A/N: Update took longer than expected cause of exams.
'That went better than I had hoped.'
Felicia felt relieved that the Emperor was more focused on the short term at the moment. This meant that she still had a chance to prove her worth before she was swept aside. She had heard the stories of what happened to people who failed the Bloody Emperor, and their fates were not pretty.
She shuddered at the thought.
"Are you alright?"
"Huh?"
Felice whipped towards the voice behind her to find the Leinas' green eyes staring at her. The Imperial Bodyguard had long blonde hair with a brown string around her head. Bangs covered the right side of her face, and near the end of her hair, it was tied in a loose ponytail.
"I said, are you alright?"
"Y-Yes."
Felice straightened herself and adopted a warm smile.
"I am alright. Thank you for asking. I just had a long day."
Leinas merely nodded in response, her aloof expression never changing. Felice was about to ask her a question when she noticed someone familiar approaching. Leinas moved to the side out of respect.
She bowed towards her superior.
"Master Fluder."
"Felice, how are you?"
"I am fine, Master."
"Are you sure? I know what it is like to lose important material. The soul crystal was unique and one of a kind."
'Yes, thank you for reminding me.'
"It is alright. There is nothing I can do about it now, so I have already put it behind me. Now, I just want to follow the Emperor's orders and take care of Lumen."
Master Fluder didn't reply right away, though she noticed his eyes twinkle at the mention of the name.
"Speaking of which, what do you think of your... summon, this Lumen you spoke of?"
Felice hesitated for a bit.
"Forgive me, Master, but did I not already say it during the audience?"
"You only spoke of the events that transpired and the facts related to them. You did not mention any of your opinions regarding the matter, which is what I am asking."
She paused, thinking it over.
"Well... it is my opinion that he's dangerous. As soon as he figures out that we may not be able to contain him, who knows what he could do. In fact, I want to return as soon as possible to make sure he hasn't done anything yet..."
Felice stopped, examining Master Fluder's reaction, and saw nothing.
"But... if he could be won over, he would be a great boon for the Empire, but we haven't proven beyond a reasonable doubt that he's a magic caster just yet. We had Arche look him over, and she said she saw nothing."
His brows rose for a bit.
"Arche said she saw nothing?"
"Yes, she said she couldn't see a single trace of magic on him, that he was completely devoid of it."
His eyes twinkled again. Felice had no idea why.
"I see. That is interesting."
"Is it? If you say so, Master."
"It is because everyone has traces of magic, no matter how small they are. He either has a special skill or a magic item that keeps others from discovering the truth. It does not matter; the truth will reveal itself one way or another. In the meantime, I want you to arrange a meeting between us."
"You want to meet him, Master?"
"Why, of course. I wish to see for myself this "Lumen" of yours. A magic caster from another world, imagine that. Despite the hiccups, I believe you did great, Felice."
"You, you really think so?"
"Yes! Summoning someone from another world? That is not something even I could do. You are the first and only one in history, so far. Now that's an achievement. Congratulations! You have made me proud."
"T-Thank you, Master."
Felice bowed again to hide her red face.
"With that said, I also wish to read and examine your work once I find the time. I am sure it will be informative at the very least."
She nodded.
"Naturally. That can be easily arranged, Master."
"Good. Well, I have kept you long enough. You had best be on your way now, Felice."
"Of course, Master"
Felice bowed one last time before departing with Leinas in tow.
It was only when they were out on the streets of the capital that Leinas broke the silence.
"I have a question."
Caught a bit off guard, it took Felice a few seconds to respond.
"What is it, Lady Rockbruise?"
"Just Leinas will do. What makes you think your summon is a great magic caster if you haven't seen him cast a spell yet? I get why you think he's dangerous, but I've also seen and heard of monsters whose roars can replicate what he did."
"I know what you mean. It sounds like I'm merely exaggerating because of my ignorance of the wider world. I'm neither a knight nor an adventurer, so my experiences are limited. But what I am experienced in is magic, and in recent years, I've only ever focused on two specific magics."
