Faced with Ariel's furious charge, Ambrose's first instinct was to open up his extradimensional plane and unleash Aige.

But after hearing her words, he realized his identity had not been exposed. If he struck back now, it would escalate into open war, and searching for the artifact would become far more troublesome.

As Ariel's warhammer crashed down on him, Ambrose quickly cast a Mage Shield on himself. It was a spell any caster could use. There was nothing suspicious about it.

Lightning exploded against the barrier, causing spiderwebbing cracks to spread across its surface.

Ambrose was startled. Even without the Golden Throne's amplification, it shouldn't have been so easy to nearly shatter his shield with a casual strike.

Ariel, however, was even more shocked. She had expected Monge Greywater to be either dead or gravely wounded after taking such a blow head-on. Followers of the Lord of Storms fought savagely.

Yet this coward had blocked it with a simple Mage Shield...

Something was wrong. He had been hiding his strength!

Ariel did not let up. When the first strike failed, lightning intensified around her body.

Under the storm's blessing, her speed doubled.

"Not Haste... but something similar!"

Her hammer whirled like a cyclone, smashing Ambrose's shield to pieces in an instant.

Had he not immediately used Mist Step to blink dozens of meters away, he would have taken several direct hits.

Injuries weren't the issue. Such blows might very well break his Shapeshifting spell and expose him outright.

Seeing him retreat, Ariel exclaimed, "You old fox, you were hiding your strength!"

Ambrose: "..."

"That won't save you now! You're cornered!" With a roar, Ariel leapt.

Dozens of meters vanished in a single bound. Her strength was terrifying.

Wreathed in lightning, she resembled a falling meteor. She crashed down, shattering the ground in a burst of thunder that scorched everything nearby.

Ambrose teleported again, narrowly avoiding the strike. This time, however, he chose a location crowded with civilians.

Ariel prepared to pursue him, but saw the cluster of commoners around him and clenched her teeth. "Coward! Duel me!"

As expected of a follower of the Lord of Storms, her ferocity surpassed even that of berserking orcs.

Ambrose had no desire to fight her. He only wanted a quiet opportunity to dig for the artifact. Why was she even attacking him? He strained to recall Monge Greywater's memories.

Even after dissecting the man's soul, Ambrose had only skimmed his memories. From Monge's perspective, Princess Ariel had been labeled a "capitulationist."

No, that wasn't quite right. That was Monge's bias. She simply disagreed with his policies. What kind of capitulationist charged in swinging a hammer at everyone in sight?

Thinking quickly, Ambrose said to the furious princess, "Whatever the issue, we can discuss it later. Fighting here will only harm the kingdom's people."

"You dare say that? Who's the one dragging civilians here to serve as slave labor?!"

Though enraged, Ariel did curb the lightning around her. She genuinely cared about the common folk.

Ambrose pieced together what he could from Monge's memories and replied, "If Your Highness disapproves, release them. I'll find others to complete the project."

Ariel sneered. "Do you think that I'm a fool? If you seize them once, you'll do it again. The moment I look away, you'll resume your cruelty."

"Then you take over," Ambrose said decisively.

Ariel blinked. "What do you mean?"

"If you don't trust me, then supervise the array's construction yourself. That solves the problem, doesn't it?"

Ambrose simply wanted to rid himself of her. If she took over the site, all the better. He could dig elsewhere and approach the magic array from another angle.

Monge Greywater, humiliated by the princess in public, had locked himself at home in despair—what a perfect excuse.

Ariel seemed genuinely confused. Why was he suddenly shirking responsibility?

Not giving her time to think, Ambrose added with theatrical sarcasm, "Does the noble and compassionate Princess Ariel refuse to let civilians build the array? Then I, this cruel and incompetent man, shall return home and sleep."

He turned to leave, planning to dig toward the site from a different angle once he was out of sight.

But Ariel coldly retorted, "Don't try to dump responsibility on me. You hawks were the ones who insisted on war with the undead. I said from the beginning that it was unnecessary and a waste of national strength."

