Before the Age of Regression that slowly withered away mankind's glory, humanity had built countless marvels of scientific engineering that would've amazed even those among the living of its era– such was the sheer advancement of humanity, that even amidst a massive war against their magickal invaders, mankind managed to put up a fight that made even the mightiest of the invaders struggle with all their worth.
Today, however, one of those shining examples of the ancient weapons that humanity once had within its grasp had been reborn, an engine of war built for the sole purpose of conquering and spearheading entire armies; a stronghold that could house entire battalions within its gargantuan space, a steel monstrosity whose size far eclipsed that of ordinary cities...
Its greatest feature was the rapid form of mobility it possessed despite its terribly massive size, as the entire stronghold required no ground to stand on due to its ability to freely levitate at any altitude with its anti-grav engines. Not only that, but it also had the capability of transporting itself between the different planes of reality: primarily, the hovering bastion was situated within a pocket dimension resembling the darkness of space lit by the light of false stars, and it also possessed the ability to open gateways into any sector of the real world to facilitate its transportation.
What was the pocket dimension it was currently located at, one may ask?
Simply put, it was an infinitesimally small sector of the Realm of Sleep, a modified, simulated space where things outside its domain could enter and exit through designated gateways, and its sole purpose was to house the impregnable bastion that would serve as the empire's greatest weapon against the enemies that would oppose its might.
Most importantly though, were the ultimate weapons within its structure that were completely at its disposal– at their most minimal outputs, each of them already had the potential to ravage entire, opposing armies and cities to dust, rendering the entire fortress itself a weapon of unparalleled power that could annihilate any opposition made against its presence.
Such was the power of this stronghold that had been built by Thurien, and its only name would be the one that Novus chose to give it...
The Star-Sea Fortress, the all-conquering bastion veiled by the darkness of simulated space.
[...]
He was one of the 2 great heroes of Roztoc, the general who led imperial forces to victory against the vastly superior orkish army that had been ravaging Germanian lands... While Gaeus couldn't help but feel thankful for the commendations he received due to his major efforts, in truth, he was all too aware of the fact that the battle had only been won thanks to the weapons given to them by the imperial princess, as well as the guidance provided to him by that mysterious guardian knight of hers.
High Commander Gaeus, once a humble imperial general, had now been promoted to one of the highest-ranking military officials of the Empire, his position of power surpassed only by the imperial princess and Her Majesty herself: there was only one other person who had been promoted to the same rank as him, and it was that mysterious, ginger-haired royal guard who was always by Her Majesty's side wherever she went...
"... You know, I still find it quite difficult to believe that Her Grace had this entire thing built in the span of a few months."
"Indeed. For such a massive stronghold like this one to be built in such a short time... We only have fate to thank for the fact that they chose to conquer us instead of destroying us completely."
Within one of the Star-Sea Fortress's main assembly rooms, High Commander Gaeus, as well as his newly appointed assistant, General Pontius, were having a brief conversation as they waited for the room to be filled with its required attendance, for the empress had declared a meeting which all the generals and other important officials of the Neugomian Empire had to attend, and their transportation to their brief assembly had been facilitated by winged, metal beasts that Gaeus himself still remained all too bewildered about.
"You have to admit though, Milord... The view from outside the room is quite mesmerising, wouldn't you agree?"
"You and I definitely have different definitions of 'mesmerising'. In my honest opinion, I think it's rather horrifying if one were to end up right there."
There were large, transparent windows upon the walls of the meeting room, thick glass panes that allowed the people of the assembly to see the deep, star-lit darkness surrounding the fortress, and while Pontius found the endless darkness to be quite the beautiful sight, the imperial commander couldn't help but feel slightly uneasy with the endless void that was only being separated by the steel walls and windows of their chamber; after all, one minor failure within the structural integrity of the bastion, and they would all most assuredly perish to the vast, empty coldness that laid outside.
Still however, what bothered Gaeus more was the fact there were still a few more empty chairs that remained vacant, which meant that there were still a few who hadn't managed to arrive on time yet. How slovenly, the imperial commander thought to himself... In the past, such tardiness would usually be punished with terrible measures such as flogging, but due to the important nature of their current occasion, they wouldn't even have enough time to warrant such a punishment.
