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“The current situation might be the worst crisis in the history of the Empire, Professor.”

The daylight for Jenis continued to darken. Recently, she wasn’t as bad as Margaret, but she was becoming so haggard and anxious that it felt like she could soon catch up with her.

With a look of desperation in her eyes, Jenis kept staring into Reina’s red orb, hoping for some kind of answer, but unfortunately, the divination tool that showed the future wasn’t that convenient and didn’t reveal all the truths of the world. Just a short while ago, Jeongjae had been helping Margaret, and now he couldn’t even tell if he was the Grand Mage or merely a maidservant to the heroines.

“We’ll somehow overcome this. We just need a political compromise.”

“The northern arrows may be aimed at the south.”

“That’s always been the case.”

“No, not that far north, I mean closer to the north.”

Jeongjae tilted his head for a moment, trying to grasp Jenis’s statement. After thinking for over five minutes, he finally understood the Great Sage’s words and stood up in shock.

“Wait, are you saying Walter’s forces will be moving south? Because of this situation?”

“It’s a scenario with potential, no, a highly probable scenario. The chance that Rose Caprice won’t be able to withstand her anger and takes unilateral action should be seen as over 80%. However, if the parliament fails to reach a political compromise and is moved by the majority, the likelihood that the hero will directly mobilize the army rises to more than half. Honestly, I’m starting to think we should just prepare for that scenario…”

Jenis abruptly shut her murmuring mouth.

Her recent words sounded like, ‘Since there’s no way to prevent a civil war, let’s prepare for what happens after it breaks out.’ Jeongjae would not accept such a statement, nor would he agree with it.

“Why has the situation deteriorated to this extent? It’s just a request to halt the northern expedition… It’s a minor issue! Even if Walter has military power, he can proceed with operations at his discretion during the debates in parliament, right? If we just delay the sessions indefinitely…”

“The parliament doesn’t operate that way. And what we need to be cautious of is that division can become a powerful tool to genuinely impede the northern expedition. Just think about it. The majority of the northern expeditionary force consists of levied soldiers from the southern lords. If these lords, regardless of whether they are vassals of the Empire or not, go independent under the name of the federation, then those troops will legally belong to the independent southern nation.”

“If the frontline commander doesn’t release them, there’s no way to send them back home.”

“But what if the soldiers genuinely want to return to their hometowns? They’re not fools; they aren’t merely fighting machines. If a political dispute erupts at the center and their hometowns become affiliated with a separate nation, wouldn’t any soldier worry about the changing situation and want to go home to check it out? To put it bluntly, from the soldiers’ perspective, it already feels like a civil war is happening, and they have no way of confirming the situation.”

“Walter faces some tough choices: to release the soldiers or to suppress and punish them forcefully.”

“In the worst-case scenario, we might face an unprepared civil war. So if we think from the hero’s perspective, the best approach will be to engage in a prepared civil war. And to win it. To topple the regime swiftly and position His Royal Highness, the Crown Princess, as the Empress to continue the war would be the best plan. Jeffrey is naive. She foolishly believes that the hero is too kind-hearted to make such a decisive choice. I wanted to give her a warning, but I’m not even sure if that’s a good idea…”

“Stop it. Exaggerating the risks of civil war can easily backfire. We need to find some kind of amicable solution…”

Jeongjae spoke with a perplexed expression. Jenis didn’t look like her brain was working properly, perhaps due to the overwhelming recent events.

“Professor, should I surrender, or should I resist?”

“Huh? Why are you suddenly asking that?”

“If the hero leads the army and aims to take over the system, the magic tower will be one of the first targets. Should I resist? Or should I kneel and surrender to the hero’s regime change?”

Jeongjae truly didn’t want to imagine such a situation happening. The Walter he knew was a genuinely good person. The death of the count, the imbalance of information, the existence of the Moriarty Machine, the identity of Eramenia, and various absurd circumstances were all intricately creating a nonsensical crisis.

