Chapter 14: Chapter 91 – Aura of Authority

They exited the meeting room and started walking through the corridors while Suanori led them. Since the hall would surely be busy with the guild employees explaining everything to the adventurers present there, she decided to smuggle them out through the back entrance known only to part of the staff.

Asterios sent Umbra out and asked him to check on the state of things in the reception hall after they entered the streets of Nebula. The receptionists were in the middle of conveying the information and orders to everyone, keeping them under a decent level of control.

Hearing that, Suanori asked Asterios if he could keep an eye on them for longer to let them know when they would start making their moves and he naturally agreed. Thus, while Umbra kept reporting to them about the progress, they strolled through the city for the last-minute preparations and check-ups.

After half an hour, their group found themselves on top of Nebula’s walls surrounding the main gate, looking into the distance in the directions of the three dungeons. The monster-infested lairs weren’t placed too close to the port town, fortunately, but you could spot the difference in scenery far ahead, around the entrances to the underground structures.

“Do you have any holy spells amongst those sigils of yours?” Suanori asked while they were enjoying the breeze and watching the adventurers march out towards the two dungeons on the sides.

“A few. I managed to craft a small number of stronger ones in recent days, but most are quite weak, coming mostly from the common cores we recovered from the battlefield. Perhaps I should have bought actual gems in preparation. They work much better than low-grade cores; even medium-grade at times.”

“I’m fairly sure what you have should be enough for most situations, excluding stronger boss monsters,” she replied. “A lot of their power comes from the user, correct?”

“Yes, quite a bit. It’s user, blade inscriptions, blade material, token material, enchanting quality, spell effectiveness when talking about the highest influence ranking. But, that’s just something I’ve read so it could very well be one of many approaches, created by a certain lineage of artificers.”

Suanori nodded. That certainly was a possibility. But, it didn’t really matter.

“You have the first three tightly secured, which is amazing already. Not that I know much about Spellslingers, but yours seems to be one of very good quality. I honestly can’t wait to see it in action more. If the need arises, of course.”

“There’s no need to worry, Miss Suanori. We’ll definitely encounter enough chances for my Lord to show off his might a little, fufufu~” Selene commented with a soft smile.

“Even so, I will make sure that Master doesn’t need to overexert himself!” Miria announced with a determined expression.

Suanori chuckled lightly. “What devoted companions you have there.”

Asterios shook his head with a smile while stepping closer to Miria to scratch behind her adorable ears, evoking a satisfied smirk on her face. Meanwhile, Selene hugged him from the back, planting a kiss on Ast’s lips as he turned his head to check on her.

“Fufufu~ It’s only natural to be devoted to your chosen one, isn’t it?” She pecked his cheek this time. “It’s the Summoner’s Harem for a reason.”

“Yeah!” Miria enthusiastically agreed with her friend and also joined her and Ast’s lips for a brief moment, causing her cheeks to turn a shade rosier.

Asterios could only sigh warmly at their affectionate display while sneaking a glance at the Guildmaster standing not that far from them. Suanori watched them curiously, seemingly not bothered by it, but he was able to notice a very faint change in her fair complexion.

He chuckled and shook his head again. “For real. We are changing this as soon as we get to the Demon Continent. You are starting to treat Umbra like he’s not even part of this group. And he certainly is not as happy as you two to be in some random guy’s harem.”

“Master!” Miria pouted at him while furrowing her brows. She liked that funny name.

“If that’s your wish, my Lord, then I won’t really stand against it. Shouldn’t you first ask the person in question though?”

~I’m still learning about harems and all that from Master’s memories as he’d allowed me, but I guess I don’t really have a preference towards male or female species? Genders rarely were a thing in my realm. I’ve also never experienced the feelings of ‘love’ myself so it’s hard to say. But, if it allows me to escape that prison of endless darkness, I will gladly allow myself to be called a member of this harem.~

Asterios had a wry smile on his face while listening to Umbra’s response. While he had certainly imagined, sometimes even dreamed about close relationships with various mythical beasts and entities of different species, shapes, nature, or elements, he had never really gone as far as that certain Summoner researcher from the essence transmission theory. 

