Crash!

As Damon violently struck the table, his ministers shrank back. His short hair was completely disheveled, but not as much as his enraged breathing.

Damon shouted with flashing purple eyes.

“How could you all mess up like this!”

“W-we deeply apologize, Your Majesty.”

Various objects were thrown at the ministers, but none of them dodged, only keeping their heads bowed.

News of Timothy’s desertion had reached the palace faster than anything else. As expected, Timothy was last seen at his mansion, after which his whereabouts became unknown.

“Not only does Timothy desert during wartime, but you also let him escape the capital unhindered? When government officials act this way, what will our citizens think and observe!”

“P-please put us to death.”

“You should know better!”

Damon’s anger wouldn’t easily subside.

They were at war with Clifford, which had joined forces with Bariel. At a time when anyone capable of holding a weapon should be drafted, they couldn’t afford to deploy manpower just to catch one man. Most likely, he had defected to Bariel, yet strangely, his name wasn’t in any immigration records.

Damon ground his lips together, breathing heavily.

‘If I had known this would happen, I should have killed him from the start.’

It was the same in his previous life. Back then, Timothy had also betrayed his brother, defected to Bariel, and significantly influenced international politics.

But this time was supposed to be different—he had lost everything because of that slim hope that it might not happen. If he had wanted to change the future, he should have killed Timothy immediately upon his ascension, not kept him alive until now.

“Damn it.”

As he gritted his teeth, the ministers became even more silent, careful not to let even their breathing disturb him. He was always sensitive, but now they were at war. Timothy’s defection—a key figure in the Foreign Ministry—would cause tremendous repercussions in the palace.

Fortunately, someone had immediately stepped in to fill his position.

Knock knock.

“Your Majesty. News has arrived from the supply troops.”

Please let it be good news. Hopefully news that they had successfully communicated with Ruswena and received supplies. The ministers looked at the entering attendant with such expectations, but expectations often go awry.

“The Ruswena supply troops have not appeared at the scheduled time.”

‘Now we’re really finished.’

The ministers clasped their hands tightly under the table in silent prayer.

Damon frowned. He had clearly been informed that they were departing through the dead lands, so why hadn’t they shown up?

“Any other issues?”

“Nothing else has been reported, but the supply base commander suggests we dispatch our own personnel to investigate. He says this could save time and asks for your active consideration.”

Either they had lied about sending supplies, or something had happened during transport.

The latter seemed more plausible. Ruswena would gain nothing by falsely promising supplies. After all, weren’t they allies who shared potential violations regarding the dragon scales agreement?

Damon immediately shook his head.

“No. We’ll continue waiting at our position. The outside is dead land, so there’s no need to go out. Tell them that.”

“Yes, understood.”

Tap, tap. Damon turned toward the window and remained silent, as if thinking about something.

The blockade of the supply route. It wasn’t a path that Clifford soldiers could easily discover on their own. This meant mages had been mobilized, which clearly demonstrated an alliance’s resolve.

The will of an alliance meant the dispatch of reinforcements. As Damon swiftly turned around, everyone straightened their backs and looked straight ahead.

“Stop the pursuit of Timothy.”

“Pardon? Is that advisable, Your Majesty?”

“He must have gone to Bariel, so we’ll go there ourselves. Everyone prepare. I had planned to time things properly, but now it seems better to push forward earlier.”

Timing things properly? The ministers simply bowed their heads at the king’s inexplicable words, waiting for his command.

“Summon and conscript everyone who can bear arms. And I myself will take the field.”

“Your Majesty in person?”

“No, you cannot leave the palace empty.”

“News of Timothy’s desertion must have spread throughout the front lines by now. If we know it here, how could they not know it there? For the sake of boosting army morale, it’s right that I go personally.”

That made sense. If the king himself took the field rather than someone else, the soldiers’ broken spirits would surely rise. Moreover, Damon’s declaration was equivalent to saying he would pour all his strength into the war.

At the signals of several ministers, attendants began to move. It meant they should request maximum support from the minority ethnic groups in the north. The corridors became noisy with people drafting and delivering letters, but Damon continued unconcerned.

“And when Queen Eripony learns that the supply route has been cut off, they will also participate directly and press from the rear. This is a tremendous opportunity. No matter how many mages they have, Bariel won’t empty their palace, and it will be difficult to easily repel attacks coming from both sides. Besides, doesn’t Ruswena have mages too?”

“Ah, yes, indeed. Though they are few in number and mostly live in seclusion, so it’s uncertain if they’ll cooperate with the country. But if they are mobilized, there’s quite a possibility.”

“Bring me a carrier pigeon. The mages will be vigilantly guarding the border between Ruswena and Clifford, so bring an ordinary royal carrier pigeon, not a magic stone.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Tell the local nobles to hurry their arrival. And bring the royal armor.”

Damon commanded while gripping his seal.

