An Unimportant Truth, a Restless Pawn

Just as John had expected, Kevin agreed without much deliberation after hearing his proposal.

With Kevin successfully won over, the inspection of Faoken's military armaments had essentially come to an end.

Over the next three days, Kevin merely took his deputy through the motions of inspecting Faoken's armaments, escorted by members of the Rapid Action Force. Even when he saw Beam Mage Cannon Vehicles that far exceeded the permitted specifications, this new ally of the Reformist Faction simply wrote in his report, "Faoken's military equipment is extremely outdated, and pressure on the border defenses has resulted in extensive damage to its armaments recently. I recommend that the War Affairs Department immediately allocate funds to assist with repairs." It was an outright lie. Although Kevin had yet to send his report and assessment to the Imperial Capital, John could already imagine the wonderful expressions on the officials' faces when they read it half a month later. "Whooo!"

Aboard the departing warship, Kevin stood on deck, waving goodbye to John as Faoken Port gradually receded. Only when the port had shrunk to a black speck did he put away his smile and return to his cabin with an expressionless face.

Knock, knock!

"Come in."

Creak!

As the metal door slowly swung open, Kevin's deputy stepped inside. He seemed to be wrestling with something, his expression hesitant. "If you have something to say, say it. Why are you standing there?"

Looking at his deputy, who seemed unable to get the words out, Kevin frowned slightly. He set down his book and turned an impatient gaze on him. "Your Highness, I... I keep feeling that something was wrong with the assassination attempt that day!"

After a long silence, the deputy finally voiced the suspicion weighing on his mind.

"I think those assassins might not