Chapter 255

**Signain Elzenus Purioaito.**

The third daughter of the former Duke Purioaito and Signain.

During the chaotic times of the oath of loyalty, she swallowed a few counts from the neighboring Duke’s family, and during the capital’s Iml incident, she received military support in exchange for ceding some of the Instrumentum, earning her recognition and elevation to a great noble as a duchess.

The person standing in front of me was undeniably the divine figure of the West, Signain.

Her pupils, a mix of light sky blue and deep blue depending on the angle, trembled in anxiety.

The fan she usually cherished also quivered, creating a breeze in the middle of winter.

“Why are you here? No, Duchess Signain. What brings you to the imperial palace?”

I asked, feeling a bit disoriented.

Jeiliris also looked somewhat surprised.

The relationship between great nobles and the imperial court was not merely contractual.

Each great noble was akin to a king in authority, having held sway over their respective regions for hundreds of years.

Many houses originally of royal lineage had sworn allegiance to the empire and were granted titles of counts and dukes.

Moreover, unlike foreign kings, once they swore loyalty, they couldn’t be openly wary of each other, creating a sense of tension that might have been less than that with foreign nations.

A prime example of this was Wyvernfit.

“Isn’t it a hassle to come here by carriage from so far? Just fly up quickly on a wyvern.”

“But then I can’t take many escorts, and what if you have me executed?”

“There’s nothing I can do about that. Hehe.”

“I won’t be coming. Good luck.”

Because they built Wyvernfits to allow great nobles to arrive quickly, just coming on a single wyvern reduced the number of escorts significantly.

“Then I will arrange accommodation within Wyvernfit. You don’t have to come to the imperial palace. If you sense anything strange, you can flee immediately.”

“That also makes me uneasy… but I will trust you for now.”

If the number of escorts decreases, safety is not guaranteed, so they were reluctant to come to the capital, and Wyvernfit eventually evolved to include accommodations.

Thus, the relationship between the imperial court and the great nobles was a tiresome one, marred by fierce battles of wits and justification.

Whenever an incident occurred, the fear of another great lord or the imperial court intervening caused them to try to resolve matters on their own, sometimes resulting in worse outcomes.

There could have been situations where a large-scale magical realm erupted, and the house suffered ruin after rejecting reinforcements.

Let alone, Purioaito was a venerable great family from the West, currently in a phase of expansion, and its head, Signain, was still a young woman in her early twenties.

It was crucial to maintain a flawless image while guarding against external enemies and rallying internal allies strongly.

The fact that she came to extend her hand to the imperial court despite knowing her image might shatter implied that something significant was at stake.

So dire was the situation that even Jeiliris had a look of astonishment on her face.

***

“Your Majesty. Lanzo and the army are advancing madly.”

“Duchess. While Lanzo is not a minor nation, isn’t it not a significant problem for the Purioaito family?”

The empire had welcomed the blood of various powerful heterogeneous races, including ogres, elves, dwarves, and beastmen, and they had become part of the noble class.

“I am not well-versed on Lanzo, but it’s said they excel more at defense rather than invasion, and their numbers of sword experts and combat magicians are low.”

Sword experts can face a thousand soldiers alone, and combat magicians can obliterate a hundred with a single spell.

The trend of war was gradually becoming a stage for knights.

“You are the Lady of the Sky Knights and the head of Purioaito, nurturing combat magicians while sponsoring several magical schools, so this does not seem like a situation where you would reach out to the imperial court.”

Signain made a grim expression.

She was undoubtedly two to three years older than Jeiliris and me, but she did not look it at all.

“Actually… most of my military is deployed to stabilize the newly occupied lands. I only have four counts left taken from the neighboring duke, and coupled with the southern part of Instrumentum, there’s a significant temporary shortage of military personnel.”

I held my nape.

Reflexively, informal speech slipped out.

“Why does it seem like the number of counts you’ve mentioned keeps increasing every time you speak? No. Have you consumed almost five counts? Didn’t I say I’d rip the province apart if a civil war broke out?”