Felice slowed down a bit and looked around to make sure no one was paying close attention to her words. Their side of the street was empty because of the lockdown, but she had to make sure.
"You know the first one, which is summoning magic. You should know by now that I am the leading expert in the Empire when it comes to that, but what you don't know is that that's not the only one."
She leaned in close to Leinas' ear to whisper her next words.
"I am also the leading expert in soul magic."
As she moved back, she ignored Leinas' confused face and continued walking.
"With it, I've learned how to get a feel for someone's soul. I can tell if you're a good or bad person—that sort of thing. And I can also learn how powerful someone is compared to me with it, and let me tell you."
Felice glanced at Leinas.
"For comparison, if Master Fluder is as big as the Sapphire Loch to the south, then Lumen is as big as the sea to the north, and that's only as far as I can see. I was only able to feel that during his shout when he casually released, I bet, only a small portion of his mana as added pressure. Yet, it was enough to greatly affect even someone like me, a fourth-tier magic caster."
Leinas gawked at her as she processed her words.
"Do you understand now why I have to walk on eggshells in front of him? The Emperor and my Master are both acutely aware of my skills and talents; that's why they didn't hesitate to believe me."
Leinas nodded before knitting her brows again.
"I see... but am I allowed to know about this?"
"Your colleagues, the Emperor's other bodyguards, already know. The only reason you don't is because you weren't interested in knowing. I understand you are focused on a different type of magic."
The Imperial Bodyguard looked ahead, her eyes distant.
"That makes sense. I suppose you already know my situation, then?"
"Yes. I'm sorry, but I'm no expert in curses to be able to help you."
"That's okay, no need to apologize. I'm already aware that no one in this Empire knows how yet..."
Felice paused a bit, thinking about whether to ask the question or not. In the end, she decided it was better to try than not.
"Would you mind if I ask you something personal?"
Leinas halted, scanning Felice's face.
"What is it?"
"Is that why the Emperor assigned you to me? For you to get the chance to see if Lumen can help you or not?"
Felice noticed her stoic expression momentarily twitch. After several seconds, Leinas looked away.
"I do mind, but there's no point hiding it from you."
She gazed straight into Felice's eye.
"Yes, I intend to learn whether your summon, Lumen, can help me out or not. I understand if I can't get my answer right away. I've searched for years to no avail, I can wait a few more."
Felice gestured for them to continue walking before responding.
"Don't worry. I'll do my best to help you, and I have a feeling Lumen would want to as well."
"Really?"
"Yes, really. Remember what I said? I can tell if someone is a good person or not, and I felt that Lumen is, or I hope he is. It's hard to be sure with his ability to hide a lot from us."
"Thank you."
Felice gave her a soft smile.
"Don't thank me yet."
The two of them soon arrived at the Ministry of Magic. When they were seen, the Royal Earth Guards at the gates swiftly rushed over to Felice.
"Sir Knights-"
"Lady Ritter, it's an emergency!"
Felice greeted them but was abruptly interrupted. She immediately went serious.
"What's the emergency?"
"Lord Rollan told us to inform you about a missing summon as soon as possible. They're still searching, but so far, no progress."
"A missing summon...?"
It instantly clicked inside her mind, and she ran past them, Leinas trailing behind her. She found Rollan near the entrance of the central building. The lampposts were already lit, as the sun had already dipped below the horizon.
'Please don't tell me he's gone.'
Rollan eventually spotted her approaching and went to her.
"Lady Ritter!"
"Where is he? Is he gone?"
"We don't know. He was in the library one second, and the next, he vanished."
"Vanished?"
"Yes."
Rollan explained what had happened earlier.
'Illusions? Teleportation? Or maybe something else entirely? Ugh, we still know next to nothing about what he is capable of!'
"How goes the search? Any clues as to where he disappeared?"
