Sibling Reunion

Loen and her companions arrived in the major city of Rofenberg, the first city they had conquered when leading the corps previously.

Loen spotted her younger brother waiting for her at the city gate and greeted him with a composed salutation.

“It’s been a while, Johan.” “Sister! Why have you become so gaunt!”

It was truly an emotional sibling reunion.

“…I’ve just been busy with this and that.”

Loen fumbled with her words, unsure how to respond to her brother’s dramatic concern.

Johan nodded as if he understood everything.

He gestured toward the interior of the city.

“Let’s go to the mansion first. I’ve prepared a feast after hearing the news of your arrival. We can talk over the meal.” “Alright.” “Wow! A feast!” “We’ll finally be able to enjoy a proper meal after so long.”

Loen’s group made their way to the magnificent mansion located in the center of the city.

Immediately after arriving at the mansion. The meal continued in the reception room.

While Johan and Loen exchanged recent news over the lavish feast.

Seraphine and Psyche, seated side by side next to Loen, whispered to each other.

“Are those two really siblings? They look so different…” “It’s rude to say such things.”

Psyche looked back and forth between the two siblings, whose only common feature was their black hair and red eyes.

Loen with her cold impression like a sharp blade. Johan with his sociable impression, innately embodying aristocratic dignity.

It was truly fascinating how they displayed such opposite appearances.

Psyche poked Loen’s shoulder.

“Loen-nim. When are you going to introduce us?” “Huh? Ah.”

Loen suddenly realized her oversight at Psyche’s glance. Come to think of it, she had forgotten to introduce her colleagues.

Loen pointed to Psyche and said.

“Johan. For your information, this is Inspector Psyche, who serves as my adjutant.” “Pleased to meet you.” “Yes! Likewise!” “And this is Inspector Seraphine, who belongs to a different department.” “Nice to meet you, Young Lord Johan Franz. We’ve seen each other at receptions occasionally, haven’t we?”

As the introductions were coming to an end, Psyche narrowed her eyes.

“You two. Are you really siblings?” “Haha, of course. We often hear that because our appearances are so different.” “Perhaps you’re half-siblings or some—ack.”

An inevitable flick to the forehead from Loen interrupted Psyche’s nonsense. Seraphine quietly shook her head at the sight. Johan simply smiled awkwardly.

Johan naturally changed the subject and skillfully led the conversation.

“How is everyone finding the meal? Is it to your liking?” “It’s absolutely delicious!” “It’s quite good.”

The topic of conversation naturally shifted to Loen.

“Sister. I heard you went through tremendous hardships while dealing with the Southern Alliance.” “It wasn’t quite hardship.” “Yes, it was! It was absolutely terrifying!” “I knew it..!”

Psyche cut off Loen’s attempt to downplay the situation.

The conversation between Johan and Psyche continued. Their exchange could be summarized as ‘excessive adoration.’

“She even got a deep cut on her arm while fighting a demon!” “It wasn’t a demon, it was an elf.” “How terrible!” “And the nobles, let’s see. You executed at least a hundred of them, right?” “Roughly.” “Sob. The mental burden must have been immense.”

Johan’s face grew increasingly distorted as he listened to Psyche’s words. He seemed to be overcome with emotion as he imagined his sister’s hardships.

“Sister. Aren’t you getting too much blood on your hands?”

To which Loen sighed softly and answered.

“Still, someone has to do it.” “That’s so like Loen-nim!” “Sob. My sister who was once afraid of catching bugs… how did she become like this…” “What? Loen-nim was afraid of catching bugs?”

Psyche’s eyes widened in disbelief at Johan’s incredible claim. The Loen-nim who could behead nobles without blinking was afraid of mere bugs?

Well, that was because the bugs were as big as a palm.

“Hasn’t she told you about it?” “She rarely talks about herself.” “I suppose it’s because my sister is quite shy. Let me tell you all about her past.” “…?”

Loen was left speechless by her brother’s continued revelations about her past.

Moreover, most of them stemmed from Johan’s misunderstandings and were quite different from the truth. Loen tried to correct him, but the two were too busy ignoring her rebuttals.

“Wow… Is it true that you gave up the heir position for your brother’s sake, Loen-nim?” “That’s.”

I just didn’t want to inherit the Duke title and passed it to my brother? Since she couldn’t say that, Loen merely nodded.

“I knew it!”

Once again, adoring gazes flew from her brother and Psyche.

“…”

Seraphine, while elegantly placing a piece of meat from her plate into her mouth, thought. Young Lord Johan isn’t normal either.

The slight fondness that had been rising in Seraphine toward Johan, thanks to his courteous manners and handsome appearance, crashed to the ground in that moment.

After dinner.

Johan and Loen’s group sat around in the reception room where warm tea had been served. It was time to discuss business matters in earnest.

Loen set down her teacup and opened the discussion.

“Johan. So, how is the situation now?” “Let me explain in order….”

Johan began as if he had been waiting for this.

He started with the military industry.

“From the artisans and workshops with war machinery manufacturing technology, to various war supplies and military supplies production facilities—our Franz family has successfully absorbed or preempted all the core businesses related to war. Now, a significant portion of the southern military supplies cannot be procured without going through our family.”

