Wandering Knight

"Looks like the capital's shadow wasn't created solely, or even primarily, for the purpose of housing the Corpse of the End. Powering that weapon was only one of its functions. In essence, the capital's shadow was a testing ground."

Wang Yu unfolded the dossier concerning the subterranean city. The document stated clearly that the space beneath the royal capital had first been built to study the overlap between the void and the material world, to test whether the void could be used to directly alter physical reality.

The concept of using it as a power source for the Corpse of the End came only later, after some years of research had yielded partial success.

"It doesn't make much sense," Wang Yu muttered, rubbing his chin. "Aleisterre had no reason to conduct such experiments. The void is chaotic by nature. No sane kingdom would attempt to harness it. The risks far outweigh the potential gain."

The experiments' existence revealed something deeply off about the royal family. They were pursuing projects that brought them no clear benefit, a strange contradiction for rulers known to act purely from self-interest.

"Avia, what do you make of this?" Wang Yu glanced toward the young woman who was reading through the archives in the Midnight Library.

She tilted her head thoughtfully. "If I had to guess... it feels like there's a loose thread pulling behind the royal family. Not strong enough to control them outright like a puppeteer's string, but enough to subtly steer their actions."

He nodded. Her intuition matched his own. Something—or someone—was influencing Aleisterre from behind the scenes. The Royal Astrologer Selene was positioned perfectly to do just that.

"Records about Selene..."

He flipped through the database rapidly as he ran a keyword search. As expected, there was nothing. No mention of her beyond the barest fragments of information: her appointment date, and how long she'd served the crown afterward.

The brevity itself was telling. It was a deliberate omission, a quiet confirmation of how unusual her status truly was.

"I do have one theory," Avia said after a pause. "A low-probability one. These experiments, the ones with no practical purpose, could have been a cover. A way to conceal Selene's real goal for Aleisterre. The one she told you about... her 'utopia.'"

She sounded uncertain. There was simply too little information, and they couldn't even be sure whether Selene's "utopia" had been sincere or just a ploy to deceive Wang Yu. For now, it was the best hypothesis they had.

"Gathering more information, then..." Wang Yu mused. "We once suspected that the royal family's work was related to Roland, the greatest wizard in human history. Maybe it's time to explore that place again. I wonder if I'm now strong enough to enter that fortress without a Key."

Wang Yu recalled the material domain within the void, the place Roland's key had once pointed to. The power of the Chariot had proven insufficient to breach it before. Whether he could now, Wang Yu didn't know. But it was worth the attempt.

Meanwhile, the others had finished skimming through their own stacks of files. They were beginning to grasp just how much the royal family had done, and how much it had broken.

"Tch. What a mess they've left behind," Edward sighed. "We're going to be busy cleaning this up."

Their experiments had spawned countless unresolved problems. Many of those affected still lived in ignorance. Edward intended to find them and tell them the truth they deserved.

"That's not all." Wang Yu smiled, slinging an arm around Edward's shoulder. "Don't forget the diplomatic fallout with the other kingdoms and the royals' involvement in the economy. Most of their dealings ran through the great merchant guilds, sure, but the royal family still had the final say, and took their own cut."

"Ah... right." Edward exhaled, rubbing his temples. "I'd braced myself for domestic unrest after we took down the royals, but I didn't expect the real headache to be the aftermath, the sheer amount that needs handing over."

For all their corruption, the royals had handled statecraft: the economy, the army, every bureaucratic vein of the kingdom. Now that they had been removed in one stroke, someone had to make the kingdom function again—and fast.

"You'll have to take the lead," Wang Yu said, giving him a rueful pat on the back. "I'm no good at dealing with people. Only with... the more direct problems."

He smiled helplessly. This was beyond his reach. These burdens would fall to Edward and Charles, the two men who now held the highest of trust among both the Nightblades and the common folk.

Edward let out a weary laugh and rubbed his forehead. "You know, at times like this, I really miss my father."

He looked drained. Outside, he still had to keep up appearances; but here, among brothers, he could finally let the exhaustion show.

"Haha... I get that," Wang Yu chuckled.

As the duke of the frontier, Edward's father had been one of those hard-forged nobles who dealt with both foreign powers and the chaos of the borders. Every one of the four frontier dukes had been a battle-tested veteran and a political ironhand. Compared to them, Edward and Charles were still young—bright, but far from seasoned.

