In addition to the paths drawn on the maps released to the public, the imperial map also recorded the underground roads connecting the palaces, as well as the secret interiors of each palace.
Groer had already witnessed Roxanne reading the map several times.
'You must have memorized it.'
The reason he made this guess was because he had witnessed his own brain.
Kalpman, the border region closest to the land of the barbarians, had each village in the form of a fortress due to long-standing conflict with the barbarians.
The paths connecting the aboveground and underground villages were as complicated as ant holes, and if you didn't get the map that only the village elders had, you could get lost in the underground maze and starve to death.
Instead of beheading the elder who refused to give up the map, Roxanne borrowed the map for 10 minutes and showed off his great feat of memorizing the dizzying maze in one go.
Even with that brain, Roxanne kept looking at the imperial map that didn't change over and over again.
Groer, frustrated by the sight, couldn’t hold back and blurted out,
“Do you think you’ll find what you want like this? It’ll be easier than finding a needle in a haystack.”
“Groer.”
Biltman tried to dissuade Groer.
However, Biltman had the same thoughts. Other than the relics of the Red King and his will, he didn’t know what or where the things hidden in the palace were.
However, Roxanne was indifferent to his subordinates’ concerns.
“I know that too. But keep moving.”
“...Well, we always do as we’re told.”
Groer scratched the back of his head as if his anger had subsided.
Roxanne also knew.
It would be endless to search through them one by one.
However, the pieces the knights had brought were all small pieces of information that were being assembled in his head.
‘Half a year.’
He was determined to find what he wanted at that time.
Roxanne recalled the Red King Laximus’ will.
After the Red Queen passed away, he also stayed in bed until just before he passed away.
He told Roxanne that he had to find what he had hidden in the palace.
'You must find the wolf's eyes and its companion. That will help you and the empire.'
The Red King left behind a mysterious message before he died.
It was a will of unknown meaning.
However, Roxanne was certain that the Red King's will was related to the symbol of the empire.
And the relic he had hidden.
It was his biological father's will, but there was no reason to keep it.
Above all, the palace was a place Roxanne hated.
There were two reasons why Roxanne returned to the capital.
One of them was because of a prophecy he had heard when he was young.
The Red Queen had always worried about Roxanne.
At that time, he did not know exactly what was making her afraid.
When Roxanne was three years old, the Red Queen carried the child in her arms and headed to the Sea Temple.
At the Red Queen's request, the high priest gave Claude the baptismal name 'Roxanne.'
And along with an unexpected prophecy.
'The black disaster will ride the red-eyed God and swallow the empire.'
Red eyes.
The prophecy referring to the Crown Prince of the empire made the Queen tremble.
Since the high priest kept quiet about the prophecy, if it had leaked out, the Queen could have been driven to the point of treason for the empire.
She kept silent about the prophecy for a long time, telling only the Red King.
Groer had already witnessed Roxanne reading the map several times.
'You must have memorized it.'
The reason he made this guess was because he had witnessed his own brain.
Kalpman, the border region closest to the land of the barbarians, had each village in the form of a fortress due to long-standing conflict with the barbarians.
The paths connecting the aboveground and underground villages were as complicated as ant holes, and if you didn't get the map that only the village elders had, you could get lost in the underground maze and starve to death.
Instead of beheading the elder who refused to give up the map, Roxanne borrowed the map for 10 minutes and showed off his great feat of memorizing the dizzying maze in one go.
Even with that brain, Roxanne kept looking at the imperial map that didn't change over and over again.
Groer, frustrated by the sight, couldn’t hold back and blurted out,
“Do you think you’ll find what you want like this? It’ll be easier than finding a needle in a haystack.”
“Groer.”
Biltman tried to dissuade Groer.
However, Biltman had the same thoughts. Other than the relics of the Red King and his will, he didn’t know what or where the things hidden in the palace were.
However, Roxanne was indifferent to his subordinates’ concerns.
“I know that too. But keep moving.”
“...Well, we always do as we’re told.”
Groer scratched the back of his head as if his anger had subsided.
Roxanne also knew.
It would be endless to search through them one by one.
However, the pieces the knights had brought were all small pieces of information that were being assembled in his head.
