Chapter 13

The carriage, which had been speeding across the vast, open plain, suddenly entered a tall forest of trees. As the golden sunlight was blocked by the tall trees, the wind instantly turned cool.

“It’s Her Majesty the Empress.”

“……”

“Could she not break this stalemate?”

At his words, Theseus’s eyes grew deeper.

‘A stalemate.’

Lionel’s expression was accurate. The Emperor had tightened the reins on the nobles by granting monopolies to the group of mages. The nobles, fearing that a tower might be placed in their territories, were busy reading the Emperor’s mood. If a tower were to be established, they could not survive without the help of a mage. There was even an outrageous law that if two or more mages moved without the Emperor’s command, it was considered treason.

“Of course, from Her Majesty’s perspective, the current situation is not desirable….”

Theseus trailed off. The black calamity that inevitably came with the blood-red sky, like death, was paradoxically the core of Emperor Echmont’s power. The Emperor had ruled as an absolute monarch, using the blood and fear of the people as a stepping stone. ＊ ＊ ＊

Adele ordered Lady Giggs to summon Baron Calvin, who was still in the capital. After Lady Giggs bowed respectfully and left the room, Adele was lost in thought. Even as the Empress of Echmont, she had no backing from her family, and she had yet to fully grasp the power structure of Echmont’s political scene. The only fortunate thing was that she was fluent in Echmontian. When she was learning, she had grumbled about why she had to learn the language of a country she didn’t even know, but now that it was helpful, life was indeed unpredictable.

“It’s difficult….”

It felt like walking through the darkness, feeling her way with her fingertips. Suddenly, Elizabeth’s words about appointing an advisor came to mind.

‘The Empress’s advisors are mostly men. My late mother would proudly increase the number of advisors every time my father, the late Emperor, changed the government.’

“Advisors, advisors….”

In Gotrop, every time her father changed the government, her mother would also proudly change the government. Sometimes they would even bring their own lovers to banquets, which Adele had disliked since she was young. She thought both sides were doing something ridiculous. But at the same time, Elizabeth’s words about the importance of momentum in Echmont came to mind.

‘If, by any chance, the Baldur Dukedom sends a candidate, I recommend choosing him without hesitation.’

Thinking of the Baldur Dukedom inevitably brought him to mind.

‘Lionel Baldur.’

He was a person who reminded her of the calm night sea just before a storm. Although they had only met a few times, his sharp yet calm eyes, characteristic of a warrior, seemed trustworthy. Recalling the time they had ridden horses together across the vast land, Adele couldn’t help but smile. That moment, when they had galloped freely across the open land, was the only time she had enjoyed since coming to Echmont. After a moment of reminiscing, Adele shook her head slightly and pushed the thought away.

“I need to learn more about the culture here first. I can’t just rush into things.”

Adele closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. No matter what, the Empress and the Emperor were in the same boat, whether they liked it or not. Of course, there were many cases in history where the Emperor and the Empress were at odds. But that was when the relationship had reached its peak and their powers were evenly matched. In her current situation, where she had no power at all, if she were to rashly turn against the Emperor, she might end up like a feather on a quill. ＊ ＊ ＊

Inside the old carriage. Baron Calvin, who was also a capable scholar, had always maintained a dignified appearance. He could never have imagined himself in such a shabby state. But now, the Baron had no time to worry about his appearance. The fact that he had come to the capital, leaving his fiefdom, indicated how urgent the situation was. He thought that at the very least, they could send a few Strikers or a Keeper. But when he finally managed to enter the council chamber, the Baron faced humiliation rather than sympathy. Words flew like arrows, piercing his heart, and the looks were like knives, tearing his body apart. Most of all, the moment he saw the Emperor’s cold expression, he realized that the Baron’s fiefdom was a place the Emperor didn’t care much about. The suffering of the people being torn apart by the monsters was of no concern to the Emperor.

‘Keep your sword from rusting so that you can respond to the Emperor’s call at any time.’

His tightly clenched hand trembled. He wanted to go back to the past, sit his children down, and slap himself for saying such things. The call from the Empress came just as he was preparing to return to his fiefdom, his heart black and rotten with anger. A short while later, Baron Calvin, summoned by the Empress, arrived at the Empress’s palace. He looked bewildered by the sudden summons, especially since his last hope had just vanished. The maid brought tea, but he couldn’t even think about lifting the cup. At that moment, Lady Giggs’s polite but firm voice was heard.

“It’s Her Majesty the Empress.”

Baron Calvin hurriedly stood up and turned around. The Empress walked in through the open door. The Baron quickly bowed, and Adele, sitting in the seat of honor, said,

“Please sit down, Baron Calvin.”

This was the first time for such a private meeting, and the Baron, visibly uncomfortable, fidgeted. Adele, seeing this, got straight to the point.

“When was the tower built?”

“!”

The Baron’s movements stopped at the Empress’s question. He stared at her, unable to understand why she was asking.

“At first, there were no flying monsters, but they started appearing over time. Is the tower’s diameter expanding?”

The light slowly returned to Baron Calvin’s eyes, which had been blankly staring at the Empress. The frustration and anger that had been building up as he was pushed to the brink of a cliff poured out like a dam breaking.

“I came as soon as I saw the flying monsters. There are no Strikers or even Keepers, so everyone, regardless of age or gender, is desperately fighting the monsters. From toothless old men to children just entering puberty, everyone… Please, Your Majesty.”

His voice trembled uncontrollably. The wrinkles on the Baron’s face, who had run to the palace with all his might, leaving behind a hell, were filled with pain.

“No Strikers or Keepers?”

Adele asked, puzzled. Baron Calvin nodded, remembering that the Empress was a foreigner.

“It’s a support system. The central government provides support based on the level of the tower.”

