At Sdrin’s words, the two others didn’t respond right away.
They couldn’t.
That was how shocking the contents of the letter were.
Seeing the reactions of the three, Rotes asked cautiously.
“…May I read it too?”
At her question, Graxios nodded and passed the letter over.
After reading it, Rotes’ face turned just as astonished as the others.
And no wonder—because the letter was practically a declaration of war.
Of course, the three towers were already at war.
However, for now, the clashes were limited to specific locations.
But if this letter were to be sent now?
It would mean a full-scale war—not at branch outposts, but directly against the main towers.
……Would that really be a problem, though?
As that thought crossed her mind, Rotes calmed her surprise.
When she thought about it, there was Gaon.
If Gaon hadn’t been here, that might’ve been worrisome.
But with him around, even an all-out war wouldn’t be a concern.
At that moment, Graxios spoke.
“I’ve been thinking, and it seems there won’t be any major issues.”
“I… agree,” Balversa added, nodding in agreement.
Hearing their confident replies, Rotes instinctively turned toward Sdrin.
She was curious about what he thought.
And then Sdrin finally opened his mouth.
“Actually, I see things a little differently.”
Sdrin’s opinion diverged from the others’.
“Of course, with Lord Gaon’s power, he could crush both towers easily. Even if they fought with their full strength, he’d destroy them without much trouble.”
Gaon was an 8th-circle mage.
In other words, if he decided to act, annihilating the Fire Tower or the Rud Tower would be simple.
“But this isn’t something that ends with those two towers. The Fire Tower, for instance, is closely tied to the Rios Empire. And the Rud Tower has alliances with several neighboring kingdoms. Do you really think they’ll just sit and watch?”
There were many powers deeply connected to the two towers.
That meant their allies were likely to intervene before either tower could fall.
“And if the two towers fall too easily, that could also become a problem. It might lead to the formation of an anti-Gardion alliance.”
Currently, Gardion was only at war with the Fire and Rud Towers.
But that didn’t mean the rest of the continent was friendly with them.
Plenty of factions held grudges or resentment against Gardion, and if the two towers fell too swiftly…
…it could become the rallying cry for all of them to unite.
No matter how it unfolded, Gardion’s losses would grow.
“So that’s your reasoning,” said Graxios with a faint smile.
“……?”
Sdrin blinked, puzzled by Graxios’s reaction.
Even after hearing all that, he didn’t seem to have changed his mind.
And for him not to change it, there had to be a reason.
Sdrin’s gaze shifted to Balversa.
He, too, was smiling in the same knowing way as Graxios.
“It seems you two know something I don’t. Care to enlighten me?”
Sdrin asked directly.
He wanted to know what they knew—and why they were smiling instead of debating.
Just then—
Creak—
The door opened, and two people stepped inside.
“……!”
Sdrin’s eyes widened in shock.
He recognized one of them instantly.
He shot to his feet.
Then, with clear disbelief in his eyes, he spoke.
“Sir Karlin… what brings you here?”
It was Karlin, the younger brother of the Schutaren Duchy’s head, and one of the Ten Swords of the Rios Empire.
Even on a continental scale, Karlin was a figure of immense influence.
So why—how—was he here in Gardion?
Could it be that the Empire has already started to move?
Not long ago, one of Gardion’s long-standing informants in the Rios Empire had sent a message.
The Schutaren Duchy was planning to form an alliance with the Fire Tower.
Was Karlin’s appearance related to that?
Was he here to pressure Gardion into backing down?
Of course, that seemed unlikely. But considering the prestige of the Schutaren family… it wasn’t impossible either.
“Oh, Sir Sdrin. It’s been a while,” Karlin said, smiling faintly.
Then he continued,
“Lord Gaon sent me. He told me to come here.”
“…What?”
Sdrin could only gape in disbelief.
That was something he had never expected to hear.
Karlin… is speaking respectfully?
Sdrin was from the Rios Empire himself.
He knew exactly what kind of man Karlin was.
He was someone who barely gave the Emperor this level of courtesy.
So what kind of relationship did he have with Gaon to act like this?
“And regarding the alliance—whom should I speak with?”
Karlin turned his gaze toward Graxios and Balversa.
The two exchanged glances, and then Graxios spoke up.
“That would be me.”
At his words, Karlin strode forward without hesitation.
Meanwhile, Balversa turned to the older man who had entered alongside him.
“Sir Marek of House Belmar, I presume?”
The old man chuckled.
“Ha ha, it’s an honor that Gardion’s Grand Elder recognizes me.”
“Ha! Sir Marek, thanks to you I’ve had more than a few enlightening moments in intelligence matters! Are you here regarding the alliance as well?”
“The alliance, yes—but more than that, I’ve come to invest.”
“Perfect timing. I’m in charge of investments, so speak with me directly.”
At Balversa’s words, Marek smiled faintly and stepped forward.
And thus, the conversation began.
Graxios with Karlin.
Balversa with Marek.
The four spoke openly, without any need to hide their discussion.
It was as if everyone could hear, and they didn’t care.
Watching them, Sdrin thought of one thing.
‘An alliance…?’
Judging by the topic of their conversation and the atmosphere, the word “alliance” came to mind.
