Negotiation

Rebecca was startled when her name was suddenly called. For the minor heir of a declining family, the current situation and the circle of important figures before her were sights she had never even dreamed of. She hadn't experienced such a vivid hallucination even when she was a child, running into the woods and fighting a wolf, only to be knocked out by a single swipe of its paw. Watching her ancestor chat and laugh with these important figures, she even forgot that she was actually one of the key participants in this meeting.

But Rebecca's strength lay in her stubbornness. Despite feeling a bit dazed, she managed to calm herself down with a resilience that bordered on nerve damage. After a brief moment to collect her thoughts, the young lord from the southern countryside began to recount the nightmare that had befallen Cecil Territory to the King.

Everyone listened intently. Even though they hadn't expected such a young girl to speak, the disaster itself silenced them all with solemnity.

Most of those present knew something about the events that had occurred on the southern border. The incident was spreading throughout the southern region, with rumors flying in every direction. Of course, this wasn't entirely Gawain's doing. Gawain had primarily sent people to spread news of his own "resurrection." He hadn't emphasized the disaster itself—but disasters are, in essence, the best catalysts for rumors. After two months of brewing and dissemination, it was common knowledge throughout the southern region.

While commoners might lack the means to investigate the truth, nobles certainly did. Through various methods, everyone present had a general understanding of how the events unfolded. Francis II even possessed secret reports from many southern nobles. However, no matter how detailed the reports were, they couldn't be as accurate and reliable as the firsthand experience of someone involved.

As Rebecca's narration grew more fluent, the disaster was pieced together, and a connection was established with the Dark Magic Tide from seven hundred years ago. The appearance of a Dragon at the end further veiled the entire affair in an even more mysterious guise.

Gawain let out a soft sigh as he observed the King and the nobles frowning.

Just moments ago, these people had been focused on the resurrection of the founding Grand Duke and whether the Cecil Family would demand benefits from the royal family. They had likely completely forgotten that the Cecil Family's primary purpose for coming to the capital was to report on those monsters. But they couldn't be entirely blamed; Gawain's presence was just too overwhelming.

And this overwhelming presence was something he had created himself...

"...Most of Cecil Territory has now turned to scorched earth. The Dragon Flame contained Magic Power, and where it burned, crops cannot grow for years. My people are forced to live under the protection of Viscount Gruuman," Rebecca had already stood up. She clenched her fists, her previous timidity and nervousness gone. "Your Majesty, and honored lords, though Cecil Territory is small, this disaster is a signal. The Dragon's intentions may be unclear, but those monsters are a very real disaster. Those monsters also appeared seven hundred years ago, and they caused the destruction of the Gondor Empire—my ancestors personally experienced all of it."

Francis II began to whisper with his Prime Minister and the Grand Duke of the North. Several others also lowered their heads to discuss. It was evident they weren't dismissing Rebecca's news. This was thanks to the circulating rumors, the secret dispatches from the south, and Gawain Cecil himself. Without these, a declining noble from a rural southern area coming before the King to claim their territory was destroyed by monsters and a Dragon would have only earned mockery, let alone discussion; it could even have led to punishment.

But to what extent they would take it seriously, and how much they would be able to prepare, was hard to say.

After all, the world had been at peace for seven hundred years.

"Duke Cecil," said a tall, thin man seated several seats to Gawain's left. He was Baldwin Franklin, the Grand Duke of the West, a seemingly refined and gentle gentleman. "I believe your descendant's honesty in this matter, but it is truly unbelievable—forgive my intrusion, but are those monsters truly the same ones from the Dark Magic Tide seven hundred years ago... those monsters?"

"I dealt with them for twenty years, fought them until I died, and I'd recognize them even as ashes," Gawain said gravely. "Furthermore, I engaged them again and can confirm that those monsters are indeed the same kind that emerged from the Dark Magic Tide back then. It's just that after they were killed, they rapidly disintegrated, leaving no body specimens. And later, that Dragon also incinerated the entire territory, making it impossible to send anyone to Cecil Territory to check the situation now."

Baldwin Franklin exchanged a look with Silas Lauren, the Grand Duke of the East, seated beside him. Seeing this, Gawain said, "If you believe the Cecil Family is deliberately exaggerating the truth to gain sympathy and to use this opportunity to return to the center of power, you can say so directly."

"No, no, no, we wouldn't think that," Grand Duke Baldwin quickly replied. "We just need... to verify these things. After all, it involves that Magic Tide from seven hundred years ago. The significance of this matter... it even exceeds the scope that any single human kingdom can face alone..."

"But they've already attacked!" Rebecca couldn't help but stand up again. "I saw them with my own eyes!"

