After being transferred to Arkenia.
Seras rushed straight to the royal palace.
She entrusted the food supplies received from Millenia to her subordinates and hurried ahead.
It didn’t take long for her to reach the king.
“Your Majesty!”
“I heard the situation from the chamberlain. What on earth is going on? And how did such a massive amount of supplies get transferred with you?!”
Before the king, whose curiosity was about to burst,
she began recounting everything she had witnessed.
“Well, actually…”
However, she was still half in a panic, making her explanation a jumbled mess.
It was difficult to understand, but…
“Hmm. A group of non-humans led by a dragon, you say.”
Her childhood friend and the most powerful individual in Arkenia—King Leopoldus.
He managed to grasp the key points without much difficulty.
“Moreover, they can create fertilizer out of thin air? I confirmed with my own eyes that the food supplies filled multiple tower-sized buildings.”
“Through something called nitrogen fixation?”
“Yes! And with that, they can produce something equivalent to a sixth-tier explosive spell—”
“Calm down. You don’t need to repeat yourself; I understand.”
Tap, tap.
The sound of fingers drumming against the table.
The crown on his head tilted slightly.
Countless thoughts raced through his mind.
‘It sounds absurd… but that’s precisely why it must be true.’
His gaze flickered toward the window for a moment.
Outside, soldiers were unloading carts brimming with food.
As the chamberlain had reported, the supplies had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
Seras insisted that “a dragon personally transferred them.”
Leopoldus considered the matter.
There was no way she could have procured that much food on her own.
In fact, teleporting such a quantity would be difficult even for a grand mage.
Only a being surpassing even grand mages.
A species now existing only in legend.
Only a dragon could have done this.
“So, that food is a gesture of goodwill? A gift from this so-called new nation?”
“Yes. I apologize. I tried to refuse, but since it was transferred immediately…”
“There’s no need to apologize. I can smooth this over. In fact, you handled it well.”
‘Rejecting it outright could have provoked the dragon a worst-case scenario.’
That was why he didn’t blame Seras at all.
Not for addressing a mere monster with the utmost honorifics calling it the “Great Lord Teonar.”
Not for accepting a diplomatic gift without permission.
None of it.
Diplomacy or not, survival came first.
“But… hmm.”
‘So this is the work of a dragon, huh? A mere monster making such a calculated political move.’
The reason for his concern was that he could already see Millenia’s true intentions.
Why flaunt their food supply?
To make famine-stricken Arkenia feel the necessity of trade.
Trade on a national scale would mean acknowledging them as a nation.
And there was one more thing.
The reason they demonstrated something called “Dynamite” and even showcased large-scale teleportation was clear…
“A show of force, no doubt.”
Just like how they sometimes poured magic down on the Milleas Great Forest under the pretense of regular subjugation efforts.
It was an obvious warning this is what would happen if war were to be waged recklessly.
And honestly, it was a rather effective threat.
‘Unlike what Seras said, mass production is probably difficult, but…’
“Even at the minimum, we’d need at least three times the strength of our magic corps.”
The power needed to overwhelm Arkenia in a magic war.
Around 100 Sixth-Tier mages specializing in explosive magic.
And they could even teleport right in front of the castle gates, past the magic defense barrier.
That was the minimum estimated power of the “Dynamite.”
[By the way, Wiz, how many of those dynamites do we have left from that day?]
[The stuff used in mining isn’t actually dynamite ugh. But if you’re talking about making more, we could whip up a few thousand tons right away. As long as Lord Teo provides the materials.]
[If we combine them all, how strong would they be?]
[If we set them all off at once, we’d probably get a mushroom cloud.]
[A… mushroom cloud?]
[Yeah, something like that.]
Wiz, Milleania’s head of heavy chemical industry, would probably scoff at the estimate…
But regardless, the threat was real.
The king’s crown tilted slightly further to one side.
He rested his chin on his hand, lost in thought.
“Seras, as a military expert, I ask you—if Arkenia were to go to war with them, what would happen?”
“If that so-called dynamite rained down from the sky…”
“That’s just bluster. Let’s assume it’s only at the level of 100 high-ranking mages. Answer based on that.”
“…We would still suffer an inevitable defeat.”
“Your reasoning?”
“Among the five retainers who introduced themselves as ducal-level figures, even just one of them Aurelia is a monster that the entire Royal Knights couldn’t hope to defeat.”
“And there’s also the Last Dragon, Teonard?”
“Yes. Considering his magic power…”
Seras shared his own perspective.
He had personally felt Teo’s overwhelming mana.
With nothing but healing magic, Teo had regrow a severed arm.
He had teleported enough food to fill thirty wagons all the way to Villebrug, a journey that would take over a week on horseback.
It was baffling that humans had ever managed to defeat such a being.
And in that moment, the thought of war cleanly vanished from the king’s mind.
“We have no choice but to dance to their tune.”
“…Your Majesty? Are you serious?”
“What else can we do? When even Arkenia’s greatest general is certain of defeat?”
Creak.
He leaned back into his chair.
Strangely, after coming to terms with it, he felt at ease.
“And more than anything, the Milleas Great Forest borders four different countries. Even if we don’t act, someone else will surely provoke them sooner or later.”
“Ah! That’s true!”