‘Half a year.’
He was determined to find what he wanted at that time.
Roxanne recalled the Red King Laximus’ will.
After the Red Queen passed away, he also stayed in bed until just before he passed away.
He told Roxanne that he had to find what he had hidden in the palace.
'You must find the wolf's eyes and its companion. That will help you and the empire.'
The Red King left behind a mysterious message before he died.
It was a will of unknown meaning.
However, Roxanne was certain that the Red King's will was related to the symbol of the empire.
And the relic he had hidden.
It was his biological father's will, but there was no reason to keep it.
Above all, the palace was a place Roxanne hated.
There were two reasons why Roxanne returned to the capital.
One of them was because of a prophecy he had heard when he was young.
The Red Queen had always worried about Roxanne.
At that time, he did not know exactly what was making her afraid.
When Roxanne was three years old, the Red Queen carried the child in her arms and headed to the Sea Temple.
At the Red Queen's request, the high priest gave Claude the baptismal name 'Roxanne.'
And along with an unexpected prophecy.
'The black disaster will ride the red-eyed God and swallow the empire.'
Red eyes.
The prophecy referring to the Crown Prince of the empire made the Queen tremble.
Since the high priest kept quiet about the prophecy, if it had leaked out, the Queen could have been driven to the point of treason for the empire.
She kept silent about the prophecy for a long time, telling only the Red King.
Just before she passed away, the Queen told Roxanne the truth she had been holding onto along with her will.
And one more reason why Roxanne had to come into the palace.
"...Is there any news from the Empress's palace yet?"
"Yes. Not yet."
Groer shook his head at Roxanne's question.
It had been two weeks since the purification ceremony.
Roxanne had gone to see Sepia as promised, but she had been refused a visit.
The reason given was that she was busy with the budget calculations.
Roxanne said he would wait for contact and returned, but he did not believe everything Sepia said.
Groer, whose heart was completely focused on the Empress due to the opening of the castle gates, said worriedly.
“The national fortune is in turmoil, so the Empress must be worried. She is someone who does good things.”
When Grower and the punitive force returned to the capital, many things changed.
Poor houses that had not been there before were popping up everywhere, the number of people starving or freezing to death had decreased significantly, and the gap between the slums and the regular areas, which had been so stark, was now visibly reduced.
It was a change that occurred when the Empress began building schools and developing public streets between the slums and the common areas.
In addition to the opening of the city gates, many of the punitive forces who learned of this saw the Empress again. Seven years had passed like that.
Roxanne did not answer Groer.
Biltman opened his mouth as if to take his place.
“Thank goodness it didn’t cause any great trouble.”
“Still, it’s funny.”
He really didn’t like the idea of predicting the year’s fortune based on just one day.
The years before and after the current Empress ascended to the throne were the most auspicious, with endless festivals.
On the contrary, in bad years, sanctions were placed on all businesses that weren’t important to the empire.
“Still, it wasn’t because of a special illness that the Emperor was sick. The current Emperor was known for being weak since childhood.”
“It’s a bit much to suffer from a fever even though you have the blood of a divine being... Hey, let’s stop talking.”
Groer clicked his tongue.
The current Emperor suffered from frequent fevers since he was Crown Prince.
The previous Empress was worried about this, so she gathered all kinds of medicinal herbs and secret books.
Fortunately, the frequency of the fever decreased after the Crown Prince became an adult.
‘There were rumors other than fevers, though.’
There was once a rumor that the delicate and sensitive Crown Prince had a violent nature.
He tore animals to pieces and killed his court ladies.
However, it was just a rumor, and he never became an adult, ascended to the throne, and wielded his tyranny.
However, it was a problem that arose on the day of making an auspicious day.
Roxanne, who had been silently listening to Groer and Biltman’s conversation, gave an order.
“Enough of the small talk. This week, we will search the western underground.”
“Understood.”
Contrary to his earlier objection, Groer faithfully obeyed the order.
Groer and Biltman exited into the hallway together.
There, the Coyote Knights were waiting for their mission. The imperial palace had more eyes than anyone else.
To investigate the secretly assigned area, they had to be secretive above all else.
That’s why the palace the Empress had given them was perfect.
