I Became the First Prince

Chapter 259

Bloom in Difficulty (5)

“It’s a soul vow.”

It was a pledge that was made with both parties’ souls as collateral.

“You mean our souls?”

Vincent and the others frowned as they heard the word. It was uncommon to say that a pledge was made at the risk of one’s soul.

There was nothing too strange about it, simply put, the vows of knighthood the knights of today make are not the same as the knightly oaths of past centuries.

Accumulating mana in the heart to achieve great karma and reach a high rank was a terrible process. It could be undermined at any time by the nature of one’s achievements, especially if they were a pretentious mirror of the great acts of the old knights, who did not take promises lightly. Of course, those knights cherished their oaths and lived by them no matter what.

Nevertheless, not all knights spoke the truth or upheld their oaths with their lives. Sometimes, there were those unwilling to undermine their own achievements for greater gain. Still, there were oaths that those without honor could not break: oaths toward a king.

The monarchs of the past used the souls of knights as collateral for their vows, putting shackles on the necks of those who could not be trusted.

“If the promise is broken, those who achieved great karma and spirit lose all of it, and those with low karma and spirit can have their souls damaged.”

Because they could not dare violate their vows, such knights could not cause great harm to humanity. And so, the king bound those who were not trusted and truthful, and he did so with soul vows. Everyone’s faces hardened as they heard my words.

They weren’t afraid of the terrible consequences of breaking their oaths, but they were saddened by it. Their eyes spoke to me: ‘Do I have to do this?’ ‘Wasn’t it enough for us to trust each other?’

Perhaps they thought I did not believe in them because I made them vow their souls as collateral without explanation.

Of course, it was a misunderstanding. I knew that these knights would not betray me and that they would rush into battle with me without any hesitation.

“Do you think everything I said was just words?” Eli asked as he looked at me with a sad face, looking as if I had accused him of something.

Even though Vincent and Carls had different expressions, the emotions they revealed were all the same. They were really easy-to-understand guys, and that’s why I was happy that they existed.

I spoke in a low tone.

“It means that such an effect exists, but I didn’t say it’s the only effect.”

Then, to correct the misunderstanding, I explained to them what a true soul vow was.

“Just because all of you have made pledges with your souls as collateral doesn’t mean that every vow is the same.”

Some oaths were made under coercion, while others were done voluntarily.

In the former eventuality, only one side offers their soul as collateral, while in the latter case, both parties offer their souls in the oath — just like we had done now.

“It isn’t a light matter to bind souls from both parties. For good or bad, or for better or worse, it affects both people. So if one person accumulates bad karma, the other will not be free from its effects and influence.”

“Ah!” Eli exclaimed as he heard my words. Even when the world had forgotten dance poems and treated mana hearts like cheap tricks, the Eli family had consistently insisted on mana hearts and Muhunshi. As their descendant, Eli understood the meaning of my explanation.

However, Vincent and Carls barely understood the workings of Muhunshi, so their faces were still doubt-filled.

“In simple terms, it means that if we do something wrong, his High Highness’s power might be lessened.”

Only after hearing Eli’s explanation did Carls and Vincent’s eyes widen as they realized how vital a soul vow was to a mana heart knight.

“Why take such a risk…”

They had been sad a while ago; now they looked at me with worry. They were nervous about what effect their actions would have on me.

Looking at their faces, I just smiled and said, “I did it because I believe in you.”

Carls trembled as he looked at me. Meanwhile, Bernardo Eli smiled, grinning widely.

However, Vincent’s expression worsened.

“That’s not an answer. I mean, what will your Highness gain by taking such personal risks?”

He even accused me of careless behavior, asking what the real reason was for me taking the risk of making soul vows in the first place.

But I knew I wasn’t acting rashly.

“In the past, the kings gathered the most reliable, the most brilliant, and the most promising knights and shared their souls with them.”

I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, only putting it off due to my lack of ability.

“Therefore, the knights who shared their souls with a king were able to employ more than their own skill, and they gained karma that, alone, they could not dare to accumulate. And those who gained such karma gathered together and reached a higher place.”

The indomitable knight Agnes, the powerful wyvern knights of the Sky Blade’s family, and numerous other knights who followed their king.

“The world called them Templars.”

That was the beginning of the Templars, and they were the most powerful swords and shields humans ever had. I firmly believed that because they were there, humanity was able to win the war against so many different species.

I hoped it would be the same now. I looked at those who stood before me.

Dear Vincent; Bernardo Eli, who was childish but swiftly growing up; Carls, who follows me in a consistent manner, and absent Adelia, who considers my word as truth, and who reassured me more than anyone present.

They were my newly-born knights, the knights who had never ceased to be my pillars.

