Chapter 176

Imperial Palace.

The servants and attendants were filled with unease. The remaining knights guarded the outside of the study, while Warner, Kien, and Lennar stood inside.

Warner stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed intently on a giant painting hanging in the middle of the wall.

To be precise, this is a map.

A map depicting the continuous expansion of the Saint Airo Empire, representing its past glory.

"Big brother..."

Lennar couldn't help but step forward, her eyes reddening and her lips tightly pressed together. "Are we... are we just going to stay here and wait for Desinia to attack? No..."

She just couldn't bring herself to say the word "escape."

Why did things turn out this way?!

It seemed as if the empire was heading towards its demise in the blink of an eye.

Not long ago, Warner was supposed to be with Shamir... It's all Shamir. If she hadn't run away, none of this would have happened...

Thinking of this, Lennar couldn't help but feel a little resentment towards Shamir.

But the thought of Cyrus immediately brought a look of sadness to her face; all her beautiful fantasies seemed to have shattered in that instant.

Perhaps, after the war broke out between the Desinia Territory and the Saint Airo Empire, Lennar lost all hope.

Warner turned around and said, "The Empire is now surrounded by Desinia on all sides. The escapees have nowhere to go."

One wrong step leads to another.

It wasn't that he was no match for Cyrus; it was that the Saint Airo Empire was gradually declining... ever since the Black Death began. Although it didn't collapse overnight, the time left for him was running out...

He tried to save it, but it was too late.

The empire was trapped in a jar, and even the Holy See sided with Desinia... The Pope had long planned to build a second Saint Church in Desinia Territory.

No, once the empire is destroyed, the Saint Church within the royal city will cease to exist.

The Saint Church within Visas will be the only one.

Augsger...

Warner couldn't help but close his eyes briefly, wondering if the Pope might have played a significant role in the planning of this war...

"Choosing to go to war with Desinia is far too presumptuous."

"No, brother, who would have thought that Asa Dek would openly break the contract? Does he not even care about his reputation?!" Kien clenched his fist and said.

The king of the Bia Kingdom has fooled them all!

Not only did Yasa Dek break the agreement, but he also joined forces with Cavendish to cut off the Empire's cavalry support to the border, and instead attacked and occupied the Empire's territory.

If it weren't for this, the Saint Airo Empire wouldn't have suffered such a rapid and devastating defeat, ultimately being forced into a defensive posture and falling into a disadvantageous position...

Now, they are about to be defeated by Desinia.

The odds of victory were tilted from the very beginning...

Kien was unwilling, for Warner and for the Empire, but what could he do? Desinia was now just outside the capital, and they had nowhere to escape.

At this time, nobles were not only useless, but also a burden.

Not only did they fail to offer Warner any advice, but they also grew increasingly anxious and uneasy as the Imperial cavalry suffered repeated defeats, further irritating Warner.

If the Desinia Cavalry Corps hadn't besieged the capital first, these nobles would probably have abandoned the city and fled or surrendered long ago.

But it's not too late to surrender now.

Cyrus eventually met Warner, Kien, Lennar in the palace.

He said, "I thought you would leave the palace."

Warner: "There's no need for that."

No matter where you run, you'll be caught again, so it's better not to run.

"Who would have thought that the empire would end in my hands..."

Warner paused for a moment and then said, "I never imagined that the one who would end the Saint Airo Empire would be you, Lord of Desinia."

"Why?" Cyrus asked.

Warner looked intently at him with his icy blue eyes and said, "You don't seem like a very ambitious person."

"I don't see any desire in you to invade other countries or territories, yet you possess the power to do so..."

"Even the Pope is on your side."

At this point, Warner's deep, dark eyes turned to Segalot: "We've known each other since childhood, and you've always been indifferent to everything, completely uncaring..."

"But now, they're paying so much attention to Desinia. This is something I didn't expect, Augsger."

"You foresaw the decline of the Empire long ago, and prematurely rebuilt the Saint Church in Visas, intending to re-establish its supreme position..."

This statement is suspected to be a provocation between Cyrus and the Pope.

After all, no one in power wants the Holy See to be superior to them. In the past, within the Saint Airo Empire, divine authority far surpassed royal authority.

The Pope wields unlimited power.

Upon hearing this, Cyrus's expression remained unchanged.

Segalot sighed softly and said, "I never imagined that one day I would actually hold someone in my heart."

"To build the Saint Church in Visas, just to be closer to him."

Cyrus's eyelashes trembled, and she couldn't help but blush.

Warner, Kien, and Lennar's eyes widened and their expressions changed.

What did they hear?!

What exactly did the Pope mean by these words...? Did he mean anything by saying this to Desinia...?

Warner suddenly looked at Grand Duke Orville, Archibald, and the others standing behind Cyrus. Their expressions remained unchanged.

