Chapter 64:

Lately, Tyria’s life had been happier than any period she had previously experienced.

If she were to pinpoint a comparable time, it would be the day she first met Elric, yet even that seemed slightly less satisfying than her recent contentment.

Could she really be this happy?

A life engulfed in misery had made her view even the most mundane happiness with anxiety, as if it were something dubious.

She wondered if there was a price to pay for this felicity.

Yet, amidst such thoughts, the mansion’s daily life busily flowed on.

In her leisure, Tyria managed several tasks, visited the library, and inspected the flower garden, fostering her anticipation for spring.

A new and somewhat burdensome favor from the knights of the newly formed Seolyeong Order was an added bonus.

Today was no exception.

“Madam! This is a pastry sent by your brother from the imperial patisserie!”

Knight Commander Danal exclaimed, his head bowed to the floor.

“Please, enjoy!”

Declining seemed to prompt him to consider seppuku, so Tyria awkwardly accepted the pastries.

“I shall enjoy it.”

Upon hearing her, Danal beamed as if he had encountered salvation.

Was he about to cry?

“Indeed!”

It was overwhelming.

Nodding, Tyria quickly turned and scurried to her office.

Still, since she had received them, she thought she might as well eat them. As she opened the door to her office, there was Elric, looking quite grave as he read the newspaper.

What was he pondering so deeply?

As she observed, it became clear.

“You’ve been reading about the news from the west.”

“Ah, you’ve arrived, wife.”

“Yes.”

The headline on the front page of the newspaper read:

“Zeridia, the Demon King of Nazark, clashes with Haimberg, the Saint of Serenity at the Iridium front.”

The Seven Powers had collided.

It seemed the full-scale war Elric had once spoken of had begun.

* * *

Edward was nervously biting his nails in the boardroom of EW, muttering to himself.

His complexion was filled with anxiety.

“It’s happened. It’s finally happened.”

A massive disaster was unfolding—something he had hoped desperately would not occur. The clash among the Seven Powers had become a reality, and now the war would spiral out of control.

Should he have supported Cheonik and redirected the war’s flames eastward?

‘…No.’

That would have been a terrible move. Considering Kasha, who was significantly entrenched in the East, it was out of the question.

After all, wasn’t provoking Kasha in the Western battlefield among the most dreadful forms of s*****e?

The aftermath he could unleash made staying the current course seem somewhat better, though it was still the lesser of two evils.

“Ah…!”

It was a moment of utter frustration.

“Chairman, the guest is…”

“Secretary, what are we going to do, huh? The Demon King and the Saint are clashing—doesn’t this mean we’re all doomed?”

Edward immediately grabbed his secretary by the collar, beginning to grumble.

“Our boss owns 12% of the shares. The original and greatest investor is now on the brink of losing his life!”

“Yes, but…”

“What could be more important than that!”

It was truly unfortunate that the initial trigger of the war involved Zeridia, the largest shareholder.

And his opponent was none other than Haimberg, Zeridia’s nemesis.

He was clearly at a disadvantage, and there was no way to support him in the battlefield context.

If things continued this way, EW’s 12% stake would vanish into thin air.

The already precarious friendly shareholding ratio could be completely destabilized, threatening the control of the company.

“I’m ruined! Totally ruined! Aaaaah!!!”

Edward slid to the floor, flailing his arms and legs as he screamed.

The secretary’s disdainful look went unnoticed.

The only thought dominating Edward’s mind was how things had come to this dire point.

A lifetime’s work on the company’s management was now potentially falling into the hands of a complete stranger.

The newly developed weapons might never see the light of day!

The tension over the investment in the project had Edward feeling like his eyes were about to pop out of his skull.

“We need a solution! We must find one!”

At the very least, he needed to prevent an all-out war between Nazjak and Serenity.

No, more than that, he had to prevent Nazjak’s annihilation in such a conflict.

“What options do we have? Maybe, if I also incite a war…”

Impossible.

That would only escalate the conflict further.

“Perhaps a proposal for negotiations? Offering food aid to Serenity…”

That would eventually come back to bite him.

That too was not an option.

So, what other methods were left?

Edward’s brilliant mind began to work tirelessly.

