A female knight clad entirely in gleaming silver armor, dignified and imposing, followed behind an elderly man dressed in luxurious attire as they walked through the garden.
The old man's body was slightly hunched, an aura of age slowly emanating from every movement he made.
He walked at the very front with his hands clasped behind his back.
His manner was extremely gentle, like that of an ordinary, kindly old man.
Yet no one would ever mistake him for a normal elderly person.
He was the emperor who had made the Empire great, reigning for more than forty years, during which no one dared to offend the Empire.
He was known as the strongest man of the Empire, the invincible Ironblood Emperor.
Aubrey Sol.
In the palace garden, there were no unnecessary attendants. Only Gwen followed behind the Emperor as they slowly made their way along the path.
Crystal-clear spring water sparkled under the sunlight, while butterflies and bees flitted among the flowers, as if celebrating the Emperor's arrival.
After walking for a while, Emperor Aubrey seemed to grow tired and stopped.
Standing in place, he squinted his eyes, a smile on his face, and turned to look at Gwen.
"Gwen."
"Thank you for being willing to accompany this old man for a walk."
Gwen placed her hand over her chest and gave the Emperor a slight bow.
"This is my duty, Your Majesty."
"No need to be so formal."
Aubrey waved his hand and continued walking forward.
Gwen followed closely behind him.
The Emperor didn't turn around, speaking as though he were simply chatting casually.
"I feel sorrow over Angus's fate."
Before Aubrey ascended the throne, Angus had also been one of his trusted subordinates.
Although his extreme sense of justice was something Aubrey found difficult to accept, news of his death still made him sad.
Those comrades who had once fought side by side were leaving one after another.
But Gwen did not echo his sentiment. She merely lowered her head and said calmly, "Your Majesty."
"My father, Angus..."
"Deserved to die."
Tens of thousands of people in the northern region had nearly perished due to Angus's inaction.
If not for the Pale Magus Association holding on with all they had, who could have expected anything from those knights?
Aubrey remained calm and continued walking.
Only his voice sounded beside Gwen's ear.
"Gwen, justice is a good thing, but…"
"Never take justice as your sole standard for judging right and wrong."
Gwen listened to the Emperor's words without changing her expression, quietly watching his back.
Aubrey's voice remained steady.
"You want to stand up for the people of the North, there's nothing wrong with that."
"But remember this, Angus was your father. They were not."
He turned around, looking at Gwen with a gentle gaze.
Like an ordinary, kind old man... if one ignored the luxurious garments and jeweled adornments he wore.
"Angus's crimes will be listed by someone, but that person should not be you."
"You are now the Count of the North, and Viktor's fiancée."
"Think about what your words and actions will bring to both yourself and Viktor."
Listening to the Emperor's words, Gwen lowered her head and responded softly, "Yes."
Aubrey turned his head again, smiling as if chatting idly.
"Still, the news about demons appearing in the North does interest me."
"When that child, Owiser, heard the news, his heart practically flew to the North."
"He insists on personally leading a team to investigate."
As he spoke, he smiled and shook his head.
"That child is still not steady enough."
Gwen didn't speak, merely continuing to follow behind the Emperor.
"Albany is decent enough, but he likes flaunting his achievements."
"After gaining just a bit of merit, he's always eager to prove himself."
"He's my child, how capable he is, would I, his father, not know?"
At this point, the Emperor narrowed his eyes.
He didn't turn around, simply speaking to the side.
"Gwen."
"Between the two of them, which do you think is more outstanding?"
"Your Majesty." Gwen bowed slightly.
"I am a knight. Knights should not participate in politics."
"Hahahaha."
Hearing Gwen's reply, Aubrey laughed softly and continued walking.
"You say that, yet you're already a count now, and you voluntarily resigned from your position as Knight Commander."
"To you, the words of this Emperor don't really hold much restraint anymore, do they?"
Behind him, Gwen replied respectfully, "I would never dare."
"I will always follow Your Majesty's will."
"Is that so?"
Aubrey nodded with a smile, speaking as if casually, "Then if I asked you to dissolve your engagement with Viktor, would you be willing?"
Gwen paused slightly, then hurriedly said from behind, "Matters of engagement should be decided by both parties. If only I agree, it would be unfair to Viktor..."
"You don't need to worry about Viktor. I'm only asking you... would you be willing?"
Aubrey stopped in place, his gaze like two sharp blades stabbing toward Gwen.
Gwen lowered her head slightly, her mind in turmoil.
"Your Majesty, please allow me to ask the reason for this."
Aubrey smiled and nodded, turning his body back around.
"Alright, I understand."
