Rest and Recuperation (2)

West City, Junior Magic Academy

"Hey! Norland, did you watch the broadcast of the awarding ceremony yesterday? (Student A)"

"Look! Look! His Majesty the King is so handsome!" (Norland)

"Yes! If only I could one day stand on that high platform like His Majesty, bestowing titles and honors upon others! (Student A)"

"Tch! You? You think you can become a great being like His Majesty? Don't make me laugh!" (Norland)

"Norland, you're wrong to say that!" (Student B)

"Exactly! His Majesty said before that everyone possesses countless potentials within them, they just haven't been unlocked yet." (Student A)

"Heh! Perhaps! But if we're really talking about who among us is most likely to become someone like His Majesty, then that guy over there has a much higher chance than any of you! (Norland)"

Upon hearing Norland's words, the students and other onlookers all looked in the direction he pointed, and then a blond figure that inspired both awe and disdain in them came into view.

"A transfer student? Hmph! He might have the ability, but his background is... (Student D)"

"Hmph! What does status matter? As long as you have enough ability, His Majesty has plenty of good statuses to offer!" (Student A)

"Heh! That's true, but whether he'll even get to see His Majesty is still uncertain!" (Student D)

"Xiao Ding, do you know something about him?" (Student B)

"It's not just that I know him, I also know him... (Student D)"

Just as the passerby... Student D was about to show off his intelligence-gathering abilities, a strange sound suddenly came from the academy.

"Ring ring ring"

"Ring ring ring"

"Oh no! The bell rang for class! We're going to be late!" (Student A)

As soon as Student A spoke, the crowd gathered at the academy gate hurriedly ran towards the building not far away, including Student D, who was preparing to expose the news.

Philiers, Council Hall

After spending an hour explaining his plan (Old Suo's explanation was a censored version, omitting certain secrets), King So explained to Ogg and the other two the necessity of his actions.

"King Erus Leizhi, are you saying that the people of the Western Continent will attack Ishgar soon?"

"To be precise, it's a probing attack. The real attack should come in twenty years. Of course, if we don't perform well this time, they might launch an attack earlier." (Sordil)

"Sordil, how do you know all this? (Ogg)"

Upon hearing Ogg's question, Sordil smiled and said, "Because the emperor of the Albares Empire... is Old Friend of mine!"

After Sordil finished speaking, Ogg and Leizhi suddenly widened their eyes and stared intently at the person opposite them.

After a long pause, Ogg, regaining his senses, said excitedly, "In that case, why don't you go directly to His Majesty the Emperor and ask him to stop the invasion?"

"Ha! If I could do that, would I need to work so hard now? (Sordil)"

"King Erus, what do you mean by this?" (Leizhi)

"First, Spriggan isn't even in the Albares Empire right now, so even if I went, I wouldn't be able to see him, let alone prevent the war. Secondly, for certain reasons, we can't meet right now. Thirdly, besides the Albares Empire, there's another enormous threat lurking in Ishgar, ready to bring a massive catastrophe to the world at any moment. (Old Suo)"

"Therefore... whether it's to counter the Albares Empire or to deal with another potential threat, I must integrate Ishgar. Therefore, in the meantime, I will show no mercy to anyone who stands before me!" (Old Suo)

"King Erus, this matter is of great importance and is beyond our control. Therefore, we need to report this situation to the Chairman so that he can decide how to handle it. (Leizhi)"

"Sure! Do you need me to take you two back?" (Sordil)

Upon hearing Sordil's question, Ogg and the other shook their heads in unison, then said in unison, "No need! No need! We can just use the Communication Magic Crystal to send the message back!"

"Oh!"

Seeing that Old Suo nodded knowingly and then obediently stood to the side, Leizhi and Ogg both breathed a sigh of relief.

"Luckily I spoke quickly, otherwise I would have had to spend another night in the wilderness!" (Ogg's inner thoughts)

"Phew! Luckily I reacted quickly, otherwise my eyes would have been in trouble again! (Leizhi's inner thoughts)"

"Aren't these two making a huge fuss? I really don't know how they became councilors!" (Sordil's inner thoughts)

After a quarter of an hour had passed, Ogg and his companion finally relayed all the information they had received to Crawford and the others.

After receiving this information, there was a long silence on the other end of the Communication Magic Crystal, but one could vaguely hear what sounded like a heated discussion.

A moment later, the other end of the Communication Magic Crystal suddenly became quiet, and then Crawford's round face reappeared in the Communication Magic Crystal.

"Ogg, after our discussion, we unanimously agree that King Erus's demands are acceptable. Therefore, we permit you two to represent the Magic Council and sign a peace treaty with him. (Crawford)"

Upon hearing Crawford's words, Ogg and his companion straightened their clothes and said in a deep voice, "We will obey the Chairman's command!"

