The Demon Eagle's chest heaved violently, its bloodshot eyes turning as it watched the people poised for confrontation inside the hall.
Duke Valentin shuddered, a perfectly measured look of shock and alarm appearing on his face.
His eyes widened as he stared at the raptor on his shoulder, its talons buried deep in the velvet pad, as though he had never expected this.
"This... what is this?" His voice trembled, his performance utterly convincing.
The elders' gazes also converged on the Demon Eagle, frightened murmurs rising one after another.
"That's a Windcutter Demon Eagle!" a knowledgeable border noble cried out, his face deathly pale. "These magical beasts are stationed only at the Empire's key military strongholds. Every single one is registered!"
"Exactly. Look at the red paint on its leg band... this is a messenger of the highest rank!" another elder added, his voice shaking. "They're used only for urgent military reports concerning the Empire's survival. The last time we saw one was ten years ago, when the Orcs breached Shattered Plains Fortress!"
Amid the uproar, Duke Valentin "finally" recovered his senses.
He removed the message tube. The wax seal at its opening was intact, but a clink came from the bottom of the tube.
"Your Grace?" an elder beside him asked quietly, his eyes filled with unease.
Valentin ignored their stares.
He pulled out the stopper. A rolled parchment slipped into his palm, followed by a gold coin.
The coin rolled onto the obsidian floor with a clear, pleasing chime.
It spun, then finally settled flat between two slabs.
By the light falling through the dome, many people could clearly make out the coin's design.
Instead of the Empire's standard double-headed eagle, its face bore a stag standing proud with its head raised. Its edges showed obvious signs of