Staying too long within the Empire is a high risk.
Ideally, it would be best if the Empire’s military didn’t even find out that I met Kasugal, but this is likely already known.
Depending on the situation, I had considered returning to the Kingdom with Kasugal, but it seems that won’t be possible for now.
I’ll have to rely on Nia for that.
We quietly move from the corner of the Imperial Capital and head into the sky.
I’ve taken care to avoid any witnesses among the general public, so I don’t think there are any.
By the time we return to the Kingdom, an envoy from the Empire has already arrived.
The content of their message is largely in line with what I had anticipated.
They demand the handover of Princess Sanarie and cooperation in withdrawing the Empire’s Third Army.
This is effectively a demand for unconditional surrender, as it would strip the Kingdom of its major military forces.
Of course, Queen Rafa rejects this.
The Empire’s messenger is trying to force the issue, saying that they’ll regret it! When suddenly, Mastema kicks the Imperial envoy’s back, sending him straight into a well.
“I kicked him because he was noisy.”
“I see.”
Queen Rafa, too, was clearly angry inside at the rude attitude of the envoy, so it’s fine.
We pull the Imperial envoy out of the well and throw him aside.
Shivering, he scurries off.
He was about to say something but, seeing Mastema, he gives up and leaves.
In the Kingdom, opinions are still divided on whether to fight the Empire or surrender.
However, Queen Rafa’s firm rejection was, unfortunately, a decision that couldn’t be made solely by the Kingdom.
That’s why she simply decided to reject it outright.
Currently, the Kingdom’s main military force is the Empire’s Third Army, and they will only listen to Princess Sanarie.
If Queen Rafa had agreed to hand over Princess Sanarie and choose surrender, they would have secured Sanarie and likely declared they would fight on their own.
At that point, we would have had no choice but to align with them.
Sadly, it’s natural law for the weaker side to follow the stronger side.
In that sense, if I were to die and Mastema acted greedily, humanity would have no choice but to succumb.
While I’m here, I’ve been able to keep it somewhat under control.
After the Imperial envoy leaves, both the Kingdom and Empire quickly shift to preparing for war.
What started as a conflict between royals has become a large-scale war.
A few days later, the princess finally wakes up.
The priest who had been treating her looks exhausted, so I let him rest.
From now on, while I’m around, I can let Victor handle the treatment.
“Heh, it’s quite the experience to have an angel treating me.”
“I’m just glad you’re starting to feel better.”
“It was a close call when I was wounded in the stomach. I lost a valuable subordinate.”
One of the Royal Guards died protecting the princess. I believe it was worth it.
“Hey, what was the reason you were at odds with the Crown Prince? Did he want the throne?”
I ask the question that’s been on my mind.
Even I don’t understand the inner workings of royal family affairs, and I don’t know much about the Crown Prince… the current Emperor. I had been invited once, but by that time I was already involved with the princess’s side, so it never went anywhere.
“My brother—no, that man has great ambition. If left unchecked, he would likely try to dominate the continent. But he lacks the ability to match his ambition. He’s already failed to deal with me once.”
“A check to his runaway ambitions, huh?”
I’ve never met him in person, so it’s hard to judge, but this situation certainly speaks volumes.
Especially bringing out Kasugal—this was a bad move.
I’ll have to take it seriously now.
Let’s make preparations before the Imperial Army moves.
Things got busy after that.
I ended up participating in a military meeting with Sepia and buying a full set of fireproof gear that I hadn’t planned on buying.
We’ve likely pinpointed the location where the battle will take place.
It’s a place where several wars have been fought in the past.
It’s a wide plain, and whoever wins there can control all the surrounding cities.
The side that wins in that place usually wins the war, making it a location of great significance.
This time, we’ll undoubtedly clash there.
But we won’t be participating in that battle.
Our goal is to fight Kasugal.
If he shows up, we’ll head there.
A human wall means nothing against Kasugal.
If we don’t match his strength with quality, we won’t stop him.
Of course, I can’t bring Arnella and Noel, they’ll die for sure.
They’ll be better off casting support magic from a distance.
Sepia will be accompanying me.
“Kusugal Noahroad… Hmm. I’ve heard about him from Father, or rather, that man, many times. He’s a mage who has mastered fire magic, right?”
“You’ll probably be surprised when you meet him.”
“What do you mean?”
Sepia tilted her head in confusion.
“It means that you’ll question your common sense. Probably, your understanding of mages will be shattered.”
“Eh… What’s that supposed to mean?”
Sepia is a typical mage. She’s an all-rounder with high magical power and will likely leave her name in history.
Kusugal, on the other hand, is a mage who specializes in fire magic to the extreme. He can hardly do anything else. When he tries to create ice, he can only make something as small as what you’d use for a drink.
But despite that, he is strong.
“I’ll need you to focus solely on water magic. Every time Kusugal uses fire magic, the battlefield will be tainted by fire. If the field becomes fully dominated by that, I might die.”
“You’re talking about the elemental field, right? I hadn’t taught you about it yet, but I see you’ve experienced it firsthand.”
If Sepia were to engage in a direct magical duel with Kusugal, she would definitely die. Her role is strictly support.
The ones who will fight directly are me and Mastema. A one-on-one between me and him? I’d rather not die for that.
Finally, we received the report that the Imperial Army has departed from the Imperial Capital. Meanwhile, the combined force of the Kingdom’s army and the Imperial Third Army—9,000 soldiers—have also left from the Royal Capital.
The Imperial Army has more troops than expected, totaling 25,000 soldiers.
