In response to his question, Belia let out a light sigh and smiled.

“I’ll be fine. I feel like wanting to hit something several times a day, though.”

But both Khalid and Belia knew it couldn’t be done.

“Same here. It’s getting really frustrating.”

Khalid, still holding Belia, went to the sofa and sat down. After a brief pause, he opened his mouth heavily.

“With no breaks in a day, it’s suffocating.”

“…What’s going on?”

“There are unsettling movements in the East. It seems like they’re hurrying to appoint the Crown Prince under the pretext of war. They want to wrap up everything before winter is over.”

While Belia was working hard for public opinion, Khalid was uncovering the details of the war with the Yakum Kingdom.

Evidence of secret negotiations between the two countries had been caught, and everything happening now was part of what had been discussed in advance.

So, what they wanted was clear.

While Belia and Khalid were turning their eyes away from the war, there was something being plotted.

And that was highly likely to be related to determining the next emperor.

“I thought something was being planned, but it seems a bit early.”

“The emperor has been taking actions to provoke them, continually keeping in touch with them. It seems like he wants a definite answer that supports Raul. Did Duke Arlington say he would come in spring?”

Belia bit her lip.

“Spring is too late. Send a letter immediately, urging him to come to the palace as soon as possible. Since Duke Tessa is also in the west, the only force that can check them in the central region is Viscount Capri. We are being pushed back a lot.”

Belia’s expression became somewhat serious.

The Duke of Canterip’s power was too formidable compared to Viscount Capri’s. Moreover, even the nobles holding enemies in the east and south were supporting the Duke.

Currently, in the capital, only the knights and soldiers supporting Khalid were on his side.

There weren’t enough immediate allies.

“So, about that.”

“Yes?”

At that moment, Khalid laughed awkwardly, then opened his mouth with a heavy tone.

“The Duke of Arlington seems to be arriving at the palace tomorrow.”

“What did you say?”

In other words, according to Khalid, Duke Arlington, upon receiving a letter telling him to come to the palace as soon as winter passed, immediately made preparations and was on his way to the palace.
He originally had no intention of coming in the spring, having traversed the heavy snowfall from the northern region to the capital of the empire. In the letter that arrived today, it was mentioned that he would briefly rest in a village not far from the capital to thaw his body and head to the palace tomorrow.

“Goodness! There must have been much more snow in the north than here. How on earth…”

“Belia. Did you forget that he’s a wizard?”

At Khalid’s words, Belia seemed to realize something, and her eyes widened. However, soon she moved her head a little strangely, as if finding it odd, and asked.

“Duke Arlington being a wizard is something you told me, but what exactly is his level? To move through this much snow, he would need tremendous magical prowess, right?”

“Duke Arlington can use magic even without magical prowess.”

“That’s the case for other wizards too. Magical prowess serves as a conduit, amplifying magic. So, everyone engraves magic formulas on the magical prowess.”

Habisah, the magician of Matop, was a typical example. She used her brilliant mind to develop ingenious magical formulas, creating various magical tools.

However, Khalid shook his head as if to say that wasn’t the case.

“No, Belia. He is a real wizard who can use magic directly.”

“What does that mean…?”

Khalid seemed to hesitate for a moment, as if unsure how to explain this. But his contemplation didn’t last long.

“Have you ever read a grimoire?”

“Yes. I’ve read almost all the books in the library of the Ronica Kingdom. There were grimoires too.”

“Have you read about the wizards described in the grimoires?”

“…But that’s…”

It’s just a legend, after all.

Belia couldn’t bring herself to mention the details. In very old grimoires, there were descriptions of a world completely different from the present.

It was filled with tales of wizards who cast spells using the elements of nature and knights who manifested blades from swords, breaking the limits of human capabilities.

They were like fairy tales from ancient legends. However, Belia couldn’t easily dismiss all of those as mere fanciful stories.

‘I, too, have regressed through time.’

Khalid knew that he had turned back time using Duke Arlington’s power.

They made the impossible possible. So, there was a high possibility that what Khalid mentioned about Duke Arlington being a real wizard from the grimoires was also true.

“It’s not that the wizards of Matop are not wizards. But Duke Arlington is different from them; he’s the wizard described in the grimoires.”

“…Who else knows this fact besides you?”

“No one.”

Khalid’s answer was firm.

“He happened to discover very old books in the palace library, and after reading them, he awakened to magic in a world where he is the only genius.”

Belia seemed to have some understanding of why Duke Arlington gave up the throne and left for the north.

He wasn’t someone with ambitions for power.

‘…He was someone who sought the truth of the world.’

Therefore, the throne might not have been that important to him. His departure to the desolate north might have been to facilitate his research.

Belia let out a bitter laugh.

“So, him piercing through the snow might also be using elemental magic. Like the wizards in legends.”

“Hahaha. He might have come spewing fire.”

And soon, Belia realized that it wasn’t a joke but a real situation.