The empress’s face returned to the meeting hall for only a brief moment.

The meeting hall, filled with only silence, was entangled with the ambitions of both the nobles who had resigned themselves and those who still could not give up.

In the midst of the back-and-forth discussions laced with thorns, it was ultimately the Viscount Daytona who spoke first, exhausted by the passing time.

“I propose we decide on the tourism site selection through a vote.”

Daytona Snowfell.

He was born into a branch family of the Snowfell household and volunteered to replace Viodel, the eldest son of Duke Snowfell, in the last Crafton battlefield.

Thanks to gaining great favor from Diarob for that, Diarob eagerly pushed for him.

In a word, the current strongest candidate in Snowfell was Daytona territory.

Seeing numerous territories being cut down by Casius’s sharp words, Daytona realized that the emperor no longer had any intention of discussing the tourism site issue.

If things continued like this, the tourism project issue could start all over again from square one.

If that happened, there was a high likelihood that Daytona territory would lose its opportunity.

Amidst that, an opportunity came to him.

Winterdell had noticeably disintegrated due to the empress’s counterattack.

Of course, it was difficult to expect them to move for his sake.

But what if they at least cast invalid votes? Daytona meticulously scanned the neutral nobles he had painstakingly bribed in the past.

There was no better opportunity for him than this.

His proposal for a vote stirred up the chamber.

*

Daytona’s counterattack was truly surprising.

In fact, the purpose of dismantling the Winterdell faction was not to give Snowfell the upper hand.

‘It was to prevent the voting proposal.’

Currently, Snowfell boasted a strong force centered around major nobles, but they were unable to exert power in voting agendas.

It was because the number of supporting nobles was inferior to Winterdell.

Winterdell had taken an advantageous position in majority votes by embracing many weaker nobles.

Snowfell, boasting a strong force, and Winterdell, mobilizing various new forces to exert influence in majority voting.

That was actually the biggest reason why the structure of the two forces coexisting could be sustained.

So this time too, when cornered, I thought Winterdell would propose a vote.

Then, it would be as clear as day that making Rosemary territory the site while dragging out time would become impossible.

Therefore, I led the topic of Bearmont territory to the grain crisis to dismantle Winterdell.

But.

‘Snowfell took advantage of this opportunity to propose a vote?’

That was something outside the expected range.

No matter how much Winterdell had collapsed, it would still be difficult to win the vote…

Glancing at the fellow, I had a hunch.

‘You have already bribed the neutral faction nobles.’

Daytona’s proposal was quite plausible, so the Winterdell side didn’t strongly refute it.

No, rather, they seemed to welcome the proposal.

In any case, Winterdell held a considerable number of noble councilors, and that number was more than enough to beat Snowfell.

As expected, the Winterdell side soon expressed their intention to agree.

In this way, the two forces that had coexisted for the first time became of one mind and gazed at me and Casius.

My hand clenched with perplexity.

‘Is it truly difficult to designate Rosemary as the tourism site?’

The past days of working not for Rosemary’s sake, but for Wolfdor’s, flashed through my mind.

Regardless of father or Tikan, we all did the same, so our family’s foundation was far too weak.

That fact was deeply felt at this very moment.

If Rosemary territory failed to be selected as the site, it would also be a great loss for the empire.

Because there was clearly a difference between the expected profits from selecting Rosemary as the tourism site compared to other territories.

However… there was nothing more absurd than accepting a vote in this situation.

There was no longer any justification to drag out more time here.

If the wrong action was taken, it could even disrupt imperial authority.

It was time to choose the next best option.

Turning my head slightly, I saw Tikan’s empty seat.

Even at this hour, he would still be fully devoted to searching, saying he would find the Wolfdor troops and Birlof.

Was the medicine I gave him ultimately of no use as well?

As I turned my head in despair, Casius caught my eye.

With his chin resting leisurely, he observed the situation in silence.

But there was no perplexity at all in his appearance.

No, rather, he even seemed at ease.

As if he had the moves to control this entire situation.

‘Why?’

The question rippled only for a moment, and Casius’s gaze slowly turned and lingered on me for quite a long time.

His blue eyes, without even a flicker, were utterly impossible to guess what he was thinking.

His gaze that silently looked at me turned away only for a brief moment.

Casius’s gaze soon fell upon father.

Father, who had been keeping his seat without revealing his presence even once in today’s meeting hall, lifted his head and faced him.

Father’s eyes were saying it had to be done that way.

He seemed to be trying to soothe the guilt Casius would feel, but in fact, Casius’s eyes… were not tinged with any guilt.

At the very least, I knew Casius’s composed gaze was clearly thinking of something else right now.

Casius rather looked at father with eyes of consolation.

In the moment when murmurs rippled, he nodded his head toward the opposite side.

Not long after, a loud gatekeeper’s voice rang out from outside the meeting hall.

“Th-this… is entering.”

The startled and stiffened voice did not include the subject.

The moment everyone’s attention turned to the late uninvited guest.

The huge central door opened, and a pure white light seeped inside.

*

The thick smell of blood struck the tip of my nose.

The owner of the huge shadow that gradually revealed itself was Tikan.

The nobles unanimously inhaled sharply and stared at him.

It was because the huge furball slung over Tikan’s shoulder had captured their attention.

Although the furball did not reveal its identity, my heart pounded.

After scanning the surroundings once, he threw it to the floor as if discarding it.