"Well, in any case, that's incredibly unlikely to happen, Milord. The glass of the windows can endure entire boulders being lobbed at them. They're vastly more durable than the armour we wear." Pontius remarked, his words immediately being doubted by the imperial commander. "By the way, have you heard, Milord? It's not just us who'll be attending this meeting."
Gaeus furrowed his brows as he heard what his assistant told him; what could Pontius have possibly meant when he stated that it wouldn't just be them participating in the assembly?
"... Isn't this supposed to be one of the usual strategy discussions Her Grace usually holds?" Gaeus inquired with a confused look. "I've been busy with those loads of paperwork that've been stacking on my desk, I apologize that I'm not aware if this is actually an important matter."
"Of course, I understand, Milord, your duty is an incredibly heavy one despite its high position, after all." Pontius responded with a hint of understanding. "This meeting isn't the usual sort, you see... According to what I've heard, there'll be delegates from the other countries under our rule who'll be coming to the meeting."
"Ah, I see... Perhaps Her Grace is doing this as a show of strength to our vassals..." Gaeus pondered with a whisper.
"Perhaps so, Milord. Although, I did hear that the empress of the Dynastium will be attending the assembly... Perhaps this meeting is more important than what it appears to be."
The Mizraean Dynastium? Gaeus hadn't heard the name of that nation in ages by now– it was that particularly powerful empire hailing from the Nifaruscan Continent, one of the only few nations that could match the Neugomian Empire's might head-on... Or at least, back during the previous emperor's reign, as the Dynastium's might had been completely subjugated by the empress in the span of a few days, primarily through some unknown methods that even Gaeus and the other imperial officials have remained completely unaware of, even until now.
"Attention! Her Grace, the Royal Empress has arrived! Rise from your seats and greet her arrival in earnest!"
CREAAKKK...
The one they had all been waiting for the most had finally arrived; surrounded by knights in unusual, technological armour, her Imperial Majesty walked into the room as the 2 massive doors of the assembly opened themselves to allow her grand entrance. Alas, even though there was still a noteworthy sum who hadn't attended the meeting yet, the imperial empress had finally arrived much earlier than expected, and of course, she was still being accompanied by that strange, armoured swordsman beside her as she entered the room with her ever-present elegance.
"We welcome your arrival, Your Majesty! May your wondrous reign continue to bring prosperity to our lands!" the imperial officials stood up from their chairs as they spoke in unison.
"Ahahaha, don't you think you're kind of overdoing it? You may all take your seats, I thank you for your warm greetings, my loyal little subordinates." the empress smiled lightly as she waved one of her hands. "My, you're all so punctual as well... Ahh, how wonderful it is to have dutiful lackeys who often take the extra mile."
Rather bravely, one of the soldiers would raise their hands as he spoke up– most of them were aware that their ranks hadn't been entirely punctual at all, as there were still a noteworthy sum of seats that remained completely unoccupied.
"... P-Pardon, Your Majesty, but... There are still some officials who haven't arrived yet. W-We deeply apologise for their tardiness..."
"Hm? Now what could you possibly be say-... Ohh, you mean those empty chairs all-around the room, hm? I think you're all mistaken. You're all complete already, those chairs are meant for other people, you know?"
"... A-Are they perhaps for the delegates of the other nations, Your Majesty?" another one of the imperial officers grew brave enough to ask another question.
The smile remained ever present on the empress' face as she made her reply. "Well, not quite, but close enough. We will indeed be having representatives from the other nations as guests, but we'll also have... Let's say, special people, added to the mix." she continued. "Ah, speaking of those 'special guests', they've finally arrived. You don't have to greet them like how you did with me, alright? I'm planning to have this meeting run short, so I won't allow such time-wasting gestures."
CREAAKKK...
The guests of honor came forth from the assembly's entrance, and they were the kings and queens of the various kingdoms of the Xathran Continent made their way into the room with their personal retinues accompanying them.
The most important of the newly-arrived guests however, were the ones that brought a great deal of surprise to the imperial officials as they witnessed their arrival into the assembly: the infamous Dragon of the West, accompanied by a mysterious, pink-haired woman, the representative saintess of the Holy Polonian Kingdom, as well as the Empress of the Mizraean Dynastium, had all arrived into the room with their small entourage of imperial soldiers who served as their escorts...
