"Putting aside the bond that we share, I would like us to move onto the primary reason for my invitation to you tonight, Naoto.", Giliath said, drawing our attention to him. "But as far as this point goes, the reason why I have brought you here tonight, Your Imperial Highness, your presence is no longer required. Should you desire to leave for the evening and go rest, I shall have Claire escort you out.", Giliath continued, only to look at Princess Alfin.
"Nuh-uh! I will be staying until the both of us retire for the evening later. After all, it is only right that I show Naoto to his room. I am his fiance, after all. As his future wife-to-be, this is my duty!", Princess Alfin happily said. Oi, you're saying that to THE Blood and Iron Chancellor, Alfin! Aren't you rushing it a little too much!? "And you can drop the act. Please, call me Alfin. Should I start calling you father-in-law~?"
"Please, don't. The marriage is still years out, Alfin. You can only go so far with your teasing.", I immediately retorted.
And yet, that caused Giliath to let out a rare laugh.
"Hahaha! Don't let your youth flee you, Naoto. It will be over before you know it. I say that, but you're a daring one. Very well, then I shall address you as Alfin. But on the condition we are alone, such as this moment here.", Giliath suddenly decided. The moment he said that, Princess Alfin's eyes beamed. They turned into literal stars. Well, if that makes her happy, I guess.
"Accepted!", Princess Alfin happily replied.
"Nonetheless, it is always a pleasure to hear you have an interest in the matters we are about to speak of. St. Astraia has been teaching you well, Alfin.", Giliath said, praising Princess Alfin. "As to what I am going to discuss next, it is about the Black Records. Only few are privy to this set of particular records. I am not sure if His Imperial Majesty has informed you of their existence yet."
"The Black Records?", Princess Alfin pondered, before shaking her head. "I am afraid I do not know what they are. Do you, Naoto?"
"You could say that. My late Mother left me a set of Black Records back at our house before she passed. I assume it has to do with the special eyes I possess.", I said, nodding my head.
"So it has come down to the Black Records once again. Have you gone snooping around in our treasure vault again, Chancellor? Only a strict few have access to it. And that includes you.", Emperor Eugent asked, and sighed.
"It is only meant as a security measure, Your Imperial Majesty. I do not aimlessly wander around in there without a goal in mind. But as I've said, this conversation will be about the Black Records. If it means anything, Your Imperial Majesty, the Intelligence Division are not aware of their existence. Not even Claire who is beyond this door.", Giliath explained.
Princess Alfin just looked confused as she looked at Emperor Eugent.
"A heavily guarded secret that only our family and the Chancellor knows? What are these Black Records, Papa?", Princess Alfin asked, appearing confused.
"It is only natural for you to not know of the Black Records, Alfin. It is as the Chancellor says. It is only known to a couple of individuals, a secret that is protected by our family. You are still young, so you haven't been made aware of their existence yet. Amongst my children, only Olivert knows.", Emperor Eugent explained the origin of the Black Records. "But to put it simply, the Black Records are a set of historical records that have been inscribed with pivotal moments that our nation has shared since its founding. Both the good, and the bad. It goes as far back as the Dark Dragon wreaking havoc across Heimdallr, to the relocation of our capital to Saint-Arkh. I will ask you this instead, Alfin. Do you know the tale of the Divine Knights?"
"The Divine Knights...", Princess Alfin uttered. "It sounds familiar, but I can't say I've come across this information. It is not available at St. Astraia, so it must belong to some obscure history records that you would need to go out of your way to find in a local library. I'm guessing this information is also available in our vault?"
"More or less. Only those who have a keen interest in fantasy would one likely come across the tale of the Divine Knights. That, in particular, isn't kept secret. But it is quite obscured. You wouldn't know what you would be looking for, unless you knew what to look for. These Divine Knights are very, very real. The Black Records describe their existence, and their roles in the War of the Lions. Several made their appearance to assist the several Princes as they fought in a gruesome battle. Even we, the Arnor family, protect one of these Divine Knights. Even as we speak right now, Alfin.", Emperor Eugent said, explaining the lore behind the Black Records.
"Our family...protects one of these Divine Knights?", Princess Alfin responded, becoming surprised. "And there's multiple!?"
"Indeed there are. Seven, to be exact.", Giliath said. "It is as His Imperial Majesty says. One is sealed beneath the very palace you live in, Alfin. It is restricted to the public. Not even the RMP can wander into that place. I've made the exception of talking about it just for tonight, like I have said at the beginning."
"There's seven of these Divine Knights in total...And one of them is beneath our palace...", Princess Alfin murmured. I knew all of this since I played the games. Father is referring to Testa-Rossa here. Unlike other Divine Knights who are directly sealed away in their respective trial grounds, Testa-Rossa became corrupted by the Dark Dragon, and is actively sealed away beneath Valflame Palace. It can't move away from there. Even if I trigger the Vermillion Trials, I will need to pull Testa-Rossa out from that corrupted state.
"Yes. Now it makes sense as to why you are bringing this up now, Chancellor. Is this really about the Divine Knights?", Emperor Eugent asked. Father didn't immediately reply. Instead, he looked at me. So that's your play at this. Even though no words were spoken, I didn't have a need to. We came to mutual understanding just through that gaze alone.
I nodded my head to Father's expectation.
