The Sins

by Pegaz A

  In England, they crown royal members who become king or queen inside a church. But there is no religion I’ve come across in this universe. I’m interested to see the crowning ceremony and even the prince’s face.

  While scanning, John recognised a few faces he had seen back when he was mortal. Among them were the likes of SSS Ranked Rachael and David. They hadn’t changed much since he last saw them eighteen years ago. David had gotten a little pudgy with grey hair showing, and Rachael had a few wrinkles and grey hairs, too. They were standing inside the palace with fifteen other people; John thought the new king might be among those people. Everybody in the group was wearing armour and weapons, so they must have been guards.

  What time does the coronation start, anyway? I only heard it’s today, but it could start an hour from now or eight hours from now.

  And so, John lay there waiting, rather than move closer to the palace.

  At noon sharp, the palace doors sprung open with Rachael on the left and David on the right. The two walked down the steps as the ceremony began, not walking on the red carpet. Seven other men and women followed them on each side, walking off the carpet, too. On each side, the eight men and women turned to face the carpet and did a military salute.

  John was in for the shock of his life.

  The one person he didn’t expect to even be there was walking on the red carpet down the stairs between the sixteen people. He was wearing a shiny adventurers armour, too. John saw him with the people inside the palace a few hours ago but assumed he was a guard. The man, who was even larger than Jeremy now, was the chubby guy he met in the training course in Newbie Town. John recalled meeting him again outside the cave of Tim McNeil’s after it collapsed.

  That guy was royalty? I remember he had a bodyguard back then, which makes sense now. I didn’t see the face of the bodyguard, wonder if he or she is one of the people on the palace steps?

  John watched the coronation with interest now. First, the prince walked down the steps and sat inside an open top carriage which took him around the capital for an hour. The man kept waving to the people on the streets until the carriage brought him back to the palace.

  When the carriage arrived back at the palace, the crowd swarmed to get as close as possible. There were guards lined up to keep the crowd contained. The cheering crowd covered the entire area in front of the palace. An old man walked out of the palace with a rolled up parchment, handed it to David who then waited for the crowd to become silent. When all was calm, David then shouted that the kings of the past wrote what someone needed to become a great king.

  The actual parchment had over a hundred different requirements but internally John narrowed the list down to the important parts. He took note.

  1. Must reach at least S rank in the Adventurers Guild, because the king should be the first person to protect the kingdom.

  2. Have a high education, for a king without knowledge and wisdom will bring ruin.

  3. Fair judgement, for the common people are your subjects and also your superiors.

  4. An open mind, because if you want everybody to do only what you do, then the kingdom will not grow.

  After the 105th item on the list, David handed the parchment to the prince. The prince took it and placed it inside his bag, then waited for the crown. A young man in his early twenties came out with the crown on top of a red cushion that he carried with both hands as he walked towards the new king. John could only see the colour with his Scan, so he assumed it was made of gold with quite a few gems embedded inside of it.

  But John was more interested in the man who brought the crown to the prince. Early twenties and in close countenance with the new king, John wondered if this was the new Sider. He couldn’t be 100% certain without attacking the man, though. Even if he attacked the man, John was too strong for his target’s system to block it.

  John wondered if his Idle System would tell him something like “Your attack is successful on enemy Sider.” It would be great if it did, but if it didn’t, then he would have no way to confirm his theory.

  When the new king took the crown off the man and placed it on his head, the crowd cheered. John stood up and used Life Vision and Immortal Eye on the young man who brought the crown out.

  ???

  Rank: 0

  Level: 0

  Sin: 0

  Smiling at the result, he jumped off the roof and discreetly landed on the street.

  I can kill two birds with one stone now. If the rumour is true, then the new king must have known about the scheme while I was here. And if he knew, then he needs to be punished.

  Chapter 19

  Making an Entrance

  Hundreds of guards were doing crowd control 30 to 40 feet away from the palace steps. Each guard was strong enough to push the crowd back with extreme force if needed. There was a massive crowd of people cheering for hundreds of feet between the guards and John; there were so many people that he thought he would need to fly to get to the palace.

  But making a little show of force would be better than flying in. He went over a few more options in his head before settling on a decision.

  I’m wasting more of my time thinking about how to save my time on doing this, rather than doing the thing I want to save time on!

  John pushed out all one million threads around him. The threads formed a symmetrical shape around him. If you had an eagle eye view of the scene, you would see the threads form the shape of a lens, spanning about 20 feet around John. When the threads formed the shape, he made sure they were above and below his waist level, too. He then put his hands behind his back for the first time in years to look more dignified. Then he walked forward.

  It was about a 300-foot walk to where the king was, and he intended on drawing every eye in the crowd.

  The tips of the threads were moving left and right as John walked. When the tips came into contact with a person, they would move left or right to push the person away from John. As the people were pushed out the way, their confusion met their gazes with John, walking in a dignified line toward the throne. The man with a black and silver overcoat, an eye patch, and silver hair drew everyone’s gazes.