Thud−

A heavy corpse landed on the marble floor with a deep sound.

Those who saw it stepped back in shock.

Among them, the one who barely opened his mouth was Viscount Daytona, who had been strongly advocating for a vote until just now.

“What are you doing, Sir Tikan!”

Tikan’s icy gaze slowly turned and pierced Viscount Daytona.

That gaze, sharpened like a dagger, seemed to strangle him like a lion.

Naturally averting their eyes, people’s gazes landed on another terrible source of the bloody smell.

While everyone could only roll their eyes, unable to do this or that, Tikan kicked the beast that was getting in his way.

With a clear sound, the beast’s corpse flipped over, revealing its form.

The surprised nobles stepped back again and cried out.

“Sir Tikan, how dare you in this place!”

“How can you engage in such an uncivil act in the grand meeting hall!”

Numerous outcries intertwined and echoed like a reverberation.

As if he had no intention of listening to their words, Tikan faced forward, bowed to Casius, and spoke.

“I, Tikan, have captured the Birlof of Rosemary territory and returned.”

I turned my head and examined Casius.

There was no wavering in Casius’s gaze as he looked at the Birlof.

Only then did his clenched fist enter my field of vision.

A crimson bloodstain spread on his clenched fist.

‘It was all planned.’

And with that, he had eliminated all the justifications for other territories to be selected.

A stir arose among the nobles.

The first to muster the courage to confirm the corpse was Viscount Daytona, who was most heated at the moment.

Distinct spotted patterns, horns on both sides of the forehead, glossy yellow fur…

“B-Birlof, how…”

Only after hearing the word Birlof did Bashvir and Diarob also rush to the center at once.

It didn’t take long for everyone to catch on to the situation.

Diarob, who had hoped it wasn’t true, clenched his fists, and Bashvir frowned.

The gazes of the surprised nobles poured toward Casius all at once.

In an instant, his deep voice resounded majestically through the space.

“The vote has become unnecessary.”

“What does that…”

Those who had turned pale looked at the beast and examined him again as if seeking confirmation.

Casius, with a smirk on his face, simultaneously stiffened the nobles.

“The long-time troublemaker of Rosemary territory, the beast Birlof, has finally been captured today.”

“……”

“Winterdell and Snowfell territories had rumors of beast sightings not long ago, and the remaining territories had their disqualifications revealed in today’s meeting.”

Gazing at the still space, Casius declared without hesitation.

“I proclaim Rosemary territory, the most suitable, as the autonomous tourism region.”

Bashvir and Diarob’s faces crumpled at the same time.

Toward them, Casius spoke with a sneer.

“Any objections?”

Among those who swallowed their words, the one who stepped forward was Duke Diarob.

“How can you say the beasts have been eradicated just because you caught a Birlof?”

Casius looked at him leisurely and said,

“You don’t seem to have seen the translated version of the ancient books.”

At those puzzling words, one of Diarob’s eyebrows rose slightly.

When Casius nodded, an interpreted version of the ancient language soon appeared in the meeting hall.

It contained the content Vivian had previously mentioned.

To the murmurs of nobles questioning how to believe this, the easily obtainable beast species Racledis and its offspring entered the meeting hall.

Tikan unhesitatingly slew the Racledis in front of everyone.

Above the meeting hall splattered with blood, the shadows of the remaining offspring all crumbled and lost their form.

Casius had experimentally caught beasts and tested this content he had heard from Vivian, just in case.

The results of the experiment were exactly as Vivian had said.

The nobles’ murmuring instantly ceased.

Now, no one could raise an objection to his words anymore.

The emperor had prepared the ultimate tool to bind them.

The long meeting finally ended with Rosemary’s complete victory.

*

As the emperor and empress left the meeting hall, the nobles’ murmuring filled the hall.

The Snowfell faction dejectedly sighed and left their seats, and only the imperial faction nobles remained, forming a chaotic atmosphere.

The piranhas, seeking to at least obtain falling crumbs, had gathered around Siron before anyone noticed.

Starting with inappropriate remarks, numerous banquet invitations were thrust into his hands.

Watching them, Bashvir immediately walked over to Siron.

“What other territory in the empire is as beautiful and historic as Rosemary?”

The nobles clinging like leeches responded to Bashvir’s words as if they had been waiting and continued their praises of Rosemary territory.

Even Marquis Peridon, who had been touted as the most promising territory in Winterdell until just now, clicked his tongue but had no choice but to join in.

“Congratulations, Sir Siron.”

Bashvir directly continued, leading the praise directed at Siron.

“It was unfortunate due to the rumors of beasts… but how fortunate it is to have it resolved like this.”

Usually, at this point, after reciting such praises, it was the timing to bow and exit with an appropriate smile.

Either inviting them to a banquet in Rosemary territory or at least expressing formal gratitude, saying it was thanks to them.

Viscount Siron was a person who utterly lacked such flexibility.

But what could be done? While inwardly cursing, Bashvir maintained a smiling face.

“Sir Siron, would you care to join the banquet Winterdell is hosting this time? Since we can’t just overlook Rosemary’s joyous occasion, I’d like to share a celebratory drink with you.”

Bashvir’s hand, placing the banquet invitation in Siron’s hand, was quite affectionate.

From the outside, it seemed like they were inseparable friends.

However, Sir Siron had never once made an appearance at a social gathering.

The imperial faction nobles held their breath and observed Siron’s behavior.

It didn’t take long for his mouth to open.