Chapter 16 : Lana Frost (1)

After much deliberation, the emperor finally granted permission for their stay.

For Crown Prince Zayed, it was an enormous relief. If things had gone wrong, they could have been expelled from the empire.

Even though the relationship between the two nations was almost hostile, one might think that expelling a delegation that included the crown prince, not just any prince, would be impossible.

But in the empire, it was possible.

The empire had a military force that rivaled not only the Kingdom of Mines, but also the Blood Pact Federation of the Orc tribes.

Even 100 years ago, when they were weakened by the Winter of Doom, the kingdom only managed to seize a small part of the empire’s territory, and that too was minuscule.

Now that the Winter of Doom was over, how much stronger had they become?

Though things might be fine for now, in just a few years, the gap between the kingdom and the empire would undoubtedly widen to the point of being incomparable.

Of course, the kingdom had its own secret weapons, so it wouldn’t be easy to defeat them.

‘But the prediction that the kingdom will suffer immense damage remains unchanged.’

When Zayed imagined a future where the kingdom clashed with the empire, no matter how optimistically he tried to think, he always ended up shuddering at the dreadful outcome.

“We will now proceed with the body search. Please cooperate.”

Once the emperor gave permission for their stay, Wolfgang immediately initiated a body search.

They confiscated all weapons, and thoroughly checked for any hidden daggers.

As Zayed was being searched, he slightly increased the possibility that Wolfgang Leonhardt might be Lana Frost.

Although he still wasn’t certain, her appearance had changed so drastically.

Being a close friend of Theodore von Frost, Zayed naturally knew about his younger sister, Lana Frost.

They often met at social gatherings and talked.

In fact, it was none other than Zayed who had introduced her to his older brother.

If he had known back then that the relationship would fall apart, he would never have introduced them. Damn it.

Surprisingly, the body search of nearly 30 people was completed in less than an hour.

Wolfgang meticulously checked each person and then looked at Rayfen, who nodded in response.

Although Rayfen didn’t like the situation at all, he had no choice but to move along with everyone, as refusing her request wasn’t an option for him.

In the blink of an eye, they had moved from the rough imperial path to the dazzling streets of the capital, which welcomed the kingdom’s delegation with an unexpected level of grandeur.

“So this is the teleportation we’ve only heard about!”

“Hah, I just blinked, and we’re in the capital!”

– Stop admiring and be shocked! You fools!!

Seeing the knights marvel at the emperor’s power while calmly sightseeing the capital’s streets, Crown Prince Zayed felt like his insides were about to burst.

Do they not understand what this means?

It wasn’t that he couldn’t understand their amazement at the emperor’s power.

Teleportation was a skill only high-level mages could use, and even then, it was usually limited to transporting just themselves.

So, the chances of ordinary knights ever experiencing teleportation were extremely slim. Their awe was understandable.

But the problem was that this power belonged to their opponent.

And the emperor didn’t just teleport himself.

With a mere flick of his finger, he had transported over 30 people to the capital all at once.

What in the world is this?

This is a cheat-like power.

Powers like that shouldn’t exist.

Countless strategies came to Zayed’s mind, ones that could deal fatal damage to their enemies during wartime using such power.

And at the same time, he considered ways to counter it.

The conclusion he reached was this:

Some things might be preventable,

But there is one move that cannot be blocked.

An absolute victory.

For Zayed, as the crown prince of a nation in opposition to the empire, this was the worst possible news.

And on top of that, there was the unpredictable strength of the Vendetta Corps to consider.

‘The kingdom must never go to war with the empire!’

At least, the kingdom as it stood now couldn’t defeat the empire with military power.

That was the crown prince’s conclusion. It was a despairing one, but Zayed didn’t waver. Instead, he steeled his resolve.

“You’ve come a long way, so I will grant you some time to catch your breath.

However, only one of your delegation may have an audience with me.”

“That’s absurd tyranny…!!”

“Enough. Do not speak without my permission from now on.”

At the knights’ protests against this outrageous demand, Zayed silenced them with a single word.

As the crown prince, he realized what he had to do to save the kingdom.

‘So, this is Crown Prince Zayed? He’s a cunning one. I’ll have to remember him.’