  At the 60-foot mark, the people in the crowd had noticed the cries of protest coming from the back part of the crowd. As more people looked over, the guards that were doing crowd control took notice, too. Even though the guards were concerned, they couldn’t do much because they were so busy with their current task.

  After the 100-foot mark, John assumed every person in the crowd was a Rank S or higher adventurer because of the force required to push them increased. His threads could still push them with the strength to spare, though. At one point, an adventurer felt the need to retaliate violently. He pushed other people behind him to gain space, took out his weapon and tried slashing towards the invisible force that pushed him.

  John saw him swinging his sword around towards his threads. Though the man’s weapon couldn’t destroy his threads, he wanted to use this opportunity to stop anybody else from doing the same thing. John made ten threads travel further than the barrier. He used four of those threads to wrap around the man and then lifted him up 20 feet. The other six threads wrapped around the man’s weapon and snapped it in half. He made sure that the broken sword didn’t fall on anybody since he wasn’t that heartless.

  People around the man screamed in panic as they saw the man’s weapon get destroyed. The four threads which wrapped around the man bent into an arch, then threw the man to the back of the crowd. John knew the throw wouldn’t kill an S ranked adventurer, and continued walking in his untroubled and dignified manner.

  John still had his hands behind his back as he walked closer to the palace. He was still using the bare minimum amount of effort needed. At the palace entrance, the people standing at the top of the stairs could see a man walking towards them with nobody able to get close to him. None of them recognised him, but he didn’t seem to be harming anyone. The new king whispered something to David, who nodd
ed in return then walked away.

  With all the nonchalance he could muster, John arrived near the guards doing crowd control duties. The guards could clearly see what the screaming was about now; the guards closest to John tried to close the distance to stop him. As expected, the guards were pushed aside, too, which shocked them plenty. They had trained as tanks when they were adventurers so they had the strength to push monsters while holding a shield, but against an invisible force, they were helpless.

  When John got past the guards, the 30-foot gap between him and the palace steps should have been empty of people. Because of the disturbance, though, John saw thirty guards kneeling and standing in two rows, holding muskets aimed at him.

  When the guards doing crowd control turned their heads and saw the guards with muskets aimed their way, they grabbed their shields from behind their backs. They faced the muskets with the shields to guard themselves and the crowd.

  John was ordered to stop under threat of being fired on.

  John didn’t even hesitate. He continued on.

  “FIRE!”

  With all the flurry of a speeding bullet, John made his threads transform into thirty small shields to block the thirty musket balls flying at him. The iron balls hit the small shields then bounced on the floor, coming to a complete stop. A hush fell over the entire palace guard.

  It was John’s turn. He made his thirty shields break up and then charge towards the muskets. The threads wrapped around the guns and crushed them into iron balls. Meanwhile, other threads threw the guards to the left and right sides. Everyone’s faces were as pale as could be—a look of absolute mortification plastered across their faces.

  John walked up the steps of the palace at a brisk pace. When he got to the top of the steps, the king had already run inside the palace and locked the doors, shutting everybody else out.

  Walking past David and other people, John stopped in front of the young man he was targeting the whole time. Turning his head right to look at the man in the eye, he asked his question.

  “Are you the Sider?”

  With no will to hide his identity, the man nodded at John’s question.

  “Stay here like a good boy,” John instructed wryly. The other Sider showed no will to disobey, so John continued walking.

  Arriving at the palace doors, John smiled and raised his hand.

  Knock, Knock.

  The king inside the palace heard the man knocking on the door, but he was too scared to move. John’s voice carried through the dense doors, shocking the new king.

  “Delivery!”

  Chapter 20

  Simon Spills

  After a few seconds of watching the king with his Scan, John sighed. The new king seemed to be frozen in fear. With a slight twinge of annoyance, John raised his hand then slammed his palm on the door.

  The metal doors burst open with enough speed to generate a strong wind. John walked gingerly inside the palace’s first room; it was decorated with paintings of the past kings. The walls were the same as the outside—shiny, smooth, black and white with a hint of red stone walls. At the doorway to the throne room, there were guard stations on both sides, but they were empty now because of the coronation.

  John walked through the door and stared up at the throne. It was made of gold and constructed in one solid piece. The backrest reached 8 feet in height but only 3 to 4 feet in width. Below the throne were a few steps on which people would stand, bow, or kneel in front of the king. The new king was sitting on the floor below these steps as his knees had given way. He was visibly quaking, unable to move.

  How the hell is this man going to even fit on the throne?

  He walked past the man, climbed the steps, and stood in front of the throne. There was a big red cushion on it. Without thinking much of it, John placed his swords inside his Storage Space and then casually took a seat. Leaning back in the chair, John placed his arms on the armrests and interlocked his fingers together above his stomach. He then lifted his left leg so his ankle rested on his right knee. His posture was relaxed.

