The beautiful handmaidens who had just been attending to The Lord quietly exited the bedchamber.
Only his guards remained, stationed at the doorway outside.
But instead of immediately initiating negotiations, Souta pulled out his system phone—and started chatting in the group.
Souta: @Altair. Altair, you there? I need a favor.
A short while later, Altair responded.
Altair: Hmm? Souta? Are you in trouble?
Souta: Sort of. I remember that one of your "Holopsicon" abilities, [Representation Exposition] can alter the structure of objects. Last time in the Dragon Ball world, you used it to create a vacuum soundproof barrier, right?
Altair: Yes. Do you need me to create another soundproof barrier?
Souta: Exactly. Upload a [Representation Exposition] usage instance to the shop, and I'll buy it.
Altair: That's fine, but... if I'm not actively maintaining the ability, the vacuum sound barrier will collapse instantly due to atmospheric pressure. It would be refilled with air in a millisecond. Souta, do you seriously not know this basic physics?
Could Altair be any more blunt?
Alright, fine. That was just common sense. Souta had been dealing with so many supernatural abilities lately that he forgot about real-world physics for a moment.
Rin Tohsaka: @Souta. I know how to make a soundproof barrier too. Why didn't you ask me?
Souta: You? I wasn't sure if your world's magic would work in a different world.
Rin Tohsaka: Excuse me?! Are you looking down on me? Do you even know anything about Magecraft?
Souta: Yeah. If I remember correctly, before Solomon established the Thaumaturgical Foundation, Magecraft used to be powered by divine intervention. After that, it relied on the Foundation, right?
It was pretty straightforward.
Magecraft in the Nasuverse wasn't like D&D magic.
It wasn't some omnipotent force that could do anything as long as you had mana.
If Magecraft depended on the planet's ley lines, then logically, it shouldn't function outside Earth.
Rin Tohsaka: That's true, but so what?
Souta: Well, doesn't that mean your Magecraft only works on Earth? Outside of it, it shouldn't function.
Rin Tohsaka: I actually thought about that too. But remember—the system allows different world mechanics to merge. You've brought this up in the chat multiple times yourself.
Damn. He forgot about that.
Considering Kurumi could still use her spatial quakes in other worlds, it made sense that Rin's Magecraft would still work in Akame ga Kill's world.
Souta: Alright, Rin. I'll leave it to you then.
Rin Tohsaka: No problem. Consider it a thank-you gift for before.
Soon, Rin created a soundproof barrier and uploaded it to the system shop.
The system set the price at 10 points.
As expected from the Tohsaka heir, such minor Magecraft was child's play for her.
Souta: By the way, Rin, how far have you gotten in the story? Have you finished the Fourth Holy Grail War?
Rin Tohsaka: The Fourth War? You mean the previous Holy Grail War? No, I'm still analyzing the Fifth War. I haven't looked at the Fourth yet.
Souta: No wonder you seem so relaxed. You've still got time to chill in the chat.
Rin Tohsaka: What do you mean? Did something happen in the Fourth War?
Souta: It's complicated. You should see for yourself. I've got things to do—let's talk later.
After sending that message, Souta switched to the shop interface and purchased the soundproof barrier Rin uploaded.
A soft white light appeared in his hand, forming a mystic card.
Kurumi, seeing this, asked, "Ready?"
"Yeah," Souta nodded. "Let's go."
Kurumi then expanded her Shadow Space into the center of The Lord's chamber.
The three of them emerged from the inky darkness, stepping onto the floor.
The room was spacious, filled with the scent of soothing incense.
The fragrance was designed to calm the mind and induce restful sleep.
The Lord lay in his lavish bed, appearing to be asleep.
However, the moment Souta and his group appeared, he immediately sat up, exclaiming:
Souta froze for a moment.
This guy's detection ability was insane.
Without hesitation, Souta threw the card and activated it mentally.
Instantly, a mysterious force enveloped the chamber, forming an invisible soundproof barrier.
Seeing the card vanish, Souta sighed in relief.
Then, with a friendly smile, he looked at The Lord and said:
"Relax. We mean you no harm. We came to discuss something with you."
The Lord narrowed his sharp eyes, scrutinizing them.
Souta wasn't worried.
While The Lord had future vision, it was limited—otherwise, the main cast wouldn't have stood a chance in the story.
He probably could only glimpse brief future fragments.
Sitting up in bed, The Lord spoke calmly:
"You haven't attacked me immediately. That means you want to talk. I assume you wouldn't mind introducing yourselves?"
This might work out after all...
Souta maintained his smile:
"Our identities are a bit complicated. It depends on whether you believe in the existence of other worlds."
The Lord's eyes widened in astonishment.
"Otherworldly visitors...?" He murmured. "This is quite a surprise."
Saying this, he reached toward the side of his bed, as if grabbing a robe to cover himself.
"And what exactly do you want?" He asked.
"A mutually beneficial deal." Souta replied. "We can help you resist pressure from the Empire's Minister. In exchange, you—"
The Lord suddenly interrupted him—smiling.
"Regardless of your intentions, I do not appreciate being coerced into agreements."
"You must have some means of blocking sound, or else my guards would have already rushed in. However—"
His hand, which had appeared to be reaching for a robe, suddenly pressed a switch at the bedside.
With a loud BANG, the bedroom doors burst open.
A squad of sword-wielding guards stormed in.
As the situation reversed, The Lord's smile grew more relaxed.
"In the past, assassins have tried using deafening incense to slip in unnoticed. That's why I installed this little security mechanism."
Around ten elite guards surrounded Souta's group.
The Lord, now dressed in his long robe, stood calmly before them.
"I prefer to be in control," he declared. "Not at the mercy of others."
"Seize them. Be careful not to harm them—I will personally interrogate them later."
Souta's face was expressionless.
He hadn't even said anything threatening!
Was this guy some kind of lunatic?!