He had never expected to one day call his summons his lovers or harem members. Closest, best friends, or family? Of course. But having intimate relationships with those beasts and beings? Even if his love and fascination were incredible, he didn’t feel attracted to them that way. Women of humanoid races were still his preference. With the emphasis on women. 

Asterios didn’t have any problems with all the other matches, including the ones mentioned by the researcher, as he believed every person was to themselves and it’s of no concern to others what they were like if their partners were also similarly interested, but personally, he was a simple man when it came to these things.

But, that was relevant pretty much only to the more intimate relationships. He would still accept Miria’s or Selene’s feelings if they were just beasts, able to properly talk and communicate. Just, most likely without taking the step further. At least that’s what he thought at the moment. He could never be sure what the future would bring. No one could.

“I think it could actually be a good idea. At least temporarily.” Suanori brought him back from the depths of his mind.

“How so?” Miria asked, tilting her head, turned towards the woman now.

“Asterios should have read a thing or two about demons back in the academy so he probably knows the answer, but, it’s just that amongst certain demonic races and subraces, the more an individual has partners infatuated with them, the stronger they are in the eyes of others, potentially attracting even more pursuers.”

“Oh. That is certainly interesting,” Selene commented with her smile growing into a slightly mischievous one. Asterios was already getting a bad feeling about it.

“And,” Suanori continued, “while it’s quite common amongst their kin, you can believe me that the effect would be magnified quite a bit if a human showed up with a loving harem of girls of different races. As we all know, humans as a race aren’t really something. So, the demon women would certainly get intrigued much more than when met with a harem around a demon. I think you can see where I’m getting at.”

Asterios chuckled. “Yes. At least I do. Step into the wrong neighborhood and get yourself a crowd of thirsty demon girls chasing after you over the whole continent.“

Miria giggled while still leaning her side against Ast’s chest. “That would be a funny sight.”

“I think you meant scary.” He petted her ears. “Don’t forget that the more girls in our little family, the less time I will have for each of them, including you and your favorite scratches.”

Miria squinted her eyes at no one in particular and assumed a serious expression for a brief moment. “I changed my mind. We need a new name.” She then giggled and pushed her head into Ast’s palm as his fingers brushed through her hair again. “But, only if it has something about Dragons in it,” she added.

“You and your obsession with Dragons...” Asterios rubbed her head a little harder with a smile. “Alright. We’ll think about it after the current quest. We might get some ideas until then. Looks like the diversion squads are on their way now too.”

And just as he said, they noticed the two parties with Tishnera and Svertaniel in them. The adventurers must have seen them at some point because Darlick was waving at them with a lot of enthusiasm while his dwarf partner seemed slightly embarrassed by his behavior. The demon man kept himself with dignity as if trying to impress someone. And Yuuze was clearly avoiding looking their way.

“We should depart now too. There’s no need to rush to the dungeon. We can just take it slow while they start causing a ruckus in the other two as we arrive at our target,” Suanori suggested and they all nodded. Their recent trip must have left quite an impression on the Guildmaster.

They came down from the walls and started their stroll through the woods. Umbra didn’t need to keep an eye on the guild anymore so he was asked to check the two dungeons in turns. First of all, to see if they could communicate with one side being inside and the other outside, and also if his movement would be somehow limited if he wished to jump straight out through the walls.

He confirmed that in both cases, he could efficiently do the mentioned things until he reached around the tenth floor, where the dungeon’s interference started becoming quite troublesome with his current power limits. Beyond that point, he had to head back up through the corridors before transferring himself outside and not all mental messages were coming through.

While listening to Umbra’s reports about the adventurers’ advances, they reached their destination. Receiving Ast’s permission, he had even dived in to help a few of them in a tough spot, for his own amusement. Asterios could tell that he enjoyed not just overpowering his enemies but also making quite an intimidating impression on the allies, but he said nothing, letting the Duke of Umbra have some fun.

