100 Emperors

Aeon wiped his sweat using his free hand. He executed it in a way that, if he were holding onto his sword, Verdure, he wouldn't accidentally cut himself. Though he had a really hard time. After all, it hadn't completely recovered just yet. Maybe it would take three more days. At most, four.

Instead of heading off to dreamland, Aeon decided to stay up. But, he wasn't going to train or anything. He would be compiling a list of any short incantations he could think of.

Aeon sat cross-legged on the floor. He might not be as remarkable in combat compared to his father, nor is he extremely knowledgeable in magic too, at least, Aeon had something that made him special—he had an excellent memory.

With that, he was going to write a dictionary inside his head. A dictionary of incantations, that is. If he succeeds, then he could proceed to the next step—creating his own spellbook.

Would it be better than the existing spellbooks? Probably not. What he could put up in the next few days would not beat what was developed with years.

But he still needed one in his journey ahead of him.

Aeon started meditating.

….

Meredith Empire. Capital city, Mistfall.

"Emperor! Report!" a lady carrying a handful of scrolls said while kneeling on the ground. She had a feathered hat that was unique to official messengers across the continent. In front of her was a rather tall man in his early forties. The way that the lady addressed the man already gave away his identity. But to any bystander, they would've thought that she was mistaken because the person she called Emperor was only wearing plain clothing. He looked like a simple commoner.

The man did not react immediately. Instead, he continued to finish what he was doing. He gingerly placed the roof of the miniature manor he was creating. Then, he placed both of his hands beside the building, ready to catch its pieces in case it broke. After a few seconds, he slowly stepped away.

Throughout the Emperor's business, the lady with the scrolls patiently kept her head down, not making a single sound. She was already used to the man's behavior.

"Fantastic!" Emperor Meredith praised his own work. He cheerfully turned towards the messenger, completely lacking the demeanor of a person sitting on such a high seat. "Go on."

The lady dipped her head and spoke, "There is a sudden influx in the number of people populating the border city of Sildo—ehem, Cora. Most of the new people appear to be mages, and the advisers are quite worried that they are preparing for another siege. The small town North-east of Cora is highly at risk. Your proposed line of action, sir!"

Hearing this, the Emperor's eyebrows furrowed and he slowly walked towards the nearest window to feel the breeze. Matters such as these were always taken seriously by him, especially now that they didn't have their Marshall anymore. Moreover, the possibility of a siege is likely.

The word about the destruction of Sera City was no secret. The other empires had eyes everywhere and something as huge as that event couldn't possibly be overlooked. Following such a catastrophe was surely a drop in resources. For sure, their fields were devastated, leaving them unable to provide enough food to feed the masses so they could be thinking about plundering some from their neighboring Empire.

Well, just maybe. They couldn't really act too rashly too.

The relationship between the Meredith Empire and the Florentine Empire had never actually been better. This was not because old enemies could never reconcile, but because the "balance" they created is still under observation.

A few years back, Florentine got the land area that they needed to create farms, solving their problem regarding the lack of resources. Food in particular. On the other hand, Meredith discovered a mine rich in minerals and gemstones they could use to trade for more resources too.

But was this really enough?

Now that the population of the two Empires was rapidly growing, it was questionable. When the time came wherein the resources they could provide their people with wouldn't be enough anymore, then another war could spark by then.

"Keep them under lookout," Emperor Meredith said, "and get me someone who could identify who those people really are."

"Yes, Emperor!" the messenger acknowledged before walking away.

Sera City, huh. I wonder how Devon and his son are.

Emperor Meredith sighed as stared at the scythe that adorned the wall of his room. He then proceeded to caress it as he reminisced about the past. Oh, he could still remember that time when he rode into battle with his Marshall right beside him.

Good old days.

The Emperor loved fighting.

But that didn't mean he loved to wage wars. Wars always entail suffering. He wanted to avoid that as much as he could.

Observe them first, that is what he decided. If it came down to it, and the Florentinians were really after their town, then he wouldn't hesitate to protect his own people. No matter how many people he killed.

Because that is what Emperors are supposed to do.

Emperor Meredith's thoughts were immediately interrupted when he heard a soft squeak. He turned to take a look at who the person at the doorstep was. Then, he smiled.