After the two finished answering, the Communication Magic Crystal flickered twice and then completely lost its original light.

On September 12, X766, Ogg and Leizhi, carrying the treaty symbolizing the reconciliation between the two families, embarked on their journey back to the Magic Council headquarters. Meanwhile, His Majesty Sordil, after seeing them off, was dragged back to the Council Hall by Overseer Irene to deal with the mountain of official business that had piled up due to someone's laziness.

That afternoon, an emergency meeting was held inside the palace to discuss important issues such as the division of territory, border management, and the training of officials.

On September 13, X766, the Kingdom issued a new decree, renaming the territory formerly within the Erus Kingdom as the Central Province, with Education Minister Charlie Townrus as governor and Defense Minister Raleigh as deputy governor. The former Milantes Kingdom was renamed the Milantes Province, with Zaka Milantes as governor and the Division Commander the Royal Mage Corps, Seraf Ornn, as deputy governor.

On September 14th, a noble selection meeting was held in Philiers, presided over by the Ministry of Education, to select suitable candidates to serve as administrative officials in the Milantes Province. On the same day, the Erus Military Officer Academy held an officer selection conference to select officers of outstanding ability and character to serve as garrison officers in the Milantes Province.

On September 15th, the Thirteenth Heavenly King Guard held a selection meeting to eliminate those who were not qualified and to recruit fresh blood from the Erus Military Officer Academy.

On September 16th, retired members of the Thirteenth Heavenly King Guard merged with the former Eastern Border Legion of the Erus Kingdom and were reorganized into the Milantes Province Defense Force, responsible for protecting the security of the Milantes Province.

On September 17th, the Thirteenth Heavenly King Guard took over the kingdom's border defenses, and all border legions were transferred back to the central government for reorganization.

On November 17, after two months of reorganization and training, the original border legion was reorganized into the First, Second, and Third Legions of Erus.

The following day, the newly formed corps returned to the border to hand over defense duties.

From then on, the Erus Kingdom entered its second phase of peaceful development. Of course, there were still some things that King Sordil had to do. For example, regular talent selection, Grand Martial Arts Tournament, and various festivals and celebrations to enrich the spiritual life of the people.

On March 13, X767, after six months of peaceful life, the military and political leaders scattered in various places suddenly received a summons from His Majesty the King. As a result, these pampered nobles left their comfortable homes and, braving the lingering chill of spring, traveled day and night to Philiers.

A few days later, the peaceful Philiers gradually became lively again. (Do you think Philiers ever had a peaceful time with Old Suo around? I certainly don't think so, but I have to write it this way for the sake of the plot, even though it hurts my conscience. Sigh! My heart aches!)

Because a cunning young man had made calculations beforehand when issuing the order, these kingdom leaders scattered across various regions arrived in Philiers at the same time.

"You old miser, do you think His Majesty put up a map in the council hall when he summoned us to Philiers this time?" (Raleigh)

Upon hearing his old friend's words, the Finance Minister paused for a moment, then smiled knowingly.

"Based on my understanding of His Majesty, there must be a map hanging in the council hall by now!" (Dalitz)

After they finished speaking, the two exchanged a glance and then smiled knowingly. (Um... this smile, which was somewhat sleazy, somewhat sinister, somewhat smug, and also conveyed the feeling of 'we're all old-timers in traditional Chinese medicine, Great Owl doesn't know this folk remedy?', is hard for me to describe, so you'll have to use your imagination.)

Seeing the strange expressions on the two men's faces, the governor of the Milantes Province, standing to one side, asked in bewilderment, "Gentlemen, do you know something? Could you tell us?"

Upon hearing the governor's question, the two turned around, glanced at each other, and then laughed even harder.

"Ha ha!"

"Ha ha!"

Seeing her boss being ridiculed, Secretary Shirley couldn't stand it anymore.

"Gentlemen, if you don't want to answer the questions, fine, but why make fun of us!"

Seeing Shirley's face darken, the Finance Minister suppressed a laugh and said haltingly, "Miss Shirley... we... we weren't making fun of you, it's just... it just reminded me of something from a long time ago, so I couldn't control myself. Please forgive me!"

After Dalitz finished speaking, Shirley's expression softened considerably. At this moment, the governor stepped forward, pulled her behind him, and said apologetically, "Gentlemen, I'm sorry, my daughter offended you!"

"Hehe! Lord Zaka, you flatter us. It was our rudeness that was the fault, Miss Shirley (Raleigh)!"

"Well... could you two explain to us why you were laughing just now? (Zaka)"

"Of course! The reason we just... (Dalitz)"

Just as the finance minister was about to explain the mystery of the map, a loud shout from afar interrupted him.

"His Majesty the King has decreed that everyone proceed to the Council Hall immediately!"