“So, we are going in,” Asterios said as they stood in front of the entrance.

“Yes. From your familiar’s scouting, it seems that the dungeons did react like we’ve expected them to. We can begin the descent at any moment. The floors shuffled recently so they shouldn’t have enough time to do it again. We can use the maps for the first few levels,” Suanori replied.

~Do not fret. Even if the layout has changed, I will quickly find the correct paths to the boss rooms,~ Umbra exclaimed proudly.

“Let’s stick to formation A for now. Miria in the front, Selene in the back, and the two of us in the middle. Umbra can take any angle he thinks is the best when not spotting ahead, but he will mostly focus on checking for enemies and traps,” Asterios added.

“I will keep my Spiritual Sight on to help with those too, my Lord. With my current constitution, I can use it almost effortlessly.” Selene nodded her head at him.

“Alright. Let’s move in then.” Asterios started drawing a sigil mid-air while changing his appearance from reaching for the blazing energy. He stopped after the first stroke. “Wait. This is an undead dungeon. I’m fairly sure it will be dark as hell there. We have our tricks, but do you have anything for yourself, Suanori?”

“Your tricks?”

Seeing her curious expression, he finished the sigil and closed his eyes for a brief moment. After slapping the magical rune onto his glove, he opened them again. His crimson irises with vertical pupils were glowing even more than usual, releasing a faint glimmer.

Miria suddenly stepped between him and Suanori and gently placed her hands on his cheeks, staring straight into his eyes. She slowly closed the distance and joined their lips in a passionate and loving kiss, purring affectionately.

She jerked and backed away after a short moment. “I’m sorry. They are even more enchanting than before, in the cave. After that explosion of fire, they turned more ferocious and regal. I just couldn’t hold back.”

“It’s okay. It might be a little embarrassing in front of our friend here, but you can get some whenever you want.” 

Miria nodded at him with a sweet smile and stepped to the side while still clinging to Ast’s arm, sneaking glances at his imposing eyes.

“Ekhm. Back to the topic. I can borrow Miria’s Darkvision while Selene can use her Spiritual Sight. Umbra’s situation should be obvious; he’s a shadow. What about you?”

They found Suanori also deeply staring into Ast’s shining eyes. It took her a few seconds to break out of the faint daze and realize she had been spoken to.

“I see. That is great to hear, but I, unfortunately, don’t know a spell or technique that could help me here, besides those that emit light, which would kind of invalidate your efforts in keeping us stealthy.”

Asterios rubbed his chin. ‘Hmmm… You are right. If we all could see in the dark, that would be quite beneficial…” He turned to look at Miria, who was still fascinated with his irises and pupils. “Could you grab something for me?”

“Anything,” she answered a split-second after he finished his question, startling Asterios a little with her enthusiasm.

As he blinked a few times, she also seemed to realize her tone and started jumping away with her eyes while slightly blushing, but coming back to glance at him nevertheless.

“Uhhh… There are a few vials in a cone shape with glowing light blue liquid and a label with a moon on the flasks. Can you fetch them for me?”

“Right away, Master.” She nodded and jumped into a dark scarlet portal.

While Asterios was pondering over Miria’s unusual, even for her, reaction, Selene stepped closer to him and also gazed deep into his eyes.

“My Lord… I don’t think it’s just her who can’t hold back. I’m quite eager to receive a kiss from you too when I admire your fascinating eyes. Even more now while they are slightly glowing than when you just enter your awakening. Do you remember the kneeling incident?”

“Of course. How could I forget?”

“It was slightly different back then when we first saw your own vertical pupils on the crimson glow, yet partially similar. I feel… compelled… to listen to you. It’s just my assumption, but when you channel your mana into them, something changes. They are already captivating without that, but it’s raised to another level when they glow.”

Asterios furrowed his brows. “Compelled to what extent?”

“I’m not exactly sure. Maybe try asking me to do something?”

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He thought for a moment and spoke while gazing into Selene’s blue eyes. “Tell me something you normally wouldn’t.”

