Upon Jierunifu's arrival at the Arena, he met with Silver Thread Bird, the Empire's Steel Rank Adventurers team guarding the Arena's entrance.
At first, Jierunifu was surprised to see all the members of their team, although he had known beforehand that the Silver Thread Bird team had more than ten members in total; this time, it seemed not all of them came, but only a portion.
Their leader, the 'Bard' Flewaltz, came up to greet him with his uniquely individual team members, and what surprised Jierunifu even more was that one of them was a demi-human warrior.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries and self-introductions, they were about to formally proceed into the Arena, as previously arranged with the Theocracy's envoy. Jierunifu was just about to step through the Arena's main gate when Flewaltz immediately stopped him.
"We were hired to protect your Majesty's safety. Please don't walk in front of us, alright?" Flewaltz said.
"Alright. If there are any other needs, just say so. That's why I hired you. If you think it's necessary, just speak up," Jierunifu replied.
"It's a great help that Your Majesty is so understanding. Then, allow me to sing a song first!" Flewaltz said, then began to sing. However, it was more of a hummed tune than a song, lasting only a few seconds.
"Then it's done. Your Majesty, please follow behind us," Flewaltz gestured for one of his burly teammates to walk ahead, and then he followed. Jierunifu also followed along.
At this moment, Jierunifu suddenly remembered something and opened his mouth to ask Flewaltz.
"What was that just now?"
"Has Your Majesty never heard of it? That's the 'Bard's' special skill, Spell Song. Some people use musical instruments to activate its effects; I only need to sing," Flewaltz answered with considerable pride. Seeing his confident demeanor, Jierunifu couldn't help but recall himself from a few months ago, before he had contact with the Magic Kingdom.
"So that's Spell Song... I have a question I'd like to ask. Is there a Spell Song that can be activated just by speaking and can control people's minds?" Jierunifu asked. As soon as he brought this up, the two generals beside him shivered slightly. They naturally knew the intention behind their Emperor bringing this up.
"Can it be activated just by speaking? Uh... As far as I know, it can indeed be done, but unfortunately, I haven't reached that level yet. As for controlling people's minds, yes, there is. Among Spell Songs, there's one called Suggestion, which can have the effect of controlling people's hearts like certain mental magic. Besides that, Charm can also achieve a certain degree of effect, but very few people know these two Spell Songs, and they are slow to take effect, and the results are not very good," Flewaltz thought for a moment before answering.
"I see... So that's how it is." Jierunifu thought that what Elizabeth used should not be a Spell Song-type skill. It was hard to imagine that Female Devil singing loudly. She herself claimed to be a 'Magic Caster', so now he could be sure that she used mental magic.
"I didn't expect Your Majesty to be interested in Spell Song!" Flewaltz said jokingly.
"Just a whim," Jierunifu quickly explained.
"Doesn't Your Majesty have a rather great 'Magic Caster' by his side? He should know more," Flewaltz continued to tease Jierunifu.
"Isn't it bad to rely on that teacher for everything? A teacher wouldn't want to see me, his student, come to him for answers every time I have a problem!" When Fulda was mentioned, Jierunifu could only try his best to maintain his expression, answering as if nothing was wrong.
After all, not many people knew about Fulda's betrayal. To the outside world, Fulda was still the Empire's strongest trump card, his teacher.
"Indeed. Also, I feel that the commission fee for this task is a bit too high given the content. As compensation, after we're done, I'll briefly explain Spell Song to Your Majesty!" Flewaltz said with a smile.
"That would be truly excellent," Jierunifu replied without changing his expression.
After advancing for a long time, the group finally reached the Emperor's private VIP room. Before entering, they similarly had the Silver Thread Bird members go in first to inspect it.
When Jierunifu entered this VIP room specifically for the Emperor, he generally looked around. Although it was narrow, from the decorations and furnishings inside the room, it clearly exuded the luxurious feeling of being exclusively for the Emperor. Moreover, the wall facing the Arena was designed as an open space with glass separating it.
From here, one could directly take in the scene of the Arena. Jierunifu walked over and glanced a few times, seeing that the spectator stands below were already filled with an audience, emitting enthusiastic shouts.
The reason there were so many people was because a match for the Martial King was temporarily arranged. This was a rare occurrence. The Martial King, the champion of the Arena, had never been challenged head-on due to his exceptional strength, so his matches had not been scheduled for a long time. Therefore, this time, so many spectators were drawn to watch.
While Jierunifu was looking at the audience outside the stands, the members of Silver Thread Bird had already finished their inspection.
