"~~! I knew those ~ Sinvirans were up to no good!
"They came begging for help, looking so pitiful, then turned around and stabbed us in the back! ~~~~!"
When the news reached the Mage Tower, Grand Mage Watson erupted into curses, peppering his tirade with profanity in Seris.
Pollas frowned as well.
The waters of this Lainer World were growing murkier by the day.
"It's all the committee's fault for insisting on comprador rule. If you ask me, we should slaughter all the Lainer People and launch a mass resettlement!"
Even Grand Mage Watson, furious as he was, was startled by that. "Absolutely not."
Land and ordinary resources alone could not meet Atrelin's needs. What they wanted were high-end magical resources and a protective ring of vassals for the Empire.
Fortunately, Pollas was only venting. Had he truly intended to do that, he would have done it back when he was governor.
In the end, the two reported the matter and left the worrying to the committee.
Antonia found the news equally troublesome.
A committee aide said, "Sir, we've just confirmed it with Mage Roland. He obtained the information through Wish. Although there's no solid evidence, it should be accurate."
"Tell him that even if the spell pointed to the Sinvirans, he mustn't overlook Ottomitia. The more chaotic things become in Leiner, the more those women stand to gain. Those two powers may already have joined forces."
Antonia issued his instructions, accepting the information while adding a further warning.
"As for everything else, tell him to handle it as he sees fit."
Roland soon received the reply.
"What a headache. What an absolute headache!"
Ottomitia certainly could not be ignored. Perhaps both powers, or even several others, had become involved.
For now, however, he had no time to