The God Paradox

2.4 - The Crown

"To conclude the coronation ceremony, do you, Asclepius, accept the crown and responsibility of ruling Britanny?"

The answer seemed obvious, and none of the witnesses present would have objected to my ascension. Many had, in fact, eagerly awaited this moment. I was kneeling, but as I rose to answer, my response shocked the assembly.

"No," I declared, my voice echoing through the grand hall. "I believe the crown would fit my friend Lancelot far better. He is a true noble, whereas I know nothing of ruling."

The silence that followed was deafening.

...

And so unfolded the event of my coronation—or rather, my abdication. Lancelot initially refused multiple times, especially when the furious gaze of the audience turned upon him. Their anger was palpable, a living thing that threatened to consume us all.

It was true that after I had collapsed in the arena, the public had done everything in their power to save my life. I had been literally carried in the arms of the people, unconscious for a time. Upon my recovery, they had eagerly initiated my coronation ceremony.

Shortly after regaining consciousness, I met a creature called Tengu, who claimed to be the Minister of War. He informed me that I had faced one of the kingdom's ministers in battle, and that he, along with the other ministers, had orchestrated a plan to seize control of the realm once and for all.

Two ministers in particular, Cuca and Adam—yes, the Father of Humanity himself—had vanished the moment Púca, the dragon I had slain, breathed his last. Perhaps one day I would encounter these two again, though they likely now considered me an enemy. Curiously, at least in this world, Adam was not my ancestor. Perhaps the serpent from Genesis was, but Adam certainly was not.

By this point, every citizen of the kingdom was more convinced than ever that it was my destiny to be king. However, before accepting the crown, I had asked Merlin to review the prophecy for me. What I discovered was eye-opening: the prophecy had never explicitly stated anything about becoming king. It merely said that the one who drew the sword would save Britanny, nothing more.

In fact, it was an error in the legend that had spread among the people—a misinterpretation that had propagated over time. I made a point of reminding them of this during the coronation when I declined to become king.

When questioned about my declaration of kingship during the arena battle, I deflected, explaining that I had spoken in the heat of the moment, feeling particularly special after accomplishing a feat comparable to that of a legendary hero. Hey, I was like Saint George now—we had both slain dragons, after all.

In any case, I insisted that Lancelot and Merlin should assume control of the kingdom, refusing the crown in every way possible. I won't deny that being king would have been intriguing, but I had other objectives in mind, including a mission to fulfill. I hadn't forgotten about Legion; I needed to find this Hiiden Hirvi.

The crux of the matter was that it would be exceedingly difficult for me to hunt down a random goblin tribe while simultaneously ruling a nation. Even if they allowed me to leave, they would send an entire army division with me, which I preferred to avoid if possible. Moreover, I had never wanted to govern in this manner; my potential in this world had always been to become a god, not a mere king.

At some point, I managed to convince everyone that it was better for me not to be king, though it took some effort. Once Lancelot and Merlin decided to assume control of the kingdom, I learned that Merlin intended to transform the country into a nation of mages and expel all those who had ever been complicit in slavery within the country. I only hope they don't become tyrants or something of the sort. Whether I wanted to admit it or not, I remembered that when Merlin had threatened to face me in battle, my Danger Sensor hadn't stopped bothering me—it was even worse than against the shapeshifter I had faced.