Chapter 814

Chapter 814: The Southern Region of the Empire

“Leaving already?” Bumansa watched Ye Ling and Lolan Hill at the edge of the town.

“Mm, I need to head back for a while.”

Lolan Hill nodded. Today, she wore a white and blue dress, complemented by her transformed golden hair, resembling a chrysanthemum in the morning dew, exuding a sense of purity and beauty.

“Come again next time,” Bumansa waved, bidding them farewell.

“I will return, and I’ll miss Bumansa’s sisterly cookies,” Ye Ling also nodded.

“Goodbye~”

“Goodbye.”

Afterward, Lolan Hill and Ye Ling boarded a carriage to leave, bidding farewell to Bumansa.

Standing at the edge of the golden fields, Bumansa watched the carriage slowly depart.

It might be several years before they meet again, she thought, then turned to go back.

Today, she would make delicious bread for everyone.

At the same time, in the southern region of the Empire,

the red flags with gold edges fluttered in the wind. The hussars, dressed in parallel tasseled jackets, rode their horses across the wilderness. They held long, sharp sabers and carried short rifles on their sides. After breaking through the front lines, these hussars charged like fierce lions, forming a dense formation to massacre the enemy.

This continued until the black-red dragon flag was finally cut down, picked up by the valiant cavalry and brought back to the center of the formation.

Edren rode his horse and gazed ahead. The current regent of the empire wore deep red military attire adorned with intricate golden embroidery on his chest and shoulders.

Since the empire’s defeat, unrest had not subsided but instead led to several rebellions. Now, Edren was fighting against the former vassals and army of the Basca family.

As the instigators of the war, the Basca family contributed the most during the empire’s expedition, seizing land and wealth. However, they suffered the greatest losses after the defeat.

When the previous Duke Basca died in battle, he did not designate an heir. Later, dissatisfied with the terms of surrender, the descendants of the Basca family rebelled, declaring themselves the true successors of the Red Dragon Duke and seeking independence for the south from the empire.

They were unwilling to pay the price for the empire’s failure, believing the royal family’s incompetence led to defeat rather than the need for the Basca family to cede large tracts of land and wealth as war reparations. Unfortunately, the Red Dragon Duke lost most of his elite forces during the expedition, and he himself perished on the battlefield. His successor could not persuade others to support him in the imperial assembly, ultimately leaving the Basca family as the biggest losers of this campaign.

But was the imperial family any better off? Perhaps not.

The sudden death of the emperor and the empire’s defeat and surrender greatly diminished the royal family’s prestige. The loss of many elite legions further weakened the royal family.

Thus, the regent sought reforms.

Ge, at the beginning of the year, started recruiting soldiers who had survived or retired from distant expeditions to form a new army equipped with muskets.

These cavalrymen, riding on horses and wielding muskets and sabers, quickly absorbed the experiences of their past enemies, employing entirely new tactics, and began suppressing the rebellion in the southern part of the Empire under the coordination of cannons.

“Your Highness, the enemy has been defeated by our forces.”

A mounted officer came galloping from the front and reported to Edelen when he reached his side.

“Very good. Which lineage of the Red Dragon was it? Have you found out?”

“It has been confirmed. The leader of the enemy is Bude, the nephew of the former Duke Basca.”

“Is it Cousin Bude then.” Edelen sighed briefly but felt no sadness.

The Basca family was already a branch of the royal family, with many intermarriages between them. Such blood relations were common among the upper echelons of the Empire.

Seeing that Edelen did not say anything more after his initial remark, the officer hesitated and asked again.

“Your Highness, how should we deal with him? Although he is an enemy, he is still a descendant of the High Nobility, and we officers find it difficult to make a decision.”

“Give him a dignified end.”

“Yes.” The officer then returned to the front.

It would be the most convenient way to let such a descendant of the High Nobility die in battle. If dragged into the internal nobility meetings for trial, it would bring countless complications.

