Of all the Arcanas, a single one was considered to be one of the most powerful—even in the Midas Empire that studied them.

It was The Emperor.

It had the ability to control anything within its immediate vicinity.

Whether Magic, animate or inanimate objects, laws, etc. So long as it existed within the user’s domain, it could be subjected to their will.

It was the ultimate Arcana for dominance.

*

*

*

“You don’t have a choice, Beruel. I might as well begin the interrogation now.”

The Fairy King groaned, and an expression of discomfort formed on his face. However, he slowly broke into a tired smile.

“I have an Arcana too, you know? Your power won’t—”

“You possess The Chariot. It handles technology nicely, and I reckon it’s how you were able to prolong your life beyond the normal standard.” Kuzon stared at the many wires that were fixed into Beruel’s throne, and the mechanics that surrounded them.

“But, The Chariot does not grant protection against my ability. If you had Strength, for example, you’d be able to use the Aether to achieve a versatile set and protect yourself from my influence, but…”

Kuzon stretched his hand and touched the pale head of the Fairy King.

“… You can’t resist.”

Beruel’s eyes bulged, almost popping out of their sockets as he felt the energy swelling from Kuzon’s hand. His body throbbed in futile resistance, but the end result was inevitable.

He realized it already.

The young Midas boy had won.

“K-Kuzon, stop!”

Suddenly, the energy that permeated the Fairy King ceased. It hadn’t completely vanished, but it simply halted in its takeover.

“What is it, Ana?” Kuzon asked, turning around a little to see a distraught Ana.

His cold gaze didn’t leave him for long and he didn’t seem like he was going to stop what he had started… even though Ana’s expression was that of disagreement.

“Don’t do this, Kuzon. I…”

“You’re sympathizing with him now?” Kuzon asked, his expression still as stoic as before.

Though, it was obvious from Kuzon’s tone that he didn’t care for Ana’s opinion at this point.

“I’m not. It’s you I’m concerned about.”

“There’s no need to be concerned about me. This isn’t the first time I’m doing this. If you don’t feel comfortable watching this, you can leave. The Spell Card should be working now, right?”

Kuzon’s gaze left Ana, and he focused his attention wholly on Beruel.

Silence pervaded the room—at least until the Fairy King was completely under Kuzon’s influence and began spilling everything the boy wanted to know.

Questions like:

“Where is Kido?”

“How strong is he?”

“How strong are the other members of your organization compared to you and him?”

“What seat is he?”

“What abilities has he displayed for you to see?”

“What have you heard him say?”

Specific questions that were met with helpful answers. Thankfully, Beruel had fought with Kido several times, due to their disagreements.

“It wasn’t much of a fight, since he is far superior, but he did display some abilities.” Beruel had explained, going further to spill all he knew about the man.

This lasted for several minutes, until finally… Kuzon was finished.

“That’s all.” Removing his domination effect from Beruel, Kuzon stepped away in disinterest.

Even though the old Fairy groaned and coughed, he didn’t even bat an eye and walked towards Ana instead.

“We should leave now.”

His approach was met with a fierce glare from Ana. Her blue eyes depicted disdain, something Kuzon hadn’t expected from her at this point in their relationship.

“I had to do it, Ana. If that’s why you’re upset, then you should know—”𝓞𝑣𝐿xt.𝗰𝒐𝔪

“I’m not upset that you did whatever you could to achieve your goals. I would do the same to obtain what I wanted too…” Memories of how she captured Demon Lord Lydia played on her mind.

“Then—”

“You told me to leave… despite me being concerned about you.”

A bead of sweat fell from Kuzon’s face. He realized he blew her off in a somewhat mean way, but he couldn’t help it. He required focus when he wanted to achieve his objectives.

It was the same when he nearly killed Jared in their duel.

“I’m sorry for being harsh towards you. That wasn’t intentional.” He smiled softly and placed his hand on Ana’s very stiff and cold shoulder.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you, okay?”

With Kuzon going as far as apologizing and even using gentle words now, Ana couldn’t see even the shadow of the cold emotion he had just displayed.

‘He’s probably like that for a reason. I’m the same…’

It would be hypocritical to judge the boy for crimes she too had committed. However, seeing Beruel’s state did something to her that she normally wouldn’t consider.

It appealed to her emotions.

‘Maybe I’m the one not being logical here. But—’

“I understand, Kuzon. It’s fine.” Ana returned Kuzon’s apology with a genuine smile.

“Ah, then shall we—?”

“You can leave without me. There’s something I want to try out first.”

“Huh?”

Ana walked past Kuzon and moved in the direction of the silent Fairy King. He was in an aggrieved state, no doubt.

It was too bad his physical condition prevented him from being expressive enough to display the pathetic condition he suffered internally.

“What do you think you’re doing? If you’re worried about whether or not he remembers, I already erased his memories of my compulsion and our visit. He’s in a daze right now.”

Ana stopped in her tracks and stared at Kuzon coldly—just the way he did at her.

“Return his memories… now.”

For a moment, tense silence permeated the room. The partners stared at each other with varying thoughts going on in their minds.

Then—

“Why?”

—Kuzon broke the silence with a simple question and an unenthusiastic shrug.

“Just do it.”

“I’ll need a reason to do that.” He persisted.

The young Midas was curious about Ana’s plans, and the only way to really get an answer was to put her in a situation where she had to spill.

“I need him to be fully aware for me to attempt what I want to.”

Kuzon’s smile broadened, and he approached the short girl who was now busy observing the Fairy King’s frame.

“And what do you want to attempt?”

Ana’s eyes remained on the specimen in front of her—her blue eyes glowing in anticipation of a new task she had never attempted before, at least on this scale.

However, she felt somewhat confident she could achieve it.

‘I have to!’

It was the perfect chance to test her limits and also to help the dying person in front of her.

“I’m going to give Beruel what he wants. Immortality.”