TBATE: Blessed by Mana (Dropped)

30. Responsibilities and Goals

Licht Eralith POV

The training session with Uncle Jader turned out to be quite helpful after it switched from training mana manipulation and augmentation to him lecturing me on everything related to nobles, their etiquette, how to talk in public and court gatherings, and how to get the attention of people present in court proceedings or in important parties and events. 

He repeatedly emphasized the point that, while it was easy in a one-on-one conversation to make someone agree to something, it gets extremely difficult when it comes to convincing a large swath of people public gatherings. It is a scenario of one person against many. The opposing side would utilize everything in their arsenal to pressure the one standing against them alone and there would be times when their points would seem correct. He went on to explain how I should deal with and how I should act in those kinds of situations. 

"Disagree with their points in a nice and polite manner. Make them believe that their argument is almost correct before tactfully countering it with your own." Uncle made sure to repeatedly drill these 'points to be noted' in my head. Being the head of a prestigious noble family, he had the knowledge on dealing with such scenarios, thus making him an amazing instructor on these aspects. 

"And the most important thing to be kept in mind, is to keep a cool and level head. Do not falter and stick to your point, but don't be so steadfast that it would seem that you are not going to listen to what the others wish to say." 

He feared that due to my lack of experience in court proceedings and public speaking, I might slip up at some point and lose the majority vote even before gaining it. Once the majority support is gone, it would be pointless to continue any further. 

A king may be the one to make the final call on decisions, but nowhere does that mean that they can neglect the views and opinions of the common masses, the nobility faction and their own retainers. 

"I am conflicted on whether to applaud you for your bravery or sigh at your recklessness," Uncle Jader rubbed his temples, sounding like a teacher disappointed at their student. 

"The situation isn't that bad as you make it out to be," I replied in a low voice, behaving like the student he is disappointed in which was true to a certain extent. He kind of anticipated it but never guessed that my knowledge about royal etiquettes would be almost non-existent. It was all thanks to my short attention span and disinterest in these matters. 

If only I hadn't skipped the classes given by the royal tutor in favor of going into Dungeons, this situation could have been avoided. Still what's done is done and there is going back to the past, nor lamenting on it would be of any help. I will have to learn about how to deal in royal meetings and conferences in this one year I have. It should be more than enough. If what Uncle Jader mentioned about father declaring me as his successor is true, then I would need to be adept in these things, in order to be a good ruler like father and grandfather.

"Yeah, at the very least you have a well-made plan in your head to go forward with," Uncle retorted, suppressing the urge to roll his eyes. "That's like a silver lining."

"I now realize how important those classes were," I sighed, making the fallen leaves fly using wind as a sort of distraction. 

"Those classes are one thing but there's still the fact that nothing beats experience," Uncle corrected. "Start attending parties and events hosted by nobles where you would be invited. And by attending, I didn't mean just showing your face and then going out to get fresh air. Be a part of it. You will learn a lot. Plus we will be having sessions of our own too."

"Wait what?! What sessions?" I asked, with the surprise evident in my pitch.

"Did you honestly think that you will be let off the hook in one day? With your poor performance, you might need a good amount of tutoring. One day of lecture isn't going to cut it," Uncle reminded, flicking me in the forehead.