A month later. The city of Principia.

Principia was the largest and most prosperous city closest to the empire's northern border.

The Duke of Tonew was one of the empire's four dukes. Naturally, it showed in the prosperity of the capital of the duchy.

Even though the city was over 1000 kilometers away from the imperial capital, one couldn't deny the city's glitz. Even the surrounding area appears to be prosperous.

"The outer district appears to be quite prosperous. It might be better than the noble district of the imperial capital," Hilda said as she sat on the steed.

"I'm curious what the city inside those walls looks like." Cyan, Hilda's right hand, wandered.

After months of spartan training, Hilda had chosen the best 200 of them to form her guard unit. Cyan was their leader.

They were skilled horseback riders who also knew how to use a bow, spear, and sword. They had also signed a subordinate contract with Hilda.

As a result, their training with her was far more intensive than the other soldiers'. However, their food, housing, and salary were far superior to others. They were even taught how to read and write.

"There's not a lot inside the wall." Raizer, the second in command, was riding on the left side of Hilda. "There's the castle and military quarters within the wall. And the majority of it is farmland."

“Farmland? Inside the city wall? Then where do the nobles live?” Cyan was a little confused.

“The barbarian pushed deep into the empire more than a century ago, under the barbarian King.” Raizer added, “and this the place where the empire started their counterattack.”

"Even if the city did not fall, the food shortage was so severe during the two-year siege that the soldiers had to eat their fallen comrade." 

“After everything was finished, the Duke of Tonew demolished the old wall and began construction on a 47-kilometer-long wall to protect the farmland.”

Hilda had read about them, but they weren't on her mind at the time. Hilda turned around to find her army erecting tents. The small hill Hilda chose to set up camp on was about 2 kilometers from the city.

Even if she was an imperial prince, it was impolite to enter a city with the army without the permission of the city lord. Above all, she didn't want to mingle with those awkward nobles.

In a letter, she informed the current Duke of the presence of her army. The Duke agreed without hesitation because she was abiding by the imperial decree.

"Could you give me an estimate of how long it would take to get to the border?" Hilda had enquired.

"It would only take ten days at our current rate. There's a chance we'll come across a dispersed barbarian tribe, so maybe fifteen days." Raizer’s 13 years of experience weren’t just for show.

"We'll rest here for five days." Hilda gave the order. "Take advantage of the opportunity to resupply. Give some coins to the soldiers tomorrow and let them enjoy the last few days of peace."

"However, my lord..."

"Didn't we get a good haul from raiding the bandit? Make use of it. Use my guard unit to distribute money to each of them," Hilda said after a brief pause. “And make it clear that I was the one who had given them to them."

“Yes, my lord.” They both responded at the same time.

"There's no need to follow me. Use the scroll to contact me if there is an emergency." Hilda mounted her horse and rode towards the city.

They knew where she was headed and had no way of stopping her. It would be one of those places where men go to relieve pent-up stress. 

Hilda may have visited this location more than any other soldier during the journey. After all, no one cares less about an imperial prince's status than Hilda. And they were correct.

Hilda took a slight detour before arriving at that location. Despite being heavily fortified with a moat and traps, the city's outer wall was much lower than the inner wall that protected the farmland.

Having a better look, she understood it was still under construction. Because the sun hadn't set yet, people were working hard on the five-meter wall.

Even the inner wall took nearly a half-century to complete. It was unsurprising that the outer wall, which was much longer, would take much longer to complete.

“Dismount.” As Hilda approached the outer wall gate, a few city guards shouted.

Hilda looked around and realized she was almost to the inspection line. Hilda considered flashing her batch but decided against it. She dismounted and proceeded along the path. The line moved at a snail's pace. 

She had previously concealed her identity and waited in line for a city entry, but none of them were as slow as this one. She assumed it was because she was in a big city, but…

“What are you doing?” The guard captain yelled as Hilda pushed forward a couple of gold coins. 

Hilda only realized the captain hiding under armor was a girl after hearing her voice. She quickly increased the bribe to 5 gold. However, the outcome was not as Hilda had hoped.

The captain drew her sword and placed it around her neck. The three other guards in the inspection room drew their swords as well.

"Put her in jail."

"Wait a second."

Hilda and the captain both spoke at the same time. Hilda couldn't see her expression, but when she placed her hand under the captain's robe, she (H) noticed that the captain's eyes had turned cold.

“This.” Hilda pulled out a badge before the captain could issue another warning. A silver-colored badge with a large emerald in the center. The word 'three' in gold was the most eye-catching feature.

Her eyes had changed yet again. "Call the general," she said as she quickly slid her sword back into its sheath.

One of the soldiers left without saying anything as soon as she gave the order. "Don't waste your time here. The traffic will pick up soon," she said to the other soldiers.

