Surviving The Fourth Calamity

Bring back all my overwhelming emotions.

Hill was indeed very annoyed. Whenever he felt sentimental, something always occurred to make him feel like continuing to be sad would make him look like a fool.

In the stadium, William, dashing and majestic, solemnly patrolled the Royal Guard. As he inspected the knights amidst the forest of raised lances, those gazed upon by him were all excited, their eyes full of anticipation which made William even more pleased and satisfied.

Hill, however, always felt there were six big words above William's head: "Proclaimed Male Lead."

William walked to the center of the stadium, dismounted, and stood erect. The Royal Guard formed three circles around the field.

The solemn bell tolled, and a round platform rose high in the center of the stadium, with William quietly standing facing north.

"Please stand up." A clear voice echoed above the stadium, and Hill felt that the seat beneath him disappeared after he stood up for 10 seconds.

Many Undead from the upper floors fell to the ground on their butts.

William understood very well.

"Play the national anthem of Saral, raise the flag of Saral!"

Hill stood tall with his chest out, looking straight ahead, feeling immensely thrilled.

He already had a hunch about what music Saral would play since there had never been a national anthem, tightly gripping his hands.

Hill silently recited in his heart: "Salute."

Tears welled up in his eyes as the familiar march played.

The black Saral flag with golden stars and a red flag slowly rose.

Wiping away his tears quietly as the red flag fluttered, Hill felt a longing for home he hadn't experienced in a long while.

He thanked William for reminding him of the beautiful past.

From this day forward, he would implement the laws issued by William in his own territory.

No matter who he was before, compared to the surviving Hill, William truly deserved everyone's respect.

A scale appeared behind William. A golden figure stood in the middle of the scale, with arms crossed, holding a golden rhombus crystal in one hand and a thick book in the other.

William turned and knelt on one knee:

Great Cronos above,

I, William Haifa Spencer Saral, hereby swear:

I will cherish justice and be loyal to my country, Saral.

I will uphold righteousness, protect the loyal citizens of Saral.

I will wield the sharp sword to eliminate all enemies of Saral.

As soon as he finished speaking, the golden figure burst into brilliant light. The golden light surrounded William, flickering for a long time before exploding and rushing toward the onlookers.

Hill felt a large cluster of golden light crashing into him, the abundant energy promoted him by a rank.

He was now an intermediate Archmage.

Hill closed his eyes to closely examine the internal changes of his body and found this power very pure, with almost no side effects.

It even reverted his body more toward human, nearly cleansing the beastly traces within his bloodline.

Hill opened his eyes in surprise, seeing Fran and Adrian looking at him in astonishment.

"What's wrong?"

"We each only received one or two light points, only William's loyal followers got more. Among them, you have quite a lot."

Exchanging glances, Adrian spoke up.

"Let's discuss this later," Fran abruptly said.

William started speaking again:

"Eighteen years ago, when I was first summoned by my Lord, I vowed to establish a fair and just country for my Lord, where every citizen could receive basic education and enjoy a normal life free from oppression.

However, fate took a turn, and I eventually became the King of Saral.

But my oath remains unchanged. People of Saral, please strive alongside your king!

For a better Saral!"

Hill was suddenly startled: This year, he just turned 18.

Were William and he summoned at the same time? Or did Hill hitch a ride when the God of Time and Space summoned William, the chosen one?

Weakened divine soul, unprotected, would have dissipated soon if not cast into Melanie's womb, who almost had a miscarriage.

The Pelast family members were always tall and strong, but Hill had been frail since childhood, making the Earl think he wasn't his own and disliked him.

Even after growing up and awakening Earth Bear's bloodline, Hill still had a slender figure.

Fran once sighed that Hill's body was innately flawed, but fortunately, his soul power was strong; otherwise, if not a Magician or Mage, he would not live long as an ordinary person.

Hill had long known that during his reincarnation, his weak self merged with the almost dissipated soul of a baby.

Thus, his closeness to Fran was genuine. He was just a native with past life memories.

How he came to this world had always been a mystery.

Today, it was finally solved.

He remembered those golden light points over the earthquake ruins when he died.

He now knew those were crystallized souls, maintaining for a period before naturally dissipating.

At that time, a gigantic light point swept past like a meteor, taking Hill and some souls flying towards outer space.

When God of Time and Space fetched William's soul, most of the souls brought along dissipated during the interdimensional journey, and even if some entered this world, they would soon vanish without divine protection.

Hill's two lifetimes of luck probably accumulated here when he encountered a dying fetus and fused with it without hesitation.

So Hill was not just the civil engineer of his past life but also the real Hill Polanio.

The world's consciousness acknowledged his identity, Hill knew from the day he became a Magician: Even if his soul remained after death, he couldn't be reborn back to Earth.

In the future, he would respect the Saral Royal Family and fully implement William's laws in his territory.

This was what Hill was very willing to do.

He awaited the execution of Saral state laws issued by William; without a church, he would still open basic literacy classes on his territory.

This was also something a morally grounded modern person should accomplish.

Though he lacked revolutionary prowess, he felt he should follow and contribute wherever feasible as others blazed new trails.

William's high platform steadily descended, and his appointed Chancellor stepped onto the stage.

William walked to the second-floor northern podium, smiling as he sat down.

"Please sit down." The voice rose again, feeling as if it was right beside the ear.

Adrian said to Fran: "Is this the Divine Power Center? It doesn't feel like the Tower Spirit's strength."

Fran shook his head without speaking, indicating with his eyes for the two not to talk.

The Chancellor took the stage first, leading the ministers below to swear allegiance to the King.

The oath was brief.

Hill understood, as those above couldn't help but start discussing.

Then the Chancellor announced three matters: Edward and Charles, along with their followers, would have their lands reclaimed and be ceremoniously expelled in three days.

Hill heard Count Pelast's name, and Adrian chuckled a few times.

Hill closed his eyes without speaking: Time to send money over. His causal ties with this family were finally settled.

The second matter was the conscription of officials and soldiers.

Hill said to Adrian: "Uncle Adrian, those obedient and sensible at home, have them participate. Forget the idiots."

Adrian looked at him in puzzlement.

The Chancellor announced the third matter, which made him stand up in shock: From now on, Saral banned slavery. The noble families must sign employment contracts with their servants, the duplicates stored in the Church of Justice. Otherwise, they must release the people. After three months, non-compliance would result in expulsion from Saral or having their titles revoked.

Only the Mages could sit steadily, almost all the Nobles went mad.

William watched the angry crowd with interest for over ten minutes, then the Legendary Knight's power swept through, forcing everyone down.

He stood up and lastly declared: "Obey or perish!"

Hill felt his ardent passion was once again brought to light.

Looking at the indignant Nobles, the curious Mages, and even the chattering players above, no one understood his suffering.

Would he say "To be or not to be" next time?

Maintaining emotional stability might become Hill's biggest issue these years.