Chapter 195.1. The Girl’s Evaluation

-Gotou’s POV-
Captain Gotou felt a slight chill as he witnessed the scene. The surrounding guards were also silent, fixated on the sight before them.
The young girl, still in her childhood, sat in front of the other girl. She’s smiling despite the other appearing covered in wounds.
The other girl’s name was Katou Karen. He already uncovers her identity. She served the fallen Count Outomo and has unique magic [Magic Stealth].
Although the country already marked Katou’s lineage. She understood the dangers of her magic and never misused it, so the country had refrained from interfering.
The reason is that she served the powerless noble, Count Outomo.
Captain Gotou, believed that as a lineage with dangerous magic, the country should apply fingerprint registration and Geass. But so far, it had been left untouched.
Geass was ritual magic that, once you made a promise. It would inflict excruciating pain and lead to death upon breaking that promise.
Since this magic required a national treasure artifact, His Majesty the Emperor could only use it. Therefore, it was not available to anyone else. The Emperor could ensure she wouldn’t misuse it by having her swear an oath.
However, he had left her alone. It was unnatural, but there were likely nobles to conveniently utilize the magic of the Katou lineage behind the scenes.
The pretext was that the Emperor shouldn’t use Geass unless it involved a severe crime, and there was also the reason that Geass magic was not very useful.
The Royal Family already attempted to lift the Geass oath since ancient times. However, they need special catalysts for the ritual magic to lift it, so they would get noticed if someone saw them use it.
Before such a troublesome magician as Katou Karen, a small girl named Takano Miu took out a stack of banknotes.
She stacked up a tremendous amount of 300 million yen and tried to bribe Katou Karen. That scene was out of place with her image as a little girl.
Takano Miu’s existence was abnormal and eerie.
She knew it was an illusion magic deception, and Karen hadn’t suffered any significant injuries. Yet even in the presence of such a pitiful girl, her smile remained unbroken.
There should have been the smell of blood when they entered the room. Katou Karen’s illusion magic had a decent effect, even emitting the scent of blood.
Captain Gotou was aware she was deceiving them with her [Magic Stealth]. He already knew her identity and unique magic, so he could see through her facade of enduring the interrogation with deception.
That’s why, because of His Majesty the Emperor’s orders, he used Karen to confirm Takano Miu’s true nature.
He decided to observe what actions she would take.
Even though it was only an appearance, how would the young girl react to the sight of a pitiful girl? Would she cry and flee? Would she show anger towards the guards witnessing the girl’s pitiful state?
Or… Was she the opponent that His Majesty the Emperor had been wary of?
Internally, he was monitoring with great interest, but it turned out to be more than he had anticipated.
Those accustomed to violent affairs might not mind the smell of blood. Many individuals would show some kind of reaction, such as a frowning face, a mocking display of cruelty, or fear.
When Takano Miu entered the room, she didn’t seem particularly bothered. Even with the smell of blood, she only felt the room was dusty and didn’t pay it any mind.
And so, even when speaking to Katou Karen, who appeared get covered in wounds, she maintained her smiling expression.
There was no forced laughter or signs of acting.
Even if she realized it was an illusion magic deception, it would be difficult to maintain such an attitude. However, Takano Miu spoke to her with the same lovely smile.
And astonishingly, she piled up money and bribe off her target. Captain Gotou never expected her to have stacks of bills, and I didn’t even know when she had managed to call a maid.
However, Captain Gotou noticed. Katou Karen hadn’t been lured by money alone and betrayed Count Outomo. It was evident from the gaze of Takano Miu.
Captain Gotou also witnessed that gaze beside her.
However, what appeared in her eyes was not the gaze of someone judging others. It was dubious whether she truly recognized her opponent when she looked at Karen Kato.
It was not the eyes of a person with a wicked and sinister mind, nor the eyes of a ruthless individual who considered others as mere tools.
There was a profound abyss within them. Within that abyss, a single gleaming light flickered mysteriously.
If someone gets stared at by those eyes, they’ll see a terrifying yet captivating light that could steal away their soul.
It was as if they were observing humans from the perspective of a different entity.
There was something incomprehensible in those eyes.
Katou Karen must have been terrified by those eyes. Confronted with the gaze that shook the very essence of humanity, she chose to get bribed off for the money in front of her.
Among the guards, aside from Captain Gotou, some paled at the sight of those eyes. They’re seasoned warriors among the guards.
Captain Gotou recalled the reason why he had come here.
It was when he gets summoned by His Majesty the Emperor.
As the last shield protecting the Emperor, Captain Gotou, the captain leading the Royal Guards, was called into the Emperor’s office.
Only the Emperor was seated in a inside the office, waiting for Gotou.
There were no secretaries present, nor any guards from the Royal Guards who cleared the area.
There was a stately magical wooden desk that had been used since the previous Emperor, and a specially made with the finest craftsmanship for the Emperor. Every piece in the room, including bookshelves and paintings, is imbued with magics.
When the Emperor waved a finger, the books on the bookshelf would float and display the necessary information. They were not ordinary books. They contained information exceeding that of a server database.
When looking at the paintings, their contents would constantly change, and they would reflect any location there were surveillance crystals.
The antique lamp on the desk emitted a faint light, but that light was not ordinary. It was magical light, forming a protective barrier to ward off poison and disease from the room.
The swords and axes adorning the walls and the armor placed along the walls were magical tools equipped with automatic interception capabilities to protect the Emperor when needed.
This room was solely for the Emperor. It was equivalent to a castle for the Emperor.