Chapter 34

A few days later.

Helian was holed up in his office, going about his duties as king.

He had managed to escape the string of all-nighters, but he still couldn't let his guard down. The situation was finally starting to stabilize, but it would take a few more days to get everything on a steady track.

"Your Highness. Regarding the facility that was completely destroyed during the recent incident, it seems that the full restoration has been completed. It's more like a new construction rather than a restoration."

"Hmm. ...By the way, what about those fools?"

"After the restoration of the facility, they returned to their respective posts. It seems that the sight of Norghard working was so rare that it became something of a spectacle."

The "fools" referred to the two legion commanders who had caused the recent commotion. According to reports, both Gardi and Norghard were assigned to the reconstruction work after receiving treatment.

Helian hadn't ordered this, but perhaps due to the various lessons learned from the incident, or the pressure from the furious legion commander, they had taken it upon themselves to work diligently.

Norghard's case, in particular, highlighted how little he usually worked. As a dragon of the Dragon Emperor rank, it was understandable, but he was reliable on the battlefield, albeit with a high sense of pride and difficult to handle.

Helian had long been aware of this, so he had no intention of saying anything new, but it was still a problem to have unnecessary issues arise. Not working was fine, but at least don't be a hindrance.

"Since the facility has been restored... it means that the immediate issues have been resolved, right?"

"Yes. Now we can finally proceed with the development plan."

Helian couldn't help but sigh.

He wasn't sure if the sigh was one of relief or worry about the large-scale project ahead, but at least the urgent tasks had reached a conclusion.

"Virtual Window: Unlock"

As usual, he began checking the situation surrounded by several virtual windows related to records and information. He had dealt with the immediate issues that needed to be addressed, but there were still many tasks that would be beneficial to complete. He shouldn't cut corners.

Fortunately, there didn't seem to be any particular problems with the ongoing internal affairs. Everything appeared to be progressing smoothly.

"Hmm"

He looked at the virtual window displaying a list of the tasks he had been handling over the past few days. What came to mind was the meeting held a few days ago with the Lathewood delegation regarding the post-war settlement details.

During this meeting, negotiations that were not originally planned also took place.

The reason was that Alkymaira had already refused to hand over Reifa and had fully treated the severely injured, as compensation for the failure to fulfill the contract due to the inability to save one person.

However, since Reifa was successfully revived, Alkymaira had fulfilled the original contract. Depending on the flow of the conversation, it could be argued that Alkymaira should re-fulfill the contract, including the handover of Reifa, to Lathewood.

But for Helian, handing over Reifa would only cause problems. Therefore, he decided to implement the plan he had considered when making the contract in the village.

--- There were two major demands made to Lathewood.

The first was cooperation in keeping the resurrection ability secret.

It was easy to predict that revealing the ability to resurrect would cause numerous complications, so Helian demanded that Lathewood keep his resurrection ability a secret.

This shouldn't be a problem.

Lathewood would explain to its citizens that they had rescued Reifa from a hidden room, and only Reifa and a few core figures in Lathewood would know the truth.

The issue was the second demand.

"Leve. Regarding the 'Alkymaira's Concealment Operations' agreed upon during the meeting held in our country, have there been any problems?"

"No, there have been no issues. The information manipulation for the Noblewood homeland is proceeding smoothly, and according to reports from the field supervisor, Merzal, the construction of the 'Large Box' is also progressing as planned."

"...I see."

The demand for Lathewood to cooperate in concealing Alkymaira.

This was the second demand, which was originally intended to use Reifa as a bargaining chip.

In the first place, even if Reifa were handed over to Lathewood as per the contract, it would not benefit Alkymaira. In fact, if Reifa were sold to slave traders, it would be detrimental.

Therefore, at the time, Helian had planned to use the rescued Reifa as a bargaining chip to negotiate with Lathewood, which had a new queen. If the negotiations went well, Reifa could be returned to Lathewood amicably, and Lathewood could be persuaded to give Reifa a position as an advisor to support the inexperienced new queen, Rifa.

This would strengthen the political foundation of Lathewood, a friendly nation, which would ultimately benefit Alkymaira. While the rescue of Lathewood seemed to offer no immediate benefits, it would change significantly from a medium to long-term strategic perspective.

(Well, to Lathewood, Alkymaira is like a savior, after all.)

While he wasn't actually a savior, objectively speaking, that was the case. It was safe to assume that Lathewood would act favorably towards Alkymaira in the future.

For Alkymaira, which was isolated in this world, Lathewood would be an important partner. The fact that a solid, trust-based relationship had been established with a nation would bring tangible and intangible benefits to Alkymaira in the future.

This was the pretext Helian had desperately thought of to move Alkymaira during the war. Fortunately, his subordinates had readily accepted the plan to rescue Lathewood, but if there had been opposition, he would have used this pretext to persuade them.

And instead of using Reifa as a bargaining chip, he had used the complete fulfillment of the contract, "the rescue of all Lathewood citizens," to demand cooperation in concealing Alkymaira.

