One of the L’horm guards stepped forward threateningly and demanded to pass, and Cerci just narrowed his eyes and spoke in a no-nonsense tone.
"Do I need to remind you where you are right now? This is not your Sovereign world. You are on the world belonging to the ruler of your domain, and you will show the proper respect to your superiors. Lord Jason has given his order, and you will obey it."
The guard obviously didn’t appreciate Cerci’s tone! From what the guard could feel, he knew that Cerci wasn’t a mage or a warrior, so the fact that a non-magical being was speaking to him in such a disrespectful manner grated on his nerves! But the woman who came with Vanix spoke up from behind and commanded the guard to stop.
"Stand down. The human is right. We are no longer on our world, and we do not have the right to make any demands of our superiors. I do not believe the king is in any danger with the Overlord, so we will follow their commands."
The guard turned around and glared at the woman for a moment, but he eventually listened to her, and they all stepped away from Cerci and began following after Juliet as she led them out of the room.
....
Jason and Vanix arrived at a small meeting room, and Jason pointed towards a chair for Vanix to take his seat. Vanix obeyed quietly, and the moment Jason sat down opposite him, Jason told Vanix to explain what happened on his world.
Vanix leaned forward and spoke quickly.
"It is my brother. That bastard dared to strike a deal with the Jamani mercenaries, and now he has usurped the throne from me! He has taken my birthright, and he dances on my throne like the devil he is! If I get my hands on him, I’ll choke him to death myself!"
King Vanix had a look of absolute rage on his face, and Jason hummed calmly as he leaned back and asked.
"Is there any reason why he would want to take the throne from you? Did you two get into a quarrel, or was there some difference in opinion?"
"No! I was perfectly civil! I treated that fool like a true king would treat his brother, and he spat on my kindness! That throne is my right, and I will not stand to see him stain it with blood!"
Jason nodded along nonchalantly as he considered Vanix’s words. Jason had a feeling that he wasn’t getting the full story from Vanix right now, and Jason didn’t think he could get the whole truth from Vanix even if he wanted to. It was difficult to believe someone like Vanix hadn’t done anything wrong to make his brother hate him! Vanix just didn’t seem like the sort of person anyone could get along with!
Jason turned away from Vanix, and he activated [Eye of the King], and Jason’s vision immediately switched towards the room where Juliet had taken the Queen and guards. The Queen was sitting alone on one side of the room, and the guards were all standing away from her and talking amongst themselves without bothering to involve her. But Jason noticed that the prideful look he had seen on the Queen’s face before had vanished, and now the Queen looked absolutely miserable.
Jason hummed and tapped his finger against the table. Something told Jason that the Queen knew something about this story that would make things clearer. Vanix was only telling one side of the tale, and Jason didn’t want to believe someone like Vanix without hearing both sides of the story! So Jason stood up and spoke to the king calmly.
"I have something I need to deal with very quickly. I’ll be right back."
Jason activated [King’s Substitute], and he vanished from the room and was replaced by a Machina subordinate that stood at attention in front of Vanix. Vanix frowned at the rude exit, but there was nothing Vanix could do in this situation but to simply wait for Jason to return.
’He’d better give me a good answer when he returns!’
This was the thought that crossed Vanix’s mind, and Vanix leaned back in his seat pridefully, and called out to the Machina to bring him something to drink!
On the other side of the Monarch Guild building, Jason appeared in the room where the Queen and Guards were all waiting for Vanix, and every single person in the room jumped in fright when Jason appeared in their midst like some sort of ghost! Jason turned to look at the Queen sitting alone in one corner of the room, and a guard’s voice echoed from behind him!
"Lord Jason, what are you doing here!? Where’s King Vanix!?"
The guard looked around to see if the King had also come with Jason, but they couldn’t find him, and some of the guards started to become tense as they wondered what had happened to their King. But Jason simply turned to them and said two words.
"Leave us."
The guards were all stunned, and one of them stepped forward to try and speak, but Jason narrowed his eyes, and this time he let out a bit of his pressure as he spoke in a threatening voice.
"I said, leave us."
The guards all felt fear fill their hearts once they felt the intense pressure slam into them! As a PRIMORDIAL, none of the guards here had been able to sense Jason’s mana at all this time, so feeling the pressure right now was enough to shock them down to their bones! The guards seemed hesitant to follow Jason’s orders, but they eventually bowed and left the room so that Jason would be alone with the Queen. Once they were gone, Jason turned back to the Queen calmly.
The Queen was staring at Jason with a frightened expression on her face, and it looked like she was a moment away from running away from him. Jason pulled back the pressure he had been letting out, and he apologised for scaring her like that.
"I’m sorry about that. I just needed to talk to you in private."
The Queen let out a breath to try and calm herself before she nodded while staring at the ground.
"What can I do for you, my lord?"
"I’d like to ask about the recent battle from L’horm. Can you tell me what happened?"
"I-I’m sure my husband already told you everything. You can take his word as the truth."
Jason could easily pick out the obvious fear from the Queen in that moment, and her expression made Jason certain that there was something more going on. Jason spoke seriously.
"Are you sure the King said the truth?"
The Queen hesitated for a moment before she nodded.
"Y-Yes, my lord. I’m sure."
Jason hummed before he activated his Arcane Art.
[Land of Lost Shadows]!
The Queen looked up in shock as a shadow fell over her, and she stood up quickly as she noticed the shadows wrapping around them like a cocoon! The two of them were quickly transported away from this world and into the dark world of the [Land of Lost Shadows], and the Queen stumbled forward before she let out a shrill cry when she realised that she was no longer in the real world!
"Where am I!?"
The Queen looked around the intimidating darkness with wide eyes, and when she looked up at the white sun in the sky, she nearly passed out from fear! But Jason was standing just a few feet away from her, and he came forward and put his hand on her shoulder.
"Relax. You’re in my alternate dimension. It’s separate from the real world, so you don’t have to worry about anyone finding you or spying on you here. You can speak freely."