Ah. A brief flash of clarity flickered through his mind.

‘Right. An event on the scale of a coronation...’

An event like that wouldn’t only attract foreign envoys. For a month-long festival, merchant companies from across the continent would gather, and a flood of tourists would pour in. All kinds of people would inevitably converge there.

In such circumstances, no matter who showed up, it wouldn’t seem all that strange.

“The Crown Prince seems to want to make the coronation as grand as possible. Probably because he still feels the need to demonstrate his strength and ambition to the remnants of those trying to threaten his life—and to Duben.”

Nellarun had been locked in war with Duben for a long time, while also undergoing internal bloodshed among royal family members fighting over the throne. In such chaos both inside and outside the country, even if a new king ascended, it wouldn’t be usual to host an extravagant coronation. But Ezein’s situation was a bit unique.

There were rumors that Ezein’s mother, the Second Queen, was executed for colluding with the enemy nation Duben. Considering that Ezein grew up fighting like a soldier on the border despite being royalty, it was probably true.

Because of this, even after becoming Crown Prince, his support base was mostly commoners. And not long ago, he had even Awakened, making him poised to become the first Awakened king in recorded history.

With countless eyes filled with suspicion and murderous intent on him, the best solution was to boldly display his health and capability. The coronation was the perfect tool for that.

“Indeed, as you said, that timing would be ideal—assuming, of course, that the Crown Prince and the Southern moderates agree to the plan.”

If it were Crown Prince Ezein, he would immediately understand the reasoning and intent behind holding such a meeting. But understanding was one thing; agreeing to the specific timing and location was another. This was an event that had to go off without a single misstep. How many people would want to introduce a potentially dangerous variable unrelated to the coronation itself?

If the meeting somehow caused problems during the coronation, the resulting damage would be immense.

The Southern moderates would also be in a bind. If their key figures blended into the merchant companies to enter Nellarun, it would draw less suspicion—but it would also place them far from home, in a risky situation. Hostile tribes might notice and use the opportunity to attack the moderate tribes.

Even if that didn’t happen, they might take offense or become suspicious of the very suggestion to cross the desert and come to Nellarun.

“Is that so? I’m certain everyone will gladly agree to the plan.”

Yuder’s mind, which had been turning over the issue with seriousness, momentarily halted.

“…How can you be so sure?”

Had he found some surefire method of persuasion?

Kishiar smiled, eyes curling playfully.

“The answer lies in what you told me before.”

“Excuse me?”

“The ‘previous game.’”

Kishiar tapped a finger playfully against the tactical board resting on one side of his desk as he continued.

“In the first game, the Wolf’s Eye Tribe used the Orr Empire as a stepping stone to actively interact with several countries north of the desert. They traded, sent diplomatic envoys, all that.”

“Yes.”

“In this game, no such stepping stone has appeared yet. Since the Duke of Ta-in they were grooming has collapsed, Orr won’t play that role this time. But do you think they’ll just give up looking for another?”

Yuder’s eyes widened slightly.

“You think… they’ll set their sights on Nellarun.”

“That’s my guess.”

Coming from Kishiar, that was as good as a statement of certainty.

“They already know a new king is rising in Nellarun. From what the Crown Prince told me, it seems they originally supported a different prince, hoping he’d take the throne. But since that failed, they’ve no choice but to reach out to Crown Prince Ezein.”

Kishiar’s finger traced a line drawn on the tactical board.

“They’ll definitely be the ones to make contact first. As they did in the previous game, they’ll disguise themselves as friendly, history-forgetting moderates and claim they want diplomatic exchange. They’ll say they want to attend the coronation to help elevate the prince’s status. Since it’s the first time the South is bowing its head and making an offer, those on Ezein’s side who crave international recognition will almost certainly accept.”

A chill ran down Yuder’s spine.

‘Yes. That’s how it happened in the previous life. Pretending to be moderate, they bowed to Emperor Kachian, and by being acknowledged as “the Emperor even the Southerners respect,” they gave him prestige.’

Back then, the Southern Nation sent envoys to every major Orr Empire event, groveling as though they were a tributary state and offering valuable gifts. Their submissive attitude brought great comfort and aid to Emperor Kachian, who was beset by disasters and revolts. In that way, the Southerners crossed the desert into the northern lands and slowly spread like mold.

‘So now they intend to do the same thing to Ezein.’

Yuder recalled the Southerners who had been captured by Ezein’s side recently and self-destructed, along with the news of yet another assassin appearing just the day before.

‘…Maybe. What if all of that is actually connected?’

At first, he’d assumed the suicide bombers were merely another facet of the “disruption of balance” instigated by the Orr Empire. He thought the assassins appearing around Ezein were due to Nellarun’s instability.

But now, after hearing Kishiar suggest the Wolf’s Eye Tribe might be aiming to use Ezein and Nellarun as a foothold, everything began to seem suspicious in a different way.

“Think about it. Crown Prince Ezein has already eliminated all his rivals. The coronation is the only step left, yet suddenly the attacks are more intense than ever. Blaming it all on remnants of failed princes feels too convenient—it’s unreasonably persistent. And only his subordinates are getting injured, never the prince himself.”

“That’s true. If their goal is not just disruption, but to shake his surroundings as much as possible before the coronation and then approach him… it makes sense.”

