In the council chamber of Tristain Palace, the atmosphere was tense. The army generals and nobles had gathered urgently following the Kingdom of Reconquista's declaration of war.
Cardinal Mazarin pounded the table in fury. His voice resonated with indignation: "I told you so! We should have captured Prince Wales and handed him over to them! It's obvious they declared war on us for having given him refuge."
General Bowachi nodded repeatedly. "That's true. But it's not too late yet. We can send an emissary immediately and offer to hand over Prince Wales."
"But the declaration of war doesn't even mention Prince Wales! Isn't that proof that their target is somewhere else?" Princess Henrietta intervened urgently.
Chief Justice Richemont let out a sarcastic laugh. "Ha! They're traitors to their own crown. How could they openly demand the prince's return? This is clearly a strategy to pressure us through war."
Queen Marianne, seated on the throne, pondered for a moment before giving her verdict. "First, control Prince Wales and his companions. Then we will send an emissary to negotiate with the Reconquista."
"Mother!" Henrietta protested, but the queen raised a hand, stopping her.
She looked at her daughter sternly, her eyes reflecting the burden of responsibility. "You, more than anyone, should understand what war means, future Queen Henrietta."
The princess opened her mouth to reply but found no words. Finally, she closed her eyes in resignation.
An official intervened cautiously. "As for the prince's companions... I heard they are adventurers from a distant island kingdom, currently visiting the magic academy."
"If the Kingdom of Reconquista's target is the prince, I doubt they'll be interested in them."
"Maybe we should arrest them too. They probably helped Prince Wales in the past. Better to send them all together."
"But I've heard they're powerful. According to intelligence reports, they defeated the former captain of the Griffin Knights, Wardes. It wouldn't be wise to provoke them."
"Bah! Don't exaggerate. They're just commoners who don't even know how to use magic. The only thing worthwhile is that alchemist accompanying them."
The debate became chaotic, with officers and nobles arguing heatedly, some banging the table in impatience.
Finally, Marshal Gramont made the decision. "Let them remain at the magic academy. Do not provoke them if they cooperate, but if they resist, arrest them immediately."
...
The meeting ended and they were quick to act.
Prince Wales, Knight Ander, and the others were surrounded by a large number of magic knights in their residence. With no options left, and under the prince's control, they were arrested and taken to a dark and damp prison.
Meanwhile, the royal guard arrived at the magic academy. Accompanied by Principal Osmond, they issued a house arrest order for Biba and his group.
Levi showed an annoyed expression and placed his hand on the hilt of his blade, a gesture that immediately alerted the royal guard.
"Are you going to resist?" roared the captain of the royal guard.
Immediately, all the guards drew their magic swords in unison, making the atmosphere extremely tense.
At that moment, Biba shook his head and, with a calm smile, replied in a kind tone, "Of course not. We are willing to follow the rules of this kingdom. However, I consider your presence here a complete waste of time."
The guards looked at him in bewilderment, but he continued calmly: "Because the true objective of the Kingdom of Reconquista is not Prince Wales, but the conquest of the entire continent of Halkeginia. They have no intention of negotiating peace."
"And on what basis do you claim that?" the captain asked, frowning.
Biba sighed softly and explained, "It's a bit complicated to explain, but, in a nutshell, our allies in the Kingdom of Albion managed to capture footage of an enemy military assembly. Here, let me show you."
He took a small Den-Den Mushi out of his pocket and pressed a few buttons to play the video. "This is a magical creature of our nation. It can record images and project them back," he explained.
Within seconds, the Den-Den Mushi's eyes emitted a beam of light, projecting a rectangular screen with the recording into the air.
Those present were astonished.
In the video, a crowd of knights and soldiers gathered at the foot of a castle. Standing high above the balcony was a woman with black hair, violet eyes, and a slender, seductive figure. Her bearing radiated authority as she addressed the crowd with an impassioned speech.
That woman was Sheffield, the ruler of the Kingdom of Reconquista.
Her words, laced with religious fanaticism and warlike fervor, provoked expressions of disgust among those present. But when she delivered the final part of her speech, everyone was forced to admit that Biba was right.
"Oh, brave holy warriors of Reconquista!" Sheffield declared in a firm voice. "Let us make all of Halkeginia surrender to our banner! And our first target will be the Kingdom of Tristain, located in the center of the continent!"