"While I have not personally reviewed the entirety of the Black Records that was given to me by my late mother, what we will talk about next involves that sudden appearance of the inactive magic circle beneath Emperor Dreichel's Statue. To put it simply, that activated based on the first phase of its trial grounds being cleared with the help of Olivert and the rest back then. It gave me a temporary boost in power that allowed me to take it on. You should know the implication of that, yes? Not just anyone can attempt the Vermillion Trials. It is bound by a certain...ruleset other trials do not possess.", I explained.
"The inactive magic circle that suddenly appeared a decade ago? It's been inactive this whole time, and yet, you are saying you not only entered it, but cleared its first phase? I recall its activation quite vividly. This magic circle is likely linked to the Black Records we possess. It doesn't clearly state how the Vermillion Knight was obtained, but we do know people must undergo a series of trials to claim said Divine Knight.", Emperor Eugent responded. He knows that much, so this is good.
"That is the case here. Not just anyone can take on the trials Testa-Rossa holds. Only those of the Imperial family who share a special connection with this particular Divine Knight hold the key to attempt them. It is likely the blood of my late mother, who was part of House Phoenix, made it possible for me to accomplish such a thing.", I continued to explain.
"That...", Princess Alfin said, letting it dawn on her what exactly it meant when I said that. "Are you telling me we're related, Naoto!?"
"I would hardly call it like that. It is described in the Black Record I have that House Phoenix are distant relatives of the Arnor family. The blood is so thin it is hardly worth mentioning. We can't even call ourselves cousins. It's that distant.", I said, and sighed.
"Even so, it does not matter how slim the blood you possess is, Naoto.", Emperor Eugent said, only to place one of his hands on my shoulder. "You still managed to forge a connection with the Divine Knight that rests beneath this place. Am I correct to assume as such?"
"Yes.", I replied, nodding my head. "His name is Testa-Rossa, the Vermillion Knight, known for his use of a myriad selection of weapons."
Seeing me not back down, I saw Emperor Eugent smile. He then released his hand from my shoulder, and became satisfied with the resolute look in my eyes. Emperor Eugent then looked back at Father.
"You do realize what this implies, don't you, Chancellor Osborne?", Emperor Eugent asked.
"Indeed I do. This matter is tightly sealed away. The fact that those of the Arnor family can make a pact with the Vermillion Knight.", Giliath said, looking at me again. "I am sorry this burden was placed on you, my son. Such cursed blood runs through your veins."
A hint of sadness appeared in Father's eyes. He isn't wrong. I'm an Osborne. I'm an Auslese. And I'm from House Phoenix. That alone is quite cursed. I'm surprised such a child was conceived, that being me. Still, I nodded my head at Father.
"It is no issue, Father. I have long come to accept who I am.", I replied. "I may not have been able to see Mother, but I am sure she was an exceptional person. It is as Father says, Your Imperial Majesty. However faint the blood that runs in my veins, I still possess the Arnor blood. It is because of that I was able to connect with Testa-Rossa."
"We really do share a connection...", Princess Alfin uttered, and smiled at me. "It should not interfere with our future marriage, if it is as thin as you say it is, Naoto."
"True. With the passing of each generation, that becomes more and more diluted. I do not have any worries about marriage in that regard either. But you sure are one surprise after another, Prince Naoto. Only those of the fallen House Phoenix can possess the Vermillion Eyes. To think your mother continued that lineage in secret when the War of the Lions wiped them all out.", Emperor Eugent said, and looked at Father. "You sure lucked out, didn't you, Chancellor?"
"I won't deny that I didn't.", Giliath said, and grinned. "But that is in the past now. No problems should occur if you and Alfin bear a child in the future."
"B-B-Bear a child!?", Princess Alfin exclaimed, and blushed a deep red. "It is way too soon to even consider that. We haven't even held hands yet!"
Oi! That's where your mind is right now, Alfin!?
I kept that thought to myself, and remained silent. Isn't there a running joke about that, like holding hands shouldn't be done until after marriage or something?
"I think the same, Chancellor. It is way too soon to consider such matters, as it will still be years out for the official marriage ceremony to take place. We will need to make it as grand as it can be!", Emperor Eugent said, and grinned. "But it is clear to me that Alfin likes Naoto. That is why you proposed that earlier in the evening, isn't it, Chancellor?"
"Hahaha. So the cat is out of the bag. You should know the rest by now, Your Imperial Majesty.", Giliath said, and laughed. He didn't deny Emperor Eugent. As the two said that, I saw Princess Alfin turn her head the other way. Her cheeks were very red now. I almost feel sorry for her.
And yet, to my surprise, a sudden Gamer Notification arrived. It left me in disbelief.
[Ding! With anticipation of what is to come in the future and the feelings Princess Alfin holds for Gamer Naoto, Princess Alfin's Favorability has reached 100%.]
[Ding! Alfin's Blessing has been awarded to Gamer Naoto.]
[Ding! Gamer Naoto's Stats have increased!]
[Ding! Gamer Naoto has unlocked the second Slot of the Enigma II!]
[Ding! You may now equip two Quartz up to the Azure series!]
[Ding! A new function has been unlocked by the Gamer System.]
[Ding! Quartz Reforge is now online.]
[Ding! Gamer Naoto's Status has been updated and is ready to view.]
Quartz...Reforge? Sounds handy. I just don't know whether I should laugh or cry here. Alfin's Blessing arrived so suddenly!
*
This is my solution to make custom Quartz from Sky to Azure. Later games will come down the line. Naoto has enough Quartz by now that he can make any Quartz he wants to, whether or not they have appeared in the games, so I feel this is appropriate!
This was not in the story before rewriting it, so this is a new function!