In a small principality located in the eastern part of the Empire.

Late at night, when all the subjects were fast asleep, the only sound that echoed was the footfalls of a knight.

‘What on earth is going on?’

The knight, clad in blood-stained armor, Lan.

Hein, a member of the Order of the Golden Wing, couldn’t comprehend what had just happened to him.

The mission assigned to him and four other knights was simple: investigate the inconspicuous principality whose name was even unknown to them.

But what has it come to now?

His comrades were all dead, and he was fleeing for his life.

It had been a straightforward task—just confront the lord directly, pressure him, and search his office. 

How had it come to this?

‘I need to report this to the Commander.’

There was an unidentified master in the Fior Principality.

Though Hein considered himself knowledgeable as a member of the Golden Wing, he had no clue who that master could be.

He needed to report back as quickly as possible...

“Wow, you’re pretty fast on your feet, huh? Not a knight, but a thief instead?”

Huh?

In an instant, his vision flipped.

What he saw was a crimson greatsword and… his own body, bereft of its head.

That was Hein’s last memory.

_______________

In the Gariell Forest, located in the eastern part of the Empire.

Deep within this vast forest, renowned as the largest on the continent, there was a mansion hidden from prying eyes.

“I’m here.”

“Why are you so late?”

As a hulking figure wielding a crimson greatsword entered the mansion, a silver-haired woman spoke irritably.

“Haha, sorry. There were other guests looking for Fior besides me.”

“What? Guests?”

“The Order of the Golden Wing, I think? They came asking questions.”

“The Golden Wing! Why on earth are they here?”

“Well, I have no idea. But don’t worry; I took care of every last one of them.”

Haa...

The silver-haired woman sighed and asked the hulking man, “You made sure they’re really dead, right?”

“Of course, who do you think I am? By the way, waiting here until this hour—were you worried?”

“W-worried? Hurry up and come inside!”

“You’re not being very honest.”

As they walked into the mansion, the hulking figure asked, “What about the ‘King’?”

“He left for the outskirts with Ella . Said something about setting up some groundwork.”

Upon entering the mansion, the sound of a young man’s furious voice echoed through the halls.

“Damn it! Spreading your legs for my father’s enemy? You little wretch!”

“What’s he on about now?”

“Oh, he’s been like this all day.”

“It’s noisy. Can’t we just kill him?”

“Of course not. How many times do I have to say it? The Empire’s nobles put their lives on the line for their honor. Without that brat, the Marquis of Giore wouldn’t have cooperated with us.”

“Tch, still, I can’t stand those guys.”

“Same here. Just bear with it.”

Ignoring the continued shouting, they each headed to their respective rooms.

“Oh, by the way, Bern.”

“What?”

“Someone from the Giore family is coming soon. Since they’re our benefactors, just be careful around them.”

The hulking man named Bern nodded obediently.

On a dark night, Jer Giore, the eldest son of the Marquis of Giore, left the mansion accompanied by a single knight.

Their destination was the mansion located in the Gariell Forest.

Jer Giore was a seasoned expert, and the knight accompanying him was exceptionally skilled, so it didn’t take long for them to reach the forest mansion.

“Are you here?”

At the entrance of the mansion, Bern spotted Jer and called out to him.

“Hm… I distinctly remember saying to send just one person.”

“Shut up.”

Jer brushed off Bern’s comment curtly and entered the mansion.

Though Bern’s expression twisted into a scowl, neither Jer nor his guard paid it any mind.

“Oh, you’ve arrived?”

In the reception room of the mansion, a silver-haired woman greeted Jer.

Without even responding to her greeting, Jer pulled a leather pouch from his coat and tossed it towards her.

“Check it.”

The woman opened the pouch without displaying any signs of displeasure and nodded with a very satisfied expression.

As Jer prepared to leave after finishing his business, the woman called out to him.

“Ah, young lord. I have a question for you.”

“What is it?”

“The Order of the Golden Wing attempted to raid the Fior principality today. It’s unlikely that our side leaked any information, but could it be that…”

“Are you implying that you suspect me?”

