"Since you have realised your mistake, there is no need to punish you. However, I do hope that this does not happen again."
Kyros' gentle voice filled the entire room as he replied to the red haired cadet. He wanted to reassure the elf that he truly holds no hostile feelings towards him. The king understood that the defeat of the sparring match must've been hard enough on him already.
Orion's eyes widened upon hearing the king's kind words. He quickly bowed his head back down.
"Yes, Your Majesty. Thank You, Your Majesty."
The trainee felt grateful that the king of Aekodora had let him off so easily.
Kyros nodded and then glanced over at Fachnan, the Administrator of Justice. The smile didn't leave his lips as he continued on speaking, just now addressing Orion's father.
"Hmm… I suppose I should first present to you all of my reasons for keeping Neoma here and letting him train under my protection."
The king's eyes moved away from the red haired elf and landed on the only human in the royal palace.
"Neoma. Tell everyone here about your first day here. About your situation, your memories, your power."
He continued to speak in a gentle voice.
Of course, Neoma wasn't planning on opposing the king's order. Even though it sounded more like a request, you can't ever deny doing something the king wishes you to, unless you are ready to forsake everything in life.
Neoma knew that Kyros wasn't like that. He wouldn't just kill him because he refused to do as he was told. However, he wasn't planning or experimenting with his own life and well being.
The human slowly nodded and looked around the ballroom, glancing at everyone who had gathered to decide his fate.
"A few weeks ago, I woke up in the Forest of the Crescent Moon. I had no memories. I knew some basic fundamental things about this world, like magic and how some systems work. However, that was about it. I could only remember my name.
"I also couldn't remember whether I had any powers. Who knows, maybe I had them before, or I gained them when I suddenly appeared in the Forest of Crescent Moon. However, the former is highly unlikely. I have no muscle memory of fighting or using anti-magic."
A small sigh escaped past Neoma's lips as he recalled his first day in Airi, the world of "The Elven Hero", to the nobles and administrators with their invited guests.
"Furthermore… The day that the capital got attacked, the only thought I had in my mind was: 'I need to protect them. I need to save them. The golden shield will break. People will die.' That is when suddenly that dark power came out of my hands and the shield appeared."
Kyros slowly nodded as he continued to listen to the human, confirming that everything he is saying is the truth and what he had also heard from before.
However, Fachnan was still unhappy with Neoma and his words weren't enough to convince him.
"And? You could be lying about all of this."
Fachnan quickly chimed in, a deep frown present on his face.
"Sir, I swear, I am not lying. His Majesty and the princess of Aekodora can both confirm this. The princess was the one who found me and brought me back."
A small sigh escaped past Neoma's lips as he replied to the administrator's accusations.
'He's so annoying. How would some human even dare to lie in front of the king? Well… I guess I am indeed lying about some parts.'
The youth thought as he glanced over at Kyros.
'Sigh. If we continue like this, this will surely lead to my death or me getting exiled… Or would it be deported?... I guess there is no other way to do this but this.'
"Your Majesty, I understand that people won't just trust my words blindly. I have been reading a lot of books recently and… I found out that people can make an oath directed to one of the gods. I wish to do so. I wish to make a promise in front of a god. Would that be possible?"
Neoma asked with a gentle smile on his face.
The people around him started to whisper to each other again while Juno glanced down at his student, but didn't say anything.
Everyone understood what such an oath can do. When people make a promise under a god's gaze, they cannot break it. If they do, they'll have to suffer until they die, or the god won't wait for anything and just quickly finish them off.
Neoma was hoping that Kyros would agree to this. After all, the king was a blessed of the God of Fire. He couldn't hear the god's voice, but he could sense it whenever He had cast His gaze on him.
'This whole situation is quite ironic. A blessed of the God of Fire fights against the Church of Inferno who worship the God of Fire.'
The human couldn't help but scoff inwardly as he thought about the main plotline of "The Elven Hero".
Kyros took a few seconds before he replied to Neoma's request.
"Hmm… Yes. I believe that it will be possible. When do you wish to make this oath?"
The king asked with a smile on his face.
"As soon as possible, Your Majesty. I also wish to make the promise in front of everyone."
Neoma bowed as he asked Kyros. He wanted to get rid of everyone's doubts in him. It was getting annoying how no one believed the king or the princess of Aekodora.
"Yes. The God of Fire is currently watching us. Let's perform the ritual as fast as possible. We don't want Him to cast His gaze away from us while we're wasting time."
The human nodded, agreeing to the king's words. That's when Juno suddenly placed his hand on Neoma's shoulder, making his student glance up at him.
"You don't have to make this oath if you don't want to. There's no need to make those elves believe you. It's enough for His Majesty, Her Highness, and I to trust you."
The dark haired elf spoke with a slight frown on his face.
'Huh? I don't have to?'
Neoma was left speechless for a few seconds before he was able to reply to Juno's words. A smile formed on his lips.
"It's alright, sir. I can't let them keep disrespecting His Majesty just because they want to."
The youth then looked back towards Kyros as Juno pulled his hand away from his shoulder with a deep sigh.
"I am ready, Your Majesty."
Kyros nodded before ordering the guests.
"Everyone, except for Neoma, step back."
The nobles and administrators did as they were told to and watched their king and the human with eyes full of curiosity and worry. After all, that white haired human will be indirectly communicating with a god.
And it wasn't just any god. It was the God of Fire, the one which elves despised most because of fires' destructive nature.
Kyros put his hands together by spreading his fingers apart and just connecting the tips of them together, keeping the palms apart. This was the praying hand gesture that the believers of God of Fire used whenever they prayed.
The king closed his eyes and began to quietly pray in a language unknown to Neoma. A few seconds in, a ring of fire appeared around the human. The fire wasn't large. The flame was small and looked peaceful as it had surrounded Neoma.
"You may begin."
Kyros opened his eyes and smiled at Neoma as he spoke. He kept holding his hands together.
Neoma would be lying if he'd say that he wasn't nervous. You can never know how any type of communication with a god may end. That's why most people refused to ever make an oath in front of a god.
The youth took a small breath in as he tried his best to calm himself down.
After a few seconds of his hands shaking, he raised his left hand up and gently pressed it against his chest, right above his heart.
The youth opened his mouth, ready to speak. He couldn't waste any of his precious time. He didn't wish to offend a mighty being.
"I, Neoma, am making an oath under the gaze of the God of Fire and with the king of Aekodora, Kyros, bearing as the main witness.
"I swear on my health, my life, and my death.
"I will never harm His Majesty and his followers.
"I will never harm anyone or anything precious to him.
"I will punish those who disrespect His Majesty.
"I will never do anything to Aekodora which will result in the kingdom's downfall or loss of prosperity.
"If need be, I will protect Aekodora while standing on the king's, Kyros', side.
"I wish for the God of Fire to accept this oath and punish me if I ever break any of my promises."
Neoma let out a small shaky breath.
"Praise the Pyromaniac."
Just as Neoma finished saying the words of the oath making ritual, he heard a deep man's voice in his mind.
'Interesting… Fascinating! Amusing even, hahaha!'