From the position of a ruler of a small country, he remained loyal to his suzerain;

Even if it meant losing his country and being left with nowhere to go, his resolve wouldn’t waver in the slightest!

Perhaps in an age of scheming and deceit, people with principles are destined to suffer for them;

But so what?

People like Anliexi are never alone, wherever they may be.

Anliexi tossed his pessimistic thoughts to the dogs. The moment he gritted his teeth against the pain and got back to his feet, cries of support rang out around him:

“We’ll keep following you, no matter what!”

“Even without our lands, we’ll still be loyal to you!”

“We won’t recognize that little brat of His Majesty’s as our king. You—and only you, Your Majesty—are the one ruler we’ll ever serve...”

It was a little strange to see a father curse his own son like that, but Anliexi didn’t dwell on it. He looked at his subordinates with quiet satisfaction.

The Kingdom’s soldiers had just fought a major battle against the Imperial army, and they were all in poor shape.

But fired up by the pride burning in their hearts, every one of them was ready to fight again at once. The three rulers standing nearby had no doubt:

If Inran’s main force were here, these men would charge straight at them with a roar, ready to risk their lives and fight the enemy to the bitter end.

Their fighting spirit now was nothing like it had been before.

Unfortunately, they were in for a disappointment. The person about to pour cold water on them was standing not far away.

“Don’t bother going. Even if you make it there, you won’t be able to help!”

If anyone else had said that, Anliexi would’ve dragged them over and beaten them up.

But the one crushing his and his men’s enthusiasm was the gray-robed figure—someone he couldn’t defy, in every sense of the word.

After cooling the Kingdom’s soldiers’ blood a little with words as cold as ice, they gave their assessment:

“By my rigorous calculations, the two great empires will reach a final victor before the day is out!”

If anyone else had said that, Anliexi would never have believed such an outrageous conclusion.

But the gray-robed figure held a very different place in his eyes from ordinary people.

They had helped his side win, and the strategy they’d provided not long ago had played a crucial role.

By now, he trusted the gray-robed figure completely. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he followed their every word.

With that absolute trust in mind, he asked the gray-robed figure a question based on his own judgment:

“If the decisive battle’s happening today, we should head ashore at once. Even if we can’t reach the destination in time, we can still strike at the enemy in the surrounding area.”

“You’re wrong. That would be a waste of effort.”

The gray-robed figure raised an eyebrow and glanced sideways at Anliexi.

Their lips barely moved. If he hadn’t heard their voice, Anliexi might’ve thought they hadn’t spoken at all.

“The outcomes of the other battlefields don’t matter much. Based on my estimate, the decisive battle will take place in the imperial capital or its surroundings. The fighting in that area will determine the winner.”

Once the gray-robed figure explained it that way, Anliexi understood:

Even if he and his men marched without eating, drinking, or sleeping, they still couldn’t reach the imperial capital or its surroundings today. They’d only wear themselves out for nothing.

“But even if we can’t help, does that mean we should do nothing at all?”

Anliexi felt like he couldn’t just sit still. He couldn’t accept spending the rest of the day doing nothing but waiting.

Perhaps sensing how he felt, the gray-robed figure turned around for once. Facing the brave king, they went out of their way to say something directly to him:

“It’s not that you’re doing nothing. It’s that even if you want to, there’s nothing you can do—and nothing you can accomplish!”

The blunt truth hit hard.

Anliexi had stood firm through a bloody battle, but now the wound to his pride was so deep that he dropped his head and curled up in a corner.

Honestly, he was doing an excellent job of hugging his knees and crouching there!

“Who do you think will win this war in the end, Inran or Dibiles?”

One of the rulers, who’d barely made an impression before, seized the chance to ask the gray-robed figure for their opinion, almost as if seeking a prophecy.

“It depends on who’s fighting on each side.”

The gray-robed figure answered calmly, and their reply naturally raised another question.

“Then who are the leaders on either side?”

“Of Inran’s four marshals, the Western Marshal is the most unfathomable. He should pose the greatest threat.

“But because of his other identity, Ye Xiyun won’t use him.”

The second ruler couldn’t help asking:

“Is the Empress going to lead the troops herself?”

“Ye Xiyun is a formidable figure, but given her personality, she’s unlikely to leave the imperial capital. So we can rule out the threat she’d pose.”

“Then among Inran’s remaining leaders... there’s only the knight princess, Ye Chuxue! Will she be Dibiles’s greatest threat?”

“Impossible! Capturing a capital is an extremely difficult task. There’s no reason for the Empress to send her younger sister and her personal troops to do it, since that would cost her knight order dearly.”