Emperor Rayfen, known as the Iron-blooded Emperor, was famous for his keen judgment of people. Even to him, Crown Prince Zayed seemed a highly competent individual.

Not many can set aside their pride for the sake of their community.

And the ability to read the political landscape.

With the crown prince saying that, no knight dared to object.

Except for one—Theodore von Frost, who spoke up directly.

“That’s dangerous, Your Highness. At the very least, let me accompany you—”

“Sir Frost, your loyalty is admirable, but you also have your duties, do you not?”

Instinctively, Theodore’s gaze turned to Wolfgang, standing beside the emperor.

Or rather, the emperor was standing beside Wolfgang. Zayed spoke with a bitter smile.

“You should fulfill your duty.”

I will fulfill mine.

Damn, I don’t want to.

As the intense political struggle between the kingdom and the empire unfolded, Wolfgang’s thoughts were consumed by an overwhelming sense of annoyance, as if she were a retired general.

Of course, she wouldn’t just do things half-heartedly.

She would fulfill her duties diligently.

She would carry out her responsibilities thoroughly.

But even for someone like her, when things like this happened, it was as if what little motivation she had left, as small as an ant’s tear, completely evaporated. In professional terms, they call it “sudden apathy.”

‘Did I seriously act all cutesy just to find out whether I’m Lana Frost or whoever?’

Even calling someone by a pet name could be considered a form of being cutesy.

Although it was far from the usual definition of the word, that was how Wolfgang viewed it.

At this moment, Wolfgang felt her mental state completely burnt out.

So much so that, even though guests sat before her, she simply puffed on her cigarette without saying a word.

“Smoking isn’t good for you, Sir Leonhardt.”

“…My apologies. Sir Frost.”

“It’s all right.”

Theodore’s words were sincere; he genuinely worried about her.

The fact that smoking was bad for one’s health was common knowledge, whether here or in modern times.

Thanks to that, Wolfgang corrected her mistake immediately.

She was far too old to act like she didn’t want to do her job.

At her previous workplace in her past life, she had received a decent performance review and was indeed capable.

But what had earned her the highest praise was her attitude.

She strictly separated public and private matters. Even if she didn’t want to, work was work. Wolfgang promptly extinguished her cigarette.

‘I’m unfit to be a servant.’

Of course, even Theodore wasn’t at ease.

His liege, Crown Prince Zayed, had chosen to face the emperor alone. It was, without a doubt, an absurd notion.

What if the emperor assassinated the crown prince?

Or held him hostage and threatened them?

The worst possible scenarios immediately came to mind, and they weren’t entirely unlikely.

But Zayed had chosen to go alone.

He fully understood his situation.

Outwardly, their nations appeared equal, but in reality, the crown prince’s homeland had been divided, while the empire was thriving.

The empire was in its golden age, with an unshakeable imperial authority that even the nobles couldn’t openly oppose, along with the great heroes and soldiers who had led them to victory in the Winter War.

‘The crown prince has risked his life. And yet, I can’t focus on anything because of this child.’

Theodore felt a sense of self-loathing. But more than that, he was just overwhelmingly grateful that this child was alive. That’s why his first question was an excessively personal one.

At first, he had been too moved by the mere fact that she was alive to care, but as time passed, he couldn’t help but worry.

Wolfgang answered his question surprisingly calmly.

“What happened to your eye?”

“This eyepatch? It’s a kind of seal.”

“A seal…?”

“If I leave it uncovered, the flames become too strong to control.”

As time passed, the power of her flames grew stronger, as though using the burned Wendigos as fuel. Eventually, the power became so strong that even Wolfgang struggled to control it.

As a result, Wolfgang sealed more than half of her power with the seal.

As they say, too much power can become a poison.

“I’m surprised you answered so honestly.”

“The reason I answered your question honestly is that I also expect an honest answer from you.”

“What goes around, comes around.”

Her single golden eye blazed like a flame.

The will inside it was pure confidence.

Then, Wolfgang directly posed her question to Theodore.

“Do you know anything about Lana Frost?”

It was a question that pierced the heart like a sharp arrow for some.