It was as if Warner hadn't heard the Pope's words, or perhaps he had simply misheard or misunderstood them.

But when Warner looked at Segalot's expression again, he was sure he hadn't misunderstood.

The Pope... has actually developed special feelings for Desinia?!

Warner couldn't help but mutter in a low voice, "Augsger, you, as Pope, have openly violated the rules of the Holy See and betrayed the Creator God..."

"If the cardinals, archbishops, and other clergy knew about this, do you think they would support you as pope?!"

"Even worse, if everyone knew about this, you..."

Warner could almost imagine the world would scorn the two men, and those around them would feel utterly humiliated.

Segalot narrowed his golden eyes slightly and said calmly, "They can only accept and agree."

"Gales, do you really think anyone can dethrone the Pope?"

Warner slowly pursed his lips.

Segalot: "The Holy See's rules can be changed, Gales. I hope you live to see that day."

"At that time, everyone will bless them."

Upon hearing this, Cyrus's ears turned a deeper red.

Warner, Kien, and Lennar were temporarily detained, and their fate would be discussed later.

The nobles of the Saint Airo Empire were kept under guard; they couldn't escape anywhere, nor did they dare to, so they obediently stayed at home.

The Saint Airo Empire collapsed in one fell swoop, and all its lands became part of the Desinia Territory.

Among them, the most uneasy were probably the common people and slaves of the empire.

But their anxiety was quickly put to rest.

It doesn't matter if the leadership changes; as long as life is good, that's all that matters.

The existence of crops gradually spread throughout the empire, from being known to a small group of people to becoming common knowledge...

For the people, the most important things were having enough to eat, warm clothes, and shelter from the wind and rain.

Currently, the Saint Airo Empire is facing a food shortage crisis, and the arrival of crops can be said to have solved its immediate problem.

As Cyrus slowly reorganized the empire, Ferdinand led the Black-and-White Cavalry back from the blockade, accompanied by Bula and Shamir.

Of course, Ferdinand brought Cyrus with him as the mother panther in exchange for the goods.

This is a black panther with a well-built physique and very smooth lines.

It has slightly rounded ear tips, golden eyes, and a long, powerful tail. Its movements are elegant, like a proud and confident queen.

Bula said that this was the most valiant female leopard in the Kadi Tribe, Afra.

Although it has a good temper, it is a formidable fighter; even Sachi dares not provoke it.

"Afra has only just grown up, and hasn't found a suitable black panther yet, mainly because she doesn't like any of them..." Bula muttered, "Anyone who dares to approach her gets bitten away."

[This book-reading app was recommended to me by a book-loving friend of ten years! It's incredibly useful; I use it to read aloud and listen to books while driving or before bed to pass the time. You can download it here.]

Cyrus: "Has Sachi been bitten?"

Bula: "No, because after being chased away by Afra, Sachi hasn't tried to get close again. If he had persisted, he might have won the beauty's heart long ago."

It seems that Bula is quite disappointed.

After all, Afra, the female black panther, was the most outstanding member of the Kadi Tribe.

Afra is wild and untamed.

Unlike Sachi, who had traveled to many places with Bula and understood that she couldn't run around or hurt people, Afra was somewhat uneasy and anxious because Afra first time outside, and her temper had worsened considerably.

Therefore, Bula had no choice but to temporarily lock Afra in the room, forbidding anyone except himself and the people of the Kadi Tribe from entering.

When Cyrus brought Black Sugar over, Bula, who was guarding outside, said that it would be better to let Black Sugar go in alone.

Sachi followed beside Bula, then swished its tail and strolled over to Black Sugar, howling several times under Cyrus's gaze.

After stopping, Black Sugar turned to leave.

Cyrus quickly grabbed its big head. "Black Sugar, why are you leaving so soon? Why don't you go inside and take a look?"

Resistance is unacceptable!

"Ouch."

Black Sugar shook its head from side to side, trying to break free, but no matter how hard it tried, it couldn't. Finally, it stopped, licked Cyrus's hand that was holding its head, and gave in.

"Good girl." Cyrus kissed Black Sugar.

After Black Sugar went inside, Cyrus and Bula stood at the doorway. They heard the room quiet for a while, then suddenly heard a series of crashing and banging sounds as things were smashed.

The sound lasted for a while, then finally returned to silence.

Cyrus asked, "Should we go in and take a look?"

Bula nodded.

Cyrus stepped forward, slowly opened the door a crack, and then peeked into the room.

Black Sugar lay calmly on the windowsill, swaying its long tail. The ground was a mess, and among the scattered things lay a black panther, panting heavily, its sharp golden eyes fixed on Black Sugar as it began to lick its paws.

Sachi popped a head up beside Cyrus's legs. Its golden eyes, almost identical to Black Sugar's, narrowed, and its tail swished leisurely.