After being forced to step down, the once-annoying nun eloped with me.

...........

Meanwhile, in the most luxurious reception room of the Green Courtyard, Yang Hao and Teresa were waiting for Finn's arrival.

Theresa keenly noticed Yang Hao's unusual behavior for a fleeting moment—she hadn't expected the barbarians of the Roman Empire to go to such lengths...

If they had only used magic or force to compel the little queen to remain silent, perhaps Yang Hao wouldn't have been so agitated.

However, they chose the worst way to silence the little queen besides death—by cutting out her tongue.

That's the agony of having your tongue cut out! Theresa muttered bitterly to herself. In the Roman Empire, having your tongue cut out not only meant intense pain, but also meant that she would never again be able to enjoy the pleasure of food.

What's worse is that the Roman Empire was previously quite happy with its "de-regency" process—now who knows... there might not even be a chief physician from the Red Cross in the court.

The absence of a chief physician suggests that the little empress's tongue cut surface may still not have fully healed. While traditional physicians or healing sorcerers likely offered secret treatment within the court, this was merely a temporary fix...

...This Garsen is indeed a beast worse than a beast according to divine detection.

Theresa sighed heavily and reached out to grasp Yang Hao's right hand tightly.

"For now—the good news is that the little queen is at least safe for now, and the elves have magic to regenerate severed limbs."

Theresa comforted the man beside her, whose eyes were bloodshot, hoping that he would calm down a bit after listening to her words.

"As long as she survives, we'll have a chance to bring her here for treatment... After all, this is amazing magic that can even regenerate magical organs, you know? Regenerating a tongue isn't a big deal..."

"...I must kill that bastard."

Theresa's words of comfort only made Yang Hao grit his teeth in anger.

Even tigers don't eat their cubs. There was a time when Yang Hao also believed in the bottom line of humanity within the Roman Empire.

He felt he had become the target of everyone's criticism, but he was all alone. At most, Priscilla might be implicated, but she wouldn't be treated so badly. He really didn't expect that Gassen would be so heartless as to harm his own niece, even going so far as to cut out her tongue.

And thinking about it carefully, my sworn brother's death back then was also exceptionally bizarre... Although I was quite far away from my sworn brother's cavalry regiment at the time, and couldn't keep an eye on my brother at all times—but sure enough... how could he possibly die normally in that most crucial war, forcing me to bite the bullet and integrate those tribes to establish an empire?

There's also the truth behind the accidental death of her sworn brother's widow... that gentle and strong woman until her death, who always believed in her brother-in-law, believing he wouldn't harm his only remaining mother and daughter for power...

Garsen... Garsen... Garsen!!

Yang Hao was so enraged that he almost gritted his teeth and swallowed them whole.

It was precisely because of his trust in his sworn brother's widow that Yang Hao, who was extremely busy and spent no more than three days a month in the palace, chose to treat Garsen as a person.

Because he believed that Garsen was a person, Yang Hao thought that the little queen could not have been treated badly at the time, and at most she had been tricked.

Who could have imagined that reality would be so cruel? Who could have imagined that the empire he and his sworn brother had built would repeatedly push the boundaries of his understanding of them?

Who could have imagined this!

Yang Hao now regrets why he built the country for this bunch of trash instead of quickly stepping down and running away with his sister-in-law and the little empress. But what's the use of saying all this now?

The most urgent task... is how to bring the little empress out—no... the most important thing now is to confirm the authenticity of this information with Finn.

Although he was almost blinded by anger, thanks to Theresa, Yang Hao still understood the dangers of [misinformation].

To avoid being misled by false information, he had to confirm with Finn. After all, while elves don't lie, it was hard to say whether they would believe false information and then relay it to others.

Let's verify its authenticity first.

He took a deep breath and instinctively gripped Theresa's left hand to force himself to calm down.

And at that very moment, the door opposite them opened.

This most luxurious and secluded reception room, nestled deep within the verdant courtyard, has two large doors.

One door is for guests to enter and exit, and it is located near the outside.

The other door, closer to the inside, leads to Fen's daily living and resting space—known as the Garden of Fen, or "Fen's Garden," a mysterious place for most elves, let alone humans like Yang Hao.

The inner door opened, signifying the arrival of Finn and her entourage—before Yang Hao and Theresa could react, the slender, perfect figure behind the door chuckled softly:

"Please forgive my slowness; changing into formal attire takes quite some time."

