Bai Seol-hwa and the others brought Kangjeon Geum-hwa's remains inside the estate.
Geum-hwa…
The empress rushed over when she saw Kangjeon Geum-hwa's body.
No! Not you too…
"Your Majesty!" Bai Seol-hwa greeted her when she sensed her presence.
The others also snapped back into reality and greeted the empress.
"Your Majesty."
The empress moved past them and dropped to her knees to touch Kangjeon Geum-hwa's hand.
She was still warm, but the empress could no longer feel her heartbeat.
Noo!!
"Geum-hwa…"
Her voice trembled with deep sorrow.
The others could only watch her grieve for Kangjeon Geum-hwa's death. So were infected by her sorrow and cried in silence.
After a long ti, the empress rose to her feet, her eyes bloodshot.
She shot Bai Seol-hwa a glance and commanded. "Send the imperial guards to search for the main headquarters of the heretic cult and report to imdiately if they find any clues."
Bai Seol-hwa bowed deeply to acknowledge her command. "Your servant obeys."
Without saying another word, she turned around and left to complete the task.
After Bai Seol-hwa left, the empress moved her gaze to Min Taehyun. "Lord Min, have the troops search every nook and cranny of Ulmunsan. If you find the mbers of the heretic cult, kill them imdiately!"
Min Taehyun nodded. "I follow your commands!"
Swiftly, he turned around and left to assemble the troops.
The empress called another subordinate and instructed him to host a ceremony for all who died in the war, including those who had fallen victim to the vile acts of the heretic cult.
Not long later, only Alaric was left behind.
The empress turned to him and said. "We need to talk."
Looking at her serious face, Alaric nodded with a grim expression.
Yskaela brought him inside the duchess's study. When they arrived, she asked the guards to leave the room so she could have a private conversation with Alaric.
"Please sit down, Your Highness." The empress motioned at him.
Alaric thanked her and took his seat. He then observed her expression and saw that she had already cald down.
"First, I would like to thank you for helping us fight the heretic cult. If not for you, I wouldn't have the courage to even begin this battle." The empress expressed her gratitude.
She had been putting up with the heretic cult all this ti because she feared their cult leader, but Alaric's arrival rekindled her hope to remove this tumor from her nation.
Alaric shook his head and replied. "I only want to seek justice for the death of Bishop Anton. You don't need to thank , Your Majesty."
That was his goal from the start, but the system suddenly gave him a mission that forced him to prolong his stay in Veronica. Given the scale of the mission, he might have to stay here for half a year or more, depending on the situation.
The empress waved her hand. "Even so, you have been a great help to us."
She paused for a mont and stared deeply at him.
"Have you already received confirmation from Astania? Will they send troops to support us?" She asked.
Veronica had powerful experts and a huge number of soldiers, but she felt that it wouldn't be enough to confront the heretic cult. Just the cult leader alone would take the combined efforts of multiple Venerables including herself. Not to ntion Benedict Agma whose strength was nearly on par with hers.
To defeat them, they needed Astania's help.
The empress couldn't be bothered about her pride anymore. Even if Astania was once their enemy, she had no choice but to place her hopes on them.
Alaric adjusted his sitting posture and nodded. "Fortunately, His Majesty has approved my request. He had already sent troops to Veronica and they are currently marching here as we speak."
The empress's eyes brightened upon hearing this. "Is he coming too?"
The Astanian Emperor was one of the few experts who could rival her strength. If he were to join the fight against the heretic cult, she would feel more assured.
Alaric shook his head. "His Majesty chose to stay in Astania, but you don't have to worry, Your Majesty."
"He sent three Venerables to Veronica, including Lord Dominic and our newly appointed Duke, Lord Leroy. I am sure you have heard of them." He smiled faintly.
Dominic might have disappeared from the public eye for decades, but his fa had never diminished.
As for Leroy, the empress also knew him. He had beco famous after he successfully subdued a Catastrophe-grade monster. It was a feat that not many Venerables could even hope to achieve.
Both these guys were fad Venerables whose powers could shake the surrounding nations. Knowing that they were coming filled her with great relief.
"And who is the other Venerable?" She asked curiously.
Alaric responded with a proud smile. "My father, Lucas Silversword."
Lucas Silversword.
This was a na that had recently beco famous among the surrounding nations. If it were not for Alaric, this man would have been labeled as a genius. He was only half a century old, but he had already stepped into the realm of Venerables.
"I have heard a lot about him. I wish to see what kind of man he is to father a prodigy like you." The empress chuckled.
Alaric smiled in embarrassnt.
After having confird that Astania had sent reinforcents, the empress's worry subsided.
"That's all I wanted to talk about. You may leave, Your Highness. I wish to be alone so I can think about our next course of action." The empress gestured at him.
Alaric didn't insist on staying. He knew that the empress was just hiding her sorrow so he quickly left after bidding her farewell.
Creak.
Looking at the empty room, the empress sighed and leaned against the chair with a look of exhaustion.
"I'm tired… After this war against the cult, I should step down from my position and live a quiet life." She had grown weary of living the life of a monarch.
She felt that she had beco more emotional now that she had grown older and it was starting to negatively impact her decisions.
Once everything is over, I should find a man with whom I can spend the rest of my life…
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