In the midst of stability and expansion, the Empire also welcomed the first year of the Imperial Calendar.
At this time, the sky was not yet dark, and the major cities of the Wilk Empire were bustling with lights and decorations, preparing to welcome the arrival of the New Era.
A group of retired kings and nobles from the Solun Continent took to the streets to joyfully spread money, fully immersing themselves in the festive atmosphere.
Lucanus no longer stayed at home writing; instead, he formed a theater troupe with the remaining bards and personally performed on the streets during the New Era.
However, according to Lantern Dream, this would actually stabilize Lucanus’s mental state further, and Lind decided to let Lucanus have his fun as he wished.
News came from Isha in the Northern Border that both the Northern Church and the Graywhite Territory had spontaneously organized commemorative activities for the Empire to celebrate the first year of the New Era. Especially in Graywhite Territory, it was said they even created floating light displays. The magical shows that were once exclusively for the Great Nobles could now be seen across the main cities in the Northern Border.
At this moment, Lind had just seen off Lilith, who had come over to join the New Year’s dinner, and had gone to the observation platform specially built in the Royal Palace with Lena. The couple sat together, gazing at the sky of the new year.
Lena held little Lindrick and they nestled against each other.
Now, Lena had fulfilled all her wishes, and perhaps even she hadn’t imagined that the girl once scorned by the royal family would become the Empress of the Empire. Not to mention Lena, even the members of the Lars Family probably never thought that the ill-mannered young lady would be remembered for her kindness and wisdom in later generations.
The first year of the Imperial Calendar was not calm, although people’s enthusiasm for the activities was very high, all government departments were on high alert. Even Lind, the Emperor, only found the time to eat a meal with his sister and wife after finishing his work.
At the same time, there were reports about the dragons that needed Lind’s review. The power of the dragons was extraordinarily abnormal, unlike magic nor the power systems present on this continent. If one had to categorize it, it was more like a spatial magic, and the related issues then intertwined with interstellar travel.
Studying an entirely new power system from scratch was a significant undertaking; however, since it was the New Era, Lind decided to give himself a short break.
As Lena said to Lind: “Take a break; let everyone wait a little.”
Inhaling the familiar scent of soapbark nearby, Lind temporarily forgot those worries—forgot the other regions shrouded in mist, forgot the strange waves from the depths of the universe, forgot the 550C still hanging in the sky.
Watching the sun slowly set in the distance, a gentle breeze brushed by, and the moon and stars gradually appeared.
Lind recalled a time when Lena was still his fiancée; the two had once squatted together at the entrance of a military tent, munching on roasted duck that Lena had hunted. At that time, Lena handed him a meaty duck leg, her hands greasy without an ounce of the pretense expected of a noble. Of course, though she had gained a bit of that now, it was still not excessive.
Lena seemed to remember something as well; she appeared to have returned to her former self, leaning against Lind, the Empress representing wisdom spoke to the Emperor of the Empire, who held everything in his grasp, in the gentlest tone: “Want some roasted duck?”
“Absolutely!”
After all, a couple in the same bed won’t sleep like two different people; Lind seemed to forget his identity, wanting to reminisce with Lena.
Thus, after handing little Lindrick over to a nearby Sister, they shamelessly squatted on the observation platform to make roasted duck.
The taste of roasted duck wasn’t much for the couple now, especially since Lena’s cooking technique still only involved piling on ingredients, just as she had done in the past. Lena once again broke off an entire duck leg, greasy hands handing it over to Lind.
“Do you want some?”
“No, thanks.”
As soon as it was said, both Lind and Lena burst into laughter.
At this time, the night had fully descended, and sounds of fireworks echoed throughout the capital.
Under the magical enhancement of magnificent fireworks, they bloomed even more beautifully and spectacularly, countless fireworks spread like falling stars from the sky, casting dazzling brilliance illuminating everything on earth.
This was the first time gunpowder in this world was used for fireworks rather than weapons, and under the splendid sparks, people nestled together once more.
……
Time flies; Daniel had already lost count of how many days he had spent in the corners of the Solun Continent. After all, the long life on the run was wearing down his spirit, and his memory began to falter.
Especially recently, Daniel often suddenly saw some Sisters in red robes and masks appear around him, but every time it was just an illusion, nothing real.
Initially, there weren’t many demons fleeing with Daniel, as most thought the Empire wouldn’t expand so quickly and they still wanted to wreak havoc in other kingdoms of Solun.
After all, no demon wanted to return to the life in the Eternal Frozen Land, even though those remote countries on the Solun Continent were far less prosperous than the formerly rich regions of Cape, they were still enough to allow the demons to begin indulging.
However, as time went on, more and more demons followed Daniel on the run, with some even racing past him.
Because these demons had no memory, after occupying those remote kingdoms with their wealth and Bloodline Magic, they began to exploit brutally and unsustainably, and while people may not openly voice their grievances, they were probably wishing to devour their flesh and sleep in their skins.
Meanwhile, under the constant expansion of Sean’s Castitia, the Empire provided those oppressed peoples with opportunities. Once exploited by the demons, even some knights actively joined the hunting teams for demons.
Those demons running faster than Daniel had formed deadly enmities with certain people of the Solun Continent and had no choice but to run.
Humans learned a single lesson from history: humans do not learn from history; the same goes for demons. While humans might bear some memory of history, demons wouldn’t even have their own history to recount. Especially the more loosely organized demons found it increasingly difficult to manipulate public opinion, until this race, known for betrayal and exploitation, became hated by everyone even on the Solun Continent.
However, after some time, Daniel finally found a secluded place in the corners of the Solun Continent.
This place, apart from the demons, was home to many now rare races. These marginal races were extremely weak; some even relied on tribal systems. After a few battles with the demons, they were ruthlessly trampled underfoot by them.
The demons had finally established a foothold in this secluded area, even the most pessimistic demons felt that they were finally safe, having escaped from the terrifying human Empire.
One day, a marginal race governed by the demons, as usual, went to gather resources for them. This creature had very sensitive ears which helped it avoid many dangers, but today, it heard low whispers from what was known as humans: “Why do the Empire’s borders always brush against barbarism?”
