For quite a while, Duke Tain smoldered with fury, finally calming himself enough to speak with evident effort.

"No it isn't so. We cannot blindly trust their words. Everyone knows that His Majesty the Emperor has been plotting lately, lending strength to his brother. Undoubtedly, his schemes are involved in this too."

The Duke immediately dispatched a message to Tainu, ordering them to verify whether the rumors circulating in the capital were true. He also summoned Theorado, the Commander of the Imperial Knights, who might know if Kishiar was truly absent from the Cavalry. However, the responses brought bad news.

The urgent letter from Baron Willhem of Tainu read, 'I am not sure if the Cavalry is here, but it is true that a massive earthquake occurred in Great Sarain Forest. We are in touch with the people sent there, so please wait a little longer.' And from Theorado, the Commander of the Imperial Knights, 'Due to training schedules, I am unable to visit for a while. Please refrain from contacting me.' Holding these two letters, Duke Tain was consumed by rage.

"This is unbelievable"

He had assumed that if the Cavalry were to send people to the West, they would undoubtedly pass through the major western city, Tainu, and meet with Baron Willhem. That was why he entrusted Baron Willhem with their management, but the outcome was far from satisfactory.

If the Cavalry had indeed done something in Great Sarain Forest, it meant they ignored his orders and didn't even stop by Tainu. Moreover, what had Baron Willhem, whose duty it was to oversee the West, been doing while all of this unfolded?

'In his previous letter, he said that they had sent mages and knights to Great Sarain Forest to protect the investment hub. If that's true, how could he not know about the incident there?'

The answer was obvious. Baron Willhem was just pretending to obey him while neglecting his duties. Even if he could tolerate his cousin Theorado, who was always indifferent to family affairs, it was hard to forgive the Cavalry, Duke Peletta, and Baron Willhem, all who clearly ignored him.

'Damn it. Leaving all those matters aside, I can't even confirm what happened to the Western trade hubs I've been painstakingly building.'

It was too soon to expect returns on his investments in the South, but he had been hoping that once the hubs were completed in the West, they would generate wealth. The possibility of complications arising there as well gave him a sudden headache.

As he often did when irritated, Duke Tain decided to visit the upscale gambling house he frequented. So engrossed in his desire to forget his troubles, he didn't notice the figures discreetly following him.

"Your Majesty. A courier from the West arrived at House Tain."

Emperor Keilusa, who had been reviewing documents, stopped at the attendant's distant report.

"I see He must have heard the news. Any reaction?"

"He was furious, but for now, he seems to be behaving as usual."

"Understood. Keep a close eye on him and report any unusual activity immediately to Duke Peletta and me."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

After the attendant had withdrawn, the Emperor set down his pen and surveyed the clutter of tea cups scattered across his desk. Beside them, a basket filled with faintly glowing red stones. They were mediums infused with the power of the Red Stone, gifts from Kishiar. The Emperor picked up one of the stones, holding it in his hand, a fleeting hint of bitterness crossing his gaze.

"Foolish boy."

Moments later, he could no longer suppress the burgeoning cough and dropped his writing instrument. Blood splattered over the hastily covered handkerchief.

"Your Majesty!"

The chief attendant, who had returned to the room, quickly supported him. The Emperor brushed his hand away, gasping heavily for a while. Noticing the blood staining his lips and the hollow, dark circles under his eyes, the elderly attendant's face turned somber.

"Your Majesty

"Did I not tell you not to touch me."

"How could I not, Your Majesty?" replied the attendant, though the Emperor ignored him, turning his head. He firmly refused all suggestions, whether to summon the royal physician or to contact the head court mage.

"I need none of that."

"But you must at least receive a prescription to alleviate the pain. You haven't slept for days."

"Such things might alleviate the pain temporarily, but that's all. I dislike drugs that dull the mind. I still have much to do. If you're going to keep making a fuss, at least bring me some tea."

There was only one type of tea the Emperor desired in moments like these. It was brewed from medicinal herbs personally grown and sent by the Empress. The Emperor put down his pen and removed his glasses to drink the tea brought by the attendant. For a fleeting moment, a hint of warmth returned to his pale complexion.

