*The flames rain down from the sky.*
In a shuddering sense of witnessing the end of the world, Emilia trembled.
An attack strong enough to erase an entire city in one blow?
There was only one creature in this world capable of such a thing.
“What was that meteor-like thing that fell on the development area…? What the heck was it? Huh?”
She hastily sent a communication toward the development area.
But there was no immediate response.
Of course.
After taking that kind of hit, they must be in a state of panic.
They’d be too busy trying to counterattack.
Or perhaps they couldn’t communicate anymore…
“No way. That can’t be…”
As a chilling thought crossed her mind, Emilia shook her head to dismiss it.
There’s no way someone as confident as Schlus would be taken down by a Majin’s attack.
Expecting it would take a lot of time, she decided to be patient and wait.
Maybe about ten seconds later…
– Ah, did you see that too?
“Brother! Are you okay?”
– Oh, I’m fine. I just got attacked by the Majin Tiltitz for a moment. But I beat her up and ran away with Trie.”
“What…?”
Schlus was saying something utterly baffling.
He got beat up by a Majin?
Wasn’t it a trap created by some powerful barrier spell?
– I won without a single scratch. Hard to believe, right?
“No, I believe you… But… It’s just hard to accept…”
– See? You don’t believe me.
“No, I do believe you!”
– It’ll be in the news tomorrow. Then you’ll have no choice but to believe it!
“I mean, I believe you… But…”
There was no reason to doubt Schlus’s words.
It just felt so unreal.
She knew Schlus was strong, but to defeat a Majin in hand-to-hand combat—without a scratch?
– I’ve wrapped up things here. I think I’ll be back soon.
“Really? How soon is soon?”
– Hmm… Probably tomorrow at the earliest?
Finally, he was coming back.
For Emilia, the fact that Schlus would return was far more important than how things ended in the desert.
“Did everything go well?”
– Yeah. It went smoothly. We did have quite a few casualties, but it seems we can finally form an alliance with the Elves.
“That’s great… Oh, shouldn’t you be wrapping things up now?”
– It’s alright. They can manage just fine without me, so we can communicate all night!
“Geez… You should really get some sleep…”
A chuckle escaped her lips.
Even though they had been exchanging letters non-stop, she still felt something was missing.
As soon as she heard Schlus’s voice after so long, that feeling disappeared immediately.
The barely audible static and poor sound quality didn’t matter; it felt good nonetheless.
If it’s Schlus’s voice, she could listen all night, even all day long.
But considering it was right after a battle with a Majin, it wouldn’t do if Schlus was absent while managing the chaos.
Emilia decided to let Schlus go for now.
“Hmm… We should wrap this up. I’m getting sleepy.”
– Really? I want to hear your voice a bit longer.
Clueless guy.
She wanted to stay like that too.
But if she kept this up, she’d end up wanting more.
“Just hurry and go. Lots of people are waiting for you, you know?”
– No way! It’s not like I’ve hooked up with any girls here or anything…
“I’m not suspecting that! Just go already!”
– I swear! Trust me! I… well, I did get one confession…
“Who was it?”
– …
Emilia’s tone shifted completely.
A confession?
Didn’t he just say he hadn’t hooked up with any girls?
Or could it be that he unknowingly flirted with someone else?
The more she thought about it, the hotter her blood boiled.
She had to hear the name of that bold girl who just confessed to her man.
“Who is it? I’m asking you. Answer me.”
– It’s… you know Trie?
“I know her. Why’s she involved?”
– …
“Could it be Trie?”
– …
Emilia’s mouth dropped open.
No way, that person?
It felt unbelievable.
She thought she could relax since he wouldn’t be into someone who wouldn’t openly flaunt interest in men, but targeting Schlus despite knowing he was engaged?
Suddenly, betrayal slammed into her.
She hadn’t realized how bold Trie was.
– Just know this for now. I’m not planning to do anything right away; I just wanted to postpone answering.
“Why postpone the answer? You should’ve rejected her!”
– Well, it’s just that…
“Are you saying you have feelings for Trie?!”
– Well, that’s…
“Are you asking me to approve your marriage to her?!”
– …
Looks like she hit the nail on the head.
Seeing Schlus remain silent like that only confirmed it.
“Put Trie on the phone.”
– Uh… She’s busy right now? So, um…
“Put her on! Now!”
– Hey, hey! It’s chaos right now! I gotta hang up!
“Brother!”
*Click.*
The communication abruptly ended.
A mix of astonishment and a hollow laugh escaped her as Emilia hung her head.
“Is this really how it’s going to be?”
Just because he became popular, he’s collecting women now?
Or could it be that she wasn’t enough for him? Those thoughts filled her with self-loathing, but she quickly shook them off.
