As soon as he finished speaking, every royal knight behind him lowered their heads, followed by the priestesses standing behind Aiden; they couldn’t keep their heads up when the prince’s escort bowed.
The entrance of the Eastern Church became completely silent.
Because of the presence of a member of the royal family, the street was practically empty. The royal guards had cleared the area as soon as the carriage arrived; still, people could watch from afar.
Aiden looked at the Crown Prince in surprise. He was a little surprised when he bowed the first time, but right now it was getting a little too much, no matter how grateful he was.
’Isn’t a member of the royal family supposed to be proud, especially a Crowned Prince?’
[I told you the position of the Head Priest matters a lot; you could get on the council and make decisions that affect the entire kingdom if you want]
’This way I can get what I want without much effort’
Aiden walked towards the prince, stopping just inches away, and bowed his head with a small smile on his face.
"Your Highness, there is no need to thank me. As the new Head Priest of the Elaris Theocracy, protecting the people of this kingdom is my duty. I did what any priest in my position would have done," Aiden replied with his head still tilted downward.
The prince slowly shook his head. "No, Your Holiness. You did far more than your duty; if it wasn’t for me, I would not be alive today"
’That is true, but at the same time, you almost died due to my incompetence. If the prince had died, I wonder what would have happened? Now’s not the time for that; I need to get him inside and discuss’
"The goddess simply guided my steps," Aiden spoke, sounding humble.
"Praise the goddess of light and her many blessings," The prince spoke, interlocking his fingers as he looked towards the sky and then back at Aiden.
"Still, I heard once you arrived, it was then my life was saved; your presence alone gave hope to the king and the entire kingdom," The prince spoke.
Aiden scratched the side of his cheek as he studied the prince. When the prince started praising him, he knew he was simply grateful, but now it was turning into something else.
"I was simply fortunate enough to know what I was dealing with," Aiden replied. "You must be tired from your travels; you should come inside. We have prepared..."
"Ohh, I’m sorry, Your Holiness, but I didn’t come to stay," the Crown Prince said with an apologetic smile.
"I came to thank you, but also to pick you up under my father’s request. His Majesty wishes for you to inspect the rest of the refugees that were brought into the capital."
’Shit, so this is the main reason the prince came over. I thought I was supposed to do that on my own time. The lust system is still in effect, and without the healing system I can’t possibly check the refugees for anything’
[The system switch is still irregular, so I have no idea when or if it’s going to switch, but I can already force switch it if you want?]
’Why would I want that? It’s just going to increase the system instability... You still don’t know what caused the system to stabilize a little; I don’t think increasing the instability is the best course of action’
[So you’ll reject your duties, you do know it’s coming for the king, and it’s concerning the entire kingdom, you can’t really dodge it, and if you’re not careful they might start to think you’re the spy in the kingdom]
’Don’t you have anything good to tell me? My day is fucked’
Aiden gave a small nod followed by a smile, "I understand."
"The refugees have already been gathered in one place. Among them may still be people under the control of the Draken Empire"
"I understand. If you’re ready, we should leave immediately," Aiden spoke, even though it was uncertain he couldn’t push it any longer, as he had no idea when the system would kick in; all he was hoping for now was for the healing system to take over before they arrived.
The prince turned towards the carriage with a smile, and the guards immediately took their positions, returning to their carriage.
Aiden turned around towards the princesses; now Miraleth and Anna were out of the bath, and all the princesses were now in front of the church.
He didn’t count the last time he was here, but now, looking at them, he could count over 30 of them, and since the Head Church had been destroyed, maybe some of the princesses came over here; that was his conclusion.
"I’ll leave the church in your care until I return," Aiden said, speaking to Ella, who was the oldest among them.
Ella bowed respectfully before speaking, "Please don’t worry, Your Holiness. Everything will be taken care of."
Without saying anything else, Aiden walked towards the royal carriage alongside the Crown Prince. One of the royal knights opened the carriage door, and the prince stepped inside first, with Aiden following after him.
The inside of the carriage was far larger than he expected. This was his second time in a carriage, and he could spot the difference between this and Lord Lucian’s carriage.
Soft cushions covered both sides, while a small wooden table sat between the seats. The windows were covered by thin white curtains that allowed sunlight to enter without making the carriage too bright.
The prince sat at the other edge close to the window, while Aiden sat close to the door, as it was close behind him, leaving just the two of them inside.
A moment later, the carriage slowly began moving.
For a short while, neither of them spoke. The only sound inside was the sound of the horses pulling the carriage through the streets of the capital.
’Do you know how much of an increase forcing the system would cause?’ Aiden asked, as that was the main thing on his mind.
[I still have no idea, but I don’t think it’ll be enough to put your life in danger. Given how little the Instability decreased, I estimate it won’t rise by more than two or three percent]
’But it’s just an estimate, right? Let’s hope the system kicks in before then. I haven’t gone far enough, and there are still so many things to do in this world; I can’t have my life cut short’
[We just have to hope for the best]
Aiden let out a quiet sigh, ’Great... That makes me feel so much better.’
He leaned back against the soft seat and looked out the window. He didn’t notice before, but soldiers stood at almost every corner, while groups of workers were clearing broken carts and damaged buildings left behind by yesterday’s battle.
People around stopped what they were doing whenever they noticed the royal carriage passing. Some bowed their heads, while others simply watched from a distance.
The Crown Prince noticed Aiden staring out the window and spoke, "The capital still has a long way to go before it fully recovers."
Aiden nodded, continuing the conversation, "The damage was greater than I expected; I was simply lucky enough to survive"
"Thank the goddess," the prince replied quietly.
"Many families lost their homes, and many more lost their loved ones. Rebuilding the city will take some time, but we can do it little by little. The main problem remains: we still have no idea why the Draken Empire took such a big risk. I mean, it paid off a little as they got the Head Church, but they lost a considerable amount of military strength in the process"
Aiden didn’t know what to reply and simply kept quiet, acting like he was in deep thought after what the prince said. Silence filled the carriage once again, but after a few moments, the prince spoke.
"Your Holiness, there is something else I wished to discuss before we arrive."
Aiden turned towards him. "What is it?"
"My father instructed me to ask what reward you desire."
Aiden raised an eyebrow but remained silent. This was what he thought the prince was coming to ask, as he didn’t raise the question; Aiden didn’t want to seem greedy by asking for a reward.
"You saved the life of the Crown Prince of the Elaris Theocracy," the prince continued. "That isn’t something the royal family can simply repay with words. If there is anything within our power, His Majesty is willing to grant it; he told me to pass it on to you"
Aiden rested one arm on the side of the carriage before replying, "Anything?"
The prince nodded with a smile, "As long as the Royal family has the capacity to provide it, it will be done."
Aiden smiled faintly and then turned towards the prince, "In that case... I do have one request."
The prince’s expression brightened; he wanted Aiden to request something, that way the royal family wouldn’t be in debt to the new Head Priest.
"Please, go ahead." The prince spoke.