Chapter 43 - Good News

At first glance, it was a truly contradictory sight.

Most of the rulers gathered here were quite old.

It was only natural.

It takes a long time to reach the center of power that controls the great flow.

But the one who was trampling on the round table and standing tall in the middle of them all, acting as she pleased, was a young and beautiful woman who seemed to be in her early twenties.

"…Your Majesty, if I had known you would come in person, I would have made room for you in advance."

"That's enough, Commander-in-Chief. Isn't it time for you to bend your back too? It's okay, so please sit down."

However, despite this, no one stopped the woman, and instead, they all stood up and bowed in unison to pay their respects.

"Everyone, sit down. Aren't we in a meeting right now?"

A high elf who has been with the empire for a thousand years and its beginnings, and an incarnation of absolute power.

Even if she had accumulated some power in just a hundred years, she would have been far inferior to her, who could be described as history itself.

"Why is no one saying anything? You, child of Velarion. I heard you chattering until just before me. It's quite interesting to see you joking around, so continue."

"...."

The atmosphere of the meeting became solemn in an instant at the appearance of the uninvited guest.

Duke Velarion, who received Arien's glare, said nothing and lowered his head.

It was hard to believe that she was the person who had been acting wildly until just a moment ago.

Even though she was more of a symbolic figure, she was clearly the general of the empire and the number one leader of the military.

Her representative was being persecuted and blatantly criticized, so she couldn't even bring herself to raise her face.

"I'm bored. I heard that there's an interesting story for the first time in a while, so why are you all keeping your mouths shut? Chief Justice, isn't it your turn to speak?"

"Yes, your highness. Then let's resume the meeting now."

Meanwhile, Arien, who was frustrated with everyone hesitating while looking at each other's faces, started complaining, so the meeting was half-forcibly resumed.

The host of this cabinet meeting was Marquis Suleiman, who had taken over as the new prime minister of the empire after settling the post-war chaos.

He declared, coughing in vain as if he didn't like something.

"Ahem! The reason why we've arranged this place is as follows. As Lord Bellaryon mentioned, the people are trembling with anxiety due to the recent riots."

Everyone nodded at the prime minister's remarks.

Among those gathered here, there was no one who did not feel the impact of this situation, but Commander-in-Chief Craig in particular frowned deeply.

"Yes. Even though the situation was brought under control relatively quickly, rumors containing seditious content are spreading strangely quickly. We are trying to control them as much as possible, but they are not easily quelled, like an infectious disease."

"It's obvious. The reactionaries are trying to wage a public opinion war. The northern immigrant refugees, or the traitors hiding among those who have been persuaded or exiled, are slowly moving. We should not have embraced them in the first place."

Duke Winterhearts, the solid wall that supports the North and the one who has not lost its power despite suffering the greatest blow from the last war, accepted his words.

In that way, while everyone was busy analyzing the cause of this situation from their own perspectives and seeking a solution.

Arien began to look at the faces of the rulers, turning her head here and there as if checking how much her grandchildren she had met after a long time had grown.

"You. The great judge with the wonderful white beard."

"Yes, grand master." "You've aged a lot since I last saw you. It's a little awkward to hear you call me grand master now. Why don't you call me Arien-nim, or General?"

"Yes, General."

"Ahaha! Why, are you a little embarrassed to call me by my name? You're cute, really cute!"

Anyone would feel uncomfortable or even feel uncomfortable, but they already knew the general's unique personality, so they just laughed and continued to do their work.

After all, humans cannot resist natural disasters.

However, no matter how great a disaster is, if you don't experience it yourself, you can't really feel its fear.

The prime minister, who had been showing his displeasure without hiding it, shouted out loud as if he could no longer bear it.

"General, isn't this a serious meeting? Please maintain some sense of decorum."

"What?"

In an instant, everyone's eyes were focused on the prime minister.

Incredulous shock. Sympathy for the disaster that was about to unfold. Unconcealed interest in the unexpected situation.

The expressions were truly varied, but no one truly agreed with the prime minister's words.

"How interesting. How interesting. How many years has it been? Prime Minister, by the way, this is your first time seeing me? But I like your sharp personality."

"General! No matter what, the level of your words is a little... Th, this?!"

The original prime minister was the one who reigned next to the emperor according to the official ceremonial order of the empire, and was at the top of the bureaucracy.