The problem lay with Schlus, after all.
That shameless man, who wanted to enjoy the pleasures of women under the absurd pretext of expanding his influence.
It was time for special measures.
“So, I just need to make it so he can be satisfied with just me, right?”
She just needed to remodel Schlus.
Turn him into someone who could survive without her—not a single day, not even a second.
As laughter bubbled within her, she thought about it.
*
“Haa…”
“What’s wrong? Worried about something?”
“No.”
The source of her worries spoke up next to her.
She couldn’t say she was worried about Emilia’s reaction after telling her the confession story.
That could wait until they faced each other back home.
Ultimately, she felt Emilia would be inclined to agree if it was about expanding influence.
Especially since she had already approved the engagement with Iris.
“Your Excellency! The tribe leaders are all here to see you!”
“I should go.”
Just then, a soldier dashed in, standing stiffly and nervously with a report.
It seemed the tribe leaders had gathered at the fortress while she was communicating with Emilia.
She exchanged glances with Trie before both returned to the room.
“I bow to Regent Your Excellency.”
“I bow to Schlus Hainkel Your Excellency…”
As soon as they saw her, the tribal leaders rushed over, bowing their heads and greeting one by one.
It reminded her of the greetings she’d received at the banquet but felt almost entirely different now.
Back then, it felt compelled and obligatory; now, it felt less so.
“How are things on your end?”
“Uh, no, problems.”
“I recommend you answer honestly.”
“Pretty… serious…”
“Yes… Many people died from the flames raining down from the sky…”
Reports of honesty followed from various corners.
Erica’s dome barrier only covered the development area.
The Elf faction had no choice but to take Tiltitz’s attack head-on.
Of course, on top of that, due to Jin’s schemes, they also had to contend with the Asylum, so the damage must have been substantial.
“Report the damages later on. I will provide support for recovery.”
“To that extent…!”
“I’m not trying to do charity work. It’s only fitting to extend a courtesy to our allies. Of course, you must show your sincerity as well.”
“What do you mean by sincerity?”
“Expel the Asylum and join the Majin’s encirclement. That’s all it takes.”
She said that as she placed a treaty on the desk.
The treaty with her signature engraved.
It would be complete once the Elves signed it.
“What on earth are you seeing as your future…?”
How far ahead was she seeing?
It was a difficult question to answer.
Suddenly, she noticed all the tribe leaders were looking at her, awaiting her answer.
“As far as it goes. As far as our victory.”
That was a lie.
But right now, lies and hope were what was needed.
“Your Excellency… I was on the surface, not in the bunker, during the attack.”
“…”
At that moment, Mahmed stepped forward.
“I witnessed you facing down the Majin who fell from the sky. I saw you overwhelm him in battle. I believe it. I believe in the future you foresee.”
Only then did she finally understand the oddly submissive attitude of the tribal leaders.
At first, she thought it was a sudden surge of respect for her, but that wasn’t it.
It was fear.
They were looking at the monster who could knock out a Majin barehanded with fearful eyes.
“I believe as well.”
“I do too…”
The tribal leaders chimed in one after another.
Eventually, they all unanimously handed a pen to Mahmed.
Mahmed gulped, approaching the treaty and began to scrawl his signature.
“All… done…”
With that, the treaty was concluded.
They had signed the treaty that Asylum had tried so hard to prevent, even with their chaos and Tiltitz descending directly.
Elves and humans officially established diplomatic relations and formed an alliance.
Their hatred for each other had been overcome by reason.
Showing the powerful enemy that is the Majin, there was also the possibility that they could win, all in a single day.
Because of this, the Elves grew wary of the quiet threats they had overlooked all this time, and the Empire gained a solid ally.
It was a mutually beneficial alliance for both sides.
“You did well. Let’s chalk up the cavalry charging toward the development area as your mistake. I trust you with this.”
“Yikes… Yes, I appreciate it, Your Excellency!”
She exchanged a final handshake with the pale-faced tribal leaders.
One copy of the treaty would be taken by them, and the other would be sent to the imperial palace.
She figured that when Aria heard about the promise of support for recovery, she might get a bit annoyed…
But since she hadn’t specified how much support would be given, promising roughly 10 percent of the damage in funds should suffice.
– Hmm. Employer?
“Say it.”
Just as she was leaving the fortress, a message from Jin came through.
She had a good idea of what the situation was.
After all, Jin had been assigned a surveillance mission.
– The hotel where Serika was being held was attacked. Serika is currently fleeing the development area.
“Pass the duplicate key to Duke Damien and capture Serika.”
– Yes, ma’am.
She couldn’t afford to let her guard down.
Just a slight slip-up could show Iris the future of the development area being set ablaze.
She had to go and prevent that future.
