"Huh? Is this news from Ikanth? Or did Father specifically send it?" Tiran took a bite of the sunny side up egg that Mimi had personally made for him, with semi-solid egg yolk still sticking to his lips. Justice entered the dining room and delivered the latest news.
"Yes, Your Highness. Earlier today, we received a magical communication from the city of Ikanth. It seems to have happened suddenly, so if possible, please review it as soon as you finish breakfast," Justice said calmly, but his tone carried a hint of urgency.
"Hmm, if you're in such a hurry, why don't you just tell me here, Justice?" Tiran put down his utensils and expressed curiosity. As a professional steward, Justice had no problem relaying such matters. Even if it went against protocol, he could still convey the information clearly.
Besides, Princess Tiran had never cared much about protocol.
"If it's possible, of course, there's no problem with that, but..." Justice hesitated, his expression uneasy. "The communication is encrypted, and only Your Highness can view it in person. The additional information also states that the specific contents cannot be disclosed to anyone other than the people you trust the most."
Huh? Why is it so mysterious?
Ten minutes later, Tiran hastily finished his breakfast and arrived at the room specifically designated to receive magical communications.
"Your Highness."
"Good morning, Your Highness."
"Yawn...hmm? You're here. Good morning."
Several people were already waiting in the room, including Mimi and Shuma from the Shadow division, and... "Why is this guy here? Wasn't it said that only those who are absolutely trusted can know?" Tiran pointed disdainfully at the white-haired youth... or was it a girl?
Aya froze in her yawning posture. "Hey! What do you mean by that?! You didn't say that yesterday when we were in bed!"
Nothing is more terrifying than sudden silence.
Seeing Tiran's expression of "this kid is in trouble next," Aya blinked her eyes rapidly and suddenly felt a chilling gaze. Right, a certain maid was present... Did I say something I shouldn't have?
Smack.
A hand lightly covered Aya's face, and the slender and long fingertips emanated a bone-chilling coldness. Miss Mimi had already exuded a deep black aura, and her short sakura-colored hair was mysteriously fluttering.
"Aya, what did... you... say?" Miss Mimi asked, her voice filled with darkness.
"I said... it's a nice day today?" As the pressure from the fingers on her face intensified, Aya started to panic. "I didn't... I didn't do anything! Miss Mimi, please listen to my explanation. Nothing happened yesterday between us! We were just peacefully discussing life in bed... Oh no, planning for the future... No, that's not it. In any case, please trust me!"
"Hmm, I trust you."
"Your deeply dark smile is not at all convincing! If you trust me, stop applying pressure!" Aya protested.
"Stop babbling! H-Child, shut up! You definitely did something obscene to His Highness in the middle of the night! Hey, did you do it? Rubbing your dirty tools on His Highness's perfect body... Unforgivable, unforgivable!" Mimi's anger grew as she spoke, and flames of demonic fire faintly appeared on her right hand, pressing against Aya's cheek.
Aya was shocked. What was happening to Miss Mimi lately? It seemed like her temper was even more explosive than before. Was it because she had been separated from Tiran for too long due to work? No, wait! Now is not the time to think about that! I'm in big trouble!
"Hold on! Ask Tiran! She can testify for me. I didn't do anything! You always believe her, don't you?" Aya desperately yelled.
"Your Highness, is what she said true?" Mimi turned to Tiran with hopeful eyes. From her perspective, she certainly hoped that her beloved princess hadn't been involved in any unspeakable acts with that damn H dragon.
Lady Tiran! Princess, it's up to you now! Aya frantically gestured towards Tiran.
"Ah, is it about last night? Hmm... Aya, you did quite well~" Princess Tiran stepped back with her hands behind her, revealing a bashful expression.
Aya's heart sank. Right, why did she rely on this unreliable person in the first place?
"Understood, Aya, do you have any objections? Go die."
"I have one more thing to say..."
Bang! A surging burst of magical fire erupted from Tiran's palm, its power confined within a tiny space, and it directly sent Aya flying, spinning three and a half times in the air before crashing into the wall behind her.
"Oh, Mimi's flame control is getting stronger and stronger!"
"Your Highness, you flatter me."
"Could you two pay some attention to me, the injured party? Do Dragons have no rights?" Aya, lying on the ground with a dusty face, rolled over and roared in anger.
"What's the big deal? You can't die anyway. Mimi didn't use real force, see, you're still alive, right?"
"True... Ugh, what's the use of protesting after I'm dead, damn it!"
Aya jumped up to bite someone, but Tiran calmly pushed her back with a contract, and just as they were about to start fighting, Justice quickly reminded them, bringing the conversation back on track.
