The Empire

The Shinshi Era 31st year.

Northern Plateau, Ernst Region.

"The weather has been so cold lately."

As soon as he stepped out of the forest, a biting cold wind swept by, Stark couldn't help but shiver.

Rienta looked up at the village ahead and said with a hint of helplessness:

"Hang in there a little longer, there's a village ahead where we can rest."

Of the four, three are mages and one is a warrior.

Ironically, the one who was most afraid of the cold was the only soldier.

The group quickened their pace and headed towards the village.

On the road.

Fern asked with some curiosity, "Aren't you worried about being attacked by Magical Beast here?"

Upon entering the Northern Plateau, they encountered countless Magical Beasts.

Just passing through the forest behind us, we were attacked at least a dozen times.

Frieren explained, "Ernst is located in a relatively peaceful area of Northern Plateau."

After saying that, Frieren gestured for everyone to look at the ground.

"Look, the roads here are all very well-maintained, and apart from the forest behind us, there are basically no ferocious Magical Beast."

"Therefore, this region became a gateway connecting the Northern Plateau and the Imperial Territory."

"Once we cross that mountain, we'll Imperial Territory."

Rienta tilted her head, looking at Frieren with some confusion.

Is the causal relationship between these two reversed?

Empire.

Any force that dares to use this name must be very powerful.

As the gateway connecting the Imperial Territory and the Northern Plateau, shouldn't the Ernst Region be under the Empire's protection, thus spared from attacks by powerful Magical Beast and even having the resources to build roads?

Before he could ask a question, Stark raised another one.

"What kind of place is the Empire?"

Frieren glanced at Fern and Rienta, who were equally puzzled, and explained:

"The Empire is the most powerful nation among the Northern Lands, possessing a formidable army, and its territory is also very safe."

"Our journey will be much easier once we reach the Imperial Territory."

Stark nodded thoughtfully and said, "I see."

"But then again, we're finally about to cross the Northern Plateau."

"It's been so long."

While everyone was chatting, they arrived at the village without even realizing it.

Inside the hotel.

After quickly tidying up, everyone went downstairs.

Rienta waved her hand and ordered the staff to bring out some of her signature dishes.

A short while later, the waiter brought over several plates and placed them in front of everyone.

Rienta looked closely and saw that there was only one piece of bread on the clean and bright plate.

"This must be the appetizer, right? Haha, the Empire is something else, bread first."

As they were talking, Rienta casually picked up a piece of bread, wanting to try it.

But when he held the bread in his hand, the hard texture left him somewhat bewildered.

After a brief moment of thought, Rienta understood and said with a smile:

"This must be a local specialty..."

Before he could finish speaking, the shop assistant came over with a tray again.

Seeing this, Rienta quickly said, "See? I knew it! This must be a characteristic of the Empire...?"

Before he could finish speaking, the shop assistant left.

Four more glasses of water appeared on the table.

Frieren and the others all looked at Rienta, waiting for his answer.

Rienta placed the bread back on the plate and remained silent.

Stark glanced at the shop assistant in the distance, then leaned close to Rienta and whispered:

"Rienta, how about we skip this specialty?"

I think your cooking suits my taste better.

Fern picked up the bread, frowned, examined it for a moment, and then said:

"Although this place is very close to the Imperial Territory, the flow of supplies may not have been restored yet."

"Let's do it ourselves."

Frieren didn't even glance at the bread on her plate, echoing, "That's what I think too."

Rienta sighed, stood up, and prepared to go to the counter to pay.

Just then, an elderly woman with gray hair, but still very neatly combed, walked over.

After a brief self-introduction.

The old woman, who was also the owner of the inn, said solemnly:

Adventurers, are you confident in your skills?

Upon hearing this, Frieren looked up at the shopkeeper and asked, "Why do you ask that?"

The shop owner explained, "Recently, our crops have been constantly being chopped into pieces, and we also hear news of livestock and wild animals being killed from time to time."

"So, I'd like to ask you for your help in handling this."

After a moment's thought, Frieren asked, "Is it Magical Beast?"

The shopkeeper nodded and said, "It's a rather strange Magical Beast."

"It has a body as tough as steel, and the villagers can't do anything about it, but it never attacks humans."

"Because no villagers have died as a result, the Imperial Army refuses to deal with the problem."

Frieren wasn't surprised.

After all, although there aren't any particularly powerful Magical Beast near the Ernst Region, there are still many Magical Beasts in the Northern Plateau that could pose a threat to the empire.

In order to protect the borders, the Imperial Army would generally not allocate special forces to deal with this Magical Beast that had not yet caused any casualties.

Rienta frowned slightly and asked, "Didn't you seek help from the Norm Knights?"

There are many Magical Beasts in this area, and quite a few Magical Beast even he has to deal with seriously.

He could understand why the Empire didn't deal with the Magical Beast that hadn't caused any casualties.

However, even a small village in the Northern Plateau is protected by the Norm Knights.

The Ernst Region, situated at the junction of the Imperial Territory and the Northern Plateau, should surely have a garrison of the Norm Knights.

The shop owner looked bewildered, not quite understanding what Rienta meant.

She knew that the Norm Trading Company would come to Ernst to trade every now and then.

The Norm Knights also knew that they were responsible for protecting that caravan.

But should we ask them for help?

This was something she had never imagined.

Frieren seemed to know something about this, and said, "The reason for this is that the Ernst Region is more influenced by the Empire."

The Norm Knights, being a military force in the Northern Plateau, could not easily interfere in the Ernst Region.

Taking rash action would certainly trigger diplomatic problems.

Hearing this, Fern said with some surprise, "That's true, but Ernst should still be considered part of the Northern Plateau, right?"

Frieren nodded and continued, "The Ernst Region is indeed still Northern Plateau."

"However, in places where power overlaps, the dominant position often becomes blurred due to the movement of people."

"The result is that it's very difficult for both sides to act in the name of their respective countries."

Sensing that the conversation was starting to veer towards science, Frieren stopped talking and looked at the shop owner:

We can accept this commission.

"However, what kind of compensation can you offer?"

Rienta added from the side, "Grimoire would be best."