The message was so shocking and sudden that Daneel had to ask the system to take control of his face right away.
They were being broadcasted live to the entire continent, and there was no way that he could show his panic to all those who were watching.
A leader was supposed to be one who inspired confidence in his followers, not panic, and in this pursuit, the first objective was always to make sure that expressions like the one he had just gotten should not be visible to them, at least until all of the facts had not been verified yet.
Thankfully, he had the Basilisk's Breath technique, which he had activated right away to tell the system.
Because of his ample practice in the technique, he was able to make sure that his lapse in control was so short that almost no one would have been able to spot it.
However…that didn't include a certain few people.
"What's the matter, King? You look like you've seen a ghost…"
It was the Head who sent this message, and for a moment, Daneel was clueless regarding just what he should send as a reply.
He still hadn't even completely processed the information, but he was presented with this situation.
Thankfully, years of tackling high-pressure situations had given him quite a quick wit, so he said, "It's nothing, an accident has occurred in the training of my personal corps…I will contact you if I need your help in anything."
The Head soon sent a reply which allowed Daneel to let out a sigh of relief.
After all, it was to be expected that any Champions or Heroes who might be watching would be able to spot him, and it was best if he cleared it up right now.
"All right, I guess it is something major, but the fact that you're still there means that it must be under control. You are very secretive about your personal corps…I hope everything is all right. Yes, if you require my help, let me know."
The Head seemed like he had been about to say something, but at the moment, due to the pressing matter in Daneel's mind, he didn't recognize anything and was only happy that he had not aroused any suspicion.
The good thing was that their objective had been achieved, and the only thing that remained was a formal signing of the agreement so that it could stay behind in the minds of all those who were watching, in case they got thoughts of marching out to rebel again.
Switching with his clone and making sure that it was another thing that no one normal would be able to detect, Daneel reached a place nearby and went through everything the system had said again.
Cassandra had sent no updates recently, but that had been so since a long time, as she had kept saying that she could feel that she was getting closer, but that she wouldn't know if she was succeeding until she succeeded. Hence, she had said that she would contact him after she was successful without going inside the village that she was looking for, but clearly, something had gone wrong.
Hearing the message again, it was easy to determine that the system was right. The two words were said in a tone of such frantic panic that they would fit if they were coming out of the mouth of someone who knew that they might be approaching their death, and an oath-link was bond so complex that even if one deployed the strongest formations against it, they would only be able to deny the one at the other end who held an oathstone from finding out the oath-giver's location.
The first thing Daneel did was decide to tackle everything with a cold mindset.
He could not let emotion come into this, because if it did…he did not know what would happen, and he didn't even want to find out.
He had never been someone who was bane to their emotions, but when the matter came to those he treasured…it wouldn't even be too much to say that neither heaven nor hell would be able to stand in his way if he decided to go against them.
So, after taking a few deep breaths and adjusting his mind, Daneel listed everything he knew, and everything he should do, in order of priority.
Cassandra was searching for a village that might be responsible for spreading those with Hidden Bloodlines over the continent in places where there would be situations that would Awaken their Bloodlines.
Her memories regarding her childhood had been wiped clean, and all that remained was a very vague remembrance, and a feeling that she could find the place if she looked.
She had set off on this venture and had been at it for months, and Daneel had planned to join her soon as this village was like a force that was standing in the shadows, unseen, while all of them frolicked in the light without a single care in the world.
The Oath-link had been severed, and it seemed as if she had been in a perilous situation.
These were the facts, and after thinking for a bit, Daneel right away embarked on a few inquiries.
"System, is there a way to make it seem as if an Oath-link is severed?"
[Unclear. Very high-level formations might be able to accomplish this, but even in the age of the Empire, only a handful of people were researching this topic, as it was classified as something only to be delved into in one's free time. It had limited use-cases and one estimate said that it would require resources the likes of which would be burnt by a high-level barrier while it defended one against the assault of ten Heroes, which meant that the cost-payoff ratio was too low. Some say that there was a success, and others say there was not. The Emperor, himself, did not know anything further regarding this, but a formation that accomplished this was definitely not famous in the public sphere.]
Huh? Unclear?
This was the first time Daneel had heard such a thing after asking about a topic relating to the Age of the Empire, and he had to admit that it couldn't have come at a worse timing.
After all, he had both the information stored behind the third seal and the memories of the Emperor, himself.
Putting aside these thoughts, though, Daneel focused on what he had.
It was possible, but it couldn't be determined with certainty.
