Forced Cooperation

Thud, thud, thud~

"Come in. The door isn't locked."

Hearing his teacher's voice from behind the door, Havent pushed it open and walked inside.

Before him was a room filled with all sorts of clutter. Mage Solis was bent over a table, preparing potions, while wisps of gas drifted from a glass bottle roasting over the flames.

The pungent herbal smell made Havent sneeze loudly. Solis wore a pair of small gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose and asked without looking up,

"Why are you here? According to Lord Kevin's arrangements, you should be on your way to request reinforcements."

Havent pulled over a chair and sat beside his teacher, watching Solis fiddle with the instruments in his hands.

"Teacher, what potion are you preparing?"

"An Exorcism Potion. My potions teacher taught me how to make it back when I was at the Royal Academy. It can effectively suppress the spread of the deathly energy inside Lord Kevin.

"By the way, you still haven't answered my question."

Havent picked up a piece of Bubble Grass from the table and sniffed it before speaking casually.

"Rather than seeking help, it would be more accurate to call it fleeing disaster. Once I leave, knowing Father's character, he definitely won't be able to tolerate evil running rampant across the Northern Frontier. Then I'll become one of those ruined nobles from bardic tales, waiting for some lucky opportunity to reclaim my territory."

Hearing Havent's answer, Solis was somewhat surprised. He removed the flask from the flame, turned around, and studied him carefully.

That scrutinizing gaze made it seem as though he were meeting Havent for the first time.

After all, over the past decade or so, the impression this count's son had left on him was that he was exceptionally gifted and could learn anything quickly, yet he also seemed uninterested in everything.

Several years ago, during the awakening ceremony, Havent had been found to possess the talent of a mage. Lord Kevin had sent him to study under Solis. Yet compared to devoting himself to the path of magic, Young Master Havent was far more interested in all kinds of strange and curious things. He could spend days without leaving the library in the mage tower, or wander the territory for weeks, chatting with local farmers.

"You understand your father well. As a rather upright, traditional noble, Lord Kevin truly won't evade his responsibility. What? Are you planning to persuade him to leave?"

Havent caught the teasing in his teacher's words and shook his head.

"How could I? My father isn't like those spineless cowards who abandon their people and flee alone.

"If I dared bring that up to him, he'd probably break my legs."

Solis could not help laughing at Havent's helpless expression.

"So you want me to help persuade your father? Or are you planning to get a few bottles of high-quality bone-setting medicine from me?

"Oh, right. I can give you some painkillers too. They'll still work if you take them in advance."

Seeing his teacher become increasingly absurd, Havent awkwardly rubbed his nose.

"No! On the contrary, I won't persuade him to leave. On the contrary, I strongly support him fighting to the death, so I need your help with something."

After bottling the potion, Solis snapped his fingers at the flame. It crackled for a moment before going out.

"Go on, what do you want to do? I'm not much good at slaying Demon Dragons. Rule one of a mage's survival guide: don't challenge things beyond your capabilities. That brings unpredictable consequences."

"Hahaha~ You're right, which is why the favor I'm asking is something you can do."

"What is it?"

"I need you to destroy the teleportation array, or at least render it unusable for a while."

"That really is something I can do~

"Hm???? What did you say?"

Havent was especially shocking today. Solis examined him again for a long time, making sure his disciple had neither taken drugs nor been invaded by some evil entity.

After composing his expression, he asked Havent solemnly,

"Why do you intend to do that? You need to understand that if you do, we'll have no way out."

His lowered bangs covered half of Havent's face, preventing Solis from seeing the young lord of Hailan Territory clearly.

"That's exactly the point—no way out. That way, those people can only stay and fight to the death. We need reinforcements!"

Havent suddenly raised his head and stared straight at Solis. His eyes revealed a ferocity and coldness unlike anything before, like a gambler driven frantic by his losses.

Solis said nothing. He merely crossed his arms and leaned against the table as he watched Havent. The atmosphere became heavy for a moment.

"Do you know what you're saying?"

In the end, Solis was the one who spoke.

Havent scratched at his fingers and fell into thought again. That dragon seemed to be telling him something, but unfortunately, he could not understand it.

"I do. But given the current situation, we can't worry about that much. Compared to waiting until the fighting begins, when they realize they can't handle it and choose to run away—

"By then, all of Hailan Territory will be gone, and the entire Northern Frontier will be affected. Rather than that, we should resolve this while the problem is still manageable, even if we have to pay a certain price."

Havent suddenly felt someone stroking his head. He looked up to find Solis gazing at him kindly.

"Hehehe...

"Child, you're under a lot of pressure~

"Things haven't reached such a terrible point yet."

The white-haired old man felt somewhat gratified. After more than a decade, this was the first moment when the child before him seemed to have truly become part of this world.

Before this, everyone could vaguely sense the faint air of distance he carried, as though he kept everyone a thousand miles away.

"Relax.

"Drink this. It's a Mugwort Potion. It'll help calm your mind.

"This isn't how matters between nobles are handled.

"Nor will nobles submit to oppression.

"So forget that idea you just had."

Havent accepted the potion, tipped back his head, and gulped it down. He let out a long breath as the potion spread through him, a cool sensation rising in his head.

"Thank you, Teacher. I lost my head."

Seeing that Havent had calmed down, Solis pulled over a chair and sat beside him.

"Although Baiman City isn't a defensive fortress, it is still one of the foremost castles in the Northern Frontier.

"Lord Mori has already contacted the Church of Light. The Dawn Guard should arrive in about three days.

"So relax a little. Everything will be resolved."

Whooo~ Whooo~ Whooo~

Hearing the deep horn blasts from outside the window, master and disciple walked over and looked down.

"Assemble, assemble! Everyone, grab your equipment and prepare to take the walls against the enemy!"

Below, soldiers wearing half-plate armor rapidly gathered together. Count Kevin, clad in black-and-gold battle armor, and Count Mori, clad in azure steel armor, walked side by side toward the platform.

"Warriors!!!

"Brave men of the Ingis Empire, darkness is ravaging our land beyond the city walls.

"Our people, our homeland, are being trampled.

"Take up your weapons!

"Destroy them, destroy them!

..."