“But isn’t it true? Fior is one of us…”

“Then they wouldn’t have conducted their investigation so recklessly.”

“Excuse me?”

“We received an official notice too. They asked for our cooperation in the investigation. The only reason they sent us such a notice is because we’re Giore; they probably conducted investigations across all the nobles of the Empire.”

“What does that mean…?”

“That’s how the royal family operates.”

It was absurd for those who didn’t even understand that to think they could overturn the Empire.

Since Jer hadn’t anticipated such a move from the Empire, the woman had no response to his sarcasm.

“Okay… well, I understand. Now that you’re here, why not go see Lord Zen? He’s a successor from the same marquis family, after all.”

Pfft.

Hearing that, Jer laughed as if he had just heard a hilarious joke.

“Hahaha!”

After a good laugh, Jer composed himself and continued speaking.

“A successor from the same Marquis family? What a laugh. “

“...”

“That fool is an idiot. The late Marquis Lute was quite competent, but he had no luck with his offspring. That brat should be thanking the Demon King. “

“...”

“His line was doomed to fail anyway, and now it looks like it all happened because of the Demon King.”

It was a scathing remark, yet Jer continued without hesitation.

“Since you shared a funny joke, let me repay you with some news. Tomorrow, the royal family will officially announce the rebellion of the Lute family. “

“...”

“They’re confiscating his remaining territory to make it a direct domain of the Emperor. Naturally, his title will be stripped too.”

“Oh my, they’re actually making that announcement? I thought they’d handle it quietly for the sake of their pride.”

“The Emperor is quite pragmatic. You all should be careful. Now that the Emperor is acting this way, the royal masters will likely get involved.”

“Hmph, those pathetic fools.”

Bern boasted that if he stepped in, even the royal masters wouldn’t be a match for him, but Jer merely laughed at Bern’s bravado.

At last, Jer stepped out of the mansion.

The silver-haired woman tried to see him off, but he declined.

As Jer walked through the forest, he turned to his guard and asked,

“Hosil.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Do you think they’ll succeed?”

“Not a chance.”

Though the Giore family supported an enigmatic organization, he didn’t truly believe they would achieve anything.

“Two masters and one sorcerer. Seven imperial nobles and five mercenary groups.

It’s not a small force, but it’s nowhere near enough to challenge the royal family.”

“Is there a possibility they have hidden strength we haven’t detected?”

“Of course, but even if a few more masters joined, it wouldn’t change much.”

“True enough.”

“They only need to divert the royal family’s attention and weaken their forces.”

“The fools from Lute are doing just that. Can you believe they’re trying to approach Duke Triell? Where would you find such idiots again?”

“Very true.”

Their shared laughter echoed through the forest.

_______________

In the royal palace of Daman.

The banquet hall, always filled with festivities, buzzed with activity once again today.

“Hahaha! You are truly a blessing to our Daman!”

At the center of the celebration, the king praised a knight surrounded by several nobles.

The knight introduced himself as Elizan.

“You flatter me, Your Majesty.”

Though he was neither born in Daman nor had a clear history, no one pointed out his murky past.

He was the only master who had expressed his intention to align himself with Daman.

While his strength was modest, his influence was undeniable; the king spared no effort to recruit masters, and Elizan was the first to join.

Moreover, as soon as Elizan pledged his loyalty to Daman, he proved his worth by slaying the long-standing threat of the Hydra, earning the king’s deep favor.

With hopes high that neither Tamiel nor Anon could dismiss Daman any longer, the king and the nobles were buoyed by a sense of pride.

“Your Majesty, did you hear? The Empire has lost four masters in this war, and seven sorcerers have died.”

“And that’s not all; one marquis even attempted a rebellion. The Empire is no longer what it used to be.”

“Hahaha, is that so? The Empire’s situation is quite dire.”

“Indeed. In contrast, our Daman continues to thrive, which surely must be due to Lord Kiriya’s favor upon us!”

Thus, they failed to notice the smirk spreading across Elizan’s lips.