Setting aside whatever thoughts Nitocris might have harbored in her heart toward Alaric.
After lunch, Alaric temporarily parted ways with the female pharaoh, and then a palace maid came to find him.
"Lord Thoth, the Vizier of Upper Egypt wishes to see you," the maid said bluntly, looking at Alaric with a hint of pity.
She seemed to believe that, as someone close to the female pharaoh, being targeted by the Vizier meant Alaric was as good as dead.
After all, as the current Vizier of Upper Egypt, he was a figure second only to one and above ten thousand.
In fact, because Nitocris was merely a puppet, this man could be considered the most powerful person in Egypt at present.
Holding a position akin to that of a prime minister, the Vizier effectively grasped both military and civil authority.
The only person whose power could rival his was the Vizier of Lower Egypt.
Generally speaking, however, Upper Egypt was more prosperous than Lower Egypt, and the Vizier of Upper Egypt wielded greater authority.
After all, in terms of oasis land suitable for human habitation, Upper Egypt surpassed Lower Egypt, Upper Egypt included part of the Nile Delta, where the river's tributaries flourished, and land nourished by water was naturally more extensive.
Moreover, when Upper and Lower Egypt were unified, it had been the pharaoh of Upper Egypt who conquered Lower Egypt.
In short, compared to such a man who currently held the greatest power in Egypt, Alaric was nothing in the eyes of the palace maid.
Even though Alaric possessed striking looks, a strong physique, refined speech, and deep wisdom, enough to captivate the palace maids, in the face of power, all of that was nothing but a mirage.
"The Vizier of Upper Egypt… I remember Nito introduced him to me this morning. Seemed like a middle-aged man with a goatee, or was he a bald fat guy?
Right, what was his name again? Never mind, he's not some important figure anyway. I'll just go take a look, treat it as killing some time."
With that thought, Alaric followed the palace maid nonchalantly toward the outside of the palace.
Although Alaric's memory was exceptional, when it came to things he did not care about, his mind would passively block them out.
After all, not just anyone was worthy of being remembered by Alaric.
News that Alaric had been summoned by the Vizier of Upper Egypt soon reached Nitocris's ears.
"H-how could this happen?" the female pharaoh panicked.
"I clearly rejected them this morning, why are they still trying to take Thoth away from my side?
And Thoth is clearly such a clever person, why did he really just go along with them? Doesn't he know how dangerous those people are?"
"Me! Medjed! Medjed!"
"I know, I know that Thoth is very strong," the female pharaoh said to Medjed.
"But the army of Memphis and the Pharaoh's Guard are all in their hands, and even the priests in the temples are their accomplices.
No matter how strong he is, facing so many enemies would still be troublesome, wouldn't it?"
"Medjed! Medjed! Je! Je… Medjed! Medjed!"
"Is… is that so? He's really only a bit weaker than Lord Medjed? How is that possible?
That a mortal could be compared to a god like Lord Medjed, it's truly unbelievable."
"Medjed…"
Medjed blushed slightly, probably because he had just boasted a little too much in front of a believer.
In any case, Medjed's reassurance eased Nitocris's heart somewhat.
"Since Lord Medjed says so, I'll trust that man for now… Really, what an annoying man, making me, a pharaoh, worry about him. That's utterly disrespectful."
While Nitocris was worrying about Alaric, Alaric followed the palace maid out of the palace and arrived at a large house near the royal complex.
Although it was not as grand or imposing as the palace itself, compared to the palace it was even more ornate, even more extravagantly luxurious.
Even Nitocris's living quarters appeared plain by comparison: gold vessels everywhere, slaves wearing leather garments adorned with gold ornaments, carpets and hangings dyed in a riot of colors, walls covered with finely carved reliefs and dazzling murals.
If not for the fact that the Egyptian palace itself was a rare architectural wonder, coupled with centuries of accumulation, this place might have seemed even more like a royal palace.
This was the residence of the most powerful man in Egypt.
Indeed, an official like this was clearly no upstanding figure, one look and you could tell he was the sort who reveled in corruption, scraping wealth from the land down to the last inch.
Thinking this, Alaric was led by a slave through the house until they reached a grand hall…
Here, he finally saw the man himself.
It was neither a middle-aged man with a goatee nor a bald fat man, but an elderly figure with a neatly groomed snow-white beard, looking somewhat gaunt.
The old man was half-reclining on cushions, with a table before him piled high with various fruits and delicacies.
Three or four female slaves adorned with lavish gold jewelry attended to him at his side.
Further below stood two rows of burly guards, bare-chested, holding various weapons.
Seemingly unconcerned by Alaric's arrival, the old man leisurely ate a date with the help of a slave, only then turning his gaze downward.
"So, you've finally arrived," the old man said casually from on high.
"Your name… forget it, that's not important. I'll put it this way, I am the one who truly holds power in this country. I summoned you here today because I have a task for you."
Without waiting for Alaric to speak, the old man continued on his own.
"You've been by that queen's side for two days now, haven't you? What a lucky fellow.
You should be grateful you have such a good face, that's the only reason you were blessed with the chance to taste the most exquisite treasure of this country.
But let me tell you, that's not something you're qualified to touch.
Your good looks are worthless in the face of true power!"
That was what he said, but Alaric clearly saw jealousy in the old man's eyes.
"What's with that look?" The old man seemed provoked and grew even harsher in his threats.
"In short, even if you have the favor of that powerless female pharaoh, you're still just meat on our chopping board.
If I wish, I can take your life at any time, remember, only true power can rule everything."
Apparently mistaking Alaric's disdainful expression for fear, the old man grew smug and continued.
"However, if you want to live, I can give you an opportunity. Since you can stand by the pharaoh's side, she must trust you greatly.
I'll give you a bottle of medicine. Tonight, you are to put it into the pharaoh's dinner. Someone will tell you what to do then!"