At a loss for words, Caleb quietly shook his head and went outside.

“You all fought well. Excellent, indeed. His Majesty the Emperor has bestowed gifts upon our excellent Pergos soldiers. Unload the carriages.”

The items piled high in the carriages were taken out one by one and distributed to the lined-up soldiers.

They were uniforms in a slightly desaturated purple. On the left chest where the heart lies was an unfamiliar pattern embroidered in gold.

After they changed and lined up again, Greg spoke.

“Seeing you all wearing the clothes His Majesty bestowed, I feel proud.”

At his words, the soldiers examined the bestowed uniforms. Rudbeckia too stared intently at the embroidery above Elfleda’s left heart.

“What are you looking at?”

“Ah. I apologize. I was just observing what shape the gold embroidery is.”

“Hmm…. Indeed, what kind of animal is this?”

“It appears to be a dragon with four eyes. This part is the eyes, and here are the claws and wings……”

“Vice Commander, you have embroidery on your uniform too!”

Elfleda crossed her hands with a flushed face to block Rudbeckia’s gaze.

“While the national emblem may commemorate the achievement of unification, why did they change even the color?”

Pergos had always used red as its symbol. While the national emblem changed occasionally when Emperors changed, the red had never changed.

Moreover, purple? Purple was a color that no country on the continent had ever used as a symbol.

Since purple carried meanings of nobility, elegance, and dignity, even when women had dresses made, only someone of high standing like a duchess could use it.

So it was a color that only people of a certain rank could use.

“Isn’t this exactly the kind of color Adam Perron, who calls himself ruler of the continent, would think of?”

Elfleda tilted her head as if asking what she meant.

Rudbeckia tapped the embroidery on her own uniform. It was a gesture completely lacking in respect for the nation.

“He must have thought just calling himself ruler of the continent wasn’t enough. So naturally he used purple fabric that evokes nobility with dark red trim symbolizing the Perron imperial family. The national emblem is the same. You could call it a warning message to defeated countries. Four eyes meaning surveillance. A dragon is called the ruler of the ancient world. Gold symbolizes wealth.”

“On just a uniform…… did they really think that much about it?”

Elfleda shuddered as if creeped out as she questioned.

“This is one typical form of self-deification. It’s in books — would you like to borrow one?”

Coming from a genius with perfect memory, it had too much credibility to laugh off as a joke.

While she knew the current imperial family was going mad, if they put such meanings even into clothes…… she shook her head, wanting to believe the imperial family wasn’t that creepily insane.

“And when erasing what was there before, nothing is more certain than covering it with something stronger and darker.”

Rudbeckia spoke while raising her head.

In truth, while a bit childish, nothing was better than color for catching public attention and sending silent messages.

“Erasing what was there……”

Caleb’s lips moved slightly as he quietly listened to Elfleda and Rudbeckia’s conversation.

His eyes were locked on Greg Sanders, who was dressed head to toe in muted purple.

That cold gaze held no trace of emotion—not even the bitterness of love or hate.

* * *

The victorious army marched toward the capital ‘King’s City.’

The return journey was marked by an excited rush, as if the soldiers were competing with one another.

When they entered the first village within the Emperor’s direct imperial territory, they proudly announced their victory, carrying both the flags from their departure ceremony and the new ones bestowed by Greg.

The soldiers’ unified uniforms and the perfectly matching flags, adorned with the national emblem of a four-eyed roaring dragon, were more than enough to convey the army’s dignity and strength.

“Long live Caleb! Long live Pergos!”

“Everyone survived!”

“Dad! Where are you, Dad?”

“Is my brother among them? Wow…… they look so cool!”

The army continued marching until they reached ‘Kings City’, the capital at the center of the imperial territory.

With the impossible achievement of total survival, they entered the palace amid citizens’ passionate cheers and warm reception.

“Good work on the journey everyone! Return to your quarters and rest! I will receive His Majesty the Emperor’s victory acknowledgment along with the decree for the victory banquet!”

Even for those who only needed to look after themselves, several days of camping had been an arduous journey.

Once all knights entered the palace, its iron gates firmly closed again, and everyone dispersed to their original knight orders.

“Huff. Let’s go in.”

Commander Caleb, Vice Commander Rudbeckia, and the five platoon leaders roughly dusted off their uniforms with their hands while waiting for the gold-decorated door to open.

Rudbeckia drew in a breath.

Behind this door sat the one who had completely changed her homeland, her mother, her life.

