A small lamp illuminated Minister Tweller.

Only then did he seem to notice the dried blood on his palm. With a good-natured smile, he wiped away the withered stains out of courtesy.

“Is everything comfortable for you?”

“As you can see, the Clifford palace has provided me with many amenities.”

“As I’ve mentioned repeatedly, everyone at the imperial palace, especially His Highness, has been extremely concerned. With the entire Ministry of Magic relocated, who would dare understate the seriousness of the situation?”

He was indirectly scolding them for emptying the Ministry of Magic. Though the minister had been Volv at that time, emptying the imperial palace was certainly not a wise decision.

When the old man’s gaze fell upon Akorella and the mages, they casually looked toward the ceiling, pretending not to notice. Being a veteran who had rolled through countless battlefields, his every glance was indeed difficult to withstand.

Ian offered him warm tea and continued.

“It’s all because of my insufficiency as the person in charge.”

“No, that wasn’t my intention. Please don’t misunderstand.”

“How is His Highness faring?”

Ian first asked about Jin’s well-being. Though the silver hair and blue eyes were vivid in his mind, given the palace situation, Jin must have changed considerably from the one he knew.

He missed Jin. More precisely, he wanted to meet him. He wanted to see Jin’s true self as inscribed in the original history.

Tweller merely raised an eyebrow as he took a sip of tea.

“His Highness is doing well, apart from the strain of managing imperial affairs. Oh, and what was the name—Xiaoshi?”

“Xiaoshi? Yes, the one who protects His Highness?”

“He has formally received a title. He is now a Viscount, like Lord Hielo.”

“What!? A Viscount!?”

Beric, who had been listening quietly, jumped up and shouted. Impossible! He was the strongest person in Bariel, so why did Xiaoshi receive a title first? Huh? He was the one suffering out here!

Words rose to the tip of his tongue, but Akorella shoved her fist into Beric’s mouth and smiled sweetly.

“Please excuse us, Minister. During war, everyone’s a bit unstable, aren’t they?”

The mages’ eyes rolled dramatically. Someone unstable pretending to be stable—that too was terrifying.

Though Beric struggled, he was dragged outside by Akorella and the mages. Tweller watched the scene with interest.

“So that’s Beric.”

“You know of him?”

“Yes. He’s your bodyguard from the Imperial Guard. Quite an impressive lad, isn’t he?”

Rumors were rampant that the Ministry of Magic had planted him to check the Imperial Guard. Of course, anyone who had actually met Beric and knew his temperament would shake their head, thinking he wouldn’t be much help.

Tweller muttered as he glanced Beric up and down in that very brief moment.

“His body is solid compared to his size. Those born with such natural vigor are impressive. I’m not sure about war, but in battle, they tend to stand out. If only his personality could be tamed.”

Tweller smiled playfully, saying this while clearly aware that taming would be impossible.

Ian nodded, signaling it was time to get to the main point. Prince Noah had been eagerly listening to their conversation all this time.

What interested him wasn’t the formalities between ministers meeting for the first time, but what accomplishments Bariel’s reinforcements had made and how the tide of war was turning.

“Ah, well. Where should I begin? First, we haven’t fully identified all the supply routes from Ruswena to Burgos. They seem to be moving in separate groups, as if they anticipated this. The wagons we seized contained dragon scales, some magic stones, and various powders.”

“Powders?”

“I suspect they’re materials needed for manufacturing black armor. Do you know anything about this, Lord Ian?”

“No, I don’t know anything about the manufacturing process. We shouldn’t necessarily conclude they’re related. Making assumptions always narrows our vision.”

“Quite right. Anyway, my subordinates, along with two mages who haven’t returned, are tracking supply troops on other routes. Since identifying the supply base should be our priority, I’m thinking of letting one of them slip through.”

By ‘supply base,’ he meant that black armor might be manufactured somewhere nearby. Therefore, even if supplies were delivered, knowing the approximate location would allow them to raid and halt production.

“Please make that decision as you see fit, Minister Tweller. I don’t have military decision-making authority.”

“You may lack military authority, but you have something more important—authority over the mages.”

“Hmm. I should inform you of this too, Minister. The mages cannot use their power freely in this land.”

Tweller’s wrinkles moved slightly, as if this were unexpected news.

With mages present, the outcome of wars could be determined quite precisely. This was why Bariel had grown into an empire and maintained its status all this time, and why it could be called a place blessed by the gods.

But mages unable to use their power?

“You must still be feeling unwell somewhere.”

“No, my strength has mostly returned. The same goes for the mages—they’re gradually regaining their normal strength. The problem is Clifford’s land. I heard you’ve participated in monster battles, is that correct?”

“Monster battles. Yes, countless times.”

“Then you must know the conditions of terrain where monsters frequently appear. According to our information, fractures are occurring beneath Clifford’s land. A major earthquake is also predicted.”

Tweller’s smiling lips hardened. The situation was more serious than he thought. He had assumed his mission was simply to stop Ruswena, help Clifford, and then safely bring back the mages. But monsters and fractures?

“This is problematic.”

“Yes, problematic in many ways.”

