Chapter 0141: So That's How It Is, I Understand
Just as Hayashi had predicted, after Yunyun displayed her superhuman magical prowess, Fluder became like a commenter under a risqué website post, his mind filled with nothing but "Thanks, OP. May good fortune bless you."
After bidding farewell to Yunyun and returning to the Empire's military camp, Fluder naturally encountered the worried Emperor Jircniv, who hurried forward to meet him. A warm feeling flowed through Fluder's heart.
'Little Jircniv is such a good boy, so he surely won't mind sacrificing a bit for the sake of my abyss of magic, right?'
"Old man, are you alright?"
Jircniv looked at Fluder with concern and asked, "What was that little girl about?"
"She possesses an extremely rare innate talent," Fluder replied, having already prepared his explanation during the flight. "She's a genius in magic—unfortunately, she's from the Theocracy. I originally wanted to take her as my disciple."
Because this answer was so very "Fluder-like," the Emperor didn't suspect a thing. Instead, he wore a wry smile and said, "As always, you're relentless in pursuing the path of magic. The moment you see a talented seedling, you can't help but stop in your tracks."
"Hahaha, an old habit. Can't change it, can't change it." Fluder laughed heartily and waved his hand lightly. "Your Majesty, let's withdraw the troops for now—that Dominion Authority over there is different from the usual ones. I'll need some time to figure out how to break through it!"
"Very well, if that's what you say—" The Emperor sighed and nodded. He understood perfectly well that breaking through the Dominion Authority's defenses would require Fluder's expertise.
Since Fluder now wanted to study the Dominion Authority, he might as well let him. Having known the old man for so long, the Bloody Emperor was well aware that Fluder was a magic fanatic. Preventing him from researching magic would be as cruel as updating a game but not letting players pull from the new gacha or participate in new events.
That was simply impossible~
...
...
Under the Bloody Emperor's orders, the Imperial army, which had been facing off against the Theocracy's forces across the river where the Dominion Authority stood, began to withdraw. Only about 5,000 soldiers remained to guard against any sudden attacks from the Theocracy, while the rest returned to their barracks to rest.
"Ah—"
The great balding Emperor of the Empire sat on his chair with a displeased expression, propping his cheek on one hand as he sighed and lamented, "If it weren't for that damned Theocracy stirring up trouble, we could take a huge bite out of the Kingdom right now!"
"Your Majesty, there's no need to worry," Baziwood, one of the Four Knights known as "Lightning," flashed a bright smile and said, "Once Lord Fluder figures out how those archangels operate, he'll crush the Theocracy's forces in one go! Then the world will be ours."
"Hahaha, well said, Baziwood!" The Lightning Knight's words clearly pleased the Emperor, who burst into hearty laughter. "Exactly! Mere Theocracy is no match for our Empire!"
"Right, right!" Baziwood nodded vigorously and declared loudly, "There are no enemies before us!"
"BOOM—"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than an explosion-like roar erupted from outside, followed by one of the region's specialties—an earthquake.
"W-what's happening?"
The Emperor instinctively grabbed his aide's arm and asked urgently.
"I-I don't know—"
Baziwood, equally bewildered, steadied himself. Once the tremors subsided, he turned to the Emperor and said, "Your Majesty, let me check what's going on. Please take cover and protect yourself."
"Understood." The Emperor nodded solemnly. Being a clever man, he crouched behind a low table, watching Baziwood's movements intently—the knight cautiously edged along the wall toward the window, then, under the Emperor's expectant gaze, peered outside from the corner of his eye.
"Sir Baziwood, what's out there?" the Emperor couldn't help but ask.
"Your Majesty, there's... an angel and a demon..." Baziwood's expression turned slightly dazed, as if he couldn't believe his own eyes. He even rubbed them with his hand before repeating, "It really is an angel and a demon."
"The Radiant Archangel?"
"No, not one of those summoned creatures. It's... it's..." Baziwood struggled to find the words before finally saying, "A real angel! Fully humanoid."
"How is that possible!?" The Emperor's expression changed. Before he could say more, Kayle's voice echoed through the empty palace: "Emperor of the Empire, show yourself."
Hearing Kayle's words, the Emperor looked to Baziwood. Though he didn't speak, his questioning gaze clearly sought the knight's advice.
Seeing the Emperor's expression, Baziwood couldn't help but frown in distress. Just as he was about to speak, a streak of black light flashed above him—the next moment, the entire roof of the palace vanished. Sunlight poured in through the now-open sky, leaving both the Emperor and Baziwood utterly bewildered.
"Honestly—"
Morgana crossed her arms, glaring down at the blond man below with clear annoyance. "Didn't we just tell you? Show yourself, show yourself—did you not hear us or what?"
