Caron and his companions passed through the checkpoint of Decus, the imperial capital, without any trouble.0

The Imperial Guards' knights and elite soldiers, though standing stiffly, had no choice but to let them through. After all, they had no authority to stop a prince.0

"Did you see their faces?" Leo muttered, glancing back at the checkpoint.0

Leon gave a slow, heavy nod, then said, "They weren't exactly thrilled to see us."0

The moment they spotted Caron's group, the guards had hurried to send word somewhere.0

By now, the royal family was probably already aware that the grandchildren of Grand Duke Halo had arrived.0

Yet Caron's expression remained relaxed.0

"Of course they wouldn't be happy to see trouble walking through the gates. We expected this," he said with a small chuckle, casually surveying his surroundings.0

The atmosphere of the capital was noticeably different from the last time he'd visited. There were fewer citizens on the streets, and squads of heavily armed soldiers patrolled everywhere. It was practically martial law.0

The royal family was not only controlling the people within the capital, but also tightly restricting the flow of information going outward. Even they couldn't impose such extreme measures without some kind of excuse.0

"According to the intelligence from the Magic Tower," Caron said, lowering his voice, "The newspapers run by nobles loyal to Marquis Diaz have been smearing...0