Loriel just stared. A lot of emotions were visible on her face. She was not sure what to make of the situation.

“Don’t worry.” I said. “Nothing really changed. We are simply a bit more powerful than you were aware of. Look at the bright side, now you no longer have to worry about how we managed to defeat Mantus.”

“And you can stop speculating who my patron is.” Lucy added, helpfully.

“Are you both just messing with me?” Loriel said, sounding doubtful. “Is this a prank?”

“No, we are quite serious.” I answered.

“I am sure the Empire will send someone soon. Once the people in charge realise we are back. It’s going to be an interesting conversation, you should join us.” Lucy suggested.

“You should definitely join us. We also need to consider just packing our things and leaving. Although I do feel sorry for a lot of the people here. The Empire is mostly just a threat to itself so far. We haven’t seen any evidence of this soul manipulation research. Maybe your spies were wrong?”

“Not here!” Loriel said. “You don’t know who is listening. We can discuss that in private.”

I shrugged. At this point I was a lot less concerned. The Empire seemed unstable and suffering from serious internal issues. I wondered if that was the reason for their aggression in the first place. It would not be the first nation to start a war to distract people. If they had succeeded in conquering Iron Rock it would have been a boost to morale. Afterwards they would have prepared to invade Beravis. The Emperor could have weakened the factions by throwing them into the war. And they would compete by trying to earn more glory, instead of fighting in Unitera. Of course it was just a theory, but it somewhat matched what we knew.

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“Anyway, let’s loot the buffet.” I walked towards the offered treats. After all the fighting I earned myself something tasty. I heard Lucy snicker behind me. Looking over my shoulder I saw Loriel still standing there, lost in thought.

As expected from the Empire, the food looked great. There were small slices of toasted bread with a variety of toppings. I tried one with pieces of salmon in a creamy sauce. It was delicious. I also found small sandwiches. They were filled with different meats and sauces. Further, I found a classic egg sandwich.

I rapidly filled a plate and went looking for something to drink. The bar was stocked nicely. I settled for a dark ale that went well with the food. Then I made myself comfortable at the big table in the centre. Just as Lucy sat down next to me we were interrupted by a servant.

“My ladies, excuse the interruption but your presence has been requested by the Emperor.”

I raised an eyebrow at that. Would Maximilian himself talk to us? Or were we just summoned on his authority? I guess we would soon find out.

I eyed my food. “Sure, I will just bring this with me.” I put my drink inside my storage. Magic made things so much more convenient. The plate I carried with my hand, that way I could easily continue snacking.

The servant’s gaze did not approve of me bringing my treats but he might have been too scared to say something. I did not care. Loriel similarly frowned at me. Or more likely us. Lucy munched happily on a sandwich but she did not bring a whole plate.

We followed the servant through the palace. As we neared our destination the hallways were guarded. Two knights with halberds stood outside the door of the meeting room. Despite their impressive plate armour they wore no helmets. I wondered if that was a safety measure. A helmet covering their face would make it easier for a spy, or an assassin, to take their place. Of course there were plenty of helmet designs that did not obscure the face. Maybe the armour was more for looks anyway.

The guards frowned at us. Lucy was still busy with her sandwich and I had my plate. “My ladies, we could… uh hold that food for you if you like?” They seemed slightly uncertain how to handle the situation.

“No, we are good.” I said.

“Uh… it would be rather… impolite to bring food to the meeting.” The servant added.

“After today, I really don’t care.” I responded.

They seemed uncertain how they should handle the situation.

“We can just leave,” I offered.

“Uh no no… I mean… It’s fine. Eh… please enter.” They let us pass.

The room we entered had a round table in the centre. The back wall held a throne which was empty. People were pointing at a map on the table and discussing things. They all looked towards us as we entered. I recognized Logan, the royal inquisitor. Interestingly Iris was here as well. The other faces were unfamiliar. There was no sight of the Emperor.