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"We have to end Ilnord completely with this war. We can't afford to drag it out."
Now that we've revealed our true intentions to each other…
And with my identity now exposed, this war is no longer just between Promian and Ilnord, it's my war, too.
"I'll be at the front lines of this war."
I declared this to Delight during the strategy meeting.
Since I'm the one who couldn't finish this war before, it's only right for me to lead the charge now.
Besides, Ilnord possesses a dangerous weapon, and I'm the only one who can face it head-on.
"No, the front line is obviously where I should be…"
Delight opposed immediately, and I looked at him silently.
"This war will involve mass use of counterfeit mana stones. With mana running wild again, there's no way you won't be affected."
"It's fine. We have Undilarod herbs."
"Delight. Don't tell me you haven't noticed it."
"……"
"The reason you've been safe from mana rampage all this time… is because I've been suppressing it for you. Undilarod only offers minor support, it's not a cure."
In other words, it was practically useless now.
Delight was at serious risk of another mana rampage because of the counterfeit mana stones.
Especially since he had already lost control once, not long ago.
As long as those stones were involved, this would be far more dangerous than any war against humans.
"They're the results of reckless experiments."
Experiments that spared no method to get results. The outcome of such irresponsibility was bound to be devastatingly destructive.
"That's why we need to assess the situation with absolute clarity."
If we rush in without thinking, we'll only stir chaos.
Letting emotions dictate the priorities in war is equally dangerous.
"We must prioritize the most effective force to counter Ilnord."
And no matter what anyone says, that force is the Archmage Sherina.
Delight is unstable due to the counterfeit mana stones, and Luciel is essentially human in body, so neither could be relied upon as primary powerhouses.
"Understood."
Eventually, Delight accepted it.
"But I will stand beside you, Teacher. Even if I'm a liability, I can't just hide in the back."
"That's only natural. You're the Emperor of Promian."
And with that, we carefully moved forward with our plans.
Fortunately, we had already been preparing for war, so we could respond swiftly to sudden developments.
Still, that didn't mean everything was smooth sailing.
The core of this war would undoubtedly be the counterfeit mana stones.
No one knew exactly how many counterfeit mana stones Ilnord had stockpiled…
How far their experiments with them had gone… and to what extent they were planning to use them in actual warfare.
And most importantly.
"Unless we find a way to neutralize the counterfeit mana stones, this will be a difficult war."
But after all our efforts over the years yielded no solution, expecting a sudden breakthrough in such a short time seemed unrealistic.
Of course, that didn't mean there were no options at all.
"If we can't neutralize them, then we'll have to destroy them all."
To stop production entirely, we'd have to root them out to the core.
But that would mean a prolonged war… and much greater damage.
It was a method we wanted to avoid, but under the current circumstances, we had no other choice.
War was now inevitable.
Still, it was unlikely Ilnord would strike again immediately.
Even their last ambush had been intended to steer the war in their favor.
That meant we had a short window before full-scale combat began.
And we had to use that brief time to prepare thoroughly.
***
After the meeting, I was walking back to my room.
I stopped just in front of the door.
"I've been waiting."
There stood Serdin.
He turned toward me and spoke.
Now that we were alone, I knew why he was here.
"You still haven't been able to give me an answer."
Before I could respond to his earlier confession, one thing after another had kept happening, then the ambush from Ilnord came, and his confession had simply been swept away.
Now, before it was too late, I had to finally give him an answer.
To be honest… even I wasn't sure how I felt about Serdin.
What Hiel said had been stuck in my mind ever since.
Maybe, without even realizing it, I'd already started caring about Serdin.
But right now…
'Dwelling on my feelings is nothing but a waste of time.'
With war looming, the choices I had to make were clear.
Everything needed to be dealt with simply, directly.
Just as I opened my mouth to speak.
"You don't need to answer my confession right now."
Serdin interrupted me.
"To be precise, no matter what you say now, I won't take it as your real answer."
He sounded firm, like this had been his plan from the beginning.
Maybe that's why I instinctively felt a twinge of defiance and reacted a bit sharply.
"Then why did you come to see me?"
"Because if you gave me an answer right now, it would be only because of the war."
"……"
"That's not the kind of answer I want."
He hit the mark.
He already knew exactly what I was about to say and why.
"That's not the answer I want. So after the war ends… after everything is settled… tell me then."
Every word he said was right.
"I'll wait until then."
He finished firmly, sealing the promise.
After hearing him say that… I couldn't just shut things down unilaterally.
"Alright. I will."
In the end, I postponed my answer.
"Until then, I'll treat you just like I used to, Princess Ollia."
"……"
"And I hope you'll treat me the same."
"Alright."
But in return, once everything is over, I promise I'll give you a proper answer, with all my heart.
Even if I don't fully understand how I feel right now.
I won't take your feelings for granted. I'll tell you honestly what my heart says when the time comes.
While I made that promise silently to Serdin, he spoke up again.
"Princess Ollia. There's someone I'd like you to meet."
"Someone to meet? With you?"
"Actually, just a while ago, Derek came to see me. He said he really needed to speak with you."
"Derek Flint?"
"Yes. He's waiting now, saying there's something he must tell you."
Serdin took the lead and began walking.
***
"Ah, hello, Princess… I mean, Archmage Sherina."
Now that Derek knew my true identity, he looked completely flustered.
Why would he seek me out when he's this nervous? It only made me more curious.
First things first, though, I had to help him calm down enough to speak.
"Just call me Princess."
"Y-Yes!"
"I'm still the Princess of Promian, so treat me the way you used to."
"Alright. Then, just like before… Um… You told me last time to speak casually, but… uh…"
"Whatever you're more comfortable with. If speaking casually is too much, you don't have to force it."
"T-Thank you… I mean it. Honestly, that was putting way too much strain on my heart…"
Derek clutched his chest and let out a dramatic sigh of relief.
"Calm down."
"Y-Yes, I will. I'm calming down… I swear…"
At this rate, he might pass out.
As I watched him in concern, he reached behind him and picked up a box he had brought.
"Princess, this is a gift from me."
"?"
A gift, out of the blue?
I looked at him in confusion, and he lowered his voice and added in a near-whisper.
"I brought it secretly… because I trust you."
"Secretly? Don't tell me you stole it from your family's estate…"
"That part isn't important."
It felt like something rash and reckless, so I considered stopping him.
But then he leaned in even closer, lowering his voice to a hush.
"Princess, you must open this alone. Promise me."
"Alright, I will."
His tone was so serious that I gripped the box tightly.
I returned to my room alone with the gift box, then opened it.
And what I saw was.
…!
I quickly closed the box.
Just maybe, right before this war began, I might have found a hope I had already given up on.
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