Intimidation

Perched on a roof that had vision of Ruler Istrel's route, Dia modified her appearance and made herself comfortable. Fortunately, the owner of the house she was currently using as a platform was out, which was why the chimney was unused. It was possible that the owner was one of those that had been hired to cheer madly for Istrel, but whatever the case, it was extra-convenient for her right now.

As the sun rolled down the horizon, an odd air of tension filled the city. The lamp posts began to shine, and people either returned home or lined up at the flanks of the decorated path that Ruler Istrel would take through the county.

The minutes ticked by, and just as Dia was about to take out a small packet of peanuts — she had filched them from the palace earlier — multiple presences appeared in her senses. She didn't need to see them; Dia could literally feel them, after all. It was no different from sensing someone else who was sitting on the same bouncy mattress; the new arrivals were bending the fabric of reality somewhat, if she had to give a reason to it.

Whatever the case, the newly inaugurated ruler had no intention of concealing his imposing presence. This, however, spoke about how Istrel and her aunt handled things, though. Although Ruler Istrel was in no way any stronger than her aunt in terms of mana circuits, Aunt Lumine had been a lot more circumspect in her actions.

Power could be loud at times, and quiet in others.

Rambunctious cheers rang out a moment later, and flower petals — undoubtedly released on purpose — began to dance through the air. Under the evening sky, the floating petals took on a surreal, orange sheen, and Dia couldn't help but let out a smile.

Perhaps, one day, she could be on the receiving end of those petals…although, of course, she would want it to be a sincere thing, rather than something cooked up by a quick-thinking host. How did Ruler Istrel feel, when he was surrounded by a seemingly sincere crowd?

A bout of hearty laughter, tinged with joy and appreciation, spread through the evening sky. Istrel, although he had his problematic sides, was a man who splurged on his emotions. When he was pleased, he would be pleased to an extreme; when angered…

Dia gulped. She could only pray that whatever her aunt did, it wouldn't affect Farah, and—

A sudden hush fell at that moment, and Dia found herself staring at the petal-lined road once more. Someone had appeared in the middle of it, clad in a mourning robe of pure white. The flitting petals seemed to still for a moment, before whipping away madly from the person in white, dispersed by a raging torrent of overwhelming might.

The Lamenter of Sorrowful Partings had blocked Ruler Istrel's way, but the pressure she was emanating, the sheer volume of mana that was raging out of her invisibly…

At one glance, Dia instinctively understood that her aunt had become a penta-folder at some point in time.

She had stepped into the ranks of Grandis' mightiest beings.

Wind howled madly as she stood in the path of Ruler Istrel, and the people that had flanked the path twitched in fear, as two fearsome presences smashed into each other. However, instead of making a move, her aunt simply curtsied once, and then turned to her right. With light, flighty steps, she seemed to step across a door of sorts, and her frightening presence evaporated like snow in the sun.

There was no grand fight, nothing.

Just a simple greeting with no holds barred.

As her aunt vanished, the cheers redoubled and petals fell in far greater volumes. It was a phenomenon that Dia could easily interpret — a bigshot had appeared just to pay her respects to another bigshot — and before long, the crowd had whipped itself up into a frenzy, cheering madly and yelling things like 'The ruler is mighty!' and 'Even the vaunted come from afar to pay respects!'.

Dia had a feeling that Farah had planted some people in the crowd to…wait, the whole crowd was assembled by her in the first place. Therefore, she probably had a few leaders in place to lead the shouts and cheers, adapting as needed in case something happened.

The cheers continued through the evening, as the small procession continued on without a hiccup. Farah had designated a particular route that would take Ruler Istrel the whole way, but whether Istrel actually managed to take in the sights after that surprise confrontation and revelation of her aunt's true depths was another question altogether. Whatever the case, the rest of the evening continued without incident, and after a monster-free loop around a particularly lush field of moonwheat, the procession returned to the spot where Ruler Istrel and his people had teleported to.