"It seems you've changed quite a bit as well." He hummed softly, as if thinking about something.
"My youngest child, Aurellian, you know her, right?"
Gwen nodded respectfully, "Yes."
"As you can see, Viktor is her tutor."
"But personally, I believe that having only one teacher is not beneficial to Aurellian's future development, so…"
Aubrey's voice carried a hint of firm command as it entered Gwen's ears.
"May I ask you to become Aurellian's swordsmanship instructor?"
Gwen froze in place.
She opened her mouth, but before she could speak, a eunuch hurriedly rushed into the garden.
The surrounding butterflies scattered in all directions, even bumping into several bright flowers.
"Y-Your Majesty! This is bad! This is bad!"
Aubrey looked at him calmly.
The eunuch hurriedly took a few breaths.
"Count Viktor has returned!"
This statement left Gwen momentarily confused.
She didn't understand, Viktor returning wasn't a good thing?
"Get to the point." Aubrey said calmly.
The eunuch snapped back to his senses, froze for a second, then frantically searched his memory and stood straight.
"Oh, right! The point!"
"This is bad, Your Majesty! Count Viktor demolished the Lesser family's residence in the capital!"
"…?"
At that moment... even the Emperor became somewhat unsettled.
———
At this time, the Clavenna residence was completely surrounded by a crowd of knights.
Yet those knights found it difficult to even grip their weapons, their bodies trembling.
The Royal Knight Order had received a report, about Viktor.
This matter was extremely serious.
It was said that Count Viktor had torn down Jace Lesser's home.
When the knights arrived at the courtyard where Jace's residence once stood, all that remained were unrecognizable shattered rocks and broken wood.
And the raging flames that continued to burn the residence.
Everything the fire touched had already turned to ash.
If not for how severe the situation was, what courage would these low-ranking knights have to surround Viktor's residence?
They all knew very well how powerful Viktor was.
Compared to him, they were as fragile as ants.
During the demon battle in the capital, nearly half of the knights had been present.
They had witnessed Viktor's power firsthand.
If Knight Commander Gwen were still around, they could have naturally followed her here.
After all, she was Viktor's fiancée.
When a couple is getting along harmoniously, no matter what happens, it wouldn't fall on these low-ranking knights.
But now... Knight Commander Gwen had resigned…
Standing outside Viktor's residence, they all felt as though they had lost some kind of protection.
Gathered nearby, they neither dared advance nor retreat.
They could only stand there, trembling.
After all… How much were they paid a month anyway? Why risk their lives?
After quite some time, a luxurious carriage arrived in front of the knights.
It slowly stopped at the entrance of Viktor's residence.
The carriage door opened slowly, and the driver placed a small stool beneath it.
A noble woman stepped out gracefully and unhurriedly.
She wore a white gown, held a fan in her hand, and her hair was pinned up with an ornate hairpin.
A female guard extended a hand and bowed slightly, helping the woman down.
The beautiful and noble woman placed her hand on the guard's and slowly stepped onto the ground.
Seeing who had arrived, the surrounding knights all let out a sigh of relief.
Because someone related to this matter had finally arrived.
The Emperor's sister, Madam Cassandra.
Due to Devon Lesser's incident, Madam Cassandra had temporarily settled in the capital and had not left since.
She stepped down from the carriage and stood at the entrance of the residence.
Behind her, the lightly armored female guard stayed close, never leaving her side.
The gates slowly opened, and Liya walked out, smiling, "I've heard much about you, Madam Cassandra."
"This should be our first meeting, right?"
Madam Cassandra radiated nobility. She opened her fan and held it before her mouth, speaking arrogantly, "Let's skip the pleasantries, Miss Liya."
"You know why I'm here. Release my son."
Liya also raised a hand, covering her mouth as she laughed softly, "Madam, what are you saying?"
"Your child was at fault first. My brother merely took it upon himself to properly educate him on behalf of you elders."
Cold light flashed in Madam Cassandra's eyes. With a snap, she closed her fan and crossed her arms over her chest.
"May I understand this as you declaring war on the Lesser family?"
As her words fell, the female guard beside her placed a hand on the sword at her waist.
A faint but intimidating presence slowly radiated from her body.
'Another fourth-tier combatant?' Liya glanced at the guard beside Cassandra, yet she showed no fear at all.
As if absentmindedly rubbing the differently colored gems on her gloves, Liya narrowed her eyes.
"There are some things I think I should make clear to you in advance." Her tone carried an indistinct sense of danger, like a warning to the beautiful woman before her.
Coldness flowed through Liya's eyes, dancing like winter wind beneath the blazing sun.
"Madam."
"You wouldn't want to see anything happen to your child, would you?"