"Nothing came up yet. I'll be sure to let you know first when we find something. I already had the Royal Air Guard scout the city for clues."
"There has to be something!"
Felice shouted unintentionally. Rollan only raised his brows for a bit before responding to reassure her.
"There is one. I have people who said they saw him in a spell training facility. They're already gathered, and I am about to head there and interrogate them after I make sure the search is properly underway."
"Good, go. Prepare a full report for me. I'll take over the search from here."
"Very well. Best of luck, Lady Ritter."
"You as well, Rollan."
Felice watched him leave until he entered the building. Sighing, she turned to Leinas.
"Let's go find my missing summon."
Leinas opened her mouth to reply, but stopped midway as she looked behind Felice, her eyes widening. Felice about-faced to find who she was looking for.
'When did he get here?'
She caught herself staring and briskly smiled.
"Lo- Lumen! I am relieved to see you again. We were looking for you when you suddenly disappeared from the library."
Lumen remained silent for several seconds, and Felice grew worried for a moment.
"Apologies, Felice. I needed some fresh air. I was off sightseeing in this beautiful city."
'That's troublesome. What exactly did he see?'
She made sure she didn't show any untoward reaction to his statement.
"That's understandable so it's fine. We can give you a tour of the city tomorrow if you wish."
Again, silence for a few seconds.
"That sounds good; I would appreciate that. Thank you."
Felice merely smiled in return. She noticed his head turn towards her new bodyguard.
"Excuse me, allow me to introduce my bodyguard. Lumen, meet Lady Leinas Rockbruise. Leinas, meet my guest, Lumen."
"Greetings, Lady Rockbruise."
Lumen slightly bowed.
"Greetings to you as well, Lord Lumen."
"Please, just Lumen will do."
"Then in that case, just Leinas will do as well."
Felice smirked at how receptive Leinas was being compared to her deadpan attitude towards herself. She returned her attention to Lumen.
"Was there anything else you need, Lumen?"
"Yes. I was wondering where I would stay for the night. Food as well. I have gold coins if you need payment."
She face-palmed internally.
'How could I forget something so basic?'
Years of handling summons that didn't require basic necessities seem to have changed her priorities.
"Apologies for not providing that sooner. Please, follow me. We have a room just for you in one of the buildings. No payment needed."
'I hope the bedroom we provide for guests is good enough for him. I can't send him to a hotel right now, as that would separate him too far from us. I'll arrange something better for him tomorrow. Also, I'm curious about those gold coins, but I'll take care of that later.'
They moved to one of the side buildings of the Ministry. The inside was not as luxurious as the central building, but it was still better than most. The Ministry of Magic's buildings were made from magically enhanced concrete materials, which they dubbed "magicrete." Not only were they versatile, but they also provided far better durability and protection than the next competing material. The Imperial Palace and the walls of Arwintar made use of this material as well.
Aside from the material, the buildings were also heavily warded against unwanted intruders, as was natural. Only the doors were exempt from wards that prevented entry and exit as they were guarded by the elite knights of the Royal Earth Guard supported by mages specialized in detection and divination. When they saw nothing amiss, they allowed Felice and her two companions to enter.
"You have good security."
Lumen commented.
'Only "good?" These knights and mages are one of the best this side of the world can offer.'
"Indeed. So far, no one has managed to get inside or leave without them knowing."
"Is that so?"
'Wait, did they know when Lumen left?'
Felice felt embarrassed but didn't say anything.
'I'll make sure to investigate that later. Also, did Master Fluder take teleportation magic into account when he made the wards?'
She felt a headache with all these unanswered questions that piled up the longer she stayed with Lumen. He soon interrupted her thoughts.
"By the way, I wish to ask you a question."
"What is it?"
"What is your opinion regarding slavery?"
'Is this some kind of test? Is he against it?'
"Why do you ask?"
Felice probed for clues as to how she should answer him.
"Oh, just curious. We have them back in my world as well."
