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Difficult times passed. Jenis worked tirelessly to gather materials and extend the Demon King’s Army’s mountain fortress while simultaneously creating a perfect bastion to protect the harbor.

The cannons that had been installed on the HMS Victory were all moved and placed atop the newly built mountain fortress. There were only eight cannons. The amount of ammunition on the ship was limited, meaning they couldn’t be used freely. Yet, the 600mm Dragon Killer Cannon, when fired, had a terrifying power that deterred enemies from recklessly attempting a siege simply by its mere existence.

The Southern Army, having completely fortified the three sides excluding the harbor, actively utilized the ships docked in the port to transport additional soldiers and supplies from the south. The Gargoyle Queen gathered a massive army of 500,000 troops and surrounded the 30,000 Southern Army defending Febria Bay, but it seemed she received no special orders from the Demon King to commence an active siege.

The area needing defense was vast, yet the number of soldiers available was minimal. Most of the Southern Army spent their days in the fortress without a proper sleep, even on days when they weren’t standing watch. During the day, they hurried to reinforce the hastily constructed walls or deal with the petty provocations from minor demon minions.

As night fell, the provocations from the hordes of goblins became increasingly intense, mostly ending in trivial pranks, but they knew they couldn’t afford to ignore any attack, as it could shift into an all-out offensive at any moment. The longer Jenis spent at Febria Fortress, the more her complexion deteriorated.

“The hero was indeed a remarkable person,” Jenis said. Jeongjae nodded in agreement.

“It’s not like I didn’t know Walter was great from the beginning,” he replied.

“No, I mean not that kind of greatness which is publicly known. I’m talking about the paperwork. I thought I was good at examining papers and letters, but how on earth did he handle such an enormous workload regularly?”

“There’s the Baron, you know? How about sharing the load a bit?”

“I don’t want to give him any power to independently engage with military matters.”

Jenis’s tone was firm. Jeongjae sighed, yet he couldn’t scold Jenis, understanding that her actions weren’t driven by personal ambition or greed.

Jenis Harker had been an extraordinary child since her school days. Of course, most students at the School of Magic were extraordinary by human standards. They mixed children of various bloodlines, but wizards instinctively didn’t pay much attention to each other’s heritage. However, Jenis was quite sensitive and wary of being the eldest daughter of the Harker family.

She didn’t bother hiding her political ambitions since her student days. Yet, the reason why Jenis didn’t want to share even a fragment of power with someone she couldn’t trust wasn’t solely due to her past simplistic and instinctual desire for power.

It was a desire for survival. The fear of walking step by step on a blade’s edge. Known to the world as the ‘Silver-Haired Sage’ alongside Walter, Jenis was starting to resemble her brother Walter Hellhound in his obsessive tendencies. But unlike Walter, who was overly secure in his position as a hero and had no worries of falling from grace, Jenis bore the critical disadvantage of a position obtained through the game that could be taken away at any time.

“What do you think about Koesernis?” Jeongjae asked.

“The Baron is indeed a fitting individual to command thousands of troops as a legion commander. However, if I had to choose a commander for tens of thousands of troops, I would never pick Douglas Koesernis. He has an insatiable greed for his own abilities.”

“Hm.”

Jeongjae thought there was some validity to Jenis’s words. Yet at the same time, he was well aware that Jenis had a tendency to unconsciously belittle others except for herself.

Though she claimed to be the top student in history, Jenis Harker had a nasty habit of treating her peers as if they were inferior to her. According to Margaret’s analysis, it could be regarded that Jenis had caused this situation by ignoring Rose this time as well.

Jeongjae asked, “Jenis, what do you think about Rose Caprice as an emperor?”

“Why do you ask that all of a sudden?”

“The emperor of your generation will not be Anton Caprice but Rose Caprice. Considering your bloodline, you will surely outlive her. If you don’t want to fight against the Caprice royal family for your entire life, you should consider what kind of emperor she would become.”

“If we’re in an era of continuous war, she would undoubtedly become the greatest emperor. But if not, then I doubt Rose’s empire will be a happy nation.”

“Rose Caprice is still young. So are you, and to be honest, I’m still young too. I hope we all don’t rush into things too much.”

“That’s not something someone who tried to create a spell to turn a metropolis into smoke and poured their soul into it should be saying, Professor.”

“I already told you, I’m still young. I make my fair share of mistakes. There’s no evidence to show that what you all are doing now isn’t a miscalculation either.”

“If you want to stop this unproductive conflict, you need to convince the one with the greater power. The royal family says I’m a threat to the empire, but in reality, the much stronger forces lie with Caprice and Hellhound. Harker doesn’t even compare to their trifles. I’ve kept my own lines. If my intent was to swallow up the empire seriously, I wouldn’t have lacked means.”

“Then do you think Koesernis could build a force that could genuinely threaten you, and that’s why you’re keeping an eye on him?”

“…he’s a seasoned noble who has built his own power base. I can’t just overlook him.”

“Jenis, do I look like a foolish person who would simply let any nonsense slide?”

At Jeongjae’s words, Jenis let out a deep sigh. Even when she was puffing up her chest in front of Rose, she couldn’t bear to do so in front of Jeongjae.