“Well, the civil war hasn’t happened yet. It’s because of the invasion. Besides, it was Prince Duke who insisted on having territories worthy of your title.”

Jeiliris shot me a glare that seemed like it could cut me in half.

I averted my eyes, and Signain continued, dejected.

“Most of my forces are stationed in the eastern and northern regions, while Lanzo is located in the southwest of our Purioaito territory.”

“That’s the completely opposite side. Are there no allies?”

“It’s awkward to coordinate with the surrounding lords because that area acts as the border between the southwestern and western regions, so the neighboring lords also maintain a distance. It feels like the races have changed altogether.”

That made it challenging to maneuver armies collectively.

I bowed my head toward Jeiliris.

“Your Majesty. I will lead my army to crush the wicked ones who dare invade our territory.”

Jeiliris looked skeptically.

“If I drop a meteor on the mainland, wouldn’t they retreat on their own?”

However, immediately after hearing Signain’s words, I could draw several conclusions.

“Your Majesty. This invasion is undoubtedly an attempt to redirect internal discontent outward.”

“Mm?”

“Is there any war without reason?”

For the Infiltrators, the most critical thing was to make the world miserable so that people would throw themselves into corruption.

But Earl Philus of Doroysen no longer needed to stir up pointless skirmishes.

Most minor nations surrounding Lanzo were republics.

The ones to mobilize the Infiltrators’ forces for invasion would be against the empire.

“The Infiltrators will likely try to compensate for manpower and resources due to the destruction of the Doroysen diocese. Then, the identity of those who decided to invade and the generals’ will become clear.”

In other words.

“If we capture them all and torture them, we shall be able to dismantle the organization entirely.”

Jeiliris showed a fleeting expression of surprise.

“If it’s to that extent… it would be worth trying.”

“I too always desire to resolve everything in one strike. However, Your Majesty, you are the one who rebuilds, not destroys, the one who saves, not kills. Please, take the more daunting but more noble path.”

I spoke pleadingly, and Jeiliris nodded.

The sharp aura in her gaze dissipated, replaced once more by her arrogant and languid smile.

Then, she began to speak.

“I shall entrust the weary world to you once more while I shall go close the magical realms here and there. May I rely on you?”

I nodded, feeling as though I had heard something I shouldn’t have.

***

Rudi, Lady Trentia, Sererassie, and Marcus had all gathered in the palace.

“Valencianus. So, you’re heading to the southwest front?”

Rudi asked with a worried tone.

“That’s how it is. To be precise, it’s not an actual front yet. I’m going there to ensure it doesn’t become one.”

I looked up at the chandelier on the ceiling while munching on a plump green grape.

The once-delicious grapes now held no taste.

“…”

If I were to fail to wrap things up properly, Jeiliris would drop a meteor.

Then, what was once Lanzo would become something entirely different, the meteor dust would obscure the sun, ruining agriculture across the board, and the massive influx of itinerant people would all throw themselves into the corruption cult. Jeiliris would drop another meteor once more.

And I would eventually assist in all those tasks beside her, our twins would likely contribute significantly to the global population decline again.

As I shivered from the terrible memories, Lady Trentia across from me opened her mouth.

“You said you would prevent a front.”

“That’s right.”

“Are you saying you’ll do it like you did in Doroysen?”

“Exactly. I’m considering ending it with localized skirmishes or provocations. I need to meet with the commanders on that side to understand how deep the Infiltrators’ influence runs in Lanzo. If their situation seems beyond recovery, then it might be better to proceed as His Majesty suggested.”

Lady Trentia nodded.

A thick resolution, blood-red like ink, glimmered in her eyes.

“What if Your Majesty fails?”

“Helena is also preparing. She’s bound to act in her way. She’s dreaming of completely conquering Lanzo and turning it into her territory.”

That was even scarier because she was not someone who couldn’t do it.

“What a splendid dream.”

“It’ll be splendid when it’s just a dream.”

Then Rudi interjected.

