He was born on 20 October of the 501st year of the Hiera Empire calendar. His right eye was a deep shade of pink, and his left eye was bright blue. Despite the yellow hair characteristic of the imperial family, he was born with jet-black hair that barely reflected light.
This person was Luke himself.
He was the eighth of the Hiera Empire's eight children and also the first prince.
He had the right to directly inherit the throne, had shown incredible genius since the sixth month of his birth, possessed immense potential, and even had the nickname 'Light,' which was the meaning of his name, Luke, in the common language.
The Light of Heira.
He was seen as a symbol of hope. Not only by the Hiera Empire but by the rest of the world.
Yet everything changed on that day, exactly 18 years after his birth, on 20 October of the 519th year of the Hiera Empire.
"I have no son like you!"
These words came from Alfred Heira the Second, the emperor of the empire. Luke's father and one of the few people he considered his heroes.
All eyes were fixed on Luke. Every noble had come to witness this blessed day.
In this world, everyone who turned 18 received a gift from the gods. Farming, Knighthood, Magical Sword Mastery, Magic, Tailoring, Blacksmithing, and many more.
When it came to the nobles, however, anything other than gifts like magical sword mastery was seen as nonsense and a great disappointment.
For Luke, it was the worst possible outcome.
The gift he received at the 'Church of the Night' on his 18th birthday was the very thing that caused nearly everyone to look at him with disappointment.
He had obtained a gift unlike any seen before.
[Otherworldly Shopping System]
As the name suggests, this gift did not please Emperor Alfred in the slightest. The fact that his son, who was regarded as a genius in the magic and swordsmanship part, had received a gift unlike any other, one that had nothing to do with war, was a huge disappointment to him.
"Father?" Luke asked. The young man was, of course, utterly shocked; it was difficult for him to comprehend the words he had heard.
"From this day forward, I am no longer your father! You are disqualified from the race for the throne! Get out of my sight!" Alfred replied.
Every word felt like a dagger piercing Luke's heart. The words of the father, whose heroic deeds he had read about since childhood, had shattered him.
Still, not everyone was like Alfred.
Unlike in other kingdoms or empires, Luke was truly loved by the entire imperial family. Therefore, the emperor's four wives and the seven princesses older than Luke were deeply saddened by what they had heard.
Luke was a good person. He remembered the name of every servant and knight working in the vast imperial palace, bought medicine for the sick with his own money, and even opened orphanages for homeless children in the capital.
He truly deserved the title given to him, the Light of Heira, but in just a few minutes, everything he had done up to that point had been torn apart as if it were nothing.
"Please, at least let me try my gift, Father! Maybe it's something useful!" Luke had shouted, but it was in vain. The knights, reluctantly but by the emperor's orders, had indeed hurriedly removed him from the church.
Even the Pope himself, who was to perform the ceremony to bestow the gift from the gods or goddesses upon Luke, was surprised.
How could he not be surprised?
The light of the empire had suddenly gone out... been extinguished. And that was done by the emperor himself.
When Luke was officially expelled from the main hall of the church, the knights kindly accompanied him to the palace and told him how sorry they were and even that he should not be sad.
Even though the atmosphere in the church was tense, everything proceeded as usual, with the children of the nobles receiving their gifts.
By the time evening came and went, Luke had already packed about fifteen suitcases with items he thought would be useful and placed them in his magic bag. He also put every last gold, silver and bronze piece he earned his whole life into the magic bag.
He was so mad that he didn't want to let his father take one piece.
He expected to be expelled from the palace shortly. After all, throughout imperial history, any member of the imperial family who possessed a useless gift had lost their rank and been expelled from the palace.
He had naturally prepared for the worst-case scenario and set to work, believing that they would at least allow him to keep his magic bag.
When the clock struck one in the morning, Luke was busy watching the outside world from his balcony, not a single drop of sleep in his eyes. Until his door was knocked on and opened.
The young man didn't even bother to turn around. The anxiety in his heart was growing, and he kept thinking that perhaps the knights had come and had already been ordered to arrest him.
"Luke," a delicate female voice called out.
Luke immediately turned around and saw the woman with a smile on her face. She had shiny golden hair and bright blue eyes.
Penelope Aria Hiera. The first princess of the empire and, with Luke's loss of position, the crown princess herself.
"Sister," Luke said in a calm tone. He was trying not to show his sadness and disappointment.
"We spoke with Father. All of us, Luke. With everyone's help, we were able to prevent you from being expelled from the palace. Unfortunately, we couldn't get your position back… I'm sorry," Penelope said suddenly.
Luke was speechless at these words. He kept thinking that his father wouldn't do such a thing and that he might have been under enormous pressure from the empresses and princesses. This was naturally the most logical thought.
"Are you... disappointed in me, sister?" Luke asked suddenly.
Penelope shook her head from side to side as soon as she heard the question and, genuinely worried about Luke's mental state, said, "Of course not! How could a sister think that about her little brother?"
"But… Father didn't think that way," Luke replied, and as if nothing had happened, he gently pointed to the door and said to his sister, "Excuse me, I need to get some sleep."
Penelope reluctantly left the room, and Luke lay down on his bed, genuinely worried. After all the emotions he had experienced today, falling asleep wasn't too difficult.
When he woke up at nine in the morning, the time his father Alfred was at work in his office, he dressed neatly and left his room.
There was neither a knight nor a servant in the entire corridor. It was as if Luke had been left alone.
Still, he didn't give up. Even if it was foolish, he wanted to know what Alfred was really thinking. For that very reason, he began walking quickly through the palace, and, after walking for nearly fifteen minutes in the vast palace, he arrived at the office guarded by the imperial knights.
The knights had, of course, already received orders not to let Luke in, but despite the orders, no one wanted to stop him. Nevertheless, each of them knew that they had to obey the orders.
When the knights blocked the office doors, Luke looked at them carefully and asked, "Until yesterday, you swore to protect me and serve me for the rest of your lives. What happened to make you change your minds so drastically?"
Both knights immediately collapsed mentally. They were both aware of who this young man standing before them was. The light of the empire was not worthless. Even if he had no rank and was just a commoner, Luke's presence was enough to increase everyone's happiness.
He was practically a saint who was already acknowledged by the whole world, including the holy empire.
The two knights stepped back from the office doors in a matter of seconds and trembled as if they had received an order from the emperor himself.
Luke finally opened the office door and entered.
There were five people in the office.
The First Empress Emma Hiera, the Second Empress Lily Hiera, the Third Empress Bellatrix Hiera, and the Fourth Empress Eva Hiera.
And, of course, Alfred Hiera the Second himself.
Alfred looked at Luke with his eyes wide open, as if surprised to see him. Not only him, but the other four empresses were in the same state.
Luke's gaze was almost blood-curdling. He was scared. Still, there was something he wanted to ask his father.
"I clearly remember ordering you not to enter here," Alfred said in a calm tone. He really did seem incredibly calm compared to yesterday.
"You may have taken my rank away, but you cannot erase from the minds of all the palace servants and knights which sun they wish to worship in the future, father," Luke replied. His fear was diminishing with every passing second, and what he desired in his mind continued to change with those seconds.
When Alfred heard these words, he smiled and said, "I have already forgiven you. I will not give you back your rank, but I can allow you to remain a prince. A useless rank, but you can do the same things as a baron. Unless you go against me."
Luke took a deep breath and said, "I know my mothers and sisters put pressure on you."
When Alfred's expression turned serious, Luke didn't hesitate for a second. He walked into the office, slammed his hands on the emperor's desk, and shouted, "What do you want from me!?"
The words he heard would make it clear to him that he was already dead in his father's eyes:
"Your demise."