As the bustle finally came to an end, the Lord's room returned to calm. Blaze, Redbird, and Gleia did not leave, instead looking over the agreement Landen and Katarina had reached.
"Landen, I think you indulge that Magic Pattern Tiger too much sometimes. She definitely knows Katarina is a beastman," Blaze began voicing his displeasure as soon as the Magic Pattern Tiger had left. "She's not even as useful to the territory as Tierney's Vine Wind. Why are you holding her in such high regard?"
"Heh, well, she is a big cat," Landen said with a smile.
Of course, Landen knew the Magic Pattern Tiger was lazy and greedy, with a bit of petty cleverness at times. Her heart was not bad, and she had neither lofty ideals nor grand ambitions. But wasn't Landen—or rather, the former He Chao—much the same? Rather than saying Landen had raised a pet, it was more accurate to say that he had placed a certain kindness toward himself upon that big lazy cat.
"Forget that tiger," Redbird said, pointing at the treaty document on the table as she asked doubtfully, "will the Empire really permit a treaty between the Human Race and a beastman tribe? Under Imperial law, you're only the commander on the battlefield right now. You can't make decisions on the Empire's behalf in every respect."
Redbird also admitted that this outcome was the best possible one for the Gallop Plains. Landen had gained the most, the changes around them were the smallest, and every sort of cost paid had been kept to a minimum. More importantly, the course of the war remained entirely under Landen's control.
Yet maximizing the Gallop Plains' interests meant the Human Empire had not gained the greatest benefit. Although the Imperial Chancellor had been blocked by Red