"Dad, what are you smiling about? It's time to tour the city again," a young woman with deep green eyes said, her hand holding the doorknob.

"Oh really? Is it that time of the month again?" the Emperor panicked as he scrambled to look for his clothes.

"Well, you never really look at the calendar anymore," the young woman said, shaking her head. She didn't bother waiting for his father and turned to leave.

"Oi, oi! Wait for me!"

"I'll be waiting by the carriage."

"Alright!"

….

Florentine Empire. Capital city, Lerith.

"Oh, this is good," a man that appeared to be in his fifties said while chewing on a piece of pastry. Two women, twins, stood beside the large, jewel-filled chair he was sitting on.

"We're glad you liked it, Emperor," the two said at the same time. Then, one of them placed a slice of the pastry inside the man's mouth.

Emperor Florentine's eyes were closed as he chewed. He was genuinely enjoying the food that the two prepared for him. After swallowing, he leaned back and slowly opened his eyes, satisfied. "Good, good. As a reward, I'll also have you girls taste something good."

The women started giggling, but their eyes showed little emotion.

"Go to my room. Clean yourselves up and wait for me," the Emperor commanded.

Hearing this, the two bowed, uttering not a single word, then left.

Emperor Florentine smiled as he rubbed his bulging belly. Not bad, he thought. Good food and good girls. His menu today was quite fine.

"Are you free now, Emperor?" an expressionless man wearing fancy clothes said as he approached the throne.

"For the meantime, yes," the Emperor stretched, "what is it, Fellodu?"

"There's another report that came in. It is exactly the same as the previous one," the man named Fellodu answered.

"All dead?" Emperor Florentine inquired.

"Most probably," Fellodu answered.

"Ah, pity. Those men were my favorite," the Emperor commented. Even though their topic was quite dark and a little bit depressing, he didn't seem to care. His eyes wandered far, and he appeared to be thinking about something else. "Fighting against me, they must really have a deathwish."

"My deepest condolences to them, Emperor."

"So Doctor Hugh gave us away?"

"The only explanation we could think of."

The Emperor stood up, his eyes finally focusing on Fellodu for the first time during their conversation. "Then there goes my chess piece. However, I sure hope he's still alive. He could still be useful. After removing a few of his fingers, that is."

"I would be honored to do the job," Fellodu volunteered.

"I'm sure you will."

Bang!

The large door of the hall swung wide open. A man wearing a feathered hat who was carrying a bunch of scrolls rushed in, breathless. "Emperor! Report!"

Confused, both the Emperor and Fellodu cocked an eyebrow at the man.

"Continue," the Emperor said flatly.

"The White Turtle, Klein Arvent, and Sera City's General, Solare Samo, had been spotted in Cora City five hours ago! Here is the letter brought by their fastest messenger bird," the messenger said while holding up a piece of paper smaller than the size of his own palm.

Immediately, Emperor Florentine and Fellodu exchanged knowing looks, though they hid their expressions quite well.

Fellodu stepped down from the platform to receive the piece of paper. He rapidly read its contents before nodding to the Emperor. Then, he gestured at the messenger to dismiss him.

The messenger nodded in response and left. Knowing Fellodu, he didn't question his authority. He silently left, even without the consent of the Emperor.

"Emperor, this makes no sense," Fellodu said in confusion, breaking his emotionless demeanor. He knew full well the indication of that letter. And he knew that the Emperor did too.

When the two were talking about people who died earlier, they were naturally referring to the spies they sent to fish for some information. Both regarding the situation in Sera City, and Mt. Eirene.

When the Emperor said that those spies were his favorite, he wasn't joking. He had really meant it. Because those were the best spies he had. Moreover, only a few people could take them down. The only reason why they considered their deaths a possibility was because Doctor Hugh was in the opposing side's hands. They would've been prepared about the spies, taking away their advantage which is stealth.

But now, a big question mark appeared.

If Brigadier Arvent and General Samo teamed up, it wasn't impossible for them to dispose of the spies.

But they were seen about 5 hours ago in Cora City.

The spies went out of contact 3 hours ago.

Then it wouldn't have been the Brigadier and the General because they wouldn't even be around the perimeter of Sera City by then. It was physically impossible to travel between Cora City and Sera City in just two hours.

The Emperor fumed with anger, "Who is killing my men?!"

His voice echoed throughout the room.

….