Thesaya nodded. "Exactly. They know it’ll only get worse for them the longer this standoff drags on. And rejecting the Dark Prince’s proposal would only make it worse."

Watching Ian lift the bottle to his lips, Thesaya lowered her voice. "This feels like they’re deliberately trying to tear the empire apart even further."

Narrowing his eyes, Ian drank slowly. The crackling campfire flickered before him, Miguel’s rugged face tense in its glow, and Lily quietly chewing beside him.

All the while, Nila’s slow, drowsy breathing drifted faintly at his side.

"Like the princess said before, what if they’re the ones moving behind the scenes?" Thesaya whispered.

Lowering the nearly empty bottle, Ian said, "The Round Table Parliament."

"Yeah. Those lunatics believe that true light can only come after darkness takes hold."

"Then the Dark Prince must look like the perfect tool to make that happen," Ian replied evenly, glancing at her. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

A cold smile spread across Thesaya’s lips. "Exactly, Ian. They’re not just stirring things up—they’re the real instigators of the coming civil war."

"Sounds like that’s what you want to believe," Ian said, extending the bottle.

Thesaya shrugged as if daring him to argue. "Why wouldn’t I? They’re enemies of the Redhead, of Count Westwood, and me."

As she brought the bottle to her lips, Ian simply nodded faintly and began rolling up the scroll again.

He had overlooked it because things had been too quiet, but he had already expected their involvement.

—If they chose him as the one who will bring darkness to the world... What an excellent choice. This should be entertaining.

Yog’s sinister chuckle echoed in his mind. This was probably the first time it had heard all this laid out clearly, which was why it held back instead of interrupting.

Draining the last of the wine, Thesaya lowered the empty bottle and continued, "Of course, I’m not just saying this out of spite. Neither the Dark Prince nor the Emperor actually acts like they want a war to break out."

She met Ian’s eyes again, tilting her head slightly. "Those bastards are the ones escalating things from behind the scenes, pushing conflict further and deepening the divide. Until there’s no turning back."

"Damn it. So those bastards really want the empire to fall?" Miguel finally asked, his face still stiff.

"From what we’ve seen, it sure looks that way, Prosthetic." Thesaya turned to him, idly tilting the empty bottle in her hand as she went on. "Well, it’d make things easier for them to rebuild everything in the way they want once it’s all over, since the Order won’t fracture as the empire will."

"Whether they realize the capital will fall as a result is another question," said Ian.

Miguel frowned and looked at him.

"Or that the Dark Prince’s real target isn’t the throne, but the Great Church," added Ian.

"I said this before, but that part I actually appreciate." Thesaya set the bottle down and nodded, her eyes fixed meaningfully on Ian. "But to be honest, I’d rather the Dark Prince not succeed all the way. I want to be the one to finish off the Round Table Parliament myself."

At that, the corner of Ian’s lips curled upward. It was clear she hadn’t given up on her revenge.

With a deliberate shrug, Thesaya turned back to Miguel. "You can stay out of that part, Prosthetic. I’ll let it slide."

"It’s not that... ha... Lu Entre..." Miguel finally shut his eyes tight and let out a deep sigh. He’d known pieces of it before, but now it was finally starting to feel real.

"Well, it’s not like I can honestly call this a good thing," said Ian.

Thesaya turned to him as he continued, "But it’s not the worst case either. If they start moving openly, we might actually uncover who they really are."

"Because Freckle is there?" Thesaya asked.

When Ian nodded, a smile spread across her lips. "He's got quite the impressive title now. Let’s hope he lives up to it."

"We’ll find out soon enough. By the time you return, he’ll probably be with us." With that, Ian stored the letter back into his pocket dimension and stood up.

—Ah, right. That slave you call your knight... I’d love to meet him soon.

Yog’s amused whisper lingered as Ian gave Nila a brief pat before heading toward the fire.

"For now, let’s finish eating."

"I’ll braid the Pup’s hair. It needs to look proper if she’s going to pass as my maid."

Thesaya rose and followed, while Miguel let out another long sigh through his nose.

"I’ll need a drink too. Otherwise, I won’t get a wink of sleep with my mind like this."

"Sounds like that’s a daily problem for you," Ian muttered, sitting down beside him and picking up a skewer of jerky propped near the fire.

Reaching for the bundle beside him, Miguel sighed again. "Took you long enough to notice..."

That was enough to draw a chuckle from Ian.

***

Clack, clack—

The carriage rolled up a gentle hill along the main road. The air now carried a faint salty scent. As the dark, rich soil gave way to brown earth mixed with gravel, the trees grew shorter and sparser.

