In the Lucis Empire’s heartland stood Aleppo Fortress.
Six hundred years ago, a Lucis emperor had granted this towering castle to the illustrious Templar Knights.
Over the following centuries it passed between knightly orders of shifting power and was repeatedly expanded.
In this age where machinery reigned supreme, the empire’s armies had all completed mechanization.
Ironclad warships armed with cannons ruled the seas.
Steam Knights and heavy tanks dominated the land.
Heavy cavalry had been reduced to ceremonial guards that reminisced about the past, and traditional knightly orders had gradually faded into obscurity.
The current master of this ancient fortress was the Order of the Hundred Flowers, which answered directly to imperial orders.
All its members were Steam Knights.
Tonight, the outer courtyard of Aleppo Fortress was filled with all kinds of luxurious automobiles.
Although the castle lay within the imperial capital’s jurisdiction, it was located in a remote valley.
The drivers had circled for several hours before finding the correct road.
Well-dressed young noblemen stepped out of the cars with uneasy expressions, glancing around.
Their attendants hurried to open umbrellas for them, yet the slanting raindrops still found their way onto the young masters’ lapels.
The young men unconsciously pulled their collars tighter and trembled slightly in the cold wind.
The noble sons were somewhat nervous. Remaining natural inside this castle was truly difficult.
From time to time, bear- or tiger-like knights strode past. In the wind and rain their military sashes fluttered and iron ornaments gleamed.
These young men came from great houses across the empire.
Many had already inherited their fathers’ titles.
They had only one purpose in visiting Aleppo Fortress: to meet the commander of the Order of the Hundred Flowers—Phine Lucis.
Phine Lucis.
Every southerner knew her name.
She was both the legitimate eldest princess and a candidate for the throne, as well as the titled knight who served as commander of the Order of the Hundred Flowers.
The Order of the Hundred Flowers was not an organization where one could secure a post through privilege alone.
It was the ultimate instrument of violence built upon steam armor.
Phine had become a Steam Knight at the age of fifteen—a genius—and had now risen to lead the entire order.
She was already twenty-six and still unmarried.
Therefore, noble sons frequently visited the order’s garrison in hopes of meeting her.
Although they arrived full of expectation, they usually left disappointed.
Even so, visitors continued to arrive in an endless stream.
After all, whoever could marry this proud knight princess might have a chance to become the future prince consort.
The leading young nobleman stopped a knight and asked where Princess Phine was.
The knight answered in a low, hoarse voice, “Training ground,” then left without looking back.
From beginning to end he never spared these young masters a proper glance.
Inside the vast castle the young masters unexpectedly lost their way.
They had been raised as upper-class people since childhood.
Wherever they went, people greeted them with smiling faces.
Yet they had never imagined the castle’s environment would be so harsh.
There was not even a decent sofa, let alone welcoming red wine and smiling maids.
Faced with such conditions, some had already begun complaining in low voices.
Did the Order of the Hundred Flowers not intend to show even the slightest hospitality?
At the very least they could have arranged a temporary banquet.
How could they make future imperial dignitaries suffer like this?
At that moment the pitch-black open ground suddenly lit up.
Countless beams of light shot toward the sky, illuminating the barbed-wire fence and gate surrounding the area.
The young noblemen suddenly realized that this enormous open ground was the so-called training field.
In that instant the ground shook violently.
From the darkness came the ear-piercing sound of metal clashing, as if a battle were taking place.
All the young noblemen froze in place.
They looked around nervously, hesitating whether they should immediately run back to their cars.
They knew nothing about what was happening before them, but those ominous sounds clearly indicated that something terrifying was approaching.
Through the illuminated rain curtain, two enormous figures over four meters tall wrestled fiercely while dragging serrated greatswords.
Alloy frames supported their towering bodies, like steel gods manifesting in the mortal world.
They spewed scorching white steam.
Their serrated chain blades clashed in the rain, sending showers of sparks that splashed across the metal shells of both armors.
These were the empire’s most terrifying symbols of military might—Steam Knights! One armor was painted ochre yellow.
The other was as pure white as moonlight.
“Crane Orchid and Comet Orchid!” one sharp-eyed young nobleman recognized the codenames of the two Steam Knights.
The knight piloting the white Comet Orchid was Princess Phine.
Unlike the single-core Black Knight piloted by Azog, these two armors were the empire’s most advanced steam armor.
They were equipped with three power cores. When all three hearts operated at full strength their output could reach two thousand horsepower.
This meant Comet Orchid could easily face three Black Knights at once.
The young masters applauded and whistled. On one hand they hoped to attract Phine’s attention.
On the other they were genuinely shocked by this ultimate display of violent aesthetics.
The Steam Knights before their eyes truly lived up to their reputation as the new kings of the battlefield!
The aftershocks of the two knights’ battle effortlessly crushed the two-story-high barbed-wire wall.
Dense blade light swept like a metallic storm. The tremendous roar shook the entire training ground.
After their full-powered clash, the two steam armors each retreated.
Their steel leg armor scraped against the ground, kicking up several meters of dust.
In the next moment a crescent of light as pure as moonlight sliced through the air.
It was like an enormous white blade rising from the ground and delivering a fierce strike toward the sky.
The ochre-yellow Crane Orchid had no time to react. Its wrist was precisely struck by that white moonlight.
The alloy wrist armor shattered instantly.
The serrated sword it held fell to the ground. Everything happened in the blink of an eye.
The young masters present were all struck dumb with amazement.
They clearly saw that the white slash had been delivered by Comet Orchid’s knight using her leg.
