Report after report arrived in the palace. The messengers didn't even bother with formalities anymore due to the volume of reports that came in. They would just enter, bow, pass the scroll, then leave.
For every report, Lucian would only read the first few statements. If it didn't mention any losses, he would immediately dismiss it and continue skimming through the book on his table.
By the side, Aeon would do the exact same thing. He would read the dismissed letter, dismiss it too, then continue searching.
They were now inside the palace library, not the throne room. They have been there for 6 hours now, along with a dozen more bookkeepers.
They were searching for any book that recorded anything about inscriptions—those scribbles that they couldn't comprehend. Unfortunately, they were getting little to no progress.
The bookkeepers were on the verge of giving up. But seeing their emperor continue striving, how could they?
Almost all of the shelves were already half empty. The books they finished checking were piled up on the ground forming tiny hills.
A few moments later, the door swung open.
No one lifted their heads from the books they were holding, thinking that it was only a messenger. However, when the emperor received the scroll and unrolled it, he was surprised that it didn't have paragraphs.
It wasn't a report. But because of this sheet of paper, his eyes lit up.
It was the map they found earlier!
It was finally done being restored!
The moment they entered the palace, the map they had found earlier was passed to an antique specialist who would then restore it. It had been in a fairly good condition, but if they were going to make use of it, the details would have to be enhanced so they could avoid being misdirected.
Being in good shape already, the process only took 6 hours.
Great!
Lucian let go of the book in his hand and immediately spread the map open.
Aeon scooted over to have a look as well.
The two were really excited and burned with anticipation. They rubbed their hands together in preparation for feasting on new information.
When they first saw the map earlier, they were utterly confused. The map mostly covered land. In other words, it could be referring to any part of the continent. So they literally got nothing out of it, except that it was related to the inscriptions.
But now, after the restoration…
Oh ho ho.
The two grinned.
They were… still… confused?!
The smile on the two's faces froze.
"Wait, that's it?!" Aeon and Lucian asked ludicrously at the same time.
The map was restored and looked a lot better, but the drastic changes they were expecting were nowhere to be found.
"How are we supposed to find where this is?" Aeon asked while scratching his head.
Both he and the emperor sighed with lament. They really thought that they were on to something. It turns out, the map would also be useless.
The map, from corner to corner, simply portrayed land. To be honest, it looked quite stupid. It seemed more like a map piece rather than a whole. But looking at the edges, it didn't seem like it was torn from a larger map.
Worse, they couldn't match it with their own map! They couldn't find any resemblance. They couldn't identify where it would fit. It was just too old and outdated. There were a few territory labels, but they were written in an unknown language. Also useless!
Lucian grumbled to Aeon who then calmed him down.
"E-emperor… may I say something?"
Lucian, who realized that he hadn't even spoken to the antique specialist who restored the map, immediately turned to face the person. He was embarrassed by how he carried himself and his cheeks flushed. "Ah, yes! Sure! What is it, Mr. Gamon?"
"This is just my opinion, but don't you think the area surrounding the small lake is now Lefa Empire's Anemone City?" the specialist asked as he pointed at the body of water on the rightmost side of the sheet.
The Emperor reassessed the map but still couldn't see the resemblance. He had been to Anemone City before and actually had a map of it. If he placed the two maps side-by-side, he was sure that the lake's shape wouldn't match.
Well, he couldn't just base it on that feature alone because altering land was as easy as pie to Earth mages, so he tried to look for other features that would explain the antique specialist's theory, but he still couldn't find any.
"Would you care to enlighten me?" Lucian asked politely, making the specialist scramble to bow and come closer.
"If you look at this area right here, south-west of the lake, you would notice that it's empty. However, what makes this part eye-catching is that it is a good spot for trees to grow. If we look at the recent maps and assume that the lake is now the heart of Anemone City, you would notice that this spot here would be a forest. If this map is made centuries ago, then that wouldn't be surprising. That's one hint. Another should be…"
The antique specialist continued explaining.
By the third hint, Lucian and Aeon were already convinced that they were looking at the northwest portion of the continent. But the specialist still continued with his explanation up until the fifth.
Lucian smiled crookedly. The antique specialist was on a whole new level.
"How do you know all these?" Aeon asked. He only knew the man as a person who specialized in appraising antiques for the palace.
The man smiled at Aeon and said, "I'm also a cartographer. I've been making maps for four decades already, so I've seen the continent evolve throughout the years."
Aeon was stunned.
In a world where altering land was common, maps were frequently updated.
And to be able to identify which areas were which, even after the altering, was a skill not to be scoffed at.
Lucian expressed his utmost gratitude towards the antique specialist. He also rewarded him something extra to show his appreciation.
The man left.
Everyone in the room stared at the emperor as he smiled gleefully.
They didn't know what happened.
But they were hoping it was related to something they were looking for because they were dead tired.
When Lucian noticed the bookkeepers' gazes, he cleared his throat and said, "Could I talk to Aeon in private?"
The men's ears perked up. Did they hear the Emperor correctly? He said leave, right?
The bookkeepers coughed and put away the books they were holding on to. Their backs were hunched in an attempt to show the Emperor that they were regretful about not being of any help. But in reality, they were really happy. All of them were already old. Sitting down and scanning books repeatedly for six hours straight wasn't doing their body any good.