Well…looking on the bright side, it was definitely better than a firm 'no', which would have made the matter much more dire.
Without wasting any time, Daneel moved to the next item on the list.
"In the case of death, can the Phoenix Bloodline cause a rebirth?"
While breaking through to become a Warrior, Cassandra had awakened her Hidden Bloodline, and it was one that had to do with rebirth.
Hence, right away, Daneel had gotten the question regarding whether this was possible.
Sadly…the answer wasn't good.
[Resurrection is a restriction-heavy ability only available to possessors of the Divine Phoenix Bloodline if they have reached the realm of a Champion. In the Warrior realm, they only obtain regenerative powers.]
Daneel had been hoping otherwise, but it was something he should have known, as such overpowering abilities usually had a ceiling that one was supposed to cross beforehand.
Still, he took it in stride, and asked the last question before setting off.
"Check the countermeasures placed in her. Were there any Hero-level individuals nearby when this happened?"
[Checking countermeasures. Negative. Champion-level individuals detected. Hero-level formations detected. No further information was received before complete severance of communication.]
Hmm…the plot thickened.
If anyone thought that Daneel would send one of his precious sovereigns without any means to track her and be at her side when needed, then they would be delusional.
Before her departure, Daneel had deployed each and every countermeasure he could think of, and it had clearly paid off.
Champion level individuals and Hero-level formations…this definitely stank of the Big Four.
If Daneel could decide that it was them, it would have been fine. However, the probability of the Big Four having something that even the Emperor didn't know about…was slim, at best.
Hence…the probability was very high that it was probably the elusive force they were looking for.
As soon as this occurred to Daneel, he opened his eyes which had been closed till now and let out his breath.
"Deploy countermeasures. Target: Myself. First countermeasure: Automatic breach of detected formations to send a message to the Head in case of danger. Second countermeasure: Deployment of Champion Path in a covert manner if it is judged that an attack can be deflected in this manner. Third countermeasure:…"
[Countermeasures recorded and deployed.]
Daneel had always been good at this, so he put everything he could think of in place.
Going to the Head right now was an option, but that could very well expose a lot of things that really should be hidden at the moment.
Thankfully, he knew the level of formations that had been used to stop Cassandra, and he could plan beforehand.
After ensuring that going alone would not cause his death, Daneel set off after making a quick stop to gather some materials.
The mountain top where her transmission had come from was at the south of Angaria, in a very scenic location that was actually famous for being a place where young couples could find love.
Many places in Angaria had unique beliefs like these that stemmed from ancient legends, and this was to be expected from a continent with magic that had such a rich history.
Here, the legend went that a powerful mage had proposed to the woman he had loved all his life, but choosing that moment as one where he would be vulnerable, an enemy who had sworn to kill him swooped in to attack.
The woman was a mortal, and the mage had fallen in love with her when he had happened to be injured in a village, where he had rested while hiding from his enemies.
She had cared for him thinking he was someone normal, and in this place, he had decided to tell her the truth.
Alas, following the norm where such tales never ended well, the enemy attacked, and he hadn't cared much for her as they were both Hero-level Mages for whom mortals were but ants.
Yet, she, who had given the man her heart, too, stood in front of him when seeing the attack, and that split second allowed the man to retaliate and send the enemy fleeing.
However, the woman had sustained too much damage, and she died in his arms.
It was said that his heart broke on seeing the smile on her face which was due to the happiness that she had saved her beloved, and with a heaven-rending scream that reverberated throughout the continent, the Mage joined her in death.
If couples came here, it was said that they could hope to catch an ephemeral wisp of that never-ending love that had even surpassed death.
Such a beautiful story did not fit with what had happened here, and as Daneel approached the mountain-top with caution, he felt a faint prick in his spine which indicated that things…might not be as they seemed.
Indeed, as soon as he landed, a powerful teleportation spell was cast upon him.
"Allow it."
With his command, the system did not put up a resistance, and in the next second, Daneel found himself in a large domed area that looked like it was within the mountain.
Before he could notice any other details, though, his sight was immediately drawn to one corner of the place where he stood, which almost seemed like an arena of sorts.
There stood a man casually looking at his nails, and beneath his left foot…was Cassandra's severed head, with her face set into an expression of extreme unwillingness.
Before Daneel could say anything, the man spoke in a gritty voice.
"Fool. I bet a thousand Ker Gems that as the King, you wouldn't act like an idiot and walk straight into our trap. Well, I lost my gems, and now, you'll lose your head. Come."