“If reconciliation is possible, then I wouldn’t have a reason to refuse. But I’m not sure if that’s possible, Professor. I really need this power. I’m not going to claim it’s justifiable. I need it. This Southern army, this tiny army that barely amounts to anything, is vital. I can’t just let it be dragged around. They’ve taken everything from me, and I don’t know when they will take more. I can’t just sit idly by without repaying it myself.”

“War takes a lot from everyone.”

“I know. So others can’t be persuaded like this. Am I the only one who lost my father? Do you have any idea how many children have lost their fathers to this war? They would answer back, ‘What of it?’ The difference is that I possess a possibility to resolve things by my own hand, while powerless citizens rarely get a chance to take vengeance with their own hands.”

“To be precise, it’s entrusted to the hero to exact vengeance.”

“The hero is done for. No, not quite done yet, but for the time being, they can’t move. Do you know how long Walter Hellhound has been preparing for this northern expedition? It won’t take the same amount of time moving forward, but he’ll still need at least several years to ‘prepare’ again. He’s that kind of strategist. He spends years planning everything, waiting and waiting, and then strikes at the opportune moment.”

“What about you?”

“I’m someone who bites as soon as I see a weakness. I hoped to rely on Walter Hellhound when he actively pursued his northern expedition, but given the current situation, the hero isn’t likely to move easily. I’ll act in my own way. I have no plans to offer this force to him or leave this coastal fortress to join the northern expedition. Do you understand?”

“Uh…”

Although he was cast aside, Jeongjae had a deep trust in Walter. After all, many things could only have been accomplished due to them coming to the Harriet territory. It was uncertain whether it was all Walter’s calculations, but since Jeongjae had fallen back to Harriet’s territory, it didn’t seem like the situation had gone drastically wrong.

If Walter were to say he needed to endure for a few more years for the next counterattack, Jeongjae would probably follow that without argument. But Jenis, filled with anger and impatience, couldn’t endure that.

“I’m not opposing the idea of continuing this operation, but…”

“Please, Professor.”

Jenis lowered her head and murmured.

“There’s no one on this continent I can fully trust. Not my army, nor the heroes of the century, nor the fairies—everyone has to be seen as a hypothetical enemy when planning. It’s just… this is the path I chose, but I’m exhausted. I’m so tired. So please…”

Jenis lifted her head and looked at Jeongjae with bright sky-blue eyes. Her silver hair, which should have been smooth as silk, felt as coarse as wire.

“Regarding this matter, please support me unconditionally.”

What could Jeongjae say? He had tried his best to learn from the heroes, but he was just an ordinary person. Among ordinary people, he was on the kinder side.

Seeing a trembling kitten and taking it home is what an ordinary person would do, and ignoring it while passing by is also what an ordinary person would do. But if Jeongjae was to be classified between the two, he was the type to look around for a while to make sure there wasn’t a mother cat nearby and, if he really thought the kitten was in danger, pick it up and take it home himself.

If the cat seemed fine, he would probably take it to the vet and search the internet for information on how to care for kittens. But at this moment, the former student wields the most powerful force in the continent and looked just like that kitten.

“I have too many people I have to support unconditionally.”

“You’re a man burdened by many sins.”

“But if necessary, I suppose I’ll have to do so. Alright, I promise. In this war, whatever political or strategic decisions you make, I will prioritize your opinions above anyone else’s. If the only person who can offer you complete loyalty is your old teacher, what else can I say?”

“Thank you. Then first, please read this.”

Jenis picked up an envelope from the desk with trembling hands and handed it to Jeongjae. Jeongjae accepted the red envelope that Jenis passed on with a puzzled expression.

“What is this?”

“It’s a document that arrived from the empire this morning. I was too scared to even open it. I’m terrified to read what’s inside… Professor, please take a look first. I’ve been worrying about it all day long, and I really can’t read it.”

Jeongjae examined the title on the envelope. It was labeled clearly in bold letters as ‘Notice of Attendance to the Imperial Assembly.’

It was understandable that Jenis was afraid of this document. After all, what Walter feared second most in the world, right after the Demon King’s Army, was attending the Imperial Assembly. Since Jenis returned without resolving issues at the assembly, she would naturally be more apprehensive about such a notice.

Without hesitation, Jeongjae tore open the envelope and pulled out its contents. As he began to read the official document, Jeongjae’s expression slowly started to change.

“This is…”

“What does it say, Professor?”

“Just wait a moment. Let me read it a little more to make a judgment.”

As Jeongjae continued reading, his eyes began to race faster. His lips grew dry, and his complexion began to pale. Jenis anxiously glanced at him sideways and asked again.

“Is it very bad news?”

“This won’t do. You should see it for yourself. I honestly can’t explain it. But to summarize, it seems you’re… at risk of losing your limbs right now.”

Jenis quickly grabbed the document from Jeongjae and began to read through it. In stark contrast to Jeongjae’s pale complexion, Jenis’s face began to turn red and blue with rage as she read the text.

Jenis Harker picked up her staff and slammed it down on the floor, shouting.

“Rose Audrich, you damned witch!”

 

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