The walls of the grand hall gleamed with immense technology—bluish crystals pulsing with cold light that illuminated the grave faces gathered within. The room filled slowly, but these were no ordinary attendees. Quite the opposite: here stood the royalty of the Boreas Empire.
Emperor Tas Richtofer Boreas—known as the Steel Emperor—sat enthroned at the center. To his right was the crown prince, Tas Adrien Boreas. Surrounding them were the four Dukes of Winter: Duke of the North Arjdin Voréal, Duke of the East Tamis Surge, Duke of the West Thomas Winde, and Duke of the South Drake Zins. With them stood the Emperor's chief tactician Arald Vincest and Lord Alain, captain of the knights—famous for once holding his own against Unit Zero in a live training duel.
These powerful figures had assembled to discuss recent events.
Arald was the first to speak, his voice echoing in the taut silence.
"Thank you all for coming. I apologize in advance to the four Dukes for so many secrets, but it was necessary. Now that the operation is complete, we can bring you into confidence. Ahem… As you know, we have discovered a hidden race that has remained concealed for years—the first such discovery since the dragonfolk. We took the opportunity to send Unit Zero and Unit 001, Eishen, to exterminate them all."
Duke Thomas raised a hand calmly.
"I would like to know why we killed them… They could have served my biotechnology program. Live subjects are far more interesting."
Arald took the floor again.
"It's simple. According to our intelligence, that village held maps indicating the positions of all the hidden elven settlements. The Emperor wished to test their combat power and assess the risks of attempting live capture. We learned two things: their mastery of magic far surpasses that of humans, and secondly… heh, against Unit Zero, they were laughably weak."
Duke Surge responded in an arrogant drawl.
"I see, I see… But in the end, our human soldiers are fragile against magic, and basic robots have limited defenses. Zero cannot be everywhere, and we only have five of these truly powerful units… Ah, but yes, haha! One of them has completely betrayed the Empire. Pff, I'd be ashamed in your place, Duke Voréal… Though I suppose it's not surprising, coming from that woman."
Arjdin's hand twitched toward his weapon—he knew exactly who was being insulted—but the Emperor stamped his foot once. The room fell deathly silent. Slowly, Arjdin holstered his blade and spoke.
"We recently discovered that the adaptive and self-improving mechanism installed by my late wife was, in fact, an emotion simulation system. If we remove it, the units lose all capacity for growth and battlefield evolution. So it is not a virus—it is an integral part of their core architecture. If Eishen acted this way, it is because she treated him as her own child. I apologize for failing to notice it at the time, but rest assured: only Eishen possesses emotion modules of such strength. The others will never betray the Empire."
The Emperor smiled calmly.
"It's fine. My little sister always did things her own way. It created endless tension with our father, the former Emperor, but what's done is done. We will capture Eishen another time. The real problem now is the little girl he took with him. Our informant wants her alive and captured."
After a heavy silence, Duke Zins spoke.
"That's what has troubled me for some time, Your Majesty. But who is this informant? I have controlled intelligence for years, and the elves were a complete surprise to me."
The Emperor clapped his hands once. The great doors opened smoothly. A young woman who appeared to be in her mid-teens stepped forward and lowered her hood. Long pointed ears, crimson eyes, silver hair. The Emperor rose and stood beside her.
"Allow me to introduce Larra—an elf who has betrayed her own people and sworn absolute loyalty to the Boreas Empire. Thanks to her, I now know the precise locations of every hidden elven enclave. In exchange, she has asked only one thing: that we capture her younger sister alive."
Larra stepped forward with eerie calm.
"I have no hesitation in betraying the elves. They murdered my father and mother because of the color of our hair, accusing us of evil deeds. Then they banished me and ostracized my sister. It is true that our bloodline descends from an ancient evil elven mage, but my family never asked for that curse. I will kill, betray, and serve the Empire with fervor. All I ask is to recover my sister—and in return, you will gain two exceptionally powerful elven mages."
No one contradicted the Emperor's decision. He clearly favored the girl. Agreement hung in the air—except from one man. Duke Arjdin rose.
"Very well. But to prove her loyalty to the Empire, I believe she should hunt her sister herself."
The Emperor fixed Arjdin with an icy stare.
"I understand, Your Majesty, that this woman has already shown great devotion. But I would like to see more. It will help the people trust her. And I will not send her alone… She will accompany Zero as soon as his current sweep of the forest concludes. Capturing both Eishen and the girl at the same time would be ideal—I am one hundred percent certain they are still together."
The Emperor opened his mouth to reply, but Larra stepped forward first.
"Very well. I will do it. After all, she is my little sister… I am surely the best person to retrieve her."
Laughter rippled through the room. The crown prince stood.
"Interesting, Father. I will accompany them as well. My fencing master says I need real experience before I ascend the throne… and I must admit, the rogue robot belonging to my dear aunt intrigues me greatly."
The Emperor rubbed his forehead—his son had always done exactly as he pleased.
"Fine. Then, once Zero completes his mission, you will depart to hunt the two targets. I assign this operation to Zero, Larra, Adrien, Lord Alain (who will protect Adrien), and a mixed force of robot and human soldiers. Prepare yourselves—because with any luck, your next destination will be…"
"The City of the Alliance?" Liora stared up at Eishen with enormous eyes. They sat together in the back of a merchant caravan that had taken them in.
"Yes. The City of the Alliance—a neutral zone where the Empire cannot attack openly. It lies at the crossroads of every nation. Powerful as the Empire is, if it struck there, the others would unite against us. It is a gathering place for adventurers, merchants, and mercenaries. They also say it is where the Demon King was finally defeated by the Hero long ago."
Liora bounced with excitement.
"Ooooh! I've heard of it! The demons and humans were at war, but thanks to the Hero and the dragon people, the humans won… The demons made peace, and all the races lived happily together forever! My mother told me the whole story."
Eishen knew the word "peace" was a generous one, but he did not correct her. It had been true… in part.
"A place where we could live freely and in peace… What would be your goal, now? As my queen, I will follow every decision you make."
Liora thought for a long time, brow furrowed in concentration. Then her face lit up.
"I lost my mother… my father… My big sister was banished. So I want to build my own family and live happily—and feared by everyone! I want friends, servants, so I can become a truly great majesty!!"
The sun rose over the horizon. Together they gazed toward their destination, the road stretching ahead like an open promise.
End of chapter.