At that moment. "Chloe, what are you thinking?"
Tap!
"Ahh."
In the brief moment of distraction, Jared, who had caught up from behind, lightly poked the back of Chloe's neck with his finger, causing her to let out an embarrassing sound. It was a sound so real that it made Chloe's face turn bright red, a rarity for someone who usually remained composed. 'Of all places to poke...'
Chloe stepped back awkwardly, her face flushed. The line from behind her ear to the back of her neck was the area she disliked being touched the most. It was a spot that made her body react involuntarily!
"No, I was just tense because it felt like you were staring at me, but upon closer inspection, it seemed like your focus was off. I thought you were lost in thought," Jared said.
"Ah, no."
Chloe quickly shook her head, but Jared stepped back, indicating he wanted to take a break.
"Let's rest for a moment. Your concentration isn't like it usually is."
"I'm sorry."
"No need to apologize. It was you who suggested we treat this like a real situation. If this were a real fight, your head would have been taken off by now."
"Yes."
"Just in time, Lord Rakis has come to the training ground. I'll talk to him for a moment, so take a breather."
"Okay."
At Jared's words, Chloe sighed and plopped down on a bench set up in the training ground. 'Why do I keep getting distracted?' Her heart felt heavy. She had thought she only wanted to train with Jared, but upon reflection, it seemed she was trying to find a reason to be with him, no matter what.
Chloe felt strange about these emotions. Of course, her master Ella had confidently told her when she shared her worries, "Chloe, that's the beginning of love!"
'But why me?' Why had she fallen for a lord who governed a territory on the outskirts of the continent? Was it because of his looks? To be honest, Jared was indeed handsome. Just six months ago, he had a slightly plump appearance. However, through hard work over the past six months, he had lost a significant amount of weight. His body had become slimmer and more balanced, and above all, he had regained the appearance of the nobleman that Hayes referred to as his "glory days."
Adding to her feelings, Jared's looks surpassed even the most handsome of the gray elves. 'Moreover, he is nurturing many talented individuals, making it feel like he knows all the answers from one to ten.'
Additionally, his skills were impressive. Mia, Lena, Isabel, and Hayes, all of whom had a master-disciple relationship with Jared, were experiencing remarkable growth. Especially Hayes, who had recently become much closer to Jared, was showing healing abilities that were far beyond her initial clumsiness as a healer.
'I don't want to be found out. If a man expresses his feelings too easily, he is often thought to be frivolous.' Unfortunately, Chloe had a very conservative mindset, despite being taught by the open-minded Ella. So, the more she developed feelings, the more she concealed her true thoughts.
To hide her feelings, she could only do two things: speak less and keep her expression as neutral as possible.
"Sigh." Chloe let out a long sigh and lay back on the bench. Her head was filled with strange emotions that were rising like steam.
"My lord, I apologize for interrupting your peaceful morning."
"Not at all! More importantly, this is not a date. I'm training with Chloe."
"Oh, is that so?"
"I sincerely respect your dedication to the territory, even sacrificing sleep. I am always grateful."
"Not at all. I am merely loyal to you, my lord."
"Now, let's hear what you have to say."
Rakis changed the subject immediately. He had come to deliver news related to the internal conflict in the Sinders Kingdom, even at dawn.
"It seems the internal conflict in the kingdom is intensifying. Until recently, it was just a small-scale conflict among the noble families that could be considered mainstream."
"Now it seems the real fighting has begun."
"That's right. The forces have effectively split into north and south, and a full-scale war between the second and third princes has started."
"It appears to be unfolding as we expected."
"Yes, just as you predicted, my lord."
"What about military training?"
"For the past six months, we have trained the soldiers rigorously without missing a single day. The new recruits have grown into quite capable forces."
"What about cooperation with mercenaries and foreign troops?"
"As you know, they are the type who would sell their souls for money. Perhaps due to the generous compensation, they are participating in joint training and coordinating well."
"That's good to hear."
"Moreover, this sword you specially crafted for me..."
Swish!
Rakis revealed the sword. It was made from the 'Keldia' ore, a resource from our territory. Keldia is a metal with a strength greater than iron, yet it is still unknown in the Nas continent. If the iron used now is like the bronze of the past, Keldia could be considered the iron of the past. It symbolizes a turning point in the era.
Keldia first appeared in the history of <Paradiso> three years after the outbreak of the Holy War, which is a story that will unfold twelve years from now. Since we have not yet found a specialized mining technician, mass production is impossible, and the only sword I crafted for Rakis as a preliminary test was all we had.
"Do you like it?"
"It’s a magnificent sword that can crush even high-quality iron swords in an instant. I sincerely thank you for creating such a fine sword for me!"
"I hope it can serve as a small reward for your efforts."
"I will cut down all enemies that stand in my way with this sword!" Rakis declared with determination. Then he took a step closer and continued in a much lower voice than before. I used mute magic to ensure that no sound escaped.
"My lord, and regarding the surveillance you discreetly instructed..."
"Speak."