It would be enough to battle with them, to get through the calamities that have come upon the world, to defeat great enemies that I cannot fight alone — to reach transcendence.

“That’s why I shared in the soul vow with you guys.”

Vincent was silent.

He no longer rebuked me for being frivolous, nor expressed concern about what might happen. He just parted his lips several times, then shut them. The same was true of Carls and Eli: one pretended to be calm, while the other had quietly turned up the tips of his mouth to form an unsightly grin.

Their expressions were different, but their emotions seemed surprisingly similar.

Their faces tried to suppress the overwhelming emotion, but I saw they couldn’t stand it. As I watched them, I was filled with feelings as well.

If others were here, maybe one of the many knights existing in the world could be added, but so great were the Templars before me that I did not see the need to add others.

The title was completely different for the Templars of this era, who have simply been given the name as a knightly order.

Through me, Eli and Adelia will be able to recite verses that are beyond their current karma and spirit. Vincent, Carls, and Arwen will be further enhanced and employed to greater effect during the war.

I, too, will share the burden with them and be able to employ martial arts that cannot be fully used with my current abilities.

And above all else, it was important to know that the karma achieved by the Templars would be evenly extended to all. Of course, knights gathered together by oaths had existed in the past, and they too had achieved great singular karma, sharing in the benefits equally.

In fact, the Wyvern Knights had shared some of the power of [Poetry of the Sky] with Umbert, and the Royal Knights who climbed Mount Seori with the king had made one of the short verses of [Poem of the Dragon Slayer] their own.

What I was hoping for wasn’t much: to make a new dance poem. It would be the first time mana chain knights and mana heart knights are gathered together. For them, existing dance and war poems will be merged into one, and I was about to weave a poem dedicated to the knights. It would be a song sung by Ring Knights and Heart Knights both.

Indeed, it would be a pretty cool poem.

Just by imagining it, my heart started to jump quicker in my breast.

I hoped and hoped that Arwen would return from her mission as soon as possible; we would only be complete when she comes. I laughed as I awaited her coming, joyfully imagining it when-

“The name of the Knights Templar should be the Golden Lion’s Five Fangs.”

I decided not to pour cold water over Eli’s attempt at trying to use his naming skills.

“I think it would be good if the order of the fangs is decided based on skill, with everyone competing and proving their place.”

Thinking that his name sounded satisfactory to me, Eli became even more delusional. He said in a grim tone that the day would come when he would be better than Vincent and Carls.

“When Arwen comes back, we’ll all discuss and decide on a name,” I stated.

“Don’t you like the Five Fangs of the Golden Lion? So how about this — the Five Roaring Lions.”

“If we’re named that, we disband today.”

Eli kept talking, consistently ignoring my words. It was a fact that I had encountered before: Eli was the worst at naming things. I once again prayed for Arwen to return to the fort as soon as possible.

“How about the White Lion Knights? There are Golden Lions, Gifted Lions, Iron Lions, but no White Lions. The name means lions roaring on a rugged snowfield, but there are other meanings …”

Eli, the ever-talkative one, always grew quieter in Arwen’s presence. So, I eagerly waited for her to return from her mission, meanwhile directing Vincent to take over the contracting and organization of the newly arrived mercenaries.

“I’ll have to take a look at many documents again.”

Vincent soon became buried in a pile of papers. It disgusted him, but he didn’t tell me he was the wrong person for the job. Thanks to his vigilant labors, which took many days, five hundred mercenaries were finally reborn as soldiers of the kingdom.

From among them, I selected those with great potential, separated them, and made them knight candidates. I let Eli train them. Hansen, who had gained his family’s tradition thanks to me, lived and trained with them.

Three more weeks passed. The rampage of the monsters that had swept over the kingdom had been settled, and urgent information requests no longer flew to the fort. The stronghold regained its tranquility, and only the screams and spirits of Hansen and five hundred mercenaries echoed through it.

And then, the next thousand mercenaries who had passed through the border reached the fort. This time, Eli went out to welcome them in my stead.

“Welcome to the Land of Knights, the Kingdom of Leonberg.”

I quickly sorted out the mercenaries while Eli mimicked my greeting without changing a single word. Again, nearly half of the mercenaries were sent away from the fort.

They were soon followed by Adelia and the rangers. A few days later, wagons full of weapons and ragged mercenary banners arrived. Adelia, in bloody clothes, returned with the hard-faced rangers.

“I come home from my mission!”

Adelia’s report was as it had been before, and I patted her on her shoulder, pleased that she had been working hard. And soon after Adelia’s return, a visitor came to the fort.

“Okay. What are you doing in the kingdom?” I greeted the guest, growling, my face set in a sneer. She was an unwelcome guest to me.

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