"Please don't make me worry again," said the emperor. "You know you are the only cousin I can rely on."
"I will not, Your Majesty."
"Very well. Tell me then, what things have you acquired?"
Magnius glanced at the one standing by the wall on the right, then at the one on the left.
"Don't worry about them, Magnius. Just stand up and tell me!"
"If you say so."
Magnius stood up, then let out a deep breath. After all, he did not trust the two people. But he had no choice because the emperor directly asked him to.
"First," Magnius said, "about the ghost that hunted down and killed the riders and their dragon mounts."
"Aah..." the figure behind the veil nodded. "Thank you for handling that, Magnius. So, what did you find out?"
"About the ghost," Magnius said. "It was just a story that the people exaggerated, Your Highness."
"I see, huh?"
"The truth is, it's all the work of a certain person or group."
"Have you been able to confirm that?"
"For that, I purposely visited Avarius' large bar in the West Country."
"I've heard of him."
"Of course, Your Highness. He is an old Occyens who prefers men to women."
"Yea, yea, that's him. And then?"
"It turns out that their abilities are getting more and more amazing. And I think the Occyens still have many amazing things in store that we never knew about."
"Is that what you think?"
"Avarius and some of the best shamans he's hired are creating things, Your Majesty."
"Interesting!"
"They managed to distill the blood of White Regulus into one very powerful potion. And believe me, I've tried that potion."
The emperor laughed softly, and it still sounded like a woman's laugh, but in fact, it was a man's voice.
"I can imagine that," said the emperor. "After all, I've heard myths about it."
"I suppose so," Magnius smiled broadly. He could even still taste the magical liquid distilled from the White Regulus' blood on his lips.
"Then, what else did you find out?"
"About the clues to the riders' murder," Magnius said. "They picked up a blood spatter at the last location where a rider was declared missing."
"I heard it was just the blood of a wounded fisherman."
"It's not that simple, Your Highness."
"Oh, really?"
"Avarius has another magic potion capable of detecting that. And he has proven it before my eyes. The blood spatter found in the grassland area in the westernmost part of the Southern Lands was not human blood, but that of a wyvern."
"Oh, those Occyens," said the emperor. "They always keep their abilities a secret."
"Yeah, except for the one or two benefits they'll get."
"Greedy people. So?"
"At the same location, traces of a fight were found, which means that it wasn't a ghost but a person or a group that did it."
"Hmm..."
"The second thing," Magnius said. "The people of the Southern Lands are finding it increasingly difficult to make a living, Your Majesty. What's more, for two seasons now, crops seem reluctant to bear fruit. Including, tria-petalis."
"Do you have any ideas?"
"Your Majesty," Magnius bowed. "In order to increase the confidence of the people of the four great kingdoms in you, I think it would be good for you to extend a favor to them, even if only for once. At the very least, they will think that the Central Empire still cares about them."
"Hmm..." the emperor turned to his right. "Right Counselor!"
"Your Majesty," the middle-aged man on the right bowed to face the emperor.
"Remember Magnius' idea. Then set an agenda for me!"
"Your Majesty," the middle-aged man bowed again.
"Anything else?" the emperor asked his cousin.
"It seems that the rumors that were spread are still believed by the poor people of the four great kingdoms."
"Oh... Let me guess, Scalgon Aurea?"
"Correct, Your Majesty," Magnius nodded. "At least, in the dead regions like the Northwest and Southeast Lands, I still find some wild hunters trying to find that imaginary dragon."
The emperor laughed again and the thin golden thread veil swayed gently again.
"Oh, my dear cousin," he said. "You amuse me very much. But I tell you, the Scalgon Aurea is real, not just a rumor or a myth."
Magnius let out a deep breath. He wanted to deny it, but he certainly didn't dare to do so to the emperor. So, he just held it in his chest.
"I know you don't believe me."
"Your Majesty, I-"
"That's fine," said the emperor. "Then, what else is there?"
"The great kingdom of the Eastern Lands," Magnius said. "First, they are requesting an additional supply of slave labor. And secondly, the king is going to marry off his eldest son to a noble girl from the south."
"Regarding the request for slave labor," said the emperor, he glanced to his left. "You take care of that, Left Counselor!"
"Your Majesty," Left Counselor bowed.
"And regarding the marriage of the Eastern King's eldest son. I guess it has nothing to do with me, right?"
"Your Majesty," Magnius said. "They expect you to be present on the day of the wedding."
"I see, huh?"
"In the next few days, they will send a messenger to deliver the invitation directly to you, Your Majesty."
"What do you think?"
Magnius sighed deeply, again. He knew very well what the emperor who was his cousin was like. So, he was a little hesitant to bring this up, especially with the Right Counselor and Left Counselor there.
And as if understanding what the Mighty Magnius was thinking, the emperor laughed softly.
"Never mind, forget it!"
"Your Majesty," Magnius bowed again.
"You two," the emperor said to his two companions. "Go out, do what I've ordered you to do, immediately."
"Your Majesty," the Right Counselor and Left Counselor bowed, then exited the grand and luxurious room.
After the two counselors had left and the door was again closed by two palace soldiers from outside, the emperor let out a long, soft sigh.
He snapped his fingers in such a way that the mosquito nets covering the four sides of the large bed were suddenly revealed, pulled away, and tied to each post at the four corners of the bed.
It was only here that it became apparent that the emperor was actually a 20-year-old girl. Very beautiful and graceful. Her physical features were exactly the same as Magnius himself since the emperor was also an al-Banix.
There was only one difference between the emperor and Magnius and the rest of the al-Banix. And that is the color of the iris of her eyes which is bright blue, exactly the same as the eye color possessed by the Asurry people. In fact, the al-Banix had white eyeballs, the same color as their hair.
"Now," she said to her cousin. "Tell me, Magnius!"
That was the only abnormality the female emperor had other than the color of her eyeballs. Her voice really did sound like that of a man.
For one reason or another, the female emperor whose real name was Rulca Vuellra preferred to be called emperor rather than the empress. Only she knew the reason behind it all.
"I don't know what the Eastern King is planning," Magnius said. "However, he swears he has provided something you might like, Your Majesty."
"I see, huh?" the emperor nodded. "Interesting, quite interesting. What do you think, then?"
"I think there is no harm in fulfilling their request."
"Is that so?"
Magnius nodded. "If you do not like the gift they have prepared for you later, at least, your appearance will surely bring hope to the people of the Eastern Lands."
"You will say again that trust in me will increase?"
"You are wiser than I am, Your Majesty."
"Alright, I'll think about it some more. But now," the emperor laughed softly again. "I've missed you these past three days, Magnius."
"I..."
"Take off your clothes and climb into my bed!"
Magnius let out a deep breath. This was the umpteenth time he had to serve the emperor's lust. Only, in recent times, the emperor's lust seemed to rise more often than before.
Without more words and without any resistance, Magnius took off his clothes until he was completely naked, then approached the bed.
"Come here, Magnius the Mighty!" The emperor slowly removed her clothes.
Magnius climbed onto the bed to serve his cousin's lust.
***