Meanwhile, the Domination Corps stationed around the capital had been told to close the panels as soon as Daneel cut off the transmission. After doing so, Daneel asked them to announce to the people around them that a ceremony would take place in a few days where he would be officially crowned King.
Ceremonies like official crownings were very important because they elevated the mood of the Kingdom with an atmosphere of festivity. Thus, after being told by Kellor that it was a tradition observed in most Kingdoms, he had decided to have one after all the pressing matters were settled.
Hearing this, the people finally went back to their homes. Even those who had come in from the countryside started the walk back out of the capital.
With the bitterness in their hearts starting to melt, the citizens chattered about their new King. The stories about Daneel's actions in front of the library and during the First Year Assessment started to spread further, serving to elevate his position even more in the general populace.
Only the people in front of the palace still stuck to their positions, staring at the three new men who had appeared in the air above them.
Many people even pointed and stared at the snake-like man, who occasionally glanced at a few such citizens, scaring them and making them shake in their boots.
Finally, after a few minutes, a man standing on a dragon claw appeared in the air above the palace. Although he was still inside the formation protecting the palace, he could now be heard and seen by the people in front.
As the cheering started anew seeing that their new King had come out in person, the man in the green cloak waved his hand.
Silence greeted Daneel, as if someone had muted the area around him.
[Host is under the effect of Sound Isolation Spell. Analysis in progress. Counter-spell "Sound Dissonance" available. Would host like to develop and use it?]
Sound isolation? Hearing the name, Daneel vaguely remembered the spell being mentioned in one of his classes and proceeded to ask the system for more information regarding the spell.
[Although Sound Isolation Spell requires little energy, a high amount of connection with sound elementary particles is required. Thus, it has been classified as an Exalted Warrior Mage Spell.]
It was just as he had thought. Making a decision, he ordered the system to develop the counter spell but not to deploy it.
Considering that the three stood side by side, Daneel deduced that they must all be Exalted Warrior Mages representing each of the forces he had antagonised.
"Bratty King, hand over my Withering Leaf Sect's Vice Sect Master, or watch me break through this puny formation and drag you out by your neck."
[Host is under the effect of Sound Transmission Spell. Analysis in progress. Counter-spell "Sound Dissonance" available. Would host like to develop and use it?]
Although none of the three in front seemed to have spoken, a voice echoed near his head.
This was definitely a manipulation of the sound particles around him just like the Sound Isolation Spell before.
Daneel felt surprised realizing that this person who had a superior command of sound was actually a part of the Withering Leaf Sect, which was known mostly for its spell technique.
Giving the system the same command as before, Daneel proceeded to wait for the others to speak.
"Daneel, Radagast told me about you. I congratulate you on being proclaimed as the King by the people, and I bless this Kingdom in the hopes that it shall fare better under your youthful leadership. The Church only intervenes when numerous cries for salvation are heard from any particular Kingdom."
With a genial smile on his face, the purple-robed priest spoke as if all the Church wanted was the betterment of the people. Daneel felt sick in his stomach seeing this two-faced preaching. As a higher up, this man must be very clear regarding the exact plans the Church had. They practically wanted slaves who would do their bidding, yet this man still tooted his own horn as if he were on the moral high ground.
The snake-like man simply stood there, opting not to speak. Yet, his gaze was on the dragon claw and his scaly face had an expression of fascination, as if the claw was the most precious thing in the world he had ever seen.
"I shall address all three of you at once. I have your subordinates securely bound by the formation, and you three must know very well that I can even trap you if I wanted to."
His hair gently uplifted by the wind, Daneel stood confidently on the dragon claw and spoke with alacrity.
The whole episode of having his plans become successful and being acknowledged by the people had bolstered his spirit, allowing him to stand firm now and speak with his back straight.
He knew that the major hurdles had all been crossed for now, and that these were just some minor issues that required a little bit of intelligence to solve. In fact, there was a sure shot way to diffuse everything immediately: directly handing over the three leaders. Yet, he knew that he had the advantage in this situation based on the actions of the three forces so far and the inputs from the commanders he had just spoken to.
"YOU THINK WE CAN'T..."
As a rumbling voice replaced the serious one before, Daneel waved his own hand similarly.
The Sound Dissonance Spell cast by the system made the cloaked man flinch as he resisted the urge to clutch his head with his hands. The connection with the sound elementary particles had been ripped away from him, causing a backlash in his mageroot.
This was something only someone on the Warrior Mage level could do after studying sound for a long time. His eyes widening, he realized that there was another party probably hidden from everyone's eyes running this whole show.
This had been Daneel's intention all along. Although he didn't like it, he did not want to draw unwanted attention to himself by showing that he could do things that no Eminent Human Mage could do. Thus, he needed these forces to know that they couldn't act as they wished thinking that he was alone.
As for the feat of mastering the formation in a few seconds, this could also be attributed to some interference by that master. All Daneel needed to do was allude-the blanks would be filled in by the enemies themselves.
Although there were some holes that someone astute could pick up, all he needed was the doubt in the enemies' minds which would make them hesitate.
This was exactly what was going on right now. From Daneel's actions and the cloaked man's flinch, the others had also deduced that there was someone powerful behind the scenes as they knew about the cloaked man's abilities.
After giving them a few seconds to gather their thoughts, Daneel spoke.
"These are my conditions. All three of your forces will completely vacate the Kingdom right now. All the possessions on your subordinate's bodies will be taken as remuneration for your actions against the people of Lanthanor. And each of you must swear a magic oath that your forces will not even enter the Kingdom of Lanthanor in the next 10 years. There is no negotiation. Either agree or see your subordinates crushed in front of you."
Hearing these conditions, Daneel saw expressions of consternation appear on the two faces he could see.
"You don't need to try and threaten me. I know very well that you only chose to attack when the formation wasn't mastered. You cannot afford to deploy enough resources to overcome a fully mastered formation and the trinkets you have right now only work when one is not controlling the dragon claws. You and I both know very well that an actual Champion Mage would have to arrive to break through in this situation, and you clearly cannot afford that."
The feeling of being read like a book did not sit well with the trio, making them gnash their teeth while they heard Daneel speak.
Feeling helpless, all they could do was communicate with the superiors who had sent them to get the trapped members back.
Inside, Daneel felt glad that he had chosen to listen to the two commanders. With years of experience dealing in information regarding enemy forces, they had estimated the worth of the subordinates and given Daneel options which would push the enemy but not make them decide to go all in, not caring about the loss.
As he saw the three nods, the tension binding Daneel finally loosened up, letting him relax for the first time in what felt like forever.
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