These 4 individuals were the guests of honour that Her Imperial Majesty mentioned, and their arrival would be met with a warm welcome from the empress herself.
"You've finally arrived~ I thought you'd be late, but the 4 of you arriving just on time is quite splendid."
"You brought a lot of people, Whitlea. I almost thought that this was going to be some sort of party at first." the pink-haired woman praised as she met the empress' gaze.
"Of course, I did mention that this was going to be something important, right? And don't worry, the princess won't be here today." the empress replied. "She's currently busy mopping up the remnants of those rebels from the magick towers, so you don't have to stress too much about her presence."
"A-Ahaha, well, that is quite relieving to hear, honestly." Thurien sighed with nervous laughter, seemingly in relief due to the fact that Aldyth wouldn't be arriving. "What about your sister though? Won't she be coming here as well?"
"Don't worry about her, she's currently on the way. She just had a bit of an issue on the way, but she'll be here soon."
"Hmm... I have to say, this is all quite too... 'Extravagant' for a short meeting, don't you think? There are so many people here right now, is this meeting really going to ve that important?" the dragoness suddenly mentioned with a casual response, much to the bewilderment of the imperial officials due to her drastically informal tone of voice towards their empress.
Hearing what she said however, Amenophis would reluctantly agree with her despite the differences they had with each other.
"... I do have to agree with her on this one. Does this assembly truly have to be so... Profligate?"
"It has to be. It would be a dull meeting if it wasn't, after all~ Now, please take a seat on the empty front-row chairs over there." the imperial empress answered as she pointed to the remaining empty seats of the assembly. "The meeting's about to begin, so do try to make yourselves comfortable as much as you can~"
The newly arrived guests and their accompanying guards then walked towards their chairs and took their seats, and it would appear that the meeting was finally about to begin; alas though, it would seem that they truly weren't going to wait for Speranza's arrival, as it was most likely going to take a little while longer if they did.
"Alright, since we're already near completion... Let's begin our little meeting, shall we?"
SNAP!
With a snap of the empress' fingers, the environment began to change, as if an illusion was casted upon all their eyes– the air became the starlight-bathed void that lied outside the assembly room, yet strangely, none of the people in the assembly felt the sheer, assaulting cold or the lack of air that they were supposed to have felt. Whether it was an effect of Whitlea's mind-altering power, or a technological feature of the fortress that only a select few could control, still remained completely unclear, though what was more important were the brand-new surroundings that had taken hold of their bewildered senses.
"Please relax and don't panic~ This is merely a simulated environment. It's necessary for what we'll be discussing later." Whitlea calmly assured them all. "Now then, to move to the main topic at hand..."
"I'm sure you're all aware of what happened in the past years, correct?" she continued. "The Empire was defeated and fell into the grasps of me and my associates. I then claimed the role of 'empress', and reformed this nation into the modernised sovereignty it is now..."
"However, as all things exist, so too must they eventually come to an end."
In a shocking turn of events, what the empress did next would cause a vast majority of the imperial audience to gasp in utter surprise: she would remove the royal crown on her head with her own 2 hands, as the ginger-haired bodyguard who had always been beside her suddenly stood forward for everyone to see.
"To tell you the truth, I've been nothing more than a temporary leader, someone who was meant to prepare the empire for its one true ruler." Whitlea declared without an ounce of hesitation. "Now, the time for him to take up the reins has come, and from this point on, I'll be stepping down from my role as the Imperial Majesty."
She walked towards her loyal knight and placed the royal crown onto his hands, making it clear that she was completely serious with her intentions.
"For my last order as the Neugomian Empress, I hereby declare my greatest, most loyal knight, Novus Sturne, as the New Sovereign who will take my place~"
Most of the imperial officials immediately began to panic as they heard her final command...
[...]
How many years has it been since that great humiliation he underwent?
Once, he was the fated successor of the Imperial Throne, the eldest among his siblings who also had the greatest potential as a ruler...