And now she had returned after doing exactly the same things for him.

A self-mocking sigh escaped her lips.

“Sir Caleb Sanders is entering.”

The audience chamber held all the palace officials and numerous nobles.

Filled with beautiful statues and ornaments that made it difficult to know where to look, this place resembled a gallery more than an audience chamber.

“Caleb Sanders greets Your Majesty, Emperor Adam Perron.”

“Rise, rise. I received your victory report early. You must have met your brother, the Minister of Military?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Dark red matted hair like congealed blood and bloodshot eyes lacking focus as if his soul had been sold to a demon.

The aged man with sagging skin full of greed looked older than his actual age.

The thick staff in his hand, designed to transform into a blade to ruthlessly cut down anyone who dared to think differently from him, now seemed too heavy for him to even lift.

“Then there isn’t much to discuss. The war is over. There will be no more wars.”

The war is over!

Finally, the long conquest war had completely ended.

Though expected, the war only ended after the Pergos Empire devoured the entire continent. Had that Emperor prepared to account for the innocent blood he spilled?

“This is good news.”

“Of course it’s good news. What better news could there be than having no more citizens suffering from war? Hahaha.”

Hypocritical laughter. These were the same people who had inflicted suffering on countless citizens of other nations.

The same man who had initiated a war that drained rivers of blood now dared to speak as though he cared for his people.

“All thanks to Your Majesty’s grace!”

“It’s an honor to serve Your great Majesty!”

Officials and central nobles chimed in, their words dripping with sycophantic praise at the Emperor’s statement.

Rudbeckia looked around.

‘Filthy rats. The way they squeak…… this is no better than a sewer.’

So many people had gathered despite this not being the banquet hall.

Adam wore an increasingly sinister expression, absorbed in the voices sanctifying him.

“Elfleda Argen. You worked hard too. You’ve earned enough merit to be worthy as a member of the imperial family, so prepare to enter the palace now.”

At Adam’s sudden command, Elfleda looked at Baningo with shocked eyes. His disheveled clothing seemed to confirm the rumors about him indulging in drugs and women.

‘Marrying someone who can’t even keep his clothes straight.’

She lowered her eyes and answered. Her voice clearly revealed her forcibly maintaining a low posture while gritting her teeth.

“Your Majesty, I’m still lacking……”

“Prepare yourself. And, Caleb Sanders…. Sanders. Are you the legitimate heir of the Sanders family?”

“Your Maj—!”

As though he had no more words for Elfleda, Adam cut off her words and called Caleb directly.

“……Yes, I am.”

“I see…… the legitimate heir.”

He tapped the armrest of his chair while asking Caleb strange questions.

Pergos killed all royal bloodlines whenever they consumed a kingdom. Because they were beings who could plot rebellion if they survived. So they always made sure to collect the bodies too.

However, they let Caleb live. Because he was Greg’s brother who had offered up the Sanders Grand Duchy. To test Greg’s loyalty, he had directly ordered him to kill Caleb.

Greg promised to kill his brother after offering the Fabio Kingdom to the Emperor, citing his brother’s excellent abilities.

“Well, if they don’t keep their promises, I can just cut them both down.”

Adam muttered to himself where no one could hear while glaring at Caleb.

“Father, enough small talk and let’s discuss what all the nobles here are waiting for. When will you hold the victory banquet?”

Prince Baningo Perron, who stood beside Emperor Adam, spoke up. He has dark red hair like an old rotting blood clot exactly like his father’s, and brown eyes like the base of a dead tree. And a voice devoid of emotion.

“Hmph, right. We must continue Pergos’s long tradition. Read the decree.”

Adam made a displeased expression once, seemingly unhappy with Baningo. Soon a scribe holding a rolled-up decree climbed onto the platform.

The scribe read the decree in a clear, organized voice.

“……A victory banquet will be held in four days for our hardworking army, and along with the attendance of all knights, special news will be announced, so we hope for the attendance of not only officials but many nobles as well.”

“Our hearts for Pergos!”

Their audience ended faster than expected with the knights’ oath.

The platoon leaders including Zeno and Elfleda, who belonged to different knight orders, dispersed.

Since 「The Fabio War」 had just put its final period with this audience, the army’s soldiers quickly returned to their positions before the war as knights of their respective orders.

* * *

The next morning, Rudbeckia stood at the training grounds late in the morning and said,

“So we’re back here again. To this damn ‘Blue Whale errand group’.”