It felt tragic that heroes would have to oppose each other over such trivial reasons, and that they couldn’t unite due to such differing perspectives. In that context, Jenis’s question was deadly.

If the hero attacked, should he resist? How could Jeongjae possibly answer that?

“I will fight.”

“What?”

“This world might be one where we can win the war. The fallen parliament, the tightly defended throne taken by the Princess, everyone arrested and stripped of titles, incorporated into the directly governed territory of the royal family, unable to resist, and forced to provide all resources from the southern continent. The Audrich Empire will change completely from what it once was. And if things go well, truly well, that kingdom might withstand the war and defeat the Demon King.”

“That’s the possibility that makes Walter choose this path.”

“He’s blinded, Professor. He can’t endure the war any longer. The old him would never make such a choice. I wouldn’t worry this much either. But the current Hellhound, the current Walter Hellhound, would take the risk of attacking the Empire he fought so hard to protect, all to do what I just mentioned. Why is that?”

Jeongjae could also answer this question.

“Walter is broken. You can feel it just by the rumors. No, in fact, I’ve been gradually sensing it for a long time. He… was strength. He was someone who should never have been thrown into such a battlefield from the start.”

“Yes. That’s exactly it. If he had been born in another era, born in peace, he might have become an artist or a scholar. He’s the greatest soldier of the Empire because he was born in this era of war and knew how to wield the holy sword when it was needed.”

A brief silence passed between Jeongjae and Jenis. Sitting deep in thought on the sofa, Jenis trembled with her grip on the staff.

“The Empire ruled by the Crown Princess and the hero may win in war, but they won’t be able to manage the victorious Empire. If they attempt to besiege the magic tower and suppress me, I’ll take this opportunity when all the noble allies of the federation are captured, to independently gather the troops of the Southern Alliance and counter-siege the system.”

“Jenis, you’re not saying…”

“There have to be soldiers from the south among the troops that the hero can mobilize. If the situation escalates, I’ll have to implant spies within the hero’s army, provoke internal chaos, and guide the desertion of southern soldiers, aiming to capture the hero. At that point, if he doesn’t surrender easily, he’ll have to match wits with me on the battlefield. Do you now understand why this is the worst crisis in the Empire’s history?”

Jeongjae felt chills run down his spine at Jenis’s words.

“Then what about the Demon War?”

“If this operation is carried out, Walter Hellhound will have no choice but to relinquish his jurisdiction. But that’s precisely what can make the enemy even more complacent. The Demon King’s Army who might turn their sights towards our Empire will think it has collapsed, while I’ll be already sorting things out within two days and waiting in No Member.”

“Even if you drive the enemy back from No Member, it would still be a decline in the situation.”

“No, there will be no decline. I’ll be using this.”

Jenis pulled out a piece of paper from her belongings. Upon seeing the scroll Jenis held, Jeongjae screamed and fell backward. What the Great Sage pulled out was none other than the scroll of ‘Manhattan.’

“W-w-wait, Jenis, where on earth did you get that…?”

“You saw it that day.”

“You just glanced at the magic circle in the air and copied it?”

“No. I rewound it. I used this orb multiple times, repeatedly played it back. And now I think I finally get it. This magic, what it was created for.”

“You’re quite brazen to say such things after claiming I was trying to kill you.”

“You don’t love me, right, Professor?”

Jenis looked at Jeongjae with vacant eyes. Jeongjae momentarily hesitated, but he did not back down.

“This isn’t about romantic feelings. It’s not like you to try to dodge the argument with nonsense.”

“If what I said comes true, I become a fool who couldn’t stabilize the Empire by suppressing the hero in a war of blood against blood. Just because I think the worlds of Rose and Walter are wrong, should I smash them and then think that being on top of their remains is right?”

“I have no idea what’s right in this situation.”

