Published: July 5, 2025
The ice path sat down a little away from the Bardael Principality army, along with the frozen chief Battuzon.
"Ryo-san became the representative for the duel for this reason,"
"Yes... I'm sorry, Kinme-san."
"Huh? Why are you apologizing?"
"I could only think of this method. Maybe there were smarter ways that wouldn't hurt anyone."
"Yes, there may have been, but... I couldn't think of any other methods either."
Kinme smiled and shook her head slightly.
"And because you didn't go all out, we were able to achieve this result."
"...I don't understand what you mean."
Kinme replied with a laugh.
Ryo understood.
While Kinme executed fierce attacks, she never aimed for Ryo's vital points.
She didn't try to decapitate him or pierce his heart.
Though she wanted to win, she had absolutely no intention of killing Ryo.
Even while saying she might kill him, she never performed those kinds of attacks.
That’s why Ryo was able to win.
Perhaps even the last ice path that disturbed her stance was intentional... he almost felt that way.
Kinme looked at her party members.
"It seems our members aren't particularly dissatisfied."
"Ryo-san... no, I think Duke Rondo strongly assured them, so maybe our families will be alright."
"My family too... though they are just a branch of the chief family, I feel that if we handle it well, our relationship with Duke Rondo might allow us to ascend to an important position in the government."
Guti said thoughtfully, and Patris nodded several times in agreement.
The yellow-haired Toko and the white-haired Mau silently nodded as well.
It seemed Ryo's actions were generally supported by the Refreshing Five Peaks.
The problem lay with the former suzerain king of Duke Rondo's territory...
Abel had also arrived at the scene.
Ryo's declaration and subsequent words had been heard clearly by Abel.
"Duke Rondo's territory is independent? What is that? Is it to avoid causing trouble for the Naitorei Kingdom or something like that?"
"Yes. It would be troublesome if the relationship between the kingdom and the Bardael Principality worsens, right?"
Ryo answered Abel's inquiry.
However, Abel firmly stated with a resolute expression.
"No problem. The kingdom won't be shaken by this degree of disturbance, and as king, I will support Duke Rondo's actions."
"Abel..."
"That said, now that they have separated, please remain as you are for a while."
"...Huh?"
Ryo tilted his head at Abel's words.
Abel turned towards the delayed arrivals from France and the Western Nations Federation.
Among them was the head of state Ramun Fess.
"Duke Rondo's territory has separated from our Naitorei Kingdom. However, the Duke's victory as the representative of the Western Nations Federation in the duel means the Eastern Provinces army will withdraw from the territory of the Western Nations Federation, is that correct?"
"Yes, that is correct."
Ramun Fess nodded in confirmation to Abel.
And then he confirmed the future actions as well.
"The Western Nations Federation will formally call for a ceasefire negotiation with the Eastern Provinces. The counterpart will be Crown Prince Zorn."
"Yes, that sounds good. Since Chief Battuzon is currently a prisoner of a 'third party,' we cannot negotiate. It can't be helped."
Abel was brazen in this regard.
"Once we establish a ceasefire negotiation and return the chief, the power of Crown Prince Zorn, who has achieved all that, will also grow."
"That's true. Compared to the chief, the crown prince makes much more sense."
"Yes, I agree with that. Chief Battuzon is a very capable individual, but he is simply too power-hungry."
Ramun Fess said with a wry smile and looked at the frozen chief Battuzon beside him.
"...He is still alive, right?"
"Yes, he is alive."
Ramun Fess asked, and Ryo confidently answered.
He had many thoughts regarding the negotiation process and the battle with Kinme that led up to it, but he could confidently answer that the frozen chief Battuzon was indeed alive.
"When negotiating with the Bardael Principality, we should actively target Crown Prince Zorn. This way, we can show the surrounding nations that he is recognized as the chief representative."