The smell of food filled Jason's nose and he realised just how hungry he was. Before entering the forest that morning they had a snack but after all they had done since, Jason felt like it had been years since he had last eaten. With that being the case, Jason couldn't think of anything better than eating the food his mother had prepared. Jason loved his mother's food, it was always brilliant, not once had he left a single crumb on his plate after one of her meals. His father would also occasionally cook, he wasn't terrible at all, but it couldn't match up.
"You found Platinum ore! Are you serious?" Amelina asked with her face stretched wide in surprise.
"Yes," Jason said. He went on to detail all the events of the day, including describing his weird sense, the cave, defeating the ogre alone and finally, the cavern filled with platinum ore. Occasionally Garion would fill in other details, mostly trying to tone down the danger they could have faced. However, from the look on Amelina's face, it wasn't working.
"Hmmm, your father and I might have to have a conversation about our different ideas of what it means to keep a 10-year-old child safe," Amelina said in a harsh tone and an audible gulp came from Jason's father. "For now that can wait, I don't know how much your father has explained to you but discovering a potential platinum mine isn't necessarily a good thing."
"You could even call it a double-edged sword," Garion said with a smirk proud of his terrible pun. This did not get a laugh out of Amelina, who was clearly not in a joking mood, instead, it only got a tired stare.
Jason knew some things about his home, the Libran continent, but not a great deal. His parents hadn't spoken in much detail about the world beyond the village. They were hoping to hold out on that information for as long as possible. They understood he was a Champion, but that was exactly why they could recognise just how much pressure and responsibility he would have to shoulder as he grew older. Jason's parents had agreed with the Goddess Kiara that it would be best for Jason to enjoy his youth until he was 15. At least that way he would have warm childhood memories to fall back on should things get tough. It seemed, however, that Jason himself was eager to push forward and with this latest discovery, they would have to explain at least some of what was going on in the greater world.
His parents then shared a look that was able to carry an entire unspoken conversation. They nodded at each other before turning to Jason. "I think we should tell you a little bit more about the politics of the Libran continent." His father said.
"As you know we live in the Kingdom of Ovar, it is one of the most powerful nations on the continent but in reality, its strength is nothing compared to that of the Ealric Empire. To be honest, no nation on the continent can compare. The Empire, and to be more precise Emperor Ealric himself, maintains this status quo by restricting everything that might bring power to anyone else." As Amelina spoke of the emperor it was clear she held a great deal of hostility towards him, even as she spoke his name she struggled to speak the words without a grimace. "The Empire dictates much of what happens on the continent. The other states are in some ways little more than vassals and spend most of their time appeasing the Empire."
"What do you mean by controlling power?" Jason asked, "Isn't that what all the leaders of nations try to do."
"Yes and no. Usually, leaders focus on growing their own strength, but for the most part, the Emperor is more interested in weakening others. He does it in several different ways... But most pertinently a platinum mine could improve the Kingdom of Ovar's ability to make powerful weapons and increase its strength. If he believed that it could strengthen the Kingdom too much and threaten his own hold on power he might preventively harm the Kingdom to make sure that didn't happen. He isn't known for his kindness, in fact far from it." His mother responded.
"So it may be best to gather the ore while keeping it hidden from the rest of the continent?"
"Sadly even here far from the Empire, I doubt we could keep it hidden like that, however, pretending we never found it and keeping it hidden that way is a definite possibility."
Jason felt that it would be a waste not to make the most of the mine. Not only would he benefit from the mine, but it could also improve the lives of those in the village who at this point were like an extended family to him. At the same time, he wasn't naïve and didn't want to risk harming those he cared about by rushing into it.
"Is there no way to reveal the mine without making the empire angry?"
"It should be possible to position everything so that everyone benefits, but it will be delicate and we will need help." His mother said.
"I know of some people I can trust in the capital. I could reach out and find out what they think. We could likely appease the Empire by gifting them some of the platinum that we mine." His father said. "I suspect as long as we keep the current balance there shouldn't be a problem."
"But that would mean more strangers coming to the village and a greater risk of you being discovered, Jason." His mother interjected now looking straight at Jason with concern in her eyes. "The Emperor is the last person you would want to discover your status as a Champion, he would waste no time in killing you if he found out."
"I take it he is strong then?" Jason asked.
"The strongest." his mother said and his father nodded.
"I don't think I can live in fear. My status won't be hidden forever. Every choice I take when I step out of the house is a risk but with this not only will we gain a lot but so will the rest of the village."
"You are not wrong but I'm still worried about you. You will have a tough life as a Champion, especially on this continent, whatever we do. If this is something you think will help, we can try and support you. But you have to be certain that it is really what you want."
Jason considered it all. From the way his mother and father spoke of this Emperor, he was already slightly afraid of him. He could also feel that this was someone his mother truly despised. Despite occasionally having a bit of a temper, especially when it came to Garion, his mother never wished harm on anyone. So for her to feel this way felt very unusual. It didn't take much for Jason to realise the Emperor must be connected to the past which made his mother so unhappy. Jason was determined to make sure that those who had caused pain to his kind mother paid for their actions. He wasn't strong enough yet, but he felt a renewed desire to become strong and he had a feeling in his stomach that this platinum would help him.
Beyond that, Jason once again thought about the other members of the village. They all lived fairly basic lives, they were happy for sure, but they were always busy living life one meal to the next. He couldn't help but think that it would be wrong to deprive them of the benefits the mine could bring just for his own sake.
"I have just one more question if I wasn't a champion what would you have decided to do?" Jason asked.
Garion and Amelina looked at each other before Garion answered "We would have revealed it and built the mine."
"Then I have made my decision."