Now that the southern part of the Empire was already half-ruined, it would be better to take over the remaining half of the Basca family instead of struggling to protect them. Restoring the strength of the royal family was more important. Their territories were originally split off from the royal family in the past, so taking them back now was just a matter of reclaiming what was once theirs.

After the battle, thousands of lancers gathered. Amidst this group of golden-red cavalry, Edelen returned to the encampment.

Stepping into the spacious tent, he took off his slightly uncomfortable coat and hung it aside, then waved for the Royal Guard beside him to stand guard outside the tent.

Sitting on a loose sofa, he leaned his head back against the chair, rubbing his tired forehead. After a while, he sat up again and poured himself a cup of tea.

“Rock, are you here?” he said to the empty air inside the tent.

“I am here,” a transparent figure appeared, revealing a man leaning against a pillar. He wore tight-fitting night clothes, only showing his black eyes.

“Sigh, it’s good you’re here,” Edelen said, relieved.

Since his twin brother was assassinated, the Regent was not as calm as he appeared. He often worried about the assassinations coming from the shadows.

“Now, have you found out who the murderer of the Emperor is?” He invited Rock closer and poured him a cup of tea as well.

Although there was a significant difference in their statuses, the Regent did not underestimate this friend. They met when Edelen was studying in Emanas over ten years ago, and they had long become close friends who could talk about anything.

“This is not a difficult task. I think the other dukes have also obtained similar information,” Rock said.

There was someone in the past, still leaning against the pillar, answering.

“The ones who acted were the former Shadow Moon of the Empire, which was once an intelligence and assassination organization under the emperor’s command.”

“Weren’t they all thoroughly eliminated by my elder brother?” Edren sipped his tea, frowning slightly.

“Indeed, they were eliminated, but as an intelligence organization that has been passed down for hundreds of years, there are always some hidden cards,” Rock shook his head.

“Many of them still remain loyal to the late Crown Prince Ansel’s line, believing that they are the true successors of the Empire.”

“But both Ansel brothers are already dead.”

Edren put down his teacup, closing his eyes in contemplation. He had directly participated in that coup d’état back then, so he naturally knew that the Crown Princes had been confirmed to be killed and had left no descendants.

“Hold on.” He suddenly remembered something.

The预定的白皇后, Florasia, had never reappeared before the public.

“If she is still alive, if she carried Ansel’s bloodline back then.” He suddenly had a very unsettling conjecture.

If all this were true, after so many years, that child would be nearly grown up. Moreover, this child also has the bloodline of the Landsworth Family, and thus would inherently gain support from the Eastern Unicorn Duchy, and perhaps even the reclusive Forest Elves might come forward in support.

“We can’t afford to wait any longer!”

Edren immediately stood up, took off his coat, and walked out of the tent. He must quickly quell the unrest in the South and return to the Imperial Capital. If it’s not too late, that is.

Previously, he had been hesitant about how to face the current Red Queen, Lily Aisote and her son—whether to support the young son’s ascension or take their place.

Now thinking about it, he feared that preserving this mother and child was the only way to truly secure himself. The coup he and Edman staged back then had already left a hidden danger; if further changes occurred, even the last vestiges of royal authority would be lost, and the Empire could fragment at any moment.

Watching Edren disappear into the distance, Rock retreated back into the shadows once more. Although he helped Edren gather intelligence, it did not mean he was subservient to the Regent.

In fact, after continuously encountering the true situations from various parties, this young man who once aspired to be a hero had developed many of his own thoughts and ideas.

How should he act to change this corrupt nation?

Once, he believed that selecting a wise king from top to bottom with his sword was the answer. However, as he increasingly understood the workings of imperial power, he began to gradually lose faith in his previous ideas.

If a king were truly selfless and just, he might die faster in the power struggle.

Kings do not understand people, because the entire foundation of the Empire is built on bloodlines and interests. Without providing benefits to those around him, noble morals alone would cause them to turn away.

From the beginning, they came for personal gain, never for lofty ideals. In such an environment, even the wisest and most just monarch could change little.

(The End of Chapter)