"W-well, it's not that..."
The Bloody Emperor was uncharacteristically stammering as he stood up somewhat awkwardly, saying, "This... demon lady, may I inquire about your identity..."
"Me?" Morgana recalled Hayashi's instructions and, realizing he hadn't forbidden her from revealing her identity, declared with pride: "I am Morgana, First Tier Guardian under the banner of Sky City!"
"Sky City?"
The Bloody Emperor's left eye showed confusion while his right eye revealed bewilderment—What was this Sky City? How come he'd never heard of it before!?
"Morgana, if you introduce it like that, he won't understand." Kayle shook her head as she landed beside Morgana and addressed the Blood Emperor: "You need to tell them that we represent the Holy Kingdom."
'Holy Kingdom!? So that's how it is... Now I see...'
At that moment, the Bloody Emperor suddenly understood. He wore an "I get it" expression, instinctively raising a hand to his chin as his mind began racing with thoughts.
Meanwhile, other soldiers who had noticed the commotion, along with the remaining members of the Four Knights—"Gale" Nimble and "Heavy Bombardment" Leinas—quickly appeared by the Bloody Emperor's side. Their expressions froze the moment they saw the angel and demon floating in midair, staring down at them with cold indifference.
Gale: "Oh no, oh no, this aura is terrifying... I can't move at all..."
Heavy Boom: "Holy crap, I messed up! I shouldn't have jumped out! There's no way I can fight this enemy! I should've just grabbed my bucket and run—"
"Two more appeared?" Kayle frowned and muttered, "This is troublesome. The Supreme One didn't mention what to do in this situation."
Here we go again. Can't you learn to be flexible for once?
Morgana rolled her eyes in exasperation. She floated in front of Kayle and addressed the four figures below. "Then just take these two along to Sky City to meet the Supreme One. Problem solved."
"Fair enough." Kayle nodded in agreement, then turned a serious gaze toward the Bloody Emperor. "Emperor of the Empire! You have ten minutes to prepare before accompanying us to pay homage to the Supreme One—this is a rare honor in this world. You should be grateful!"
Bloody Emperor: "???"
If the situation weren't so dire, he would've cursed out loud—what the hell? You barged in, wrecked my palace, practically held a knife to my throat to force me to meet your so-called Supreme One, and now I'm supposed to be grateful?
Unbelievable!
The Bloody Emperor forced an extremely stiff smile, preparing to negotiate with Kayle and Morgana. But the moment he opened his mouth—
"Whoosh—"
Kayle and Morgana vanished into the sky, leaving the Bloody Emperor to choke back the rest of his words.
So infuriating!
"W-what do we do, Your Majesty?" The Thunder Knight stared blankly at his emperor, utterly bewildered by the sudden turn of events.
"Your Majesty, I advise you to go—"
Just as the Bloody Emperor hesitated, footsteps echoed from outside the now-roofless chamber. Fluder appeared, staff in hand, his expression grave as he gazed out the window. "The power of those two messengers just now... even I am no match for them."
"Even you, old man...?"
The Bloody Emperor's face twisted in shock. He staggered back two steps before collapsing onto the sofa, propping his chin with a hand as his expression darkened. "Damn it, what the hell is happening in the Theocracy!? Why have such monstrous beings suddenly appeared?"
Poor Bloody Emperor still didn't know—if not for the Theocracy's fear of the Platinum Dragon Lord, that meddlesome troublemaker, the Black Scripture could've long since crushed both the Kingdom and the Empire.
"Your Majesty—"
Gale and Heavy Boom also turned their eyes to the Bloody Emperor, awaiting his final decision.
"...We have no choice but to go." The Bloody Emperor lifted his head, his expression solemn.
"Rest assured, Your Majesty." Fluder stroked his beard. "Given the power those two messengers displayed, if they truly wished to kill us, this entire estate would've been wiped off the map—even I wouldn't have survived. Since they didn't, it's clear they have no intention of harming you lightly."
The Bloody Emperor let out a sigh and forced an awkward smile, saying, "That's what I thought too—old man, I might need to trouble you to accompany me this time."
Fluder nodded without surprise, chuckling, "Hohoho, rest assured, Your Majesty! Even if I'm no match for them, I should still be able to use teleportation magic to get us both out of there when it matters."
The Bloody Emperor then showed a relieved expression and said, "As expected of you, old man. You truly are dependable!"
Faced with the emperor's trust, the old man thought to himself with a grin, 'Sorry, little Gil, but I won't be taking you with me—this is my closest chance to reach the Abyss of Magic, so I'll have to sacrifice you.'