The last person exited the room and shut the door.
Lucian exhaled deeply. The truth was, he was also tired. How could he not be? But the feeling of not being able to help while his men fought against the foreign invaders made him feel guilty.
Almost all of their border cities and towns were under siege. He wanted to rush to each and every one of those to fight.
But the Empire needed him to be inside the palace.
He was a figure of the Empire's current state.
Send out their strongest fighter?
To the common people, wouldn't that mean that they were already at the end of the rope?
He was the figure of the Empire's safety!
As long as he was inside the palace, things were certainly under control.
This was how it should be. No matter how the Emperor felt, he needed to keep his emotions in check and stay put. The last thing they want to happen is to bring chaos inside their own walls too.
Lucian turned towards Aeon who looked at him with anticipation.
What he was going to say to the kid was something that he came up with on the spot.
Was it going to be relevant to the ongoing battle? The Emperor didn't know.
But they should try to find out.
The map could potentially lead them to find out their enemies' identities. Although he had no idea why those people had traces left within their continent, he would make use of that information to leverage his battle plan.
But he couldn't look for those traces himself.
He needed someone else to do it.
"Aeon," Lucian said while staring at Aeon straight in the eyes. The latter acknowledged him with a firm nod.
"As you can see from the reports, we are not losing the battle.
"But should we be satisfied with these results and change nothing? Improve nothing? I don't think so. The Mist Warfare may appear to be an invincible defensive strategy, an impenetrable wall, but this is truly not the case. At least not against these people.
"The strategy was built against the people of the same continent.
"Fighting against these enemies, there had already been proof that they are completely unlike us.
"The magical beasts they could control, the use of magic inscriptions, the white-haired man…
"Sooner or later, our strategy will crumble due to their unpredictable nature.
"However, we wouldn't wait for that to happen. We will adjust our strategy. And one way for us to do that is to know more about them.
"This information, they wouldn't hand over to us. So we could only find it for ourselves. This map is the key to that. It may not lead us to anything, but we should at least try."
The Emperor paused to let Aeon absorb everything he said.
Then he spoke gently, "I know this is all too sudden for you… but could you head over to the Lefa Empire and look into this for me?"
Aeon was stunned.
All too sudden? Dude, they were just looking at books earlier. And now he was supposed to be an investigator?
This was beyond sudden.
But it did make sense to Aeon. He wouldn't be participating in the battle, so he should at least do something instead of being idle.
Moreover, if it was he who took the job, the Emperor would have the peace of mind knowing that Aeon would not desert the Empire in the middle of their crisis.
In such cases, this action could not be disregarded.
It is too sudden, but…
"I'll do it," Aeon said confidently.
Lucian heaved a sigh of relief even though he already knew that Aeon would accept. This was another way of keeping Aeon away from the battlefield.
"I'm sorry, but your trip back to Fermin Town might not happen soon," Lucian said with regret.
"That's alright," Aeon straightened his back, "but could I borrow your fastest messenger bird? I would at least want the people there to know."
Lucian lifted his eyebrows. "Well, okay."
"Thanks, old man!"
Lucian was about to bash Aeon's head in when he suddenly remembered something. There was one more person he had to keep away from the battlefield. Another person who was also extremely stubborn.
"Hey Aeon," Lucian called out.
"Ya?" Aeon who was just about to leave the library turned towards his uncle.
"How about having one more person to accompany you?"
Lucian smiled.
Although it was a gentle expression, Aeon couldn't help feeling that it was quite eerie.
"Let me get my daughter."
Fuck.
….
Another six hours passed.
Aeon was truly pressed on time because he was urged to leave immediately that night.
During those six hours, Aeon was able to prepare everything he needed, finished everything he needed to do, and rested.
He had already sent his letter to his friends in Fermin Town.
The fruits from his now unkempt backyard were packed in a huge sack.
His self-woven armor wasn't so self-woven anymore. His uncle offered to improve it for him. And it arrived from the palace just a few minutes ago.
His clothes, also packed.
He was ready to go.
But he lingered a bit longer inside his father's room.
He smiled to himself. He was happy to be doing something for the Empire.
He was sad that he could only do so much. But that wouldn't keep him down.
"Dad, I'm leaving!" Aeon said as he lifted the sack full of fruits.
Suddenly, a voice came from outside.
"Aeon! Can you fucking hurry up?!"
Aeon felt a sweat drop.
Why'd this gorilla have to tag along?
Aeon shook his head as he exited the house. The moment he went out of the door, dozens of profanities greeted him.
The night was quiet.
Or it was supposed to be.
Because, strangely, aside from Leona's yells, the two could hear the galloping of horses.
After a few moments, they began to see people arrive. Three of them.
One was a soldier in armor, and two were hooded people.
As Aeon stared at those unknown people, he couldn't help feeling that it was a familiar sight.
Between the hooded figures, there was one that was quite huge. On the other hand, the other was petite.
This combination. So familiar.
The horses skidded to a halt in front of Aeon and Leona, stirring up dust.
The riders pulled back their hoods at the same time.
It was Suri and Korona.
….