“By that logic, none of Inran’s most troublesome commanders can be on the battlefield for the decisive battle. Doesn’t that mean Dibiles has this in the bag?”

Hearing such a naïve conclusion, the gray-robed figure didn’t roll their eyes at the ruler. They didn’t think he was worth the effort.

As they explained, the gray-robed figure treated every high-ranking figure and soldier around them like a herd of dim-witted cattle and sheep.

And they were the person idly passing the time by talking to animals.

“I estimate that people from the Papal State will join Inran’s side.

“The Pope is trying to expand his territory this time. There’s no doubt he’ll send capable subordinates to assist Inran.

“So Dibiles’s greatest opponents this time will actually be these people who seem to have nothing to do with the war.”

“And what about the suzerain?”

The third ruler had to ask something now, or even his two companions would outshine him completely.

“By your account, Dibiles will face terrifying enemies this time. So who can lead the country out of this crisis and save it from destruction? Her Majesty the Empress?”

“I don’t think she has what it takes.”

“Huh? So Dibiles is doomed, then?”

The three rulers went pale with fright.

Their panic had nothing to do with loyalty or anything like that. It was simply because:

In the recent naval battle, their soldiers had helped the Kingdom of Barta fight. Now they were completely at odds with Inran.

In this situation, even if the three rulers were ready to switch sides, Inran wouldn’t forget what they’d done.

Since they’d lost any chance of defecting to the enemy, all they could do was pray that their suzerain made it through this crisis. Otherwise, they’d be dragged down with it!

“Dibiles won’t be destroyed. After all, that weak empire has one more person than it used to.”

“Who’s that?”

The rulers who’d heard this answer clung to it like a lifeline. All they wanted to know now was:

Who was this savior the gray-robed figure believed could rescue the entire empire—and, while he was at it, save them poor souls (?) as well?

“Didn’t the Empress choose a consort recently? In my view, he’s the only one who could lead Dibiles to victory in this battle, which will decide the empire’s fate.”

“Is that consort really so capable?”

“Yes. What makes him impossible for me to ignore isn’t his personal ability or the strength he possesses. It’s a talent that many people have overlooked.”

The gray-robed figure paused to draw a small breath. Before anyone else could speak, they took the initiative and explained it to the ordinary people around them:

“That consort has a gift for attracting people! If this war unfolds as it normally would, the surrounding vassal states will all be wiped out before Dibiles falls.

“Take Murin, for example. Without the changes that consort brought, its capital would’ve fallen by now. For all we know, enemy soldiers might even have dug up the prince’s ancestral graves already.”

“That weak little country, Murin—is it really still standing?”

The three rulers looked at one another. In each other’s eyes, they saw the same doubt.

This time, the gray-robed figure didn’t explain.

They recalled that person in their mind, and the more they thought about him, the more they felt he could bring about a miracle.

The gray-robed figure had said so much because, after completing their mission, they didn’t mind spending a little time mentioning that person to those who didn’t know.

The clues to his identity were actually in Anliexi’s hands.

As magical light flickered around the gray-robed figure and a teleportation circle spun beneath their feet, they opened a hand and aimed it from afar at their target.

The dejected king’s body tilted to one side. The item he’d tucked away in his arms for the moment slipped from his control, guided away by the gray-robed figure.

It was the token the gray-robed figure had used when they first appeared, to convince Anliexi they were an ally. It was a medallion.

This important medallion allowed anyone to enter and leave the imperial palace of Dibiles freely.

Since it couldn’t possibly be forged, Anliexi had believed the gray-robed figure had been sent by his suzerain.

But in truth, he’d been completely wrong.

The medallion couldn’t be forged, but it could be obtained by illegitimate means...

They had to retrieve it because the gray-robed figure didn’t want it to remain in someone else’s hands for long and become a problem later.

“Stay alive, all of you. Perhaps in the future, you can become part of my forces in the decisive battle against the Papal State.”

That was all the gray-robed figure expected of them.

Of course, they wouldn’t care if that expectation went unmet.

After all, these pieces weren’t essential to the gray-robed figure’s plans.

When the teleportation circle vanished, the figure that had inspired an inexplicable fear was gone as well.

Like a disaster in motion, they would head to the next place and continue their machinations there.

They wouldn’t stop acting until the day their revenge was complete. They were bound to influence more and more people—and not only people.

At the place where the gray-robed figure had vanished, the soldiers felt a dense surge of magic. It was as if they’d just faced a Demon King...