'That doesn't give me much. Is he aware the Empire is pro-slavery? He sounded neutral enough. He is powerful, yet slavery still exists in his world. Surely he would have done something if he were against it? But still, why ask such a question?'
She mulled it over for a few seconds before answering.
"I have no strong opinions about it. Slaves help drive the economy of the Empire to greater heights. They handle laborious jobs such as farming and mining."
'My summons were supposed to replace them in the future.'
Felice continued.
"I hear some are even used for entertainment, though I don't know what kind. Most of our slaves are elves bought from the Slane Theocracy. I hear they're versatile and of high-quality. Regardless, slaves provide the Empire plenty of benefits, leaving our citizens to focus on better professions."
"I see."
That was all Lumen said. Felice failed to notice one of his fists clenched tight beneath his robes. He faced her bodyguard.
"What about you, Leinas? Do you share the same opinion?"
"No. I don't like slavery."
"Why not?"
"My family owned slaves. We treated them well enough that they had families of their own. When I was young, I was friends with one of their children who told me what their life was really like."
"Hmm, that's good."
'"Good?" Did I mess up? Now that I think about it, it seemed like I was praising slavery!'
"I don't like it either, but there's nothing we can do about it."
Felice added to mitigate any negative impressions that they might have of her. Leinas simply nodded along while Lumen said nothing, which worried Felice.
'I need something to turn this around.'
They soon reached the door meant for Lumen's room.
"Here we are. You may occupy this room to rest and recuperate, Lumen. I'll have someone posted outside so if there's anything you need, let us know."
"More guards like at the library?"
'That was the original plan, but now that you mention it...'
Felice gave him a soft smile.
"No, not this time. I'll just have a servant or two for you."
'I'll simply post the guards nearby. Gods, how do I keep an eye on someone who can simply teleport anywhere he wants? I'll need to seek Master's counsel.'
"Very well."
"Is there anything else you need before we go?"
Lumen stared at her for a moment before assenting.
"I would like to request an audience with your emperor."
"An audience with the Emperor?"
Felice repeated with wide eyes and a slack jaw. Leinas also raised her brows in response.
"That- that can be arranged, but I'll have to speak with the Emperor about it first. May I ask why?"
"I wish to meet the great "Bloody Emperor" and see for myself if he truly is what they wrote about. Besides, it will help me better understand my situation if I meet the man at the very top."
"I understand. I'll be sure to deliver the request."
"Thank you. That will be all for now."
"You're welcome. Oh, right, I will have the servants bring you dinner as well."
"Very well. Until tomorrow, then. Good night."
Lumen offered his hand to Felice, which caused her to raise an eyebrow.
"See you tomorrow."
Slowly and carefully, Felice shook it.
Lumen sat fuming on the bed. He turned to look at a nearby table. A tray full of food sat on it.
'I either lost my appetite or I'm simply not hungry yet.'
He replayed Felice's answer to his question in his mind once more.
... Slaves help drive the economy of the Empire to greater heights. They handle laborious jobs such as farming and mining.
... slaves provide the Empire plenty of benefits, leaving our citizens to focus on better professions.
'Of course, someone who specializes in summoning magic would view slavery in a similar manner. She even called me "her summon."'
Informing her of his intentions and plans was clearly out of the question. She simply couldn't be trusted—someone who loves and trusts her empire that much.
'Leinas was different, though. Despite not experiencing it herself, she understood why slavery is bad based only on the words of a friend who was intimately familiar with it.'
He remembered the blonde bodyguard that followed Felice. Both of them shared green eyes, but where Felice's emerald green shone brightly, Leinas' dull green eyes reflected her darker nature.
'Still, just because she doesn't like slavery doesn't mean I can trust her either. Besides, she's a bodyguard. Enough said.'
Lumen continued to sit in contemplation.
'Personally, I'd rather not have come back. If this empire supports slavery, I'd want nothing to do with it. And if I want to liberate the slaves, the empire will no doubt consider me an enemy.'
