An hour later, Lyra stood on the left side of the throne in the large Audience Hall, while Henry was on the left. On the throne, sat the Emperor himself, his expression grim. The chamber was now lit up with large candles, casting generous dancing shadows across the stone floor, as night had started to fall. Two Royal Guardsmen in their armor dragged a man across the hall, before tossing him down on all fours on the floor in front of the platform the throne was placed upon.
The dragged man was wearing a fancy attire, black shoes, a dark purple set of suit-pants, and a white shirt with a purple coat on top of it. His hair was long and black, his eyes a deep green, with a clean-shaven and rather handsome face. Ever composed, he took a knee, and spoke calmly despite the forceful situation:
"Your Majesty, I am deeply moved to see that you have recovered. This is truly a day of joy for all citizens of this fair and just Empire. This humble servant greets his master..."
The Emperor only grunted, while Henry looked about ready to draw his sword and attack the man then and there. But it was the Emperor who spoke:
"Duke Frederick Gorneo, my friend and closest advisor. Upon my awakening, I have come to learn a few things I find more than troublesome."
The Duke now looked up, his face etched with concern and worry. Quite the actor, Lyra mused, as she studied him. And while she did, she used her "Inspect" skill on the man, to see what she could possibly learn.
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Name: Frederick Antonio Richard Gorneo
HP: 700 MP: 1100
Level: 56
Race: Human
Age: 52
Stamina: 70
Strength: 29
Agility: 41
Spirit: 55
Intellect: 110
Job: Knight* (May use Heavy Armor, which reduces all physical damage by 30%. Gains access to Aura-based weapon skills.)
Skill: Stab* (D) (Can inspire nearby allies, granting them 20% more HP and Attack Power.)
Available attribute points to spend: 0
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Lyra studied his status window for a bit. Everything seemed in order, on first glance... but some things did not make sense. His job was supposedly a knight, but his stat distribution did not suggest a physical fighter at all. He had 110 intellect and only 29 strength, which suggested he was more of a caster build.
There was also this odd asterisk* over his Job and Skill, so Lyra focused in on that, and suddenly received a system notification which flashed before her eyes.
"Notice! The Target may be hiding their real Job and Skill by the use of an Artifact. Because your level is higher, would you like to see additional information? [Yes/No]"
Yes, naturally, Lyra thought, and suddenly the additional information became available, changing his Job and Skill descriptions into this:
Job: Warlock (Knight-Disguise) (Reduces the mana-cost of all Shadow-Magic spells by 35% and increases the dmg of all Shadow-Magic spell by 20% .)
Skill: Shadow-Step (A) (Stab-Disguise) (Can spend a bit of mana to move through the shadows, appearing from another shadow within view of the caster. Has a 5-second cooldown.)
Lyra raised an eyebrow, as she digested this new information. So there were items one could potentially use to change how your status window looked to others, that was good to know. This time it would appear this was done by using an Artifact, but it did not work on people of higher level. But since the inspection skill was so rare, Frederick here likely only had to fool Leonel, the Royal Inspector, so as long as his level was higher than his, then that was enough.
At the same time, Frederick responded to the Emperor, his voice full of conviction and devotion: "What ails you, my Emperor? Speak, so this humble servant may enact your will!"
Lyra leaned in to her right, whispering to the Emperor, sharing the information she had found using "Inspect" and the Emperor's brows furrowed even more. He tapped his fingers against the armrests of the throne, as he regarded his royal advisor down below. Then he spoke:
"It would appear you have been busy, Frederick, trying to pit my family against one another. What say you in your defense?"
The man below looked aghast, horrified, and gasped out loudly: "My Liege! I would never, I have only ever acted in the best interest of this empire! You have known me since we were but children, your grace, so tell me who levies these accusations against me!"
The Emperor chuckled grimly, shaking his head. "The one raising this accusations are none other than myself. Apparently you have informed my Empress that the Second Prince had poisoned me, and that he was raising arms against this empire?" the Emperor then said.
"Not at all!" the man burst out, before collecting himself, adding: "I merely shared concern for your well being and informed the Empress that her beloved step-son had visited your chambers a bit more often, prior to you falling ill. It warms my heart to see a son caring for his father so deeply. I also praised him in front of the Empress for spending so much time with the Knight-Orders as of late, and complimented their newfound loyalty to him. I sincerely hope my words were not misinterpreted as something they were not!"
