Supreme Magus novel Chapter 1068

Chapter 1068 The Burden of Power Part 2

Jorl found Tyris’s offer so offensive that he remained silent for over a minute. He had many flaws, but stupidity wasn’t among them. Jorl knew how powerful his mother really was and angering her would get him nothing but a beating.

"I’m sorry, Mother, but spending the rest of my life taking care of lesser beings is beneath me." Jorl had come for a quick ticket to power, not for a job.

"Sylpha, do you know what your husband and Valeron have in common?" Tyris ignored her son and looked at the Queen in the eyes.

"Neither of them wanted to be King. Meron took the test only to please his parents and the first thing he asked me was to spare his life. He told me that he didn’t feel worthy of the Crown, that the thought of thousands of people dying just because he made the wrong decision gave him nightmares.

"Meron believed that the role of King would be better suited for a stronger, more resolute person than him. That’s why I spared his life and made him King. How could strength possibly be a prerequisite when I can grant perfect core and body refinement?

"What I looked for was someone who understood the burden of the Crown, just like Valeron."

"Wait, what? Wasn’t Valeron a mighty warrior who unified the Kingdom to bring peace to our lands?" Sylpha was flabbergasted.

"That’s just the official version to rally the troops. The truth, however, is quite different. When I first met the future King of the Griffon Kingdom, he was barely a fourteen years old kid.

"Back then, it was the moment when a boy became a man and had to learn how to wield weapons to defend their village. Magical talents were scarce because most mages died before realizing their powers or simply never met a master their whole life.

"Fake magic was also terrible and barely worth the trouble learning it. I choose to Awaken him not because I fell in love at first sight as the legends say, but because Valeron was weak, poor, and had nothing to live for.

"My hope was that with such a troubled past he wouldn’t get drunk on power and use it wisely. Otherwise, I would have simply killed him as I had already done countless times in the past.

Like all Awakened, I was responsible for his action for one hundred years and I had no desire to spend that time cleaning up his messes. Valeron of course mistook me for a goddess.

"When he finally understood I was a woman, he proposed to me and I had to reject him a dozen times before he started to actually listen to me. I taught Valeron about magic, about how to fight, and then I just waited.

"He became the god of the battlefield and yet when they offered to him the role of village chief he refused. Valeron hated both war and political power. He didn’t fight because he enjoyed it, only to protect his house and the life he cherished.

"Compared to magic, politics are a poisoned well. The more powerful you get, the more corrupt you become. Valeron preferred being a healer than a leader, to bring smiles rather than constantly opposing the greed of his neighbors.

"Yet with each victory he achieved, his village grew in size and power. With each enemy they defeated, slaves and war prisoners would be considered a standard commodity. Valeron felt guilty for it, but as a warrior and a healer, he couldn’t change things.