Chapter 742

Many people had been shocked to see Lorde. Snow, the former Acting Commander in Chief of the Southern Alliance, had attended the meeting with unabashed confidence. And what was more, she’d been seated right beside the Sovereign Queen Lorde of the Northern Alliance.

Naturally, the murmurs among those not under our influence only grew louder. I watched it all, cold sweat trickling down my spine. This entire free-for-all situation was exactly the scenario Kunelle had manufactured. As someone who believed in proceeding cautiously, I was unbearably anxious about whether it would truly go smoothly.

According to the explanation Kunelle had given us prior to the summit, she’d wanted to hint that Rouge had deep connections everywhere, having already made arrangements even with the enemy. I’d silently complied with that strategy. Unlike me, an expert in combat and exploration, Kunelle was an expert in national negotiations.

I decided to trust her pre-meeting words, when she’d told us that Viaysia was the top nation in the Northern Alliance because of our national power and military strength, and if we just played tough and bluffed our way through it, this whole thing would be a breeze. My Responsiveness skill wasn’t sending me any warning alerts, so it seemed to be working. I kept trying not to let my inner anxiety show on my face.

Then, after what was disguised as a half-day meeting but was really a one-sided announcement, my part was finally over. Following Rouge’s exit, Kunelle and I also left the throne room. On the way out, I saw the expressions of the assembled leaders. They revealed swirling conspiracies and power plays, leaving little to the imagination. Some were already plotting to oust Rouge tomorrow.

With my skills in Perception and Deception, and now being able to use Past Sight, everything was transparent to my keen observation. The moment the meeting ended everyone, though confused, had begun exchanging information with their respective countries’ representatives. But all of this fell squarely within Kunelle’s expectations. Undoubtedly, the Northern Alliance had been thrown into chaos, but Kunelle had said she would deliberately stir up confusion to minimize the damage and seize the initiative, so this was probably fine.

Probably...

I left the throne room and walked the corridors with Kunelle, pondering the turmoil in Viaysia. Today’s meeting had profoundly changed the country. Even with just the knowledge I’d gained at school in my old world, I could vaguely sense this was a turning point in history.

Earlier, as the Northern Alliance’s representative, Rouge had told everyone she would be building a country where everyone could decide their own path. If I were to compare it to a history textbook, would that be the page explaining what happened after a country was no longer a monarchy?

Even since hearing the strange tale that Whoseyards had many kings, I hadn’t thought to compare this world with my own. Yet upon closer inspection, they shared many common elements. But then, upon deeper reflection, it made perfect sense that they resembled each other. After all, a thousand years ago, I had been involved. Kanami the Founder had undoubtedly aided Titee’s thousand-year-old vision of building a nation not reliant on a single ruler. A thousand years ago, Titee had aimed for something that, even in its immature state, was beginning to take shape now after the siblings had departed. It gave me a slight sense of the world’s impermanence.

Emerging from the throne room, we reached the great courtyard at the castle’s center. The scene unfolding there proved that the nation-building effort, one not reliant on a single ruler, was progressing well.

I’d dueled Ide in this courtyard, but through the power of the Ide AND Titee spell, it had transformed into an exceptionally pleasant space. Leaves that had once blocked the sunlight were now beautifully pruned, not a single weed or overgrown plant remained, and instead there were orderly paths formed by the vegetation, completely dispelling any gloomy, overgrown vibes.

There were many people bustling about in the atrium garden, the heart and crossroads of the castle. Unlike the members of the Northern Alliance from the summit, these were people who truly loved Viaysia.

A week ago, we’d conveyed the unvarnished truth to the citizens returning from evacuation, not the lies that we’d spoken in the earlier meeting. Of course, that task had been far from straightforward. Even Rouge, who’d been closest to Ide, struggled to convince the castle folk of the situation. In the end, we’d had no choice but to resort to using my Past Vision spell to show them Ide’s final words. For those who wished, we used Connection to directly convey the true feelings Ide had had at that moment. We completely disregarded privacy at that point to ensure that Ide received full recognition for saving the country.

As a result, we’d managed to secure enough people to keep the country functioning, with some working inside the castle and others outside. Rouge’s popularity had certainly helped, but Ide had referred to himself as a dead man from the start, proclaiming that he was advancing the creation of a country where everyone would be able to decide their own path and that the country wouldn’t rely on a single ruler, so many people had probably already had a vague sense that he would be gone someday.

Of course, there were those who only cared about having their position and salary guaranteed. The people working in the castle now were truly diverse. There were Jewelculi, semifer, military and civil officials likely poached from other nations by Ide, long-serving pillars of Viaysia who’d been devoted to the country for years, and plenty of ordinary people too.

We entered the garden, exchanged brief greetings with a number of people there, and then plopped down at a table in the corner. Finally, we could take a break after a whole week of this.

“Whew, that’s finally wrapped up,” I said with a big sigh. “That was nerve-racking. Ide sure left us with such a hassle...”

Honestly, I was terrible at thinking about nobles and countries, so I vented about my dead friend instead.