"This is a sign from Hopelys herself this young man has done what the mortal had been seen to be impossible he is a treasure a king among kings a ruler of Elgrandia, the church must fully support this divine luminary on his path." The old arch-bishop said in a manic frenzy.
The whole hall went silent as some cheered but most just clapped as formality, he had just become a free chess-piece. Who didn't know his mother could care less about him? He has no loyalty to anything... maybe they could change that.
"Honey you should be celebrating why are you scheming?" A certain duchess asked her husband who was looking at the confused nineteen year old.
"What if this weapon get's turned against us, what if a kid with such potential becomes our enemy that's what I'm worried about." he said looking at the greedy looks in all his fellow noblemen's eyes.
"What do you mean about being a divine luminary?" Auther was clueless, he wasn't an idiot he knew what being possessed felt like. His ex-wife did that to him, this old man was trying to claim him.
"A being above all under the orthodox one who will bring back all defectors back to the goddesses way." The old man said and the whole room went still everyone at the edge of their seats, was this an invitation from a theocracy connected to a tier 1 species? Was their hope being stolen?
"Stop trying to poach my own child, won't you? Aren't the dragon's appeased with their large force hundred of heroics, mythics and sleuths of legendries yet you want to snatch my own son from me have you no shame?" She said charisma oozing out of her.
"Wait is she making a speech? The first time she calls me her son and it's for a damn speech, this bitch." Auther silently thought feeling slightly annoyed at being looked at like a weapon a bit like a nuclear bomb. Yet he wondered why he didn't feel stronger than before.
"Elizabeth how dare you bite the hand that feeds you, do you really think you can nurture such a prodigy? We at least have nurtured one supreme rank in the past what about you? Nothing." The arch-bishop clapped back at her, he didn't care about the people he wasn't putting on a show he was recruiting.
"Let's ask the boy what he wants it is his life isn't it?" the same duke said silently gulping his own saliva those two arguing were two Heroic ranked beings and they gave the atmosphere intense pressure though Arch-Bishop Johannes was naturally stronger.
Being a dragon he has way better constitution to build up on and he completely outclasses her in age.
"You ant! How dare you?" The arch-bishop hissed a light beam headed to his head ready to pierce through, only stopped by a small ice shard which refracted the light back to it's source.
"This one gives me Viola vibes I'm definitely not going with him and with how the nobles are so quiet then this isn't the first time this has happened it seems they recruit quite a lot." he silently assessed.
"Alright lets ask him." the Arch-Bishop said looking incredulously at the small ice shard a bit concerned about something.
The church fell into silence all eyes on Auther, his choice would dictate humanity's future whether advertently or inadvertently.
'The church has more resources which I'm assuming is important but I'll face rascism, jealousy and the added fact that a defector isn't a citizen while here I would get less resources but I'll literally be treated like a prince but how important are resources in the grand scheme of things... for now I'll go with the devil I know, I'm pretty sure een if I change my mind later they would find an excuse themselves." hee silently deliberated everyone holding their breath for just a moment too long.
"i choose my mother!" he said half-heartedly "If I frame it this way later I could make an argument that I was just attached to my scumbag mother not humanity as a whole an which son isn't inseparable from his mother?" he was prepared for everything at least that was what he thought.
The nobles all cheered as the arch-bishop simply smiled looking at Auther not with anger but with a complicated look bordering on smugness, he was sure this boy would defect given enough pressure.
"Alright since the boy has chosen his mother we will simply offer any support towards his growth while he is here, that is the least the Theocracy of Hopelys can do." The arch-bishop smiled warmly before leaving the venue.
Auther to complete the show ran into Elizabeth's arms hugging her tightly, though he had ever hugged her before nor had she but she had to hug back.
"Mom did I make you proud?" He said just loud enough for the entire audience to hear, Elizabeth knew he was putting on a show and for some reason the corners of her mouth creased into a smile.
"Yes you have and for that since you have proven yourself worthy of the Kingdom of Laurentia Auther Claymanson son of Aurelious Claymanson can vie for the tittle of crown prince against any other suitable successor." she said knowing full well he is a only child.
That day Auther shook hands till his ligaments gave out having gained not just a powerful future but a very powerful standing with almost everyone. While he was busily shaking hands with noble people and clergy Elizabeth was in some dark corner of the cathedral talkin to the same brave duke.
"Liz now that the grunt has shown too much I finally see it he got his personality entirely from his parents sly little bastard." he said casually smoking a cigar, that was fit only for the richest in society the others had to settle for methanol infested drinks which would turn them blind sooner or later.
He passed the blunt to Elizabeth who was still thinking
"You know that was the first time I've ever hugged him Clark the first time, I'm a lousy mom aren't I?" she said taking a puff and passing it back to him.
"I don't know about that I always took that you didn't care about the boy Liz." he also took a puff before passing it back
"Of course I don't but Ars did and my own body does it's a peculiar thing being a mother, it truly is I just wonder if my mother ever misses me even out of maternal instincts."
"You know you love bringing up trauma all the times Liz, it makes me feel bad just because I was born with everything."
She gave him back the blunt heaved a long sigh before smiling and leaving. That was duke Clark Argon a man with too many connections for his own good