And that confused him.
What is the relationship with Gaon that the Schutaren Duchy and House Belmar are showing such movements?
At that moment—
“Then I’ll go report that the letter will be sent immediately.”
Rotes said to Sdrin before turning away.
Sdrin then turned to Graxios and Balversa.
“Excuse me, but may I… send this as is?”
He intended to seek their opinion again.
But seeing the situation, it seemed unnecessary.
Lilith couldn’t say a word.
It was because of the information that had just arrived.
The final defensive magic circle of the Gardion Magic Tower, the Blessing of Ron, had been activated.
The activation of the Blessing of Ron indicated a Level 1 emergency.
At first, they had assumed Sterun declared a Level 1 emergency to stop Gaon.
But Gaon had appeared at the entrance after the Blessing of Ron activated.
Meaning… nothing had happened to him.
If Gaon was fine, then the likelihood was high that something had happened to Sterun instead.
In fact, there had been no contact with Sterun.
And it wasn’t just him.
No one inside Gardion could be reached at all.
Swoosh—
Lilith scanned the area.
The great conference was underway.
Not everyone was present as before, but except for the two absent, all others had gathered.
And no one looked happy.
Lilith could understand why.
Because the one involved was Gaon.
The one who had nearly brought Abyss to ruin.
At that moment—
“Mm.”
Someone cleared their throat, and Lilith turned to see who it was.
It was Bao, the head of the Shikrina family and second in rank.
“Isn’t it good that Gaon is back?”
At Bao’s words, everyone looked puzzled.
He smiled faintly and continued.
“Things are different now compared to back then, aren’t they?”
Some of them blinked at Bao’s remark.
Indeed, in the past, they couldn’t handle Gaon.
Even the previous ruler, Kuntel Lucid, and two others were the only ones near the level of an 8th-circle, 8-star rank.
But now… things were different.
Everyone had reached a power comparable to 8th-circle, 8-star level.
Meaning, even if they fought Gaon now, it wouldn’t be like before.
If anything, if they combined their forces, they could likely kill Gaon with ease.
“The chance for personal revenge has come,” Bao said.
Several nodded at his words.
Then Bagelina, head of the Moshun family and 9th-ranked second elder, spoke up.
“Yes, revenge is good. But first, we should discuss strategy.”
“Strategy? What strategy?”
“Gaon seems to be clearing the Magic Tower…”
Trailing off, Bagelina glanced at Lilith, who had been overseeing Gardion, then continued.
“Once he finishes clearing the Magic Tower, he’ll probably move around, just as in the past.”
In the past, Gaon had gone around, attacking Abyss in various locations.
This time would likely be no different.
Not only because history repeated itself…but also because Gaon had already caused massive damage.
The second headquarters, in particular, had been almost obliterated.
“Ah, that explains it,” Bao nodded in understanding.
Then he scanned the surroundings.
The area Bao was responsible for was too far for Gaon’s influence to reach.
Meaning, this wasn’t a situation for Bao to act decisively.
Bagelina spoke again.
“Shall we move Nile immediately? Anyone opposed?”
The Nile Kingdom was deeply infiltrated by Bagelina’s Latus faction.
With them, they could effectively maneuver the Nile Kingdom.
“Wasn’t the plan originally three months later?”
“Given the situation…”
“Ten days. We need time to prepare too.”
“Ten days is too long. By then, Gaon will likely finish clearing the Magic Tower.”
“Considering Gardion’s scale…”
“That’s Gaon for you.”
“…Five days should suffice.”
Bao listened to the discussion of the other top ten powers and thought.
‘If Varta falls, how will they react?’
The Varta Kingdom, the root of Gaon’s influence, was in a precarious situation.
One wrong move could collapse it entirely.
If the root collapses, how would Gaon react?
Would he feel the same despair and rage as those in the past?
He was intensely curious.
***
Gaon looked at the countless frozen figures ahead.
‘Better to start by reducing the numbers a bit.’
Those trapped in ice fell into two groups.
First, members of Abyss under restriction.
Second, those who refused the magical oath.
He would have liked to interrogate them all, but there were simply too many.
Interrogating everyone would be a waste of time.
‘A few from Abyss with Sterun will be enough.’
Gaon stretched out his hand.
And began to chant a spell.
At that moment, 30% of the ice blocks exploded.
Naturally, everyone trapped inside perished instantly.
It was then—
“Ready.”
Rotes approached and said.
Swoosh—
She presented the badge.
It was the highest-ranking insignia, given only to the top 20 in Gardion’s ceremonial hierarchy.
Gaon took the insignia and tucked it safely.
“Handle the rest well.”
“Yes, rest assured. I’ll find out as much as possible before you return.”
“Leave Sterun be. Until I come back.”
The purge Gaon carried out in Gardion this time was no ordinary task.
It would cause massive reactions both inside and outside the tower.
For the time being, all eyes would be on Gardion, while Gaon planned to go to the Varta Kingdom.
“Understood.”
With Rotes’ response, Gaon began walking.
A short while later, he saw Tailor seated by the carriage stones.
Climbing into the carriage, Gaon said,
“Let’s depart immediately.”