VOLUME 12: CHAPTER 4

VOLUME 12: CHAPTER 4

“We’ll go our separate ways here, Princess,” said Jacob Fraser.

After passing through the southern gate of the capital, Jacob Fraser decided to go to the Fourth Tower of Mages immediately. Princess Luna didn’t seem surprised by this, and she readily agreed.

“Thank you for escorting me, Lord Fraser,” said Princess Luna. She tucked her hair behind her ear as she lightly bowed her head. “See you soon in the imperial palace.”

Fraser nodded at her, then looked at Reginald in acknowledgment. After ascertaining that everyone in their group had safely passed through the southern gate, he cast a movement spell on his body and left. The magicians he’d brought with him followed suit.

The magicians from the Fourth of Mages parted ways with the group.

After Jacob Fraser left, the merchants from the Golden Crow Merchant Association also went back to their headquarters in the capital. And now, only Princess Luna and her guards remained with Reginald.

“Unless summoned,” Princess Luna explained to Reginald. “It will take some time before one is granted audience by my father, the Emperor.”

“Hmmm… I see,” said Reginald. “Of course.”

This was natural, for the Emperor was a busy man. There were even people who needed to wait months before they could meet the Emperor – assuming that they were granted permission to do so at all.

“For now, we’ll be staying in my estate while we wait for the summons,” said Princess Luna. “This way, Sir Ambassador.”

Their group traversed through the wide main road leading to the heart of the city. After passing another massive wall, they reached the central part of the capital, the place where affluent merchants, nobles, and knights lived. Their entourage moved west from there, until they arrived at the Princess’ estate.

Seeing how large the capital of the Empire was, Reginald Vont expected the Princess’ estate to be grandiose. But it turned out simpler and shabbier than he’d thought.

There were no visible changes in Reginald’s expression, but the words that had formed on top of his head gave out his thoughts.

[This… is the home of Her Imperial Highness?]

[It’s as large as Baron Morivar’s manor in the capital.]

[No, it’s a bit smaller?]

[Why is an imperial princess staying in such a place?]

The garden was well-kept, and there were guards at the gate, but that was all. The place itself did not have an air of grandeur befitting the daughter of an Emperor.

While Reginald was lost in his thoughts, the head maid and the head butler welcomed the group.

“Welcome back, Your Highness,” said the butler.

“Welcome back, Princess,” said the head maid.

It was only for a second, but Reginald saw Princess Luna show relief upon seeing the head maid.

It was strange, but Reginald felt that one of the reasons she decided to hurriedly come back here was to see the head maid’s current state.

Was he imagining things?

The way the Princess delivered her following words made Reginald doubt what he saw.

“I’m back,” Princess Luna replied in a cold voice. He introduced Reginald, “This gentleman here is Sir Reginald Vont, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Lukas. Make sure to treat him with utmost courtesy and respect, even if he isn’t from the Empire.”

“He is a valuable guest,” Princess Luna reiterated, “Any servants caught disrespecting him will be met with appropriate punishment.”

Selina, the head maid, closed her eyes and bowed at Princess Luna. “Yes, Your Highness. I’ll make sure to tell the other servants.”

***

“Haaa….”

After escorting Reginald and the Blackstone Knights to their lodgings, Princess Luna went back to her room. Without changing clothes, she slumped on her bed.

She felt tired, as they’d hurried here while hardly resting.

“You look tired, Princess,” said Selina. As always, she sounded like a doting mother caring for her sickly daughter. “A warm bath has been prepared. Do you wish to soak your body first?”

Princess Luna forced herself to sit on the bed. “No, I’ll take a bath later.”

Her cold voice vanished entirely. Now that only she and the head maid were in the room, there was no longer any need for pretenses.

“More importantly,” said Princess Luna. “How are you, Selina? I was so worried when I heard that the demons attacked our Empire.”

The head maid wryly smiled. She was moved upon learning that the Princess worried about her, a mere servant.

“I should be the one asking you that, Your Highness,” said the head maid. “As you can see, the capital remains safe. And even if the demons do come here, the City of Paradise is known to be an impregnable fortress. We’ll be safe as long as we’re inside the city.”

The imperial capital had never fallen before.

“Impregnable fortress, huh?” said Princess Luna. “You’re right. What was I thinking?”

