"It seems our Prince has a soft spot for the little Princess!" At the threshold of Valeria Hall, Lansseax winked at Lucia, her voice dripping with playful mischief.
"Sister," Lucia said, finally pulling his gaze away from the retreating figures of Miquella and Malenia. He turned to the white-robed priestess with an exhausted expression. "From dawn until now, today has been one chaotic disaster after another. How are you not tired?"
"Tsk, that's cold," Lansseax pouted with exaggerated innocence. "I rushed here at daybreak to bail you out, flew you from Dectus to the capital, visited the Sword Monunts, deployed troops at the Temple before the banquet even finished, and pushed aside my actual duties to play your temporary bodyguard—and you call 'not tired'? Hey! Don't you walk away from !"
Lucia had already raised his hands in surrender, walking toward the courtyard while chanting a hollow, chanical apology. "My mistake, my mistake. I admit it. You're a saint, I'm a villain. Happy?"
Lansseax smiled triumphantly and jogged to catch up.
"In all seriousness," Lucia said, his tone shifting to business as they entered the grounds. "How long have you been here? Have you had the interior checked?"
"Relax. I didn't just send people—I personally inspected every inch of this palace. The layout matches the official maps perfectly. No secret rooms, no hidden tunnels, and zero blind spots for eavesdropping. The Golden Dynasty is playing it straight... for now." Lansseax tossed a scroll to him. "See for yourself. I'll give you the grand tour."
Lucia unfurled the parchnt. It was an incredibly precise architectural layout, featuring detailed scales and legends that rivaled the CAD designs of his previous life. In the bottom corner, he spotted a flamboyant, arrogant signature: Ed. Linsel.
"Ed. Linsel?" Lucia raised an eyebrow. "Is he soone I should know?"
"You've never heard of the Great Scholar?" Lansseax asked, surprised. "Before the southern campaigns, he was the most celebrated mind in Leyndell. He designed the bastion defenses and served as the Chief Architect for the Golden Temple itself. When the Warlord launched the Eastern Expedition, the Royal Family practically begged him to serve as their military advisor. He was eventually exiled beyond the Sea of Fog with the rest of them."
She sighed softly, her gaze drifting toward the horizon. "I rember him because the fall of the Storm Dynasty is largely his doing. Using his knowledge of chanics and mathematics, he provided the Legion with weaponry that made every other army look prehistoric."
"They used Pulley Crossbows to create a literal rain of steel that broke the Storm Knights' charge, and he reverse-engineered ancient ruins to create Golem Guardians over ten ters tall. Those stone giants are slow, but their Greatbows... when they fire in volleys, even our Wyvern Warriors can be brought down."
"The world thinks the Erdtree won because they have more gods," she continued, her voice grim. "But High Priest Guran warned us years ago: the strength of the Golden Dynasty begins in Leyndell. It is a relentless machine—absorbing the continent's talent, gold, and blood to fuel its expansion. That is why we didn't fight them in the fields of the south. We struck Leyndell directly. We brought the fire to their heart."
Lansseax looked at the golden walls surrounding them. "We didn't have the strength to destroy them, but we made them realize the price of victory was the destruction of their precious capital. That realization is the only reason we have a peace treaty today."
Lucia remained silent. He understood now. The dignity of the Carian people and the Ancient Dragons wasn't a gift from Marika; it was a border drawn in blood. But ten years had passed. Farum Azula was fracturing internally, and the Full Moon Queen's mind was breaking. anwhile, the "Leyndell Machine" only grew more efficient.
As they toured the hall, Lucia used his demigod-tier ntal strength to asure the corridors. The map was perfect—the margin of error was less than a centiter. Valeria Hall was a fortress of luxury, complete with private training grounds, an armory, and a massive library. To the east, across a single wall, lay the Haligtree Palace.
Entering the inner study, the Ancient Dragon guards snapped to attention. Lucia gently handed the sleeping white fox to a maid, instructing her to find a soft bed for the creature. Once the doors were shut, Lansseax sealed the room with a Divine Power Barrier.
Lucia finally let his shoulders drop. He looked at his sister, the weight of the day returning to his eyes.
"Sister... you've been watching that Shadow Beast of mine all night. Tell the truth. Is there a problem with it?"
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