In the center of the room stood a massive magitech device, the latest model in the magitech capital, but in terms of size, it was comparable to the multimedia podium in an Earth classroom, requiring a heavy-duty cart to move.
And aside from its disadvantages of being bulky and energy-intensive, it only had the function of receiving and transmitting messages. Information couldn't be stored and could only be captured on specially made paper through the built-in mapping device... It felt like a degraded version of a fax machine.
...Tch, how pathetic. Desktop computers from the 1990s are much better than this piece of junk.
Staring at that cumbersome thing for a while, Tiran's expression turned disdainful.
"Your Highness?"
"Oh, nothing, just spaced out." Tiran coughed twice, took two steps forward, and picked up the capture paper.
Tiran hadn't used this thing much before. Even if there was information, it would be recorded by Mimi or Justice and sent out. It was quite novel for Tiran to personally take one.
The feeling of the paper in hand was peculiar, somewhat similar to a freshly developed photograph.
The letter was written in elegant cursive handwriting, and War King had indeed improved his handwriting in recent years. Tiran still remembered sneaking into her father's study as a child and seeing documents chewed up by the dog... But after reading the contents, Tiran's eyebrows slightly raised, and she touched her chin with her left hand, revealing a playful smile.
"How interesting."
Her father's personality in this aspect was quite similar to hers. He didn't like pleasantries and got straight to the point. In summary: leave the castle.
The reason was simple. Two days ago, a messenger from Brad had arrived in the city of Icanth, requesting negotiations between the two sides.
Given the current situation in Milanía, it is undoubtedly the best choice to resolve Brad's rebellion peacefully, whether it is to stabilize public opinion or ensure border security. After all, if the war is prolonged, neighboring hostile countries will inevitably intervene. Even if War King displays brilliant military prowess and eventually resolves internal and external troubles, igniting the flames of war on our homeland would be a heavy disaster for the kingdom's subjects.
In terms of pure combat power comparison, although the crusader army Granzon can assemble has the advantage, it is still a pipe dream to break through Brad's defense line composed of the 20,000 Iron Wall Shields and the Holy Knight Corps in a short period of time.
Under such circumstances, Brad's request for negotiation is undoubtedly a godsend, but Granzon shows no signs of relaxation. As Brad's old man, he knows Brad's character all too well, especially his unwavering belief in something, which is almost reminiscent of his younger self.
The negotiation has just begun for a day, and His Majesty the King is already clear that there will be no outcome in the end. The conditions presented by the other side are for the independence of the capital city and the four nearby fortified cities, granting them complete autonomy without any form of control from Milanía, be it economic, political, or military. In return, the imprisoned aristocrats and kingdom dignitaries within the capital city must be released.
What a load of crap, complete autonomy is nothing but a state within a state, isn't it? You're practically splitting the country and even want to split the capital city of a nation. If I were to back down, I wouldn't even need to be king anymore!
Although there are various noble territories within Milanía, after Granzon severely curbed the power of the nobles during the previous war, they are overall not comparable to the central kingdom. Even autonomy is limited. But if the appearance of a state within a state is agreed upon, it will have negative effects on both public opinion and the emotions of the nobles.
After all, once the first step is taken, the nobles will think, "Why is that brat able to obtain autonomy just by rebelling, while we, who fight and die for the king, are inferior to him?" They will continuously demand increases in their own power. In the short term, it might be fine, but in the long run, it's nothing but a slow split of the country.
However, after realizing this, Granzon became puzzled. Brad is also shrewd, and he should be well aware that these conditions are obviously unacceptable and that there is no room for negotiation between the two sides. So why send someone for negotiations?
After much thought, there is only one reason that comes to mind: Tiran.
If there is currently a key point that can single-handedly influence the entire situation, it would be none other than the Silver War Maiden. The strategic significance of a legendary-level powerhouse is no less than that of a nuclear bomb. When combined with the iron army under War King's command, they form an awe-inspiring defense line for Milanía.
Granzon is almost certain that Brad only wanted to buy time by initiating negotiations after seeing that his army had been assembled, and then go cause trouble for his own sister.
Although it is still unknown what means Brad has to deal with Tiran, the fact that he dares to plan like this shows that he must have confidence. Perhaps he is fearless when directly facing Tiran under normal circumstances, but the enemy is in the dark while I am in the light. Moreover, Tiran has temporarily lost his power. Once something unexpected happens, the situation will completely escape Granzon's control.
So, our great and brilliant War King quickly came up with a good solution.
"My dear daughter, it has been decided. You are going abroad for further studies."
When Tiran saw the first sentence on that letter, he almost couldn't resist the urge to impulsively run to Icant and slap that letter on his wise and brave old man's face.
