The diplomatic exchanges in Leithanien concluded successfully after two weeks. The final scene was Felix and the Black Empress, Hildegard, shaking hands before the cameras, a photograph taken to formally mark the end of the talks.
Yet the true impact of Kazdel's diplomatic mission had already swept through the city two weeks earlier, at the moment of their first meeting. The capital, Zwillingstürme, was abuzz with discussion, and the event dominated the headlines of major newspapers.
The shock this caused among the nobility was difficult to overstate. Although Zwillingstürme was only one of Leithanien's dozen or so mobile cities, it was where most landless nobles chose to reside. When they read the reports or saw the photographs, many of them froze in disbelief, eyes widening.
Kazdel, a nation that had clashed with Leithanien for decades, even centuries. A nation that had once fought them in a major war. And now, it was engaging in diplomacy?
It was not that they consciously looked down on Kazdel. Rather, deep down, they had always regarded the Sarkaz as uncivilized barbarians, the sort one would instinctively recoil from, or even spit at, if encountered on the street.
Who would have imagined Kazdel conducting diplomacy? And who could believe in a so-called Sarkaz King of Kazdel?
But when they saw the photograph of the King of Kazdel standing face to face with the Black Empress Hildegard, hands clasped in a formal handshake, they had no choice but to accept it.
And then came the delayed reaction.
No, wait. The King of Kazdel… why is he a Sankta?
The revelation struck like a thunderbolt, shattering their long-held image of the Sarkaz King. Some were so stunned they wanted to ask aloud, "Can't you see the halo above his head?"
How could a Sankta be allowed to point fingers and give orders? Aren't they hostile to each other? even more deeply rooted than Leithanien's, foes locked in cycles of bloodshed that spanned generations? How did that man become their king, their leader?
The nobles were left speechless. Yet the photographs and detailed reports left no room for denial. Leithanien had no shortage of sensational tabloids, but this story had been published by the Leithanien Daily, an officially backed newspaper. That alone was enough to leave them petrified.
The Sarkaz king is a Sankta. Are we living in some kind of fairy tale?
The realization was profoundly unsettling, enough to overturn their understanding of the world.
The confusion was not limited to the nobility. Ordinary citizens were equally shaken. These were the people who had been sent to the front lines by noble decree, the ones who had lost fathers, sons, and brothers fighting Kazdel. Leithanian blood had been spilled on those battlefields, just as Kazdel had suffered its own losses.
When many of them first saw the Kazdel delegation, anger flared instantly. This was the enemy, a nation bound to them by bloodshed and hatred, a feud so deep it seemed impossible to reconcile. And now they arrived openly, calling it a diplomatic mission?
At first, such outrage was understandable. In the early days, journalists themselves did not know how these talks would end, and their reports focused heavily on the long, violent history between Kazdel and Leithanien.
Then people noticed the Sankta in the photographs.
Across Zwillingstürme, reactions mirrored those of the nobles. Citizens rubbed their eyes, stared at the image, then rubbed their eyes again.
No, those are Sankta halo… right?
As the diplomatic visit progressed, reporters gradually pieced together the truth. Kazdel now sought peace and stability, not war. The conflicts of the past would not be repeated. Although rebuilding relations between the two nations would be difficult, the fact remained that both the Black Empress and the Golden Empress had received the King of Kazdel together, and the three had spoken at length in a cordial atmosphere.
Would he have to bear the weight of that history?
He was clearly the King of Kazdel, carrying both its past and its future upon his shoulders.
Once these developments became clear, reporters hurried to publish detailed accounts of the talks and summaries of the discussions. A fortunate few even managed to interview the King of Kazdel. This was what he said.
"The war between Kazdel and Leithanien has lasted for years, and even before that, for decades. Both sides have paid a heavy price. I did not bring Kazdel here to seek some abstract notion of peace, which I believe would be unfair and arbitrary to the people of both nations. What I seek is an opportunity for dialogue, and I believe the Black Empress, who invited me, thinks the same."
"So, Your Majesty," a reporter pressed, "do you have no intention of continuing the war in the future? Perhaps the Sarkaz themselves do not think that way."
The reporter's question was direct and cut straight to the heart of the matter, yet Felix remained composed.
"I am the King of Kazdel. Since the moment I sat upon this throne, everything I have thought, heard, and done has been for Kazdel, just as the Twin Empresses act for Leithanien today. I want to create a better future for the Sarkaz. Time will prove my intentions."
After the interview with the King of Liberation concluded, reporters spoke with several other high-ranking officials. Among them were a middle-aged Liberi man and a Sarkaz with long horns and black hair. All of them were core members of Kazdel's leadership, now speaking openly on behalf of their nation.
This degree of transparency quietly narrowed the distance between rulers and the public. Ordinary people rarely knew how much the Twin Empresses handled each day, or the nature of the affairs that passed through their hands. The Kazdel delegation, however, chose a different path. They presented themselves as openly and honestly as possible, speaking with clarity and restraint. Many of them were Sarkaz, and their demeanor was measured and appropriate, completely overturning the long-standing image of Sarkaz as crude and savage.
Are these refined young women really supposed to be brutal demons? It was hard to believe.
The news continued to spread. Beyond the capital of Zwillingstürme, several nearby mobile cities soon learned of the developments through messengers. Though the Black Empress's Voice had already issued official statements, many nobles still felt a sense of unreality when they saw the two nations finally engaging in open diplomacy.
None of this surprised Countess Gertrude. She had already signed several mutually beneficial agreements with Felix in the past. For her, profit mattered more than connections. Extracting information from Czerny was never particularly difficult, though she still relied on him to build her reputation in the Afterglow District.