Now, he was nothing more than a dedicated desk-jockey bootlicker who had been spared only because of his usefulness– such was the fate of Prince Triston von Neugomia, who was now merely an administrator of the capital's finances and legislative duties, a far cry from the great destiny he was supposed to have were it not for that usurping demoness and her cohorts.
It was an unbelievable tragedy that he couldn't accept even to this day: what he found even more unbelievable however, was the currently bizarre turn of events that had taken place before his very eyes...
"W-What is the meaning of this, Your Majesty?!"
"F-for Your Grace to declare something like this all of a sudden..."
Indeed, it was a bewildering decision that Triston couldn't even begin to understand the reasonings behind it; he had always known the empress as this indomitable, yet logical woman who performed her role as a ruler terrifyingly well, and for her to give up her prestigious seat of power to a mere, humble guard...
To the likes of Triston, it was like seeing an almighty prodigy fumbling the easiest of problems due to some completely ridiculous reason.
"... I-If I may, Your Grace..." Triston stood up, his voice instantly silencing the ramblings of the others due to his authority. "While we obviously wouldn't dare to defy your orders... May we know the reason why you wish to relinquish your throne to this man?"
"Hmm? Well, I suppose it's understandable why you wouldn't know." the empress answered. "The man who I truly serve... The one who kickstarted all of the plans that led to this empire's subjugation by our hands..."
"It wasn't me who did all of these things, it was him. I only became the empress because he wanted me to take charge of things for a while." Whitlea declared as she placed one of her hands on the warrior's left shoulder. "In fact, he's the missing prince that the empire lost all those years ago... The youngest of the imperial family, the one who some of you wanted to get rid of because of his inaptitude for magick..."
What... It couldn't be... Or so did Triston silently thought to himself– she couldn't be talking about that brat, he had already gotten rid of him all those years ago... Unless...
"The 3rd son of the deceased Emperor Titus... Roland von Neugomia, in the flesh~" Whitlea said as a mocking grin formed on her lips. "I did tell you in the past that there was an irony you weren't aware of... Am I correct, Triston~?"
Impossible, this must be a lie... He was supposed to have been killed by those disposables he sent to deal with him... Unless of course, if there was some third party who meddled with their task, then his survival would definitely have made sense...
Alas though, Triston wouldn't have the time to properly process how his youngest brother even managed to survive in the first place, as the intense emotions of dread and panic began filling up his mind to the brim; was Roland going to seek revenge against him for what he had done? Was this the reason why that woman chose to spare him after all this time?
"... Alright, Whitlea, I think it's my turn to speak to the crowd." the warrior beside Whitlea would finally choose to speak, and everyone within the assembly immediately directed their attention towards him. "Indeed, I am the youngest son of the departed emperor, Titus von Neugomia..."
"I was the magickless disgrace of a third prince who had been betrayed and left for dead by the people I shared my blood with... Most of them, anyway." he announced for everyone to hear. "But now I am the supreme ruler of the Neugomian Empire and all its lands, and I have many things to say as the new ruler of this nation..."
"Before anything else however, let me make a few things clear."
"For my first declaration of the empire, I will impose an old religion that everyone here shall acknowledge." Novus boldly declared. "Christianity, the worship of the God of Abraham and his descendants, the one and only true religion of the empire and its vassals..."
"From now on, this will be the only faith that every nation in this continent shall devote themselves to." he followed up with his declaration. "The worship of other religions will be strictly forbidden, we will not be having our people worshipping false gods who seek only to use us. Secondly..."
"For my second proclamation: I hereby declare the Knights of Polonia to be part of the imperial royal guard." the emperor made another declaration. "The old guard shall be merged with their ranks, and they will form the new retinue who will serve as my most trusted warriors."
Many among the audience immediately wanted to protest, but alas, there was nothing they could do to refuse the declaration of the Neugomian Empire's sovereign– simultaneously however, as the mumblings and whispers of the attendees discussing with themselves kept echoing throughout the room, the newly-crowned emperor would then walk towards the seat of the 1st Prince, making his heart pound in fear as cold sweat poured from the pores of his face.
"Triston, my brother. It's been a long time since we last met, don't you think?" Novus spoke, the icy-tone of his words clearly noticeable.