“Exactly. We only need to sit back and observe… the course of that war.”
“As expected of Your Majesty!”
Hearing that, Seras, too, felt relieved—
—he froze.
‘Wait a moment. Would those monsters really let this slide so easily? As long as we don’t show hostility first, they won’t invade?’
It was impossible to feel at ease.
Aurelia’s meaningful smile was still deeply etched in his mind.
“….”
“Why? You look like you have something to say.”
“…It’s nothing, Your Majesty.”
Yet, she dared not voice her opinion.
She couldn’t report something as vague as an uncertain sense of unease.
That was the judgment she made.
Leopoldus, too, let it pass without much concern.
‘He seems a bit uneasy, but well… If it’s important, he’ll bring it up later.’
“Then, continue with your report. What kind of script is this Hangul?”
“Yes. Hangul is a writing system different from runes…”
Seras’s calm voice echoed through the office.
It was about Hangul, the script of Millenia.
Even he couldn’t help but be impressed.
“This is Hangul? Indeed. A truly unique script, unlike anything that has existed on the continent. Completely different from the ancient tongue as well.”
“The different races of that land all knew how to use Hangul. Even the orcs were no exception.”
“Even the orcs learned it? You’ve created something remarkable. It lacks the refinement of runes, but for inferior beasts, it’s fitting.”
“Their architectural standards were also high. The capital, Ermion, for example, could even be compared to Billebruck…”
“You mentioned they bought dwarf slaves. In that case, it makes sense.”
But they’ll never surpass us humans.
That was the thought he swallowed.
Deep-rooted contempt for other races was something that could never disappear—at least, not until one experienced them firsthand.
“However, there’s one thing I simply cannot understand.”
“What is it, Your Majesty?”
“Why would such a mighty dragon seek diplomacy with mere humans?”
His thoughts drifted to Teo.
Unlike the lesser races, Teo was a being who, in terms of status, was not beneath him, a king.
“If everything you say is true, they could declare war on the entire continent right now.”
“They could at least conquer all of the southern lands. The northern trio Kaiser Empire, Normare, and Valentia would be difficult, but still…”
“But why go through the trouble of diplomacy?”
A vision flickered before Leopoldus’s eyes.
A chessboard.
On one side, himself. On the other, Teonar.
He simply watched as the last dragon moved a knight.
“And yet, they’re even showing us nitrogen fixation, food preservation, and something called dynamite.”
“I would never reveal such pieces. If it were me, I’d distract with a few pawns—monsters, perhaps lure them into launching a preemptive strike, and then strike back in full force. All to capture the king.”
“But instead, he’s willingly giving up this surefire strategy?”
He couldn’t fathom what Teo’s knight was aiming for in Arkenia.
It simply didn’t make sense.
“What could his true objective possibly be…”
“Ah, Your Majesty. Come to think of it, Teonar left a letter for you.”
“…Hm?”
At that moment, Seras reached to his waist.
He pulled out a parchment scroll he had carefully kept.
It was a letter he had been too preoccupied with his report to deliver.
“I checked it beforehand, so you don’t have to worry about any enchantments.”
“Good. Now, let’s see… Hooh! Such refined and elegant use of runes—he truly is a dragon!”
“I couldn’t even read half of it, but Your Majesty…”
“Don’t worry. I can manage.”
Leopoldus’s eyes swiftly scanned the parchment,
carefully analyzing it as if searching for Teonar’s true intentions.
Before long, his gaze stopped at one particular section.
“Hmm. Hm… Hm? What?!”
“Your Majesty?”
“Is this for real? Teonar she wrote this herself?”
“Yes. In front of his subordinates, he used magic to compose the document.”
“Puahahahaha!! These foolish lesser races never fail to amuse me!!!”
“…Your Majesty?”
“Unbelievable! Not the Kaiser Empire, but Milleas—
A land surrounded by trees—and yet, they asked for this?!”
He burst into laughter.
Completely forgetting his composure, even shedding a tear from how absurd it was.
“What in the world does it say?”
“Listen to this! That dragon proposed a trade. And in exchange for our precious food supplies, what do you think he asked for?”
“Well… surely gold, right? Dragons love gold….”
“I thought so too! But no!”
The illusion before her shifted.
Teonar’s knight wasn’t targeting a pawn.
No, it wasn’t even something as valuable as that.
And in return, Millenia was expected to pay with an equal weight of food.
A trade so ridiculous that even a novice chess player wouldn’t consider it.
“If this is the deal, I’d gladly take it a hundred no, a thousand times over!”
With a hearty laugh, the chessboard shifted.
Millenia’s knight captured a pawn.
Arkenia’s pawn, left to rot in an insignificant position.
And in this illusion, for nothing more than that,
Millenia gained a knight an overwhelming supply of food.
“They’re willing to trade this for grain, by weight,
And in summer, no less!
Against Arkenia, a land ravaged by famine!
And from Milleas, a country covered in forests!”
“This is the kind of foolishness only an absolute idiot would commit!
He knows our situation and still does this? There’s no other explanation he’s an utter fool!”
“This—this…”
“——Coal, of all things! What possible use could that have right now?!”
Without realizing that the pawn he had just given away
would soon evolve into Millenia’s queen.