The Duke of Deutsch in Rezen. They had already exchanged contacts several times and had long since finished the process of testing each other out.

It was better to just achieve their respective goals and part ways, rather than wasting time on unnecessary conversations.

“I agree.”

Deutsch was of the same mind.

After quickly exchanging information, they soon went their separate ways.

In the carriage on the way back, Kardian smiled as he mulled over the information provided by the duke.

Even in this war, power existed, and there were also forces seeking to seize it. Rezen was no exception.

Kardian used this to divulge a secret of the Belgader army, and in return, he obtained the military strategy of the Rezen army.

It was information about a certain area on the front lines that Kardian had just taken charge of, and it was the key to reversing this frustrating situation.

“Finally… I’ll be back where I belong.”

Kardian gazed out the window with satisfaction.

He could no longer stand by and watch this loathsome situation where everything was slipping out of his hands. So… he decided to devour Belgader instead.

It was Kardian who had built the current emperor’s foundation and pushed through all the policies up until now.

Thanks to that great imperial bloodline, he had allowed him to be used as a puppet until now, but with things turning out like this, he judged it would be best to reign as the absolute ruler himself.

The current emperor had no heir.

So when the emperor died, his successor would be someone else who was qualified.

Just as they had brought in a distant relative of the former emperor to enthrone when they made Rudkaos the emperor because there was no suitable person, it would be quite difficult to find someone to take the next throne this time as well.

The closest in the current line of succession was the king of a distant country from Belgader. In this empire with a high nose, they would choose to change the imperial family rather than that.

In such a state, the most likely candidate was himself.

The eldest son of the venerable Orphe family with a long history. Possessing the political ability to serve as the emperor’s advisor, and having a solid base of support in aristocratic society.

Now that Damion had brought the tide of the war almost entirely to his side, he could even gain a complete Belgader, not a half-baked one.

However, before killing Rudkaos, Kardian himself needed to gain widespread renown among the imperial citizens. To this end, Kardian decided to utilize this war.

In wartime situations, just one or two victories could earn tremendous fame. The level of support from the people also varied depending on how much deep narrative was bestowed upon it.

The common folk were so simple-minded that even if the person had previously implemented policies that suppressed them so much, if they saved them from a few national crises, they believed they were on their side and a hero.

So Kardian now needed a complete victory in the fight against Rezen.

To that end, divulging the strategy of the area under Damion’s charge was not a big deal. In any case, there was also a need to trample on Damion’s reputation at this point.

Kardian hummed a tune.

He had heard that Ansi, who had left him again, was now in a coma.

It seemed the god Riento was on his side.

“How is Ansi doing?”

– Still… asleep. I heard that we will be able to drive out Rezen soon. Ansi will wake up soon, so don’t worry and focus.

“Let me know anytime there is progress.”

Damion ended the call with Del. He gazed blankly out the window for a moment. Flowers could be seen under the light that was just dawning. Summer was already deep, but spring flowers were still blooming in the north.

Even seeing the flowers that had bloomed amidst this war, he felt no emotion.

No, in fact, he had lost interest in everything. He could no longer remember what thoughts he had lived his life with before, or what he had found joy in.

But instead of expressing these feelings, Damion focused on the war.

While Ansi was still struggling with herself, this was also what Damion could do.

He had to fend off the enemy for her sake.

With that single-minded determination, Damion engaged in the war like a madman. Feeling like he would fall into a deep abyss if he had any other thoughts even for a moment, he poured all his energy into fully reclaiming Belgader.

As a result, the allied forces advanced towards the north with unstoppable momentum, and had already recaptured half of the north that had been taken.

Damion simply hoped that when Ansi opened her eyes, she could recover comfortably in a completely safe Belgader.

Damion, dressed in his military uniform, picked up the newspaper on the desk.

The articles were plastered with Kardian’s name. It was about a major victory in a battle he had led.

He felt no particular emotion from the fact itself. However… he wondered what would become of Ansi’s wish if Kardian made his name known like that.