"What is the Empress doing today?"

"She went to tend to the garden after finishing her duties. She also wished to inform you that she would like to have dinner together tomorrow evening

"I see

The Emperor lowered his gaze without giving a definitive answer.

"And Katchian, is he still confined in the palace?"

"Yes."

Though Katchian, the crown prince, had fully recovered from the physical wounds of the assassin's attack, his mental state had not improved at all. Every day, he lashed out and broke objects, as if his previously wicked laughter had been but an illusion. The primary cause of his madness was the unbearable scar on his face.

"Duke Diarca must be quite worried."

"Indeed, he seems to be. He's looking everywhere for a way to cure the madness."

"His coveted position is now precarious. His impatience must be unbearable. It would be best if they focus on that until this matter is settled."

The Emperor, who mercilessly mocked Duke Diarca without a hint of humor, coughed a few more times.

"I thought Herne would have something to say by now... but it seems they're still out of sorts."

"Yes, Your Majesty. If there was a problem with the Herne family, the Empress would have already chided them. Please, do not worry."

The Emperor faintly smiled at the mention of the Empress, but it quickly faded. A deep darkness washed over his sickly countenance.

"I still have a long journey ahead yet my life is fading too quickly."

"Your Majesty

The bitter confession filled with regret brought a gloomy look to the attendant's eyes, who knew the meaning behind the Emperor's words.

"Do not worry. I have no intention of dying so meekly."

Sighing, the Emperor put on his glasses again. At that moment, the attendant noticed a royal courier bird circling outside the window.

"Your Majesty, a new bird has been sent from the west."

"From Duke Peletta?"

"Yes."

He immediately read the letter brought by the royal courier bird. As he perused the rather short letter, the eyes hidden behind his spectacles repeatedly widened and then narrowed.

...I wondered why they are rushing to recall the second detachment from the Cavalry.

Your Majesty, has something happened?

Nothing had happened to Kishiar. If anything, the change concerned his newly appointed assistant. The Emperor recalled the memory of the time when Kishiar first reported the enormous incident that occurred in Great Sarain Forest via a letter.

When he first read the tale of a Cavalry member who single-handedly fought a colossal monster that could have potentially swept over not just Great Sarain Forest but possibly the whole western region, and eventually emerged victorious after collapsing a hill, the Emperor also doubted the sincerity of the story. He was well aware that his brother would not lie about such matters, but the tale was beyond imagination.

The Cavalry member had suffered severe injuries for killing the monster. And Kishiar was in a state of staying in Great Sarain Forest, even altering his original plans, in order to find a way to heal him.

The Emperor conjured up an image of his strikingly handsome brother. Kishiar might appear to live more spontaneously than anyone on the surface, but he was in fact more meticulous than anyone else. Although the letter cited various reasons such as not just for healing his assistant and increasing tasks to investigate, the Emperor's gaze lingered only on the place where Kishiar had written the assistant's name. It was something akin to a blood-bonded intuition.

'The assistant... Yuder Aile. Who was he?'

He had previously granted last names to a few Cavalry members who followed Kishiar. If he had come along then, he must have seen his face, but his memory was so faint that he couldn't quite recall.

The Emperor folded Kishiar's letter. He felt slightly worried, but also found it intriguing.

'It's strange. He had never shown such haste even for his treasured Nathan Zuckerman, or the Peletta Knights whom he raised himself...'

Kishiar asked the Emperor for a few things in the letter. As brothers engaged in a grand plan, they were not hard requests to grant.

"Tell those in the West to spread the word faster. It is necessary to recognize the Peletta Duke as the new owner of the Divine Sword as soon as possible. Also, make contact with the Pearl Tower."

"The Pearl Tower... you say?"

"Yes. There seem to be a few criminals we sent to them from Great Sarain Forest, and it appears the Peletta Duke does not want to let them off with a light punishment."

After hearing a few more directives, the chief attendant politely excused himself. The Emperor began to waver again, staring out the window. The crimson sunset staining the western sky resembled blood.

That blood would soon pour evenly over the heads of those who seized the West. At least until that day, he could not die.