Masteria Online: Shattering the Dark God's Grand Scheme-Chapter 52 - 53 - Binds

"What!?" Only Lena showed a strong reaction.

Lumi, for his part, already knew this.

As for the other players, they had no idea who this ’Dark One’ even was.

Seeing that only she alone gave any reaction, Lena took a nervous step back, looking between the Empress and Lumi. She only knew that the Dark One was some entity that Lumi was working against. That was the entire point of capturing Afton S. Crow.

"Um..."

She turned to the Empress, and bowed apologetically. "Your Majesty, this one gives her greatest apologies for speaking out of turn."

Empress Aria lifted a hand slightly, forestalling any reprimand. "You need not apologize," she said calmly. "Honest reactions are rarely offenses in my court."

Lena straightened again, visibly relieved.

Narinder shifted beneath the Empress, feathers silent despite the weight. The Divine Beast’s massive eye blinked once, its attention lingering on the party as it looked over every member once more.

Then, bored, it let out a small sound for the Empress, then fell silent once more.

The Empress smiled. Then, she continued. "I see that most of you have never heard of the Dark One. This is curious, given that nearly the entire world knows that name."

She put her hands together in a contemplative expression. After a moment, she put them down, having come to a conclusion. She narrowed her eyes, far more focused and serious now. "That being said, I am not interested in wrestling words from you that cannot be spoken. Instead, I am interested in something far more practical."

She stared directly into his eyes. "Freeing you of such constraints."

Lumi’s heart leaped, but he kept his expression neutral.

"Tell me," Empress Aria said, leaning forward slightly on her living throne. "in ways that you can speak. What would most help you serve Masteria? What would allow you to stand against the darkness that threatens us all?"

The answer came without hesitation. "Power, Your Majesty."

"I assume you mean in regards to combat."

Lumi replied with a simple. "Yes."

And so the Empress gave her reply, "How?"

"By killing monsters."

The Empress’s expression remained thoughtful. "Fascinating." she said finally. "You gain tangible power from death. From ending lives, even monstrous ones."

"That’s so curious." She took a deep breath, and waited for a bit for others to process. "A couple years ago, the Dark One’s Commanders engaged in a certain activity. They implanted high-level magic over several locations. This caused many weak monster populations to surge, but more importantly, they’d come back. We had initially assumed it was to cause chaos, however, you spark an interesting new idea."

At this, a murmur began in part of the audience. These were all high ranking men and women, all knowledgeable on how rude it was to speak at the moment. But the connection they made was just so shocking.

The Empress then stated the quiet part aloud, "Then, if our current analysis holds weight, that your people were created by the Wings of Darkness, or even the Commanders behind it, then that would explain the monsters. Then you were made for their purposes, which they would like to strengthen you for."

She narrowed her eyes. "This creates an interesting dilemma."

She stood gracefully, and Narinder adjusted its position to maintain her balance. "If I facilitate your growth, provide you access to hunting grounds and monsters to face, I am quite literally handing power to someone I cannot fully trust."

Her gaze narrowed. "Perhaps I should annihilate every single one of you. Then when you revive yourselves, kill you again. I have reports from across the continent of others like you. You lose power after death."

After a tense moment, she relaxed, still serious but not threatening. "I won’t do that unless I have to. Your intentions seem pure, but not only is what was previously mentioned an indictment, but there’s others who treat life as a joke, showing callous disregard for life and property."

Lumi groaned internally. Of course players would act like it was a game. They thought it was. Every NPC just a collection of code, every death meaningless because they’d respawn. How could he explain that he knew better without explaining how he knew?

"Grand Tactician." the Empress called, and Azir stepped from where he’d been standing in the shadows of a pillar.

Lumi had known he was there, of course. The Grand Tactician’s presence was sure to be there in any important matters in Herene. It was impossible to ignore once you knew what to look for. He moved with the same predatory grace as before as he approached the throne.

"Your assessment?" the Empress asked simply.

Azir’s cold eyes studied Lumi with an intensity that would make a weak-willed man look away. When he spoke, his voice was soft but carried absolute authority. "If Lumi truly stands with justice and all that is good, then he understands how suspicious his people appear. Every single inch of their existence suggests they are part of an enemy plot."

His gaze turned to the others, still analyzing them. "Further still, that is merely at first glance. This latest revelation is even more troubling. Therefore, if he genuinely intends to cooperate, he should have no objection to accepting certain... precautions."

A cold silence rang.

"Countermeasures," Azir clarified with a thin smile. "Seals and bindings placed upon the body and soul. Guarantees of loyalty that would persist even through death and resurrection. Insurance, if you will."

The throne room erupted in whispers. Several knights looked shocked at the suggestion. Such measures were typically reserved for the most dangerous criminals or war prisoners. To suggest them for someone being honored was unthinkable.

Lena grabbed Lumi’s arm. "That’s crazy! They want to put mystical chains on you! That’s like... that’s like spiritual slavery! Tell them no!"

But Lumi was smiling. He had a wide smile, because this was perfect.

"I accept." he said clearly, cutting through the murmurs. "In fact, I enthusiastically accept. Though I would remind Your Majesty to ensure such bindings would persist through resurrection. It would defeat the purpose if dying freed me from them."