“When I was still in pain that unfortunate night when I wanted to confess, I actually started enjoying it a little when you were po—”

“Stop!” He interrupted her and moved his gaze off her eyes.

Selene’s hands instantly shot up to gently cover her mouth in shock. Her cheeks showed a tinge of rosiness as she sent him a clearly embarrassed glance.

“I did not use a Summoner’s order there,” he informed her.

“Ekhm. I think I was just taken by surprise. Like that time. Can we try it again?”

He nodded and decided to try something different. “Rip off your collar and throw it away.”

Selene’s hands moved to the white band but stopped in front of it. “Must I really?” she asked with a slightly sad glint in her eyes.

“No. You don’t.”

She sighed softly. “I think I get it. It’s not really forcing me to comply but suggests that I would make you happy if I did. And I won’t lie that making you happy is something that I already wish for by myself, my Lord. While there’s some persuasive power in your eyes, I wouldn’t call it Mind Magic like in Umbra’s case. It’s more like… an innate, natural charm.”

Asterios nodded while pondering over her words and Miria came back with the potions.

“I agree with Selene. I think I reacted so strongly because it was something really small and simple to complete, therefore easy to make you happy. And while you know that I was always drawn to your eyes when you copied mine, I don’t think they are the same now. It’s weird, but I can clearly tell that they are… yours. From that moment in the fire.”

“Thank you.” He received the vials and gave Miria some pats. “More mysteries, I guess.”

“My Lord, if Miss Suanori would be willing, why not test it on someone who isn’t as close to you as we are?”

Everyone’s gazes turned to the Guildmaster.

“This seems quite important and serious so I think I could help,” Suanori answered with a nod.

“Okay. Hmmm… I don’t know you as well as them so I’m not sure what to ask… To make it a proper test, I should go for something as unusual as Selene’s tasks… I might ask something outrageous. Are you fine with it?”

“Go ahead. Just stop me if you can really force me into doing it.”

“Of course. Here we go then.” Asterios made eye contact with her and focused on his request. “Strip all your clothes.”

Suanori’s eyes widened in surprise and she blinked a few times, but her hands didn’t start taking off her clothes, which they found quite fortunate.

“There certainly is some kind of influence, like they said. I didn’t exactly have that feeling to please you with my actions, but it did seem to make me consider complying with the demand.”

Umbra popped out of a shadow by Asterios and perched on his shoulder.

~I think I know what’s going on after observing for a while. I believe this is what would be often called Aura of Authority or Monarch’s Pressure in my realm. In simple words, some powerful beings can flaunt their mighty spiritual energy to influence others to some extent, sometimes focusing on condensing it in their eyes for example. I can do something like that too. It can be used in many different ways, like inducing fear for example. Some predators do that subconsciously when they meet their much weaker prey. Meanwhile, those who willingly follow someone like that, partially allow for it to affect them more due to the trust they hold in their much stronger guardian. Of course, there are many more variables here like a powerful bloodline or such, and it can be completely different.~

“All will kneel before the true overlords…” Asterios muttered under his breath. A phrase he clearly remembered from that weird day.

“Then, should Master be able to put a scary pressure on others too?” Miria asked Umbra.

~I believe he already did, back when you first confronted the Guildmaster in this town.~

“Hmmm…” Asterios tried to recall that moment and he definitely was a little bit riled up back then.

“Want to test that out too?” Suanori suddenly asked.

“Are you okay with that?”

“I mean, I don’t think you would like putting pressure on your close partners, right? And I can’t say that I’m not intrigued. And if it’s something you can control, it can be useful for us.”

Asterios couldn't disagree with that.

“Before that, Master.” Miria caught his attention. “I somehow feel like you don’t need to borrow my sight. I can’t really explain it. I just feel like it when looking into your eyes. And perhaps you should also try doing this pressure thingy without that technique of yours.”

Following her suggestion, he deactivated the shared vision sigil and his eyes started glimmering, still staying crimson red and with vertical pupils.