Finn is a girl who seems "too perfect" even from an elf's perspective.

Pointed ears, short, neat golden hair, and emerald green eyes that seemed to shimmer in the dark.

She was wearing a rather simple royal dress from an elven perspective. The dress accentuated her figure and beauty, but what was rather regrettable was her chest area.

If Teresa's bosom was a large loaf of bread, a hill, then Fern's bosom was merely a small, slightly raised bump on a plain. But this only accentuated her petite and adorable appearance.

...From a woman's perspective, she didn't know whether to feel sorry for her or envious. Teresa muttered to herself, looking at the elf in front of her who, even standing up in strappy high heels, was only about head-high to her, and was momentarily confused.

However, Yang Hao, being a rough and uncultured man, clearly didn't focus his attention on the elves' beauty.

He simply took a deep breath, gave a quick bow, and then went straight to the point:

"My esteemed Finn, I have a request—I have heard from the elves that the young queen of the Roman Empire has had her tongue cut out?"

“Yes, Your Majesty Yang Hao. It is the truth.” Fen stated in a song-like manner, looking at the man whose face had turned pale because of her words: “It is a cruel and unpleasant fact, and we do have convincing evidence and witnesses.”

"...Evidence and witnesses?"

"Evidence, you might not believe it even if I tell you now."

But you certainly know who the witness is—it's Natalia, the former chief judge of the Roman Empire, who saved you from being executed on the spot during the Silent Exile incident.

Since saving you, her future has been bleak; she was even demoted to a maid and subjected to the humiliation of the enemy. But it was precisely because of this that she was able to come into contact with the young empress and discover this cruel reality.

Natalia, the former Chief Justice of the Roman Empire, was in a sense Yang Hao's savior. After being demoted to a maid, she worked tirelessly in the palace, serving the young empress who was unable to feed herself. It was during that time that an elf ranger infiltrated and secretly contacted her, reporting the tragic events that had befallen the young empress to Fen, the elf.

When Fen invoked the title of the presiding judge, Yang Hao was already convinced of the intelligence's authenticity.

He still held onto a sliver of hope. But when Finn mentioned that Prince Garsen had a head lady-in-waiting who could perform ventriloquism, his last hope was shattered.

Garsen, how could you do such a thing?!

Yang Hao was filled with anger and self-reproach. He wanted to go back immediately to rescue the young empress and the chief justice, but he had no troops, no weapons, and no backing—how could he possibly fight against the Roman Empire, against Garsen, against the nobles and landowners, against the religious leaders and warlords, and rescue the young empress from the palace?

Although the Roman Empire has fallen, it remains a formidable enemy in this region! He may die in this year's drought, or linger on for several more years like a centipede that doesn't die but still survives—but that doesn't mean Yang Hao has the ability to sneak in and bring the little empress out.

The portal network he once built has now become the greatest enemy in saving the little queen. Why did he create all of that in the first place?

Yang Hao's pain was almost impossible to hide. Teresa held his hand tightly with worry, feeling his strength while also making eye contact with Finn.

Fen, not to be outdone, stared defiantly at the purple-clad princess transformed into a nun. Then, seemingly sensing the opportune moment, or perhaps realizing that further provocation might cause Yang Hao to give up on himself, she...

Finn took a soft breath, then walked to the throne and sat down:

“I think Your Majesty Yang Hao, you may need some help.” She smiled, looking into Yang Hao’s eyes, who appeared to be in immense pain at that moment, as if he were a precious elven treasure. She had noticed Mother Teresa’s wariness, but what could she do when she had already decided to lead the elves down the path of change at all costs? “A deal from the elves.”

“I am no longer the Regent, and I am no longer worthy of such a title. Moreover, we have been fortunate to receive your favor until now, and we really have nothing to trade with the elves.”

Yang Hao's desolate sigh brought a smile to Fen's face. This was the perfect moment, the best opportunity imaginable.

With this in mind, Fen smiled and, under Yang Hao's gaze, made a suggestion:

"Then, are you willing to pay the price for this important matter of rescuing the young queen and the chief justice by becoming the regent of Gaparia?"

She looked at Yang Hao, her eyes filled with a longing that didn't belong to an elf.

