The Innkeeper

Lex was momentarily driven by thoughts of raking in a ton of MP selling tickets to watch the fight between Ragnar and the devil. He could use the attention Ragnar had gained with the Inn-wide hallucination to attract attention, but it was not meant to be.

The devil, as he learned, was locked within his abode, cultivating, with no knowledge of what was happening outside. Many guests, Lex had noticed, despite being at high realms ended up simply cultivating after experiencing the star upgrade, such as the griffin, and did not encounter any tribulations. Maybe they were simply making progress without making any strides across any large thresholds. Regardless, Lex sent a response letting Ragnar know that at the moment the devil was unable to respond, but he would let him know of the answer.

With that small interlude passed, Lex turned his attention back to the portal to investigate the Shining Irisberry Fruit for the turtle.

*****

Ragnar was slightly disappointed when he heard the response, but it was probably for the best. Despite what it had seemed like, his emotions had gotten the best of him and that devil really had managed to rile him up. Although it seemed like he had only suffered a mild injury from that bolt of lightning, that was not really the case.

After stabilizing his increased cultivation, he would have to return to his Command carrier, for the Recovery pods would not be able to help him in his current condition. He would require some exceptionally rare and valuable medicine that had been stored back on his ship.

But his plan to return was suddenly stalled when he saw two humans descending towards him from the sky. As awkward as it might be, he recognized the lady first.

It was her majesty Elinor, the current empress of the Jotun empire! The reason Ragnar recognized her first was because the image of the emperor was not actually that widely spread. It was for that very reason that even the emperor had been surprised when he was recognized by a common soldier.

But the moment Ragnar recognized her, his eyes flashed to the man beside her and realization dawned on him. It wasn't as if he had never seen the emperor, but that the picture he had seen portrayed the man in full royal armor with a halo of incredible power around him. Right now, the emperor looked nothing like his picture and instead looked like a random youth.

Ragnar was not one to suffer from the common mistake of judging someone by their appearance, as in the cultivation world appearances were the most deceiving. Instead, he usually gauged people by the intensity of their spiritual aura. Yet the emperor had restrained his aura completely when he came to the Inn, so he could even be mistaken for a mortal if one didn't know better.

"Your highness!" Ragnar exclaimed as he gave a military salute, finally adding a single crease to his, as of yet, completely pristine tunic.

"At ease, general," Jotun said. "That was an impressive display. Tell me, how long have you been a Heaven Immortal?"

"A little under 100 years, majesty."

"Less than a 100 years and you've already passed through the first mark. Very impressive young man. I dare say there are few in the history of the entire empire who can compete with you."

"It is still below your achievements, majesty."

"Pft, don't compare yourself with me. That's unfair to your hard work. News of your achievements have made it to my ear, Ragnar. Considering I'm barely ever in the empire, that is already an impressive feat. But when the Innkeeper himself told me I should give you an audience, I was genuinely taken aback. I wonder what you have to share with me."

Surprise flashed through Ragnar's eyes, but he quickly calmed down. Although they did not meet often, it seemed like he really had developed a good relationship with the Innkeeper. After all, there was no need for him to mention Ragnar to the emperor. Even Ragnar himself had never spoken of such a request, so for the Innkeeper to do it on his own initiative was a show of good faith. Moreover, it was one that he sorely needed. Although he had set up a task at the Inn to find someone capable of following the Jorlam's trail, there was no guarantee that things would not go horribly wrong before that opportunity could even be availed. Moreover, there was the matter of the aura he collected from the devil Loretta.

"I have a room, majesty. Perhaps we should talk there."

"Lead the way."

Ragnar did not hesitate to lead the way, not to any of the rooms he had recently rented, but the one he rented so long ago, inside the Midnight manor.

The emperor and empress followed him without putting up any pretenses, but when they entered the room and saw a small cylinder sitting in the center, their attention was completely diverted to it.

"Your highness, this seal contains the traces of aura I collected from the devil known as Loretta. Although I suspect the aura has been altered heavily, it should still be useful."

"Why have you stored it here instead of submitting it to the empire?" asked the empress, though she made no attempts to inspect the seal.

Ragnar paused, as if he was ashamed to voice his words, which ultimately attracted the emperor's attention even more than the seal.

"Speak up, what is it?"

"Highness, I apologize if my words sound like blasphemy but… I suspect there are traitors in the empire. There are many things that have happened recently that do not make sense, and… I have suspicions that someone is sending me to my death."

The empress was alarmed by the sudden revelation, but Jotun did not seem too surprised.

"You do not need to worry about the veracity of your words. Even the Innkeeper has hinted at the fact that the long absence of my brothers and I from the empire has caused the relations between our families to sour."

"Jotun what… what are you saying?" Elinor asked, genuinely shocked by what she was hearing. Although it may seem as if he had said something casual, he had said in very simple words that a rebellion was brewing… likely spurred by their own descendants!

But Jotun did not answer. Instead, he looked directly at Ragnar and asked, "general, tell me honestly, where do your loyalties lie?"

Ragnar looked down at the ground in shame. Standing before him was the strongest human alive. A flick of his finger would be enough to decimate Ragnar, so it was all but impossible to lie to him. He had to be honest.

"Forgive me, majesty, but my loyalty lies not with the empire, but with the human race."

Silence fell in the room as Elinor and Ragnar both waited for Jotun to reply. For a general of the empire to speak such words…

"Tell me, Ragnar, are you married?" Jotun asked.