Spiked protrusions on the leg armor turned the kick into a giant axe that tore through the air.
This fighting posture exceeded everyone’s expectations.
Although Comet Orchid was the crystallization of the empire’s top technology and weighed several hundred kilograms of steel, it could still leap lightly through the air and execute a kick with perfect force and angle.
It was truly unbelievable.
The young masters had never imagined steam armor could be controlled in such a manner.
They had witnessed the prowess of Steam Knights during annual military exercises, but those knights had only demonstrated basic operations such as aiming and shooting or swinging swords to strike.
The two armors before them, though given elegant orchid codenames, fought like jungle beasts tearing at each other.
Their combat style was extremely wild and completely disregarded so-called knightly honor.
Compared to them, the knights on the exercise field were merely performing.
Comet Orchid’s back armor suddenly sprang open with a burst of steam.
A golden-haired woman slowly stepped out through the mist. She had deep blue eyes.
A platinum-colored bodysuit outlined her long, powerful legs.
Phine Lucis.
An awe-inspiring majesty radiated from between her brows, making others reluctant to approach easily.
Yet her beauty was so captivating that no one could tear their gaze away from her.
The young noblemen stepped forward one after another.
They greeted Phine with eager salutes and introduced themselves, presenting gifts or expressing concern on behalf of their families to the order.
However, not a single one dared to mention marriage.
Not even one dared to meet her eyes.
They already deeply understood the true nature of this knight princess—she was a white devil, a white devil steeped in the battlefield!
***
Late at night, in the study of Aleppo Fortress.
Rain pattered outside the window.
Charcoal burned in the fireplace.
Wrapped in a sleep robe, Phine sat upright at her desk reading.
The study door opened silently.
A silver-haired woman with a single ponytail entered.
Leticia Canosa, pilot of Crane Orchid and deputy commander of the Order of the Hundred Flowers.
The expression between her brows and at the corners of her eyes exuded noble bearing.
There was no doubt she came from high society.
Leticia placed two sheets of paper on the desk. They were two sketches.
The first sketch showed the disassembled endoskeleton of a steam armor twisting violently on a white screen.
The second sketch showed a black-robed, red-eyed girl straddling an elf and alternately smashing down both fists onto her face.
These were recreations of two scenes from the hearing in Londinium’s royal palace, thousands of miles away.
They had been drawn by imperial spies planted in the Northern Continent’s Upper House and then relayed to Aleppo Fortress.
Although cameras were no longer novel, photography always came with thick smoke and strong light.
Spies could not carry them easily.
Therefore drawing remained an essential skill for intelligence agents.
“Have the governors all received them?” Phine asked.
Leticia stood to the side and answered respectfully, “The first sketch has already been sent to every corner of the empire. The imperial council is holding urgent discussions. Tonight the empire is destined to know no peace.”
Phine nodded slightly. A sharp light flashed in her eyes.
“Steam armor was the foundation the old ones believed would allow them to conquer the Northern Continent. Now that this secret has been discovered by the United Kingdom, they are like children who suddenly had their wooden swords broken—panicked and helpless.”
Leticia continued, “However, Your Highness, there is one other rather strange matter. The second sketch was not widely circulated. It was secretly sent only to Aleppo Fortress.”
Phine’s brows furrowed. She took the sketch Leticia handed her and examined it carefully. It depicted Claire.
“The spy who drew this has probably lost contact. He was likely captured by vampires.”
Leticia was startled and quickly asked, “Does that mean this sketch sent only to you was deliberately made by those vampire abominations in the Northern Continent? What exactly is their goal?”
Phine did not answer directly. Instead she held the sketch up to her eyes and studied it for a long time. “Look at this child. Doesn’t she resemble Flora? She could almost pass for the real thing.”
Leticia stepped closer to look and could not help but marvel at their astonishing similarity. “Indeed, Your Highness… but she is a vampire.”
“The Imperial Electors’ Assembly is approaching. The Northerners are probably trying to sow discord between us sisters.”
Phine let out a soft sigh.
Leticia suddenly noticed Claire’s eyes and murmured, “But… this vampire’s eyes somewhat resemble yours from twelve years ago.”
Phine’s expression darkened slightly at these words.
Her thoughts involuntarily drifted back to that day twelve years ago.
Twelve years ago, fifteen-year-old Phine was still a newly promoted knight.
That day she heard that her family had been massacred by the Hound Knights at the summer palace.
She silently entered her armor and rode alone from the imperial capital toward Münster.
She ran for two days and one night straight, burning out four power cores in succession.
In the end, in a small town held hostage by the Hound Knights, she alone slaughtered seventeen traitor knights.
That day the townspeople claimed they had witnessed the most terrifying scene of their lives.
They said a white demon god had brutally slaughtered its own kind.
The town’s main road was littered with mechanical limbs that had been torn apart alive.
Dark green grease and bright red blood splattered across the walls.
When Leticia and the other knights found Phine, that white armor was already in pieces.
The faceplate had fallen off, revealing a blood-covered face that showed no expression.
Phine, recalling the past, frowned slightly as if remembering something. She spoke softly, “Do you still remember? After that tragedy, Flora lost her memory for a period of time.”
Leticia nodded. “Indeed. At the time Princess Flora could not even recognize you. The court physicians said it was psychological trauma, but fortunately she gradually recovered her memories later.”
Phine was silent for a moment. Her gaze returned to the sketch of Claire.
“This sketch is known only to the two of us. Forget it.”
With that she stood up, walked to the fireplace, and threw the sketch into the blazing flames.
She watched it turn to ash.
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