Ch 83 - Our True Leader

Jester couldn't really remember what happened during those few seconds. It felt as if something had swallowed him into complete darkness. He could still hear explosion after explosion somewhere outside, muffled and distant, but with his stamina completely drained, even his awareness inside the game was beginning to fade.

His thoughts became sluggish. His senses dulled one after another until he could barely tell whether he was still falling or had already landed somewhere.

It was almost like fainting.

[Warning: Your Stamina has fallen below the critical threshold.]

[Status Condition: Unconscious]

[Your character has lost consciousness due to extreme physical exhaustion.]

[Logout is temporarily unavailable while your character remains in an unstable state.]

[Emergency logout will become available once your condition stabilizes.]

Maybe there was at least one good thing about ending up like this. Being unconscious wasn't the same as being dead.

Death in Eternal Legacy came with consequences, and none of them were pleasant.

The most obvious was the Experience Point penalty. Progress that players had spent hours, sometimes even days, struggling to earn could be lost upon death. In the worst cases, losing enough EXP could even cause a player to drop an entire level.

Then there was the login restriction. A player who died couldn't simply respawn and immediately throw themselves back into battle. They would be locked out of the game for six hours in the real world. Even after they were allowed back in, they would still suffer a temporary debuff whose duration and severity could vary.

And dying again while that penalty was still active only made things worse.

More EXP would be lost. The login restriction would become longer. The penalties would continue stacking with repeated deaths, making reckless attempts to brute-force a difficult enemy increasingly costly.

There was also the risk of losing items upon death, whether they were stored in a player's inventory or currently equipped. The chance was considerably higher for equipped gear, which meant players could potentially lose their main weapon or even one of the strongest pieces of armor they relied on. For many players, losing a valuable piece of their best equipment was far worse than losing EXP.

That was why death in Eternal Legacy wasn't something players could casually shrug off. For high-level players in particular, a single death could represent an enormous loss. The higher their level climbed, the harder it became to earn enough EXP for the next one, turning every lost point into hours of wasted effort.

Compared to all of that, being unconscious for a while was definitely the better outcome.

Even through his fading consciousness, Jester could still make out the stream of notifications floating before his eyes. And among them was the one message that mattered most.

[You killed Epic Raid Boss - The Elder Bloom Behemoth (Lv. 215)]

[+3,782,500 XP]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[...]

[Lv. 57 → Lv. 67]

[Level Up Bonus: Health, Mana, and Stamina have been fully restored. You will recover once the Unconscious status ends shortly.]

[XP Progress: 6,337 / 696,057 XP (1%)]

They had actually killed the Raid Boss.

Damn. That fight had been far too close. Everyone involved had nearly exhausted their resources, with barely enough left for one final attack. If that last attempt had failed, there might not have been a Necroton left to save.

But had Necroton really survived?

Jester pushed the question aside for now, along with the list of items he'd received from the raid. He could check all of that later. One thing, however, was impossible to ignore.

He had gained ten levels from that battle.

Ten whole levels! Damn. Damn. Damn!

A level increase that massive was always incredible for Jester, especially when every single level meant another ten Attribute Points he could use to strengthen himself.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

But what about Lucia? What about Elora?

There hadn't been any notification telling him that something had happened to Lucia. If she had died, he should have received some kind of message through their bond.

But Elora? And Michel?

Before Jester could think any further, light suddenly flooded back into his vision.

[Status Condition: Unconscious has ended.]

[Your condition has stabilized. Full consciousness has been restored.]

His eyes snapped open.

"Lucia!"

Jester immediately pushed himself upright, only to freeze when he finally realized where he was.

He knew this room. It was the strategy chamber, the same place they often used for meetings and planning. Someone had apparently placed him in the large cushioned chair reserved for him at the far end of the chamber while he was unconscious.

But that wasn't what caught his attention.

Everyone was standing in formation before him, with rows of maids arranged neatly on either side. At the very front stood Igrio, his posture perfectly straight.

"Your Highness," Igrio said with a respectful bow. "Allow me to first express how deeply relieved we are to see you awake and well. You placed yourself in extraordinary danger during the battle, and all of us were greatly concerned for your safety. Nevertheless, it was through your actions and coordination with our allies that we were able to defeat the creature threatening Necroton and bring the attack on the city to an end."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"Furthermore, we have successfully captured an individual believed to be responsible for setting these events into motion. From our initial investigation, we have learned that the incident appears to have connections to Her Highness, Princess Rania. There is still much we need to uncover, but the immediate threat has been neutralized."

