Mev’s eyes twitched slightly. She clearly wanted more details.

Ian simply smiled as if it were nothing and reached for the floating parchment.

"I ended up making one of the Black Lions my vassal. And that one returned to Hyked’s side and is still following him."

"Right. I’ve heard about that." Mev narrowed her eyes and nodded.

Ian pulled the parchment onto his thigh and continued. "After that, I occasionally began sharing her vision in my dreams. For a time, I couldn't see anything, either because Hyked had noticed or because she had revealed her power."

He shrugged as he handed the bottle back to Mev. "Suddenly, I can see it again."

"What exactly did you see?" Mev asked as she accepted the bottle.

"I was on a city wall. Behind it, there was a massive Imperial city, covered in dark, stormy clouds." Ian answered without hesitation.

Mev's lips parted slightly as her eyes widened. "The Dark Prince has taken an Imperial city?"

"Most likely. And far beyond the walls, I saw Imperial forces stationed. They seemed to have been there for some time. That’s why I immediately checked the Scroll of Correspondence after waking up."

Ian lightly brushed the parchment on his thigh, a crooked smile on his face.

"And sure enough, there’s a message waiting."

"By the heavens..." Mev exhaled in a daze. Her expression flickered with layered thoughts.

Ian picked up the scroll and tilted his head toward her. "We’ll probably get more details if we read this. Want to come over? It’ll be easier to read it together."

"Alright—" Mev rose instinctively, then froze.

She stared at the scroll for a moment, conflicted, before slowly sitting back down.

"No. You should read it alone, Ian."

"Really?" Ian’s eyes narrowed slightly as he asked.

Mev raised the bottle to her lips and nodded. "Yes. It might contain His Highness’s private remarks. Read it, and just tell me the parts I need to know."

As he watched her drink, Ian’s gaze narrowed a little further. A memory from just before leaving Travelga naturally crossed his mind.

She had exchanged a few words with the princess before departing.

The content piqued his curiosity, but he had no intention of pressing her.

Mev was being considerate in her own way.

"Alright," Ian replied as he unfolded the message and shifted his gaze. Dense lines of writing filled the corner of the parchment.

Did she fail to hold back again?

A faint chuckle touched his lips, but it quickly faded as he began reading.

Soon, the carriage fell into silence.

Only the soft sound of Mev sipping wine and Ian’s steady breathing remained, though the carriage rattled and swayed.

"So she couldn’t afford to hold anything back," Ian murmured. He lowered the parchment to his thigh and pulled out the small quill attached to its handle.

He wrote a brief reply confirming that he had read it.

"That must’ve been quite long," Mev said calmly. Despite the wait, there wasn’t the slightest hint of boredom on her face.

"Yeah. The situation calls for it." Ian rolled the parchment back up and returned the quill.

Mev nodded, then added, "Then why don’t we all hear it together? For the parts related to the Empire, Nasser or Thesa would probably be more helpful."

"Alright. We can talk while putting on our gear," Ian replied as he opened the lid of the gold-trimmed storage box and tossed the scroll inside. It would save him the trouble of explaining everything twice.

"I’ll help," Mev said, reaching out to open the window on his left.

Ian shut the storage box and stood, opening the right window with his Willful Grasp.

"Oh? Finally awake, Ian?" Thesaya appeared outside, seated atop Moro’s saddle. She had clearly been braiding Lily’s hair.

"That’s a relief. You slept even longer than when you fought the archdemon. I was starting to worry," said Nasser from the left window.

Sitting atop the storage box in the center, Ian let out a faint smile. "That’s why it’s easier when all I have to do is fight."

"The princess’s message has arrived," Mev added, opening the small window toward the driver’s seat as well.

With everyone’s attention gathered, she sat beside Ian and continued, "Ian will tell us what’s happening in the capital."

"Finally! I was getting tired of waiting!" Thesaya exclaimed, eyes shining, then glanced down at Lily. "I don’t mean that literally, so don’t look at me like that. Turn your head back, pup. I’m not done braiding yet."

"Have they located the Dark Prince?" Nasser asked.

Lily stared forward expressionlessly while Nila pressed closer to the carriage window on that side, likely because the path had narrowed.

