The deaths of both commanders shook the two nations currently at war with each other. Once the investigation concluded, and with witnesses and evidence pointing toward the open interference of the Archivistas in the conflict, both the Mardo Kingdom and the Walts Kingdom agreed to a ceasefire.
Above all else, the emergence of even a single Archivistas meant that the chaotic organization was making its move once again. With an unknown member meddling directly in the affairs of sovereign nations, it was reasonable to assume that either, or both, kingdoms could soon become targets.
Although Archivistas were known to be formidable even individually, the strength required to slay two commanders who had already reached the Grandmaster rank of Blade Master suggested someone at least one tier higher. Witnesses described the assailant as young—far too young to possess such overwhelming power.
Given the methods by which Archivistas typically acquired strength, the unknown figure must have slain a significant number of powerful Mana Path and Aura Path practitioners. It was even possible that they had killed fellow Thaum Path practitioners as well.
The best course of action, therefore, was to bring the matter before the court of the Redheart Empire.
While the kings of both kingdoms fretted over a nonexistent threat, the man in question had already arrived at the border of the very empire they would soon seek aid from.
Up ahead, a sprawling cityscape entered Zachary's line of sight. He had traveled approximately five hundred thousand miles westward through the sky and had finally arrived at the capital of the Redheart Empire, Varcuban Imperial City.
According to the memories extracted from the deceased commanders, the Redheart Empire was the undisputed behemoth of the Bas Continent. Its territory stretched for millions of miles from north to south, a distance almost impossible to imagine.
To put this into perspective, Earth's equatorial circumference is roughly 24,901 miles. The Redheart Empire alone spanned more than eighty times that distance. If one attempted to cross it at the speed of a modern airliner, it would take years of nonstop travel to reach the opposite end.
If one were to lay the entire Earth atop the empire, it would resemble placing forty Earths side by side and still having enough land left to cover nearly half the empire's length. Unlike Earth, which is dominated by oceans, the Redheart Empire consisted almost entirely of land. Forests, mountains, rivers, and cities stretched endlessly in every direction, giving it the scale of a world within a world.
The westernmost region of the empire bordered a vast body of water. From north to south, its territory extended for millions of miles. Viewed from above the atmosphere, the empire formed a four-pointed star, with long extensions thrusting prominently toward the north and south.
This star-like formation emphasized both its immense scale and the strategic positioning of its lands. Mountains, rivers, and forests radiated outward like the arms of a celestial body. The distance from the easternmost border to the western ocean was less than a third of the distance from the northernmost border to the southernmost extreme.
During his flight, Zachary had been careful to avoid alerting anyone capable of killing him in a direct confrontation. He remained between layers of space, compressing his energy fluctuations to the absolute minimum.
When he finally descended, Zachary gently levitated toward the ground. Still unseen, he slipped through the massive imperial gate without triggering a single reaction. Entering a narrow alley, he stepped fully back into tangible reality after confirming that no one was nearby.
The glaring sun was blocked by the tall buildings on either side, leaving the alley dim despite the midday hour.
Zachary walked out onto the pavement beside a busy street where carriages rolled past in steady streams. People went about their business, few realizing that someone had just emerged from the shadows moments earlier.
He blended into the crowd almost immediately, though his eyes continued to roam, quietly assessing his surroundings. He saw people clad in a wide variety of attire—armor, robes, uniforms, and common clothes mingled freely.
The society appeared colorful, structured, and functional. The language spoken here differed little from that used by the soldiers of Mardo and Walts, making it easy for Zachary to eavesdrop and gather passing information.
However, despite his efforts to blend in, his unusual clothing—a white tank top, oversized black shorts, and sandals—drew more than a few glances as he walked.
Zachary paid them no mind. He was used to staring—and being stared at.
"Excuse me, where did you buy that outfit?"
A middle-aged man crossed the street toward him, curiosity evident in his tone.
"Um…" Zachary hadn't expected that question, but he improvised without hesitation.
"It's from a small kingdom in the south. You know—the one with the hot climate year-round." He scratched his head sheepishly. "Hahaha…"
"Oh! That one!" The man nodded in understanding. "If I recall correctly, that should be the Rabas Kingdom. Is it?"
"Ah, yes. That one." Zachary nodded, offering a polite smile. Before the man could continue, Zachary excused himself, claiming he was in a hurry.
The man thanked him and stepped back, already seeming to entertain the idea of traveling south someday. As Zachary weaved effortlessly into the crowd, the man narrowed his eyes for a moment, suspicion flickering briefly—before he shrugged and walked away.