  “I’ve always wondered what it felt like to sit on a kingdom’s throne. It seems like everybody is always scheming to get it one way or another.”

  His words echoed in the chambers of the room, making the silence seem all the more chilling.

  “But now I’ve sat here, I’m disappointed. There’s no special feeling, and it’s only a little comfortable at best.” Now was the part John was looking forward to. He leaned forward, hunching over to match eyes with the snivelling king who was now gawking up at him like a scared child. “So why would you and your father use me in a scheme to get it?”

  All sixteen of the king’s guards were pouring into the chamber, each rushing to the king’s side as carefully as they could. John took little interest in them and continued his gaze at the king.

  “I also heard that you need to be a Rank S to become a good king. You should be the first to defend the kingdom. But your actions earlier make me think otherwise. You’ll be the first one to run away from a fight.” John sneered, nodding at the guards who now stood their ground. “I wonder how these guards who were there to protect you with their lives feel about you locking the door on them. Did you hope to survive by yourself?”

  Looking back up, John smiled.

  “Long time no see,” he called out to the familiar faces. “David, Rachael, you’ve grown older since I left.”

  David and Rachael looked towards John sitting on the throne, then glanced at each other. John could tell they were both confused about his identity, and that made him chuckle.

  “I can tell you don’t remember me, but you will soon. Stand there and listen. I want you all to hear his answers.”

  Looking at the new king, he continued.

  “Tell me your name now.”

  “Simon The Third,” The new king’s voice rattled.

  “Well, Simon The Third, what happened to your father?” Simon went pale-faced and John drew the moment out. “Your father ruled for about eighteen years before you took over, right? That’s such a small amount of time, even for mortals.”

  No answer.

  “You don’t want to answer because it is a terrible secret of yours, isn’t it? You don’t want the world to know?”

  John made his threads turn into a small needle, then pumped a certain concoction inside which was made from his Toxin Power. Turning it upside down, he removed any air. Sarah had taught him about the dangers of needles.

  The people inside the palace could see the purple liquid inside a tube with a small, round metal piece sticking out. The needle landed carefully in John’s hands.

  “This is a certain poison that my wife came up with. It has no side effects and only does as intended. She called this a true truth serum.” John twirled the vial, taking heed not to spill any of its contents. “It’s taken from a poisonous mushroom that causes hallucinations upon touching it. Eating it is fatal even to immortals, but the diluted version causes the person to think about what they’ve experienced and to blurt out the truth when asked a question.”

  John flicked his finger and the needle flew towards Simon. It entered the side of his neck. The serum was injected into Simons body, and the guards took a few steps away out of fear. A few minutes later, Simon was lying on his back, sweating and breathing heavily. The serum caused no pain, but Simon still rolled about.

  Is the pain of a needle that bad for him? I thought he wouldn’t be that sensitive to pain because he’s an adventurer. Did he bribe the Adventurers Guild for his rank, then? How pathetic.

  “What happened to your father?”

  Simon’s eyes glossed over and replied in a way that a recorded voice would.

  “I killed him with poison.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I wanted to become king.”

  “What about the lives of the common people or the guards that protect you?”

  “They are there to serve me.”

  “Serve you how?”


  “They are to throw themselves in front of me to protect me from danger, make sure all my needs and wants are fulfilled, and make sure I lack nothing in the world.”

  John looked at the people inside the room, who were growing angrier by the second.

  “And why should they serve you?”

  “Because I am the king.”

  And now for the juicy bit.

  “Is the rumour about your father using me to become king true?”

  As the words left his lips, everybody in the palace was taken aback. They knew his identity. David and Rachael’s eyes bulged.

  “I don’t know you.” Simon sounded as if he was on the verge of tears.

  “I’m the Sider who left eighteen years ago.” John’s voice was calm and collected. “Did your father use me?”

  “Yes,” Simon squeaked out.

  “How did he do it?”

  Simon then said everything his father had told him he’d done to get the king, his grandfather, killed. He followed it with a detailed confession of how he’d killed his own father. The guards standing nearest to the newly crowned king had a look of utter disgust on their faces.

  “If it were me,” John started, “I would not want to serve a king as lowly as you.”

  John looked around at the room of sixteen angry people.

  “But that’s not my business,” he said with a shrug. “Do whatever you want with him. Use him as a puppet for all I care. But do it outside, I have some business with the other Sider waiting outside.”

  With that, Rachael nodded and grabbed Simon by the collar. The crowd dragged him away into the confines of another room. John asked David to tell the Sider outside to come inside and meet him.

  John could see through the Scan that the Sider hadn’t so much as moved an inch. When David retrieved him, the new Sider went along with no questions asked. He seemed like such an easy-going guy that it almost worried John.

  Now standing before him, John could get a good look at him. The 23-year-old was just under 6 feet tall with a slim build. He had somewhat ruffled brown hair, blue eyes, and a triangular face.