I Can Copy And Evolve Talents

Chapter 1355: The Imperial Heirs

Colak calculated the cost of fighting a Paragon. He was an Ascendant, and he understood intimately that the gap between an Ascendant and a Paragon was vast, two worlds apart, just as the gap between a Luminary and a Transcendent was ten worlds removed.

Burdening himself with the task of killing a Paragon was... stupid. The only logical course was to retreat and deliver this critical information to Lord Pyrrhus and the rest of the forces. Intelligence this significant could reshape the entire campaign.

He studied Northern, who stood erect like a disaster given form, a twisted smile fixed on his face.

”You’re a Paragon. I never knew Ryugan had a Paragon in it.” Colak kept his voice level, probing. ”Or... are you a sellsword?”

Northern responded only with that smile. A moment stretched between them before he finally spoke.

”Would you be willing to have a conversation with me?”

Colak turned the request over in his mind, tilting his head slightly.

”Depends. Will the conversation involve me divulging secrets of my motherland?”

Northern gave him a look of genuine surprise.

”What? No! Well...” He paused, seeming to reconsider. ”It also depends on what exactly is considered secretive. But I don’t intend on asking about personal information regarding your collective strength and plans.” His expression sharpened with sudden intensity. ”First, I want to know: how many children does the Emperor have?”

Colak stood there, caught off guard by the mundanity of the question. Of all the things a Paragon might demand to know...

He scratched the back of his neck, where his hair ended.

”I guess that’s not a harmful question. Uhm... eight?”

Northern smiled.

’So I have eight siblings. How convenient.’

To Colak, the smile looked normal, even handsome. But something about how Northern found the answer satisfying unsettled him. It made him feel like he was doing something wrong, even though he practically wasn’t. This was general knowledge, after all. Anyone in the Empire could tell you the same.

”Secondly, how many males and how many females? Do you care to tell me about them?”

Colak studied Northern carefully. The questions were innocuous enough, but the intensity behind them suggested otherwise.

”Can I refuse?”

”At the cost of your life, certainly.”

The words landed without heat, without threat in the tone. Just fact. Somehow that made them worse.

Colak gave Northern a long look and shrugged.

”You’ll still end up killing me in the end, so...?”

Northern shook his head slightly.

”No, I don’t intend to. If you tell me all I need to know, you can go back home.” He glanced around at the fallen soldiers, and something flickered across his face. ”And perhaps find a way to haul back your comrades.”

Colak frowned.

’Did he just look sad when he mentioned them? The ones he killed?’

Northern’s expression straightened, regarding Colak with cold focus.

”So?”

The man exhaled and slid his sword into its sheath. The metal whispered against leather, a sound of surrender.

”Something tells me I can trust you. It’s a little strange. Maybe you’re even doing something to me that I have no idea about.”

’It’s good this way,’ Colak thought, steadying himself. ’I’ve marked him with Lotus Bloom. I can stall for his stamina and essence to drain, then I should be able to...’ He reconsidered. ’No. It should be easier to run then. I can’t count on the word of someone who looks more menacing than a monster.’

”I will tell you what you need to know,” Colak said aloud. ”And you’ll let me go. Right?”

Northern continued to stare, his expression unreadable, waiting.

Colak took the silence as permission and began.

”The Emperor has six sons and two daughters. The firstborn is Princess Rehema. She’s incredibly strong, a Luminary.” He paused, watching Northern’s reaction. ”She’s the first, but she’s not the only Luminary in the Empire.”

Northern’s eyes widened slightly.

’Well. That does change things.’

”The second born, the first prince, is Lord Reis.” Colak’s voice took on a more cautious note. ”No one knows where he is. Rumor says he’s a Paragon, but the truth is he’s a Luminary, a very deceptive one at that. I’ve seen him once.” He suppressed a shudder. ”He was truly unsettling to the very core.”

He paused, observing Northern’s face, searching for something.

’They do have that in common.’

He continued.

”Then we have the second prince, Lord Rayner. He is a model prince, a kind and strong man. Then the third prince, Lord Rufus.” His tone shifted, carrying notes of reluctant admiration. ”Lord Rufus is also called the Sea Lord. He’s the Commander of the Empire’s Naval Fleet, and also a Luminary. I hear he’s a beast on the sea, and that he survived alone on the intercontinental sea without a ship. Not even a boat. He was also the one who discovered the route to the Eastern continent.”

Northern frowned. Colak caught it.

”Oh, interesting. I thought a lot of you outsiders would know about that by now, but I guess I was wrong.”

Northern responded with an even voice:

”That’s not my concern. Continue.”

Colak nodded, settling into the rhythm of the recitation.

”The fourth prince is Lord Renatus. Little is known about him, aside from the fact that he is a reclusive Sage with a very auspicious hatred for daylight. The fifth prince is Lord Regulus, a Battle Master. After the fifth prince comes the second princess, Princess Ruya. And after Princess Ruya is the sixth prince, Lord Rigel.”

Colak fixed Northern with a cold gaze as he concluded.

”That’s about all the Princes and Princesses in the Empire.”

Northern nodded. The clone in front of him released the longsword, letting it dissolve into liquid shadow and sink into the darkness at his feet and also disappeared.

”And how many of them are Paragons and Luminaries?”

Colak hesitated. This was where general knowledge ended and military intelligence began.

”Aside from Princess Ruya and the fourth prince, who are Sages, the rest are Paragons.” He considered his words. ”Oh, Lord Rayner is an Ascendant. Yes, while the rest are Paragons, there are three Luminaries: Princess Rehema, Prince Reis, and Prince Rufus.”

Northern was silently processing this. He had been carefully observing the man’s essence throughout the conversation, watching for the telltale fluctuations that accompanied lies. There had been none.

’They have not just one Luminary, but three.’

He looked up at Colak. ”Aside from these three, are there other Luminaries?”

Colak thought for a moment and shook his head.

”Yes. Two of them. They are called the Pillars, men who have grown with the Emperor from his younger days.” His voice carried something that might have been respect. ”The only reason they aren’t Transcendent is because of their loyalty to the Emperor.”

Northern kept his surprise hidden and asked again, his tone unchanged.

”And Paragons?”

”The upper three legions... the least you have to be to command them is an Ascendant. There are lots of Ascendants and Paragons in the Empire.” Colak’s voice hardened. ”The top brass, they are freaking strong. If only one of them were to lead their legion into this war, even you won’t stand a chance.”

He let that settle before continuing.

”Now, let’s not bring the Imperial family into this. The presence of one of them is catastrophic. Ryugan will be completely wiped off the surface of the planet.” He leaned forward slightly. ”So, don’t you think it’s wise to surrender and save those poor people?”