It's so hard being a hero!

Hinoya looked up, sensed the situation outside, and then smiled.

"Phew! We've finally arrived."

Sophia sensed it too.

The outer protective array is rapidly disintegrating, and a large number of Imperial soldiers are appearing above the fortress.

"Your people?" Sophia asked.

Hinoya nodded, her tone carrying a hint of disdain.

"They're really slow to arrive; the fight was already over before they got here."

Sophia smiled speechlessly.

"Let's go, let's go out and have a look."

Hinoya strode towards the exit of the passage, with Sophia following behind her.

The two walked out of the passage one after the other and came outside.

At this moment, the scene outside was even more chaotic than Sofia had imagined.

The city was littered with signs of battle.

The soldiers who had been controlled by the powder mist were now all collapsed on the spot.

As for Baird, he was lying in a pile of rubble in the center of the city.

His entire body was charred black, and his white military uniform was burned to shreds, but his chest was still rising and falling slightly; he was not dead.

"He's still alive?" Sophia remarked.

Hinoya ignored him and looked up at the sky.

"His life or death is up to the Empire to decide."

Looking again, the protective array above the fortress has completely shattered.

Golden energy fragments are slowly drifting down.

Then, a large number of soldiers dressed in dark blue uniforms rode flying mounts and circled over the fortress. Some had already landed on the city walls and streets and were quickly taking control of key locations.

One group headed straight in the direction where Xinuoya was.

Leading the group were two officers, a man and a woman, both wearing white military uniforms similar in style to Shinoya's but in a slightly lighter color.

"Your Excellency, we are late. Are you alright?"

The male officer spoke first, his tone clearly showing concern.

Xinuoya put her hands on her hips, looked at their worried faces, and rolled her eyes.

"You guys came just in time. I'd already finished fighting and you were only just arriving. You're practically here to collect my corpse."

The male officer gave an embarrassed smile and scratched his head after being retorted by her.

“Your Excellency, you left in too much of a hurry. It takes time for us to mobilize troops, and given the distance, it’s impossible to move quickly.”

"Alright, alright, stop explaining, it's so annoying."

Hinoya waved her hand, interrupting his rambling, and then gestured in the direction where Baird was lying.

"Keep a close eye on this bastard. Don't let him die, and don't let him escape."

The female officer nodded and turned to gesture to the soldiers behind her.

Four fully armed soldiers immediately stepped forward, lifted Baird from the rubble, handcuffed him with special shackles, and carried him aside for treatment.

After finishing all that, Xinuoya turned to look at Sophia.

"Oh right, I forgot to introduce you."

She pointed to the two officers.

"They are the deputy governors of the garrison in the province of Texas. This guy is called Rex, and the woman is called Monica. They are both diamond-level powerhouses."

Rex and Monica immediately looked at Sofia with curious eyes.

"Your Excellency, who is this little girl?"

"Her name is Sophia, and she is Lady Frey's student."

Shinoya answered casually.

Rex and Monica's expressions were priceless after hearing this.

"Lady Frey's student? No way, didn't Lady Frey say she didn't accept students?"

"Who knows? I guess it was just a whim. My aunt's personality is really hard to fathom."

Hinoya shrugged and casually made a comment about Frey.

In the Empire, besides Lyra, probably only Shinoya would dare to criticize Frey like this.

Sophia felt a little embarrassed by their stares and quickly waved her hand.

"Haha, I was just passing by and happened to be there. I didn't help much."

Xinuoya rolled her eyes.

"You haven't been of any help yet? You really dare to say that."

Sophia gave an awkward smile and didn't reply.

Over the next two hours, Hinoya and her people conducted a quick inventory of the fortress.

The result was shocking.

The number of skeletons found in that cave alone is roughly over three thousand.

Most of them are men, ranging in age from their teens to their forties and fifties.

More than 20,000 people were forced to kneel around the altar, most of whom were civilians who had been missing for many years from nearby villages and towns.

As for the women and children in the city, there are nearly 50,000 of them. They were basically captured and kept as resources in the fortress over the years.

Sophia stood on a small building on the edge of the city, watching the residents being registered by Imperial soldiers on the street, and remained silent for a long time.

Most of them still had that numb expression on their faces, as if their sense of pain and reaction had become dulled.

Hinoya walked over and stood beside her.

What are you thinking about?

"I was thinking, if I hadn't passed through here, how many more people would this fortress have eaten?"

Hinoya paused for a moment, then sighed.

"The empire is too big, and there are too many places it cannot manage."

After a moment of thought, Sophia asked a question.

"Sister Xinuoya, can I ask you a question?"

"ask."

"There must be a very powerful backer behind Baird, right?"

Xinuoya immediately showed a look of surprise.

"You guessed that?"

Sophia shrugged.

“An ordinary viscount, without someone protecting him, wouldn’t dare to do something like this so blatantly. I’m talking about enslaving the people.”

Xinuoya thought for a moment, then sighed helplessly.

"Oh! He's one of the Second Prince Milo's men."

Sophia frowned immediately.

Of course she remembered that name.

In her previous life, when she was active in the capital as Su Lan, Milo often contradicted her on various occasions.

"No wonder," Sophia murmured.

Matters within the royal family have always been the most difficult to handle.

While Baird is the direct executor, things become complicated if Milo is truly behind him.

"So what do you plan to do with Baird?" Sophia asked.

Hinoya shrugged.

"I can only gather the evidence and report it to the military. As for how the empire will conduct the trial, that's beyond my control."

"But he won't survive. Just the fact that he colluded with a cult means that even with Milo protecting him, it will be difficult to save him."

Sophia nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

The two remained silent for a while.

Sophia glanced at the sky; it was already close to evening.

She was delayed at the fortress for most of the day, originally intending to go to Tianxing Academy.

"Sister Xinuoya, I have to go."

"Go? Where to?"

"I was on my way to Tianxing Academy to register, but this happened and I was delayed."

Xinuoya was stunned for a moment after hearing this.

"I see."

"It's quite a distance from here to Tianxing Academy. How about I take you there? It'll be safer and faster that way."

Sophia quickly shook her head.

"No, this is a task assigned to me by my teacher."

Hinoya didn't insist.

"Whatever you say."