As the sun vanished beneath the horizon, the oppressive presence emanating from Ruler Istrel vanished, as did those of his escorts. The crowd that had adulated the ruler dispersed rapidly too, which was the cue for Dia to slide off the roof and make her way back to Farah Palace.

Farah was sipping away at some alcohol when she returned.

"How was it?" Dia asked.

"Well, I kinda expected that to happen," Farah replied. "Luckily, I had the foresight to stuff some bright fellows into the crowd, or else things might have gotten problematic."

"I didn't know my aunt was going to confront Istrel," Dia replied. "But I apologise anyway."

"Nuh-uh. Not your fault. If you weren't here, she might have gone ahead with it stealthily, causing my huge problems as a result. Besides, I think she held back or something too, since she didn't even speak. She just curtsied politely, and then vanished seconds later," said Farah.

"They didn't say anything?"

"Did they need to?" Farah asked. "Your aunt wanted to tell Ruler Istrel that she was a penta-folder, and if she's her aunt, she's definitely affiliated to the Lustre Dukedom. Therefore, it was a warning to Istrel to not go ahead with whatever plans he had in mind after he became Ruler Istrel — if he was to do so, she would intervene."

Dia paused for a moment, and then nodded. "Truly, power doesn't need to speak at times."

"That's only possible because she was a penta-folder," Farah replied. "From what I know, it's near-impossible to close the gap in power as the number of mana circuits involved increases. For Ruler Istrel, the fact that Lustre has a penta-folder will almost certainly end all his plans regarding invasion and whatnot."

"War's over?"

"Depends on Duke Schwa and what his countermeasures are. Will they prove sufficient enough to deter the new ruler's ambitions?" Farah took another sip from her glass. "But either way, it seems I can rearrange the people I've dispatched into the Istrel Dukedom. They can now lie low there now."

Dia took a deep breath. "My aunt must have wanted to end this crisis on her own terms."

"Impressive, yes." Farah rubbed her head.

"So, how was the ruler?" Dia asked, curious. Elevations in one's stature and position often led to changes in one's mental state and personality. The humble could become arrogant, and the arrogant could be humbled by the sheer weight of their position. She didn't dare to hope too much, but surely Emperor Grandis' anger had done something to Ruler Istrel, no?

And if that wasn't sufficient, how about the fact that a penta-folder was a trump card of a dukedom under him? Would that be enough?

"Well, he was…not quite like the rumours said he was. I never actually met him in person," said Farah, "ever since I became the new ruler here. Even when my…parents abandoned me, it was the Emperor's officials that came to help me and everything, not him."

She tilted her head. "Like…well, he definitely has a receding hairline, though. I think he's balding."

"Pfft."

"What? It was hard not to laugh, did you know that? The light from the lamp posts made his shiny bald head so freaking obvious I had to bite my lips to stay calm," Farah replied, a grin on her face. "Well, going bald made him look more like an old grandfather, if you ask me. But well…he was nice, I guess. Kinda like an old man now."

Dia nodded. "Was he condescending to you or your territory?"

"Rather, he liked it a lot," Farah replied, a grimace on her lips. "I had to promise him a nice scenic spot to build a small holiday villa here."

"…Ouch."

"Yeah, I know." Farah shrugged. "I suppose now that he's at the peak of all life, he's beginning to feel a bit contemplative about his deeds and actions so far. Things like how people would remember him, the legacies associated…when you're so high and so close to death, you tend to be very reflective."

"Maybe he's changed for the better then."

"Maybe." Farah let out a long, burgeoning yawn. "Man. I'm tired. I'm going to sleep now. We'll depart for home tomorrow after I get Lloyd to handle the hand-over procedures. He's going with us now."

"Sounds great!" Dia stifled a yawn. "You know what? I'm just going to get another nap too."

"You woke up not too long ago, though…"