After learning the final outcome, the people inside the grand hall seemed even more silent than before.
If the story had ended with General Vladimir's final sacrifice protecting everyone, then it would have been a tale worthy of praise and remembrance, a heroic and moving story.
But… Erica du Croy?
How was she able to stop that kind of monster?
The truth ignited doubt in the ministers' hearts, leaving them unable to understand.
But regardless of what the truth was, one thing was certain, Erica's disappearance had already become an undeniable fact.
No one knew her current condition.
Her fate, life or death, was unknown.
Silence once again became the tone of this court assembly. The emperor slowly raised his head, his expression unreadable, giving no hint of joy or anger.
"How is General Vladimir's condition?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty… the general is seriously injured, but his life is not in danger."
The emperor nodded and said calmly, "The northern front is secure for now. Send people to summon him back to the royal capital."
"This old general has reached the time when he should finally get some rest."
After saying that, he stood up on his own initiative in the grand hall.
With his hands clasped behind his back, he stepped down from the throne and began to pace slowly.
All the ministers immediately stood frozen in place, not daring to make a sound, only staring blankly at the emperor who already looked advanced in age.
Suddenly, Aubrey's hoarse voice rang out, "What is that monster called, and what are its characteristics?"
The ministers were all taken aback.
The knight who had made the report hurriedly replied, "It… has an enormous body, yet resembles a serpent. It can fly through the air without wings, and its eyes are even more awe-inspiring than a dragon's."
"Therefore… the conclusion given by the Pale Mage Association is… dragon."
"Oh, a dragon."
The emperor chuckled softly and nodded with a smile.
He walked out of the palace by himself. Sunlight passed through thin, white clouds and shone down on his body.
Aubrey slowly raised his head, looking at the clear blue sky, feeling the warmth of the sun.
"Send word out. Find its location."
"As long as it appears within the empire's borders, report to me immediately."
At that moment, the emperor's blood and energy began to surge.
From behind the emperor, the ministers seemed to see something.
That phantom flickered continuously, and in the end, once again took the form of the red lion from before.
The crimson male lion gradually grew larger, until finally, carrying an overwhelming pressure, it sat coiled beside Aubrey.
The emperor narrowed his eyes, raised his head, and looked at the clouds on the horizon.
'Levi.'
'What exactly did you leave behind for your daughter?'
———
[In the Southern Region of the Empire, the Land of Monster Rifts]
Yellow sand flew through the air, and the scorching sun hung in the cloudless sky.
Warm breezes stirred up dust from the ground, and the air itself seemed to tremble slightly.
On the surrounding streets, countless people had gathered together.
Warriors with longswords at their waists, male and female mages wearing robes of various colors and holding different magical tools, and muscular men wielding massive battle axes.
Though they belonged to different professions, they all shared the same name.
Adventurers.
And here existed the largest monster rift within the empire.
This place was known as a paradise where danger and opportunity coexisted.
The City of Adventurers, Godinlima.
But at this moment, this city, which was rarely quiet even on normal days, had received a group of uninvited guests.
Almost instinctively, the adventurers all made way for the army marching down the street.
On the street, several hundred demi-humans were advancing.
Cat ears and dog ears twitched atop their heads. They wore bone-and-iron armor and marched in neat formation.
Though they were clearly a demi-human unit, the powerful pressure they exuded made even these fearless adventurers hesitate to approach them.
This was obviously a well-trained force.
And at the front of this unit stood their leader.
She was a knight.
She had flowing silver-white hair, and a cold, proud look in the corners of her eyes.
Her body was clad in silver armor flowing with golden light, radiating a palpable sense of pressure.
Anyone could tell that the equipment she wore was of far superior quality, far beyond ordinary armor.
The adventurers stared wide-eyed.
"Whose… team is that?"
Someone muttered in a daze, as if they had spotted someone familiar, their eyes widening as they carefully looked toward the formation.
"Hey, look at that woman."
"Isn't that Elsa, the [Greatblade Assassin]?"
Among the demi-humans, a human walking within the ranks stood out strikingly.
Elsa's eyes were dull, her expression neither happy nor sad.
The signature great blade at her waist was already gone, replaced by the same weapon used by the demi-humans.
"I heard her team disbanded long ago and that she followed Cindy to defect to the Reser family. Why is she back again…"
"Not sure… wait, something feels off."
Behind the demi-humans, a cluster of white clouds slowly drifted forward, drawing all the onlooking adventurers' attention.
"Hiss… an elf!"
When they saw the creature atop the cloud clearly, the surrounding adventurers were all stunned.