"It’s more than that," Ian said, sliding his feet into his plated boots.

He straightened and looked at Nasser. "The Dark Prince and his army have taken Plante."

"What did you just say?" Rare shock spread across Nasser’s face, his mouth parting slightly.

Ian smirked faintly as he secured the greaves that Mev handed him.

"Hey, let the rest of us be shocked too. Where exactly is Plante?" Miguel asked from the driver’s seat.

Thesaya, still braiding Lily’s hair, agreed with a nod.

"It’s a major city near the boundary between the Eastern Front and the central regions. More precisely, toward the southeast," Nasser answered with a heavy sigh.

He glanced at Ian, who was fastening his armor. "It seems the prince’s forces far exceed my expectations. Plante is not a city that can be taken easily. Especially not while being pursued by the Imperial Army."

"No," Ian said, sitting back down on the storage box lid. "It wasn’t taken by force. The Dark Prince entered without spilling a single drop of blood."

"What did you say?" Nasser’s expression twisted in confusion once more.

As Mev handed Ian the bottle and held his backplate in place, Thesaya casually added, "So what, they just opened the gates willingly or something?"

"That’s exactly it," Ian answered without hesitation as he pressed the breastplate against his chest.

"Are you serious?" Thesaya’s brows furrowed. Her hands, which had been delicately braiding Lily’s hair, finally came to a stop.

Ian glanced at her and raised the bottle to his lips as he added, "According to what the princess confirmed, the second son of Count Bashulo, who effectively rules Plante, is a knight of the former crown prince."

"Don’t tell me. You think he became a Black Lion and survived?" Thesaya asked, turning toward him.

Ian shrugged lightly, letting Mev secure the armor. "It’s not confirmed yet, but that’s their theory. The princess seems pretty certain, though."

"We can’t know the full story, but if his son was a royal guard knight, then the family must’ve already held considerable loyalty and goodwill toward His Highness," Nasser added.

He pressed a hand against his forehead in an odd pose. "Even if that were no longer the case, his son, whom he thought dead, returned alive. He wouldn’t be able to treat him as a mere traitor or corrupted being without hesitation."

"More like the opposite." Miguel chimed in from the driver’s seat. "He’d see the Dark Prince as the one who saved his son to the very end."

Ian nodded, lifting a plated pauldron with Willful Grasp. "It wouldn’t have been a spur-of-the-moment decision. The Dark Prince must’ve picked someone who would accept him."

"That explains why the Imperial court lost track of the Dark Prince for so long," Thesaya muttered.

She resumed braiding Lily’s hair, her voice low. "They must’ve closed the gates after letting his forces in—until he secured control of the city. The Imperial army wouldn’t have thought to search a major city that thoroughly."

Then she glanced at Ian. "So, has the count completely switched sides?"

"That’s what the princess thinks. And I’d say the same." Ian replied casually, recalling the cityscape he had seen in his dream.

Despite the ominous storm clouds covering the sky, the place seemed rather peaceful and stable.

"Lu Solar, this might just be the beginning," Nasser murmured with a sigh.

Meeting Ian’s gaze, he dragged a hand down his face and added, "Isn’t the first step always the hardest? Now that a symbolic stronghold exists, it’s as good as lighting the fuse."

"On top of that, there are still plenty of surviving Black Lions and people of the martyr expedition," Thesaya added.

A faint, amused smile spread across her lips as she smoothed Lily’s hair. "Most of them are probably nobles. And there are plenty of families who still hold grudges against the royal house. If it were me, I’d reach out to them even more aggressively. The more that happens—"

"It becomes harder to brand them all as traitors." Ian finished her thought, lightly handing the bottle back to Mev after securing his pauldrons.

Thesaya nodded.

Miguel’s confused voice followed, "If they’re siding with the prince, why would it become harder to call them traitors?"

"They haven’t been proven corrupted yet, nor has innocent blood been shed," Nasser answered, turning toward the driver’s seat. His expression made it clear that he found Miguel’s confusion harder to understand.

"On top of that, the Imperial family publicly declared that His Highness is alive, and even dispatched an expedition under that pretense, did they not?"

