Amelia and Ophelia: The Former Grand Duchess and Saintess.

Standing on the docks of Olertin City, on the far right corner of the massive port were the dual monarchs and today they were here for something special. 

"So this map is an accurate scan of the world?" Admiral Neys asked as he held up a beige-colored globe on a stand and a matching map with markings 

"Indeed, it is based on the information from Spithe, so it is accurate" Ophelia told the demonkin who was now an admiral of the Imperial Navy 

"I see. So my mission is to bring cargo Your Majesties? Aboard a Ship Of The Line and some merchantmen?" Neys asked as he looked at the ship he was going to be commanding, the newly built Inspirational Class Ship Of The Line which was a new class that was designed for speed as the Inspirational Class had fewer guns compared to the standard Gaius Class ship of the line in return for a more powerful set of wind magic crystals to propel the ship. 

"Yes, the journey you will be on, is about six to eight months give or take, you will be sailing eastward and then northeast towards a certain continent. Around the southeastern portion of that continent is a place called the Kingdom of June, once you get there, you are to give this box to someone named Sharon Halfriva, no one else, understood?" Amelia answered him before handing over a hardwood box with something inside it 

"Understood Your Majesties. But what of the cargo aboard?" The demonkin admiral asked with a slightly confused expression 

"Sell it, you and the five merchantman vessels that will be sailing with you will also have the task of selling some of our wares to the kingdom, once all is done, you are to sail for home" The raven-haired empress answered him 

"I see, any other escorts besides my own ship, the Indefatigable?" 

"Yes, you will have 4 Sloops Of War and a pair of Brigs to help escort the ships as well as a Leviathan named I'rai, but we do require that the weapons and the secrets of our vessels be kept a secret. We wouldn't want them getting their hands on our vessels and technology without our blessings" Amelia added while Ophelia nodded along 

"I see and I understand Your Majesties. So when do we set sail?" Neys asked as he gave the globe and the map to his first officer behind him 

"In two days, so get your affairs in order before you set sail, understood?" Ophelia answered him 

"Understood Your Majesty! Glory to the Empire! Glory to Your Majesties!" Neys replied with a sharp and proper salute before the dual monarchs returned him a bow and then left the area 

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With that sorted out, the dual monarchs traveled southward to Fort Armstrong on the new border of the empire. They traveled by carriage until the city of Outreach before just teleporting to the new fort, finding themselves in the main assembly area of the fort and finding it empty but sensing people hiding around the area, hiding behind the wagons, trees and shrubbery that were around the area. 

"Are we in the middle of something?" Amelia called out

{!} 

Appearing out of a bush nearby was an Imperial Soldier clad in full plate armor and wearing some sort of camouflage crystal around his neck that he deactivated when he emerged. 

"Sorry to say this Your Majesties, but you are. We are about to commence some battle exercises with another unit that was tasked with trying to enter the fort, it was for war games Ma'am" The orc soldier replied with a small nod after he gave his monarchs a snappy salute

"Oh! Sorry for the interruption then, carry on! Just point us to where the Marshal is and we will be on our way" Amelia added in slight embarrassment for interrupting them 

"No problem Your Majesty, take a right here and then just continue along the pathway until you reach the main building, it is the largest in the fort so you will not miss it" The orc soldier told them as he guided them to a pathway on the right and then just pointed straight at a massive building in the distance 

"Thank you for the help soldier, carry on" Ophelia told him with a nod before they continued on their way 

"Understood Ma'am! Glory to the Empire! Glory to Your Majesties!" The soldier replied with another salute before reactivating the camouflage crystal and dissapearing from view 

Marshal Belle was waiting for them inside the new command room within the fort and once the dual monarchs entered the place, they were treated by the familiar sights of officers moving about and sending out orders while receiving reports as well. In the center of the command room, Marshal Belle stood before an updated map of the continent that was being projected by a new magic crystal projector table, something cooked up by the Halkare Research Department based on the projection crystals that the empire had used to project the wedding of the dual monarchs a year ago. 

"Marshal" Ophelia announced as she and her beloved stepped into the room

"Attention!" Marshal Belle shouted as all of the soldiers in the room stood still and turned to face their monarchs and then gave sharp salutes 

"At ease" Amelia commanded them as she and her beloved raised their hands to end their saluting 

Once the room was back to normal as the soldiers continued on with their duties, the dual monarchs approached the projection table under the following gaze of Marshal Belle who smiled at them when they arrived right across from her. 

