The faces of the commanders quickly changed after hearing Gunner's rude words, but they could only force apologetic smiles in response. After all, regardless of whether they could command Masters or not, the fact was that they were not Masters themselves.

If Gunner wanted to ignore the other Masters and was hellbent on killing them, they didn't doubt his ability to end their lives in exchange for injuries of varying scale.

That was not a worthwhile trade for their mere ego, and it wouldn't be the first time in their lives that they would be forced to swallow their pride.

Without that ability, none of them would have been able to climb to where they were now, as such they all bowed.

"Apologies Masters, we intended no disrespect." Kenneth stood forth to apologize first, making sure to not bend too far back since he also represented his empire.

After making the necessary courtesy by apologizing one by one, Kenneth smiled but spoke in a more humble tone.

"Still, we didn't lie. According to the laws of the Fallon Continental Council, unaffiliated Masters to a kingdom or empire are not counted as part of their natural forces. To ascertain whether Andrato benefits from this law or not, we might need to see some proof to verify."

Kenneth's words were clever and devoid of fault, seemingly leaving Darius in a tough spot should he be lying, which was something they all firmly believed due to Gunner's outburst earlier.

However, Darius was thoroughly amused. His Database included the laws of the Fallon Continental Council. Kenneth didn't lie per se, yet the evidence of him being part of Andrato would have had to be presented in a hearing at the Council Headquarters to the south.

These tacticians had no authority to decide on such a matter, so he could deny their request.

Still, he understood that if he turned out to be merely bluffing and they left, the damage they would suffer in terms of reputation and finances would be too much for them to personally bear.

The cost of mobilizing troops of this caliber so far north was not a joke, and if they went back and found it was ruse, coming back would be difficult for various reasons.

This was why Kenneth insisted on this. If Darius had proof, it shouldn't matter whether he showed it here or to the council, because the proof would remain.

Taking it out now or later would not invalidate its existence, right?

So if he refused or was unable to do such a thing, then he had to be lying. It was as simple as that.

The four commanders silently waited for Darius to refuse to take it out or even use the council's laws against them, which would prove their suspicions right.

However, they were destined to be disappointed when Darius merely nodded in amusement. "It shall be my pleasure. The evidence is easy enough to procure. My name has long been registered in the kingdoms' ledgers and to simplify things, here are some important documents that can prove my identity on the spot."

Darius took out the various deeds he had been awarded by Lord Spencely, namely the one for his castle, the shop in the market square, and the other two. They had been stamped and sealed with the official Andrato sigil and clearly stated Darius' title.

Most importantly, the date clearly showed that the document was from five years ago. One of the laws of the Fallon Continental Council stipulated that a title would have to be at least three years old to be taken into account.

It was to prevent kingdoms and empires to quickly make an unaffiliated person into their country's Master to gain a seat and thereby the right to chastise any party trying to take them over.

The four commanders immediately started inspecting the documents for signs of forgery, passing it between each other, their hearts feeling heavy the more they failed and they all sighed inwardly.

What should have been a lucrative raid had suddenly turned into a wasted endeavor due to misinformation.

Kenneth once again took the lead, as the other three rode back to command their armies to pack up. There was no point in staying here and suffering further humiliation, none of them wanted to start a fight that might see them killed.

The various Masters also left slowly, only three stayed behind with smiles on their faces. They were the other half-giant Boris and the swordmaster/mistress twins of Genie and Kilo Orman.

Darius gazed at them with interest, wondering what they were about. Genie stood forth and flaunted her sexy body as she spoke with a smile.

"Unlike those other fellows who were mobilized by their empires, we are actually mercs who had been hired to tag along. Since the mission is over, we don't need to obey what they say anymore. With this kind of loss, there is no need to return as there won't be any bonus waiting for us."

Xela tensed, but Gunner and Darius simply shared a look and laughed. "Well then madam, what do you have in mind? Do you wish to make me compensate you?"

Genie waved her hands with a frown. "No, no I and my brother are not here to cause trouble. Rather, we want to ask the Elven beauty over there if she is willing to partake in a treasure hunt with us."

The tense Xela was stunned as she blinked and pointed at herself. "Me?"

Genie smiled warmly at Xela. "Yes, dear. A healer like you is crucial for a party like ours. We already have this knucklehead Boris to be our vanguard, and my brother and I can cut down any threat, but we need someone to patch us up. Depending on your contribution we can pay you 15-25% of the loot. Are you interested?"

Xela turned to Darius instantly, making it clear to Genie who the leader was. As such, she smiled and focused on Darius, waiting to see what he would say.

Darius pondered silently, then nodded. It would be good for Xela to go out and experience the world, not always having to be stuck by his side.

In fact, his optimal use for his Branded Servants was to send them on high-profile missions instead of always crowding behind him.

This was why Darius had bothered to learn so many skills and spells of a wide variety, and also why he distributed his points as equally as possible instead of purely min-maxing.

He might have needed Gunner as a meatshield at first, but now he could act as a healer, a spearman, a lancer, a shield warrior, or a mage depending on the situation.

He would be powerful as a mage as that was his main occupation, but he would be competent in all other areas.

Seeing that Darius agreed, Genie smiled brightly. "Alrighty then, can we come in to discuss the finer details of the undertaking?"

Naturally, Darius agreed as this was important. Jeanne too had no opinions as she would follow everything Darius said, her eyes had never left his form for the entirety of the events that had just transpired.