"Edward, I've got something to tell you. Don't be too shocked, all right? Stay calm. I wouldn't want to ruin your future image."

Charles's voice came through the Prayer Network, cutting off Edward and Wang Yu's conversation. Whatever he said next left Edward blinking in confusion.

"Just spit it out!" Wang Yu answered for him, using his own clearance to reply directly.

"Ah, come on, let me give him a surprise. Fine, fine. See for yourself."

A shimmering image flared to life in midair. The moment Edward saw it, his eyes widened. Wang Yu, glancing at the same image, could easily guess what startled him.

On the ruins crowning the royal mountain stood four figures clad in gleaming armor, their capes bearing the heraldic emblems of their houses—the symbols of their domains and of the Kingdom of Aleisterre itself.

They were: Leon Leonardo, Grand Duke of the North; Lorinan Rosgard, Grand Duke of the South; Shar Graywind, Grand Duchess of the West; and Von Hohmann, Grand Duke of the East.

It was almost unthinkable to see all four in one place at the same time. Their stations alone were weighty enough, but four legends gathered together was enough to make the very earth tremble.

Wang Yu pointed toward the silver-haired, lionlike man in gold-shouldered armor, his physique towering and powerful.

"Look. Your father really did come."

"Uh... yeah," Edward muttered, unsure how to respond, managing only a half-awkward nod.

It was certainly unexpected, but now that the four Grand Dukes had arrived, it was only natural they should meet as soon as possible.

Wang Yu sealed the documents and let Avia reactivate the teleportation array. The group ascended the passage back to the surface, where the four Grand Dukes awaited atop the ruins, with their retinues and soldiers in formation behind them. Charles stood beside them, looking slightly stiff and self-conscious.

That stiffness wasn't the fake humility he used to show when dealing with people like Donatien Charlemagne. This was something more instinctive, the tension of standing before elders who carried the weight of nations. It was like visiting a friend's house as a child and meeting their parents—not your parents, but close enough to radiate the same authority.

Edward stepped forward toward his father. The older man unclasped his mantle and placed it around Edward's shoulders, speaking in a deep, steady voice tinged with pride.

"Edward, you've done well. Your resolve has shown me how much you've grown. My word—and the word of the other three Grand Dukes—is no empty promise. Have you decided who will lead this kingdom next?"

While they spoke, Wang Yu took the chance to study the other three Grand Dukes. The southern duke, Lorinan Rosgard, looked younger than Edward's father. He was bald, with a jagged scar cutting across his face. To be honest, he looked less like a noble and more like a seasoned bandit chief.

Shar Graywind, Duchess of the West, was the only woman among them. She was young, striking, and radiating with vigor. Her brown hair was tied neatly back, her armor gleaming. She carried herself with a confident grace that needed no ornamentation.

The eastern duke, Von Hohmann, seemed the eldest of the four—though as a legend, age could easily be disguised. He simply chose not to bother.

His hair was silver-gray, combed neatly back, and the faint smile on his weathered face softened the sharp, chiseled lines of his features. To Wang Yu, he looked like a kindly, grandfatherly scholar with a blade hidden under his cloak. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Lorinan and Shar met Wang Yu's gaze as he observed them, their own eyes filled with a mix of curiosity and assessment—and, beneath that, the quiet respect warriors offered one another.

Wang Yu, feeling no need to stand on ceremony—he was a legend meeting with other legends, after all!—simply raised a hand in greeting.

The soldiers behind them froze in disbelief, but the two Grand Dukes only chuckled, returning the gesture with easy amusement.

By the side, Charles shot Wang Yu a look. He really was as casual and easygoing as before.

Meanwhile, Edward, after a brief moment of contemplation, answered his father's question in a steady voice. He explained his proposal: that the kingdom of Aleisterre should henceforth be governed not by a single monarch, but by a council of the four Grand Dukes.

"I'm proud of you, my son," said Leon Leonardo with a firm nod. "You have my full support."

He studied Edward once more. It was clear he was not merely pleased with his son's power and maturity, but also his growing vision.

"A fine idea," said Von Hohmann mildly. "I see no reason to object."

"I agree."

That came from the Grand Duke of the East, Lorinan Rosgard.

"Very well, though perhaps we should consider including others beyond ourselves," said Shar Graywind at last.

With the unanimous assent of the four Grand Dukes, the matter was settled. The royal house was gone. In its stead, the new rulers of Aleisterre, the kingdom's new "kings," stood beneath the open sky.