At the edge of the room, where the light barely reached, stood Uridel, a spy of the United Republic of Aur, holding Valeslina hostage. He was no ordinary spy; he ranked among the finest magicians in Aur.
With his proven credibility, Uridel had been assigned a critical mission: to infiltrate the Maurya Empire, specifically the Imperial Palace in Zlatogorye. This mission was exceptionally dangerous, given that Mauryan magicians, particularly their nobility, were rumored to possess unique, logic-defying spells known as the Mauryan bloodline ability.
Due to this, Uridel had to be exceptionally meticulous in every step, carefully learning and adapting. He was diligent in maintaining connections and building both formal and informal relationships in Maurya, even getting to know some of his coworkers on a personal level. With a little insider help and his own abilities, he had managed to attain a rank considered impossible for any spy: a specialized squad beneath the emperor.
But today, all of that effort and hardship were wasted.
'How? How!?'
Uridel's mind was in shambles. He couldn't make sense of what was happening.
'How did he figure it out!?'
His disguise should have been flawless. Not even the emperor, with his scarily precise detection ability, was able to find anything amiss.
'There should be no evidence!'
His eyes darted to the cat, the confirmed nine-stroke beast, lounging comfortably, watching the chaos unfold as if it were a theatrical performance.
'How did he figure it out!?'
The cat, the ordinary-looking cat, was behind all of it. When the emperor first announced the existence of a nine-stroke beast, Uridel had assumed there must have been some mistake. As a highly skilled spy, he possessed extensive knowledge of beast taming and was even acquainted with factions specializing in the practice. He knew how delusional he might sound if he ever mentioned the idea of a nine-stroke beast to them. Just to be careful, he even made sure to inspect the cat himself, noticing nothing unusual about it. Although the cat did possess some mana, its density was barely at the level of a poorly performing academy student.
Uridel was convinced this was misinformation. He was even prepared for someone to officially announce that there had been a mistake. But the announcement that came was the opposite of his expectations.
"The contract pattern is authentic. Sophia Kovalevska has successfully tamed a nine-stroke beast."
The announcer was the Grand Tamer herself. If anyone in this world held the credibility to confirm such a claim, it was her.
Uridel was utterly dumbfounded.
'Impossible.'
He wasn't ready to hear such an announcement. And then, out of nowhere, while he was deep in thought, he noticed something.
'Is he looking at me?'
The cat, the confirmed nine-stroke beast, suddenly locked its gaze on him.
'Why?'
One second, five seconds, fifteen seconds, time grew slower for Uridel.
'What does he want from me?'
Knowing the cat's identity, he felt an intense restlessness.
'What does he see in me?'
His mind grew wild, cycling through all the worst-case scenarios.
'Does he know I'm a spy?'
He tried to convince himself otherwise, that the cat was merely observing something else.
'There shouldn't be any evidence!'
But the longer the cat stared, the more his worry intensified.
'Look at somebody else, please!'
Suddenly, the cat shifted its gaze toward the Emperor.
'Thank the God of Wisdom, it's just a fluke.'
Uridel thought the moment was over, that the cat had simply looked at him without consequence. But barely a few seconds later, the cat pointed its paw directly at him.
'Ha!?'
The cat, while locking eyes with the emperor, pointed its paw at him.
'Ha... haha... hahaha...'
Uridel didn't know what the cat meant by that gesture, nor what message it was sending to the emperor, but he no longer cared.
'It's a nine-stroke beast. Of course, it realized I'm a spy. Of course, it would report to the Emperor.'
Uridel knew his situation was hopeless. Yet, as a proficient spy, he would not simply surrender without a countermeasure. He immediately ran through his possible options.
'Trying to forcefully run will be impossible.'
He could not outrun all of the Imperial guards, especially since some were experts in pursuit.
'I need something that could secure my escape.'
The answer was simple: a hostage. He could take one to create a clear opening and then eliminate them afterward to cover his tracks. But another problem immediately arose.
'Who can I use as a hostage?'
He couldn't use any of the guards; their political value was insignificant, merely sacrificial pawns to the Mauryan nobility. The Grand Tamer and the Emperor were out of the question, as they were among the strongest individuals in the room and could easily overpower and kill him even if he took them by surprise. Sophia, the obviously weak person, was also not an option. As the tamer of a nine-stroke beast, he knew his fate would be far worse than death if he targeted her.
His options were narrowed down to one person.
'Valeslina Kovalevska.'
Although the Kovalevska Family was notoriously feared by all other noble families in the Maurya Nobility, Valeslina herself remained a questionable subject. To begin with, the Kovalevska Family was a secretive family, with all its members unknown to the public, as they never announced their lineage at noble gatherings. It was only after the war, when Valeslina suddenly appeared and claimed to be a member of the Kovalevska Family, which the emperor himself confirmed, that everyone began to recognize her existence. Beyond that, no one truly knew her actual strength or what she was capable of as a Kovalevska.
He made up his mind to take Valeslina as a hostage. He was unsure if she would be too much for him to handle, but she was still the best option available.
Uridel immediately took action. He channeled mana through his body and mind, boosting his strength and thinking speed to their maximum. He then retrieved two items from his pocket: an ornate silver-covered knife and an ornate wooden mirror. Using the wooden mirror, he instantly teleported Valeslina toward him. He then pressed the silver-covered knife firmly against her throat, holding her fast.
The entire sequence occurred in less than a second. Those who began reacting after noticing his actions were still in the process of enveloping their own bodies and minds in mana. Uridel, however, was already preparing to teleport outside the room with Valeslina.
But just before he finished teleporting, the emperor's low whisper reached his ears.
"However..."
In an instant, a massive barrier surged around the room, completely blocking his teleportation. The Emperor had reacted faster than anyone else, thwarting Uridel's initial escape plan. Trying to create some distance, Uridel then teleported to the edge of the room, bringing Valeslina with him.
'Dammit!'
He was trapped.
'Damn you all!'
He was now cornered in a room with the Emperor, the Grand Tamer, and the nine-stroke beast tamer, any of whom could obliterate him instantly. As Uridel glanced at the cat, the very reason he was in this mess, which was casually scratching its ear as if mocking him, chaos surged through his mind.
'How did he figure it out!?'
It was a question he might never know, considering his chances of survival were minimal. Finally, with everyone in a battle stance and staring at him, he spoke.
"None of you move. If I sense even the slightest trace of mana, this knife will cut through her throat!"
His gaze then settled on the Emperor, whose golden slit eyes regarded him with menacing calm. He pressed the knife deeper into Valeslina's neck until a dark reddish liquid streaked down, then addressed the Emperor.
"You have three seconds to remove the barrier, or else!"