He had heard that it was Kardian who had taken Ansi out of Marel. But it probably wasn’t against her will. Rather, Ansi would have seen it as an opportunity.

An opportunity to save him at the cost of her life…

Damion closed the newspaper and left the room again. To forget the rising anguish if he let his guard down, he had no choice but to devote himself even more to the battles.

The clicking sound of heels echoed through the corridor. The footsteps stopped in front of a certain hospital room.

Inside the open door, Sofia was dozing off in a chair. Roma, who looked at her with a sympathetic gaze, shifted her eyes to the bed.

Ansi was lying with a peaceful expression. Her pale face was quiet, even her breathing.

Roma lowered her eyebrows sadly. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she gently stroked Ansi’s hair.

“The time for our contract to end is not far away.”

Roma lowered her face and kissed her forehead.

May the remaining path not be too painful and lonely.

With that sincere wish, Roma quietly left the hospital room.

“They were already stationed there?”

“Yes. Especially the Pita Road we were going to move to and the government office we were going to use as a base.”

Damion’s eyebrows rose. Before today’s battle with the Rezen army, Damion had completed reconnaissance in advance. The Rezen army clearly had the formation he had predicted.

However, feeling a bad premonition, he sent out scouts once more to assess the situation.

But… the Rezen army had changed their formation and taken up a battle stance as if they had been waiting. As if the previous formation was just an illusion. As if they knew exactly which route the Belgader army would take.

It couldn’t help but be strange.

In an instant, Kardian flashed through Damion’s mind.

Some time ago, when some of the commanders at the front gathered to discuss, they had talked about this tactic. Kardian was also present at that meeting.

‘Could it be….’

A reasonable suspicion arose. But now was the time to focus on the battle at hand.

“Change the operation. All troops are to take up a defensive posture, and target the opposite side when the Rezen army’s vigilance has loosened. Deploy scouts regularly to monitor the situation closely.”

He completely discarded the original operation he had planned. If the Belgader’s strategy had really leaked to the Rezen army, it could have been the Belgader side that would suffer instead.

It was a hastily changed operation, but he wasn’t worried.

Because even in this situation, he didn’t doubt his victory.

“Damn it, we should have won for sure.”

Deutsch, the duke and officer of Rezen, cursed repeatedly. According to the information obtained through Kardian, he should have definitely won this battle today.

It didn’t seem like Kardian had lied. Deutsch was quite good at discerning people’s true intentions. His words about not wanting his younger brother to do well were clearly not a lie.

In the first place, Kardian wouldn’t have orchestrated this just to win a single battle or capture a duke like himself.

Moreover, this man who had captured him, Major Orphe, did not seem to be in league with Kardian at all.

“If you answer my questions well, your treatment as a prisoner will not be bad. However, you only have one chance to answer.”

Deutsch clenched the hem of his clothes at Damion’s words as he came to interrogate him. Cold sweat ran all over his body from tension. Regardless, Damion threw a question with an unwavering gaze.

“You already knew the tactics I was going to use today. Who did you hear it from?”

Deutsch opened his mouth. He knew that saying he had anticipated everything because he was brilliant would not work. In the end, he immediately confessed.

“Viscount Orphe! Viscount Kardian de Orphe. That guy told me.”

“…Do you know what happens if it’s a lie?”

“I swear on everything I have. It’s true that he informed me of Belgader’s secret.”

“Ha…”

Damion let out a sneer at Deutsch’s words.

He had personally given Belgader’s military strategy to the enemy country with his own hands.

Wasn’t it the perfect opportunity to charge Orphe with treason?

Opportunities often came from unexpected places. All the actions Damion and Ansi had taken until now to fall with Kardian had failed.

But in the end, Kardian himself provided the evidence…

The interrogation continued a bit longer. It also became increasingly clear that Kardian was indeed a traitor to the empire. After the interrogation ended, Damion left the room and immediately headed to where the telephone was located.

The person Damion called was Emperor Rudkaos.

“Kardian has leaked Belgader’s military operations to Rezen. Send those you trust to arrest him.”

Finally, it seemed that Kardian could find his place as Ansi wished.