Their reactions were natural.
Healing a damaged mana core?
As if it was even possible.
If cores could be so easily healed, countless people with low talent would have forced the evolution of their cores without worrying about the consequences.
It had to be noted that if a person failed during core evolution, it could lead to two possible outcomes.
One was instant death.
While the other was a crippled core.
And recovering from a crippled core was considered impossible.
This was the only reason people stopped cultivating further when they felt their bottleneck approaching.
And here a sixteen-year-old boy was claiming to have the cure for a damaged core.
Arthur didn't dismiss my statement.
"If you indeed have a cure, then..."
He smiled at me.
"You would have the strongest living creature in these mortal lands serving you."
His confidence wasn't unfounded.
"The cure is the same as the one for your daughter. So be ready to step into godhood when the time comes."
I smirked.
As I turned around, Julien was looking at me like I was some sort of god.
His reaction looked almost…
Cute.
In a matter of minutes, I had secured a strong member for D.X. while also revealing impossible things that were never meant to exist.
I might have indeed looked like a god.
Someone who knew everything.
The silence in the room was shuffled by the sound of my boots as I made my way toward Arthur, standing inches away from him.
His eyes never left mine.
"Now that the primary things are over, let's discuss the reason for which I need your service."
Hearing the seriousness in my voice, Arthur stood straight.
"I am planning to form a hidden organization that will operate across the world in the shadows. I have named it D.X."
I continued without breaking eye contact.
"I want you to be my second-in-command. My real identity as the head of D.X. will be known only to a few. That includes you. For other members, I will be known as X. And..."
I paused while looking at the guards present in the room, who had been listening to the entire conversation from the start.
"These guys aren't included in those few."
My voice was indifferent as I swept my gaze over them.
They had heard enough—witnessed more than what their station demanded.
All of them tensed under my gaze.
They knew what my words meant.
Still, they looked at Arthur for confirmation.
Tsk.
Though they had bent their knees to me, their loyalty still lay with Arthur.
This was one of the main reasons behind not disclosing my real identity to all the potential members of D.X.
These people, and all those who would be serving me in the future, would be followers of different villains that I was planning to recruit.
This would lead to fragile loyalty.
I didn't want that.
And the only way to suppress their loyalty toward their former heads and make them serve me faithfully was by inducing the most potent element in them…
Fear.
My identity as X would make me sound like a mysterious person who ruled over everyone in D.X.
This would make even the most devout followers follow my orders without needing to ask their former masters for permission.
Loyalty can only be suppressed and overruled by fear.
The fear of the unknown.
Arthur had a conflicted look on his face. It surely was a tough choice for him to kill the people who were loyal to him.
But now his life wasn't only his to decide.
It belonged to me.
And my wish was his command.
Which he followed through.
With a single nod of his head, all the guards in the room took out their swords and cut their throats in a single fluid motion.
It was…
Beautiful!
Their bodies fell with thuds as blood pooled beneath them.
The expressions on their faces were a sight to see.
Committing suicide of their own will was one thing, but feeling the pain as their lives were drained from their bodies must have been an entirely new experience for them.
Unfortunately, the last experience of their feeble lives.
Arthur closed his eyes for a moment, letting the silence offer its prayers to the dead.
He didn't say anything.
Didn't protest my decision.
But a little regret could be seen in his eyes as he opened them to look at me.
Was it regret for accepting my aid to cure his daughter?
To serve me?
It didn't matter.
With time, he would get used to such things, and once I cured both him and his daughter, there wouldn't be anything left to worry about.
I walked toward Julien, who too had a shocked expression on his face.
He knew such things were inevitable the moment he decided to work for me.
Still, knowing something and witnessing it with your own eyes were two entirely different matters.
As I placed my hand on his shoulder, his body flinched instinctively.
Heeh!
This show was needed to make both of them understand one thing clearly—
Never mess with me.
And never double-cross me.
Loyalty can be considered the bridge that connects two people. This bridge may weather with time and finally collapse under the burden of its various expectations.
Meanwhile, fear is the cement that makes the bridge unbreakable. Even if the person on the other side thinks of destroying the bridge, this very fear will make him tremble before acting on his impulses.
If I appeared too soft, these subordinates of mine might have second thoughts about serving me in the future.
They might try to topple me from the throne to acquire its power for their own benefit.
I had to make these pawns understand their place before any seeds of betrayal took root in their hearts and bloomed in their minds.
Civil wars are the most dangerous wars history has ever witnessed.
Even on Earth, the most powerful men—the greatest emperors to ever exist—were dethroned due to such wars.
I won't make the mistakes of those pathetic men who couldn't even control their own subjects.
Defeat has always been a mystery to me.
And I certainly wasn't interested in witnessing its majesty.