Winter Festival holiday, Old World, Brittania, Count Glamorgan’s domain, Lake Fairy Tower.

Laine, dressed in casual attire, stood before a wooden table, looking at the map on it. Beside him sat Surya, clad in a fashionable ruby mink collared coat and a black dress, with her arm linked around his. The lady knight crossed her pair of long, black-stockinged legs, accompanying him as they peruse the map: "The rebellion in the Gray Mountains should be easily resolved."

"Resolving the issue in the Gray Mountain Range is certain. The question is, what do we do next?" Laine frowned, lifting his head: "Your Highness Mogiana, are you feeling better? Can you sense where the Potion Chalice is?"

"It should be within Musillon." Mogiana sat opposite, the Lake God Witch dressed in a delicate pink and white low-cut floral embroidered ribbon gown, reaching her ankles. Beneath, her beige stockinged small feet peeked out, adorned with peep-toe high heels. Hearing Laine’s inquiry, Mogiana hesitantly lowered her head. Being betrayed and tricked by Manfred was humiliating, and she hadn’t yet washed away this shame.

"Your domain needs rest, Laine, don’t rush. We must prepare thoroughly; if you launch an attack on Sharp-Top Palace now, it’ll mean a full-scale war with Musillon." The Lake Fairy sat by the fireplace roasting pies; today’s lunch was steak and chicken onion pie... Laine thought it should be pizza.

Today’s Goddess wore a snow lotus bustier lady skirt with glittering floral lace, exuding intellectual grace. Gold irises were embroidered on the sleeves and hem, matching her shimmering blonde hair. She wore simple cotton slippers with a white cat motif on them, her delicate ankles swathed in white unicorn plush stockings, gently swaying. The Goddess indeed kept her promise, as Laine liked it, she dressed for him.

"A full-scale war with Musillon is secondary; in the battle at La-Mesnil Abbey, my army suffered limited losses. But the issue now is, no duke in the kingdom can support my military action." Laine frowned, gazing at Musillon to the north, deep in thought.

After years of consecutive wars, the Brittania Kingdom is in a state of exhaustion, the number of knights decreased. In the kingdom’s north, Egil’s chaos invasion’s impact is still lingering; the Leonais Duchy has even faced a situation where orders don’t leave the castle. To the north of the Duchy, an expanse of ruins remains, while southern nobles are embroiled in civil wars. Duke Theodoric of Leonais is powerless over the chaotic situation, indulging in drinking day and night.

The freshly battled Connet Duchy and Le Anglong Duchy with the Knightly Army from Musillon still need rest. The Duchies of Jisoleox and Montfort suffered significant losses from Kemler’s invasion. Then there is the father-in-law’s Winford Duchy where knights require time for recovery and rest. The Paragon Duchy has yet to recover from the Hemgart battle.

The southern Duchies aside, Borelion Duchy is in political turmoil lacking a duke (Duke Theodoric is still confined), while it’s admirable that the Kakasong Duchy can secure such a lengthy borderline without seeking reinforcements.

Under such circumstances, a war would undoubtedly be a foolish decision, even though the Lake Fairy could issue an oracle for a new Knightly War, Laine must consider the kingdom’s energy predicament. The Count sighed deeply: "For now, all we can do is rest and recuperate, at least for a year. Let’s talk about military matters a year from now."

"Don’t worry, dear, Father mentioned that he would support us, it just requires time." Surya motioned to her husband to sit beside her, the lady knight grumbling a bit: "Laine, sometimes you should manage the internal affairs of your domain, you can’t leave everything to me."

Laine smiled, embracing his wife as they relaxed on the sofa chair. Surya kicked off her high heels, leaning into her husband’s embrace, as she pondered. Selecting aspects to vent her grievance, she declared: "Most issues are manageable, but despite fewer frictions, conflicts between immigrants and locals occur. As soon as Dwarves and Wood Elves meet, a dispute is imminent as they uphold divergent laws. Wood Elf legal texts require three carts, whereas Dwarves have countless legal slabs. Every dispute they have leaves me with a headache just listening to translations, unlike you."

Laine burst out laughing; he indeed possessed an exceptional linguistic talent, not only speaking fluent Elf Language but also Dwarf Language effortlessly, enabling smooth communications. However, Surya couldn’t match him, Laine kissed his wife’s lips: "You should keep them apart, at a distance."

"Besides, you should also have a handle on Lady Teresa and Lady Veronica." Surya softly complained, the lady knight curled her legs on the sofa, while Laine gently caressed and toyed with her perfect black stocking-enveloped feet: "What happened? Have they been giving you a hard time?"

"Lady Teresa and Lady Veronica are respectful towards me; the trouble lies with their apprentices. Those witch apprentices have seemingly gotten used to using their magic to achieve their ideas. They frequently misuse magic near towns, thus causing conflicts with peasants. Once these conflicts arise, as peasants are reluctant to provoke Casters, they endure silently, and over time, this can lead to significant issues." Surya explained, quite perplexed.