He exhaled and let his gaze survey the room before him. It wasn't luxurious, to say the least, but it was leagues better than his apartment back in his world.
'However, it's foolish and arrogant to think I can do this by myself. A lot of innocent bystanders could potentially get hurt in the chaos. Even if I succeed, a lot of people will suffer due to the results of my actions, like what happened when I freed those elves. I'd be fine if they deserved it, but these things rarely go your way. I have to be prepared for unexpected consequences.'
He needed to be sure that the path he took would be the right course of action.
'Before I go full vigilante, I will need to speak with the man at the very top. I need to speak with their emperor to see if I can convince him to abolish slavery or, at the very least, enact laws against any type of slave maltreatment. It's going to be a long shot, but I need to exhaust every other option before I resort to violence. I will also need allies and supporters for this endeavor. I can't be the only one to feel this way. Leinas revealed as much.'
Lumen's thoughts returned to a previous tidbit he had read.
'I heard the Re-Eztize Kingdom's third princess, the Golden Princess, had already helped abolish slavery in their nation. I may need her insight and support.'
He took several more minutes of deliberation before he made up his mind.
'Right, I should play along for now, but I will not be submissive to their whims. I need to see if Felice and her emperor are willing to see me as their equal. In return, I will be willing to help them with any issues they need so long as it does not cross any of my lines.'
Lumen stared at his gauntleted hands with a slight frown.
'I will need to make sure I don't lose sight of why I'm doing this. I am not doing this for myself or my pride. I am doing this to help because I know from my experiences as a corporate slave how bad it can get. Imagine how bad these actual slaves had it. No doubt it's far worse than mine.'
He clenched his fists.
'I will also need to consider how far I'm willing to go to accomplish all of this. Unlike before, I have power now. Real power. I could level a city with a single spell if I wanted. I will have to do my best not to abuse it. But if they expect me to simply sit back and watch bad things happen in front of me, they've got another thing coming.'
Lumen finally stood up and went for the door. Opening it, he spoke to the servants outside.
"I do not wish to be disturbed for any reason until the morning. So I will lock the door with magic. Just knock on the door tomorrow if I am needed. Good night."
Without waiting for their approval, he closed it. Pointing at the door handle, he cast a spell.
"[Arcane Lock]."
Then he proceeded to cast various defensive spells in the room, most of them to block divination magic of any kind.
'That should do for now.'
Lumen looked at his shadow. He had previously sent the ninja out to scour the building and let it return when he opened the door.
"Tobi, how's the area?"
The Tobi Kato revealed itself in a kneeling position.
"Master, there are dozens of guards stationed nearby your room, consisting of knights and mages. They are spread throughout the building in small groups. At first glance, they seem to be just the building's guards, but upon closer inspection, they are clearly surrounding your room. They made sure they were close enough to react swiftly but far enough away not to seem suspicious."
"Well, that was to be expected. I doubt they were happy when they learned I escaped them the first time. But regardless, they can't stop me."
Lumen looked around one last time to make sure he didn't miss anything.
"I will be visiting the elves tonight to make sure they are safe. Remain hidden in this room and inform me of any developments quickly, but quietly. I don't want them to learn of your presence just yet."
He gave the mercenary Message scrolls. It then disappeared under the bed.
Satisfied, Lumen closed his eyes as he focused on his psyche. It took him many tries to get it right. He felt several strings originating from himself streak in different directions. One of these strings stopped at the Tobi Kato beneath his bed.
'So that's how it works.'
Following two adjacent strings, they led him straight to where the elf leader, Saida, and another ninja, Fuuma, were.
'I just need to focus on somewhere nearby their location to teleport to.'
He grabbed the tray full of food. However, before he cast the spell, a thought came to him.
'Are my mercenary NPCs considered as slaves? I did pay for their services, but it's a... permanent posting.'
Lumen shook his head, having decided to ponder those implications at a later time. Seconds passed, and he vanished from the room.