Wager Duel

Dawn Era, Common Era.

Late March, 1927.

The Third Bremen-Ovena War had entered its most intense phase.

The Imperial and Federation armies were locked in a tug-of-war across the mountains and forests along Bremen's eastern border, while a second front had also been opened in the north.

As the front lines stretched farther, both sides' losses and expenditures steadily mounted. Nations across the world were stirred by the conflict, watching it closely.

People of every class throughout Bremen likewise kept a constant eye on newspapers and radio broadcasts, hoping to hear good news from the war.

Posivia, the northern Imperial city that had originally been razed to the ground by the Federation's "Final Explosion," had now become the main area of the second battlefield.

This strategic city, situated on a plain at the foot of the mountains and at the source of two rivers, connected Bremen and Ovena.

Both sides had tacitly chosen this place for a large-scale clash... and there was a deeper meaning behind it.

The first two conflicts between Bremen and Ovena had both begun because of Posivia.

Now that Posivia had been bombed into ruins, Führer Caesar Gide had deliberately chosen this wreckage as the battlefield. He likely intended to stir up his side's morale while also declaring his resolve for revenge to the Federation.

Major newspapers collectively called this battle the "Ruins War" or the "Scorched Earth Revenge War."

Over the past few days, newspapers printed twice daily had relayed developments from the front to the public at the fastest possible speed.

A tense atmosphere permeated every street and alley.

On the evening of March 31, Imperial Foreign Minister Gilan Iros went upstairs to his room after dinner as usual.

He sat in the chair by the window, watched the bright crescent moon rise outside,