Seated on a throne completely made of gold, with the statues of Lions attached to either side of it, he looked down at Sage Vyasa, who was kneeling on one leg.
Golden blond hair, emerald-like red eyes, and a sharp gaze that would pierce through everything.
Adoring various valuable ornaments and a gorgeous golden crown with three red diamonds, he looked very imposing and dignified.
It was none other than Bindusara Maurya, the current Emperor of the great Mauryan.
He was the absolute ruler of the great Mauryan and a being who is considered akin to the sky in the empire.
Currently, in front such being in the royal court was Sage Vyasa was kneeling on one leg to show his respect to the Emperor.
It has been 17 days since the Emperor's messenger delivered the royal edict to Sage Vyasa and invited him to the Royal Palace.
The Travel was smooth as they were accompanied by the Royal Escorts who were second to none in the whole empire.
Under the protection of royal escorts, Sage Vyasa and his family were escorted to the capital with the utmost respect and hospitability, and today, he was summoned in front of the Emperor for official matters.
'I know he is the emperor, but the pressure he gave off is no joke'
Even for Sage Vyasa, who was an 8th-class grand magician, it was hard to dismiss.
Sage Vyasa lowered his head and placed his right hand on his chest and greeted the Emperor with respect.
"Glory to the great Mauryan, Long live the Emperor"
He slightly gazed at the emperor who was nodding toward his greetings.
He had deep Red eyes which shone like emerald and blond hair that symbolized the Royal family, with a well-built body and his natural charism, the emperor looked as imposing as he should be.
'So that's the emperor', thought Sage Vyasa as he stood up.
It was no hidden matter among the public about how the current emperor Bindusara Maurya rose to the throne.
In fact, it was actually quite popular.
He is an Emperor who seized the throne by eliminating all his competitors.
Even though he was the 6th prince, he occupied the throne by killing all his brothers and sisters and crowned himself while his clothes were still drenched in blood.
And he didn't rest even after his coronation, he slaughtered all the children of the previous emperor, except the 9th prince and the 11th princess who renounced their right to the throne.
Everyone else was slaughtered without mercy.
He did not even leave the illegitimate children thinking that they might become obstacles for him in the future.
The incident was so shocking that it was still a topic of discussion among the commoners, of course, they didn't dare to utter any of this in front of the officials but it was a different story behind their backs.
And that's how Bindusara Maurya got the title...
'Heartless Emperor.'
Sage Vyasa stood with his back drenched in a cold sweat looking at the emperor, that's how much pressure he was excluding.
'Even though I, myself is an 8th class mage, I can't help but shudder at his Aura'
It was like he was telling Sage Vyasa that he is just an ant that he could crush at any time.
Though Sage Vyasa felt displeased at such pleasure, he endured as he was not the only one who was present in court.
The Prime minister, the mind of the great Mauryan, and the strongest among the seven sages, the Sage of Wisdom, Chanakya was seated in a position bit lower than the emperor.
Minister of wealth and Sage of Decisiveness, Kashyap Brahma was seated to his right.
One of the three Dukes of the Empire, Mir Khan was present to his left.
and many more powerful figures were present in the court with their gazes directed at Sage Vyasa.
At this movement, Vyasa was relieved that he left his daughter and wife in the residential area, if not, they might have collapsed under the pressure of such strong beings.
"Sage Vyasa"
The emperor began his speech and silence downed in the hall.
"I have heard a great deal about your deeds and powers, Sage Vyasa. Despite coming from a common background, you have worked hard and have reached heights that should have been impossible without any support"
Sage Vyasa, from the origin, was not a Nobel.
Grown from a humble common origin, he was just a brahman from a remote village.
All his achievements and powers were purely the results of his hard work and talent.
He had worked very hard to rise to be an 8th-circle mage, despite the lacking resources that he could access.
It was indeed an outstanding achievement that he was able to grow this strong.
"I am honored that you think so highly of me, your majesty"
But despite all that, he was still humble.
"There is no need to be modest, you have earned it with your own effort"
"In recognition of your service to the empire till the movement and your achievements, I, Bindusara Maurya, the Emperor of the great Mauryan will bestow upon you the title of Sage of Diligence, thus you shall be respected as one among the 7 sages of the Mauryan, and henceforth I pronounce you as the new master of the 7th magic tower, Does any of you present here have any objections?"
No one spoke up, so the emperor continued.
"Since no one has any objections, I will ask you directly, Sage Vyasa, do you accept this position?"
The Emperor glared at Sage Vyasa as he asked that.
Sage Vyasa was also overjoyed, who would reject the glory of being one of the seven sages of the great Mauryan? it meant that he would be officially on the sage level as the Sage of Wisdom, Chanakya.
He couldn't be happier.
"I will humbly accept the grace, your majesty"
He bowed respectfully to the emperor.
"Then it is decided, you shall take up the position as the new master of the 7th magic Tower in the capital as soon as possible, all preparations needed for your stay will be made in the magic tower itself, Sir Chanakya, please take care of any further matters"
The Emperor talked his mind and instructed the Prime minister, Chanakya to oversee any further needs of Sage Vyasa.
"I shall do as you desire"
Chanakya replied with a calm demeanor.
With that, the matters regarding placing Sage Vyasa as the 7th magic Tower's Master came to end and they continued further discussion regarding various concerning issues.
Duke Mir was the first to rise.
"You majesty, lately there has been an intel of rebel army gathering around the Taxila province....."
As the court continued with serious matters, Sage Vyasa was busy admiring the Sage of Wisdom, Chanakya with shining eyes.
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