Enslaved by the Crown: The Weakest Slave Has the Strongest Ability

Eldrin turned the first few pages expecting something practical.

Instead, the opening Chapter asked a question.

Where do Pathways come from?

The answer appeared beneath it.

Ancient Myths.

Eldrin read on.

According to the oldest records, there had once been fourteen beings whose deeds were so extraordinary that ordinary people could only describe them as myths.

The stories changed from kingdom to kingdom.

Names were forgotten.

Some cultures worshipped them. Others considered them monsters. A few believed they had never existed at all.

Yet the Pathways remained.

The book then moved to the one Eldrin had awakened.

The Shade Pathway

Its oldest recorded myth was surprisingly simple.

The Man Who Was Never Seen.

According to the legend, he had travelled through kingdoms without ever being witnessed.

Kings had issued orders for his capture.

Armies had searched for him.

Yet nobody had ever seen his face.

Eldrin read the description twice.

"...So that’s the story behind Shade."

The book didn’t claim whether the man had truly existed.

It simply recorded the myth as the oldest known origin associated with the Pathway.

Eldrin continued.

There weren’t actually fourteen identical methods of cultivation.

Each Pathway contained branches.

After an awakening, the practitioner eventually reached a point where they had to choose between three different directions within their Pathway.

That choice shaped the abilities they would develop afterward.

Eldrin paused there.

So even people on the same Pathway might become completely different.

That was useful to know.

The next section explained something more important.

Advancement became progressively rarer.

The survival rate alone was brutal.

First Advancement — 99%

Second Advancement — 50%

Third Advancement — 10%

Fourth Advancement — 2%

Fifth Advancement — 0.1%

Sixth Advancement — 0.01%

Seventh Advancement — One confirmed individual in recorded history.

Eldrin stared at the number for several seconds.

"That’s..."

He slowly turned the page.

The book explained that advancement wasn’t simply a matter of accumulating more mana.

A practitioner had to gain greater control and understanding of the Shade Pathway, gradually grasping its principles.

At the centre of the Pathway were fourteen concepts.

The book called them the Laws of Shade.

Their names had been lost.

He continued reading.

The final section covered mana cultivation.

Apparently, the first requirement was surprisingly mundane.

Privacy.

A newly awakened practitioner needed a secluded place where they could concentrate without interruption. The early stages of mana control were unstable, and accidental manifestations could cause injuries or attract unwanted attention.

...

..

.

Eldrin closed the book.

He looked toward the nearest window.

The sky outside had already turned orange.

He had been reading for hours.

"...Evening already?"

His stomach reminded him that he hadn’t eaten properly since returning.

He stood and stretched.

There was no point going back to restaurant.

Now that he had awakened...

He had a better option.

Learn the magic.

Understand Shadow Step.

Figure out Veil.

Then find somewhere that paid awakened people for what they could do.

A single successful request might earn more than weeks of ordinary labour.

Eldrin returned the book to the shelf.

Tomorrow, he would start practicing seriously.

Tonight...

He needed somewhere secluded first.

....

[POV — Kaiser]

Thousands of people stood across the square.

Their voices had been loud enough to shake the morning air, but the moment the king stepped toward the front of the platform, silence spread through the crowd.

Kaiser stood several paces below the royal platform, dressed in the black uniform of the Elite Guard.

His eyes remained on the surrounding rooftops, the soldiers stationed along the square, the nobles gathered near the front.

Security.

That was his responsibility.

The king raised one hand.

His voice carried across the entire square through the amplification array mounted around the platform.

"For generations, the land of Novaryn has remained one of the most troubled territories of Eldia."

The crowd listened.

"Countless lives were lost during the years of conflict. Brother fought against brother. Lords challenged the crown. Armies crossed the same fields again and again."

Kaiser remained expressionless.

The king continued.

"But today, that Chapter ends."

A roar rose from the crowd.

"The peace between the Kingdom of Eldia and the Kingdom of Maria has finally been established."

Kaiser looked toward the banners hanging above the square.

Eldian flags.

And beneath them, the emblem of the new administration.

The old Novaryn territory had already begun changing hands.

The king spread his arms.

"From this day forward, this land will stand under the protection of the Crown."

Applause thundered through the square.

The king waited before continuing.

"And for his distinguished service to Eldia, his loyalty during the conflict, and his efforts in restoring stability to this region..."

A man stepped forward from among the nobles.

The king smiled.

"I hereby grant the title of Duke of Novaryn to Marquess Edmund Fitzgerald."

The square exploded.

"Long live the King!"

"Long live Eldia!"

"Long live Duke Edmund!"

Kaiser watched Edmund bow deeply before the throne.

The newly appointed duke wore the expression of a man who had just received everything he had ever wanted.

The king raised his cup.

"May peace finally remain upon Novaryn."

Another wave of cheers followed.

Kaiser looked across the square.

Peace.

The word sounded pleasant.

He wondered how many people had to disappear before it could be spoken so easily.

His gaze returned to Edmund.

The new duke was already smiling toward the king.

The king had a talent for arranging people exactly where he wanted them.

Edmund was simply the latest piece.

Kaiser lowered his eyes.

Another puppet.

His thoughts drifted elsewhere.

To a blue eyed boy standing in a foreign kingdom.

A boy carrying the blood of a house that should no longer exist.

Eldrin.

The true successor of Novaryn.

Kaiser had given him two years.

One year had already passed.

He wondered what the boy had done with it.

Are you still running?

A faint smile touched Kaiser’s face.

"Show me something worth believing in, boy."

Because if Eldrin wanted to survive in this world...

He would need to become something far more dangerous than the frightened child Kaiser had found that night.

And if he failed?

Kaiser already knew what would happen.

No one would save him.

Kaiser turned his attention back toward the ceremony.

The king continued speaking.

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