“How are they now?” he asked.

“Charming, as usual, Master, but not as strongly captivating as when they glow,” Miria answered.

“I agree with her, my Lord.”

“Yeah. It’s different. They do look kind of pretty but it’s nothing compared to before.” Even Suanori joined in.

Asterios gazed into Miria’s eyes. “Show me the patch.”

She tilted her head at him and her cheeks exploded with red after Miria realized what the request was about, dropping her gaze to the ground. Seeing that she wasn’t even considering following his request, Asterios nodded to himself.

“Sorry. It was the first thing that came to my mind.” He brushed through her hair.

“Ehehe~ It’s fine. I think it was a good idea.”

Suanori stared at them slightly confused, not getting what could be so embarrassing about some patch. She concluded that perhaps Miria’s clothes had torn in some inappropriate place and they made a makeshift fix or something.

Asterios turned to her. “Let’s see then. I’ll try to do as Umbra said; with just my energy.”

She nodded and braced herself for something possibly uncomfortable. Asterios closed his eyes for a brief moment and gathered his hot mana, condensing it in them. His eyelids slowly lifted while he assumed a serious face. The very moment Suanori’s gaze met his gleaming, scarlet eyes, she shivered instantly.

A heavy dread descended onto her the longer she looked into those glowing crimson irises adorned with vicious, savage vertical slits. Bit by bit, it felt like Ast’s aura was towering more and more over her until her body began to lightly shake and her instincts screamed at her to run before it was too late while she felt almost paralyzed as the two now giant blood-red rings flared at her like two moons.

At once, they disappeared and Suanori gasped for breath, realizing that she had begun holding it at some point. The others stared at her slightly sweating and breathing roughly. They all witnessed how the Guildmaster had suddenly started getting paler and paler as her eyes widened at the beginning, certainly sensing something in the air but not being directly subjected to it.

Asterios sighed after bringing the glow in his eyes back down. “I think Umbra was right. I can recognize a familiar sensation that also appeared during a few events in the past, mostly when I got quite angry. No wonder I felt somehow drained later on those days. This requires quite a bit of focus and spiritual energy. You okay?”

Suanori nodded, finally getting ahold of herself. “Yes… That truly felt like I was standing in front of a monstrous predator… I’ve never felt anything like this… Now I understand the phrase to get dragonified…”

“To get dragonified?” Miria’s fascination with Dragons tingled.

“Many elven chronicles from the Era of Dawn mentioned countless times that even the mightiest adventurers get petrified to the bone just with a single gaze from an adult Dragon. While I didn’t faint standing, I’m pretty sure I wasn’t that far off.”

Miria turned to Asterios with sparkling eyes and a euphoric expression, making him smile wryly.

“I guess we now have no choice but to include something about Dragons in our new name after this.” He chuckled and patted her head.

They rested for a brief moment while Asterios examined his eyes with his senses from inside and with the help of Umbra and Selene from the outside. They couldn’t deny a mighty pressure they emanated when he focused on it and he was able to pinpoint some parts of the mana flow, which weirdly only moved from his scorching hot source and couldn't draw from the normal one. It just didn’t work.

“I’m good now. We can continue,” Suanori informed them, standing up.

“Great. I apologize again. And thank you.”

“Don’t mind it. Consider that a favor for running so many errands for me recently.”

“Alright. Catch.” Asterios threw at her three of the vials that Miria brought earlier.

“This is?”

“Duskbrew. Grants a quite decent Darkvision. Don’t use it outside. Trust me. A single flask lasts between one to two days.”

“Thank you. I’m starting to wonder what other interesting concoctions you have in store.” She smiled softly.

“Master’s collection is truly amazing!” Miria turned to her with a proud expression. “He made many incredible potions! Like that other blue liquid which makes his—mwhmhmhhmhmh…”

Asterios covered Miria’s mouth with his hand, interrupting the slightly overenthusiastic panthergirl. Suanori raised a brow at him.

“Trade secret.” He smiled wryly. “Let’s go.”

 

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