"I understand…"

King Claudius Randalorion, mighty ruler of the entire Randalorion Kingdom, finds himself lowering his head to the man in front of him.

However, there is not even an ounce of shame in his heart.

In fact… what he feels is relief.

Even though Javier Aditi is a Leviathan, he doesn't appear to be malignant. He also isn't unreasonable, considering how he still adheres to the customs and laws of the land.

Most importantly, he isn't after the throne or leadership rights of the Kingdom.

'If all he wants is to see his preferred candidate become King, as well as have access to the Royal Vault, then there's no problem…' After all, King Claudius is well aware that for Leviathans, these things can easily be accomplished on their own.

Javier asking him about them can be considered a mere formality.

'Seeing as he is able to freely move through space and easily spot all my arrangements, it won't be difficult for him to locate the Royal Vault and have access to it. He could also easily kill me and the other princes, leaving only Claus as the King. There would be nothing any of us can do about it if he chose that extreme route, but instead, he seeks my cooperation…' These relieving thoughts help the King to feel a great sense of ease.

As long as he cooperates, everything will turn out well.

Poor Claudius.

He has no idea how Leviathan Conceptions actually work. If he did, he would be able to easily spot Javier's limitations and put more thought into his decisions.

For one, Javier cannot travel to where he hasn't been whenever he uses Tracing.

His instant travels at Rank 1 are also restricted to wherever he has been within a single day.

He can't travel beyond that.

Even with his other Fragmented Conceptions, Frontflow and Clairvoyance, finding the Royal Vault on his own would be next to impossible for him. It is actually Javier who needs the Royal Family and is in desperate need of assistance.

However, because of his ignorance, the King considers himself lucky to be used like this.

"For your first wish, that is no problem. I will make this known to my children as early as possible. Some preparations will have to be made to protect Claus and secure his authority, but I will move as quickly as possible and choose him as my heir. As for your second wish… when would you like to explore the Royal Vault?"

"Tonight."

"O-okay! I will have to explain to the Special Elders first, but I am certain that it shouldn't take any time at all."

"Very well. Get on it, then."

"Okay…" King Claudius slowly rises to his feet, bowing lightly before taking his leave.

Javier Aditi merely watches him, sipping his wine with absolute calmness.

"Haa…"

Once the King leaves the dining area and is a sufficient distance from Javier, he stops and heaves a heavy sigh while shutting his eyes. The pressure within that room was overwhelming, almost too much for him to bear.

However, as soon as he opens his eyes, he sees Javier appear right in front of him.

"Matter of fact… I changed my mind." Javier smiles casually at him, almost as if he hasn't just appeared out of thin air. "Why don't we go meet them together?"

King Claudius is only silent for a moment, a stunned expression etched on his face as he slowly nods his partly trembling head.

"O-okay…"

*****************

And just like that, I have successfully accomplished my goals!

The third prince is the most controllable of the three princes, and all the disadvantages that come with siding with him have been eliminated now that the King will personally be showing him more support.

I could have let the King handle the talk with the elders himself, but there's no way I would allow such a discourse about me to happen without my awareness.

If I could easily switch between Conceptions, I would have used Clairvoyance to follow the King and spy on his conversations with the Elders, but since that isn't possible, I might as well follow him and talk to them myself.

If they need convincing, I'll simply use Tracing and my other Leviathan perks to impress them.

Moments later, and that's exactly what I did.

After using Tracing in a few ways, displaying my ability to travel through space unhindered, without leaving any Trace Elements behind, even the elders now have no choice but to accept my existence as a Leviathan.

They even fall to their knees prostrate before me!

This is a big deal!

For people of their status, bowing is the greatest level of reverence they can show to anyone who isn't the King. Even Dukes and Princes can only receive deep bows. Kneeling before someone other than their King is considered treasonous, yet the ten of them show no hesitation in displaying such reverence to me.

In fact, the moment King Claudius sees this happening, he also attempts to fall to his knees, but I quickly beckon to him and tell him it isn't necessary.

'If I knew I was such a big deal from the start, I would have done this sooner…' Although this thought appears in my mind, I also recognize that things couldn't have gone this smoothly if it were the me of the past.

For one, thanks to my Grade 3 Potions, I can better use my Conceptions without feeling as exhausted or hungry as I used to. Also, it's only because of information gotten from the third prince and first prince that I could have learned of the Royal Family's disposition towards me.

