Asking About the King's Past

"So, how did you help them out of the situation?" Leon asked.

"Well, my system is a 'Plant System.' It allows me, in part, to affect growing things. I can identify which plants are safe to eat, which ones are poisonous, which ones are good for medicine, which ones add nutrition to a diet, and what a plant needs to grow. Such as the soil condition, sunlight requirements, water requirements, and so on," the king answered. "As such, I was able to use my system to help grow enough food that the farmers were able to survive until it was time for them to plant, grow more food, and then bring in that harvest. Although, on such a massive scale, I certainly needed the people of this land to help me with it."

"I heard someone from those who were trying to burn this place down last night saying that they were going to take back what was 'rightfully theirs.' So, who as in charge before the people made you king?" Jonas asked.

"Well, as far as I know, they didn't really have anyone officially in charge. Not anything like a king, at least. I assumed that they had a more tribal kind of government, though I wasn't ever able to figure it out. All I could say was that after I was put in charge, I first improved their farming skills, then their construction skills, and from there, they seemed to start improving things on their own," the king answered. "If there was a set leadership or form of government before, then no one's said anything about it to me."

Jonas nodded, accepting what he'd said, although he was determined to ask Owen if the king was completely honest with them. Or if he was either whitewashing what really happened or if he was merely just unaware of things like that. It was possible, but since he didn't know the king well enough, he couldn't say for sure.

"What caused the problems that resulted in all you said?" Kim asked.

The king shook his head sadly. "It had to do with one of the challenges. I can't remember the exact details, but it was because we didn't complete it in a timely manner that the devastation took place. Maybe it's recorded somewhere, but I just don't remember what it was exactly."

"Would your brother have been a part of this coup attempt?" Bart asked.

When Elwin and Leon both looked at him, Jonas smirked at how defensive he seemed to get form that.

"What? It's happened before in the history of my world," he informed them.

The king, however, merely sighed. I have no idea if he is or not," the king answered. "Your friend Owen here, already interrogated the chamberlain, and he confessed that he didn't have anyone above him in the plan. He seemed to be the one in charge of everything."

"So, how would he know that you'd be here then?" Patrick asked. "I mean, from what I've heard, it was expected that your son would have come here with your brother as his escort, so how would the chamberlain know that you'd be here instead?"

The king nodded. "Yes, that is something that I'll need to look into," the king answered, looking back to Owen. "I might need your help in figuring out that, but at the moment, let's focus on what we do know right now."

"How did no one notice any of this happening?" Elmo asked. "I mean, they were able to bring in catapults, through the back gate, I think, and-"

"I'll just stop you there," the king answered gently. "What other noble houses do is their business and not mine. If my people had noticed and reported it to me, all I could do would be to ask what they had in mind," the king answered. "If they didn't want to share with their reasons with me, that would be their prerogative, but they wouldn't be obligated to tell me."

"Would there be a way for them to have to share why they might be doing something like that?" Patricia asked.

"I set up a council of lords, and that council could require anyone, even me, to explain why they might be massing arms, but even the council wouldn't likely do that without reason," the king replied.

Jonas sighed. This almost seemed like a history lesson or lesson on the governing of this kingdom. As the conversation went on, Jonas found that he was paying less and less attention to it. Not so much because he didn't find much of it interesting, but rather he didn't see what the point about it was.

They'd established that the king was, at least in essence, the rightful ruler of this land, that there wasn't a way for him to have predicted or stopped this in the first place, that he had a system himself and so knew of the competition Jonas and the others were in, even if he didn't hear the announcements himself.

Then there was the fact that there were too many questions that didn't have any answers for and Jonas was rather certain that the king didn't have those same answers himself. Although, Jonas couldn't help but wonder what the king's connection with Elin was. As he seemed to recognize the dance she'd danced the night before, not that Jonas would have known one from another himself, but he suspected the king knew more about Elin's world than he let on at the moment.

Although, as Jonas thought about the king's words from when he'd started, he suddenly had another question that came to mind. Yet, he still needed to ask it at the right time, rather than interrupting the king with whatever he was talking about at the moment.

"…that's why my brother and I don't get along so well. However, he doesn't seem to think so much about the arrangement that I have with my wife, the queen," the king was saying.

"What is the arrangement you have with the queen?" Elin asked, earning surprised looks from everyone, given how quiet she'd been during this whole exchange. Although, Jonas couldn't say that he was that surprised. He had a feeling Elin's interest was more in the romance aspect of it rather than what everyone else had been focusing on so far.

The king merely laughed good-naturedly. "Well, it's a little complicated," he admitted. " I guess you'd say that after she gave birth to our son, I was to give her the courtesy of not saying anything about the lovers she's undoubtedly had since then."

"You mean she's sleeping around?" Elwin asked, his disdain clearly showing in his voice.

"I guess you could say that," the king hedged. "Only, her lovers would get her exiled by the population here if it was ever discovered. So, I remain discreet about what I know about her and she provides me with the support I need to help keep things in this country running smoothly."

Jonas understood, though he doubted Elin would, or especially people like Elwin. People who just didn't seem to understand why the king might be okay with his wife sleeping around. However, Jonas doubted that the queen was having a different lover every night. She probably had a select few, if Jonas' hunch was correct.

"So, what's the queen's system?" Jonas asked, putting out the first part of what he suspected about the queen. If what he suspected was true, about the kind of lovers the queen was taking that would be so scandalous to the people of this country, then he had to suspect that she wasn't from this world. Which meant that she likely had a system of her own.

"Wait, what do you mean, Jonas?" Leon snapped, clearly startled by Jonas' question and the implications of it.

The king however nodded and Jonas ignored Leon's question. "She has a Slime system," the king answered.

Jonas nodded, not as surprised as many of the others in the room. Although, the only other one who didn't seem surprised at all was Owen, which Jonas could understand, given Owen could read minds himself.

"What's that do?" Bart asked.

"She can create slimes, control them, or even become a slime herself, in shrot," the king replied.

Jonas nodded to himself. Now would be the best time to ask his question. He just hoped that it wouldn't make things suddenly strained in the room.

"So, what's your real purpose in telling us all these things?" Jonas asked. "It can't be because we all have systems ourselves, otherwise you'd probably have made it public knowledge that you have a system yourself."

The king chuckled for a minute before it became a full deep-throated laugh. Jonas waited patiently, although he could tell a few of the others were looking between the king and Jonas in obvious confusion. Not that Jonas minded that. He was more focused on what the king's response would be.

"Yes, I guess I should cut to the chase here, as my wife would say," the king replied after his laughter had died down. "I just didn't expect to need to do so this quickly." The king paused to sigh before continuing. "The purpose was to offer you any support you might want in completing the challenges before you. I don't know how many challenges any of you have completed or how close you are to dealing with the fifth and last set challenge. I just thought I could at least offer help so others wouldn't end up getting stuck in this world if they didn't have to."