Chapter 951: Ranazera's Doubts, Messenger
The tip of Aurelius' sword sat less than one centimeter away from Izroth's neck.
Just now, Aurelius' motion in drawing his sword was so fast and effortless that if there were any onlookers, it would have seemed as if the sword suddenly appeared in his hand.
Those around had not yet noticed Aurelius had drawn his sword. Otherwise, the other gate guards would have reacted immediately and surrounded those present.
Izroth, however, remained unmoved by Aurelius' actions as he maintained a steady expression.
"That may be the case for others, but I hold no such sentiments," Izroth replied calmly.
He then continued, "As for your arrogance—to my knowledge, you do not currently hold a seat on the Council or Senate. Nor are you a part of the royal family. When it comes to status, the sixth princess stands above you, yet you openly speak with such familiarity and draw your blade in her presence. The fact that you are unaware of my identity means that you are not important enough to know. However, I will say this much. Should you choose to delay us any longer than necessary on the path ahead of us or blow our cover—even your Windstorm family will not be able to protect you for taking such a misstep."
Based on his observation, Izroth had already determined that Aurelius must have been a part of some powerful noble family in Tempest before he even brought up his family's name. After all, not just anyone would be so bold as to speak to a member of the royal family in such a manner.
Once Aurelius mentioned his family name, it became even more apparent to Izroth why he acted so brazen in front of the sixth princess.
'It's said that while the Windstorm family's individual power cannot match up to the Tempest royal family, in terms of influence, they are considered to be on par with the royal family. But that's only if one were to take the surface of the matter as the whole picture. Because of their influence, it is easy for the Windstorm family to draw the other noble families to their side and bolster their strength at any given time. Even though it may appear that the royal family possesses a power advantage, in truth, the two are not that far apart. I suppose it's just one more reason why the current Emperor of Tempest chose to ally with the shadahi.'
Many centuries ago, one who held the title of Emperor in Tempest had absolute authority. However, that all changed when a certain Emperor took the throne.
That Emperor was given the moniker Morsomnibus, which directly translated to "death to all" in the old Tempest text—a name he earned a thousand times over for his ruthless, cold, and psychotic personality.
That era was a dark time for the Tempest kingdom, where hundreds of thousands of its people perished in an attempt to satiate the Emperor's thirst for killing.
Eventually, after the Tempest people suffered through a long era of atrocities, Morsomnibus was overthrown by his younger brother, and a new age came to the kingdom. It was also at this time that the Council and Senate were created to ensure that another Morsomnibus did not emerge from the Tempest kingdom.
However, Izroth believed that over the years, the desire to go back to a time when the royal family held absolute power was becoming stronger with every new Emperor that took the throne.
"Oh? Something that not even I, Prime Eques of the Order of the Aegis, am not important enough to know?" Aurelius said with narrowed eyes as though he were trying to see through Izroth.
However, Izroth's calm expression and unwavering gaze made it impossible to know what he was thinking beyond a surface level.
Discovering this, a look of disappointment on Aurelius' face as he frowned and lowered his blade.
"Ah, how boring. Hurry up and get out of my sight, so I don't have to look at that annoying face of yours." Aurelius stated as he returned his blade to its sheath.
Ranazera was shocked when she saw Aurelius back down. That eccentric man who always did whatever he wants without thought of others actually stayed his hand? What was going on? Could it be that this person was not the real Aurelius?
Of course, Ranazera knew what such a thought was absurd. Nevertheless, she was still dumbfounded by Aurelius' willingness to let them proceed.
Izroth, on the other hand, was not at all surprised by Aurelius' actions. After all, he knew their types quite well.
If one were not used to dealing with people like Aurelius, one would think that everything he did was simply a spur-of-the-moment thing. However, that was far from the case. In fact, one could even say that they were extremely calculative types who understood the utmost limits of the lines they could and could not afford to cross.
Since Izroth did not show the slightest fear or hesitation when Aurelius tried to intimidate him and mentioned his family name, he was unsure if confronting Izroth was a line he could afford to cross.
Without enough information at his disposal, Aurelius weighed the benefits versus the risks and determined that the latter outweighed the former.
Those like Aurelius were cowards when faced with the unknown but bold when it came to that which they could influence and control.
"Let us proceed, princess. We must make up for lost time." Izroth stated as he gave an "after you" gesture to Ranazera.
Ranazera quickly snapped out of it as she made her way through the first magic barrier of the Gates of Aegis.
As she did so, the sixth princess was conflicted. Back when Aurelius had his sword close to Izroth's neck, despite his deplorable personality, he was still a person from the Tempest kingdom. She could have opened her mouth and exposed Izroth as someone from an enemy kingdom, but instead of speaking up and possibly ending her unfortunate situation, Ranazera chose to remain silent.
"Once we cross the Gates of Aegis, there will be no turning back. Second brother, third sister... Am I truly doing the right thing...?" Ranazera thought to herself as a troubled expression formed on her face.
After Izroth and Ranazera made their way through the magic barrier, Aurelius motioned for the gate guards to resume letting people through. It was not that he instructed them to stop; however, the gate guards seldom saw Aurelius interact with those who went through the Gates of Aegus. Therefore, they intentionally delayed the line's progress so as not to disturb the Prime Eques. After all, they all knew how he could get if his mood were bad.
"Something about that guy rubs me the wrong way. Also, that stubborn princess was actually acting so meek in front of him. I don't like it. I don't like it one bit—that smug bastard." Aurelius said to himself as he clicked his tongue.
He then called one of the gate guards, Vincent, over.
"You called for me, young lord?" Vincent said in a respectful manner.
Vincent belonged to one of the minor noble families who served under the Windstorm family; therefore, he was extra careful in how he addressed Aurelius.
"I want you to go look into something for me. I'm sure I don't have to say this, but don't screw up." Aurelius spoke in a cold and distant tone as his expression darkened.
...
Thirty minutes later...
After Izroth and Ranazera passed through the Gates of Aegis, another certain individual arrived at its entrance.
"Prime Eques, a messenger of unknown origins, wishes to speak with you. They say it is a matter of the utmost urgency, but they refuse to disclose any information unless it's you who receives it." One of the gate guards, Jubal, stated as he respectfully delivered the message.
"Oh? A messenger of unknown origins? Looks like we're getting quite a few unusual visitors today." Aurelius said as he was instantly reminded of Izroth and Ranazera.
He then inquired, "Where is this messenger?"
"We've temporarily escorted them to one of the holding rooms used by high-status merchants while their cargo undergoes inspection at the gate. Since we weren't sure of their identity, we believed it was better to be on the safe side. Of course, I made sure to leave behind enough guards so that they could not slip away or cause any trouble." Jubal answered with haste.
"Idiot, you didn't have to do anything so troublesome. No one is foolish enough to cause any trouble at the Gates of Aegis with that old monster watching over this place. That being said, seeing as how they asked to meet with me, they must know a thing or two about how things work here. Let's go; escort me to this mystery messenger of ours." Aurelius stated with a sharp gaze.