"We can not go against the orders of the 9th Prince."
As those words echoed in Kuzon's ears, he stiffened a little, though his expression remained the same.
'Haaa... looks like things are even more complicated than I thought.' He sighed internally. 'What should I do now?'
Currently, everyone's lives were at a risk thanks to his use of Magic.
'I was careless. I didn't consider that my arrival in this world would cause such a Magic disturbance.'
Plus, he also used Magic to teleport to this place, leading the trail to this Shelter. Ultimately it was his fault, so even if this was time consuming for him, he had to help these people.
'I used telepathy to tell Maya to kneel as soon as I noticed the spatial rift. Thankfully, she listened.' He also erased his presence through Magic, allowing himself to be undetected when the Midas soldiers arrived.
'I wanted to see how they would act. To think they actually wanted to kill an innocent old man without reasonable justification...'
He had noticed the Midas Captain's expression—how he seemed incredibly excited to take the life of another.
'Maya was right. It seems the Midas Empire really is the villain here.'
The big question, however, was what he could do now.
'Should I take them down by force? Should I use Magic to hijack their will? But using more Magic to resist will clearly be detected as unregistered Magic. Wouldn't that create even more trouble for these people?'
Kuzon also knew he couldn't be naive enough to think he could easily solve the problem by defeating the Midas troops.
'Sure, it would save them on the short run, but...'
>VWUUUUSSSHHH<
As Kuzon was still considering his options, another golden portal suddenly formed and swirled a short distance from both him and the Midas troops.
The spatial gateway caught the attention of both parties, causing them to look at the individuals who emerged from it.
First came about a dozen more Midas soldiers, dressed in a similar armor as the regular troops that stood behind the one who led them—though they had capes behind them, and the quality and designs of their armor seemed much better.
They were still inferior to Darius's armor, though.
They took their respective positions, like an entourage of someone greater than then, they formed two different rows, standing firmly like statues to welcome the final person to emerge from the portal.
"What's taking you all so long?" A deep, authoritative voice suddenly surged forth, and the owner followed afterward.
He was garbed in thin golden armor that covered his body, with an exquisite white cape that flowed behind him.
His long golden hair trailed behind him, and his smooth, clear face shine with magnificence.
Appearing no younger than twenty years old, his golden eyes showed his identity as a royal, and the authority he exuded showed how much power he commanded.
Then, there was the magnificent golden crown that shone brightly.
"Why have you not dealt with this already, Darius?" The Royal asked, his eyes narrowed.
Every member of the Midas Troops, Darius included, showed homage by bowing their heads, almost planting it on the ground itself.
It was all in reverence to the prince before them.
"We welcome, with reverence, the 9th Prince; Prince Kendrick Midas."
Darius's announcement was followed by a chorus from the other kneeling troops.
Kuzon noticed that the residents of the slums did not utter a word, even though they would have been more than glad to praise the arrival of the prince.
'I see. So they're not even allowed to speak in the presence of Royalty.'
He realized how much of a miracle it was for him to have gotten so much information from the people.
However, the arrival of this prince provided yet another problem.
"Answer me, Darius. What's with the holdup? Have you identified the source of that powerful Magic?" Prince Kendrick asked, his frown not vanishing from his clear face.
"M-my prince, the situation has gotten more complicated than I initially thought." Darius stuttered, his tone completely mellow now that he was in the presence of his true superior.
"Oh? How so?"
"We encountered a Royal who claims to be the perpetrator of the Magic. Since we are not authorized to go against the authority and words of a Royal, we were unable to act." Darius shifted his gaze to Kuzon, who remained fixed in his position.
"The Royal is right there, my Prince."
It was in that moment that Kendrick moved his gaze from Darius to Kuzon, and that shift was enough to completely alter the direction of the entire scenario.
'I didn't know any Kendrick in the Midas Empire. I also don't recognize this face. Also, 9th Prince? I was the only Prince of the Midas Empire...' Kuzon's thoughts flowed as he felt the gaze of the prince.
'Their outfits are also different from my world's Midas Empire. It seems this world's culture and history varies from mine than I initially thought.'
With all of those factors in mind, Kuzon already knew what to expect.
'Haa... this will be quite a mess.' Noticing as Prince Kendrick squinting his eyes at him, he braced himself for impact.
"Who are you?" The prince spoke.
"..."
"I do not recognize you. You're not actually a Midas Royal, are you? You imposter."
'As expected. Looks like the jig is up.' Kuzon would have loved to argue that he was actually a Midas Royal, and the true heir to the Midas throne, but that would be as good as useless in this place.
Why?
'I most likely don't exist in this world.'
"Darius, I will not fault your error. You do not know the identities of all the Midas Royals, so it is understandable. However, since it is impossible for me not to recognize a Royal belonging to my Empire." He narrowed his eyes at Kuzon. "You are not one."
"Well... I suppose you're right." Kuzon finally spoke, shrugging a little.
"I was the one who performed the Magic too. I thought I would pretend to be a Midas Royal to escape liability, so I would get away with it. Seems I was wrong..."
"How foolish. Do you not realize what you've done? There is only one crime that transcends even the death penalty... far worse than the unregistered use of Magic." Prince Kendrick took a step forward, and a sudden pressure enveloped the area.
His frown grew deeper, and his eyes glowed bright golden.
"And that is the act of an inferior pretending to be a Midas, especially a Midas Royal. It is the greatest blasphemy, the most insulting act against the Midas Empire's authority." Another step forward, and the pressure doubled.
"You have committed the greatest sin imaginable, mongrel."
The kneeling Midas troops, as well as the commoners, shivered with each step the prince took.
It seemed like the very air itself was vibrating.
"Your punishment is inevitable. By the time I'm done with you..." Golden energy burst from his body as sparks of Mana danced around him.
"... You're going to wish you were dead."
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[A/N]
How powerful do you think the Royals here are?
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