Looking back, Princess Luna realized that she’d been worried for nothing. Out of all cities in the continent, this was probably the safest place.

“How was your trip to the Kingdom?” said the head maid. “T-The King of Lukas didn’t do anything weird to Your Highness, right?”

The worries of Selina were justifiable.

Although she’d told the Princess before that the bad rumors surrounding the Lukasian King were probably false, there should be some truth in them. After all, there was no smoke without fire.

“No, none at all,” said Princess Luna. “His Majesty, King Lark, turned out to be a lot better than I thought. I must say… I owe him my life, Selina. Had it not been for him, I wouldn’t be here right now.”

There was a hint of respect and gratitude within the Princess’ voice as she uttered the name of the Lukasian King.

“On the contrary, my father, the Emperor….”

Princess Luna found it hard to continue her words. She bit her lips, making it bleed, then recounted everything that transpired to the head maid.

How the Morton Twins infiltrated their group, how they nearly killed a royal court magician of the Kingdom, how they actually planned on killing her, an imperial princess, and how they were subdued by the King of Lukas.

Like a geyser, everything started pouring out.

Fear, anger, sadness, dismay, disbelief.

A sense of abandonment.

These emotions mixed together and came out along with the Princess’ story.

The man they’d been wary about – the King of the Lukasians – ended up saving her. And the man who ought to be protecting her ordered for her death.

It was a baffling story, and unable to bear it any longer, Princess Luna cried and wailed. The emotions she’d been bottling up burst, now that she was with the person she trusted the most in the world.

“Now, now.” The head maid hugged Princess Luna and patted her back. “I’m sorry you had to go through all that, Princess. You’re here now, and you’re safe. That’s all that matters.”

Snot started flowing down the Princess’ nose as she cried, but she didn’t mind. She finally felt relieved after seeing Selina safe, and after finally returning to her estate in the capital.

Now, all that’s left was to report everything that happened to the Emperor. Thankfully, she didn’t have to do all of them alone, as Jacob Fraser would be accompanying her.

“I’m sorry,” said Princess Luna. “I’ve shown my unsightly side to you again, Selina.”

The head maid gently patted away the tears off the Princess’ face. “Not at all. When one is sad, it’s normal to cry, Your Highness. And please remember that no matter what happens, I will always be on your side.”

Princess Luna nodded. Her eyes were puffy after crying non-stop for nearly half an hour.

Although she held no real political power in this nation, she felt lucky that at the very least, she’d met Selina.

“Hm? Your bag is glowing, Princess,” said the head maid.

Princess’ Luna’s gaze moved to the bag at the foot of her bed. It was faint, but she could see the thing inside it glowing.

There was only one item that could produce that light. The artifact handed to her by King Lark before she left the Kingdom.

“I’d like you to leave the room for now, Selina,” said Princess Luna. “And thank you… for listening to my story.”

The head maid bowed. “It’s a pleasure to be your confidant, Your Highness. I’ll keep your bath warm. Please don’t hesitate to call for me whenever you need me.”

After the head maid left, Princess Luna took out the communication artifact from the bag and placed it on top of her bed. The intercity communication device was quite large, around the size of a head. Moreover, it looked expensive, as its shell was made with steel and mithril, and its core was created using a high-grade mana stone.

Although she was no magician, Princess Luna had been taught the principles of mana from a young age, since she was a direct descendant of the Emperor. Even though she couldn’t cast spells, she was at least capable of activating the artifact on her own.

Until Princess Luna finally answered the call, the intercity communication device continued to glow.

“Your Majesty,” said Princess Luna. “It’s me, Luna.”

This was the third time King Lark contacted her through the communication device.

The first time was when she’d just entered the Empire’s border, right after crossing the Yorkshaire Mountain Range. And the second time was after she arrived at Crelburg City, around a week ago.

Back then, King Lark told her that he’d finished his business at the nation of beastmen, and that he was returning to the capital of the Kingdom of Lukas.

He even went as far as tell her that he could immediately head there at the City of Paradise, if she wished to. At that time, Princess Luna adamantly but respectfully refused. She knew that King Lark visiting the imperial capital would only enrage her father, the Emperor. And the Devourer of Lands might even interpret it as a declaration of war – a casus belli.

It was unreasonable and petty, but that’s was made him a madman.