"There have been significant results. During the process of examining the footage from the surveillance devices set up outside the territory..."
"Did you catch something?"
"Yes, we captured dark sorcerers attempting to perform forbidden magic outside our territory."
"What about the dark sorcerers?"
"We swiftly ambushed and captured them. Thanks to the discretion you granted, we conducted an initial interrogation, confirming they are dark sorcerers from the evil Umbra cult."
"Just as I thought." I clenched my fist. Finally, I had a lead. The reason I had been waiting for this moment was singular! To establish a justification for war to expand our territory.
Any cult other than the Holy Radius Church, which the Sinders Kingdom holds as its state religion, especially those related to dark magic, are the top priority for exclusion by the kingdom. In other words, if there are forces that believe in or protect the Umbra cult, it means that no one can receive the protection of the Sinders Kingdom.
Moreover, there are quite a few neutral territories that do not belong to any specific country between the kingdom and the Kribia territory. In other words, as long as there is sufficient justification, it means there are many territories that can be annexed.
I was confident. This incident was meticulously planned by the nearby lords under the influence of the Umbra cult.
"Who is behind this?"
"To start, the ones we have identified so far are the Akra territory, Mudlan territory, and Retika territory."
"All of them are adjacent to our territory."
"Yes, they seem to have resorted to cowardly means since they are objectively weaker than us."
"Hmm." My expression darkened. The expansion speed of the Umbra cult was faster than I had expected. According to my memory, this was the time, nine years before the main story unfolds, when the Umbra cult was just beginning to take shape. They were at the stage of establishing their internal doctrines and preparing for serious proselytization.
Yet, their progress was much faster than anticipated. It felt like they were fast-forwarding two or even three times. They had not only secretly supported the second and third princes but had also assassinated King Deckard IX and extended their influence to the surrounding territories in less than a year. I had expected it to take about three years.
'I need to adjust my memories of the Umbra cult and think of them a bit earlier.' I decided to recalibrate my memories. I had never thought that the history of the continent would perfectly mirror the events of <Paradiso>.
Rakis asked, "What will you do now?"
"Even if it is related to the Umbra cult, they will not invade the Sinders Kingdom territory. That could lead to a full-scale war with the kingdom."
"That is wise. If not careful, the second and third princes might form a ceasefire agreement and join forces."
"However, I will actively target territories that are not affiliated with any country. Especially those connected to the Umbra cult, without exception."
"The justification is sufficient."
"I have been building up the military forces of the territory, even at the risk of overextending, for this moment. The entire Agresio Guard will also be mobilized for this war."
"That is a wise decision."
"To conduct an active propaganda campaign, we need evidence footage. Make sure to record the footage obtained using other devices. I will notify both our territory and the Sinders Kingdom to secure the legitimacy of the war."
"Yes! I will follow your orders!"
With that, our conversation ended. It seemed that the opportunity I had been waiting for silently for four months since last September had finally arrived. To become a strong backing for Prince Izuel, the current Kribia territory was not enough. One central territory alone was too ambiguous to be called a warlord.
However, if I could annex all the independent territories surrounding the northern part of the Sinders Kingdom, the story would change. I could establish the foundation of a large warlord that could threaten the northern part of the kingdom. This would be a great help to Prince Izuel and a source of fear for the other princes.
'Everything is going smoothly.' I nodded. I had been constantly communicating secretly with Prince Izuel. Since the death of the first prince, Ian, three months ago, Prince Izuel had been increasing close exchanges with Ian's retainers under my guidance.
At the same time, he had been actively mediating between the second and third princes, steadily establishing the image of a mediator. Many retainers, weary of the arrogance of the second prince and the violence of the third prince, had formed a consensus with the fourth prince, Izuel. Thus, he had built quite a following.
However, unexpectedly, the second and third princes did not seem to fear or keep an eye on Izuel. The likely reason was that they thought Izuel lacked the military power and backing they held tightly. So, they treated him as an outlier and seemed to focus solely on undermining each other, Phthalin and Jess. In other words, they viewed the fourth prince, Izuel, as a coward.
'Now is the time for me to act.' The perfect timing had come. If I used the eradication of the dark cult as a justification for war, no one would be able to interfere. Interfering would make them appear to sympathize with the dark cult, which would be just right. This would make it easier to shape public opinion.
The Sinders Kingdom is a nation that worships the sacredness to its core. Therefore, the second and third princes are frightening in one aspect. They secretly follow the dark cult and are trying to shake the foundation of the kingdom based on that. They are charging forward without looking back, in a reckless manner.
For now, I sent Rakis off and returned to Chloe.
"Chloe."
"Yes."
"Let's end today's training here."
"Is something wrong?"
"Yes, something very important has come up."
From the Kribia territory. The time to unleash the storm of a large-scale conquest war had arrived. The justification for war would be clear! Explicit! And I planned to announce it on a grand scale. After all, I had evidence, didn't I?
Without a doubt, I had solid and clear evidence to expose the Umbra cult's misdeeds.