"The situation is great, the armies have been expanded and the latest field army, the 6th Army has arrived on schedule and has formed up on the right wing of the advance southward. We have about 180,000 soldiers split across the six armies we have with six divisions per army. However, I must emphasize that the newer recruits need some proper experience in fighting in formation during battle as since we are tackling the Dukedom which has a proper army, it means they will be using tactics such as fighting in long rows and columns instead of the broken up and mobile divisional formations we are using" The Marshal stated as she kept her gaze on her monarchs 

"Is that why there are some units near the fort that were playing some war games with one another?" Amelia asked

"Yes Your Majesty, that is why. The fighting tactics of the Dukedom are reminiscent of the old doctrine of the Hillsbrooke Imperial Army and I know exactly the weaknesses of these massive lines that are meant to just march forward and crush anything in their way. It's why we have our army broken down into smaller and more mobile units, plus, based on the reports from the H.I.S.S. their cavalry is the only thing we should watch out for but with our side having air power, I doubt they will pose an actual threat to us" The Marshal answered her with a nod and a confident grin 

"We have our own cavalry right? I remember when this army was built, we had a whole cavalry army of 50,000 riders and centaurs at the ready" Ophelia asked the Marshal 

"Oh we do Your Majesty, but the thick forests and small amount of plains from the central region of the continent prevented them from being put into action. But the abundance of flat plains of the southern portion of the continent gives our army the perfect excuse for them to be wielded like the shock troops they were meant to be" Marshal Belle replied with the same confident grin 

"I see, well, is there anything we should know about once we begin the march for the finale?" The raven-haired empress asked 

"There is a certain set of ruins in the middle of a clearing a few miles south of here, the local Farius Tribe of elves has told us that the ruins are not to be disturbed as they hold something within them. I chose to ignore their warnings though and sent a small scouting party, turns out the locals were right and that there is a mass of monsters that inhabit the ruins and the party nearly died, but they did bring this back" Marshal Belle answered before turning around and grabbing a case from a nearby trolley and placing it on a table next to the projector 

{!} 

Once the case was opened, the dual monarch's eyes widened as they saw a large black crystal that looked exactly like the crystal that had turned the former High Chief of the Hinterlands Confederation into a monster, it even had the same [?????] item name when both of them used <Appraisal> on it. 

"Hmmm...we will be bringing this to Vaeron immediately and mark that ruin for future exploration, do not let anyone, be they soldiers or adventurers, hell even tribals or our civilians near that damn place. Understood?" Ophelia ordered as her expression shifted to that of seriousness 

"Understood Your Majesty" Marshal Belle nodded as she could sense there was more to it but decided to go against fully questioning it for now, handing over the case to her monarch who then placed it in her item box

"Right, is there anything else we need to know of?" Amelia chimed in this time 

"Not really Your Majesty no, besides the ruins being found, there seems to be an unusual calm coming from the Dukedom, the small scouting parties we have sent southward all report that the Dukedom has yet to send out any sort of claim raiding force as they have done in the past. It seems that they are truly building up a formidable army behind those walls of theirs and it is only a matter of time before they come out to play" The Marshal answered as she turned to the projector and pressed a button that zoomed in on the southern portion of the continent 

"I see...if that is what they wish to do, then we might as well add to their problems no? It is time for Spithe to make his presence on the continent known and terrorize the Dukedom until we are ready to begin the final march southward, don't you think so Amelia?" Ophelia asked as she turned to her beloved, the two of them sharing a wide grin as they had the same thought in mind 

"Ahem, right. So with all of that said, thank you for your time Marshal Belle, and do send us word if there are any further developments that are of pressing matters, we have another appointment to get to, so farewell for now" Amelia stated as she grabbed Ophelia by the hand and they left the command room, with Belle and the rest of the soldiers giving them a salute as they left 

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The dual monarchs then went to Tree City back in the north of the continent and they made it to the newly made Halkare Research Institute which was managed by Vaeron. The new building for the institute was much larger than the old workshop from a year ago, the new building was inside a new massive and walled complex south of the city, with several large research buildings built around one main building in the center. Each of these buildings was glossy white and rectangular in nature with renascence and classical elements in the architecture of these buildings, including massive domes atop each building and the largest dome which was an emerald green color, atop the main building. 

Stepping out of the portal that Ophelia had conjured up for them to get here from the border in the south, the dual monarchs were greeted by the sight of the gate that led into the complex, with some guards who were on standby rushing out to meet them although they had their weapons drawn since the portal was emitting a blinding light that prevents the dual monarchs from being seen. 

"Halt! Who goes there?!" One of the guards shouted, his blue uniform of the institute shimmering in the light 

"OoOoOoO, wE aRe PhAnToMs fRoM bEyOnD tHe MoRtAl PlAiN" Ophelia replied as she kept herself from breaking out into laughing alongside Amelia who was doing her best to hold in her own laughter and seemingly about to fail 

"Wha?! Show yourselves!" Another guard shouted as he took a step back 

"oOoOoOoO-" Amelia added as she could not hold her laughter anymore and began breaking down as the light subsided behind her and her beloved 

The guards of the institute were left speechless as the dual monarchs were now clearly visible and laughing at them, with the guards lowering their weapons as they looked at one another on what to do next. 

