Chapter 840: The Emperor's Brand

Immense tension filled the air, and I could only watch in silence while donning my blue-haired disguise.

The hundred or so men that surrounded us already had their Mana flowing through them, and I could tell just how powerful they were. If we were to take a single step, they would try their best to subdue us instantly.

'Whether they'll be able to succeed or not is another issue entirely.'

"Y-you are... the Outgroup." The leader of the squad muttered, his staff warbling with a deep golden hue.

He had long golden hair and his hair was in a ponytail which was tied behind him. He looked like a young man—in his early twenties, at the very least. His golden eyes, along with his flawlessly clear skin, indicated to me that he belonged to the Royal Family.

Also...

"Kaliel, stand down. It's me, Kido." Our Outgroup Ace finally stepped forward, speaking in a low, calm tone.

"Y-you... What are you doing here?! No, how were you guys able to get past the barrier, to begin with?"

It appeared they knew each other, after all.

'They must be panicking. No one has been able to penetrate their barrier since the start of the conflict, yet we achieved it. It's in their best interests to eliminate us, but they're probably wondering if they can achieve that.'

This situation sort of reminded me of how it was when I first arrived in this world.

"We come in peace. We've only come to see Kuzon." Kido added. "Please, Kaliel... let us pass."

The golden-haired chief guard seemed conflicted about what choice to make. His hardened face seemed to soften a little, and I could sense hesitance in his strong gaze.

"I-I can't. Even if it's you... Sir Kido. The Emperor has told me to guard this place with due diligence and to put down any unlikely insurgent that is powerful enough to so much as partially breach the barrier. Besides... ever since you left, he said that he no longer considers you a part of our Empire."

How troublesome. Things seemed a bit tighter than I had expected.

"You can't make any exceptions?" Kido looked conflicted, clenching his fists in frustration. I simply watched the whole exchange in silence.

I pretty much knew how things would end at this point.

"If you leave now, I'll pretend I never saw anything, so please..."

Gasps escaped from the others that surrounded us. They were probably shocked that he was being so lenient.

'The fact that we can bypass the barrier means we can most likely do it again and again. It's safer to eliminate the threats than give them the chance to cause another breach in security.'

I couldn't tell if this Kaliel was being overly generous, or if he was just ignorant of the implications of his actions.

It didn't matter either way, though. We couldn't retreat after coming this far.

"Apologies, Kaliel. That is not an option for us." Kido took another step forward, an imposing aura already coming off of him.

Kaliel and the hundred guards braced themselves. He clutched his staff tight, quickly activating a defence Spell to protect himself from whatever attack Kido was going to unleash.

Unfortunately for him, though... this wasn't an attack you could 'block.'

"Stand down."

The moment Kido said this, the bodies of all the armed men instantly tensed, and a powerful aura came over them after his command.

"Drop your weapons."

Instantly, they did as they were told. Each of them, even Kaliel, let go of his precious staff. As their weapons fell on the ground, we were left with nothing but complacent soldiers.

Kido appeared conflicted about doing this, but I appreciated the fact that he recognized the need for such action and did it anyway.

He was way too nice, after all.

"Ask them where Kuzon is. For all we know, he might not be in the palace." Neron approached Kido, speaking calmly.

"Where is the Golden Emperor?" The moment Kido spoke, Kaliel opened his lips and divulged everything without hesitation.

"He remains in his palace. He is currently having a meeting with the Dragon King, Z'ark."

The Dragon King was most likely the leader of the Magic Beasts in this world as well. That meant they were planning something big. It was a good thing we came at this particular time.

'How lucky!'

"Thank you for your help. Now, then, resume your guarding duties and forget you ever saw us."

"U-understood."

Kaliel and the other soldiers kept standing as our group passed beside them, all completely still. They probably wouldn't be able to move until Kido's influence over them wore out.

"What a scary power..." I heard him whisper to himself.

This had to be the first time he was using it on so many people, but he didn't appear worn out. As expected of the results of his efforts in training and practice.

'He still needs to speak to exert his authority, but it seems he's pretty much gotten the hang of [The Emperor].'

Since I had all the Arcana Spells in my Original Magic, I pretty much understood the structure. By obtaining Ciel's help in transcribing them to suit this world's frequency, I was able to evolve their function to acclimate to different frequencies.

In essence, even if I wasn't in this world, I would be able to switch frequencies to use them—so long as I utilised Aether when doing so.

'It's still a theory, but it should work.'

As for why Kido had an Arcana, it was simply because I gave it to him. No, not just him. Each member of the Outgroup had been given a specialized Arcana Spell. It was just that me and Ciel knew more.

Though Ciel's knowledge and control were only limited to about five.

'Since Arcana Spells consume a lot of energy, and they have to cast them by themselves, I only told them to use it in special cases.'

I watched as the glowing brand of [The Emperor] on Kido's hand dulled. His influence was probably losing its potency, so we had better hurry.

'I guess we better make it to the meeting fast. Though, I doubt Kaliel and his guards will remember ever seeing us.'

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[A/N]

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