I Can Copy And Evolve Talents

Chapter 1325: A Place Like Home

Northern stood before the King, draped in a dashing ceremonial suit. The hall was filled with people—nobles and officials, soldiers and scholars, many who hadn’t attended the war meeting and were seeing him for the first time. Those who had attended were present as well, their expressions carrying something the newcomers lacked: the memory of what he’d promised to do for them.

His mother, Lord, and the students were also present, clustered together near the left side of the hall.

He stood before the dais that led to the King and Queen’s throne seats. Roma and Rieran flanked their parents, the Prince’s expression unreadable, the Princess watching with what might have been curiosity.

Northern slowly lowered himself to one knee and placed his hands on his chest, just as King Ruger rose from his throne and marched forward.

Within himself, he thought about the gesture—and whether his earlier decision to not bow to King Ruger had made any sense to begin with.

He’d been justified in his own mind at the time. After all, it wasn’t something he’d done just to show off his strength. Northern was anything but a rude person.

And he had never seen the need to be pointlessly rude just because he was stronger than almost everyone. Almost—because life was full of surprises.

’Sigh... I guess it indeed is what it is.’

He tried not to think about it too much. His aversion to society—both in this world and the last—hadn’t particularly helped him. If anything, it had left him incapable of making certain societal judgments with any confidence.

No, that wasn’t quite right either. It wasn’t that he was incapable. He just wasn’t confident in himself when it came to how he treated—or how he should treat—other people. There was a difference, though sometimes the difference felt academic.

The King reached Northern’s front, and Commander General Duke Sethran marched forward holding a golden tray, his blue cloak flowing behind him like the wave of an ocean. He stopped beside Northern and offered a peculiar substance to the King.

The King picked it up. It was a mineral—a black stone with a fat cone shape. Cold blue lights glimmered at its peak while dark purple light pulsed at its base, the colors seeming to shift and breathe as Northern watched.

’Ah... and here I thought things couldn’t get more interesting.’

He was so convinced that Ryugan was all about the Aetherium. This changed things.

The King caught the slightly surprised expression on Northern’s face and suppressed a smile.

”This is the Null-stone,” the King said, his voice carrying easily across the silent hall. ”One of the rarest minerals in the world. And our greatest secret.”

Northern studied the stone with renewed interest. The dual-colored glow was unlike anything he’d encountered before.

”Indeed, it is our greatest strength. Most of the buildings in this mountain are created using this stone as their base mineral. It is our greatest defense—it is what makes Ryugan an indestructible city. It is what our ancestors relied upon greatly, and lived by.”

The King drew a heavy breath, and something in his posture shifted. Less formal. More... personal.

”Do you know why I’m offering this to you?”

His voice rang across the entire hall. Everyone was silent, paying attention.

Northern took a keen look at the stone in the King’s hand, then raised his gaze to meet Ruger’s eyes.

”We only share our deepest secrets with those we trust.”

King Ruger smiled—not the practiced smile of a monarch, but something warmer.

”I searched for a while, trying to determine how I could ordain you. Usually, I would need to bestow the grace of my swords upon my subjects.” He drew another breath. ”But you’re not my subject. You’re a man in and of yourself—one who serves no one.”

The King paused, letting the words settle.

”And yet, you have offered to help us in our hour of great peril. Which is why I want to extend a hand of trust and friendship toward you.”

’Oh...’

Northern was lost for words. He certainly hadn’t anticipated that King Ruger would approach it this way. He’d been preparing himself for something formal, perhaps even stilted—the kind of ceremony that demanded rigid participation and little else.

This was different.

The King looked at him and held out his hand.

”Please... Lord Northern. Rise and stand beside me as a friend, while I ordain you as the Archduke of the Kingdom.”

Northern’s mouth fell open slightly. He was frozen for a moment, genuinely caught off guard.

Then he gathered himself, took the King’s hand, and was raised to his feet.

The King placed the Null-stone in Northern’s palm. It was warm—warmer than he expected—and seemed to pulse faintly against his skin. Northern felt the heat spread through his fingers as the King spoke.

”Today, El-Fach, fourteenth, 1767, in the Age of New Heroes—” The King’s voice rose, carrying to every corner of the hall. ”I hereby grant you the nobility of an Archduke, and full power over Ryugan’s military force, thus making you the Supreme Commander of the army.”

As the King’s voice boomed across the hall, several hands came together. The sound started scattered, then built into a massive, thundering applause that echoed off the stone walls. This was immediately followed by the sounds of ceremony—drumrolls and horn calls rolling in military rhythms, exalting the appearance of a new Archduke.

And as far as history was concerned, Northern knew: he was the first Archduke Ryugan had ever had.

***

The celebration that followed was magnanimous.

The streets below the palace bustled with men and women dancing, their arms locked together as they moved in circles and lines. Children ran between them, laughing and playing, darting through the crowd like fish in a stream. Wires of decorations filled the streets—colorful banners and ribbons strung between buildings, catching the light.

It had been such short notice, but the people of Ryugan had clearly poured tremendous effort into the past week to ensure this ceremony never fell short of what it should be.

And Northern, standing on the balcony of the palace—the highest building in the mountain—and overlooking the colorful city below, felt something unexpected settle in his chest.

Gratitude... real, genuine gratitude.

There was also a strange pleasantness in his heart that made Ryugan, at this moment, feel like home. Not just a place he was passing through or a city he’d promised to protect because circumstances demanded it.

It felt like a true home to his heart.

Before, his major reason for all of this had been his need to beat his father’s ass and meet his brothers. That hadn’t changed—it was still there, burning steadily beneath everything else.

But now, looking over Ryugan and feeling himself genuinely falling in love with the city, he couldn’t help but want to protect it.

Truly protect it.

Not because of obligation or strategy.

But because... it was starting to feel like his.