Veto, the Road Ahead

"Faoken?"

At those words, Ilsha's expression changed instantly. "That's Imperial territory. Young Clan Leader Miliel, what you're doing is tantamount to treason. You'll completely destroy the Phantom Eagle Clan!"

"Treason? Heh heh!"

Hearing that, Miliel suddenly sneered. Before the two enraged elders could bring up their usual rhetoric about loyalty, she mercilessly exposed the truth neither of them wished to acknowledge. "Enough, Elders. I think you should both understand that even if Mother hadn't died in battle and had instead successfully destroyed the Bull Clan alongside the eastern expeditionary army, the Saga Kingdom probably still wouldn't have allowed the Phantom Eagle Clan to remain independent."

"After all, what that Seventh Prince truly sought wasn't the Bull Clan, but the entire Eastern Domain!"

"In other words, from the very beginning, the Phantom Eagle Clan was within the Saga Kingdom's range of attack!"

"Facing a kingdom like that, isn't it somewhat laughable to keep bringing up that so-called loyalty, hmm?"

"..."

The two elders fell silent and exchanged uneasy glances.

After an unknown amount of time, Elder Ilsha finally forced herself to speak. "But even so, Young Clan Leader, visiting Faoken truly goes against righteousness. Once this matter is exposed, the Phantom Eagle Clan will certainly be purged by the kingdom afterward. What awaits us then will be a true catastrophe of clan extermination!"

"So I believe that, compared to seeking refuge with those Imperial humans, we would be better off remaining within the Saga Kingdom."

Seeing Miliel remain silent, Ilsha assumed her words had persuaded this astonishingly bold young clan leader. She first breathed a sigh of relief, then laid out her plan. "This is what I think. We can head west, toward the heartland of the Saga Kingdom, and tie our remaining clanswomen to forces connected to the Black Abyss