Chapter 01 : The Million Souls of Vermillion

A roaring thunder stroke a huge tree with force, cutting it in two. It caused one of the branches to beat against a fine glass window, stirring up the young man sleeping inside awake.

'Ah... Today is the day...' thought the young man, as he got out of bed half-asleep.

He freshened up himself, put on some casual clothes, and left his room.

Before he could go downstairs, he met a maid clothed in a black and white attire going to his room.

She was taken aback to see the young master awake so early.

"Young Lord, your Father is still in the dining room." she said, slightly bowing her head.

"Hm."

The young man silently nodded, and followed the maid through the long corridor spanning over the manor.

He couldn't help but look at the people working outside under the heavy rain through the large windows. A bunch of armored men was actively running in all directions, while the servants were carrying the branches that fell from the tree that got hit by thunder.

"Aura, tell the servants to repair the window in my room. A branch broke the glass."

"Yes, Young Lord." answered the maid, thinking that only lightning striking near his room could awake him in time.

After walking through the long corridor, they went downstairs and entered the dining room guarded by two bulky knights.

This spacious room was decorated with many furnitures and luxuries that were hard to get on the outer continent. Expensive paintings were hung on the walls, statues of heroes were all over the room... Even the wooden floor was covered in a shiny translucent layer that made it look like marble.

"Hm ? Are you awake ?" said the man eating at the end of the table, surprised to see his son awake so early.

"Yes, Father."

The young master sat next to his father, grabbed a piece of bread and started to eat the delicacies on the plates cooked by their chef.

"Lightning stroke our manor, and my son has awoken before noon... Will the sky fall on us today ?" smiled his father, happy to eat with his son for once.

"I don't know about the sky, but I know some heads will fall today." The young man said, his eyes excited.

"That's my son, ahahah ! cough... cough..." The father burst into laughter until choking on his food.

"cough!... That is the good mentality my son. Do not let these disgusting people trample on your pride ! Today, you'll teach these lowly commoners how superior our Vermillion family is !" said the father, lightly tapping on his son's shoulder.

"It will be done, Father."

The Young Master kept his grin for the whole dinner when he thought about what was going to happen a few hours from now.

Today was a special day : it was the Empire's Olympiades.

This event is a tradition that has been passed down since the first Emperor of the Reinhardt Empire. It was a day were young nobles and young commoners under the age of twenty would compete in different fields to prove their worth.

While this event that was supposed to be fair for everyone and to reward only the skills was originally a way to strengthen the bonds between the high noblesse and the civilians, its purpose changed over time.

It was now a special day where the nobles could exact their authority without any consequences, while the commoners who wanted to compete had to be careful to not offend their naughty opponents.

This day served the nobles as they could openly show their dominance over the people of the empire, while the few courageous commoners who hoped to get hired and have a better life could participate.

Because the Vermillion duchy is one of the most prominent families in the Reinhardt Empire, every edition of the Olympiades where one of their offspring is participating is sure to be a big deal.

The commoners will try to show their worth in hope of getting hired, while the other nobles who are ranked lower will either try to curry favors or shame the Vermillion family. However, throughout history, only death awaited the latter.

After finishing their meal, both father and son stood in silence while the servants were carrying out the empty plates.

"I remember my Olympiades as if it was yesterday... The smile of your mother after I killed the man her family arranged for her to marry was the most beautiful sight I have ever seen..." The father had watery eyes every time he thought about his beloved deceased wife.

"This was also the first Olympiades where our family hired commoners. Your grandfather was so furious at me for hiring commoners through the Olympiades that he forced me to join the northern front as soon as I came back to the manor, ahahah !"

The young lord couldn't help but smile at his father. He was happy to see him so cheerful today.

He heard the stories of his father's Olympiades again and again when he was a child, and yet, he never got bored of them. His mother died giving birth to him just a year after his father's Olympiades, so he knew how painful it has been for his father.

Many other nobles would have blamed the newborn for the death of their wife, but his father didn't. Not only did he never blame his son, but he loved him with all his heart.

He also never remarried nor take any concubines ; even if having a single heir was a shame for the head of such a prestigious noble family, he always kept his vows to his deceased wife.

A lot of people might badmouth Duke Vermillion, but none of them can say he is not a faithful man. Not a lot of people could have the same loyalty toward their family as he has toward his deceased wife and his son.

Seeing that his father was starting to get emotional while reminiscing about his younger days, the young master stood up to go back to his room.

"May I take my leave, Father ?"

"Not so fast. Come with me." The cheerful visage of the laughing Duke vanished, and instead, the usual cold and serious aura surrounding him resurfaced.

"I have something important to give you."

The Duke left the dining room, followed by his son and his two personal knights.

They all walked through the numerous manor's rooms, before stopping in front of a wooden door on which runes were engraved.

"Father, this..." the young master was surprised to stop in front of this door, as since his childhood his father always forbade him to come close to this place.

"My only son is about to pass the Olympiades and become an adult... Today is the perfect time for you to enter this place." the father said, with a serious tone.

When the Duke touched the door with the palm of his hand, various runes glowing in different colors appeared on the walls nearby. After shining for a few seconds, they all vanished and the door opened on itself.

The two knights escorting the Duke took position next to the door to guard it, while the father and his son engulfed themselves in what seemed to be pure darkness.

"Follow me carefully, do not lose sight of me."

This place was so dark that the young lord could only see the back of his father, which appeared bigger than usual today.

He followed his father for a few minutes, before passing another door.

When they entered the second room, the oppressive darkness they felt before vanished and left its place to warm red light.

The room was very small, and everything inside looked shabby except for a metallic box in its middle.

"Adamantite..." the young lord was stunned to see an entire box made of Adamantite, one of the rarest metals on the continent. Even the Emperor himself shouldn't have this much refined Adamantite in his secret vault.

If this was to get known, just this amount Adamantite would be a sufficient reason to force every surrounding power to invade the Vermillion duchy. That's how precious Adamantite is, especially in the northern part of Lunaris, far from the central continent.

The small box, which looked like it was resonating with the ambient red light, was ornated with precious gems also shining in a crimson red.

"Open the box, my son." the Duke stood behind his son, waiting for him to open the box.

"What is it, father ?"

"This box is the secret to our family's strength. It is called the Million Pandora Box. As its name suggests, it hosts a million souls inside."

The Duke got closer to his son and started to explain the story of this mysterious box.

"This artifact has been given to the founder of our family, Julius Sanguinus Vermillion, after he helped an unknown entity. Thanks to its power, our venerable ancestor made our family one of the strongest in the region in a single generation. If the Vermillion duchy is reputed in all the northeast of Lunaris, it is mainly due to the power the heirs of our family gained from this box."

Seeing that his son was completely stunned by his words, the Duke put his hand on his shoulder and comforted him.

"Fear not, my son. The choice to open it is yours only. My role is not to force destiny upon you, but to give you an opportunity. If you open it, one soul among the million being held inside this box will be forever linked to your own. This soul will follow you all your life, and what you will get from it will solely depend on your luck."

The Duke took a few steps back, and added.

"Now choose, my son. Will you accept the Vermillion legacy ?"