The captain and Hilda were soon the only ones left in the room. Hilda couldn't help asking, "Why is the inspection so strict?" 

“Strict!?” The captain wasn't sure what Hilda was asking, but she couldn't be casual with her. “It's just normal procedure to enter the city,” she explained.

An old man entered the room as Hilda was about to ask why they didn't take the bribe and let her in. Even though he was rushing, he made sure to acknowledge the captain's salute before turning to face Hilda.

He didn't dare to look Hilda in the eyes, though. "My lord, if you may," he politely inquired.

Hilda had no trouble deciphering his intent and infused her aura into the badge. The badge immediately projected a golden sun above it as soon as she did. However, the color quickly changed to silver.

The old general went down on her knees as soon as the sun came out. The female captain and the soldiers quickly followed. Hilda retracted the aura as they did so.

"Please stand up." They obeyed Hilda's command but did not look her in the eyes.

"Please allow me to lead you to the..."

"There's no need." Hilda didn’t let him finish it. "I'm here to relax. There's no need to stay in the castle."

“But...”

Hilda raised her hand to stop him once more. "Duke Tonew must be extremely busy. There's no reason to bother him. Simply notify the Duke that my soldiers are resting on a hill about 2 kilometers away. We'll be leaving in 4-5 days."

"Of course, your Majesty. Would you like to take someone to guide you through the city?" the general asked instinctively.

Hilda shook her head and walked out of the room. "My soldiers will be entering the city tomorrow," she said as she walked away. “It would be a very rowdy affair. So, even if they are a general, don't forget to teach them a lesson if they cause trouble.”

"Did the prince order us to punish his troop or not?" They couldn't answer. And before they could ask, Hilda had vanished in the city's bustling streets.

The increased number of barbarians inside the city caught Hilda's attention. It wasn't just the docile were-rabbit or were-sheep race roaming the streets; there were also the violent were-bull and were-bear.

'They don't even have a slave collar.' It piqued Hilda's interest. She couldn't help but wonder why the city had so many barbarians when the empire was fighting the barbarians.

"They are the descendants of the barbarians who sided with the empire during the barbarian king's war. The city of Principia is also one of the few in the empire where a barbarian can obtain citizenship."

"It's no surprise," Hilda mumbled. She had no reason to scoff at the person who had responded to her. Hilda had smelt his scent a long time ago, even if he was wearing a hood.

"Are you looking for that place once more?" Hati inquired.

“You know me well.” Hilda couldn’t help smiling.

"Wolfy said someone was looking for you in the capital." Hati provided information.

It's not that Wolfy or Rhea couldn't send letters to Hilda; they do so on a weekly basis. However, all sensitive reports were sent to Hati in order to prevent them from being leaked.

After all, if her enemies know Hilda will be receiving the letter, it will be simple for them to intercept the bird. However, if it reaches Hati, he or other members of her tribe will personally deliver it to her.

“Who?”

“The feline kingdom.”

It did surprise her a bit. After all, only werewolf and were-cat tribes had their own land to rule, while the other barbarian tribes dispersed across the continent.

Naturally, a were-cat has no need to send a messenger to a werewolf's descendant, whom they regard as an enemy.

“They want to marry off their royal offspring to you.”

“And why would I do it?”

“If you do so, they were willing to sign a peace treaty with the empire.”

“And...”

“The imperial court is thinking about it.”

"However, why me? I am not the first prince, and I am also a werewolf descendant."

'Could the white tiger have sent them?' Hilda couldn't help but be puzzled. But as soon as the thought entered her mind, she dismissed it. If they were, they wouldn’t be signing the treaty.

“Because you are a futanari. And your descendants will...”

"There is nothing to worry about," Hilda said, raising her hand to stop him. "At least not for the next three years. After all, it is against the rules for a prince to take a concubine on an expedition. Is there any new information?"

"The second imperial prince dispatched a messenger to Duke Tonew. They had, however, already left the city."

"Is it because of me?" Hilda couldn't come up with an explanation, but she couldn't just ignore it. "How do you find out about the news?"

"Under Duke, there are a lot of barbarian servants."

“Be careful.” Hearing her tone, Hati was sure it was something serious. 

 "Don't contact people close to the Duke, even if they are barbarians," Hilda said before he could ask. "I don't believe the Duke is a simple man."

“Okay.” Hati wasn't sure why Hilda said something like that, but he wasn't going to ignore it.

“So, this is the place?” Hilda couldn't help but smile as she gazed at the majestic building covered in red and gold.

“Yes,” Hati confirmed. "They are said to be far more beautiful and skilled than the one in the capital. Their specialty is barbarians. I heard even the Duke comes here."

Hati vanished in the shadows as Hilda nodded and entered the bustling building in the heart of the entertainment district.