The crowd roared in approval as she continued, "However, in our infinite generosity, we will give them the chance to surrender. But if they refuse… then may our swords, our spears, our cannons, and our magic reduce them to ash!"
The video cut out and the projected screen dissipated.
The silence became heavy and oppressive.
Everyone understood the harsh reality: war was inevitable. And with it, death. The worst part was that the Kingdom of Tristain was at a clear disadvantage.
Biba glanced at the captain and, with a slight smile, said, "Captain, what are you waiting for to report this to your superiors?"
"Ah! Right, right… No, wait, I can't do it alone! You have to come with me!" the captain replied, still nervous. He knew that if he carried such an alarming report alone, few would believe him. But if they showed the recording, the situation would change.
"Of course, no problem," Biba said naturally.
From the beginning, his plan was to help Prince Wales recapture the Kingdom of Albion. However, he couldn't let this go too easy, so he had urged Wales to seek help from the Kingdom of Tristain. This way, in addition to involving more forces in the conflict, he could assess the true military capabilities of the Halkeginian kingdoms.
Of course, Biba had no intention of intervening directly… at least not yet.
Meanwhile, there was another matter that worried him. If a solar eclipse ever occurred, should he send someone along with Hiraga Saito to the technological world he came from?
His group's main mission was to investigate this magical world, so ignoring the other world wouldn't be a problem. However, he couldn't help but be tempted by the possibility...
...
"Th-this is impossible!"
"How shameless! They have completely ignored the Church of Romalia. We must immediately inform the Holy Romalian Empire and bring this matter before His Holiness!"
"Exactly! This Reconquista isn't just attacking us, but all of Halkeginia. We can't face this alone."
"But there's no time to debate it! We must prepare for war!"
The video Biba showed the Tristain nobles served its purpose perfectly. Not only did it dispel any hope of avoiding conflict, but it also fueled their anger and indignation.
As a result, Prince Wales and his party were released shortly after their imprisonment. After all, they were valuable fighters, and their interests aligned with Tristain's. Furthermore, Wales himself was a high-level mage.
The nobles of Tristain were no fools. At such a critical moment, dispensing with such a capable fighting force would be absurd.
For his part, Prince Wales didn't stop to lament his arrest. He readily accepted the meager apologies offered and focused on the impending war.
Thanks to the information he received from Uzui Tengen, Biba was allowed to attend the nobles' meetings as a listener. This allowed him to gain insight into the kingdom's military structure.
...
Late at night. Just as Biba had returned to his room and was preparing to rest, Tucker knocked on his door with a grave expression.
"Captain, while I was researching in the library, I found some information that worried me." Tucker spoke with a serious expression.
"Oh? Worrying information?" Biba calmly sat down on a chair inside the room and gestured for Tucker to sit down as well.
Tucker quickly sat down and began to explain the information he had gathered over the past few days. "I found a prophecy in a dusty book titled Chronicles of the Holy Aegis."
Biba raised an eyebrow.
"It's a prophecy left by the Founder."
"Approximately six thousand years ago, a man named Brimir appeared. He created the current magical system and called the magic that only he could use Void Magic. That's why he's known as the Founder."
"Later, his three sons founded the present-day kingdoms of Tristain, Albion, and Gallia, while his disciples created a religion centered on his cult, which eventually became the Holy Romalian Empire."
"The Founder's prophecy is as follows: Four sacred treasures, four rings, four familiars, four heirs... When the four fours are gathered, my Void will awaken."
Tucker recited the passage and then looked into Biba's eyes. "That's what I found. What do you think?"
"The Void will awaken..."
Biba pondered silently.
They had already confirmed that Hiraga Saito was the Void familiar known as Gandálfr and that Louise was a Void Magic user.
If they thought about it, the magic that had allowed them to instantly understand the language of this world was not a simple silencing spell, but an unknown type of Void Magic.
"But why are you worried about this?" Biba asked curiously. From his perspective, the prophecy didn't seem to contain anything particularly alarming.
However, Tucker sighed and said softly, "Because I've already confirmed that the ruby embedded in the Ring of Wind worn by Prince Wales is, in fact, a Philosopher's Stone."
"Following that logic, it's highly likely that the ruby in the Ring of Water worn by Princess Henrietta is also a Philosopher's Stone..."
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