A Short Respite
"Red Dragon, first, a progress report. The Herflin Alliance is now fully under our control—"
[—Good work. I trust you handled it well on your own.]
"…."
[….]
"…Hmm, in my opinion, it would be best to maintain their system as is. However, we'll try to place as many figures friendly to our side in the leadership positions as possible."
[Understood. Since I trust you, I'll leave it all in your hands.]
"I…."
[I'll leave it in your hands.]
"…Yes, understood."
Honestly, running a government was a massive pain for me. I had no ambitions, no burning desire to develop anything. All I wanted was to hole up here and sleep in peace. But this damn world wouldn't leave me alone, forcing me to keep moving.
But not anymore. Now I had Leviathan under me, Einhardt, and even the Kohmir Duchy. Not to mention the Draconic Elves handling all the miscellaneous tasks. It was only natural that I felt no need to step in myself.
In that sense, Einhardt was stubbornly rigid. If I told him to handle it, why keep reporting back? If there was something complex or profound, Leviathan would sort it out. And if it was particularly serious, she'd filter a few key points and pass them to me.
Yet Einhardt needed to report every single detail to feel satisfied. What a tiresome personality. Still, since I'd already heard half of it, I couldn't just brush it off and nap comfortably.
A flood of information swirled in my head, gradually forming a coherent picture.
We'd preemptively struck the self-proclaimed 'neutral' Herflin Alliance. That must have put massive pressure on all the other neutral powers. We'd severed several of Aidon's arms in the process—a fine harvest.
"And we've confirmed the White Gold Dragons' combat prowess."
Leviathan's voice cut in at that moment. I turned to her, and she continued in a weary tone, dark circles heavy under her eyes.
"They're better than I expected. Looks like that last fight with you meant something after all."
[….]
"From what I saw, they were probably just planning to scare us off lightly…. What now? Things turned out like this."
[….]
"Stop pretending to sleep. My head hurts because of you!"
[Sigh. What's the problem now? Isn't this within your purview to handle?]
I thought Leviathan was being awfully ungrateful. Wasn't it enough that I was protecting them? I'd even bestowed the grand mercy of letting her wear the crown of 'queen,' yet here she was demanding I work. That wasn't why I'd taken them in.
[You are unequivocally our prime minister. Thus, it is your duty to manage state affairs in my stead.]
I tried to remind her of her position, but she flew into an even greater rage.
"These neutrals who declared neutrality and did nothing are suddenly recognizing us as a nation."
[…Isn't that peaceful for everyone? What's the issue?]
"But think about your personality. It wouldn't be weird if you suddenly declared war again, nor if you just said to leave them be because it's a hassle."
Her words left me feeling deeply wronged. I liked order. It was just order centered on me. Yet she was painting me as some reckless warmonger. How could I not feel indignant?
Fortunately for her, rebutting her was too much of a hassle. With so much already on my mind, I had no bandwidth for pointless arguments.
So I returned to the main point.
[…That's why you're asking me to decide?]
"Yeah, exactly. What do you want to do? Honestly, I'd rather avoid another fight. The White Gold Dragons, unlike you, have limits to their stamina…."
The answer to her question was exceedingly simple.
[Leave them be. Once we carve up Aidon, they'll bow their heads on their own. This was just preemptive measures to avoid any annoyances.]
Neutral nations weren't in Aidon's weight class. They were weaker and their lands smaller. But if they suddenly allied with Aidon mid-attack, it'd escalate things unnecessarily. This was closer to a warning shot to prevent that mishap.
[Also, we'll commence training for the White Gold Dragons.]
"…! You mean you'll do it personally?"
[Select the Draconic Elves eager for battle. Seeing Meirina fight with Einhardt aboard… it wasn't bad. No need to coddle them.]
"Then, what's the next plan?"
I smiled at Leviathan's question.
[When the time comes. The season when White Gold Dragons can rampage… when the white snow begins to fall.]
We would prepare.
[Relay to Kohmir: The time to claim half of Aidon has arrived.]
Preparations to bisect Aidon.
Bjorn—no, to be more precise, the Kohmir Duchy had been quite busy lately. They'd been forging weapons and armor at an unprecedented pace, with commensurate sums of money changing hands. The vast minerals in their warehouses had already fed the furnaces, transformed by the dwarves' ingenious craftsmanship into countless artifacts.
Vitality coursed through these folk, once perpetually soaked in ale. Dwarves armored in incompetence or complacency now dreamed of a brighter future, embracing ambition.
And watching them, Kohmir's leadership harbored profoundly mixed emotions.
"…Can we really strike Aidon?"
"It's not about whether we can. We must."
…Truth be told, what they'd called 'vitality' was, upon closer inspection, something else entirely.
This was the air of war.
War against Aidon.
Not long ago, White Gold Dragons—unseen in these parts—had rallied to the Red Dragon. And the Herflin Alliance, a minor nation that could have been Aidon's potential ally, had been crushed by those very dragons.
All signs pointed to one thing: the invasion of the Aidon Kingdom.
The half of Aidon the Red Dragon had promised. His nation marched relentlessly toward that goal.
Yet unlike the Red Dragon, who was adept at battle and overwhelmingly superior, Kohmir was inevitably gripped by anxiety.
"Who knows how it'll turn out. Even for the Red Dragon, the opponent is Aidon. Rumors say they've secured aid from the Mage Tower, and some gods are lending their power too."
They were steeped in peace. Essentially a nation of merchants. Could such people truly wage war? Even with the Red Dragon's support. Even if his forces handled most of the fighting.
To those who'd lived in peace for ages, it felt impossibly distant.
"Yet we must press on regardless."
Still, Bjorn had made this decision. He'd chosen to side with the Red Dragon, and the leadership had approved.
The revival of the dwarves, of Kohmir. In exchange, they'd offered everything they could to the Red Dragon.
Thus, they'd give their all. For the Red Dragon, and for themselves.
They knew precisely what they could do, and what they would do. Their goals were clear.
"Yes, indeed."
"The God of Fire has fallen silent as well."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. I asked the priests at the temple, and they said he simply listened without a word."
"The consequences of our choice fall solely on us… We must do our utmost."
Above all.
Their god had gone silent. Neither dissuading nor urging them on.
The God of Fire, creator of the dwarves, respecting their will. Thus, they could advance without hesitation.
And so, considerable time passed.
Intelligence arrived on Aidon's distant preparations. News came that Yggdrasil was fully encased in ice.
When the seasons had turned twice and snow began falling from the sky.
"The Red Dragon has issued his command."
She appeared again—the Draconic Elf who'd once set foot on their lands.
"What did he say?"
"It is—"
But this time, she wasn't alone.
His—the voice of 'that one' Bjorn had heard—Dragon Tongue resounded.
"…!"
Bjorn, startled, looked out the window.
There, a massive dragon soared through the skies.
At the same moment, Elenoa spoke calmly, matter-of-factly.
"We will advance."
As if it were nothing, as if it were a foreordained future.
"So, will you join us? Will you share in that glory?"
Inviting them to the fray.
And naturally, Bjorn and the Kohmir Duchy's answer was set.
"Gladly."
They would head for Aidon.
For their glory.
For the dwarves' revival.
[Interesting. Most intriguing.]
And… for the Red Dragon.
Thus, the war began.