"Don't rush, stay calm," Gawain said, placing a hand on Rebecca's shoulder, guiding her back to her seat, and then turning to Francis II. "I know your caution is justified, as entering a state of war comes with great costs. I've also brought some evidence: weapons and equipment used by our warriors in the southern territories. Although the monsters' corpses cannot be preserved, equipment inevitably gets contaminated by elemental pollution when fighting them. The residual corrosive aura on that equipment should provide you with some reference. I believe even the most skilled royal scholars wouldn't be able to find a corresponding sample in the real world from those corrosive auras."

Two strong attendants brought forward a large chest. Upon opening it, several tattered swords and some twisted, deformed pieces of armor were displayed before everyone.

The items looked as if they had been soaked in strong acid. The originally smooth metal surfaces were riddled with pits and carried a tarnished hue. The metal most severely eroded by Elemental Power had even transformed into a texture resembling rotten wood, and with a gentle rub, large amounts of debris would flake off.

"They are harmless now and can be touched directly, but until half a month ago, this steel was still self-disintegrating," Gawain explained as he watched the King and nobles examine the samples. "If the historians of these past seven hundred years haven't become completely negligent, there should definitely be records of this in the history books."

"There are, there are..." Francis II nodded.

"In addition, we also coincidentally found the notes of a Wild Mage, whose writings mentioned signs of Sunspot outbreaks and surges in Magic Power..."

Gawain presented all the information he could, but it was clear that the intelligence from the Wild Mage's notes didn't garner much attention.

For most people present, those items were less convincing than the debris falling from the sword and armor fragments on the table.

"Do you know where that Dragon went?" finally, the Duchess of the North, Victoria Wilde, broke the silence. She seemed more concerned about the Dragon's whereabouts than the monsters. "Or can you guess its purpose?"

Gawain shook his head. "I don't know about that."

Although he had a high seniority, it didn't mean he was more knowledgeable than those present. The Gawain Cecil of seven hundred years ago had no dealings with Dragons.

Well, at least not in his memories.

After seeing the crystals last night, Gawain wasn't as confident in the memories he had inherited.

"In fact... three months ago, there were rumors of a Dragon on my territory," the Duchess stated, word by word. "Someone claimed to have seen a Dragon flying from the colder mountains further north—but no other witnesses were found, and the person spreading the rumor was proven to have had an illusion due to drinking too much; he mistook the wind and snow in the mountains for a Dragon."

Gawain immediately pressed, "Did that person describe the Dragon's specific appearance?"

"No," the Duchess shook her head. "But I can continue investigating when I return."

"We must investigate, not only the Dragon but also those monsters," Francis II said. "See if similar things have appeared elsewhere in the country, or if there have been any abnormal surges in Magic Power."

Rebecca couldn't help but interject again, "But investigation alone is not enough, we must also prepare for battle—those monsters appear suddenly, with no prior warning. If we don't prepare in advance, there won't be enough time to defend. By the time investigators find traces of them, it will definitely be too late..."

Duke Silas Lauren, stationed at the eastern border, gave Rebecca a displeased look. "Are you suggesting that all soldiers across the country should be ready for battle, waiting for monsters that might appear at any time—or might not appear at all?"

Rebecca instinctively replied, "That would be best, of course..."

"That's impossible. We cannot mobilize all the soldiers in the country for a vague possibility. The local nobles would revolt, and the royal family's credibility would also decrease," Duke Silas said sternly. He was strong and tall, with a typical warrior's demeanor. "Moreover, we still have to deal with the threat from the Typhon Empire to the east—that country is a jackal, waiting to take a bite of flesh from Ansu, and it's been like this for a long time."

The remnants of the former Gondor Empire, after the destruction of their homeland, broke out in four directions, eventually establishing new kingdoms in the southeast, southwest, northeast, and northwest of the continent. The Typhon Empire was the country located in the east of the continent, and it had developed into the most powerful of the four nations.

The human kingdoms in the north, south, and west coexisted with the indigenous kingdoms or races in those areas. Only Typhon was now the sole country in the eastern part of the continent, and its strength and conduct were self-evident.

Ansu and Typhon bordered each other, with large tracts of fertile land and rich mineral deposits along their border, creating an inherent point of conflict.

For the first few hundred years, the human kingdoms, stemming from the same origin, could still remember their kinship and maintain peace. But prolonged peace was inherently unrealistic—a hundred years ago, Ansu experienced internal strife, and the Typhon Empire took the opportunity to make a slight "adjustment" along the border. The relationship between the two countries began to deteriorate rapidly, and by now, it could be described as having almost no peace.

There were no large-scale frontal wars, but minor skirmishes never ceased.

Given the current situation of the Ansu Kingdom, the south was barren and had enjoyed prolonged peace, the northern kingdoms had no conflicts with Ansu, and the Ogre Tribes Nation to the west had always been an ally of Ansu. Of the four borders, only the eastern border had endured the pressure of war over the past century. Therefore, Duke Silas Lauren, a proponent of military strength, would absolutely not agree to divert military power to defend against those nebulous monsters. To him, those near-legendary things were far less threatening than the Typhon army that loitered right under his nose every day.