Behind Us Lies Our Homeland

Escorted by a Varangian Guard numbering fewer than a hundred men, Lothar quickly arrived at the Imperial Library.

He crouched beside one corpse, examined it for a moment, then moved to another.

Every one of them had been killed in a single blow. Faint traces of magical radiance lingered nearby. There had likely been an extraordinarily powerful spellcaster who had taken the lives of every guard in an instant.

"Who goes there?!"

The Varangian Guards raised their crossbows and aimed them at the open doors of the library.

"Friendly."

Lothar reminded them.

The Candle Knight descended the steps and gave a slight shake of her head.

Lothar understood at once. He ordered the soldiers to wait outside, then entered the library with the Candle Knight.

"Didn't catch them?"

"No. The enemy was very familiar with the library's layout. They could even use the library's magic arrays to hinder me."

"Heh."

Lothar sneered.

In that case, when Constantinople fell, whether that city gate had truly been "forgotten" or deliberately opened by someone was a matter worth pondering.

The system notification sounded.

Your empire was riddled with holes and teetering in the storm.

Today, the Dragon-Slaying Crossbow was stolen, and there were many suspects.

A. General Giovanni and the Genoese had only just arrived when the Dragon-Slaying Crossbow was stolen. The culprit was obvious.

B. Sir Theodore frequently visited the library to study documents and was highly suspicious. You decided to arrest him decisively, follow the trail, and uncover his accomplices.

C. Seize the opportunity to purge dissidents. Whether they were traitors or not, anyone who disagreed with me was a treacherous rebel.

D. With the enemy approaching, make a big matter small and a small matter disappear. Unite every force that could be united.

Lothar smiled. With only one