It was not hard to understand where the conviction and confidence of Marquis Suleiman, who had a strong personality, came from, but the opponent was too bad.

—Whew!

The prime minister's hat blew away in a gust of wind from somewhere.

"What is this? Where on earth did the wind come from in this confined space!"

His bare head, without a single thread exposed to the wind, caught the attention of everyone gathered there.

The imperial prime minister hurriedly picked up his hat and covered his head, visibly flustered.

At that moment, everyone was looking at his disgrace with pity.

Arien's mysteriously beautiful voice, which was laughing happily while looking at the sight, began to resonate softly in the conference room on the wind.

"Listen, from the old days, a commotion could only be covered up with a bigger commotion."

"What do you mean…?"

The commander-in-chief, who had been watching Arien's expression with great tension, swallowed and accepted her words.

"Isn't it simple? Everyone, put all your effort into this knightly battle. We're going to make things bigger than usual. Is there any other way to show off the Empire's health as effectively as this?"

The insight accumulated over a thousand years of time was clearly penetrating the core of the situation as if it was nothing.

In addition, the direction of the solution that was slowly forming in the minds of the rulers gathered here was not much different from Arien's opinion.

She just tied it up more definitely.

"I agree."

"Well, the conclusion was already decided from the beginning."

Arien was watching them nodding their heads under the round table with satisfied eyes.

"High Elf General, you're amazing. Is this what you mean by experience?"

The southern chieftain's last words, added in a flowing manner, made her beautiful forehead furrow slightly.

"Wow, wooaaaak!"

Just before the meeting was about to end, a sudden gust of wind blew away all the gorgeous feather decorations attached to his attire, causing a minor incident.

"Commander-in-Chief, dear."

"Yes, sir."

"A female disciple is participating in this knightly battle. Ahaha... Aren't you really looking forward to it?"

"If you're the disciple of the elder... you mean the commander of the Black Lion Knights?"

Just before the rulers' bodies were transferred to their original locations.

"Yeah. I wonder if there's anyone who can handle that guy."

The meaningful words left by the Imperial General with a bright smile were clearly engraved in everyone's minds.

...................

These days, I live for the pleasure of watching my subordinates' spirits sharpen by the day.

Thanks to the clear goal of the Knights' War, everyone is diligently preparing.

The Black Lion Knights, who had just completed a large-scale mission, were not given any particularly important tasks, so the fact that they could focus solely on training for the time being was also a blessing.

With both the will and the environment in place, unexpected events occurred.

For example...

"Oh, woooooooo!"

"What is it? What is going on?!"

In the midst of a day filled with all sorts of inhumane training to prepare for the Knights' War.

The crowd of people who gathered in the training grounds used by the ten captains was causing a commotion, so I hurriedly ran over to see if there was an accident.

—Wooooong…!

"Aura! Haha, damn it! I finally did it!"

"Congratulations, Raoul, the ten captain."

"Thank you, captain! It's all thanks to the captain's personal guidance!"

Raoul, the ten captain who usually stood out among the lower-ranking commanders, finally manifested his aura.

He had been a person who had been drawing attention since he first took office as the captain of the Black Lion Knights, showing outstanding talent and sense in various ways.

"Now that you've manifested your aura, try to firmly establish the path of the sword that you pursue in your heart. With your talent, you can do it."

"Uh… Even so, it'll take some time to manifest it! Hehehe… Anyway, thank you!"

In a short period of time, he gained high-density experience and was able to fully devote himself to training, so his talents blossomed.

If this happens, it seems that he may need to revise his appointments for the White Captain level.

Or, is there a way to utilize the greatly increased power in another way?

At that moment, as the leader of the Black Lion Knights, he was having the happiest worries.

"Captain! The first preliminary round schedule has been set!"

The vice captain, who was emitting a cool breeze that cooled the heat of a hot summer day, ran over and delivered the news he had been waiting for.

"Finally."

It was time to take the first step on the journey toward victory.

-----------------------------------

You can read +110 Advance Chapters on my Patreon

p@treon(.)com/NightNovels

TIER 1 you'll get +20 ADVANCE CHAPTERS

TIER 2 you'll get +40 ADVANCE CHAPTERS

TIER 3 you'll get +70 ADVANCE CHAPTERS

TIER 4 you'll get +110 ADVANCE CHAPTERS