"And now, if they suddenly start calling him a traitor, you’re saying a rebellion would really break out." Miguel finally murmured.

Nasser immediately nodded. "With justification on his side, it would be more accurate to say that the Empire would split apart."

"Good grief... damn it." Miguel groaned.

"Looks like our expectations were completely off, Ian," Thesaya added the remark lightly.

Fastening a plate guard over one knee, Ian nodded. "Yeah. I don’t know whether this was his plan from the start, or whether he noticed the royal house and the church were at odds and made the decision on the fly."

He and Thesaya had expected Hyked to move independently and finish his revenge through a swift, decisive campaign. Dragging things out while building support had seemed far too reckless and dangerous a choice for him.

And yet, Hyked had done the exact opposite and was handling it remarkably well.

"Either way, it’s honestly a little impressive. The entire situation flipped before we realized it. Now, time is no longer on the Imperial family’s side," said Thesaya.

Nasser nodded along. "I thought him noble and bold, but hopelessly reckless. It seems my judgment was wrong. He truly is an extraordinary man."

"He’s the sort who leads a tiny elite force straight into the den of the archdemons. He was born with a talent for making people marvel." Ian added, lifting his upper body.

Mev, as though she had been waiting, placed the bottle back in his hand and said, "The more I hear, the more he sounds like you, Ian."

"Hm?" Ian raised one brow without realizing it and turned to her.

Mev only smiled and, without adding anything else, started fitting armor onto his forearm.

"Now that I think about it, you’re right. From doing reckless things like it’s nothing, to somehow leaving people impressed in the end," said Thesaya, her lips curled into a sly smile that made it unclear whether she was joking or serious.

Ian snorted under his breath and shook his head, raising the bottle to his lips.

Comparing me to that man feels almost insulting to him.

He kept that thought to himself. There was no point saying it out loud, not with this group.

"In any case, the royal house must be in quite a difficult position. No matter how I think about it, the only way out is to follow the Great Church’s will and summon His Highness back." Nasser said, stroking his chin.

Ian lowered the bottle and smiled. "That’s exactly right. Apparently, His Holiness sent a letter pressing for a decision."

"And His Majesty still hasn’t responded, I assume?" Thesaya asked at once.

Ian only shrugged.

She scoffed. "Thought so. If he follows the Great Church’s will now, he’ll believe he’ll be dragged around forever. And honestly, he might not be wrong."

"Though it would still be better than being remembered as the tyrant who split the Empire." Nasser clicked his tongue.

Miguel smacked his lips and sighed. "I’d like to wash my ears out. After hearing all this bad news, I feel like something truly unlucky is bound to happen."

"Well, maybe the Emperor’s waiting for exactly that," Ian added offhandedly.

As he extended his left arm toward Mev, Nasser turned to him with a slight frown. "Something unlucky?"

"Something neither the royal house, nor the Great Church, nor even the Dark Prince could have predicted," Ian said, handing Mev the bottle and quietly adding his thanks.

Mev lifted the bottle slightly in acknowledgment and sat down on the chair.

Interlacing the fingers of his plated gloves, Ian rose from the storage chest.

As he flexed his wrists, ankles, waist, and elbows one by one, he continued,

"No one can predict every variable perfectly. Especially not in something this tangled. Someday, a situation might arise that gives even the Emperor an opportunity."

"Like, say, an allied army serving a demigod? I’m joking." Thesaya added lightly, letting out a small giggle.

It was enough to make both Nasser and Miguel frown at her.

"Well, it’s unlikely. But not completely impossible either." Ian let out a faint snort and glanced at Mev.

She was casually sipping her drink, as if none of it concerned her in the slightest. Just as before, it clearly didn’t matter to her at all.

"Anyway, one thing’s certain now."

The corner of Ian’s mouth curled upward as he turned toward the door near Nasser.

A longsword lying on the floor slid into his hand by Willful Grasp. It was the spare blade they had brought from Travelga.

"And what would that be?"

"That this conflict is going to last far longer than we expected. Which means we’ve got more room to work with."

Opening the closed door, Ian smiled gently. "So, from now on, we clear out every demonic realm we come across as we move."

"What?"