Chapter 19: The Goddess of War P2
~19.2~
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He laughed and laughed, struggling to calm himself. After a few minutes, he got it out of his system and could normally again. "Shiori and Sayaka aside, you two are clearly the strongest among your group." He eyed Allison and Luma. "Yet, you are here, dealing with little ole me. I know I'm no match for either of you. Shiori is still too young to wield enough mana to compete with me, but you two are a different story. You could take on even the strongest S+ beasts with little trouble. Try hard enough and I've no doubt you'd be a challenge for an SS!"
"And?" Luma said without even the slightest hint of concern about their situation. "Spit it out. What is this trap you think you've caught us in?"
He didn't let up on his confident attitude. His eyes were telling them that he had the upper hand, that they had no chance. Little did he know, a certain white-haired beauty was losing her patience. "My pet shall take everything from you!"
*****
At the Void Palace, Alethea and the others began interrogating the prisoners. They were left bound and tossed onto the stone walkway. Not bothering to go inside, Atalante started where they landed, only allowing them to sit up.
"<<Rune of Compulsion>>." Upon her command, a red magic circle formed beneath Amelia and Gustav. "<<Rune of Truth>>." A white circle formed and layered over the red circle.
"What is this?" Gustav yelled.
"Gustav, compose yourself!" Amelia said. "Like it or not, we are prisoners of Empress Atalante. You will only sully Lord Phantom's name with outcries."
Atalante smirked and changed her aethersilk outfit from the usual light blue dress that matched her hair to a simple shirt and pants. She knelled down to bring herself closer to eye level with her prisoners. "I see you still have the dignity of an archnoble."
She didn't respond.
"You hold the same title as the founders and non-cardinal royal governors. To think one of your status would commit such treason. I take it your new master is how you've obfuscated the crime detection magic?"
She stayed quiet.
Atalante sighed. "No matter. I don't need an answer to something I'm certain of. No, I would rather get answers to things I am not certain of." She took a deep breath and channeled mana into the magic circles. "Grand Duchess Amelia Evans, Governor of Vassal Planet Icarus, I order you to answer. Do you truly follow Shiro Shikigami, also known as Lord Phantom, or do you remain loyal to me?"
She stayed quiet at first, but thanks to the Rune of Compulsion, Amelia felt pain that slowly ramped up. As the pain increased, she felt herself unable to hold back her answer. "I am loyal to Lord Pha-" The pain rapidly increased as she tried to answer.
The pain she felt was only a byproduct. The Rune of Compulsion gradually increased in power as the subject continued to refuse to resist, which resulted in increasing pain proportional to the subject's defiance. The Rune of Truth did the same, increasing in power the more the subject attempted to lie, also causing pain as a byproduct. One would eventually force an answer, and the other would force the truth. For safety reasons, Atalante refused to teach certain spells to others.
"Your magic is quite powerful, Lady Atalante." Amelia continued trying to give the answer she wanted, but as the magic increased in power, she found herself unable to do so.
"Answer me honestly. The magic will gradually increase in power until you don't have enough mana to fight it." Despite being angry, Atalante truly cared for Amelia as she did every other citizen of the Atlantis Empire.
Unable to resist any further, Amelia finally let it out. "My family is at stake! Please do not force me to answer!"
Atalante smiled gently. She was undeterred, but her smile was genuine. "Your family is safe."
"What?" Because of the magic, Amelia could no longer hide her emotions. Her shock was on full display. "But-"
"Look around. Do you not see someone missing?"
"I don't..." She scanned her surrounding and saw that one person was no longer there. "James Barrett is not here? But he was before!"
"I teleported him to our portal chamber. He had advance instructions that if we ever were to confront Phantom and you were taken prisoner, he would immediately go to Icarus. By now, every founder and many other elder royals will have your estate on lockdown. Any spell that may have been placed on your family will be removed. James is quite skilled with magic. He can use many of my runic spells."
"No, you don't understand! If I even speak of it, they'll die!"
"I see, then we will postpone your interrogation temporarily. I shall return momentarily."
"What are-"
Atalante was gone before she could ask. She teleported to the portal chamber and went through to Alcanus. She then quickly teleported to Icarus and entered the Evans estate. Inside, she found Amelia's family surrounded by James and every founder.
"Have you identified any issues?"
"I have," James answered. "It's something none of us can deal with."
"Explain."
"There is death magic on their souls. If I even try to interfere, they'll die."
Atalante frowned. "I see."
"Where's my mother?!" asked Amelia's son, Sean.
"She is safe." Atalante formed a magic circle and channeled mana into it. "The death magic can be removed, but it can't be done here. Hold tight, Evans family. Rune of Teleportation." In a flash, she teleported herself, James, the founders, and the Evans family to Arslade and brought them through into the Void with Kaede's white mana, who was waiting outside for them to return. The Evans family commented on her power and young age. Atalante led everyone outside, but did not let them speak to Amelia. "Alethea, I need your help. Their souls are afflicted with death magic. I believe if Amelia says the wrong thing, it'll trigger the magic and they'll die."
"So that's what she meant." Alethea's expression hardened, and she immediately set to work. She began channeling her pink soul mana and surrounded all five members of the Evans family, which included Amelia, her husband, and her children. "Magic that affects the soul is difficult to deal with if you don't know what you're doing. Fortunately, I have both ample experience soul magic. It'll take me a moment, but please bear with me." She sat in the seiza position, closed her eyes, and clasped her hands together. "<<Benediction>>!"
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Revision: 2024-7-9