The Emperor would probably feel insulted that King Lark visited him personally, right after killing the Morton Twins.

The Emperor had become so arrogant and twisted that they even had to consider such matters.

Currently, the best thing to do right now was for Princess Luna to meet with the Emperor and report everything that transpired during her visit to the Kingdom. As for their next step, they’d think of it once the time came.

“Princess Luna.”

King Lark’s voice was heard through the artifact.

“It’s been a while. Based on the estimates you told me last time, you should have arrived at the capital by now.”

Although King Lark couldn’t see her, Princess Luna still decided to show him at least the minimum courtesy. She went down the bed, placed her right hand on her chest, and lightly bowed her head.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” said Princess Luna. “I’ve just arrived at the capital. I’m currently in my estate, along with Sir Reginald. Should I call the ambassador here?”

“No, there’s no need for that,” said Lark. “I didn’t call you to speak with Reginald. He’s a seasoned merchant. He’ll know what to do once the time comes. And in a sense, this trip is a test for him. It may sound childish of me, but I look forward to how he’ll handle things in the Empire. What would be the results of his visit? I wonder.”

This was the first time Princess Luna heard of this.

“A test,” muttered Princess Luna.

So, even the ambassador would be fighting a hidden battle as he meets the Emperor.

“I called you to ask again,” said Lark. His voice had turned a notch bit serious. “I can go there right now. Are you sure you don’t want me to accompany you as you meet with your father?”

“E-Eh, m-meet my father?”

For a moment, Princess Luna misinterpreted the words ‘accompany you as you meet your father’. Although she knew that King Lark was speaking about a formal meeting between two rulers, it felt as though he was asking her father for permission in marriage.

It was an absurd thought, she knew, moreover since King Lark was younger than her.

She’d already told Lark everything she heard while their group made their way to the imperial capital. The current state of Meredith City, what happened to Volkheim, and the attempts of the Empire to retake the lands it had lost.

Princess Luna always insisted to Lark, almost pleadingly at that, that this was a problem they should solve on their own. She believed that the Empire wasn’t so weak as to fall in the hands of mere demons.

Princess Luna pinched her cheeks and cleared her head of all embarrassing thoughts.

“I’ll respectfully decline again this time, Your Majesty,” said Princess Luna. “Please rest assured, with the Blackstone Knights you’ve sent to aid us in battle, the Empire will not fall. I’ll persuade my father to utilize them effectively, so we could drastically reduce the casualties of our soldiers.”

For several seconds, silence fell.

Eventually, Lark’s voice was heard from the artifact. “You’re quite stubborn.”

Princess Luna mischievously smiled. “I believe the proper word is ‘persistent’, Your Majesty.”

“Persistent,” said Lark. “Indeed.”

“You’ve told me before that the portal’s weak points are the stabilizers located near it. It may even be located underground, correct?” said Princess Luna. “If the portal is still open by the time we reach it, the soldiers will be sure to destroy those so-called stabilizers, so please don’t worry. And I’ll make sure to relay this information to my father.”

Princess Luna added, “Your Majesty, the Empire is vastly superior to the United Grakas Alliance in terms of technology and military might. I understand your desire to personally come here to help us, but considering the personality of the Emperor, it would only further aggravate the animosity between our two nations. Furthermore, I’ve personally seen how powerful the Lord Knight is. Just the Lord Knight alone should be capable of tilting the tide of the battle, what more if the five hundred Blackstone Knights joined the war?”

It was surprising how much faith she had in the living suits of armor.

Well, her confidence in the Blackstone Knights was reasonable. She’d personally seen how the Lord Knight trashed the Morton Twins, after all.

“But Princess, judging by your story,” said Lark. “I worry that the Emperor would reject the notion of using my Blackstone Knights in battle.”

“Please don’t worry. I’ll persuade him somehow, Your Majesty. Please leave it to me.”

Lark sighed. “Alright. Contact me through this artifact after your audience with Emperor Sylvius.”

“I will, Your Majesty.”

“Then, we’ll end our conversation here,” said Lark. “Thank you for answering my call, Princess.”

The mana in the artifact was cut off.

Princess Luna went to the window, swept open the curtains, and gazed at the garden outside.

She vowed to convince her father to utilize the Blackstone Knights in this war, no matter what.