The Pillars of the Empire
The giants of the North stood before the Emperor, voices ringing out in unison.
“We greet the Sun of the Empire.”
“We greet the Sun of the Empire.”
When Breid Frost offered his courteous greeting, not only Erielle but the entire Frost family—brothers and wife alike—bowed their heads with perfect decorum.
“Raise your heads, giants of the North.”
The deep, resonant voice carried both solemn dignity and overwhelming charisma. The giants lifted their gazes toward the man who illuminated the empire like a living torch. Golden hair shimmered with the brilliance of sunlight itself, while mysterious golden eyes seemed to pierce straight through the soul. His presence, tempered by years of experience yet still radiating raw strength, inspired instinctive reverence. One look was enough to compel a person to their knees.
He was Kaiser Sunrise, the current emperor of the Sunrise Empire. History would remember him as both the wisest ruler of any age and the most inscrutable.
“All escort knights and servants, withdraw.”
“...Pardon? But—”
“We shall obey. Come now, quickly.”
“We shall obey.”
At the emperor’s command to clear the room of everyone except the Frost family, the newly appointed escort knight voiced his confusion. The knight commander, however, simply took the rookie by the arm and led him out. The maids and servants had already bowed and departed at their master’s word.
A short while later, only the emperor upon his throne and the members of House Frost remained inside the grand, beautiful chamber.
“...Haah. I can’t keep this up anymore. All of you, sit comfortably.”
Once the observers were gone, the emperor’s austere bearing collapsed like that of an exhausted salaryman. The sight was so far removed from the image of the man who ruled an empire that any ordinary citizen would have fainted in shock. The Frost family, however, simply took their seats around the large table with the ease of long familiarity.
“Kaiser. Are things still that hectic for you these days?”
“Haah… don’t even speak of it, Breid. At this rate I’ll die of overwork before anything else…”
The Northern Archduke spoke to the emperor with the casual tone one used with a close friend. Anyone witnessing the exchange would have cried treason, but Kaiser answered without the slightest discomfort.
In truth, Breid Frost and Kaiser Sunrise had been classmates at the academy. Their unreachable stations had paradoxically allowed them to grow genuinely close. Only their fellow alumni from that era and a handful of others knew the truth.
“Hmm. Are there still more people coming?”
“Just wait a little longer. They should all be here soon.”
At the emperor’s words, the Frost family quietly poured themselves tea and sipped in silence. Before long the tightly closed doors opened once more, and several figures entered.
“We greet the Sun of the Empire.”
A middle-aged man with a brown ponytail and glasses entered alongside Fria—Erielle’s friend—and Kayle Sunrise. They too offered formal greetings the moment they saw the emperor, but he simply shook his head.
“There’s no need for etiquette among us. Isn’t that right, Ride?”
“Haha… if you insist.”
The fact that Ride possessed only a given name was enough to mark him as a commoner. Yet the reason he could stand in this exalted company was simple: he was the founder, chief executive, and master of Gold Rush—the greatest information and trading house in the entire empire. He, too, had been an academy classmate of Breid Frost and Kaiser Sunrise.
The old friends looked at one another after so long, exchanged small smiles, and greeted each other warmly. True friends had no need for lengthy words.
Thus, the very pillars that supported and guided the empire had gathered in one place.
“...I suspected as much.”
“Why the long face? We’re meeting old friends!”
“Honestly, I never understand why you’re always so prickly.”
“...Ugh. Fine.”
Erielle, Fria, and Kayle—the three flowers said to be the loveliest of the current academy—faced one another. Though Erielle appeared reluctant at Fria’s teasing, she did not truly reject them. The pillars of the empire watched the three girls with faint, nostalgic smiles, reminded of the youthful days they themselves would never reclaim.
Leaving the distant chatter of the young women behind, Kaiser Sunrise turned to his old companions.
“Well then… it seems everyone has arrived. I trust you’ve all been well?”
“Same as always for me.”
“Breid… you must be overjoyed that Erielle has returned.”
“Indeed. I am happier than words can express. Truly… it is a blessing beyond measure.”
“I prayed for her every single day. I still can’t believe how fortunate we are.”
Though not related by blood, they were already family. Decades of friendship had forged bonds as strong as any kinship. When Erielle had gone missing, they had mourned as if their own daughter had been taken and offered every possible assistance. Now that she had returned alive, their relief and gratitude ran bone-deep. They could read one another’s hearts from the slightest shift in expression.
“...Yes. It was the work of those dark mages.”
“Correct. Those vile creatures tried to steal my most precious treasure.”