Igrio bowed his head once more.

"Once again, Your Highness, you have our deepest gratitude. But above all else, we are simply glad to see that you have returned to us safely."

"Igrio...?"

Jester stared at him before quickly looking around the room again.

They were all here.

Lucia stood among them, still wearing her battle armor. Elora was there too, alive and apparently unharmed. Michel stood with the other maids, along with nearly everyone else he recognized.

Only Lula seemed to be missing.

For the first time since opening his eyes, Jester finally felt like he could breathe again.

However, there was one thing that finally made Jester freeze, leaving him completely at a loss for words.

Because... he was clearly in his Jester form!

He could see the clothes covering his body. That ridiculous evil clown outfit was unmistakable. He didn't even need to open the System window to know which form he was currently using.

But why wasn't anyone reacting to it?

Maybe they had already gotten over the shock while he was unconscious. Even then, shouldn't they be treating him differently now? Igrio, especially, was standing there as though absolutely nothing had changed.

"Your Highness," the man spoke again.

Jester didn't answer.

Igrio continued. "I pledged myself to serve someone I believed worthy of my loyalty. What I witnessed today has not changed that belief in the slightest. If anything, Your Highness, I am now more certain of it than ever. Whatever face you choose to show the world, you remain the person I have chosen to follow. You are the one I believe worthy of leading us, and I intend to continue serving you for as long as you will have me."

Igrio lowered himself onto one knee before him.

"You are our highest authority, Your Highness. Yet when danger came, you did not remain safely behind while ordering others to risk their lives in your place. You stood at the front and fought beside them. You placed your own life at risk before asking the same of anyone else. Whether you intended to or not, your actions showed everyone exactly what kind of leader you are."

His voice remained calm, but there was no hesitation behind his words.

"You have shown that you possess the resolve to lead others through even the most desperate circumstances, and I have no reason to doubt your judgment or wisdom. Therefore, allow me to personally offer you my full support. You should have the freedom to stand before us as whoever you truly wish to be. That will never change where my loyalty lies."

Jester stared at him, still trying to process everything he'd just heard. Before he could find an answer, another figure stepped forward.

It was Sliora. The maid placed one hand elegantly against her chest, a playful smile slowly curling across her lips.

"Your Highness, I must admit, I've grown rather fond of you." Her smile widened slightly. "You're decisive when it matters, clever enough to keep everyone guessing, and troublesome enough that serving you is never boring. I happen to find all of that very attractive."

She leaned forward just a little. "So whatever appearance you choose, don't expect to get rid of me so easily. I'll happily continue serving you."

Then Donna stepped forward. The doll girl giggled before bouncing excitedly on her feet.

"Your Highness! Donna likes playing with you!" She clapped her hands together. "You give Donna so many wonderful places to play! And the faces people make when they think they've cut my head off!"

Another delighted giggle escaped her. "They're so scared! Their eyes get really, really big! Donna wants to see more faces like that! Lots more!"

She threw both hands into the air.

"I love you, Your Highness!"

Jester's mouth opened slightly, but before he could respond, the bunny girl had already stepped forward.

"Your Highness!" Mira said brightly, her long ears perking straight up. "Mira likes you too! You're strong, confident, kind, and really good at making everyone listen to you! And sometimes you do very, very strange things that Mira doesn't understand at all!"

"But that's okay! It makes following you really fun! Mira never knows what's going to happen next, but somehow Mira always wants to see it!"

She nodded enthusiastically. "So please keep being you, Your Highness! Mira likes you best that way!"

Then came Chika. Unlike the others, the Chimera maid wore a wide, almost hungry grin.

"Your Highness, I've never fought that wildly in my entire life. No holding back, no hesitation, just throwing everything we had into the battle."

She clenched one fist against her chest. "I've never felt that free in a fight before. If following you means there will be more battles where I can push myself that far, then count on me. Lead us wherever you want, Your Highness. I'll tear through anything that gets in our way."

And then another stepped forward.

Then another.

One by one, the others followed, each offering their own words in their own way. Some were formal, some awkward, some far too enthusiastic, and a few made Jester wonder whether he should actually be more concerned rather than relieved.

But the meaning behind every one of them was the same.

They knew. They knew who he was. And they were still choosing to stand before him.

Whatever doubts, questions, or assumptions still lingered in Jester's mind were finally answered when a system message appeared before him.

[Multiple individuals have acknowledged you as their rightful leader and pledged their loyalty of their own will.]

[Authority Bound requirements have been fulfilled.]