“Dying would be the cleanest ending. If I could annihilate the Demon King and his key officers, even the main forces, through my death, then after that, there would be no reason for a coup to occur or a civil war to happen. Or should I be more honest? If I’m pushed into such a situation, I wouldn’t want to live anymore. For what? I don’t desire riches or the Empire’s power at all.”

“Jenis, please be quiet. It’s hard to listen to you.”

“Oh.”

Jenis raised her head with a look as if something had come to her mind.

“Professor, if everything goes terribly wrong, and I crush the rebels so effectively that something irreversible occurs, and if I really have the opportunity to confront the Demon King with my bare hands, then at that moment…”

Jeongjae felt a chill as he saw the shine fade from Jenis’s blue eyes.

“Would you rather die with me? Explode twice over. Make it so no enemy could survive in this world, just like that.”

Surprisingly, Jeongjae nodded.

“I’ll do it, even if you dislike it. Jenis, do you understand what I mean?”

“What?”

“You want me to survive, right? Then show me your will to match that!”

It was somewhat cold, but he wanted to plead like this.

“Matching that… will.”

“If you’re truly pushed into such a dire situation, if you have to watch comrades with whom you’ve fought alongside for years crumble like that, then I will absolutely initiate my grand magic before you move. To destroy everything, to show that smashing the enemies is the solution!”

“Professor…”

“And the moment you try to use that magic of yours, you’ll realize that the total mana you possess is nowhere near enough to execute my grand magic. If we go by your words, that’s your future, Jenis Harker! So find a way. Find a way to resolve this crisis without you and the hero coming into direct conflict!”

“How exactly am I supposed to do that?”

Jenis suddenly collapsed to the floor and began to cry. Jeongjae, startled, rushed to her side. The Great Sage was sobbing as she covered her face with both hands like a child.

“I’m only twenty-one. It’s not a long time, but in this short span, I’ve lived nearly a decade doubting everyone around me. I’ve learned politics in daily life and honed my skills to survive. Even that alone was tough, it has become overwhelming already!”

Jenis rubbed her face with her sleeve. Jeongjae hurriedly took his robe out from his bag and handed it to Jenis. Jenis took Jeongjae’s robe, buried her face in it for a moment, then wiped her tears and made choking sounds.

“The world suddenly imposes an unbearable burden on me. They instruct me to command the magic tower. My father has died, and they’re asking me to act as a regent for the territory. That part is acceptable, something I can manage! But they throw me into a cesspool full of snakes and ask that I single-handedly prevent the fall of the Empire. What the hell is this? What have I done to deserve all this?”

Jenis stopped trying to stifle her tears and took a deep breath. Jeongjae had nothing he could offer but to sit across from her and watch.

He understood just how many events had unfolded within such a short time for her. And he could roughly guess how hard she had struggled in silence until now. Jeongjae had his own burdens too, but…

Suddenly, chosen by the holy sword, Walter; suddenly thrust into becoming the Great Sage, Jenis. Between these two heroes, who were suffering and groaning under similar yet complicated responsibilities, what could someone as small and trivial as Jeongjae do?

“I-I’m sorry. Please forget about today. It was all a joke, all lies, and probably this won’t happen. No, that can’t be true. I couldn’t possibly defeat a hero who has endured for eight years in a situation far lighter than mine…”

Having fully stopped crying, Jenis returned Jeongjae’s robe with a gloomy expression. Seeing her like this, Jeongjae decided that his best form of comfort would be to make the heaviest promise he could offer.

“I don’t know, Jenis. But if Walter really ends up fighting you, I promise… I’ll stand with you and fight against him. No matter if he’s Walter or Rose, if I seriously intervene, there’s no way they can completely overpower us. What I mean is, don’t worry too much about things going wrong.”

“Professor…”

“Let’s think of ways to ensure that doesn’t happen. There has to be a way. Something we haven’t thought of yet.”

“Thank you, really, truly thank you.”

Jenis smiled faintly. It was so small that it was difficult to observe with the naked eye.

 

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