{!} 

They immediately stood up straight once the dual monarchs stopped laughing and began walking towards them, with all of them giving a salute as they stopped right at the gate 

"Thank you all, please just open the gate, we would like to explore the institute before we go see Vaeron, and do tell her we are here while you're at it please" Amelia commanded them, with the guards nodding as they opened up the gate and used the magic crystal communicator 

As they walked into the institute, they went into the nearest building which was on the left instead of following the main paved road that led straight to the main building. When they entered the place, they noticed that there was lacking security at the door of the building and as they walked inside, they stepped into a massive lounging area that had several magical researchers in the midst of reading books and other material. The dual monarchs didn't even announce themselves as they did not wish to disturb the peace that the researchers were in and passed them as they proceeded into the main experiment and research lab just past the lounging area. 

Inside the main research lab, they saw other researchers trying to experiment with crops and other greenery with earth magic, with light coming from the dome letting itself light up the entire lab. The dual monarchs were also not noticed as they walked through the place, watching the researchers hard at work and not minding their surroundings, something that was great but also a security risk for the dual monarchs that needed to be addressed at a future date. 

"Hmm, that was interesting" Amelia commented as they exited the building and began walking to the next side building on the far left of the complex, still not heading to the main one 

"Yeah, we should tell Vaeron about the security risks that we saw, haaa....still, good to see the researchers doing their jobs" Ophelia remarked as they walked along the paved pathway 

{!} 

But then, the dual monarchs stopped in their tracks as they sensed themselves being watched by hundreds of eyes hidden from view, a smirk appeared on Ophelia's face as she turned to her beloved who nodded in appreciation before they all turned and looked at the greenery of the trees and bushes that lined the pathways of the complex. 

"Hehe. Hidden magi-cameras, smart Vaeron, smart" Ophelia complimented as she nodded in the direction of the cameras out of view before they continued on their way 

Entering the second building, the dual monarchs noticed the same lack of security and once they entered the main research lab, they saw researchers and blacksmiths working with one another in trying to improve their techniques and increase the output of the current system of industry that was being used across the empire. The researchers also failed to notice the dual monarchs due to the loud sounds of the banging of hammers and the work that was going on there. 

"Hmm...too loud for my tastes" Ophelia remarked as they exited this building and began walking towards the main one in the center of the complex 

"Yeah, I think my heightened senses made it worse to be there, to be honest" Amelia agreed as she checked to see if her ears were still fine after all of that loud banging of working tools 

As they continued walking towards the main building, they felt the magi-cameras following them until they reached the side door of the main building and once they stepped inside, they were greeted by the sight of Vaeron standing in the middle of the walkway with a smile on her face and a pad made of iron in one of her hands. 

"Your Majesties! I am so glad you both came today!" The dark elf stated with a smile as she gave them a deep bow 

"Good to see that you are doing just fine yourself Vaeron, how goes the research?" Ophelia asked her with a small smile 

"Splendid Your Majesty, just splendid" The dark elf researcher replied with a large smile on her face 

"Mhmm, I bet. Anyways, care to explain why there was no visible security around? It even looked as if the researchers themselves failed to notice our presence" Ophelia asked her with crossed arms 

"Oh...Uhh....because I told them not to disturb you..." Vaeron answered as she looked a bit concerned 

"Explain" Amelia added 

"Well...when the guards told me you both arrived, I immediately sent out a communique on the magic crystals linked from the buildings to here and told them to continue on with their work as the two of you arrived and were here to do some inspecting. Obviously I also added that they were not to disturb you out of fear that one of them may offend you or think that you didn't belong on the off-chance that none of them recognized you" The dark elf answered as she began twiddling her thumbs and looking a tad embarrassed 

"Uhuh...Reasonable, but you should have tighter security, we saw no such guard or the like wandering around to patrol the place" The blonde empress stated 

"Ah, about that...I never really thought people would be dumb enough to try and infiltrate this place, the walls surrounding the complex have a barrier that will shock and most likely kill anyone who tries to climb over them and try to infiltrate this place" Vaeron replied 

"True, but if there are like little kids who know no better, they will most likely get hurt or worse yet, perish if they think they can climb over the walls" Amelia said with a concerned and worried expression that made the dark elf nod as she took her words in 

"I see, forgive me for that oversight Your Majesties. I will have patrols doubled and assigned to walk around the complex as instructed" Vaeron said as she bowed her head slightly 

"Mhmm, good. Now, you called us here for a demonstration of something you have managed to create that has been a year in the making...care to show us what it is?" The raven-haired empress asked 

"Hehehe, I bet you will both love to see this" Vaeron stated with an ecstatic smile on her face as she led them into the main laboratory 

Once the trio were inside, there were other researchers standing aside and looking at the dual monarchs as they entered, giving bows to them that were met in kind with a simple raising of hands to put them at ease. The dual monarchs' eyes were drawn to the center of the room after greeting the other researchers, their eyes wide as they saw a massive and intimidating statue that was around 12ft [or 3.7 meters]. 