There are no unsolvable problems in this world.

If one believes as he does, there must be a way out.

While racking his brain, a sudden idea flashed across his mind.

His head shot up.

“Elder!”

“…Yes?”

“Elder! We should ask the Sword Demon Elder to join the Nazjak side! Just this once!”

A bright smile spread across Edward’s face.

‘Why didn’t I think of this before!’

After all, the acceleration of the conflict in the western front was due to Kasha’s disappearance!

If he returns to the battlefield, this all-out war would end!

And so would the tiresome battle of wits that was bound to start again!

“There’s no need for him to stay on the battlefield! Just the strong belief that Kasha exists somewhere in the west and will continue to do so is enough! We just need to summon the Elder this one time!”

“Sir, let’s pack our bags! We should head to the east…”

“Kasha is in the east?”

At that moment, an eerily cold voice was heard.

Edward’s body stiffened.

The creaking sound of his head turning toward the entrance followed.

An empty noise escaped his lips.

“…Eleria.”

What imprinted on Edward’s retinas were flaming red hair, freckled face, petite stature, and piercing eyes.

Why would she be here?

The secretary sighed.

“…We have a guest, as I told you.”

Cold sweat streamed down Edward’s back.

“Hey, I’m asking you. Is that b*****d Kasha in the east?”

“Uh…”

“You couldn’t find him, right? What’s going on here?”

“Well…”

What indeed…?

‘We’re screwed.’

Edward came to hate his life.

* * *

Edward’s inherent combat strength was pitiful, to say the least.

In contrast, Kalbaran’s siege weapon, Ygrett Valentina, was known for her ferocity, ranking among the top seven in terms of viciousness.

Thus, to Edward, Ygrett was a “sister.”

Despite being several years younger than him, at the age of 29, he addressed her with honorifics.

Failing to do so could provoke her explosive temper, the consequences of which were unpredictable.

In such a situation, Edward unfortunately leaked the most critical information, and that too within the confines of a narrow office.

“Kuh…!”

The outcome Edward faced after being caught was quite predictable.

“Where is it?”

Her voice growled menacingly as she asked.

Edward, his neck gripped tightly, began to lose his cognitive abilities due to oxygen deprivation.

Driven by a primal survival instinct, he blurted out two words.

“Wiven… Portman Street…”

“So, that’s where Ferdie was hiding? No wonder I haven’t seen him.”

At last, Ygrett released his collar.

Gasping for breath and regaining his senses, Edward felt the sting of defeat.

“S-sister! Just a moment…”

He reached out his hand, but it was too late.

Whooosh!

Flames enveloped her body.

With a sinister smile, she immediately broke through the window and soared into the sky.

Crash!

“You’re dead, you b*****d!!!”

Her cry echoed.

Desperately reaching out towards the spot Ygrett had left, Edward contemplated the possible future events.

‘What if she really heads to Wiven?’

Given her fiery temper, she would likely incinerate everything at the sight of Kasha.

And not stopping there, she would bombard Kasha until all life in the vicinity was extinguished.

Of course, Kasha wouldn’t go down without a fight.

He might get hurt, but he would surely overpower Ygrett.

‘Or maybe, k**l her?’

That seemed more likely.

Kasha was quite satisfied with his life in his homeland.

The moment his foundations there were threatened, a blind and furious Kasha murdering her seemed inevitable.

A dreadful scenario could unfold.

A major shareholder owning 10% could d*e.

And that wasn’t all.

If, by some chance, Kasha learned the source of the information…

“…Ah, mom.”

What should I do?

Edward’s face turned deathly pale.

“Secretary…”

“Yes?”

“How long would it take for that woman to fly to Wiven?”

“From one end of the West to the other takes about three days… so from here, it should take about the same, wouldn’t it?”

“…Right.”

Staggering to his feet, Edward managed a hollow smile.

“Pack up. We leave immediately.”

“Are you planning to chase her?”

“Would you rather d*e here? No. Let’s d*e together. S*****e might be easier.”

“…I’ll get ready.”

The secretary quickly left the room.

Edward, sobbing, opened a drawer in his desk.

‘Where are those diapers…’

Life had never been so hard.