"... Y-yes, indeed it has..." the First Prince gulped, his thoughts panicking in fear as he remained unsure of what was going to happen next.
"I'm aware of the bad blood between the both of us, and as much as I want to kill you with my own 2 hands... That's all in the past now." Novus calmly spoke, though the cold anger in his voice remained ever-present. "Life is precious, you see. You have an important purpose to fulfill, and I'd rather keep you alive than kill you for the sake of pointless vengeance, no... Not when we all have an important mission to fulfill..."
"... A mission? W-What are you talking about, exactly?" Triston emboldened himself enough to ask.
SNAP!
Reality had been warped again, providing their senses with countless new sceneries for their eyes to see, though this time, the illusions would come in the form of an ancient era that had existed hundreds of years before even the empire's birth.
Towering cities of steel that reached the very skies... Technological luxuries that have never before been seen in the current age of Xathra...
It was the Age of Modernity that mankind had once been in, an era of prosperity that was ruined by the terrible war that came not long after its very peak; for most of the imperial officials however, these dreams of the past were not something they could even begin to understand at first.
"Long ago, before the filth of magick came to these lands, humanity lived in an era of wondrous, scientific advancements..." the warrior began telling an ancient tale for everyone in the room to hear and see. "The toils of hunger, poverty, and disease had been stripped away from their cities, and their advanced sciences even allowed them to explore other worlds that lay far beyond our own."
Once more, the illusions of the past would shift again, revealing the same, ancient cities of old they had already seen, though this time, they were all being ravaged and set ablaze by the fires of war– from the skies soared the massive, scaled bodies of draconic beasts, as the land drowned in ash and blood from all the pitiless carnage being brought.
"However, a war came to this planet, a fateful battle that our ancestors eventually won, but would ultimately strip us of the paradise our predecessors once took for granted." he continued to speak, though the warrior seemed lamentful as he mentioned these words. "Their advanced societies collapsed into dust, and their vast archives of knowledge were lost to time, leading to a tragic regression that led to the primitive era we are currently in."
Another shift in reality transpired, and the horrible truth of the primaeval force they called 'magick' was finally revealed: its origin as their horrid weapon used by humanity's enemies during the war, an eldritch energy that ravaged the lives of billions of souls, an abomination that remained prevalent in the world for all to use according to their desires.
"Before our ancestors defeated their monstrous foes however, their enemies left a poison upon the earth." the warrior continued on with his speech. "Magick, the arcane. It was never meant to exist in this world. It forces us to rely on its energies, when in reality, it seeks only to ruin us through stagnation..."
The illusions would temporarily be dispelled, restoring the meeting room to its natural state; it was clear, however, that everyone within the room, even Triston himself, had become silently interested in the warrior's speech, as all their eyes were currently focused on him alone.
"And that is why, ladies and gentlemen... I have a dream, one that I wish to fulfill no matter what it takes." the man proclaimed as he clenched his fist and raised it into the air. "More than a thousand years have passed since the golden age I've mentioned, and even now, we're still nothing more than barbarians unable to use the advanced sciences we once had the luxury of understanding."
A final shift in the environment's properties occurred, and the changes would show the very same paradise they saw just a few moments ago: towering, sprawling cities of steel, and the bustling, peaceful crowds of the people of the current era thriving without any fear or worry for the burdens that once plagued the primitive societies of the present day...
"I aim to change that, my friends. As of now, thanks to our efforts, we've already managed to modernize a vast majority of Xathra's nations. However, this won't be enough at all." he spoke once more, the passion in his voice gradually becoming clear as day. "For my third proclamation as the new sovereign of the empire..."
The illusions finally ceased to be, and no more would come after the last one that came... The effective combination of Novus' speech and the impressive theatrics had successfully earned everyone's undivided attention, and Novus wouldn't hesitate in utilising this opportunity to the fullest.
"Join me, assist me in accomplishing this dream. Through my reign, I shall make sure that none of us will forever have to live in the shadows of our past glory." the warrior spoke loudly. "We will put every nation of the world under our rule and lift ourselves up to a paradise like our ancestors once enjoyed, and we will never have to rely on the filth of magick ever again."