She was among the more proactive nobles. After receiving subtle hints from the Empresses's Voice, many aristocrats chose to follow the prevailing trend. Countess Gertrude did not rush to the forefront. She waited until the first wave had made contact, then began promoting news of her cooperation with Kazdel within her mobile city.
Like a fresh breeze, the news swept across nations in just two weeks.
In Yan's Lungmen, Wei Yenwu was among the first to learn of it. Ever since Ch'en boarded the Venus, Shirayuki's duties had shifted from merely protecting Lady Fumizuki to also relaying messages between her and Ch'en. Naturally, Shirayuki was well aware of Kazdel's visit to Leithanien.
Wei Yenwu had long anticipated this day. He merely curved his lips slightly, a trace of pride mixed with quiet melancholy.
From now on, when Felix conducted diplomacy as the king of a nation, only his younger brother in Baizao would be qualified to stand beside him. As for Wei Yenwu himself, his position no longer made such involvement appropriate.
This was the future he had envisioned for Felix long ago. Yet when it finally arrived, it still left him with a sense of loneliness, much like watching a cherished junior step out from under his protection and walk forward on their own.
Wei Yenwu had never had children. Certain that he would one day marry Ch'en Hui-chieh, he had always treated Felix as his own descendant.
___
'They had finally taken that step.'
In Victoria, General Theresis looked toward the direction of Kazdel, as if lost in thought. After a long moment, he let out a soft sigh and seemed to smile faintly, as though something had been released from his heart. When he turned away, his expression returned to its usual calm and inscrutable state.
___
Laterano.
Hasty footsteps echoed, carrying an unspoken urgency. The Pope lifted his head from the flowers and plants being tended. Hearing the approach, he looked up and saw a cascade of purple hair.
"What could be so important that it interrupts an old man tending his garden, Violet?"
"Your Holiness, please take a look at this."
Violet, a staff member of the Papal Palace and also the Pope's bodyguard, quickly handed over a newspaper. It was a daily publication from Leithanien, and the photograph dominating the front page showed a group shot taken by a Leithanian journalist. The headline read: The King of Kazdel and the Black Empress of Leithanien.
"Why… why did Felix become the King of Kazdel?!"
Violet slammed the newspaper onto the table. She knew the Pope would not mind her outburst. If he had already known, he would have continued trimming the delicate branches of the potted plant with his scissors.
The Pope raised his gaze.
"Do you know Felix?"
"He was the most outstanding student in my class, one who even skipped a grade. It would be hard not to know him." Violet nodded, then smiled as if recalling something fond. "The headmaster still remembers him. The last time Felix returned to visit his teachers, he even found the headmaster telling younger students about his story."
"..."
"Then shouldn't I be given a more reasonable explanation?" Violet said with clear dissatisfaction. "Most of the cardinals already know, and the whole place is in an uproar. Felix hasn't returned since he left all those years ago. Your Holiness, what exactly has he been doing during this time?"
"He has been saving Terra in a different way."
Pope Yvangelista XI wiped his glasses, a sharp light flickering behind the lenses. "Felix cherishes this land. That naïveté and ambition were already visible back then. In the years he has been away from Laterano, he has simply been putting his plans into action and fulfilling his ideals and wishes."
"In the past, I wanted to invite him back to Laterano as a saint," the Pope continued with a gentle sigh, "because I thought he was a little too radical."
He smiled faintly. "But it turns out I was wrong. I was too conservative, blinded by a single leaf. The current Felix has already become a new legend of Laterano, just like Cliff, or Agenir, who left many years ago. The King of Liberation is now another legend."
"But…" Violet hesitated. "Felix is now the king of Kazdel. Are you certain this won't lead to diplomatic complications?"
"What kind of problem could it cause?" the Pope asked in return.
Violet paused, then spoke carefully. "A Sankta of Laterano becoming the king of Kazdel's Sarkaz. Isn't that a very serious issue?"
The Pope chuckled softly. "Doesn't that only prove that Laterano's doctrine is strong enough to influence the Sarkaz?"
It sounded reasonable, yet something about it still felt off to Violet.
At that moment, several cardinals hurried into the courtyard. Seeing them arrive, Violet stepped aside, knowing she had no room to intervene further.
"Your Holiness, you should have seen this information," Ers stepped forward.
He noticed the newspapers spread across the stone table, then looked back at the Pope.
"Oh? I have already seen it," the Pope said cheerfully. "What seems to be the issue?"
"Do you believe," Ers asked, frowning slightly, "that Felix's actions are in accordance with the Laterano Citizens' constitution?"
He was not thinking of anything else, only whether Felix had violated civil law.
The Pope smiled. "Has Felix fallen from the heavens?"
"No."
"Has he ever personally shot a fellow soldier, or declared an intention to seek revenge against Laterano on behalf of Kazdel?"
"…No."
The Pope raised an eyebrow, smiling, while Ers fell silent.
Another cardinal stepped forward, visibly indignant. "This is a betrayal of Laterano. How could he become the king of Kazdel? Has he completely forgotten about his identity?"
This question left the Pope momentarily speechless. "You should ask Cliff and Agenir the same question," he replied calmly.
The other party had nothing to say.
"So," the Pope continued, "I believe you have all reached a consensus in treating Felix as an individual Sankta. Becoming a king is far from simple. The hardships of unifying Kazdel after a civil war are beyond imagination. What we should do now is not criticize his choices. What's done is done. What we should consider is how to coexist with Kazdel going forward."
"To coexist… is there any option other than war?"
"No." This time, Ers spoke, cutting off the rest. "Felix carries Kazdel's long-held aspirations on his shoulders. What he seeks is not revenge, but strength. The likelihood of another war is not high."
The Pope smiled. "I will write to him and inquire further. As for whether to invite him back for a visit, that will be a decision for everyone to make together."