The armor worn only when royal personnel take the field. Only then did the ministers realize that war had suddenly drawn closer, and as soon as the meeting ended, they conveyed the message to their subordinates.

“Tell my wife to organize our assets and stay with her parents for the time being.”

“The king will take the field. I have no choice but to follow, so tell my family to leave the capital tonight, even if it’s just for now.”

“Tell them to make sure they take the documents, especially everything in the study without exception. Yes. It will be difficult to reach Bariel, so first leave the capital for the villa.”

While ordinary citizens were living day to day, looking only at the sky, those in the palace weren’t looking at the ground.

At their instructions, subordinates moved even more busily, and soon the palace gates were thrown wide open to welcome the nobles.

***

“What? The supply route was cut off?”

Eripony shouted irritably as she ground out her cigarette.

When Eldert nodded in a troubled manner, her mouth opened slightly. Hadn’t she sent a supply unit composed of elite troops? How could they be so easily intercepted?

“Report in detail.”

“The wagon convoy traveling on the southernmost road through the dead lands was attacked. It seems mages confirmed their position from the sky and then informed reinforcements. We can’t tell whether these were Clifford’s reinforcements or Bariel’s. The soldier who reported this was watching from quite a distance.”

In preparation for potential problems, there was a group following far behind the main convoy. They were responsible for returning to the homeland and reporting if there were any supply issues, which they had faithfully carried out.

The problem was that they were too far away to confirm which direction the wagons had gone or which country had ambushed them.

Eripony threw her cigarette to the floor and jumped up, approaching Eldert and pressing on his chest.

“Is there more unpleasant news I need to hear?”

“…There’s still no word about supplies from the other routes.”

“If the very end of the dead lands was discovered, it’s obvious what happened to the routes above. Every last soldier assigned to report must have been captured and killed. Isn’t that the right way to see it? Hmm?”

“It’s still too early to jump to conclusions. The transported goods are different, so the variables are significant.”

“Good grief, this is ridiculous. What about from Bariel? Still no contact?”

“No. I apologize.”

They had demanded an official statement regarding the legitimate reason for the unilateral suspension of trade, but had been ignored. At first, it seemed like an economic sanction to prevent involvement in the war, but seeing how quickly they found the supply route, that clearly wasn’t the case.

They had blocked the path to Bariel. That little brat had.

“I thought he was cute… but the little brat’s quite cunning.”

Eripony picked up a fresh cigarette and turned her head. An attendant approached to light it, and she exhaled smoke along with a sigh.

If all the transported goods were discovered and confiscated, how could their value be measured in numbers? In this case, Ruswena would have no choice but to take a hard-line stance.

“Summon the mages.”

“Indeed, that’s the only way.”

“Tell them they will suffer the consequences if they don’t respond. Before being mages, they are citizens of Ruswena, and it’s their turn to stand up for the national interest. I’ve given them too much freedom.”

Unlike Bariel, Ruswena’s mages lived in seclusion on the outskirts, each pursuing their own research and training.

Ruswena valued their manpower but had no choice. Being an agricultural nation, they had different priorities, and above all, there was no justification for forcibly mobilizing them.

“Now…”

Now they had justification.

The general in charge of Ruswena’s supplies would surely have revealed his identity and purpose to the enemy. Even if it were a lie.

Nevertheless, they were attacked and annihilated, so Ruswena as a nation couldn’t simply let this go.

“I’ll officially dispatch troops. Tell those confronting each other at the border that reinforcements will come.”

This might actually be a good thing. From Ruswena’s perspective, they had clear justification and could freely participate in and withdraw from the war without getting entangled with Bariel and Burgos.

She nodded as she tied her long hair into a single knot.

“I will go as well.”

“What? Your Majesty will?”

“You know the mages’ temperament.”

No matter how justified, conscription wouldn’t be welcome from the mages’ perspective. So Eripony had to personally go to encourage and support them.

Above all, she wanted to see with her own eyes how the war situation in Clifford was progressing.

“Tell them to open the barrier because I’m entering Clifford to investigate the dead lands.”

Why go through Clifford when she could go around? From their perspective, they wouldn’t—and couldn’t—open it.

That’s how war breaks out. The moment when tightly interlocked canine teeth gradually shift and bite into the nape first. That’s the beginning of history.

“Oh, and stop the production of the bow meant as a gift for the Crown Prince.”

“Is that alright? Wouldn’t it be better to prepare for any contingency?”

“Our trade has been blocked. We can say we couldn’t make it because of that, and they can’t argue, can they? In war, the most important things are money and people. We don’t need to waste resources on such things now.”

She was a king who loved hunting. She walked with her cigarette in her mouth and removed the bolt. Behind it were numerous arrows packed tightly.

Eripony stood in front of a golden arrow in the center, as large as her tall frame, and looked up at it. The subtle smile on her face suggested she wasn’t in a bad mood at all.

“It’s been a while since I’ve had a real hunt.”