CHAPTER 246: CHAPTER 245: IRON, BLOOD, FAITH, AND FEAR

As they rode deeper into the capital, Lumberling’s gaze lifted. Four towering fortresses loomed at the edges of the city, each one like a pillar propping up the sky. And at the very heart of Pentagara, rising above all others, stood the imperial palace, white stone and golden spires, radiant and untouchable.

He slowed his horse, eyes narrowing. "Those castles... why are there four of them surrounding the palace?"

Liraeth followed his gaze, then gave a small, knowing smile. "You noticed quickly. Those aren’t just castles, they’re the seats of the four great pillars of the empire."

"Four pillars?"

She nodded. "The empire doesn’t rest on the emperor alone. These four powers uphold the throne... and keep it in check."

She pointed eastward, to the fortress built like an iron bastion, banners heavy with the mark of crossed swords.

"That is the seat of the ’Iron Legions.’ The War Ministry, generals, and Imperial Legates, every blade the empire calls its own is sharpened by their command. They are the sword that holds the borders. Without their loyalty, even the emperor’s throne would tremble."

Lumberling studied it, noting the disciplined march of soldiers drilling in the yards below.

When she spoke again, her words chilled the air. Across the western horizon, a fortress draped in crimson, its towers draped in crimson banners

"That is the ’Crimson Tribunal.’ Executors of law, punishment, and fear. They are inquisitors, executioners, enforcers. Nobles or commoners, it doesn’t matter. If the Tribunal comes knocking, your power, your coin, your titles won’t save you."

Lumberling frowned. "So less about justice... more about control."

Her lips curved bitterly. "Exactly."

Next, her voice shifted, touched with disdain. Southward, an opulent fortress gleamed, surrounded by sprawling estates like miniature kingdoms.

"That belongs to the ’Great Clans.’ Ancient bloodlines, dukes, marquesses, high-born families with centuries of knightly tradition. Their warriors are among the finest, their estates vast. They can sway provinces with a word. Sometimes allies of the emperor... sometimes rivals. They are the high aristocracy, wealth, prestige, armies of their own."

Lumberling’s brows furrowed. "Sounds like they’d rather wear the crown themselves."

"Many have tried," Liraeth murmured. "None succeeded."

Finally, she turned her gaze north, toward the most radiant of the fortresses, its towers crowned with stained glass that shimmered in the sun. Bells tolled faintly, the sound carrying across the city.

"And that," she said softly, "is the ’Ecclesiarchate.’ The umbrella of faith that binds the empire’s soul."

He tilted his head. "The church?"

"More than one," she corrected. "Three great ones, each with their own head, each with their own ambitions. The Sanctum of the Sunlit Path, the Church of the Soothing Light, and the Church of the Twilight Prayer... the one Thalia Moorn belongs to. Together, they form the Ecclesiarchate. But their unity is fragile. Their rivalry makes them both the most dangerous... and the most unstable of the four pillars."

Lumberling was silent for a long while, eyes tracing the four fortresses that ringed the palace. It struck him that the emperor’s throne was less a seat of absolute rule, and more a prize constantly defended from every direction.

"Four pillars," he said finally, his tone thoughtful. "Iron, blood, fear, and faith."

"And at the center of it all," Liraeth murmured, "is Aurex Draventh the Ninth. The Everlight Sovereign."

Lumberling tilted his head. "The emperor himself."

She nodded. "Wise, aged, and the strongest of them all. He is not just the ruler of the empire, He is the pillar the others circle around, the one whose strength keeps this delicate balance from crumbling. Without him, the empire would already be in chaos."

Lumberling’s brow furrowed as he studied the palace’s towering spires. "I wonder how the four pillars see him. Do they follow him willingly... or because they must?"

Liraeth exhaled slowly, her voice dropping lower, as if speaking truths not meant to be heard in the open.

"The Iron Legions revere him. To them, he is their supreme war-leader. Even their hardest generals and legates hesitate to defy him."

Her eyes shifted toward the fortress draped in crimson. "The Crimson Tribunal respect his wisdom, but they don’t like being overruled. They cling to their authority with claws of iron, and though they bow now, they fear what happens after his reign ends. Fear breeds ambition."

She turned her gaze south, toward the sprawling estates. "As for the Great Clans, none can deny his dominance. Even the proudest clan lord lowers his head when Aurex enters the hall, for he is not only Emperor but the greatest warrior of his age. They hate being bridled, yet his shadow keeps them in check. To them, their bloodlines should be the empire’s true pillars, but Aurex will not let them rise above him."

Finally, her gaze lingered on the radiant cathedral-towers. "And the Ecclesiarchate... they proclaim the emperor as God’s chosen ruler. But what lies behind those words... no one truly knows."

Lumberling let out a low hum, piecing her words together. "So in the end, even the Everlight Sovereign is a man surrounded by wolves."

Liraeth’s lips curved faintly, though her eyes held no delight. "Yes. But he is the strongest wolf of them all. That’s why the throne is still his. That’s why the empire still stands."

He studied her carefully, catching the edge in her tone. "You sound as though you’ve seen these games up close."

Her eyes flicked to his, then slid away. "Of course. If you want to survive here, you have to. You learn quickly that power is a web here. Step wrong, and you’re entangled. Speak wrong, and you’re cut."

She paused, her voice softening. "That’s why I warned you before. The capital shines brighter than anywhere else in the empire... but its shadows are deeper too."

Lumberling looked once more at the grand palace, his chest tightening with a mix of awe and anticipation. "Five powers... all balancing, all waiting. And one emperor keeping them in check."

He tightened his grip on the reins, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "I wonder what it will be like, to meet him face to face."