Zachary continued sightseeing at a leisurely pace, changing streets several times. Eventually, he found himself on a narrower road, still crowded with people moving in both directions. A brief glance made the reason obvious.
A street market stretched along the road.
Vendors lined both sides of the pavement, while pedestrians navigated the space between them. Hawkers grilled, baked, and cooked their wares openly. The air was thick with overlapping aromas, rich and inviting.
Zachary's stomach rumbled.
He wasn't immortal yet in this life, but food was no longer a necessity. Still, eating mortal food posed no harm. Everything would be broken down the moment it entered his body anyway.
With a shrug, he approached a stall selling grilled skewers.
"Old man, what are you selling here?" Zachary asked.
"Grilled Firsian Bors skewers!" the old man replied enthusiastically. "Twenty Liros for five! How many you want, boy?"
"Ah…" Only then did Zachary remember that he had absolutely no money.
Still, the skewers looked excellent—dark sauce sizzling over open flames, smoke carrying sharp, savory notes. A mischievous thought surfaced.
Before ordering, Zachary calmly scanned the nearby stalls, noting what each vendor was selling.
"Give me ten skewers," he said with a broad smile.
"Comin' right up!" The old man quickly packed the order—and slipped in an extra skewer.
"Here, boy. On the house."
"Thanks, old man." Zachary accepted the bag, then suddenly widened his eyes.
"Eh? Is that the Emperor?!"
"What? Where?!" The old man snapped his head around, following Zachary's gaze.
By the time he turned back, the young man was gone.
For a brief moment, the old man stared blankly—then realization struck. His face twisted in fury.
"Thief!" he bellowed. "There's a thief!"
His loud shouting immediately pulled the eyes and ears around. A perfect assist by the old man as Zachary used that window to steal more snacks from other stalls.
He doesn't take a lot from every hawkers, but enough to taste things.
"Hey! That's the thief!" Another person saw Zachary sneakily grabbing things at a stand and immediately shouted.
Zachary noticed, gave a short look behind his back, and immediately bolt away after seeing a group of angry people running at him.
"Catch the thief!"
"Stop running thief!"
"Stone this bastard!"
Now, Zachary could totally vanish entirely very easily, but he didn't because he thinks this is quite a fun experience.
Zachary munch on the snacks he stole while running and weaving through the crowd. At this point, there are quite a few people on his heels and the patrolling guards had also joined in after knowing what had transpired.
"Halt!" They shouted every once in a while, but who would at this point? Certainly not Zachary.
After finishing all the snacks in his hands, Zachary continue fleeing. He changed directions here and there just to mess with the chasing guards.
When he turned into an alley, Zachary saw there are already some guards up ahead and he's already surrounded.
"Stop right there!" Said a particularly large guy wearing a set of metal chestplate. Judging from the situation, Zachary could tell the person is not regular guards. Might be a captain.
Zachary smiled, and raised both his hands up, in surrender.
"You got me." He said. The guards look at their superior, Captain Lent, awaiting his order.
"Apprehend him." Captain Lent gave his order and his men strode forward to grab Zachary.
Zachary let them catch him, and got his hands tied behind his back.
A few hours later, in the capital city's law enforcement building.
Zachary was put in a small cell after being detained. He wasn't interrogated immediately after being captured, and that time window was purposeful. Allowing the officers to find out his identity and background.
Which was meant to be unfruitful because Zachary doesn't even belong to this world. Plus, he had just arrived into the capital today, and that too by sneaking in.
Zachary also purposefully let himself get apprehended because he needs to find out more about how the people of this world, particularly this Empire, handle bureaucratic shits and how they exercise law.
Absolutely not because he's interested in anything weird, like being a guard, but because he actually wants to observe the higher ranked officers at close distance.
Yes, he could've still do it even without getting caught at all. Completely true. But would he miss the chance to finish things up even earlier? Nope. Letting himself be apprehended save him the trouble of moving and finding where the empire's facilities and buildings were located.
A few days ago, before he even land, Zachary had mulled over how he was assumed to be an Archivistas, simply because he's viewing Life Code and got mistaken for using Soul Arts of Archivistas. The sixth sense of the dead commanders were quite strong as they're able to feel what Zachary was doing.
Which is why, Zachary had chosen to mask his power by absorbing Mana of this world, and created an ocular technique to justify that he's not related to Archivistas in any way, shape, or form.