Whether Clifford fell to Burgos or Ruswena, or whether fractures appeared and monsters overran the land, it posed problems for Bariel. It was essentially the same as a threatening force advancing closer.

Ian shared with Tweller what he had proposed to Noah.

“So, we don’t have many opportunities. If Ruswena has mobilized black armor and mages, they cannot be stopped with ordinary soldiers. Clifford plans to open the path and lure them this way. The judgment is that settling it with one decisive strike would be better in many respects.”

“Hmm. Just a moment. Prince Noah, could you show me the map?”

At Tweller’s request, Noah’s subordinate brought and spread out a map. The old man’s eyes, shining brightly from within his wrinkles, examined the map. His fingertips traced along the roads, sometimes tapping. Noah bit his dry lips as he waited for Tweller’s opinion.

“By any chance, do you know which general will lead Ruswena’s forces?”

“No, I have no knowledge about that side. Considering that Bariel has essentially officially attacked Ruswena, we cannot rule out the possibility of Queen Eripony taking the field.”

“Very well. I find Lord Ian’s strategy worth adopting. However, there’s one condition.”

“Condition?”

“That whoever leads the Ruswena legion is suspicious, intelligent, and cautious by nature.”

“Ah, I see. That would be good. I originally planned to open the path starting from this forest, but it might be better to open it from the very front.”

“Before the road forks. Yes, indeed.”

“Wait, wait! What are you two talking about?”

As Ian and Tweller exchanged mysterious words back and forth, Noah couldn’t hold back and raised his hand. How could they discuss and exchange opinions between themselves while ignoring the prince of the country?

Ian and Tweller simultaneously wore expressions suggesting they’d made a mistake, and Tweller apologized with his hand on his chest.

“I apologize, Your Highness.”

“Why open the path not from the forest but from even before that, near the border? Of course, I intend to have Ruswena approach the capital, but isn’t that too…”

Isn’t that too extreme? A bloodless conquest should have its limits; how is throwing the border wide open and inviting the enemy in any different?

Moreover, if Ruswena changed tactics and, instead of approaching the capital, circled to nearby villages for massacres and destruction, the meaning of all these decisions would be diminished.

“Well, Prince, let’s imagine a scenario. You and I are on very bad terms. We’re desperate to kill each other.”

Ian gestured to Noah to calm down. Then he extended his teacup with a smile.

“But one day, I kindly offer you tea like this. If I personally offer it and urge you to drink while it’s still warm, would you drink it without hesitation?”

Noah’s face rippled in the swirling liquid.

The answer was clear. Whether nobility or even commoner, anyone would be suspicious and decline.

“I absolutely wouldn’t drink it.”

“Exactly. Now let’s apply this to our situation. Ruswena has brought a large army to take Clifford. They know Bariel’s reinforcements and mages are here. But there’s no one stopping them at the border. If only unusually quiet forests and deserted roads await them, how do you think Ruswena will act?”

Noah let out a small exclamation, as if now understanding.

“What I proposed was a method to bring Ruswena to the capital, but Minister Tweller has added a twist. If we make Ruswena suspicious and buy time, we can create an opportunity to request additional reinforcements from Bariel. Ah, at that point, they wouldn’t simply be called reinforcements.”

Throwing the country into the whirlwind of war meant that not only the Imperial Defense Department but likely also the Imperial Guard would be mobilized. Given that Jin’s status seemed to have stabilized in the palace, such a support request shouldn’t be problematic.

“It’s fine if Ruswena enters right away, and it’s also fine if they hesitate at the border and spend time. Whatever happens, we can turn it into a good opportunity for us. So, well…”

Ian pointed to villages near the border one by one, advising that it would be good to evacuate them quickly.

Originally, he had planned to open the path by pretending to retreat with a very small force, but now there was no need—they would clear everything out completely.

“What do you think, Your Highness? Isn’t it worth trying?”

Noah nodded thoughtfully while holding his chin.

Ian was right. The purpose was to lure them closer. But what if they became suspicious and didn’t enter? Nothing could be better.

“As Minister Tweller said, several conditions must be met. There should be an eerie lack of presence around the border. We should set up suspicious structures meant to deceive, and the Ruswena general should be cautious and experienced.”

“We’ll have much to do. I can’t sit here until the tea gets cold.”

Tweller downed his tea in one gulp and rose from his seat.

“My subordinates continue to track the supplies, so more information will come in before the next sunrise or sunset. I’ll send a report to Bariel requesting additional reinforcements.”

“Ah, let me handle the reinforcement request. It would be better if I write in detail about the situation here along with the fact that I’ve met Minister Tweller.”

“If that’s what Lord Ian thinks, as you wish.”

Tweller put his armor back on and gauged the time. He seemed to be estimating where his subordinates might be by now and what kind of tracking they might be continuing. He extended his hand to Ian again.

“I’ll return after recovering all the supplies. I hope to drink cold tea then.”

“Yes, Minister Tweller. Return safely.”

“Then, may you also remain well, Your Highness.”

“Thank you, Minister.”

As Noah clasped his hand in gratitude, Tweller firmly shook his head.

“Not at all. Everything is according to His Highness Jin’s will.”

In that moment, Ian realized that Jin had truly taken his first step in the imperial palace.