[OP: ]
(Roxana empire, imperial palace.)
"They are not asking for help, as you said."
"She has pride, but she isn't arrogant. If she thinks she can do it by herself, there's definitely something up their sleeves."
"Something even we don't know about?"
The emperor sat on his throne in a strangely empty hall, with only his wife, or more like the adviser of the emperor by his side.
"It might be something we know about, or it might not. That's not the point here, Vera."
There was an attractive looking crystal present on the ground from which a magical map was being projected right before him.
"Then... is there something else we have to worry about?"
In the centre of this map present before them was the Principality of Lakmer. The place that was losing stability just a few days ago... however now they have returned to their normal state.
The internal matters were resolved and the external matters will soon be dealt with as well after they win every single battle against the enemy nations surrounding them.
"Vera, Vera... focus and take a closer look. Tell me what you see."
The centre on the magical map, Lakmer, was highlighted with a green light while the rest of the enemy nations that were currently causing trouble for Lakmer were marked in red colour.
There were a few unique icons present on each of these countries, and, in the places that did not contain these particular markings, there were words written that had a deep meaning.
"I see powers that want the resources Lakmer had, and I see the fools that think pressuring a country with someone like Carol behind it. It's all ridiculous but thinking how there was a Great War in their own capital and her nature, her decision to teach them a lesson doesn't seem that bad.
If I say so myself, it's something I would do as well. Just that doing it to so many countries at once isn't something too good.
She shouldn't go after a hoard if she can get the work done with one or two pieces."
Empress Vera had been the advisor of the imperial throne for several centuries now.
She had served emperor August's father and seen his childhood as well.
She was appointed by the grandfather of emperor August when she was young and she learned under his grandmother, a kind of master that the world might never see.
"That's what I wanted to hear."
She was one of the most capable individuals of not just this empire or the continent but the entire world and the current position of the Empire in the world was greatly due to her undying loyalty to the throne.
"Now, tell me why she would be doing something that's obviously not something she usually would."
She was a partner of the current emperor but that was just how things turned out to be. It was an unexpected path that neither of them were expecting to take when they were younger, but it was how things were right now.
She was his partner, And she was the imperial advisor and the person that handled the imperial affairs alongside him.
She helped him maintain the country, just like she did for his father.
And, a part of her work included eliminating threats that might somehow affect their own country.
"...why would she do that?"
What happened in Lakmer was no surprise to anyone in this world anymore, however, what was going to happen soon was something that the allied nations of Lakmer had already started noticing.
"Hahaha, age is irrelevant in this world, father. You should know that the best." She looked up at her father, a smirk present on her attractive face.
And a similar smirk was also present on her second mother's face.
The first princess of Roxana, the world renowned artist, some of the youngest grandmasters of this world, a being that had already transcended the brackets of normal human beings, the one who had returned from a newly discovered planet...
"Haha, that's certainly true."
This looked like a normal family reunion, however, it was taking place in a completely empty throne room, with only the emperor and the adviser of the empire present.
"Good, you have grown up well, little one. You have learned about humour as well, it seems.
And after becoming an origin Master, it seems like you have already reached your brother's level."
This was an official meeting between a subject of the empire that was entrusted with a mission that only she was capable of, and though there were some troubles while carrying out this mission, she had returned to them safely.
However, before they hear her report on her mission, there was a matter that they must resolve first.
"Now... let's talk now, shall we?" The air around him changed completely and the father that was looking at her daughter lovingly a moment ago, was now looking down at a subject that had made a grave mistake.
"Your presence in Lakmer a day before the war, and your absence during that war.
Explain to us the reason behind your presence in that auction as well as the reason why you weren't there when an inseparable ally of the empire was being destroyed by some demon worshipping cultists."
He was the cold emperor that even his children looked up to and feared.
Earning his anger was not something any of them ever wished for, but the situation this time was complicated.
She was there when the underground auction of Victor Waid happened and according to their knowledge, she had interacted with the four individuals under the Headmaster when they were pursuing the cultists.
It was reported that the individuals that found out about the enemy strongholds would have died the moment they were in the auction because of something she did, and knowing this information wasn't something they were looking forward to when they got the news of her return a few days ago.
"I... father..."
Someone had interfered with the special spell that helped them detect the enemies in the auction from where they tracked their stronghold, something that might not have been possible if even one of the individuals in question had lost their lives in that place.
"I can explain myself... however, it is complicated."
"We have all day, dear. We have cleared out the entire schedule just for this."
As the imperial adviser and her eldest mother, Lady Vera had an angrier expression on her face.
"Start. Let us hear your complicated Excuses."
She had just reached the level of an origin master and perhaps she was one of the youngest individuals in the history of this world to have reached that level at that age.
However, technically, she was older than her age in this world... which wasn't an important topic at that moment.
"I..."
She had made a mistake that could have cost them their entire world.
And even though it was an unexpected mistake that they couldn't punish her severely for, she still had to explain herself.
"I fell in love."
Alas she wasn't as good at it as she was with her Arts.