"But I do realize that it was a rather arrogant demand... to ask a nation, even if it's a vassal state, to become a cover for Alkymaira."

Excluding Lathewood, only the Noblewood vanguard knew of Alkymaira's existence. And the vanguard had been completely eliminated, so currently, no other forces knew of Alkymaira's existence.

In other words, as long as Lathewood kept quiet, Alkymaira could continue to act while hiding its existence, which was a significant advantage. Alkymaira needed time to establish itself in the world.

However, this was a matter of prioritizing Alkymaira's interests. It would impose a burden on Lathewood.

"I don't think it was an arrogant demand. In fact, Lathewood has issued a statement committing to the task with all its might. Reports from the Sixth Legion indicate that not only the queen but also every citizen is showing a cooperative attitude."

"...Hmm."

Leve stated the facts in a matter-of-fact tone, but Helian couldn't quite understand.

Regarding the repulsion of the Noblewood invasion, he intended to create an external pretext by dispatching the Seventh Legion commander. However, in the immediate future, Lathewood would have to rely on its own efforts for reconstruction. Some might even interpret this as using Lathewood as a shield for Alkymaira, which would not be a pleasant situation for Lathewood.

Therefore, it was surprising that during the meeting held in the castle, the queen had enthusiastically responded, "Please leave it to our country. We will surely be of service!"

"To be honest, I expected the negotiations to be difficult. Therefore, it was somewhat unexpected that Lathewood accepted so smoothly... What do you think?"

"Given Your Majesty's greatness, it is a natural outcome. Their country also understands Your Majesty's greatness."

"...I see."

No, that's not helpful. Leve's opinion is too flattering. ...Let's forget about this for now. I don't think I'll find an answer by thinking about it.

"Well, speaking of Lathewood, I recall that a messenger from their country was scheduled to visit today to deepen the friendship between the two nations."

"Yes, the messenger has already arrived. All preparations are in place, and we are ready to hold the meeting at any time."

"What? They've already finished their preparations?"

There was still time before the scheduled meeting, but it seemed they had been waiting. Was it appropriate to keep a nation's messenger waiting?

"Yes, they arrived in our country last night and have been waiting in the castle since early morning. However, we have been treating them with the utmost care to ensure they are comfortable."

"That's not the issue. Let's proceed with the meeting immediately."

He stood up from his chair and left the office with Leve.

Incidentally, the location for this meeting was not the "Audience Chamber" but the "Simplified Audience Room." The reason was that this meeting was to be treated as informal. The formal meeting with the delegation led by Reifa had already been held, and the detailed post-war settlement had been resolved.

Therefore, this meeting was solely to deepen the friendship between the two nations as good partners. It was not appropriate to use the grand audience chamber for such a meeting. Despite some resistance from Leve and Baran, he had decided to hold a one-on-one meeting without involving others.

As they walked down the corridor leading to the Simplified Audience Room, flanked by magic armor, Helian spoke to Leve.

"By the way, about the representative from the other side..."

"Yes. According to the report, the messenger from Lathewood is, as scheduled, Rifa Lum Lathewood, the Second Princess."

"I see."

He maintained a stern expression to hide his emotions, but Helian had been looking forward to this meeting. After all, this was the first time he would see Rifa since the incident at the "Start of the Land Tavern."

A conversation partner who didn't see him as a king was invaluable to Helian. Moreover, Rifa was still a child in terms of age, so it wouldn't be strange to speak casually with her.

Amidst his busy days, Helian had been seeking the "healing" that only a child could provide, and the fact that the messenger from Lathewood was Rifa was like a gift.

He had gone through considerable trouble to secure time for this meeting, but that was a different matter.

Shaking off the unpleasant memories, Helian headed to the Simplified Audience Room with a lighter step.

---

"I greet you again. I am Rifa Lum Lathewood, the Second Princess, sent as a messenger from the Kingdom of Lathewood."

--- Who is this?

Helian's mind was filled with this single word when the initial greeting began in the Simplified Audience Room.

No, she is definitely Rifa. As she introduced herself, the girl standing before him was undoubtedly Rifa Lum Lathewood.

However, she appeared with a dignified expression, wearing official attire, and began to deliver a formal greeting. It was a perfect image of a princess, completely different from the Rifa Helian had in mind.

Helian was momentarily at a loss and could only blink in confusion.

"First, I would like to apologize for the delay in expressing my gratitude for the recent incident. I deeply apologize for the inconvenience."

Rifa then bowed deeply, referring to Helian's resurrection of her at the "Start of the Land Tavern."

"…No, it's fine. The delay was due to my schedule."

"I am deeply sorry. Although I was unaware, I must apologize for the disrespectful words and actions I directed towards the king of a great nation."

"Regarding that, it's the same. We were the ones who pretended to be travelers, so there's no need for you to apologize."

Despite trying to regain his composure, Helian felt an uncomfortable itch. This wasn't the kind of conversation he had hoped for. He tried to steer the conversation back on track.

"Anyway, how are you feeling? If my ability worked correctly, you should be in perfect physical condition... Is there anything wrong or any discomfort?"

"No, I feel