Finally, by destroying Count Kaelen's manor all by myself, I have shown just how much of a threat I can be to those who defy me.

All of these have contributed to the King's perception of me, and this has also trickled down to the ten elders. They fear me more, and their respect for me has only intensified.

Also, because I haven't crossed any major line and I haven't shown any malicious intentions, they can accommodate my existence, and I can feel somewhat assured of my safety. With these little details sorted out, it's smooth sailing from here on out.

The elders naturally accede to my visit to the Royal Vault and even offer to accompany me.

King Claudius already explained who these people are, and since they are from special families who have devoted themselves to the study of Leviathans, they'll be useful to have around.

As such, I agree to bring them with us.

And so, all twelve of us travel underground, reaching the core depths of the Royal Palace.

Using all ten keys of the elders and the master key of the King, the grand door to the Royal Vault opens, and I am greeted by a vast room that is almost as large as the Royal Palace itself.

The place is filled with countless treasures and resources, one that I cannot begin to describe.

Special Resources of all kinds of qualities dwell here.

Materials are surplus.

Luxurious items are bountiful.

So this is the true foundation of the Royal Family.

Naturally, I keep a stoic expression and try my best to appear unimpressed, but I am so very giddy inside. With the many eyes on me, it wouldn't bode well for my reputation if I were to be moved by such things.

As a Leviathan, my disposition ought to be haughty.

I am beyond the scope of these mortals—this is how I have to act for my spectators.

It's the best way to cover up my weakness and have them overestimate me through their overactive imaginations.

I am led deeper into the Royal Vault, where the quantity of materials in sight drastically reduces, but the quality sharply increases. At some point, I begin to see Armaments of B Grade, and I also witness Grade 4 Potions in abundance, as well as a few Grade 5 ones.

All of these represent the vast wealth of the Royal Family, something I would never have been able to conceive in my past life.

After passing all of these rooms, we finally reach the final item on the list before one more door.

This item has the appearance of a sword.

It is an A Grade Armament.

'The Randalorion Kingdom's ultimate weapon, huh?' I smile, keenly observing the golden spear with a shrewd gaze. 'If I'm not careful and I get hit by this stuff, I'll likely be eviscerated, with not even a speck remaining from me.'

I bury my nervous gulp with a sneer, quickly dismissing the treasure as I cast my gaze on the door before us.

The King and elders notice my lack of interest in the spear and heave a sigh of relief.

Did they think I would take it away or something?

To be honest, the temptation did come to me.

In fact, not only for this Armament, but for the other treasures here. So many Potions and Special Resources are stored here, and they honestly hold very high value.

If I could have them…

But no.

I can't lose out on large profits in the pursuit of small gains.

Right now, uncovering the mysteries of the Leviathans comes first. As expensive as those other things are, I cannot be too distracted by them.

At least, not right now.

'If I need Armaments or Potions, maybe I could use my connections to retrieve them later. I could also try using Tracing to sneak back in here, but this place undoubtedly has surveillance systems in place, and since I have already exposed Tracing to them, I'll be the biggest suspect.' I sigh, quickly dismissing the idea.

I have already shown myself to be a cooperative Leviathan.

It won't bode well if I start stealing from the Royal Family at this point.

Besides, I shouldn't be too greedy.

I still haven't finished absorbing Count Kaelen's total wealth and the total accumulations of the Dark Guild's branch in the Randalorion Kingdom.

The amount of resources I'll obtain from that venture alone should last me a long time.

I don't need to start looking for even more wealth just yet.

The ten elders move ahead and use another set of keys, while the King uses his same masterkey, once again opening the special door which leads to the Hidden Vault.

—My target destination.

"Here is all the resources we have managed to obtain over the years that are related to Leviathans…" The elders begin to explain as they take me around the relatively small, but grandly designed room.

The entire hall appears to be an ancient structure designed hundreds of years in the past, yet it has managed to maintain its glorious lustre.

As I walk through the room, seeing armor and Potion vials with leftover liquid in them, as well as deformed skeletons, preserved body parts, and so on, I calmly listen to the elders recount the history of the Randalorion Kingdom to me.

Just as I suspected… a Leviathan was responsible for the Randalorion Kingdom's founding.

But even I could not have guessed who it was.

"Sir Arthur Snow is regarded as the Kingdom's first knight and the right-hand man to the first King, but the truth is that he was the Leviathan who founded the Randalorion Kingdom all those centuries ago. The first King was only appointed by him, and through the passing of history, the facts became distorted over time."