There was a passage leading to the underground in this villa.
‘I don’t think she knew about it, though.’
She was someone who had helped him out so much, but he wondered if it was okay for him to receive this much.
Biltman followed Groer.
Before going down to the basement, Groer tapped Biltman after completing his final check.
“What are you thinking, standing there blankly?”
“Oh, no, that’s Roxanne.”
“Why Roxanne?”
“Don’t you think... He's alive these days?”
“What? Does that mean he passed away before?”
Groer frowned at the absurd words.
Biltman waved both his hands, saying that was not what he meant.
“Oh, no, that’s not what I meant. I meant... He looks much more alive.”
Groer, who was about to punch Biltman in the head, lowered his arms.
“...Hmm, that’s true.”
“Right? Even more so after he entered the palace. And at first, he really was like a well-sharpened sword.”
He had no choice but to agree with those words.
As Biltman had said, the Duke back then and the Roxanne now felt like completely different beings.
Groer recalled the first time he had met him.
'Hello, Duke Leopold. I am Groer Chet, the commander of the headquarters.'
The cold golden eyes were directed at Groer.
It was his first time seeing the royal family, who were said to have inherited the blood of the divine beast, up close, so his mouth was dry.
However, it felt a little better to think that they were all dead together, regardless of their status . Groer was the eldest son of the Chet family, and he had to join the punitive force as if he was being chased because he was born through the maternal line, not through the family's servants.
Most of those who joined the punitive force had similar circumstances.
So Groer guessed that the Duke, who inherited the blood of the divine beast, would have similar reasons.
Should he be angry?
Or should he show his sadness at being kicked out?
However, contrary to Groer's guess, the Duke spoke with a blank expression.
'Roxanne.'
'...Yes?'
'Roxanne, call me by that name.'
With those words, the first battle began.
The Duke who called himself Roxanne was like a weapon for battle.
It was to the point where he could feel hope that the subjugation that he had expected to return after death might be victorious.
The Duke had set foot on the savage land beyond the borderline, accomplishing feats that everyone called impossible.
According to mythological records, the savages were beings born from the shadow of the goddess.
The darkness of the goddess, who was even more primordial than the beastmen and whose appearance did not even deviate from that of a beast.
The savages held a strong hostility towards the beastmen, killing them and drinking their blood.
The savage land became an inviolable territory.
Biltman waved both his hands, saying that was not what he meant.
“Oh, no, that’s not what I meant. I meant... He looks much more alive.”
Groer, who was about to punch Biltman in the head, lowered his arms.
“...Hmm, that’s true.”
“Right? Even more so after he entered the palace. And at first, he really was like a well-sharpened sword.”
He had no choice but to agree with those words.
As Biltman had said, the Duke back then and the Roxanne now felt like completely different beings.
Groer recalled the first time he had met him.
'Hello, Duke Leopold. I am Groer Chet, the commander of the headquarters.'
The cold golden eyes were directed at Groer.
It was his first time seeing the royal family, who were said to have inherited the blood of the divine beast, up close, so his mouth was dry.
However, it felt a little better to think that they were all dead together, regardless of their status . Groer was the eldest son of the Chet family, and he had to join the punitive force as if he was being chased because he was born through the maternal line, not through the family's servants.
Most of those who joined the punitive force had similar circumstances.
So Groer guessed that the Duke, who inherited the blood of the divine beast, would have similar reasons.
Should he be angry?
Or should he show his sadness at being kicked out?
However, contrary to Groer's guess, the Duke spoke with a blank expression.
'Roxanne.'
'...Yes?'
'Roxanne, call me by that name.'
With those words, the first battle began.
The Duke who called himself Roxanne was like a weapon for battle.
It was to the point where he could feel hope that the subjugation that he had expected to return after death might be victorious.
The Duke had set foot on the savage land beyond the borderline, accomplishing feats that everyone called impossible.
According to mythological records, the savages were beings born from the shadow of the goddess.
The darkness of the goddess, who was even more primordial than the beastmen and whose appearance did not even deviate from that of a beast.
The savages held a strong hostility towards the beastmen, killing them and drinking their blood.
The savage land became an inviolable territory.
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