This made her no longer an elf in Teresa's eyes, but a cunning, lustful jackal.

Chapter Eleven: The Roman Empire's Predicament, in the Naval Battle of Isgard

......

Meanwhile, in the central region of the Roman Empire, it was time to distribute food according to rations.

Food is now scarce within the Roman Empire. Even nobles and landowners can't find cakes on their tables, let alone ordinary farmers who might have a few pieces of bread.

In order to sustain themselves in the impoverished conditions and purchase large quantities of food from Drake Port, as well as to supply the capital, Drake Port, and the lives of the noble lords, the central drought-stricken area of ​​the Roman Empire has now begun to implement rationing.

Food was distributed to everyone daily according to the number of households. The bread was mostly mixed with sawdust or dirt. A typical family of three would receive a whole loaf, which meant that each person could eat two slices of bread at dinner time, and that was all.

Two slices of bread mixed with sawdust and dirt, without any supplementary food or seasoning, were hardly enough to fill one's stomach. Some people with weak stomachs would even suffer from stomach problems that day, let alone be expected to work.

Even under these circumstances, these breads became incredibly precious treasures in the eyes of the starving people.

They had no way to fight against the soldiers distributing relief rations, but then they realized these soldiers would have to move on to the next village after distributing the rations. Driven by hunger, these lowly creatures came up with a new idea...

After the soldiers left, the hungry bandits, armed with sticks and farm tools, slowly approached the dilapidated farmhouse not far away.

A family of three lived there: a disabled veteran, his wife, and his daughter. Although he was a veteran, with only one arm missing, this family was, in a sense, the easiest to deal with.

More importantly, because he was a veteran, he received more bread than a typical family of three.

Driven by hunger and cold, the bandit no longer cared that he had once been a soldier defending the Roman Empire.

All they wanted was bread and food, even if their targets were their former protectors and their wives and daughters; all they wanted was bread.

The clubs swayed back and forth with heavy breathing as the bandits staggered towards the dilapidated farmhouse in the darkness. Under the cover of night, the bandits surrounded the house, and finally attacked simultaneously, smashing open the doors and windows amidst the woman's screams.

The veteran tried to resist, but faced with the attack of several people, he finally fell to the ground, staring wide-eyed at his wife and daughter, who were also lying in a pool of blood, their eyes lifeless.

“He’s dead,” one of the bandits said. “He’s dead,” the other bandit repeated.

They looked at the two women's corpses on the ground, then at the dying, disabled veteran. The leader said, "Since they're already dead, let's eat them. That way they'll live longer."

"But don't eat men now. Slice off his flesh and hang it over a fire to smoke, so we'll have meat to eat for the next month."

The bandit leader picked up the bread from the pool of blood, took a bite to temporarily stave off hunger, then gripped his scythe tightly. After cutting open the clothes on the corpse, he aimed the scythe tip at the woman's crotch.

The veteran watched helplessly as his wife and daughters were dismembered and devoured before his very eyes. The aroma of roasting flesh wafted from the fire, and in his hunger, the veteran couldn't resist swallowing a mouthful of saliva before he died.

He died with his eyes wide open.

When the robber's blade was pointed at his neck, the man who was about to strike hesitated for a moment, then turned around and scratched his messy hair:

"He's dead. It seems he was scared to death."

......

At the same time, on the sea, the merchant fleet of Ysgard was fighting against pirates.

"Get the eagle mother ready! We need air support from the griffins!" the commander in charge of this maritime trade shouted on the bridge. "Have [Shizhui] keep an eye on these shit-eating Alessar pirates! How the hell are they getting involved with another race?!"

"They can sleep with whomever they want! Now we need to hold off their attack! Mage, flares!"

The first mate's order was anticipated by the mages of Isgard. Accompanied by a high-pitched, short incantation, a sphere shimmering with white light suddenly rose into the sky.

A sudden burst of intense light illuminated the entire sea area.

Isgard's fleet of ten merchant ships, five old ironclad ships, one experimental new ironclad warship of the [Schwarz] class, and two wooden [Eagle Mothers] found the location of the enemy who had previously shot them in the dark, illuminated by the light.

It was a pirate fleet consisting of about 40 wooden sailing warships. The ships were full of crossbows and cannons, and if you looked closely into the deep sea below their fleet, you could see countless figures swimming freely underwater, like a school of fish.