….Aragon had seen this devil’s servant in the first marine adventure that was unsuccessful……..
Aragon, suddenly, burst onto the continent under civil wars, and it was after that marine adventure!
Obviously, the first emperor must be still in dealing with the devil’s servant and gained some kinds of benefits!
He thought about the miraculous life of Aragon and his feats…..
Now, when the devil’s servant proposed a“deal”………. his heart, which had been calm for more than ten years, suddenly started beating!
“Lovely young noble, your heart is beating fast.” Chris just smiled.
Duwei took a deep breath: “Dear Mr. Chris….my heart is beating because I am lured by the devil!”
Chris had a more strange smile on his face, and he suddenly waved his hand gently. Vivian and Joanna who were behind him, softly fainted down at the same time.
“No one should know about our deal.” Chris smiled: “When they wake up, they will forget everything happened here and even about me.”
The opportunity is here now!
Duwei began to have short breath: “A deal….tell me, what can you give me….what do you want instead?”
Chris did not reply his question, he slowly said: “Don’t want to know what I gave to Aragon?”
“I think I can guess a little.” Duwei hesitated for a moment and answered slowly.
What did Chris give to Aragon?
What Duwei could think out first was the great strength of Aragon! His powerful martial art as a paladin! His powerful magic as a senior magician.
Both had made Aragon be the top power on the continent! He could kill the most strong enemy warriors in the battlefield, and could defeat the enemy magicians, as well! He was known to be an invincible commander, and millions of soldiers were ready to fight for him to death!
At the same time…… Duwei had a doubt of one thing.
It was….on the historical records…..Aragon always on the countless military expeditions in his life, and seemed to have no injury! When he got old, he had no disease or pain. But he slept to death in one night.
His life was almost perfect.
“In addition to his powerful martial art and magic, did you give him an almost invulnerable body?” Duwei inquired.
“Not exactly, but a body without any fatal weak points.” Chris smiled: “When Aragon left here, I took his heart out from his body. Even after he left, his heart never left this place. So he never got hurt! Even a fatal injury or fatal poison was unable to hurt his heart, because his heart was here with me. ”
There have been convulsions around the mouth and eyes of Duwei!
Heart?
“You will need my heart?” Duwei looked at Chris a little maliciously: “What are you going to do with my heart? Surely you won’t have it for dinner, will you? Fried or grilled?”
“Neither of them. ” Chris did not seem to notice the mock of Duwei, and he just reply calmly: “I still have his heart with me, just for a souvenir. A heart of true king….a heart of King….is there more interesting collection than this?”
Duwei sighed…..it would not be so simple as Chris said, but as he was not telling the truth, he had no way to know the truth.
“Then you only took the heart of Aragon?” Duwei frowned: “Anything more?”
The answer of Chris was simple: “No more, only his heart.”
Looking at the confused eyes of Duwei, Chris added with a smile: “I, personally, made a king and had his heart in my hand….this is the pleasure that you can never imagine, you young noble!”
Duwei sighed.
“Well, what do you want to take from me?” Duwei smiled: “If you want my heart, I am not sure I can agree.”
“No, no, no. One heart of a king as a collection is enough for me. I don’t like to repeat things.” Chris smiled: “Besides….such a long time has passed, and my power is now fading and weakening. I am afraid I can’t give you the same strong ability as Aragon. When Aragon left, he took half of my magic power with him. Otherwise, how a knight could be an excellent magician so easily?”
That was how….Duwei blew a whistle.
“Later, Aragon, that guy, broke the agreement. He did not accomplish the final clause of our agreement. ” Chris shook his head: “So I come to know that having a deal is very risky for me. Even if you do not keep the promise after getting out from here, I can do anything. Because I am a prisoner here, I can’t get out of this island. So, after the experience of deal with Aragon, I came to a conclusion that I will give you the power not at once, but separately in several times .”
“For example?”
“For example, I can let you enjoy a little sweet taste, my dear young noble. After that, you will do what I ask you to do. When accomplished, you come back to me, and I give you a new reward!” Chris said with a sly laugh.
“A sweet taste, can you give me a sweet taste?”
“Whatever you want.” Chris had more wicked face then！
His voice had a strange temptation!
“I can give you everything! Although it can be not so great, but it is enough to make anyone tempted! If you like girls, then I can give you ‘eyes of enchantment ’! So when you stare at any Girl, and she will fall in love with you madly. For example, if you like these two sorceress, then you stare at them, and they will be even willing to show nude dance in front of you! If the girl you like is a saintess who dedicated herself to the God, you just give a look at her, and she will take off her saint cloth to show her body to you.”
Uh…seems to have perturbation in mind……
Duwei sighed….this is indeed a good condition, but not enough to make Duwei agree.
“You know I am a noble, and I think I am not in lack of girls.” Duwei expressed his meaning indirectly: “And I am not so fond of girls.”
“Wel…if you don’t need girls, then I can give you the heart of a dragon. Your current body looks weak…..um, if you have the heart of a dragon, your body will be strong at once! You can gain a great physical strength like a dragon! You will be an invincible warrior! I can also give you a small gift…for example, what allows you to use a small part of the dragon magic.”
Duwei imagined himself with strong muscle….
Oh, forget it….
“I am sorry. I am not interested in the war. The strength does not give me security….in fact, from a historical point of view, a strong warrior plays only the role of subordinate for the true man with power.”
“Then I will give you power.” Chris in deep thought said: “If you like the power, I can give you a heart that can see the mind of others. You can see all disguise of opponent, you can hear the voice from the heart of the opponent! This will let you take superiority in politics….With your clever head, you will be able to become a man of great power soon! ”
“I am a son of the vice-commander of the empire supreme command.” Duwei twitched his mouth: “I am the first successor of the Rawling familiy, and you think I worry about my future position and power? My father will become the empire’s military commander soon, or even the prime minister. I will surely get all these as an inheritance. I am sorry, your proposal can not move my heart. ”
Actually, Duwei was lying.
But Chris have always been on the island, so he could not know that Duwei was deprived of the inheritance right within his family!
Even the powerful and clever man like Chris, thousands of years old monster, got annoyed.
“You young noble! What on earth do you want then!”