“Ah… Aah…”
Chairwoman’s Residence of the Imperial University.
On the terrace, Iris, connected to the observation *spell*, let out a *gasping sigh*.
In the distance, the sky was slightly tinted red.
The sun had long since set, yet red light and black *smoke* were swirling above.
It was the development area far removed from the institution.
The city where Schlus Hainkel was located was currently engulfed by the flames of disaster.
“Not good…”
She had certainly warned him.
She had seen the future and warned Schlus.
She foresaw the development area being engulfed in flames, urging him to prepare.
However, the future did not change.
“Saintess.”
“…?”
“Did you expect all of this? Right?”
“Emilia…”
Iris turned around at the trembling voice.
There stood Emilia, her hands clasped, looking at her with worried eyes.
With a demeanor reminiscent of a frightened little animal, Iris thought she needed to be strong.
If she looked scared too, Emilia would fall into panic.
“Of course. Since I taught him the future, it must be right. This is all part of Schlus’s *intent*.”
“Is that really true? But the letter Schlus sent had none of that. It always said everything was going well and that it was peaceful here…”
“Don’t worry. Schlus is safe. The comrades who went with him are safe too. He said he was fine, so it must be true.”
“Really… is it?”
As Emilia began to tear up, Iris felt her legs move on their own.
She walked over and embraced Emilia, comforting her while patting her back until Emilia calmed down, trying not to burst into tears.
‘Maybe it really is all part of his *intent*…’
Iris found herself whispering positive words to Emilia, feeling her own thoughts shifting.
Just a moment ago, the shocking scene of flames and *smoke* made her think the future she saw in a dream had come true.
But recalling it now, the scene of the development area she viewed with the observation *magic* was slightly different from the future she dreamed about.
In her dream, buildings collapsed, and the entire city became a ruin, but now the development area was simply experiencing a large fire sporadically.
It was indeed a dangerous situation, but it was certainly not a calamity that would completely annihilate the city.
The future she saw in her dream had not yet come to pass.
The situation was still well within Schlus’s control.
She wanted to believe that.
No, she had to believe it.
“Ugh… Sniff… Thank you, Saintess.”
Now that her breathing had calmed down, Emilia weakly pushed Iris away, trying to smile.
Seeing her tear-streaked face, Iris began to understand why Schlus had fallen for this child.
She was indeed the kind of person that triggered a protective instinct.
At the same time, she was polite and endearing, the kind of child loved by everyone.
“But, Saintess. This might sound strange, but…”
“That’s okay. Go ahead.”
“Is my Schlus… rough with you?”
“Rough? What do you mean…”
“In bed. That’s what I’m asking.”
She was wrong.
Iris caught a glimpse of the hostility in Emilia’s eyes and had to acknowledge that she was mistaken.
She wasn’t just a sweet child.
“Th-that is…”
“Aha! Based on your reaction, it seems you haven’t done anything yet. Am I right?”
“….”
A faint smile of victory appeared on Emilia’s lips.
Iris felt her eyes twitch slightly.
What an irritating child.
Iris decided to process it that way.
*
There was one high-ranking member of the Asylum that they had been tracking for a long time.
Since the day his neck was nearly severed ten times by blood, he had cut off all traces and went into hiding, only to resume activities safely later.
…So he must think.
But we had not lost track of him.
After letting him go, we had been watching him closely from a step behind.
He still had a role to play.
We kept feeding information to the Asylum through him.
If we summarize the information we leaked this time, it would look like this:
– Schlus Hainkel desires to ally with the elves.
– Schlus Hainkel has the ability to offer tempting proposals to the elves that could sever thousands of years of bad blood between humans and elves.
– And if only a negotiation table could be established, humans and elves would form a blood pact. No exceptions.
They came to firmly believe that.
The result was this mess.
“What the hell…!”
Mahmed exclaimed in despair as he stepped outside the building.
Flames were erupting here and there.
Police stations, government offices, and military facilities were all simultaneously struck.
If one just focused on their instincts, they could hear the screams bursting forth from all directions as swords clashed.
Soldiers who had just been standing guard and chatting suddenly started stabbing and slashing each other without understanding why.
They had to kill their comrades, who had turned on them for no reason.
It was truly a scene of chaos.
“We didn’t do this! Schlus Hainkel! I swear, we didn’t instigate this!”
“I know, so calm down.”
Mahmed’s face turned pale as he saw the glances I was giving him.
He knew well it wasn’t the elves stirring up the trouble.
They simply didn’t have the capability.
This was the work of the Asylum.
Damien had recently needed to sharply increase the draft rates.
And with the elves bringing their cavalry for a show of force, they had to recall everyone who had even basic military training to keep watch.
Among them were also quite a few fanatics from the Asylum.
