Chapter 136

“Haha, what are you talking about? I didn’t know you were so good at joking.”

Ranga laughed it off. Her mission wasn’t to kill the Empress. It was just to “bring her back,” even if it meant using some forceful methods.

A woman with no power, thus no threat, yet her status is absurdly noble. She’s been the Empire’s mother for decades. What’s the point of killing her?

If they really did such a thing, they’d gain nothing and lose everything. Destroying the Imperial Palace wouldn’t be the end. Then Edmund would have to ascend the throne and rule the Empire as a puppet, wouldn’t he?

The current Emperor and Empress aren’t that unpopular, and the people of the Empire are aware of their identity as Imperial citizens. This is a country that’s lasted five hundred years, after all.

Even those who seem to dislike this country, or those who badmouth the Empire at every opportunity, deep down, somewhere, they still have a sense of patriotism.

The best course of action would be for the Emperor to abdicate, not to kill him. If that’s not possible, then removing him as the lesser evil is the next option.

Even if the Emperor were to die from an accident or a long illness, the people would have something to say. Whether they believe it or not, there’s at least a minimal justification.

But killing the Empress too? If both the Emperor and Empress die on the same day, what explanation would the people need? Should they say the Empress followed the Emperor in death?

The people aren’t fools. They’re just too busy surviving to pay attention to such matters, but if things really escalate, they’ll notice whether they like it or not.

Even if they’re to be killed, it’s not the time now. Later, when the commotion has died down, if it’s really necessary, then they can be killed. The Church Country must at least appear righteous.

Those who serve the gods, if they openly commit such atrocities, they’ll lose the most important thing.

Nobility. Morality. And reputation. They may seem insignificant in the face of profit, but if these are lost, who would take the Temple seriously?

Unless it’s a matter of the Church’s survival, the Three God Faith had to care about these things to some extent. After all, they’re a group that preaches morality to the people.

“A woman with no power. Wouldn’t it be fine to just kill her?”

Kisea, a beastman from the plains, didn’t think that far. Beastmen don’t think so complicatedly. The strongest becomes the leader, monopolizes all authority, and the weak are at the bottom of their society.

But this isn’t the Eastern Plains, and it’s not her but the Church Country that’s doing this. She’s just a temporarily hired mercenary. Naturally, she should do as her employer says. Kisea had that much sense of duty.

When the Empress obediently dismissed the knights and said she’d follow, Kisea nodded without much thought. It was boring but not bad.

“Then come along quietly…”

Suddenly, Kisea turned her head sharply. She sniffed the air. Her ears perked up. Thud, thud. Someone was walking towards them.

She thought it might be a trap, but upon further consideration, she realized it wasn’t. If it were a trap, they’d ambush, not stroll in like this.

Ranga closed her eyes and focused all her senses on her sense of smell. Her tail perked up involuntarily.

The strong scent of a fellow beastman wafted from ahead.

Crunch! Crunch!

A horrifying sound of something being chewed and crushed echoed through the hallway. It sounded like someone was chewing and swallowing stones, making the women of the Rose Palace cover their ears.

This alone made it clear it wasn’t an ambush. What kind of ambush announces its presence like this?

Munch!

Sophie Well shuddered at the sound of something hard being chewed. Just from the sound, it was like a monster devouring a human skull whole.

Of course, what peeked out from the other end of the hallway was a girl with wolf ears.

She had a handful of star candies she received as gifts before coming here, and as she poured them into her mouth and crushed them with her teeth, that sound came out.

“Another Master?!”

Sophie Well, the captain of the Rose Knights, though she seemed all talk, was a capable person. She didn’t let Roka’s youthful appearance fool her and immediately grasped her level.

Of course, she couldn’t fully grasp a Master’s level, but that’s precisely why she could tell.

Her energy sense couldn’t grasp Roka’s true strength, only feeling her immense power, so she must be a Master. Sophie almost wanted to cry.

“Do you plains people value Her Majesty the Empress so much? To send two Masters? Is this Epirna’s will?”

Of course, the Empress is important. She’s a noble figure who must be protected absolutely. But is she a strategic target worth sending two Masters to capture?

The answer might be “yes.” But does the Church Country have that much confidence in this mission? To deploy two of their most important forces, Masters, to capture the Empress?

This is treating the Empire like trash. Does the Church Country have the right to be this arrogant?

“No, you…?”

But the Empress’s eyes lit up. Though she had matured, it was clearly the child who had been by the priest’s side.

“Child, how are you here? Weren’t you supposed to go to the Citadel?”

“Who… are you?”