Loen nodded with satisfaction.

Next was resources.

“The rare mineral mines essential for weapon manufacturing have been completely preempted by us and the Bastard family. Therefore, the supply of strategic resources is virtually monopolized by the Franz and Bastard families.”

At this point, even Seraphine smiled.

And finally, distribution.

“Thanks to the contracts you arranged in advance with the major guilds in Azra, our Franz family and our subordinate forces have nearly seized control of the trade and logistics networks that transport resources and military supplies throughout the Empire.”

Johan spoke without hesitation.

Mobilizing all the capabilities of the Franz family, they had successfully preempted and seized the southern region’s main industries, resources, talent, and distribution networks—literally all the core arteries of the southern economy.

After catching his breath, Johan asked Loen something he had been curious about all along.

“But Sister, there’s one thing I’d like to ask.” “What is it?” “Are you… really planning to start a war?”

At his question, Seraphine and Psyche, who had been quietly sipping tea, were startled and turned their heads abruptly. A war?

In truth, listing out Loen’s instructions would look like blatant war preparations to anyone. After all, the main objectives were monopolizing war-related core industries and strategic resources, and securing distribution networks to supply them quickly throughout the region.

But Loen’s answer was firm.

“No. Not at all. I’m simply preparing in advance.”

Johan tried to understand Loen’s words.

The Empire was already at war on all fronts. Internally, it was crawling with traitors; on the northern front, there was an ongoing war with demons; and on the eastern front, the war with the Allied Nations was in full swing.

‘And now another war is going to break out here?’

A war so significant that the Franz family needed to prepare thoroughly? Isn’t that thinking too far?

Johan thought so but didn’t voice it out loud.

His sister wasn’t one to speak nonsense, and judging by the cold judgment and actions she had shown so far, she must have her own deep reasons and grounds.

Suddenly, a chilling thought crossed Johan’s mind.

‘Is she expecting the succession battle for the imperial throne to escalate into a civil war that will shake the entire Empire?’

Loen stared intently at her brother who was lost in thought.

Then she turned her gaze toward the distance.

The reason Loen was building up her family’s power.

It was because she didn’t know the ‘details’ of what happened before the original story’s timeline.

The original novel begins at the moment of crisis when the Empire was already collapsing. The Emperor had been replaced by the First Imperial Prince, no longer the absolute ruler.

‘The problem is that I don’t know what happens before that.’

When and how the Emperor, who was close to a transcendent being, disappears. Whether he truly succeeded in ascending and abandoned the Empire, or if there was another reason.

When the succession war for the imperial throne begins, what process it goes through, and how it ends with the First Prince’s victory.

She didn’t know the exact timing or the specific process.

Originally, all these events Loen was experiencing were merely ‘past’ incidents that were briefly and fragmentarily mentioned in the original work.

What Loen knew was.

That the succession war for the imperial throne would break out, the First Prince would ascend as Emperor, and afterward, he would thoroughly ruin the Empire.

This, along with a couple of other events, was all Loen knew about the major incidents that would occur in the Empire.

Even the second Great Purge, now called the Great Holy War, was completely unexpected. Whether it was something absent from the original work or something she couldn’t remember.

The conclusion was that she didn’t know.

Because she didn’t know, Loen mercilessly executed those who would become threats to the Empire. It was to minimize variables as much as possible.

She used the opportunity of the Great Holy War to expand her family’s influence to the extreme. It was to acquire enough power not to be swept away by surrounding circumstances.

Through the eradication of the Southern Alliance, she had achieved her goal of expanding her family’s influence.

By the time the Franz family fully digested everything they had consumed, no one would dare to touch the Franz family carelessly.

So now.

‘Is it time to seriously improve my magical skills?’

While Loen and Johan were each lost in their thoughts.

The reception room door burst open as the mansion’s head butler rushed in. He spoke while catching his breath.

“A messenger from the Inspection Headquarters has just arrived!”

The sudden appearance of a messenger. Everyone’s faces showed bewilderment. Sensing something ominous had occurred, their expressions hardened.

“A messenger at this late hour?” “From the headquarters?”

Not long after, the messenger from the Inspection Headquarters appeared in the reception room. He approached Loen directly and respectfully delivered a letter.

“An urgent letter from the Inspection Corps Commander.”

Loen accepted the letter with a surprised expression.

All eyes in the room focused on Loen. In the breathless silence, Loen unfolded the letter.

And the moment she confirmed its contents, her eyes, rarely showing emotion, widened in surprise.

“What does it say, Loen-nim!?”

Psyche, unable to contain herself at Loen’s unsettling reaction, asked with agitation.

After a moment of silence, Loen, without taking her eyes off the letter, recited the contents of the Corps Commander’s message in a dry voice.

“Return to the capital promptly. His Majesty… has decided to personally commend your achievements.”

At that moment, everyone’s bodies froze as if under a spell. Even Psyche’s tail, which had been swinging boisterously, stopped abruptly.

His Majesty has decided to personally commend your achievements.

This was essentially.

A summons from the Emperor, the absolute ruler of the Empire.