Chapter 127: Simply By Sitting Here, He Is The Emperor
The second team's complete annihilation was clearly unknown to this group of Roman assassins.
In their minds, the first team should have already captured Guinevere and begun their retreat by now.
Aware that Guinevere's disappearance couldn't remain hidden for long, they accelerated their pace toward Romulus's location.
It was nighttime. Although some attendants were still working, they had initially assumed they would find Romulus in the resting quarters.
He might even be asleep at this hour.
But as they followed the tracking device provided by Manaka Sajyou, they discovered their destination wasn't Camelot Castle's resting area at all, but...
The main hall!
Typically, this was where the king summoned subordinates to announce important matters or received visiting diplomatic delegations!
It was also the location of the throne!
In Roman terms, this would be equivalent to the imperial palace's grand hall!
What was Romulus doing here at this time?
The assassination squad leader felt puzzled, but after confirming they hadn't been detected, he led his team forward, carefully pushing open a crack in the heavy main hall doors.
They slipped through the gap, maintaining full alertness.
Within the spacious and empty hall, aside from some pillars, there were few places to hide.
Moreover, the person indicated by their tracking device showed no intention of concealment.
At this hour, Camelot's main hall was pitch dark, but these assassins had received special training to remain unaffected by the darkness.
Yet the man made no attempt to hide within the shadows.
He bathed in the sole beam of moonlight streaming through the open ceiling above, sitting upon the seat belonging to the King of Britain.
Clad in pristine white armor, he rested his head on one hand, silently watching them push open the door and enter.
Not the slightest hint of surprise—as if he had known of their arrival from the very beginning!
The assassins grew tense.
Though the man neither spoke nor moved, an inexplicable pressure weighed upon their shoulders!
Sensing this, the assassination squad leader spoke up.
"Stay calm... It's normal for him to detect us. Don't forget—this man bears the emperor's blessing!"
Hearing their leader's words, the other assassins nodded.
Roman emperors, except for the earliest ones, generally received divine blessings from the Pantheon after its establishment.
They didn't know when this tradition began—but they were certain that the current emperor, Sword Emperor Lucius, whose strength was undeniable, possessed such blessings.
Thus, it seemed understandable that this man before them, bestowed with the title of His Majesty Romulus, could detect their presence!
But it didn't matter...
The assassination squad leader drew a dagger from his waist, wasting no further words. As he charged toward Noah, he hurled the dagger directly—
Faced with a dagger flying straight at him, Noah still did not move. He merely narrowed his eyes, and the incoming dagger halted mid-air before clattering to the ground!
Witnessing this, the other assassins who had charged forward with their leader felt their scalps tingle.
Yet their gazes at this moment were fixed on their leader.
They now understood Noah's strength, but they also knew that as long as they could dispel the protection on Noah, he would be nothing more than an ordinary person!
Thinking this, their leader, after throwing the dagger, revealed the ring on his finger.
As crimson runes glowed on the ring, it shattered in his hand!
The leader holding the ring could clearly sense that at the moment the ring broke, an invisible force shot toward the opponent and struck directly!
Seeing this, he smiled as he drew another dagger.
"Even if you're someone bestowed a title by the Pantheon, without the Emperor's protection, you're just an ordinary person—a criminal threatening the Sword Emperor's rule—"
"Ah, die!"
While charging forward, he readied his remaining dagger, shouting loudly and making an exaggerated leap.
Meanwhile, from his shadow, the other assassins had already positioned themselves, scattering to various spots as they closed in on Noah from all directions.
They were highly trained assassins; typically, even formidable warriors would not survive once targeted by them.
In Rome, they had lost count of how many such formidable individuals they had killed!
Hmm...
As they approached Noah, he let out a soft hum.
With that sound, even the wind and the chirping of insects from outside ceased in an instant!
The assassins, sprinting forward with their full attention focused on Noah, almost unconsciously felt themselves shrink in stature.
Only when pain shot through their knees did they realize they had unknowingly knelt before the man, even dropping their weapons!
The leader of the assassins, who had leaped into the air earlier, was forcibly dragged down from mid-air and slammed to the ground—not only kneeling but with his head pressed against the earth.
He was the closest to Noah.
Yet even his head, the nearest to Noah, could not enter the moonlight that enveloped Noah from above. He could only struggle to lift his head at this position, close to the moonlight, staring in disbelief at Noah on the throne.
Facing their gazes, Noah spoke.
"Though I don't know who gave you the confidence to think that casually wielding a Mystic Code to dispel protection would be enough to deal with me, I can only say her calculations were wrong."
"I am also different from what you imagined. Although I was indeed bestowed a name in the Pantheon, I did not receive protection there before being driven away."
Hearing Noah's words, the assassins—whether kneeling or prostrate—looked at him with even greater disbelief than before!
If Noah had said the ring was useless or something similar, they might not have reacted this way.
After all, losing to an emperor blessed by the Pantheon was nothing to be ashamed of.
But... the other party had no such blessing!?
Impossible!
The assassin leader almost blurted out these words, but the moment his gaze met Noah's, he swallowed them back.
Not out of fear or terror, but because the instant their eyes locked, his doubts about Noah vanished!
Such a man would never lie about something like this!
Though they had just met and barely exchanged words, at this moment, these assassins found themselves harboring a belief they themselves could scarcely believe!
This was the emperor recognized by the Pantheon!
If before this, they had believed themselves absolutely loyal to the Sword Emperor, incapable of betrayal, and unwilling to acknowledge any emperor chosen by the Pantheon...
Now they understood just what kind of person the Roman emperor recognized by the Pantheon and chosen by the gods truly was!
Even though the current emperor was the Sword Emperor, even though he had long been exiled...
Even without the throne, this man still gave them the aura of an emperor!
No matter where he was, whether they knew him or not, regardless of his status... he was an emperor!
And not just an emperor in his own mind.
Anyone who witnessed his presence would never mistake him for anything other than an emperor!
He seemed born to be an emperor!
Before him, they—who had long pledged loyalty to the Sword Emperor and had come only to execute a traitor—now felt like assassins plotting against an emperor!
This stark contrast left them speechless, some even averting their gaze from Noah as if they had committed a grave crime!
Only the leader of these assassins did not do so.
He continued to watch Noah, even straining to meet his eyes.
Only by doing so could he deceive his own heart and convince himself with lies!
Because in truth... even he had inwardly acknowledged it!
This man was the one chosen by the gods, worthy of the name Romulus—a born emperor!