"Your Majesty, no traces of information-type magic or magic items were found in the room," Flewaltz said.
"To be safe, could I trouble you to check again carefully? Also, can you cast magic to detect outsiders approaching? Preferably the kind that can see through invisibility," Jierunifu said.
"Your Majesty, countermeasures for invisibility were already handled just now," Flewaltz replied.
"Is that so? Then what about countermeasures for eavesdropping?" Jierunifu was still a bit uneasy, after all, his opponent was a monster.
"Your Majesty, we have already taken precautions for all these tasks. Although it may not seem obvious, we have applied several anti-information magic countermeasures around us," Flewaltz said somewhat awkwardly.
"Hmm, that's good. Thank you for your trouble," Jierunifu said with a smile.
But looking at Flewaltz and his team's exaggerated expressions, Jierunifu really wanted to know what their expressions would be like if they knew how terrifying Ainz Ooal Gown and Elizabeth were.
Although he had indeed restricted information about Elizabeth, she had been very low-key during her time in the Empire, so perhaps not many people understood her situation. But Ainz Ooal Gown had caused such an exaggerated incident in the Katz Plains, surely these Steel Rank Adventurers should have some knowledge of it.
"Not at all. Since we've taken the money, we have to do our best, don't we? So, may we wait in standby inside the room later?" Flewaltz said.
Jierunifu thought for a moment. Since he had hired them as his bodyguards, such a suggestion was only natural. However... would it really be alright to let them know about the upcoming secret meeting with the Theocracy?
"Unfortunately, the upcoming discussion is very important, and you cannot enter," Jierunifu said, shaking his head.
"But protecting Your Majesty under these circumstances will be very difficult," Flewaltz said.
The other members of Silver Thread Bird also spoke one after another, explaining the dangers of doing so. Jierunifu himself understood that having them there would make him feel somewhat more at ease. However, what would be the consequences if his current intention to cooperate with the Theocracy to resolve Ainz Ooal Gown was revealed to them?
So... to avoid any complications, he refused.
"Your concerns are indeed valid, but as the Emperor of the Empire, I cannot back down on this matter," Jierunifu said.
"Alright then. From Your Majesty's position, perhaps some conversations are not for us to be involved in. So, we will retreat and wait outside the door. However... before that, could you tell us what kind of distinguished guests will be arriving?" Flewaltz said helplessly.
"Of course, I'll tell you, but... afterwards, you must all forget it, understand?" Jierunifu's tone became a bit serious.
"Understood. No matter who the guests are, we will forget everything afterwards. If any information leaks, we will be responsible for the follow-up," Flewaltz replied. This was indeed a matter that needed attention.
"Alright, I'll trust you. My guests are the Chief Priests of the Fire Temple and Wind Temple of the Imperial Church, along with four priests who will accompany them," Jierunifu said.
"Alright, understood... If anyone else comes, we will heighten our vigilance. Then, we'll go out first. Oh, and... if necessary, please allow us to break the door lock and enter," Flewaltz said.
"Do it whenever you deem it necessary," Jierunifu nodded in response.
Then, unexpectedly, Flewaltz directly ordered his team members to smash the door lock on the spot. Perhaps it was a preventive measure, so that if anything unexpected happened, they could rush in immediately instead of having to smash the lock again.
After smashing the lock, the Silver Thread Bird team went out to wait outside the door. Only Jierunifu and the two generals remained in the room. Jierunifu directly sat in his designated seat, staring blankly at the noisy audience outside the stands.
After a long while, Jierunifu looked at the enthusiastic cheering crowd below the stands and involuntarily uttered a sentence.
"What a peaceful sight!"
"Is that so, Your Majesty? I don't feel it's peaceful," Bajed, standing behind Jierunifu, said jokingly, as a battle between beasts and Adventurers was currently taking place in the Arena.
"I'm talking about the common people. Don't you think... compared to the Empire's current predicament, isn't the scene before us very peaceful? If they knew their neighbor was a monster, perhaps they wouldn't be enjoying themselves as much as they are now, would they?" Jierunifu said.
"That's true... worrying about the common people is indeed our responsibility!" Bajed said meaningfully.
"Sigh..." Jierunifu could only respond with a long sigh.
---------------------------------
If you'd like to read the next 70 chapters in advance, you can support me on Patreon.
I regularly post chapter previews there, so you'll always be up-to-date and won't have to wait too long.
patreon.com/SolyuraMT
And if you enjoy the story, don't forget to give me a Power Stone. Your support really motivates me to continue translating!