Lucius found it odd that these people dared to slack on his commands.
These mages, capable of building their own prison camps, seemed to possess unusual courage when facing him.
He couldn't tell if they believed the Sword King, Salvatore Doni, would protect them or if they thought his threat level was insufficient.
The irritation in his heart was hard to describe.
On Italy's soil, where mischief bloomed… well, he forgot the rest of the line, but it didn't matter.
Since he was irritated, he'd naturally share that feeling with everyone.
The stone slab divine artifact, drained of its power, crumbled into dust in his hand.
For divine artifacts, he typically handled them in two ways.
The first was like this stone slab and the earlier beast tooth.
These artifacts contained divine power but lacked a strong connection to a specific god's concept or symbolism.
Their value lay almost entirely in their divine power, whether for wielding strength or summoning Heretic Gods.
So, even if Lucius drained their power completely, losing the artifact was inconsequential. After fully absorbing and converting the power, he could replicate it within himself.
The second type of divine artifact was more unique.
These bore clear traces or symbols of a specific god, making them far more effective as mediums for summoning Heretic Gods than mere divine power.
The Gorgon Stone, associated with Athena, and the Sword of Mars in the Roman temple were of this type.
For these, Lucius wouldn't absorb their power directly. Instead, he planned to use them to summon the Heretic God, then absorb both the artifact and the god together for greater gain.
The only pity was that once a Heretic God was summoned, it seemed difficult to summon them again in the short term.
Otherwise, Lucius could use a single ideal artifact to repeatedly summon the corresponding Heretic God, farming them to rapidly boost his power.
Flipping his hand, he poured the stone dust into the box and set it on the table, resting his chin in one hand, his expression somewhat languid.
"Liliana, two days have passed. Besides the Bronze Black Cross, are there really no other mage associations capable of finding divine artifacts to offer me?"
A half-smile played on Lucius's face, the faint menace in his eyes making Liliana's heart quiver. She quickly lowered her head to placate him.
"Your Majesty, the other mage associations may have their own difficulties. I hope you might grant them some leniency—"
Mid-sentence, she felt the pressure on her heart intensify, cold sweat beading on her forehead.
Among the mage associations, only the Bronze Black Cross had seized the opportunity, through Liliana's proximity to Lucius, to align with him.
The others had their own agendas.
After all, pledging loyalty to Lucius now might bring the same pressure when facing the Sword King. Unlike the Bronze Black Cross, which had to align early to avoid Lucius's grudge, their hesitation was understandable.
Though Liliana's personality leaned toward straightforwardness, she was far from foolish—quite clever, in fact.
The Bronze Black Cross had its own treasured divine artifacts. She didn't believe the other associations lacked them.
Though Italy's mage associations competed fiercely, they often acted in unison on certain matters.
Seeing Lucius's displeasure, Liliana instinctively tried to plead on their behalf.
But the pressure she felt reminded her of this Campione's temperament.
He didn't need advice or others making decisions for him.
As his subordinate, obedience was enough.
She had no doubt that if she finished speaking, the King, still smiling, would punish her immediately.
"My apologies, Your Majesty. I spoke out of turn." Liliana swallowed hard, lowering her head.
Faintly, she thought she saw a trace of regret in the King's eyes.
"No matter, Liliana. My personality isn't as bad as you imagine." Lucius's tone was calm. "But I do suspect some are only pretending to follow my orders."
"What do you think should be done about this, Liliana?"
A flicker of conflict crossed her face, but she answered firmly. "Those who neglect Your Majesty's commands and disregard your authority deserve punishment!"
Because only this would satisfy this King's… mischievous streak.
Even if she hadn't suggested it, the punishment for Italy's mage associations wouldn't have been any lighter.
This King's temperament was truly unprecedented in its wickedness.
"Then, Liliana, you'll deliver the order to summon them." Lucius yawned lightly, his tone casual, his eyes—faintly shadowed with dark circles—locking onto Liliana's.
Truthfully, his near-sleepless study of magical knowledge had left him exhausted.
Normally, going without sleep for days wouldn't be a burden. But the frequent use of his process-skipping ability had drained his energy immensely.
Otherwise, dark circles would never have appeared on him.
And now, those dark circles seemed to make his otherwise plain face look slightly more menacing?
"Have the leaders of those mage associations come to me as soon as possible."
After a moment's hesitation, Liliana nodded gently.
The outcome wouldn't change regardless.
But…
In a sense, if this King planned to act against Italy's mage associations, she was complicit.
For the relatively kind-hearted Liliana, this was deeply troubling.
And for Lucius, that inner conflict was a potential source of future amusement.
"Oh, right." Before Liliana left the room, Lucius seemed to recall something and said softly, "Bring me a fresh pot of tea later. The last one's empty."
As for his words…
If he kept going like this, his efficiency might drop. In that case, a short rest was in order.
With that thought, Lucius decided to lay his head on the table for a brief nap.
***
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