The statue they were looking at had two large arms on either side which were rectangular and flat as there were no hands at the ends, these arms were connected to the main body which was a large square that had a thin rectangular piece that connected to the two long and equally rectangular legs that were keeping it upright. The head of the statue was a rectangle resting on the longer side atop the main body, but this one had a large blackened circle in the middle of it. 

"Is that..." 

"An Iron Golem. The very first of its kind that has been made by our hands" Vaeron answered Ophelia before she could finish her sentence 

"That's...amazing! I thought golems of this kind were only produced by dungeons" Amelia remarked as the dual monarchs stepped closer to the golem and began seeing how smooth it was, the silver shine of the massive thing before them was impressive 

"Yep, what were once Dungeon Bosses are now the newest creations down here at the lab" Vaeron stated with a grin as she placed her hands on her hips 

"That is...incredibly impressive" The dual monarchs remarked in unison as they turned to Vaeron with nods of approval 

"I thank you for the compliments Your Majesties. But it has not only been me, the rest of the team here has been hard at work for a full year in trying to get this project working alongside the rest of our duties and I must say, the work that has been put into this will change a lot of things"The dark elf gyaru stated with confidence in her voice, gesturing to her team who all bowed their heads once more 

"May we see a demonstration?" Ophelia asked as they backed away from the golem 

"Of course! Ronald! Start the machine!" Vaeron commanded as she tossed over a C-Class magic crystal over to a dragonkin researcher on standby 

Ronald then flew behind the golem and opened up a slot in the head which was very hard to see, it opened up after the flick of a switch and once it did, the mechanism inside was ready to receive the magic crystal. The dragonkin researcher placed it in between two needles that were connected to a slew of cogs and gears that went deeper into the golem. Once the pink crystal was placed inside, the crystal made the mechanisms crack to life and they began to turn as the dragonkin researcher moved away. 

{!} 

The black circle in the head of the golem then flickered to a bright pink as it came to life and straightened up, the whirring and turning of cogs and gears were audible as the golem scanned the room with its eye and the head that turned a full 360 degrees before stopping and staring and the dual monarchs who had moved in front of it. 

{STATUS: ONLINE. MAGI-SERVOS: OPERATIONAL. PRIMARY DIRECTIVE: TO SERVE THE HALKARE EMPIRE. RUNNING MAGI-DIAGNOSTICS ON COMMAND CORE STANDBY......DIAGNOSTICS COMPLETE. IRON SOLDIER MK.I IS READY TO ROCK AND ROLL} The golem's voice boomed as it did a simple one-two punch before it took a knee and knelt before the dual monarchs before it

"Woah....HAAHAHAHHA" The dual monarchs said in unison as they were pretty blown away by the sight of the war machine 

"I know right? This took an absurd amount of trial and error, the magi-core of the machine has a very intricate and complicated set of runes and inscriptions that work with one another to get this thing working properly and properly identifying Halkare soldiers and civilians and enemies" Vaeron told her monarchs as she approached them 

"It is an impressive work indeed, it's a great machine built in a year" Ophelia remarked with a smile and a nod at the dark elf researcher 

"Thank you Your Majesty. Although, the golem is not yet finished in actuality" Vaeron added, with the dual monarchs' smiles slowly turning back to normal 

"oH, I see...what has yet to be finished?" Amelia asked

"Well...the magi-cannon arm armaments have yet to be installed and inscribed into the thing, the barrier magic that was inscribed into the machine is not fully working yet and the body of the golem is like most golems, very susceptible to elemental attacks which was supposed to be offset by the barrier magic. There are also several kinks in the movement that need to be ironed out and some other stuff as the power supply of the machine, the C-Class crystal can only provide so much power before the golem powers down" The dark elf researcher answered, with the dual monarchs' initial optimism now fading away and replaced with a bit of regret but also understanding of the situation 

"I see. Well, I suppose it was to be expected. Still, that progress you all have made is astounding, you should all pat yourselves on the back for the good work you have all done" Ophelia told her with a smile 

"Yeah, you all should be proud of yourselves!" Amelia added with a smile of her own 

"Thank you for your compliments Your Majesties" Vaeron replied with a nod 

"By the way, there is another thing we wish to speak to you about" The raven-haired empress stated 

"Oh...OH! Of course. Your Majesties" The dark elf gyaru said as her eyes went wide before she led them to her office

A/N: And here we go! A fun little chapter showing the dual monarchs going about and doing stuff! Hope you all enjoyed the chapter and if you have questions or comments leave em below! As always, Stay Safe and Enjoy Your Day!