"And when you told Henry that the Empress likely had poisoned me and was going to get rid of him?" The Emperor said in response, not amused. Frederick responded swiftly:
"Nonsense, my liege. I merely notified him that some of her personal maids had visited your chambers at odd hours of the night, bringing what looked like medicine, and said that I was sure he too could receive such tender treatment should he too fall ill in the future. I sincerely hope he did not misunderstand."
"Enough! Frederick, you have destabilized this nation through your actions..." The Emperor said, but Frederick spoke up in quick retort:
"Not at all my liege! I am sure a ruler as wise as you would not act upon mere baseless rumors. There has to be evidence!"
"Evidence, you say? Perhaps the fact that your job is not Knight but Warlock is enough evidence..." The Emperor said, and for a split second, Frederick's facade as a loyal servant of the crown cracked, as he stiffened, shocked by this revelation. But he quickly found his composure again, responding:
"I do not know who has told you this, but that is factually a lie. Bring the Royal Inspector Leonel here, and I shall prove it to you!"
This time, it was Lyra who acted. She raised her hands, and used a bit of magic, casting multiple "Magelight[1]" in quick succession, spreading out a total of 8 brightly glowing spheres of light across the entire Audience Chamber, immediately making the room extremely bright, and eliminating any and all shadows present.
-"There is no need for that. It has already been confirmed, warlock." she said calmly, her bright eyes settling on the kneeling man, watching his every move like a hawk. Frederick in turn looked first at Lyra, then towards the Emperor. When he found no change in the Emperor's expression, his own soon turned sour, a scowl spreading across his face. He stood up abruptly, a dark sort of magical energy swirling around his hands as he turned and blasted the two guardsmen away with what looked like bolts of shadow. The guardsmen fell to the ground a few yards away, groaning, temporarily disabled but alive. He then quickly turned towards the throne, shouting:
"I don't know how you found out, but you'll come to regret this! Now die!"
Then he threw his hands towards Lyra, Henry and the Emperor himself, as black flames burst forth, surging in their direction. Lyra stepped up, raising a hand, but the Emperor was actually faster. As the flames came, he held out his own hand, and chanted. "Holy Barrier!" at which point a large, shimmering barrier of golden light appeared around the three. The flames washed over them but a half second later, and all they could see from inside the barrier was darkness. But the barrier held, and some three to four seconds later, the flames died down. The ground outside the barrier was scorched black and covered with soot, but they were all unharmed. As soon as the flames died down, Henry surged forward, rushing out from the barrier with his sword drawn, leaping down at Frederick. In a split second, Frederick looked around, likely trying to find a shadow he could shadowstep too, but thanks to Lyra's Magelights, there were no shadows anywhere!
When Henry smashed Frederick's face with the pummel of his sword, Lyra mused that Shadowstep was actually an extremely good skill for a caster to have. Many casters could dish out a lot of damage from afar, but if a physical fighter got too close, they would be at a disadvantage. Having a skill which let you instantly change location was actually extremely useful for any caster, moreso than it might be for other jobs. It made her realize that there could exist loads of very interesting and unique synergy between the Skill a person is given at birth, and the job they choose later in life.
By the time Lyra had finished her thoughts, Frederick's face had been turned into a bloodied pulp, and his arms hung limp from his side. The Emperor dispelled the Holy Barrier, and Lyra shot him a glance, using "Inspect" on him as well.
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Name: Edward Thomas Alberto Revean the Third
HP: 960 MP: 630
Level: 62
Race: Human
Age: 55
Stamina: 96
Strength: 107
Agility: 35
Spirit: 34
Intellect: 63
Job: Paladin (May use Heavy Armor, which reduces all physical damage by 30%. Gains access to Advanced Holy-based spells and reduces the mana-cost of Holy spells by 25%.)
Skill: Simple Strike (E) (Strike your enemy for 150% of your Attack Power + Weapon dmg .)
Available attribute points to spend: 0
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Ah, so he was a Paladin. She assumed that was the upgrade from Holy Knight. A Fighter could become a Knight at level 20. A knight could then become a Holy Knight at some later level, who in turn could become a Paladin eventually. Just one of many different upgrade paths for the Fighter, of course. Still, level 62, that was very high for a human she figured. The Emperor must have been very active in his prime, and Lyra recalled that Henry said his father had been leading troops on the frontlines himself for many years.
