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The Capital City Fabler of the Cres-Cent’luna federation, being the heart of federation’s politics and culture, was located almost at the center of the Centl’una Nation.

The reason for why Fabler is in the Cent’luna Nation is mainly by taking the temperament of the beastmen from Cres Kingdom in mind. The Kingdom actually makes up a good chunk of the federation’s core as a whole. As the Cres kingdom is nearly 100% comprised of beastmen race who originally lives like the nomadic tribes, they basically don’t have any permanent city or something (though they do have settlements of a few hundred people spread here and there) and they aren’t interested in politics or culture either.

Then there’s the Cent’luna Nation, completely opposite of them, who romanticized the equality of human, beastman and demihumans as the “human’s country,” so it was proactively developing internal administration and diplomacy, adopting the government structure similar to other countries.

That’s why, they have built what could be called the spendthriftness of an enormous metropolis and the hub of politics just for the showcase of authority and status as the federation’s capital, regardless of how Cent’luna, if talking about Cent’luna Nation only, is only a country with medium size in population and nation’s strength.

And here in the Cres-Cent’luna Federation’s capital is the residence of the federation’s head.

Nominally, it’s nothing more than the residence of the federation’s representative but in truth is their royal palace, the true core of the federation.

The current Federation head, Baldum, is the king of the Grand Duchy of Yuz which has deep ties with Cent’luna Nation. Although, you can’t call him handsome even as flattery and his middle aged body with fat put on might be far cry from the gallant image one may think, he has a kind of childish amiability in him, giving the person meeting him the impression of nice person 一 Such was the kind of human he was.

After the hour long discussion with Cres Kingdom’s representative member, which was ultimately unable to arrive at mutual agreement. He sat down in the armchair, in the now empty lounge suite and drank freshly brewed tea to quench his thirst.

He pulled himself back after that, asked his secretary to call the guest waiting in another room while finishing the tea left behind by the previous visitor, and also adding to prepare a new 一 but superior 一 tea.

He didn’t have to wait any longer before a blonde handsome man wearing resplendent armor with a crimson inner lined mantle attached showed himself, however not a single item he was carrying showed which country or organization he’s affiliated with.

The figure was nothing different from what he had expected but Baldum couldn’t help but frown secretly at the presence of a petite person completely covered in robe nearby the blonde figure from the beginning.

―A child? Judging from the physique, could it be an Elf…… No, impossible.

Baldum immediately dismissed his conjecture as impossible when he thought about the background of the armored figure.

The armored man didn’t even bother with whatever doubt Baldum had and quickly took a seat for himself on the sofa where the representative member of Cres Kingdom was sitting a moment ago. The following hooded figure took a seat adjacent to the armored figure as if it was a very natural thing but Baldum’s gaze narrowed slightly at the somewhat graceful gesture of the hooded figure.

一A woman?

“What was the result of the discussion? 一but I guess I didn’t even need to ask, evident from your expression. Well they are just beast in the end, a bunch of incompetent except when they are attacking the prey they set their eyes on. It would be a waste expecting them to look at the big picture of the country.”

The armored figure mocked the beastman who was there just a while ago beamingly.

“…… As is your guess. They do know nothing more than simply obeying their beastly instinct. Really a bunch you couldn’t reason with”

Said Baldum as if spitting out all his annoyance.

The others may be speaking ill of him behind his back, calling him an ambitious person, a traitor among traitors who has thrown the ideology of federation to oblivion. All of them but the few who still worship gods or divine beasts, have no ideals, nor notions and excuse themselves by saying they can’t do anything, are nothing more than abhorrent and weak from his perspective.

As a realistic person he is, he chooses everything by himself no matter how trifling the decision is and implements them.

Of course, there has always been hesitation and pain, however he overcame that hesitation, endured the pain and lived his life without shame or regret for the choices he has made.

That’s why, the beast clans who repeatedly said they will abide by the decision of the “Beast King” and banking on him this time too from his perspective are only a gathering of fools.

―Those guys don’t even understand the qualities necessary for one to stand at the top to begin with…… Just the strength, technique and the upright heart altogether made the “King”, they said!! Ridiculous! But in reality, an upright, gentlemanly person is just as good as a disabled person to him. A leader just has to appear clean, it doesn’t matter what kind of person they are from inside. As long as they can dish out the result, that’s all that matters.

That being said, the strength and influence of beastmen in the federation is nothing to be scoffed at as while they may appear to be taking steps together, if he implemented a reclamation invasion strategy¹ at the Empire who’s secretly plotting behind the scene, the nation would literally be divided into two.

But that would be putting the cart before the horse, which is something he wants to avoid.

Taking all the scenarios in mind, it’s precisely the man sitting in front of him that has the key to solve all his worries.

“一Are you really sure that Aeon wouldn’t interfere in this time’s incident?”

The man 一who introduced himself as the secret messenger of Holy kingdom of Aeon, bearing the secret document with the name and crest of the Archbishop一 answered casually in response to Baldum’s query.

“You have our words. Our kingdom is always neutral after all, so it will not support anyone unilaterally. Only when the battle is dragged on and both sides are exhausted…… Hmm, let’s say when you have reclaimed your former territory will we show ourselves as the intermediary. However, the condition for that is after the dust is settled, the nation has to espouse the sacred teaching of Aeon as the official religion and have to revoke the settlement of beastmen or demi-humans at the bare minimum.”

“Hmm. That much is a trifling matter but…… There must be other conditions right?”

He knows the things that sound too good to be true do have a backhand for sure. Baldum, who doesn’t believe in the goodwill of humans even a bit, looks at the man with a luster in his eyes.

“I think this is too early to talk about. We would like you to settle down the problem in the federation as soon as possible at present.”

Baldum’s face scrunched in frown and he didn’t even try to hide it as he understood the hidden meaning behind the cheery words, in other words, suppression through force.

“How are you going to deal with the quagmire of internal conflict when you get hold of the supremacy completely, building up some achievement quickly to save the Federation from breaking into pieces. Wouldn’t that be counterproductive?”

The man peered into the eyes of Baldum who seemed to be in resistance to it.

“To begin with, isn’t the source of all trouble that there are two heads? A body with two heads naturally will have conflict deciding on what action to take. In all honesty, we rather hope for you to grasp the supremacy in your hand, you should be the one to seize everything before the essential body is cut in half”

“That’s, I do understand but…… ”

“Then, isn’t it the swifter you strike, the more it would be beneficial?”

The man’s advice poured into the hesitating Baldum’s ears like the moans of seductive woman waiting for him with her open arms一 but.

“No, that would be futile in the end. Those bunch have allied with the Imperial Crimson, perhaps in prospect of this. Not to say that the capabilities of Imperial Crimson are unknown yet, but we will have to suffer heavy loss from retaliation if I take any wrong steps.”

As a realistic person he is, the reality check won over the seductive whispers.

“I see. I do certainly understand your apprehension.”

The man claiming himself to be the secret messenger of Aeon, who had been leaning forward, leans back again on the sofa and shows a mischievous smile like a kid who has successfully set up a prank.

“But… What if I told you the cause of your apprehension has already settled, then?”

“What……?”

1. 一the forced reclamation of the territories annexed by the Empire一