“I pay my respects to His Majesty, the Great Emperor of Eregron.”

Rayleigh, who had come to the audience chamber with the Marquis, politely bowed her head following her father who was greeting respectfully.

The Crown Prince, not hiding his sharp gaze towards Duke Diaz; Duke Diaz, ignoring the Crown Prince and looking at the Emperor; and the Emperor, lost in thought as he watched the two of them.

Rayleigh, who had raised her head after bowing with her father, felt her curiosity towards Alicia grow stronger in the atmosphere that seemed like something big was about to explode.

‘It’s definitely an issue involving the Princess. Otherwise, this combination and atmosphere wouldn’t make sense.’

Rayleigh, who was contemplating whether to casually drop some information about Alicia while pretending not to know, soon shook her head and suppressed her curiosity.

There’s a time and place for satisfying one’s curiosity.

If it were any other issue, it might have been different, but Rayleigh knew very well that curiosity about Alicia was absolutely not to be brought up in this place and time.

“This year, we get to see Duke Diaz’s face earlier than usual.”

“It must not be good news for Marquis Anderson.”

“Should I thank you for acknowledging that?”

At Killian’s stiff reply, the Marquis smiled slightly, and Rayleigh shook her head.

Although the voices of the two exchanging greetings were calm, their gazes towards each other were so fierce that even a stranger could tell their relationship wasn’t particularly good.

‘I don’t want to feel the arrival of spring in this kind of situation…’

Rayleigh, watching the two from behind, swallowed a sigh.

It was the annual spring tension between the two.

Moreover, this year it came earlier due to Killian’s hastened return.

Knowing that the relationship between the two was bad, or more precisely, that the Marquis despised Killian, Rayleigh prayed that today’s official meeting would not be prolonged.

There was only one reason why the Marquis disliked Killian.

It was because he had unhesitatingly shed his brothers’ blood to claim the name of Duke Diaz.

For the Marquis, who valued family above all else in the world, it was understandable that he disliked Killian, whose actions were completely opposite to his own values.

However, unlike the Marquis, Rayleigh found Killian to be quite an interesting figure.

Born as an illegitimate child through a maid’s womb, he became a bastard son in the Diaz ducal family’s lineage in exchange for his mother’s death. Unable to overcome his innate blood, he was driven to the land of magical beasts before he could even come of age.

As if mocking the rumors that he would soon die, he survived and became the de facto master of the northern border, using that power to even swallow up the Diaz ducal family.

Honestly, it was the imperial family and the Anderson marquis family that had an unusual love for family; the bloody power struggles in the Diaz ducal family were not uncommon in noble society.

Even by imperial law, while strictly prohibiting outside forces from interfering in the affairs of other noble families, there was no holding family members accountable for events that occurred within the family.

Of course, if the family’s affairs were harmful to the empire, it would be a different story…

‘At least not the Diaz ducal family.’

Rayleigh shook her head, recalling the Diaz ducal family that had become much stronger after Killian inherited the title.

‘Even while being punished, their power isn’t breaking but growing stronger.’

That was precisely why the Marquis, who disliked nobles who didn’t hesitate to shed family blood, particularly despised Killian more than others.

The fact that the Diaz ducal family’s power was growing stronger.

The ducal family was currently under ‘punishment’ from the Emperor.

Normally in such cases, the family’s momentum would be broken, but the Diaz ducal family was different.

Internally, they united even more strongly, and externally, they didn’t hesitate to show their strength.

It was natural for the Marquis, who claimed to be the Emperor’s right hand, to be wary of him beyond personal aversion.

‘For the same reason, it seems Crown Prince Adrian also dislikes Duke Diaz… but I’m not sure if His Majesty feels the same way.’

While the Craig imperial family boasted of unusual family love as much as the marquis family, the Emperor, who was both a loving father and a cold monarch, neither oppressed nor favored Killian using his affection for his daughter as an excuse.

As an emperor who fairly and coldly assessed situations and divided merits and faults, he was respected by all, but… what were his true feelings?

Rayleigh shook her head as she alternately looked at Adrian, who was sharpening his blade towards Killian along with the Marquis, Killian ignoring the two, and the Emperor watching the three with an inscrutable gaze.

Whatever was inside, it was time to stop the wasteful nerve war and talk about why they had gathered here today.

“It seems everyone has exchanged greetings well.”

The Emperor seemed to have had the same thought as Rayleigh.

As the Emperor, who had been silent until now, opened his mouth, the atmosphere of those who had been sharpening their blades towards each other naturally settled.

It was a single word that couldn’t even reveal a fragment of the Emperor’s power, but paradoxically, it was a word that could best reveal the power the Emperor possessed.

