Hearing Barton's words, Iver raised an intrigued eyebrow.
"...The Path of Transcendence? Do you know what you're talking about?"
"Knight" was actually a reserve soldier in the Light Cavalry Brigade. He might have been a student at Avalon Royal Military Academy.
He came from a traditional knight family, and at least one of his direct elders wore armor. He had also said that he might be promoted to a Sky Knight... In other words, he had only just set foot on the transcendent path and had yet to complete his first advancement. The griffin assigned to him was a purebred griffin with no discount.
In other words, his family belonged to the uppermost class in Avalon Kingdom.
Even if he chose not to become a transcendent, he could still live a comfortable life.
Yet someone like that... was now telling Iver that he wanted to follow the Path of Transcendence? Iver's heart stirred, and he asked in return, "Did you find out something?"
"I'm serious."
Knight said solemnly, "This isn't a spur-of-the-moment impulse, nor did I suddenly develop rebellious thoughts... I merely learned a little forbidden history imbued with mystical power. Then I started wondering: Could we have taken the wrong path? Was the Path of Authority originally meant to complement the Path of Transcendence?"
"If the essence and power of the Path of Authority are similar, then its core is actually power. Power flows from top to bottom, but power also changes hands, just as ministers' positions rise and fall. How can people who lack the desire to rise take their work seriously?"
"I think... top-down commands and bottom-up advancement must be combined for that to truly be 'power.'"
...Interesting.
Iver raised an eyebrow.
Knight really wasn't wrong. He was simply far too ahead of his time.
Avalon would