“A level 4 tower is a large one. You mean there was no support at all?”

“Even level 2 towers sometimes have delayed support.”

“You mean to let that area die.”

“Please, save us, Your Majesty.”

The Baron knew that begging the Empress would be of no use, but he was desperate to grasp at any straw. Tears streamed down the white-haired Baron’s eyes.

“Please, Your Majesty. The people are dying miserably. The slow-moving children and women are being torn apart by the monsters’ rough claws and teeth. The trained knights of the fiefdom are dying from exhaustion, and those who fought have died.”

“Please refrain from such cruel words in front of Her Majesty.”

Lady Giggs, who was waiting on the side, stopped him, worried that the Empress, who had been raised in luxury, might be shocked. The Baron swallowed his tears and wiped them away.

“I apologize.”

“No, I know you were trying to soften the description of hell.”

“……”

The Baron, who had been wiping away his tears, looked up at the Empress.

Unlike Lady Giggs’s concern, the Empress looked at the Baron calmly. Adele, facing the Baron’s pain-filled face, recalled hell. The blood-red sky, the eerie cries of the monsters, the smoke, the screams of people, and the bodies scattered everywhere, the pools of blood. Mothers who had lost their children collapsed and wept, and children who had lost their parents kept shaking their dead parents’ bodies, crying for them to wake up. And these monsters, until the tower was destroyed, would stubbornly crawl out and take away the lives of the unfortunate. The Empress’s eyes grew fierce. The towers had appeared in this world one day. It was a terrible time. After the chaos, humans, as they always did, began to find a way. Mages who reacted to the tower’s magic began to appear. Strikers and Keepers, along with the existing knights, became the most crucial forces in dealing with the towers. But some humans saw this terrible crisis as an opportunity.

‘Can you save everyone in the world? Just close your eyes and ears for a moment. Then I will bring you the world. That tower is an opportunity for us.’

‘Mother.’

‘Yes.’

‘You’re saying this because you can’t bear to see the dying people.’

‘……’

‘You’re saying such cruel things because you can’t bear to see the miserable sight of dying people. The world… I don’t need you to bring it to me.’

It must have been that day. The day her relationship with her mother began to deteriorate. In the end, her mother took away Adele’s position as the princess. After a moment of reminiscence, Adele returned to reality. The Baron’s white hair, like frost, was unkempt, and his deeply wrinkled face was gaunt. The old Baron, with his rough, bloodless lips, bit them hard and forced a smile.

“Your Majesty, I am truly grateful for your concern. However, I must return to my fiefdom as soon as possible. I will take my leave now.”

As the last hope, the Empress, disappeared like a morning star, a deep sense of despair hit him like a wave. His throat was dry and hot, and he couldn’t even swallow. Supporting his weak, trembling knees with his hands, the Baron bowed deeply and turned his creaking body. At that moment,

“Evacuate the people to nearby fiefdoms.”

The Baron turned to look at the Empress, who was standing up.

“The best hiding place to protect against flying monsters is a cave or underground space. Evacuate the elderly and weak to such places. If you evacuate to a place as far from the tower as possible and join forces with other lords, you can hold out longer and put pressure on the central government, which will be effective.”

“…Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Although you probably already know this.”

The Empress added with a bitter tone, and the Baron shook his head.

“No, I will do as you say. Please don’t worry too much.”

Although it wouldn’t be of much help, the Baron said this because he saw the genuine concern on the Empress’s face. Adele’s heart sank like a stone as she watched the Baron, who was turning away weakly. She had no immediate power to help him. She had only called him to understand the situation. This brought a sense of guilt. Adele stopped the Baron for a moment, then hurriedly returned to her room and opened a box containing gold ingots. She put two in her pocket, then shook her head and added two more. Although she thought this would quickly deplete her emergency funds, she placed them in the Baron’s arms.

“What is this, Your Majesty?”

“I’m sorry I can’t help more. This should be enough to ask other fiefdoms to take in your people temporarily.”

The Baron, without realizing it, opened his pocket and was startled to see the four shining gold ingots. Trying to return them, the Empress insisted and quickly sent the old Baron out.

“You said you were in a hurry. Go.”

“…Thank you, Your Majesty, for treating me so kindly, even though I am a stranger.”

The moved Baron Calvin left the Empress’s palace, tears streaming down his face. ＊ ＊ ＊

“Why did the Empress call him?”

As Theseus asked, looking at the late summer scenery, Lionel, who was handling documents, looked down and answered.

“Perhaps she was curious about the situation.”

“However, it’s surprising that the Emperor abandoned Baron Calvin’s fiefdom. Baron Calvin is someone who would obey the royal family.”

This time, Lionel also looked up at his brother.

“I also find it surprising, brother. Most of the lands the Emperor has abandoned so far belonged to families that did not obey the Emperor.”

The brothers, pondering the reason for the Emperor’s abandonment of Baron Calvin’s fiefdom, soon frowned and returned to their work.

“It’s ridiculous to have to consider why a ruler abandons his people.”

Having finished his paperwork, Lionel stood up.

“Can you solve it with what you have?”

“If I can’t, will you help me?”

“I will if you ask.”

“I can solve it, so don’t worry.”

What Lionel said he could solve was the payment of his subordinate knights. It had been three months since their salaries were paid, and those in difficult circumstances were suffering. Lionel planned to pay the knights’ living expenses from his own assets.

“You always come up with unexpected solutions.”

Theseus said with a smile.

“Anyway, it’s fortunate. I was planning to give some money to Baron Calvin, so I wasn’t feeling very generous.”

“Not feeling generous, Duke Baldur? A passing dog would laugh.”

“Enough. Let’s go. It looks like Baron Calvin’s carriage is coming in.”