As proof, even Killian, who had been ignoring the Marquis and the Crown Prince with a consistently arrogant expression, turned his head and politely assumed a ‘listening posture’.

“Have you read Duke Diaz’s report?”

“Yes. If it’s true, it’s a big problem.”

“‘If’ is not a word to be used in this situation. It’s something I and my subordinates have confirmed directly.”

“It’s something that has never happened even once since the realms of humans and magical beasts were clearly divided.”

“I’m not sure where the confidence comes from that something that has never happened before will not happen in the future.”

Although Anderson Marquis and Killian were speaking while looking at the Emperor, in reality, their words were directed at each other.

Seeing the two maintaining just enough distance not to immediately stab each other despite their sharp words being aimed at each other, the Emperor rested his arm on the armrest of his chair and slowly tapped his temple with his finger.

“A new form of magical beast…”

“They are much more cunning and cruel creatures. Unlike the existing ones, we’ve also observed them moving ‘strategically’.”

“Any differences in appearance?”

“It’s hard to find differences from the front, but they can be distinguished by the black crystals protruding from their backs.”

“Black crystals… Did they appear along with the new magical beasts?”

“Yes.”

At Killian’s signal, an attendant stood before the Emperor with a wooden box that had been handed over in advance.

“We haven’t yet confirmed the connection between the new magical beasts and the black crystals. We don’t know which came first and which followed, but it’s certain that it’s related to the changes occurring in the land of magical beasts.”

The Emperor, who had opened the lid of the wooden box and checked inside, called Adrian to his side.

Adrian, who had nodded to the Emperor and confirmed the black crystals inside the box with his own eyes, opened his mouth towards Killian, who was looking at the Emperor with an expressionless face.

“That can’t be the only characteristic, right?”

“…No.”

At Killian’s answer, the faces of those present in the audience chamber darkened.

“Magical beasts that speak human language…”

Rayleigh muttered softly, recalling the last line of the report copy Killian had submitted.

The emergence of magical beasts that could simply speak human language would be enough to turn things upside down, but the fact that the ‘words’ the magical beast uttered were the name of the empire’s princess, Alicia…

“How do the magical beasts know the princess’s name?”

“Could it be that some subversive group is trying to shake the empire using magical beasts?”

“Magical beasts cannot be tamed to fit human purposes.”

The Emperor, who shook his head in response to Adrian’s words, turned his gaze towards Killian.

“Duke Diaz. Let me ask you one thing.”

“Yes, please speak.”

“Can the magical beasts… leave the northern lands?”

“It’s impossible.”

It was a resolute answer to a hesitantly asked question.

“Magical beasts can never cross the Gryphon Fortress.”

“If they do cross…”

“It’s an impossible thing, but even if they do cross, they will be dealt with before leaving Binion.”

Binion was the Diaz ducal territory adjacent to the Gryphon Fortress, and the people who had lived in that land for a long time knew to some extent how to deal with magical beasts.

Although their method was merely to flee safely and buy time, if they could do that properly, it would be sufficient for the wolves of Diaz to quickly arrive and deal with the magical beasts.

The Marquis, who personally disliked Killian but firmly acknowledged his abilities, nodded at his words and opened his mouth.

“A new form of magical beast… I’ll call them variants for short. No matter how fierce and clever these variants are, they won’t be able to cross the Gryphon Fortress.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Your Majesty, who knows this fact better than anyone… may I ask why you’re asking such a question?”

“…As the Prime Minister of Eregron and the Commander-in-Chief guarding the land of magical beasts, it wouldn’t hurt for you to know in advance.”

At the Emperor’s gesture, the head attendant bowed and presented two letters with broken seals to Killian and the Marquis.

“These are letters from Duke Fraser of the South and Duke MacLeod of the East. They arrived yesterday. Check them.”

The faces of the two, who had each taken a letter presented by the head attendant and confirmed its contents, contorted with surprise and bewilderment.

“What are the contents?”

Adrian, who knew that urgent news had flown in from the south and east but didn’t know the contents, asked.

He had wanted to ask earlier but couldn’t bring himself to do so as the Emperor’s expression became serious while reading the letters, thinking he would find out when the time came.

“Magical beasts have appeared.”

“What?”

“In human lands, not the land of magical beasts, simultaneously in the south and east of Eregron.”

A cold air that seemed like winter might return at any moment settled inside the audience chamber.

Towards those looking at him with stiff faces, unsure of how to respond, the Emperor spoke once again, as if to confirm that his words just now were not a lie.

“Magical beasts are calling my daughter’s name in places that are not their lands.”