The Infallible Monarch

Suddenly, knocks on the other side of the door echoed, startling the people within. The Imperial Guard from before walked to the gate and, after being given the approval, ordered the other two guards standing beside the door to open it. There, a silent and brief discussion started between the men at the door. A while later, the Imperial Guard turned around and announced, "My Lords and Ladies, three new letters have arrived!"

The officials suddenly turned serious and uneasy, stressing at what the letters might contain. It could possibly be the declarations of war from the Khalian Dominions or a letter that contains news of a massive rebel outbreak near the Imperial City. Since the letters were new and unopened, the Imperial Guard, this time, went and handed over the letters to Reynald for him to read.

As the rustling of the papers enveloped the silent hall, everyone sat anxiously, waiting to hear what the letter contains. A while later, they saw a smile creep up from their Emperor's face. "What is it about?" Aquineas, the only brave one, asked straightforwardly.

"They're letters from Agarian Prime Minister Ashented, King Magni of Telhadrim, and the Elven Lord Alonenn." Reynald replied with a grin. Hearing that, everyone was relieved. They had initially thought that another problem arose. If it had been so, they would have just collapsed on the spot due to the pressure. But now, it seems that their worries were unfounded. True, they still need to worry about those foreign powers, but with those three, the problem from within the Empire would be significantly lifted up.

"From the Agarian Prime Minister Ashented, he is informing us that the entire Dominion of Agaria is on our side and that an army of five thousand Agarian men would be guarding our south to prevent an invasion from Borbia. He also said that he will personally check whether Paran is compromised by Khalian followers. Still, despite not being able to come himself, he sent an envoy to explain the situation further."

The Dominion of Agaria, being a desert tundra, is once home to poverty, hunger, and thirst. It's where people once died almost every minute. It was only after Prime Minister Ashented was installed into power did those problems began slowly alleviating. Due to this, the entire region was tremendously grateful to the Empire. The region, having such extreme conditions, was also the reason why the Dominon was filled with top-notch warriors with inhumane tenacity and endurance.

Although they wouldn't be able to hold out too long against a full-scale Borbian Invasion, they would still be able to provide them adequate time for reinforcement. Them being there to defend against the Borbian Army made everyone feel slightly at ease.

"From the Dwarven King Magni Bhelhadrim of The Kingdom of Telhadrim, he stated that the Dwarven Realm is prepared to send a support unit of two-thousand dwarven warriors to aid the Empire in its time of need." As an autonomous kingdom filled with dwarves rescued by Reynald, despite being within the territory of the new Agarian Dominion, Telhadrim can still be considered as a direct vassal to the Emperor, separate from the influence of Agaria.

Before this, dwarves were considered a lesser counterpart of humanity, treated as scums of the land. They were considered lesser than the livestock of the lesser farmers.

No one even wanted to look at them due to disgust. But being an avid fan of fantasies, Reynald knew of their race's capabilities, which he intends to use to safeguard his Empire, and possibly supply it with great weaponry. These dwarves, with skins forged like the armors that they create, and strength to crush mountainsides, an army comprised of two thousand dwarves is something that would cause terror in the hearts of anyone who end up against them, reminding them of the strong 13 dwarves that supported the army of Asturas against the scheming Sevia.

Just the sight of the well-equipped Telhadrim Dwarves could quell arrogance from the enemies, which would inevitably lessen the casualties.

"As for the letter from the Elven Lord of the Felthorn Elves Alonnen Faerondaerl, he has already sent out 20 groups of Shadow Elves to patrol the Empire and eliminate any people with the intentions to rebel. With their ability to judge a person's character, it would be easy for them to snuff out anyone with malevolent thoughts." Similar to the Telhadrim Dwarves, the Felthorn Elves are elves rescued by Reynald and Genarion in the early days and was given their own territory to live in later on. Although not as fearsome as the dauntless and muscular dwarves, the stealthiness and precision in battle that the elves possess are something that is similarly haunting, though, different from the dwarves, those who are targeted by them wouldn't even know how they died.

With the help of all the Empire's vassals, some of the pressuring matters that were burdening the shoulders of the people inside were lifted up from them. With the rebels set aside, the only headache-inducing problems they will be facing now would be those thick-faced officials who stayed with malicious intent, restructuring the Imperial Government, and preparing a well-trained military to defend against the soon-to-be invading countries surrounding them.

"Alert us once a new message comes through. For now, you can leave." The Grand General Gunther said to the two guards who entered the room. The two guards nodded and bowed at the Emperor before leaving the room. After they did, the assemblage continued, now altering the different plans and actions that they would take, with the new factors that are at hand.

"It's actually quite impressive that Tel-Nobron and the entire Imperial Region could stay this quiet after what Your Majesty has done. Still, the silence is quite unsettling." The Grand General expressed his thoughts and concerns to the Emperor and officials. Everyone who knew of the chaos that would've definitely resulted after that announcement felt the same; uneased by the absence of any problems within the city. It is entirely possible that there would be strong undercurrents happening inside the city that they do not know of.

"All of you need not worry." Aquineas said to calm everyone down before glancing at Reynald, who was sitting silently on his throne, and revealed with a proud grin "His Majesty's men have already made a move a whole while ago."