Demi-humans appearing here was one thing, after all, there were quite a few demi-human slaves even in the City of Adventurers.
And the demi-human slaves here were often even more chaotic than those in prosperous cities.
But what was going on with this elf?
Although this elf… looked somewhat easy to bully.
She wore a perpetually sleepy expression, half-lying on that pure white cloud.
Following behind the demi-human unit, she looked completely out of place.
It even made people forget to question what that cloud floating in the air actually was.
Suddenly, the demi-humans reached an open area in the middle of the street.
They stopped, stood in place, placed one hand over their chests, and bowed slightly toward the front.
As if paying homage to someone.
Under the watchful eyes of countless adventurers, suddenly, black patterns flashed across the ground, passing through the crowd and gathering in front of the demi-human unit.
A pitch-black magic circle began forming out of thin air on the ground, and a six-pointed star slowly rose from its dark outline.
A pair of enormous black wings manifested above the magic circle and spread open abruptly.
Countless black feathers swirled beneath the sky, drifting leisurely down toward the ground.
The wings folded, shedding all their feathers.
Amid the baptism of black feathers, a dark figure gradually emerged from within them.
He stood quietly at the center of the magic circle. A crow perched on his shoulder, appearing incomparably elegant as the feathers danced around him.
Yet the astonishing pressure emanating from his body filled the surroundings at every moment.
If it had been earlier, perhaps someone could still have muttered a few comments.
But the instant they saw this man, it was as if a chill had seeped into their bones.
Not a single person dared to make a sound.
Who was he?
But no one could give them an answer.
The man ignored all the onlookers and simply stood on the magic circle, bowing slightly toward the unit.
The black formation beneath his feet seemed to change color as brilliant light burst forth.
Within that strange glow, a magnificent yet compact castle rose instantly from the ground.
Towering walls shot into the sky, with strange colors flowing across their surface.
The gates slowly opened.
Countless white doves broke free, flapping their wings as they flew out from the gates, crackling as they soared into the sky.
From within the flock of birds, a slender, delicate hand wearing a pure white glove reached out and rested in Viktor's palm.
That noble and elegant figure slowly stepped out from the castle.
She wore extraordinarily luxurious and noble armor, a diamond-inlaid crown upon her head. Faint white magical energy drifted around her, white heavenly light shining behind her, making her stand out like the center of the stars.
'She… who is she!?'
The moment they saw Aurelian, all the adventurers froze.
Just gazing at Aurelian from afar made an uncontrollable urge to kneel rise within them.
This fully armed unit, extravagant from beginning to end…
'Just who are they?'
Soon after, another army approached from the distance.
The crown prince, clad in golden armor, slowly stepped forward amid the crowd surrounding him.
Smiling, he walked toward Viktor.
The adventurers watching couldn't help but lift their heads, their expressions turning deeply respectful.
All because of his arrival.
In this City of Adventurers, Godinlima, everyone knew exactly whose territory this was.
Adventurers could at most hunt monsters around the rift to scrape by.
Only he was the true master of this place.
The empire's crown prince, His Highness Albany.
The surrounding adventurers gathered along the sides of the street, secretly watching the scene before them, not daring to make even the slightest sound.
Suddenly, the crown prince's warm and gentle voice rang out, "My dear younger sister."
"I've already heard about what happened. I just didn't expect you to arrive so quickly."
"My hospitality has been lacking. Please forgive me as your older brother."
A silent shock spread through the hearts of all the adventurers.
That magnificently dressed girl surrounded like a star among the crowd, she was actually… the crown prince's sister.
In other words, Her Highness the Princess?
No wonder, just the number of fourth-tier presences alone, the adventurers could sense no fewer than three.
Only the emperor's daughter would be worthy of such terrifying armed strength as an escort.
Aurelian smiled sweetly at her elder brother.
"Big brother, there's no need to feel guilty. I didn't notify you in advance."
"I came in a hurry. Please forgive me."
The crown prince continued to smile faintly as he said to Aurelian, "The journey was long. You must be tired."
"Perfect timing, let me, as your brother, welcome you properly."
As he spoke, the crown prince reached out to grab Aurelian's arm.
But suddenly, a repelling force stopped him, preventing his hand from touching her arm.
The crown prince frowned, unable to understand, and instinctively looked up.
His eyes met Viktor's utterly cold gaze.
"Crown Prince, the princess has grown up."
A cold, emotionless voice rang in his ear, devoid of any courtesy, "Children who grow up are bound to go through a rebellious phase."
"Don't you think I'm right?"