The Infallible Emperor

"Your Majesty!" The Grand General Gunther stood up from his chair in shock. Looking at him, he asked with a stammer, "Have you u-utilized… them?"

Confused, the officials inside turned and looked at each other, checking if the others knew what the Archduke was talking about. What they soon noticed was that the Castille City Minister, some of the old officials from Castille, and the Empress were all looking at the Emperor with shock and a hint of fear plastered on their faces.

"Pardon our presumptuousness, but…" One of the officials asked cautiously, "W-What does the Archduke mean, Your Majesty?" They dared not look the Emperor in the eye. To cause such expressions to show on such powerful, wise, and war-hardened people, it is inevitable for their minds to think wildly, trying to fathom what kind of people were the Emperor's men.

After a minute of contemplation in silence, the man on the throne finally spoke, "In levy of your loyalty to me and the Empire, I shall reveal it to you."

And thus, the Emperor explained to his subjects what they wanted to know.

"Since my days as the Earl of Castille, I have faced multitude of hurdles in my rule as I have attained the title of Count way too fast for anyone's liking. Because of that, I formed a corps that is solely under my jurisdiction. With them policing over my dominion in the shadows, Castille became a haven of peace and quiet in those troubling and chaotic times. Of course, there came the time when I had to support my late friend for the contention of sovereignty over the northern lands, but even then, my power over them was never lost. Now, although they haven't been used as means of dirty killing in recent times, they still act as my eyes throughout the Empire. They have information from all over the nation's sphere of influence, from the deals that some outsider merchants have done down to the number of hairs in Minister Bebel's eyebrows."

After Reynald's explanation, the thin-eyed old man, who reacted previously with the Grand General and The Empress, who was also the oldest minister that originated from Castille, interjected, adding to what he said, "If I remember correctly, when they hadn't been polished so much as they are now, they were sighted by some of the Castillian citizens, calling them nicknames such as 'Peacekeepers', 'Silencers', 'Death Whisperers', 'The Black Hand' and many more similar titles because of their terrifying prowess in 'keeping the peace in Castille.'"

"Hmm?" Reynald looked at the old man curiously, "I haven't heard 'The Black Hand' before. Was that a relatively new title?" He asked. The thin-eyed old man shook his head and replied, "No, Your Majesty. It has been one of the titles that they've had since the age of Castille Earldom."

Reynald nodded with satisfaction before saying, "They're all good titles, but they still pale in comparison to their true name."

At this point, the ministers who were blind about the matter were already shaking in terror. For quite a long time now, they were confused as to why the Empire had no intelligence division. It appears that it had one all along, and as officials, they weren't even privy to it. It's just wasn't included in the Empire's transparent budget. The hairs on their skin suddenly stood on their ends, becoming hyperaware of their surroundings.

"W-What is Your Majesty's men called?" One of the officials asked. Immediately, the Emperor replied with a strange yet disconcerting smile, "Sicarius."

Silence.

When Reynald looked at them with curiosity, thinking that they would now be shaking in horror, having used a word synonymous to 'death', but upon closer inspection, he soon found out that the only expression that they had was that of confusion. "What does that mean?" The officials looked at each other in confusion before turning to the Emperor to ask.

Reynald smiled on the outside and stayed silent, but inside, he was fuming as veins bulged on his forehead.

Looking at the darkened look of the Emperor, Aquineas laughed. Upon knowing the existence of Sicarius, Aquineas once suggested for him to change it to something more meaningful, which was immediately turned down by the former, saying, "It definitely has meaning, don't you worry! There will be someone in this world that will recognize this word. Time will come!"

'When will that time come?' Aquineas shook his head helplessly, looking at the downhearted Emperor in amusement.

"Anyways," Reynald cleared his throat and set aside the matter, saying, "my men have accomplished what was needed to stabilize the city. In the near future, no problem will arise in the Imperial Region." He assured. The officials could only nod in response. Although they were slightly confused as to what the name meant, the fact that the Emperor's people have acted way swiftly is something that still unnerved them.

Soon, the image of the Emperor in their minds began to change once more. Before this, the Emperor— to them— is someone so unreadable and unreachable, with magnificence, wisdom, benevolence, and power deeply ingrained in his soul. Now, the Emperor suddenly became a cunning yet amicable-looking man with an aura of majesty and authority surrounding him and whose palms span the entire Empire and eyes enveloping the entire Asturian skies. A True Divine Dragon among men. A terrifying yet reachable man.

After discussing a couple more matters regarding various matters, Reynald then stood up and announced to everyone, "Now that we have addressed the multitude of new matters that are plaguing the Empire, I arise and give you all my blessing."

As he said this, the officials of the Empire, the Archduke, the Princes, and the Empress stood up and knelt towards him. Reynald shook his arm and freed his hand, raising it up with his palm facing down, and with a loud and august voice, said to them, "May the heavens and the earth guide our Empire, and may all of you be guided similarly so that you can be righteously enlightened for your families and the families of Asturas' prosperity. I bring this assembly to a close and thus I give you my blessing to carry out everything that we have decided upon. I also give you my blessing in the name of Amanael, so that you can conquer your unpleasant desires so that you can fulfill your obligations as righteous servants of the realm."

Upon completing his blessing, the ceiling of the Main Hall suddenly shone with a bright and grand light, shining upon the people within. From behind him, his throne shone with a golden hue, and with it the other thrones as well. Everyone gasped at what was happening, for they do not know what they are seeing. This was the first time that such a thing has happened. Daring themselves, they all looked at the Emperor, and was shocked at what they saw.

The Emperor, whose hands were raised at them, looked like an angel that has descended from heaven. His hands were shining with an intense yet calming light. Behind his head was a halo, bearing the image of a two-headed eagle; the symbol of the Empire and the crest of the Imperial Family.

Above the Emperor, there also was a faint visage of a man with four wings behind his back, unfurled with great majesty. Changing their position, everyone now kowtowed nine times towards him and the visage.

This was a True Emperor. Someone beyond any mortal men in this world. Someone who has the backing of a Deity. Someone who scorns and laughs at the false emperors that resides on this land. Someone only below that of the deities of the heavens, the earth, and the countless realms.

The True Infallible Emperor.