The Emperor’s Angel of Death

Valor Palace is a fortress-like palace complex that began construction during the reign of Grand Duke Olga, but was never completed by the time of his death. Therefore, after the second High King, Matthias, ascended the throne, in order to show his loyalty, filial piety, and remembrance of Grand Duke Olga, he spared no expense in erecting a statue at the highest point of Valor Palace, modeled after Grand Duke Olga's most revered image.

It also became the most prominent symbol of the entire Valor Palace.

The entire Valor Palace covers an area of 15 square kilometers and is divided into an inner and outer city, which can be said to be a completely independent small city. The outer city has walls as high as fifty meters, based on a granite platform, with double rows of alloy giant pillars supporting the retaining walls every five hundred meters. The main body of the wall is made of polished granite, appearing in perfect cylindrical form.

A large number of platforms are staggered and distributed on the retaining walls, and various spire castles are surrounded by towering steps, with huge weapons sitting on them, proudly overlooking the civilian world outside the walls.

After entering the outer wall, these steps gradually descend, and there are many exquisite buildings inside. Some are the residences of nobles, and some are the residences of bureaucrats, attendants, and other prominent figures serving the royal family. Finely crafted wood and stone structures are arranged according to status and class, and the walls of all buildings shimmer with dazzling white marble.

Within the outer walls, there are also four huge central towers, whose towering, gradually changing shapes are all wrapped in thick alloy.

This is the base of the royal attendant mecha, also known as the Guardian Towers. More than one hundred and forty royal attendants and their mecha are stationed in these towers, waiting for orders from the High King at any time. They also patrol the outer city in squads on weekdays, monitoring everything that happens within the city.

Corresponding to the four Guardian Towers are a ring road and four branch roads connecting the outer and inner walls. Each of these four branch roads is 80 meters wide, connecting the gates in the four directions of the outer wall. Each of them is one hundred meters high and is the only way to enter Valor Palace.

However, these doors will not be opened without orders. Huge engines stand on the retaining wall, coordinating the huge chains. Each link of these chains is a behemoth, controlling the elevators outside the wall, each operation of which is enough to bring hundreds of people and their vehicles into the city, while smaller elevators are located at the edge of each terrace, for those of lower status to use.

Everyone knows that the gates of the outer wall will only open in one situation—

When the High King orders a grand knight parade, or launches a war, the huge knight mecha will step out from the inner city, displaying their power and glory with brightly colored flags.

And today, all the gates are open. Guards in armor are lined up on the retaining walls, and the usually bustling streets are already empty. The attendant mecha have all stepped out of the Guardian Towers, standing on both sides of the city's main road, quietly undertaking their guarding duties.

Sitting in a mechanical carriage and wearing noble knight's finery, Basri adjusted his neat little mustache in the mirror. At thirty-four years old, his face already showed some traces of time, making him look more like someone he only dared to mention at home.

Then he returned the mirror to his wife, who was dressed in盛装, who smiled gently at him. As the daughter of a farmer, her status was not very low, but compared to a genuine noble like Basri, she still belonged to the ranks of "commoners." Therefore, their marriage initially caused a lot of controversy, but Basri and his wife had an incredible缘分. He believed that love was far more important than so-called status and position. Fortunately, High King Matthias finally guaranteed his marriage, which barely quelled the controversy.

Of course, Basri's status was still somewhat damaged because he chose to marry a commoner, but he didn't think it was a bad thing, or rather, falling in love with his wife in the first place had a certain sense of "escape."

He just wanted to stay away from the core circle of nobles. Ever since he was nearly assassinated at the age of 20, Basri realized that the more marginal and inconspicuous he was, the safer he would be.

Basri may not be a brave warrior, but he is a very meticulous person. The rumors that have been circulating for so many years have long made him realize the secrets that may exist in his background. He knows that to survive, he must appear low-key, even humble, and preferably weak, because this is the quality that knights despise the most.

He didn't think about so much power and profit. He just wanted to live peacefully with his family, even if his descendants were no longer knights.

This is a peaceful world, much better than most worlds in the Empire. Perhaps this is also what his father hoped for him.

But—

Basri looked down at the pocket watch in his hand, which contained a family photo, with a boy held in his wife's arms in the middle.

Sere, his son, was so similar to Grand Duke Olga, not only in appearance, but also in ability and even personality, and may have already attracted the attention of the High King.

The tree wants to be quiet, but the wind won't stop—

Basri sighed softly, turned his head to look out the window. The carriage had already descended from the elevator and was speeding towards the inner city along the noble's exclusive passage. Along the way, he could also see carriages bearing the emblems of other nobles speeding along.

With just a slight lift of his head, Basri could see Grand Duke Olga's figure bowing in prayer, reflecting in the sunlight. It seemed to be a symbol of the DuPont Delin family's rising glory, the highest point of Valor Palace.

Today, he seemed to be watching himself—

"My lord, you look very melancholy. Shouldn't today be a good day?"

Perhaps realizing that her husband's mood was a little off today, Basri's wife immediately asked softly.

"Are you still worried about Sere?"

Hearing his son's name, Basri chuckled and shook his head.

"That kid probably doesn't need me to worry about him now... But it's very surprising that the Knight Academy didn't let them come back. Logically speaking, the Warband Commander's visit shouldn't be to the Knight Academy..."

"It's not certain. What if that person wants to see the learning of the trainee knights?"

"You haven't met him, nor have you dealt with the Astartes. Although I was still young at that time, I could also feel that they are indifferent and pragmatic warriors. What that Warband Commander cares about is probably only how the family's combat power is, and not so many trivial matters."

With the slight bumps of the carriage, they arrived at an independent drawbridge and quickly passed through rows of giant pillars, leading to a cylindrical passage through the granite platform.

As long as they pass through here, they will enter the true palace area of Valor Palace. Under normal circumstances, no one can enter this area by car without an edict. The High King has always been establishing authority and rules, and naturally has also formulated many complicated etiquettes.

But today, these will all be put aside.