“This won’t be resolved overnight. Should we recruit traveling merchants who follow the battlefield?”

“Supply will be handled by Signain. Besides, we won’t be using horses or wyverns.”

We needed to go over with enough military strength to initiate dialogue.

For now, I intended to mobilize my entire private army.

Carriages take too long, and wyverns are not an attractive means for moving an army.

Lady Trentia looked puzzled.

“Then, what will you use? Ships? As far as I know, there’s no direct canal leading that way.”

“Well, the thoughts I have are still involving ships.”

I was once called the world’s greatest negotiator.

And the best negotiators do not negotiate.

“Marcus, can you launch Nibelungen?”

***

Nibelungen.

A large airship measuring 150 meters, excluding the Bow Spirit.

As with all airships, it was constructed from gigantic trees that only grow in the forests where elves lived, combined with the fruits of Marcus’ genius in magic engineering.

It was slightly slower than a wyvern but would not tire, could fly essentially indefinitely, and could carry up to a thousand troops.

After making the hull light with eight anti-gravity fields, it took off using four propellers, balancing through a complex mechanical device that utilized magnetic force.

“I never expected to repair this thing again.”

Marcus muttered with a mix of various emotions in his voice.

Despite being a duke, he donned a tool belt on his waist and directly engaged in fieldwork.

The sight of him checking the propeller joint while climbing ropes was almost divine.

A total of over a hundred apprentice magicians followed him to check various facilities and equipment.

The command of the mechanical knights and machine gun units had transferred to me, yet he still led numerous apprentices.

I climbed onto the hull and asked casually.

“Are you longing for the past?”

He too had once sought to conquer the western regions aboard this airship.

Marcus pondered for a moment, a genuine expression crossing his face before his prosthetic arm trembled slightly.

He tightened a bolt he had been working on and shook his head.

“It would be a lie if I said I had completely forgotten. But I am a magic engineer.”

“…”

“I had to accumulate wealth to pursue research, and the fastest way to accumulate wealth was through plunder. However, I never enjoyed doing it.”

“I see.”

“Now that I have a solid sponsor, I don’t need to fight for wealth anymore.”

These were the words of the Ironblood Party leader, the most dangerous great noble in the West, a magic engineer.

Marcus adjusted his glasses and said.

“Could you hand me a large bolt over there? I’ve recently changed it to a non-rusting material.”

“This one?”

“Yes.”

I stood there for a moment, handing him the bolts and tools he requested.

The sight of his face smeared with black oil and dirt made him look far more at ease than when he indulged at court.

Seeing that, I became convinced that I had made the right decision.

I could coexist with those who were willing to compromise.

The repairs took a total of five days.

It took two days to fill the hangar with various maintenance equipment, mechanical armor auxiliary components, magic gun ammunition, etc.

Sererassie and I fidgeted in the workshop, urging Marcus.

“Can we fly yet?”

“When are we leaving? I thought it would be tomorrow and took a break from research, but I’ve just been resting.”

“No. Sister, take a break.”

“If I take a break, my apprentices rest too.”

“Let me rest a bit!”

Marcus smiled slyly as he entered the Nibelungen maintenance facility that was once a stone structure.

“We just need to inject mana into the mana engine.”

Both Sererassie and I stood up at the same time.

“How much do we need?”

“You have two grand magicians here. Let’s get ready right away.”

Marcus shook his head as if to question what sort of nonsense he was saying.

“The amount a person can provide is not feasible. I’ll have my apprentices buy mana crystals now, so please wait a moment.”

I couldn’t believe my ears.

Pure crystals that can hold, buy, and sell mana are extremely, extremely expensive, and they were consumable items.

“Marcus. What did you just say?”

“Most of the maintenance costs arise from here. It will likely bill this much.”

“!”

I sent Lady Trentia to arrest all the apprentices who had gone outside.

Then, together with Sererassie, we madly injected mana into that heavy metal lump they called an engine.

“Your Majesty. That’s not something a human can-”

Whuuuuuuum!