So the princess wasn't a fool after all.

From their brief exchange, Ambrose could tell she was a favored stormpriest and a genuine legend. If she fought seriously, she could reduce the entire square to rubble. Yet she was also calm and protective of civilians. Why would the brutal Lord of Storms favor someone like her?

That savage god delighted in torment. When had he ever shown mercy?

The only explanation Ambrose could think of was this: after being severely beaten by the Lord of Dawn in the divine war a thousand years ago, perhaps the Lord of Storms had tried to emulate his rival's methods, elevating a hot-tempered yet civilian-minded princess as a model.

But that left him with a problem: Ariel was refusing to back down. What was he to do?

This time, it was Ariel's turn to press the attack.

"What's wrong? Are you incapable of executing your military plans without exploiting civilian strength? Monge Greywater, I've always looked down on you, but I didn't expect you to be this useless."

Ambrose nearly rolled his eyes. What a mess. Monge truly had rotten luck. In the Ragetide Kingdom, rank mattered less than courage. If you challenged someone to an honorable duel—even the king—you would earn respect.

Unfortunately, Monge, the war hawk, couldn't defeat the dove princess. He didn't even dare accept a duel. No wonder he had been scorned.

But that was Monge's problem, not Ambrose's.

Instantly, Ambrose adopted an expression of shame and sorrow. "You're right, Princess. You're completely right. I am a useless waste of space. My greatest achievement in life has been killing a handful of undead."

Ariel's mocking expression twisted in confusion. "You're... being sarcastic, aren't you?"

"How could I be?" Ambrose continued earnestly. "I speak from the heart. Everything I've done has been wrong. Otherwise, why have I failed to break through to the legendary realm after all these years? The gods blessed you. That alone proves everything. I was blinded by power and ambition. You are the true pillar of this nation. I am nothing but a petty clown craving authority."

In the Ragetide Kingdom, no powerful figure ever admitted fault. Admitting that you had made a mistake was far worse than defeat.

Monge Greywater was the kingdom's highest-ranking general. His sudden self-abasement left Ariel utterly unprepared.

She had come ready for confrontation. Instead, she found herself stammering. "You... I... perhaps it's not that serious..."

"Oh, it is that serious," Ambrose declared loudly. "My arrogance has wasted vast national resources. I am a sinner against the kingdom.

"You're right. This magic array can only be completed on time by wringing civilians dry. But even if it destroys the undead, what then? How much have they truly taken from us? This labor-draining endeavor serves only our pride, not our people."

Ariel felt deeply moved. Finally, someone understood her!

Though she had despised him before, perhaps even he could be enlightened.

Ambrose raised his voice further. "Princess Ariel, allow me to atone. Hear me! This magic array will not be built. All of you, you are free to leave! The injured will receive free treatment. I, Monge Greywater, will personally compensate any wages lost by your forced conscription today!"

There was a stunned silence. Then, the civilians erupted in cheers.

Even Ariel looked at him with admiration. She hadn't expected such swift and decisive repentance.

"But... what about Father?" she asked hesitantly.

"I will bear all responsibility," Ambrose assured her. "I will stake my life on ending this war."

"Ending the war? You intend to negotiate with the undead? You can contact them?" Ariel asked in surprise.

Ambrose nodded solemnly. "After fighting them for so long, sending a letter is hardly impossible. Otherwise, how would I have located them for my ambush? Trust me. I will negotiate with the Silent Sea pirates to the fullest extent. I only ask that you ease His Majesty's pressure for a few days.

"Three days. Give me three days. If I fail, let me perish without a burial. Let the sea devour my corpse!"

His oath rang with conviction.

Ariel stood straighter, solemnly impressed. That was no light vow. Perhaps he truly had resolved to change.

Though the transformation seemed abrupt, the people of the Ragetide Kingdom were straightforward by nature. She did not doubt him.

Raising her hammer amid crackling lightning, Ariel swore, "Very well. For three days, Father will not trouble you. Do what you must!"