As Novus finished his short speech, a temporarily silence ensued among the assembly, with a small number of them, including Triston, still processing the lengthy tale he had just explained to them– just a few moments ago, the empress had conceded her imperial power, and now this man was talking about some ambitiously tall dream he wanted to fulfill...
CLAP... CLAP... CLAP... CLAP... CLAP...
"An excellent speech, dear. If you have nothing else to say though, let me speak my own piece in response." as if to break the quiet stillness, Whitlea herself would speak first as she slowly clapped her hands. "I strongly agree with the dream you wish to fulfill, and so I, Whitlea, the previous empress of the Neugomian Empire, will gladly assist you in your cause. No strings attached, of course~"
Simultaneously, a myriad of other voices followed up to give their response, and it seemed that most of them were simply waiting for someone to make the first answer.
"... You know, before our fateful encounter back then, I definitely would've considered what you said today as mere nonsense." out of nowhere, the Dynastium Empress would speak reverently as she stood up from her seat. "I did used to be a rather talented mage, after all... But now, my perspectives have changed rather drastically."
With her right hand, the Mizraean Empress would lightly tap the silver staff she held onto the floor; it was no longer the golden tool riddled with runic magicks however, as it was now a sleek, tool of metal with cyan, emanating lights, a weapon of power that functioned purely with the help of technological prowess instead of paltry magicks.
[Synchronization with Quantum Lattice Core... 100% Complete: Initiating User's Interface Command...]
The Chrono-Lattice Staff, a weapon made by Thurien to replace the magick staff the empress once had; it was an impressive tool of science that contained a stabilized tachyon crystal, which projected a local temporal lattice within the surrounding folds of reality– within that lattice, time itself could be paused or reversed for up to three hours before paradox buildup would start to destabilise the core...
The staff itself was still rather weak compared to the peak of her abilities she obtained from that blasted dragon, but even still, it was far more powerful than the golden stave of filthy magick that she used to wield so proudly.
"In fact, let me make a demonstration."
The Mizraean Empress then let go off her staff, its metal body suspending motionless in the air in defiance of gravity; she then drew an ornate dagger from her golden belt all of a sudden, and she would use it to hastily lop off her left hand with one single stroke. The imperial audience would expectedly begin to panic after seeing this, though in truth, the reason she had done this was actually quite simple.
SLASH!
"W-what the hell is she doing?!"
"Has she gone mad?!"
[Chronovial Restoration.]
The cyan lights of her new stave became green, and simultaneously, a phenomenon would occur before their very eyes, one that needed not the likes of magick for it to transpire– time rewound and patched itself up, and her missing hand instantly grew back as if it hadn't even been sliced off at all...
"I used to believe that magick was the only way for every nation to prosper, but now, I no longer believe that this should be the case." Amenophis uttered loudly as she raised the staff into the air. "What the Neugomian Emperor says to you all is true: magick is an abomination that must be eradicated from this world. Our race used to be capable of things greater than what magick can achieve, and I believe it's time to reclaim the glory we have lost. As such..."
The Mizraean Empress then turned to face towards Novus as she made a light bow.
"Your dream may be tall and rather difficult to fulfill, but... In the end, I believe you'll be able to achieve it. You've already proven your strength to me, anyway." Amenophis continued. "I, the empress of the Mizraean Dynastium, Neferet Amenophis, give my word that we will assist your cause in any way we can."
The imperial officers remained silent, though it was apparent that they were shocked with what they had seen– for the Mizraean Empress, who was usually such an incredibly haughty, prideful woman, to be showing such respect to this man, it was something they couldn't have even anticipated.
Soon enough however, a myriad of other, important figures would follow after Amenophis, and their voices of agreement would only further drive Triston into a state of confusion: just what had happened after all those years? How did his brother survive, and how did he manage to earn the recognition of all these important people?
"Likewise, I, the holy saintess and overall representative of the Polonian Kingdom, Adelaide von Strauss, promise our nation's allegiance to your ambitions." Adelaide stated with a smile as she too would stand up from her seat. "We only wish for you to reign as beautifully as your predecessor, though, knowing you... I'm sure you'll far exceed our expectations~"
"... I think I don't need to be formal with you too much, don't I, dear? I'd rather just get straight to the point." Anastasia spoke next as she suddenly hung her left hand over Thurien's shoulder. "The 2 of us will gladly provide you help~ Just don't expect us both to kneel before you, or any of those unnecessary formalities."