Lyra found that admirable. A ruler who did not expect more from his citizens than he did himself. Who fought alongside those who protected the Empire. The Emperor must have caught her look, as he said: "I know you could have probably blocked that as well, Lyra, but we cannot let a guest handle all our problems. This is our mess, so it falls on us to solve it with our own might."
Lyra smiled at his words, and dipped her head in respect. Indeed, the Emperor was quite likeable. Not infallible, but human. Yet responsible, and with integrity. Then, she headed on down from the platform, joining Henry who held the limp body of Frederick by the collar of his shirt, some blood dripping from the Duke's face onto the stone floor below. She patted Henry's shoulder, before she bent down, inspecting the body of the Duke. It took about two minutes before she found it. One of the rings on his finger, that was the artifact. Using "Inspect", she shared its effect with the royalty:
-"Ring of Deception, allows the wearer to hide his true Job and Skill. Does not work against targets of a higher level than the wearer." she said, before offering the ring for Henry. The Royal Guardsmen who had previously been struck by the shadowbolts were now on their feet. Their chestplates looked a bit worse for wear, but they had not lost more than 30% of their total HP so they would be fine it seemed. They grabbed the unconscious duke by either arm, taking him from Henry.
"Put him in the dungeons and prepare him for interrogation. Oh and make sure there are no visible shadows anywhere near him. Keep two mages by the cell at all times to maintain a full Magelight coverage always." The Emperor said, instructing the Royal Guardsmen.
"At once, your grace!" the guards responded, and dragged the unconscious body away.
"And you, my son, nicely done." The Emperor said, flashing Henry a smile. Henry however still seemed shook by tonight's event. Not just the confrontation, but all the previous revelations from dinner-time. He sighed, his shoulder slumped forward, as he said:
"I feel as if I have failed you, father. I was supposed to keep the Empire safe, but in the end... I was misled and manipulated. I am a failure of a son."
The Emperor scoffed, and made his way down from the throne-platform. He put a firm hand on Henry's shoulder. "Henry, look at me." he said. Henry looked up, barely able to meet his eyes.
"The one who has failed is I. I am still the Emperor. The burden of protecting this Empire, and this family, falls on me, ultimately. I did not do that properly, and put you and everyone else at risk. I am truly sorry." The Emperor said, and then pulled Henry into a tight hug.
Lyra felt as if she intruded on their father-son bonding time, so she began to shuffle to the side, sneaky sneaky, silently moving towards the door, but the ever attentive Emperor caught wind of this regardless. He nodded in her direction, before saying gently: "You have been a real blessing for our Empire, Lyra, and again we find ourselves in your debt. I will give my family some attention tonight, but perhaps we could meet again tomorrow, at your convenience? I'll instruct the servants to prepare a room for you in the palace."
"Sounds good, your majesty. I'll see you both tomorrow." Lyra said, before hurrying off, and leaving the Audience chamber behind. As soon as she emerged, she closed the door, and leaned back against it, resting the back of her head against the thick wood. She sighed, closing her eyes, and took a moment to collect herself. Today had been intense, far more than she had expected. In just a single day she had entered the Capital City for the first time, had an audience with the royal family, removed the curse from his highness, had tea and cake with the maids, then dinner with the royal family, followed by massive revelations, and finally it all culminated with this, confronting the Royal Advisor who had tried to play the royal family.
Her little mental summary was then interrupted by a female servant who emerged from the Audience Hall, which ended up making Lyra stumble forward slightly as the door she was leaning against was suddenly pushed open.
"Oh, forgive me milady. I was told to escort you to your own private bedroom." the servant said, a bit at a loss for what had just happened.
Lyra was still in the dress from earlier, still in her corset, and it had been a very long day. She could not wait to have a hot and hopefully long date with a bed. She waved a hand, dismissing the servants worrisome look.
-"Yes, please take me there, I'm exhausted..." she said. And so the day came to a close, and before long she threw herself into bed, not even bothering with any sleepwear the servants presented her with. Just strip, bed and sleep. And this time, she fell asleep in a matter of minutes. Just what had she really gotten herself into?
[1] Magelight: Costs 50 mana. Conjures a floating sphere which gives off light at the target location. Level of brightness can be adjusted from Dim to Very Bright.