Roka was somewhat wary. The Empress had seen this girl before, but Roka had never seen the Empress. After all, the Empress was interested in Roka, who was part of her daughter’s group, but Roka wasn’t interested in her.

Seeing Roka scratching her head, Ranga’s tail stiffened. Roka had no thoughts about her, but Ranga had many. She couldn’t help but shout.

“Blue Wolf…!”

“…?”

“And a Master?!”

Half-shouting, Kisea roared with her destructive energy. The energy that could turn everything it touched to rust and shatter spread out. But now, it was no threat at all.

Roka, with no thoughts, clapped her hands together with an annoyed expression, and a wave of scorching solar energy spread out. As always, the greatest teacher is real combat.

The reckless charge of a plains warrior towards the Phoenix wasn’t entirely in vain. That creature was a far superior master of solar energy than Roka. Imitation is much easier than creation. Just copying the methods of someone who’s lived much longer yielded some efficiency.

Whoosh!

The power of solar energy shattered the destructive energy and turned the surroundings into a scorching sauna. Could a Master not recognize another Master? Ranga almost cheered.

“My God, she really is a Master! Good heavens!”

“What are you doing? Who are you?”

“Huh? Aren’t you happy to see me…?”

Roka’s cold response made the gray wolf shrink back involuntarily. Could it be that she didn’t know? The Blue Wolf clan and the Gray Wolf clan had been rivals for a long time.

Though, it’s an old story. The Blue Wolf clan fell long ago and was erased from history, probably surviving in some remote mountain village.

The Gray Wolf clan isn’t much different. They’ve fallen so far that it’s embarrassing to call them a tribe, with only a few left, including her. That woman, who ascended as the Beast King, brought down all potential rival clans.

Anyway, Kisea was delighted. It was like meeting a comrade.

“You’ve done well. I didn’t know the Blue Wolf clan still had the capacity to produce a Master! Where have your family been hiding? You must have preserved your strength!”

Roka’s expression hardened. Is this girl digging into someone’s heart now?

Unaware, or perhaps aware but not understanding the meaning, Kisea rambled on.

“You’re a child of the plains too, so you’ll help me, right? You Blue Wolves can’t let that crazy woman rule the beastmen anymore.”

“…What are you talking about?”

“Really, what are you talking about? Try to make some sense.”

The Empress, unable to stand it, intervened. The girl who came to capture her was wagging her tail like a broom, doing who knows what. It was absurd. But Kisea was genuinely happy.

Though the Blue Wolf and Gray Wolf clans had been at odds, they were still family. They shared similar blood. In fact, intermarriage between the two clans was frequent.

Without anyone to help, she had to reach out to the Temple, but those guys were outsiders. They were just using each other; they couldn’t become family of the plains.

But the wolf before her was family. No matter where she lived, blood ties don’t disappear or break.

For humans, family is a precious concept, but for beastmen, family—community—means even more. In any case, she and Roka were family in the broader sense.

Now, one of the few remaining blood-related families.

Of course, that was her personal thought.

“So from now on, you can call me sister…”

“Master.”

Kisea, who had her arms wide open waiting for her “younger sister” to embrace her, froze.

Humans can’t easily distinguish beastmen. Kisea and Roka looked different, but with wolf ears, they seemed similar at a glance.

Thinking they might be long-lost family members, the Rose Knights, ready to applaud, just stared blankly at Roka’s retreating figure.

“Over here. Come this way.”

Dumbfounded, Kisea’s eyes followed Roka’s retreating figure. When her gaze landed on the man Roka called “Master,” her expression turned furious.

“You, you…!”

Now, the Empress was no longer on her mind. The Temple’s mission? Completely unimportant. How could a wolf, a Master at that, serve a human as her master?

“Me or him! Choose!”

The Rose Knights whispered among themselves. The knight order, composed entirely of women, had several pairs of lovers among them.

A love triangle between two Masters? Where else could you see such a thing? Even in a theater with famous actors performing an opera, they couldn’t match Ranga’s one line.

Seeing it live, the vividness was overwhelming. They all regretted not having snacks. Somehow, beer seemed appealing, but it wasn’t the atmosphere for drinking.

Swish.

Roka didn’t answer. Instead, she wrapped her tail around Kyle’s leg and hugged him.

Kisea was almost beside herself. For a wolf, the tail is not something to be so carelessly allowed…!

“You, watch out at night! If someone comes at you with a sword, think it’s me!”

“Master, are you going to die?”

Roka smirked.

“Then you’ll die too.”

A cold sunset light filled her eyes, overflowing. Silent, desolate, and devoid of any life, a more authentic Sunset Slash than before emerged.

Ranga clenched her mouth shut…