Chapter 65: Concern From Across the Sea

Seven months later.

Far across the vast eastern sea, inside the magnificent capital building of the Holy Solarian Empire, golden sunlight poured through towering arched windows.

Goddess Viona sat comfortably on an ornate marble throne cushioned with white velvet.

On a small gold table beside her rested a silver tray piled with delicate pastries, glazed fruits, and honey cakes.

She popped a candied berry into her mouth, chewing happily as she flipped through the parchment reports in her hand.

"Level forty-nine... level fifty-one... level fifty," Viona murmured to herself, a pleased smile gracing her lips.

The summoned heroes from the other world were progressing nicely. Under the empire’s grand paladins and sacred training dungeons, their levels were rising fast. Soon, they would be strong enough to purge any threat to her divine order. Everything was going according to her grand design.

The heavy golden double doors of the chamber opened with a quiet creak.

A tall, elderly man wearing the dark red and gold robes of the Imperial Prime Minister walked inside. He bowed deeply before approaching the throne, holding a leather scroll case in his hands.

"Your Divinity," the Prime Minister greeted her with deep respect.

"Rise, Minister Belis," Viona said without looking away from her sweets. She picked up a small honey cake. "I trust you bring good news? The heroes are nearly ready for their next trials."

"The heroes are indeed progressing well, Lady Viona," Belis replied, his voice calm but serious. "However, I come before you regarding another matter. It concerns our expeditionary fleet sent to the western continent."

Viona paused, taking a bite of the cake. "What of them? Has Grand Inquisitor Valerius completed the pacification of the native tribes?"

"That is the problem, Your Divinity," Belis explained, furrowing his brow. "There has been no word. The fleet should have sent back regular magical missives and messenger wyverns weeks ago. Yet, seven months have passed since their landing, and we have received absolute silence. Not a single bird, not a single scout ship has returned."

Viona waved her hand lightly, dismissing the concern with a small chuckle.

"Valerius is simply being thorough," she said smoothly. "You know how eager he is to expand our holy influence. He is likely pushing deep into the western forests, hunting down the heretics and securing new lands for the church. He probably does not want to send word until the entire region bends the knee."

"Perhaps, Lady Viona," Belis replied carefully, his expression remaining tense. "Yet Valerius is a veteran commander of the faith. He knows the strict imperial protocols regarding weekly reports. Complete silence for this long is unheard of."

The Prime Minister looked at the floor, his voice dropping lower. "I fear something has gone wrong in the west."

Viona set her sweets down on the tray, her starry golden eyes narrowing just a little. She still believed no uncivilized natives could truly threaten an imperial fleet, but Belis had a point. Valerius followed orders to the letter.

A quiet knot of suspicion formed in her mind. Something out there across the western sea was not going according to plan.

Viona leaned back into the soft velvet cushions, resting her chin in her hand. "Even if the wild tribes put up a fight, Valerius commanded enough forces to conquer that continent. The western barbarians fight with flint, bone, and crude bows. How could an entire fleet simply vanish?"

"That is precisely what unnerves the High Council, Your Divinity," Belis said, stepping closer and unrolling a map of the known world across the marble floor. "The sea lanes between our ports and their projected landing zone at the Cragspine shores have seen unusually violent seasonal storms, yes. But our naval mages can tame ordinary squalls. If a storm destroyed the fleet, wreckage would have washed ashore on our western outposts by now. We have found nothing."

"Could the native shamans have pooled their mana?" Viona mused, tapping a finger on the arm of her throne. "Some of those beastkin elders worship old forest spirits. If they summoned an ancient primal beast..."

"Even a primal beast leaves a footprint," Belis countered quietly. "Survivors would have fled to the shore. A single fast cutter would have slipped out to bring word. Total blackout suggests complete, swift annihilation—or containment by an enemy who controls the skies and the seas."

Viona frowned. The word annihilation did not belong in reports concerning the Holy Solarian Empire.

"We are the supreme power under the heavens," she said, her voice turning cold, losing its playful sweetness. "No force on that backward continent possesses the means to destroy an inquisitorial vanguard without a prolonged war. Could it be that our neighbor, the Wallachian Empire is behind this?" Viona asked, her golden eyes flashing with a dangerous glint.

Belis stiffened, hesitating before answering. "The Wallachians... They possess the military might to challenge us, certainly. Along with our Holy Empire, they are the undisputed superpower of this continent."

"We signed the Treaty of the Golden Accord with them only three decades ago," Viona murmured, tapping her manicured fingers against the arm of her throne. "Emperor Vladislav swore upon his bloodline that they would respect our sphere of influence. But mortals are fickle creatures. If they caught wind of our expansion into the west, they might see an opportunity."

"Precisely my concern, Your Divinity," Belis said gravely. "If they secretly dispatched an ironclad armada to the western continent, they could have intercepted Valerius before he even established a foothold. An ambush at sea, shielded by their heavy dampening wards, would explain why not a single magical transmission escaped."

Viona’s eyes narrowed. The idea that uncivilized beastkin or wood elves could wipe out an imperial fleet was absurd. But the Wallachian Empire? They had ironclad dreadnoughts, disciplined sorcerer-knights, and an insatiable ambition.

"They wouldn’t dare break the treaty openly," Viona stated, her voice hardening like polished stone. "Vladislav knows a direct war with our Holy Empire would tear this continent in two. But subverting it? Expanding in secret across the western sea while keeping a smiling face in the eastern council chambers? That sounds entirely like them."

"If they claim the western continent first, they tilt the balance of power permanently," Belis added, nodding slowly. "They could establish supply lines, harvest untapped resources, it is a serious issue."

Viona picked up the crystal goblet of chilled nectar, turning it slowly between her fingers as she stared at the sprawling map.

"Then, we should just investigate it."