The Knight commander pulled back his left arm, and aimed a punch towards the Emperor's face with all the strength he could muster. Unfortunately for him, the blow landed on the backrest of the golden throne, leaving a deep indentation on the metal.
"I have returned, Your Majesty."
The Emperor merely sat on his seat, unmoving. He didn't even have the courtesy to respond to his knight.
Truth to be told, the Rounds would have been delighted to support their commander's aggression. Withal, they perceived the Emperor's acrid through the aura he was exuding.
Of course, Mikhail was aware of the mood. He just ached to release some of the frustrations he was bottling up.
"Gather yourselves" Mikhail instructed the knights while he sauntered away from the Emperor, as if he didn't commit a misdeed, to join the rank.
The seven of them stood in a single file facing the throne, in order of seat and evenly distanced.
"Salute."
They all genuflected on one knee, right forearm on top of the abdomen and left at the base of the back torso.
"Rakshena Ast Sacra Efidarum Ohn. The Knights of the Round Table offer our felicitations to His Majesty, Emperor Hector Atticus Seraphiel."
"Arise and begin your report." The Emperor nodded, proceeding to lay his chin on the dorsal side of his left hand, anchored by the elbow fixed on the armrest.
Heeding to their Monarch's brief acknowledgement, the Rounds concertedly straightened their bodies upright and assumed the proper posture for listening. Mikhail took a step forward, a must for those who were in turn to relay information.
"For a concise account of the incidents, I'll start from the moment that Sarakiel Helian went out of commission. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you were observing us using Sarakiel as your eyes and ears, weren't you? You aren't one to waste a chance of encountering an enthralling discovery."
The Emperor just gave him a nod as a reply, omitting any commentary that was due.
"As you've heard, Ierathel advised me to utilize Khamael Percival's scroll to summon another Angel. Mainly for the reason that there is a possibility that the next one could revive Khamael, excluding the arrangement of a sacrifice that is highly valuable. Thus, I complied with it. I was somehow able to procure a bit of Khamael's blood for the summoning. Anyway, the Angel whom we hailed was named Rehael."
"Rehael? Does the angel have a connection with Rehael Lamorak?" The Emperor queried. It was too great of an uncanny resemblance that it caught his interest.
"None, Your Majesty."
"Continue."
"Moving on, I deduced that the Angels can grant one of our requests in exchange for the custody of the Demon Nobles under their jurisdiction. That's how Rehael revived Khamael without asking for immolations or the sort."
"It is absurd that they're willing to agree in a trade that they won't profit from. Are you sure that they did not demand anything else, My Lord?" Iophiel articulated his suspicion that was not exclusive to him, being that his comrades formed similar doubts in their minds.
The commander turned his attention to the knight beside him, and presented his take on the matter.
"We don't have the capacity to challenge their choices when we're the ones who reaped the benefits. Do you understand, Iophiel?" Mikhail was not reprimanding Iophiel, per se. Howbeit, it came off as such to the receiver of his words.
"I apologize, My Lord. I was too prejudiced."
"Don't fret about it."
"Yes, I will conform to that."
Mikhail subsequently returned to his duty at hand, engaging the Emperor's state of exigency.
"Your Majesty, Rehael permitted me to ask three questions. The summary of its answers are the succeeding. First, a single entity eliminated the entirety of the legions, and rendered incapacitated the two Demon Nobles. Second, there is no relation between Rehael Lamorak and that Angel, since it doesn't have a vessel. Third and final, it explicitly warned us to not summon them again, for the sin of reenacting will force us to bear the repercussions of ruining the balance of this world. That is all."
Mikhail claimed back his position in their row, indicating that he's finished with the report.
Quietude dominated the mise-en-scène while the Emperor perdured on his contemplation, and nobody dared to disturb that. The interlude lasted for a while before an imperious voice reverberated within the space.
"What do you want to know?"
Mikhail was somewhat pleased when he discerned the clearance to interrogate the Emperor. Hence, a beat hadn't dropped yet prior to him talking.
"I want to surmise that it is no coincidence that Ronove was Ierathel's responsibility, and Malphas was Rehael's. From who, or where did you get these enigmatic scrolls? It is clear that they are in the know of the relationships between these superior existences. Your mana is not associated with the two spells for the summoning. Hence, it's not your feat."
This inquiry was met with an impassive sigh, delaying the arrival of the Emperor's correspondence by a fleeting hiatus.
"What if I tell you that I simply adhered to the decrees written on a parchment, inconspicuously sent by a stranger? Would you believe me?"
The commander mulled over the query of a counterreaction to his interrogatory. Although, he didn't need to deliberate for a long time to find the appropriate comeback.
"Factoring in your capriciousness, I don't think it's far-fetched that you did something like that. I believe you, Your Majesty."
At this juncture, the Emperor rose from his seat, his countenance placid.
"Do you indeed think that I took pleasure in seeing Khamael Percival transform into an undead? Let me reiterate to all of you. I loathe necromancers and their rotten methods. Withal, if we persevered with our current strategies in our fight with the Demon Nobles, our efficiency would be most affected. Seizing this gamble harrowed me as much as it did to you, my knights."
He slowly traversed down the flight of stairs to stand on an equal ground with his subordinates.
"The Empire has yet to achieve stability, from the wasteland that it once was, because of my incompetent forefathers. I cannot die yet. Therefore, I left the chore of testing this out to the Rounds, whose judgment and abilities I have attested. Mikhail Percival, do you reckon that it's a failure?"
"No, Your Majesty."
"Were we able to get rid of the Demon Nobles?"
"Yes."
"How many casualties do we have?"
"There is none."
"And despite all odds, what is your assessment, Knight Commander?"
"If we can get around the negative impacts of summoning the Angels frequently, then it is a strategy with guaranteed success, Your Majesty."
Immediately upon the end of Mikhail's speech, the door opened with a thud, throwing up Zelel in the entryway. In his right hand was a piece of brown parchment, seeming as if time had worn it out.
"As incredulous as to how it sounded, I spouted no falsehood. That is the parchment I am pertaining to." The Emperor demystified the reservations that his knights had.
"Are you cognizant of the identity of the sender, Your Majesty?" Mikhail asked regarding the highly intriguing conundrum.
"In your conversation with Rehael, this is what I'm absolutely concerned about. You see, I have this inkling feeling that the donator of that parchment is the same individual who wreaked havoc in Ikdes."
The knights did not express it. Withal, they hurriedly concurred with the Emperor's evaluation in their minds.
"Zelel" He called out to the newly arrived Prime Minister.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Begin the hunt."