"Finally, I can see it!"

Miguel burst out with a laugh as the carriage reached the top.

Ian, seated on Nila, nodded as well. Beneath a sky thick with clouds, a vast indigo sea spread out before them—the inner sea.

"Hey, Pup, stick your head out the window and look. That’s the sea. Blue, right?"

Thesaya’s voice drifted from the carriage window.

Soon, a massive sea wall came into view, stretching like a barrier across the water. It began at both ends of the crescent-shaped coastline, forming a sweeping arc. Watchtowers, lighthouses, and defensive structures rose along its length.

Between enormous water gates that opened like missing teeth, several sailing ships passed through.

"Still as massive as ever."

Ignoring Miguel’s impressed murmur, Ian finally took in the sprawling harbor city beyond.

The heart of the West, Racliffe.

The city’s scale and the towering castle facing the sea remained unchanged. However, not a single building appeared damaged or collapsed. That wasn’t the only difference.

Not a single ship from the archipelago?

The docks stretching along the shore were mostly empty. Not a single vessel bearing black flags could be seen.

Ian’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"See? I told you, Ian," Thesaya said from beside him.

When he turned, she smiled faintly. "The duke didn’t send anyone after all."

"Looks like it." Ian let out a chuckle and nodded.

Contrary to expectations, they hadn’t encountered any pursuers sent by the duke. Of course, it was possible their paths had simply missed, but it seemed unlikely.

Thesaya lifted her chin, speaking with a hint of pride. "He must’ve heard you became the Archduke of the North and gave up. There’s no lawful way for him to detain you."

"Though he’ll be surprised when he finds out I came to him myself," Ian muttered.

The smile on her lips deepened slightly. "No need to tell him. Not that many people here would recognize your face anyway."

"True." Ian nodded once more. Back then, he had kept his hood up the entire time, and Sir Spello had blocked off all visitors.

"Then just play the role of my escort knight, Sir Ivan," Thesaya added, removing her hood.

She was wearing the proud and aloof expression typical of an elder fairy.

Ian suppressed a smile and dipped his head slightly. "Yes. I’ll attend to you, Elder."

"Then wait a moment." A satisfied smile finally touched her lips. "I need to dress properly."

The window shut the instant she finished speaking, and Ian let out a quiet, helpless chuckle.

She really does love her roleplay...

"So I just keep my mouth shut, then?" Miguel cautiously asked.

Ian nodded without hesitation, and Miguel immediately pulled his hood down low over his face.

Clack, clack—

Racliffe drew closer by the moment. The salty air grew stronger, and Ian straightened his posture, his expression turning blank. He could already feel eyes watching them from atop the towering walls.

"Please halt." A firm voice rang out just as they approached the wide-open gate, guarded by two soldiers at the center of the wall.

Miguel quickly pulled on the reins, and a soldier in a steel helmet stepped forward.

"We will verify your identities," he added after locking eyes with Ian.

His tone and expression remained polite, likely because both the carriage and its occupants looked anything but ordinary. Still, it seemed he didn’t recognize Ian.

"In the carriage is Lady Thesaya Erenos, head of the Erenos family of South and an Elder fairy," Ian said without dismounting from Nila.

The soldier’s eyes narrowed slightly. "May I confirm that personally?"

Raising a hand to signal him to wait, Ian knocked on the closed window of the carriage.

Slide—

After a brief delay, the window opened, revealing Thesaya with her silver hair neatly arranged.

Though she still wore her hooded cloak, it was obvious she had fully equipped her relic gear underneath. Beside her, Lily sat with her hair neatly braided.

"The gate captain requests identity verification."

At Ian’s words, Thesaya gave a slight nod, maintaining the cold, distant expression of an elder fairy.

When Ian tilted his head forward again, the soldier swallowed and quickly stepped closer.

The moment he looked through the window, his eyes widened slightly.

Meeting Thesaya’s icy gaze, the soldier immediately bowed his head. "M-my apologies. Verification complete."

Simply seeing her face had apparently been enough. There were no documents, no real exchange. Thesaya said nothing and simply shut the window again.

Was all that really necessary?

Suppressing a laugh, Ian turned back to the soldier. "Seems the fairies of House Erenos haven’t arrived yet."

"N-Not to my knowledge." The soldier answered cautiously, his tone noticeably more respectful now.

If that many fairies had arrived, word would have spread already.

So not yet...

Nodding slightly, Ian continued, "Then what about the dwarf traveling with the gray orc?"

"Th-Those individuals..." The soldier narrowed his eyes slightly, then nodded. "I’ve heard of them. They should still be in the city."