If Nellarun’s balance was shattered and bizarre rifts and disasters emerged, or if assassination attempts increased, each one would serve to destabilize Ezein. In the end, they were all on the same track.

Kishiar’s lips curled into a cool smile.

“There’s no better prey than a ruler consumed by anxiety.”

If the Orr Empire had been stable in the previous life, Kachian might not have welcomed the Southern envoys so readily. But the Southerners always appeared right after something major happened.

“I now fully understand what you meant when you said there’d be no problem gathering allies.”

“I plan to send a letter to the Southern moderates, asking if they’d be willing to officially attend the coronation of Nellarun’s new king. And I’ll tell Crown Prince Ezein that there are people from the South who wish to send their congratulations.”

That meant he intended for the Southern moderates to attend not disguised among merchants, but as official envoys. Yuder felt a refreshing sense of surprise, as if his mind had cleared.

“I only thought of having them blend into merchant caravans... That’s much better.”

In the previous life, he hadn’t even known proper moderates existed in the South because the Wolf’s Eye Tribe monopolized diplomacy by always sending “official envoys” claiming to represent the whole region. Due to the long period of isolation, countries north of the desert assumed the Wolf’s Eye chieftain was essentially the Southern king.

But if tribes like the Owl’s Wing or Cat’s Whiskers sent official envoys, everything would change.

The world would finally realize that the Southern Nation wasn’t a single country, but a union of many tribes.

Thinking of the enemies who’d walk away empty-handed after gaining nothing, Yuder couldn’t help but feel a little better. Kishiar, as if sensing that, smiled and then softened his brows.

“All that’s left is to hope nothing major happens in Nellarun before the ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ coronation... But that’s out of our hands. It’s my only concern.”

Yuder felt the same. But there was nothing to be done. The ones causing chaos were too foolish to realize that their greed could bring ruin to the entire world.

Now, with the future uncertain, no one could say, “It’ll be fine,” or “Don’t worry.” It would be nice if, as in the South, he could receive warning dreams when a major disaster loomed—but that, too, didn’t happen at will.

After a moment of thought, Yuder quietly placed his hand on top of Kishiar’s and spoke sincerely.

“…Still, I’m truly looking forward to attending the coronation now.”

Kishiar’s eyes widened slightly before he broke into a radiant smile.

“That makes me happy. We’ll need to have formal attire and jewelry made for our stay in Nellarun. Even if we cut it down, we’ll need at least seven outfits. I was worried it would tire out my aide, but... I’m relieved you’ll cooperate gladly.”

“……”

Ceremonial formalwear is essentially the face of the nation, and takes extreme effort to make. Even a single cuff is measured and altered a hundred times—it’s nothing but a pain.

In his previous life, when dispatched to Nellarun, he refused to wear it and went in his usual Cavalry Commander uniform. But now, he couldn’t behave so rudely.

The smile faded quickly from Yuder’s face.

“…I’ll be heading to the Imperial Palace now.”

“Ah. Is it that time already?”

Today was the day of his lesson with the Emperor and Empress. To bring the tea powder bottles prepared for them and the Chief Attendant, he had to leave now.

Kishiar swallowed a chuckle and kissed Yuder’s cheek.

“If it were up to me, I’d go with you. Such a shame. If you feel tired during the lesson, come back right away.”

“I doubt that’ll happen, but... understood.”

In Kishiar’s eyes, lingering affection remained—still worrying about Yuder.

“Give them my regards. Then I should also start preparing to leave.”

Kishiar was heading to the courtroom. He would be attending the inquiry of Crown Prince Kachian’s case and offering testimony.

“—Duke. Entering now.”

Nathan Zuckerman, who would be accompanying Kishiar, knocked and entered. Naturally, Yuder expected him to be alone—but today, Nathan wasn’t by himself.

‘...Kiole?’

Kiole met Yuder’s eyes and flinched. But unlike yesterday, his face was no longer swollen.

“You’re taking Kiole with you today?”

“Well, he’s a former Imperial Guard. I plan to use him for a bit of support during testimony.”

Kishiar’s reply was brief. Kiole clenched his fists with a tense expression.

Since he had steeled himself to participate, Yuder chose not to say anything more.

“Understood. Safe travels.”

Yuder turned away.

 

The carriage bound for the Imperial Palace was already waiting near the Cavalry’s main gate. Yuder placed the bottles for the Emperor, Empress, and Chief Attendant in his bag, then set it beside him and leaned back in his seat.

As the carriage moved silently, familiar views of the capital blurred past outside. Among them were landmarks that made up the 7 Walls of Luma.

Before, he’d seen them without thought. But now they struck him a little differently. Unintentionally, his mind turned to his grandfather—then he consciously pushed the thought away.

“……”

When surrounded by the bustling Cavalry and Kishiar, he hadn’t noticed—but now that he was alone, he felt heavier and duller than usual. Yuder rubbed the side of his neck, hidden under his clothes. A faint twinge of pain ran through him, and his head cleared.

Kishiar’s voice echoed in his memory: “If you get tired during the lesson, come back immediately.”

‘How does he always understand my condition better than I do…’

There was still a fair amount of time before arriving at the Imperial Palace. Thinking he might close his eyes for a moment, Yuder crossed his arms and let them shut.

And when he opened them again—

He was staring at a white glove fluttering in the dark.