The very organization that even the imperial palace couldn’t completely filter out; having caused chaos without any trouble was probably a free pass for the asylum since they had never acted in the desert before.
And they had just received orders simultaneously to launch a surprise attack.
However, this assault was unlikely to succeed.
While they were trying to create confusion by making it hard to identify friend from foe internally, that effect wouldn’t last long.
Even if many fanatics from the Asylum had snuck in, there were hardly any fanatic officers.
Soon, the commanders who grasped the situation would regroup the soldiers and suppress the rebellion.
Then the Asylum would lose all its valuable fanatics without any reward.
Despite that, why did the Asylum choose this precise moment to attack?
There wasn’t a specific reason.
It was simply how things had to be.
To put it more accurately, I had made it so there would be no other option.
– Schlus Hainkel desires to ally with the elves.
– Schlus Hainkel has the ability to offer tempting proposals to the elves that could sever thousands of years of bad blood between humans and elves.
– And if only a negotiation table could be established, humans and elves would form a blood pact. No exceptions.
The Asylum, believing this, would never allow a negotiation between Mahmed and me to occur.
They believed the moment a negotiation started would be the day humans and elves would join hands.
That’s why, reluctantly, they had to cause trouble before this negotiation could conclude.
“I’m worried about what’s happening on our side. I’ll take a moment to check the situation—”
“You cannot leave this place until the Chairman gives you permission.”
As Mahmed hurried to leave, Trie blocked his path.
She said it well.
Mahmed could not escape from this place.
Not until the negotiations were over.
Of course, as soon as he stepped outside the fortress, he’d be surrounded and killed by the fanatics, which was also a form of protection.
“Then at least let me check the communications!”
“Prepare the *spells*. Use this one. Absolutely don’t leave this place.”
“A, ah… Yes…”
As he activated the *spell* and relinquished his control, I could see the bewilderment on Mahmed’s face.
But I decided to at least give him some courtesy and let him take a step back.
I felt they might talk of things I shouldn’t hear.
As I returned to the room and closed the door, Trie let out a *sigh*.
“Ha… I’m trying to act calm, but I feel like I’m going to die from the nervousness…”
“Don’t worry. It’s all going according to plan.”
“If it’s going according to plan, isn’t that even more dangerous?”
“True, it is.”
That was accurate.
I genuinely felt sorry for Damien, but this plan hinged on the development area.
“I have to pray Jin does well.”
“Are you really going to trust her? She’s the same person who made a fool of you before.”
“Jin has no loyalty except to money. She has no ideology or religion. Therefore, I trust her.”
“Ugh… I can’t help but feel anxious.”
The stage had already been set.
Now, the fate of the development area rested in Jin’s hands.
…
…
…
“What in the world is happening? Surely you didn’t intervene, right?”
“….”
Mahmed constantly scanned the surroundings as he yelled through the *spell*.
On the other side, the tribal chiefs must have all gathered.
However, when silence fell momentarily, frustration overtook Mahmed.
“Ah! Is that a yes or a no?!”
– Of course not.
“Yes! That’s right! As far as I know, we had put a few of our people into the Duke’s army, but nothing of this scale could have been instigated! So what is this? Do you know anything? Anyone?”
– It seems this is an attack from the heretics known as the Asylum.
Asylum.
At this moment…
Mahmed felt his vision blur.
Of all the times for the Asylum to launch a large-scale attack, it just had to be now, when he was practically a hostage in this heavily fortified place.
It was chilling to think Schlus Hainkel might suspect the elves were the masterminds behind the rebellion.
“Asylum! They’ve been quiet all this time, yet attacked now! Fine! It seems it’s not strong enough to topple the development area! I won’t be able to leave until things settle down. Until then, everyone must just stay calm—”
– Mahmed. We cannot stay calm.
“Why not?”
– While the initial attackers were the fanatics of the Asylum, there are also many elf soldiers currently participating in the rebellion. They likely see this as an opportunity to reclaim the development area. What do you think will happen once the rebellion is suppressed? Humans will assume we ordered the uprising without reason. Using that as justification, they’ll impose various export restrictions and starve us out.
“I can convince them! What benefit do we gain from instigating a rebellion we can’t even succeed in? So I’ll go to Schlus Hainkel—”
– No need. If we are suspected without cause, it’s better to give them a reason.
“What do you mean by that?”
The voice from beyond sounded significant.
Mahmed’s complexion turned to one of contemplation.
– If we don’t seize this moment while the development area is in chaos, we may never get another chance. I will command a full-scale assault. Before the sun rises, we will reclaim our land.
“What about me?! What shall I do when you stab me in the back?! What am I supposed to do here?!”
– Good luck.
“Hey! I’ll die! I’ll die at Schlus Hainkel’s hands! Hey! Hey!!”
Mahmed’s desperate scream echoed through the fortress.
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