"I agree with my dear friend, Nov-, ah, I mean, 'Your Majesty', ahaha..." Thurien followed up. "I'd prefer if you don't send me in the frontlines though. Just give me the task of building all the things you'll need instead, like always~"
As the others of the assembly witnessed the most important individuals offering their wholehearted support, it wouldn't take long for even the foreign delegates to swear their allegiances to the new emperor's great ambition.
"We of the Republic of Germania swear our allegiance to the Empire's new emperor!"
"The Franco-Saxoni Union also promises our support to the empire's cause!"
"We too, of the Kingdom of Gresia, swear our wholehearted support!"
"The people of the Vlachian Commonwealth also pledge our fealty to the emperor's venture!"
All of these important people were swearing their allegiances to his brother's dreams of lunacy... To subjugate every nation of this world, and to bring all of them up into a paradise like never before?
Normally, Triston would have scoffed at the mere mention of such ridiculousness, for it was a dream too tall and ambitious, even for a prideful man such as himself; however, after seeing all the powerful, prestigious individuals willingly offering their support to his impossible ambition, the First Prince was gradually beginning to think that his brother's dream could indeed actually be achieved...
"... As for the people of the Neugomian Empire, both men and women, young and old alike..." Triston spoke slowly as he chose to swallow his pride. "It would be impudent if we were to refuse offering our support to our emperor's desires..."
"As such, please do not fear, I speak for all of those within this room with imperial blood flowing in their veins..." the First Prince would, without warning, kneel before his coronated brother with slight hesitation. "We swear our undying loyalty to our new sovereign. May your reign last for as long as fate allows it to, Your Grace."
And so it was, did everyone in the assembly willingly swear allegiance to the newly coronated monarch– both the empire and the world itself were about to undergo an important transition that would significantly change everything forever...
However, before anything else, one more important thing would take place, right after the First Prince had just finished speaking...
CREAAKKK...
"... Ahem. I apologise for the late arrival, sister, the transportation met a few difficulties, you see, though I did manage to find the important person you sent me to retrieve."
The door to the assembly opened once more, and from it came Speranza and a man from the east who would prove vital to their plans: the Divine Historian, an elderly, yet important figure of the Eastern Empire, a powerful nation which served as one of the most significant obstacles to Novus' ultimate goal.
"Excellent, Speranza, you did well, as expected~" Whitlea would greet her sister as she strode elegantly towards her. "I'll treat you to a reward later, thank you for seeing through to my request."
"Hm, I appreciate your thankfulness, but... Ah~ Is the master finally earning the coronation he rightfully deserves? Ahaha, now I feel a bit bad for arriving late." Speranza replied while chuckling. "I'll assume the others here have already paid their respects and sworn their fealties, so I'll do so as well."
The white-haired maid moved her hands to the fabrics of her skirt, as she would then make a small, polite curtsy before the man she considered as her 'master'.
"Your humble servant, Speranza, promises her undying loyalty to the true emperor of the Neugomian Empire." Speranza spoke, her voice shifting into an incredibly formal tone. "Like always, I will never disobey whatever order you give me... Even if it means having to smack my theatrical sister over there on the head~"
"... Ahaha~ Aren't you just as theatrical as me though? You silly litt-"
"Enough of this, you two." Novus butted into their banter, silencing both of them instantly as he then redirected his words to their confused audience. "To everyone in the assembly, the man who's just arrived with one of my people is an important figure for the next step of our plans..."
"There are several powerful nations situated within the lands of the east." Novus continued. "This man originated from their lands, and today he'll provide us the information we will need for the sake of our conquest."
"Y-you... You couldn't possibly be thinking of...?" Triston muttered, loud enough for his brother to hear.
"Indeed, what you're thinking of is exactly that. For my fourth declaration as the new emperor..." Novus answered. "We shall conquer each and every one of these nations, not just the Eastern Empire, but every single one of them as well."
"But first, we'll begin with the first hurdle that stands between us and the east... The nation called the 'Zhao Clan'... Have any of you heard its name before?"