Wolvin was surprised when he saw the burly general charging toward them, who should have been as fast as lightning, now looking very slow in his eyes. The Night Wolf youth looked around him. The movements of everyone, the falling dust from the ceiling, even the flapping of insect wings in the air slowed down as if the world was being held back by an invisible force.
"Darling, what are you doing?" asked Wolvin, completely ignoring the fact that the general with his greatsword was currently charging toward them.
"I slowed his movement down with my blessing." Calian answered in a low voice that could only be heard by his spouse. "If I didn't slow him down, you would have definitely moved using your wild instincts and your [True Assassin] blessing would be exposed in front of them. Now, get ready to parry his attack!"
The distance between them and the general drew closer despite the seemingly slowed movement. Hearing his husband's instruction, Wolvin nodded in understanding and prepared his defensive stance by gripping his favorite black daggers tightly.
"Release..." whispered Calian, canceling his sluggish magic.
Time returned to normal in an instant.
Clang!
The loud sound of clashing metal echoed strongly throughout the throne room. Wolvin's daggers perfectly blocked the general's greatsword slash, creating sparks in the air.
Right at the exact second the sword and dagger clashed, Calian reactivated his time-slowing magic. The surroundings instantly slowed down again. Without wasting time, the purple-haired youth ran casually toward one of the guarding soldiers who was standing frozen, and drew the sword from its sheath before finally running and standing right behind General Billy.
Once the position of his sword was aimed perfectly at the general's neck, Calian canceled his magic.
Time returned to normal. To the eyes of the nobles present in the throne room, Calian, who was originally beside Wolvin, moved with incredibly fast movements and stood behind the general with a sword already pressed against his neck.
General Billy stopped the thrust of his sword against Wolvin. The man could feel the cold blade of the sword against the skin of his neck.
"I concede." said Billy in a respectful tone while lowering his greatsword, acknowledging the prince's prowess.
Everyone in the throne room was so shocked that they held their breath. They saw the prince's movement which was so fast, far exceeding even the speed of the palace general who was known to be very formidable on the battlefield.
Seeing the shock of the nobles which went exactly according to his plan, Rodaz stepped forward.
"Wolvin possesses the [Guardian] blessing, and that blessing will activate automatically when his husband is in a threatened state!" exclaimed Rodaz explaining with his echoing baritone voice, weaving a perfect fake alibi.
Rodaz then pointed toward Calian who was slowly lowering his sword from the general's neck.
"And as for my nephew, Calian, he possesses the [Agile] blessing. He can move incredibly fast, surpassing normal human physical limits." continued Rodaz proudly. "Look at that soldier! His sword has been taken but he didn't even realize it!"
The pointed soldier looked down, and was shocked to see that his sword was no longer at his waist.
The former emperor glared sharply at the nobles, giving an implicit warning.
"If Wolvin protects and attacks from the front, then Calian will execute and attack from behind!" exclaimed Rodaz, growing more enthusiastic. "And you all need to know, my nephew's spouse will only stop fighting if their enemy dies, or if he himself dies. So, never try to intimidate them if you don't want to die a foolish death."
"Therefore," he continued again, "the two of them are inseparable and will always complement each other because of the combination of blessings they possess!"
The fake fact about Wolvin's power being the absolute [Guardian] for the prince successfully caused an uproar among the nobles in the throne room. No one expected that the blessing of a beastfolk youth could be so terrifying. However, amidst the awe, quite a few cunning nobles also began to think about loopholes or weaknesses in that power.
"Your Majesty," said a noble who emboldened himself, "wouldn't that [Guardian] blessing become useless if the Prince was kidnapped and separated from a long distance?"
Hearing that question, Rodaz instead chuckled softly.
"Rest assured, that will still be useless!" answered Rodaz casually yet with emphasis. "The [Guardian] blessing can precisely track the location of the person it protects, no matter where they are. So, no matter where Calian is hidden, Wolvin will definitely find him and kill all the enemies there without leaving anyone alive! And the Erthland imperial army will also mobilize following whichever direction this Night Wolf runs."
Rodaz's know-it-all answer, which made it seem like he understood everything, truly succeeded in rendering all the nobles in the throne room speechless.
The insane power that surpassed their common sense felt truly real. And right now, that deadly power was standing casually beside the crown prince.
In the midst of that tense silence, another noble shifted his gaze toward the new emperor who had only been watching silently the whole time.
"Your Majesty Emperor Esdelara," asked that noble in a very cautious tone, "what is the blessing that you possess?"
Elara smiled with full elegance. She stepped forward to the edge of the stairs, letting her aura as the supreme ruler envelop the room.
"I am the possessor of the [Supreme Archmage] blessing!" answered Elara casually, her voice echoing in the throne room. "I can use all magic elements and utilize all the mana that exists in this world as I please, as if I am their master."
Elara looked straight at the gathering of nobles.
"If my brother possesses the absolute defensive blessing [Harmony] that can neutralize everything, then I possess an aggressive blessing that can destroy everything with a practically limitless supply of mana!" continued Elara explaining her prowess. "And do not be fooled by my title. Even though I am a mage, I am also highly skilled in close-quarters combat using physical strength!"
The announcement about the [Supreme Archmage] blessing, which possessed such an absurd and insane power, made all the nobles in the throne room go into shock once again.
To them, the power of their new emperor was already in a completely different dimension.
What kind of crazy power do all the members of this imperial family possess? thought a noble with his body trembling slightly from shock. This is truly incredible! This empire is very strong and cannot be overthrown.
Feeling that their show of strength was more than enough, Rodaz changed the subject to break the ice.
"Since the inauguration ceremony of the new emperor has finished smoothly, let us head to the palace hall!" invited Rodaz to all the attending guests with a friendly smile that contrasted with his earlier threats. "We have prepared various delicious dishes for everyone to welcome this historic day."
Despite the mix of awe, shock, and horror blending into one, the nobles bowed respectfully. They then stepped toward the banquet hall, following the footsteps of the four members of the imperial family walking in the lead.
Calian walked side by side with Wolvin, but his mind kept spinning thinking about his mother's words just now.
Why did my mother reveal her original blessing in front of everyone? wondered Calian internally while walking down the hallway toward the palace hall. What is she actually planning by revealing her true power like this? This really makes it almost impossible for me to guess my mother's train of thought.