“The vermin never truly disappear, no matter what we do. We must purge them once and for all.”
They ground their teeth at the memory of the dark mages who had threatened Erielle’s life. Despite countless subjugation requests and freely offered intelligence on their weaknesses, the pests only multiplied.
“I will kill every last dark mage in the empire. I’ll mobilize everything I possess if I must.”
“You know as well as I do how difficult it is to even locate them, Breid.”
“.......That is true.”
As the emperor pointed out, dark magic operated on a completely different principle from ordinary mana. Residual traces could not be detected as they were with normal spells. That was why the dark mages continued to flourish unchecked. With no immediate solution, Breid fell silent.
“Haha. That’s exactly why I’m here. Everyone, take a look at this.”
Just as Kaiser and Breid lapsed into grim silence, weighed down by their hatred and the near-impossibility of eradication, Ride pulled an object from his bag with a bright smile. Their eyes locked onto it at once.
“Ta-da! Do you know what this is? It’s an artifact capable of detecting the presence of dark mana!”
“...What? Such a thing is possible, Ride?”
“Heh heh… you’ve brought us another fascinating toy. Do explain.”
Ride cleared his throat and continued.
“Who am I? The master of Gold Rush. News from every corner of the empire reaches my ears.”
“...And?”
“Word arrived from the southern continent that a workshop owner had created this. Simply bring an object close, and it reveals whether dark mana is present!”
“Is that… truly possible?”
Kaiser and Breid stared at him with wide eyes. If the claim was genuine, they could root out every dark mage hiding behind the mask of ordinary citizens and eliminate them all. The greatest obstacle to eradication would vanish. This was an artifact that could shake the entire empire. And it had been made by a single workshop owner?
“You know I have a mercenary band under my command, yes? When they tested it on a captured dark mage, the device clearly reacted to the presence of dark mana!”
“Incredible… I knew technology advanced quickly, but this…”
“It seems we’ve become old men left behind by the times.”
At the emperor’s jest, they all burst into laughter. In this room they cast off the heavy burdens of their stations and simply enjoyed the small happiness of old friends reunited.
“...So. What was the name of that workshop?”
“Let me think… Ah. It was the Spin Workshop. They’re growing at an astonishing rate lately, so I plan to secure a contract with them.”
“I’ll have to send them a letter of gratitude. With this artifact, we can crush every last one of those vermin.”
A heavy pressure suddenly filled the room as Breid Frost, who had been laughing moments before, calmed his mind and let his fury toward the dark mages surface. The entire imperial palace seemed to sink beneath its weight. Erielle’s group, Kaiser, and Ride all fell silent, turning their eyes to him. His hatred for dark mages was simply too vast to measure.
Though he showed a friendly face to his old companions, Breid Frost was the protector of the empire’s most perilous northern lands. Holding that territory for decades against endless hordes of monsters had proven his might beyond doubt. In the North, they even said that if a child wouldn’t stop crying, the Northern Archduke would come for them.
In any case, it was Ride’s cheerful personality that dispelled the heavy atmosphere.
“...Hey, Breid! What are you doing, scaring everyone like that? The old men are going to lose their livers!”
“Breid, help me find my liver. I can’t seem to locate where it ran off to.”
“...My apologies. I couldn’t restrain my emotions for a moment.”
Breid withdrew his aura at his friends’ teasing. Since they understood his feelings perfectly, they simply joked and let the matter pass.
“I hear the Ska Mercenary Group has been showing remarkable growth lately. It seems the legendary band of old has been reborn.”
“Hmm… the one once led by Serion. I believe I’ve heard the name. They subjugated a 5-star monster, didn’t they?”
“Yes. I personally assigned the request, and they brought down a dragon. Can you believe it?”
“A dragon…? Even I would find that nearly impossible.”
They spoke of world affairs and shared idle chatter in equal measure.
“Oh, that’s right! There’s also this. It’s a fusion of existing barrier magic with dark mana detection…”
While the adults continued their discussion, the friends at the other end of the table carried on their own conversation.
“So, Erielle. Are you really not going to hand your brother over to me?”
“What are you even saying? My brother is mine.”
“.....Shut up. Stop joking around. It’s not funny.”
Erielle continued to suffer from her friends’ teasing, inwardly engraving the character for patience upon her heart.
“Hmm… I wasn’t joking, though.”
“...Why do you assume it’s a joke?”
“......What?!”
Finally unable to endure any longer, Erielle surged with mana and chased after the fleeing Kayle and Fria. The matter was only settled when Kaiser Sunrise, sweating profusely, stepped in to stop her.