"So how did you know of these true facts?" I ask solemnly, my gaze flickering with interest.

"The First King kept a secret journal which detailed these events. We later found some texts from Sir Author Snow as well, which corroborated these facts. They are right over here…"

I follow them and observe the pieces of parchment locked behind the transparent glass. Despite being dated back centuries, the parchments appear to be in excellent condition. This isn't very surprising, since technology to preserve such documents has existed since before the Current Era. It's how we know so much about what happened even thousands of years before now.

As I compare the two writings, something quickly becomes evident to me.

The first King's journal is easy enough to understand.

The same goes for all the writings of the past Kings who came after him.

Although the writings are ancient, they're still in the local Randalorion language. I studied this in the Academy, so I have no problem comprehending them.

It is indeed as the elders say.

'The Randalorions aren't special at all. They've been the pawns of Leviathans throughout the years… doing their bidding and keeping silent on their activities.' I sigh deeply as I contemplate even broader matters.

Does this mean that other Kingdoms operate in the same way?

Most likely.

Behind the kings, conquerors, and emperors are the supreme rulers of the world.

—The Leviathans.

'The Leviathans that have appeared throughout the centuries have either been beneficial to the Kingdom's development or malignant. I'm guessing these elders and King Claudius are hoping that I can be the former.'

If the Randalorion Kingdom has a Leviathan serving as its protector, then resisting the likes of Zarius—evil deities that spread chaos and have plans that jeopardize the Kingdom—will no longer be an impossible challenge.

A wry smile forms on my face as I consider my situation.

Am I really strong enough to be considered as something so grand like a protector? Maybe against fellow Rank 1 Leviathans, I can be a deterring force.

But what about Rank 2?

Rank 3?

It's hard to say how effective I will be against other Leviathans when I am currently at the bottom of the food chain.

'But… It is better for me if they think this way.'

I laugh to myself.

I will be able to extract more benefits from them, and they will be more than willing to part with precious things if it means I will serve as their guardian. By reading through these old King's accounts, it appears that they're more than willing to bow to the Leviathans and hearken to any of their demands if it means they will render help.

This explains the cooperative behavior I have gotten from both the king and his elders.

But all of these things only pertain to one facet of my discovery—the writings of the past kings.

The problematic part comes when I try to decipher the records left behind by the founding Leviathan!

At first, the language appears in the Randalorion tongue, but it changes abruptly after a few pages, and I am no longer able to comprehend it. Even after asking the elders, there doesn't seem to be a solution in sight—especially since they also cannot understand any of it.

It's clearly written in another language.

Damnit!

I have a feeling these writings are the most important part of this founding Leviathan's journal, maybe the most important thing in this entire vault, but I can't decipher them at all.

Left with no other choice, I have to move ahead and observe other documentations.

I even see an excerpt taken from the Rites of Exaltation.

"They are as gods among men—rightful heirs to the world of which we must never learn.

Arbiters of light.

Seekers of truth.

Exemplars that embody depths of the Aego beyond sight.

Leapers through the frames of prevalence. Ones who Conjure the laws and Cast away existence.

Harbingers of all that ever will be… governors of the things which we cannot see.

Only they drink from the everlasting waters of the primordial cup.

Tribute be given to the Leviathans—the ones who move the world."

After reading those words aloud, I feel a stirring within me, my body shuddering at a profound realization.

Seekers of truth… isn't that referencing the Seeker Pathway?

Exemplars that embody the depths… that is the Exemplar Pathway.

Leapers through the frames of prevalence… that is the Leaper Pathway.

Harbingers of all that will ever be… the Harbinger Pathway.

Then… what about the others?

There are six Pathways in total, right? They are certainly hidden somewhere within this excerpt!

'So it was like this…' My eyes widen at the profundities of the text. 'The Rites of Exaltation are genuine—they hold secrets of Leviathans!'

Unfortunately, I can barely unravel anything at my current level.

But this has given me a spark of inspiration.

"I am sure you have Zarius' corpse—or, at the very least, his possessions—within this place." I turn to the elders, watching as they show some surprise before finally nodding their heads.

'Even if I can't read the words of the founder, Zarius should hold some clues of his own…'

My thoughts flow rapidly as I feel a trepidation of excitement in my chest.

Then, I smile.

"Good. Show me everything."

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