Between the borders of the Empire and the Natural Forest lay a Great Prairie.
This territory originally belonged to the Kingdom of Baierston, which shared borders with both regions.
However, after the Kingdom of Baierston failed in its invasion of the Empire and the Natural Forest 100 years ago, this land became shared territory between the Empire and the Elves, serving as a buffer zone.
The zone was narrow; even if the diplomatic mission proceeded at a leisurely pace, it would only take two hours to enter the borders of the Natural Forest.
Who could have imagined that an accident would occur within those two hours?
The Empire’s mission encountered the diplomatic mission from the Alandin Kingdom.
“The Alandin Kingdom sent their second prince, Olivier von Alandin. According to the Empire’s intelligence, he is an even more formidable opponent than his eldest brother.”
The Imperial mission quickly shifted their formation.
Even though the three kingdoms had shown a willingness to submit due to the Empire’s rapid growth in power, the century-long grudges between them were not so easily erased.
Especially in this no-man’s-land, even if the other side really did something, as long as it was handled cleanly, the Empire would have no absolute evidence to prove they were responsible.
Thus, the guard units began to rapidly shift positions.
Warriors stood at the front with mages in the rear.
Arns, acting as the commanding general, stood at the very front to confront the Alandin commander.
Aaron remained deep in the center to prevent any sudden raids on the carriage holding Isabella and Winnidith.
The two diplomatic missions remained locked in a tense standoff.
However, the sword-drawn atmosphere outside did not affect the harmony within the carriage.
Isabella even felt leisurely enough to explain the history of the Alandin Kingdom to Winnidith, who had always been a homebody in the Imperial Capital.
“The Alandin royal family was originally a ducal house of the previous empire, the Saint-Vien Empire. However, when the Saint-Vien royal family all died under mysterious circumstances and the empire faced a full-scale counterattack from the Elves, the Beast Race, and the Demons, the Duke of Alandin did not organize his troops for resistance. Instead, he signed a contract with the Alien Alliance. In exchange for not resisting and supporting the alliance’s invasion of the empire, he secured the right for his own territory to remain undisturbed.”
“At the same time, the Duke of Alandin widely publicized rumors that the empire had fallen and that the only hope for humanity lay in the Alandin territories. This dealt a heavy blow to the public opinion of the crumbling kingdom.”
“He nearly succeeded. When the Saint-Vien Empire was reduced to only its capital, Saint-Vienburg, two-thirds of the empire’s refugees were within their territory.”
“At that time, the Elf King, the Demon King, and the Beast Chief each led their armies to surround Saint-Vienburg. Believing the Saint-Vien Empire was finished, the Duke of Alandin began to establish his own nation. He tore off his mask of feigned kindness and began rounding up refugees for forced labor, constructing massive cities and palaces to satisfy his own extravagant desires.”
“Ultimately, his cruelty sparked resentment among the refugees. These tragic people, who had just lost their homes, began to organize spontaneously, wandering through the lost lands of the Saint-Vien Empire. In the end, only two groups persevered, which later became the Kingdom of Karan and the Kingdom of Baierston.”
“At the same time, something else happened that caught Alandin off guard.”
“Just as the tripartite alliance was about to breach the palace, Helios, the God of Light and the Radiant Sun, performed a miracle. In his mercy, he shared his power with two of the empire’s generals who had been stubbornly holding their ground.”
Winnidith knew the rest of the story, as those who received the divine power of Helios were the ancestors of the Robert and Trenton families.
After repelling the alliance of the three races, they reclaimed two-thirds of the Saint-Vien Empire’s original land and established the Robert Empire.
By absorbing the vast majority of the former empire’s subjects, they leaped to become the strongest power of the human race.
Because of this, the nearly thousand-year grudge between the Robert Empire and the Alandin Kingdom began.
They fought small battles every three years and major ones every five.
While things had been stable in recent years, both sides would certainly trip the other up if given the chance.
“Then, aren’t you worried?”
Winnidith asked curiously.
If the Alandin Kingdom truly went mad, the most endangered person here would undoubtedly be Isabella.
“I’m not worried. A thousand years ago, Robert and Trenton were able to reclaim lost territory while facing the alliance of the three races. Today, we face nothing more than the descendants of a traitor.”
“Wendy, be confident. We are Robert and Trenton. When we stand together, there should be nothing in this world worthy of our fear.”
Isabella smiled as she looked out the window.
The diplomatic mission’s guard unit had long anticipated the possibility of an Alandin ambush.
Therefore, after a brief moment of confusion, the entire guard unit had protected the mission so tightly that no matter how hard the Alandin head knight searched, he could not find a single opening.
“Your Highness, the Robert mission is heavily guarded. If we clash head-on, we will likely suffer.”
The two sides faced off for nearly ten minutes.
Neither was willing to initiate the first strike.
While the Alandin side also had two Grade 8 powerhouses, they had four fewer Grade 7s compared to the Empire.
‘We can’t win…’
Olivier accepted this result with ease.
He pulled back the carriage curtain, a soul-stirring smile gracing his seductive features.
“Uncle Gaius, could you please deliver a message to the Robert mission for me?”
“Say that Olivier, the second prince of Alandin, requests an audience with the Robert royals.”
“Your Highness! This is inappropriate!!”
Gaius roared in anger upon hearing this.
The Alandin Kingdom prided itself on being more qualified to inherit the Saint-Vien Empire’s legitimacy than the Robert Empire.
As a member of the Alandin royalty, how could he bow his head to the Robert royals at such a time!
“Uncle Gaius…”
Olivier sighed faintly.
“The gap between the kingdom and the empire is widening — this is an indisputable fact. If we continue to cling to such pedantic notions, Alandin will eventually be swallowed by the empire.”
“Even so, there is no need for you to take the initiative to request a meeting. We could easily — “
Gaius wasn’t ignorant of the logic, but it was difficult for him to accept abandoning his lifelong convictions so suddenly.
“Moreover, our purpose for entering the Natural Forest this time is not to start a conflict with Robert. If we make the relationship extremely tense now, what will we do if they keep their eyes fixed on us later?”
Seeing Gaius remain silent, Olivier sighed helplessly and moved to step out of the carriage.
“Since you are unwilling to do this, Uncle Gaius, I will have to go myself.”
“That won’t do!”
Gaius hurriedly stopped him.
If a member of the royal family were allowed to bow their head before the Robert family of their own accord, he could throw away his title as one of the Seven Holy Knights.
“But you’re just so unwilling to go, Uncle Gaius ~”
Olivier blinked, spreading his hands in a show of pure innocence.
“Putting everything else aside, it’s a nuisance for us to stay blocked here, isn’t it? As the one in charge of this mission, I have to find a way to resolve this, don’t I?”
Gaius’s face turned a bruised shade of purple.
Just as Olivier began to wonder if his face would explode, he finally exhaled the breath pent up in his chest.
“I’ll go.”
“But Your Highness, as royalty of the Alandin Kingdom, you must keep your identity in mind at all times. You absolutely cannot say things like that during the meeting, do you understand?”
“Of course, I’ll be careful.”
Olivier placed his left hand over his heart and spoke with a smile.
“By the name of Alandin, I swear I shall eradicate the Believers of the Evil God.”
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