Emperor Lawrence

Several months have passed since the declaration of war.

During this time, his wives continued to frequent the hunting ground to level up. Initially, Lawrence was concerned they might overdo it, but he was pleased to see they always returned when he established a connection with the Divine Plane and activated the stationary door... His joy did not last long.

He only establishes a connection with the Divine Plane for 60 seconds, enough time for rankers like them to return, but there was a day they did not come back.

The following day they did return, but having paid the consequences.

“What the hell happened…?!”

Serene Will had a terrible wound on her face, losing her left eye because of it. Coldness Divine's body was riddled with wounds, and her hands were unrecognizable, having lost about 7 fingers. Sky Petal, on the other hand, returned unscathed, but her already white skin was now deathly white, if not for her exceptional regeneration, she would have been as bad or worse off than the others. The only thing she did not lose was her smile.

Lawrence stopped them after hearing about their chaotic battle against demonic beasts above level 700, beasts that had proven their Way decades ago. He did not want to hear something that could have been avoided.

The biggest problem with all this is that they increased 3 levels in just two days. Knowing them, they will use this as an excuse to say they have no regrets.

Since Lawrence, a user of sacred magic, has not yet met the conditions, he healed their wounds from minor to most severe, in that order. After healing Sky Petal, he continued with Coldness Divine, regenerating her fingers. When it was Serene Will's turn, he fell to the ground after regenerating her eye, unable to move his body for hours.

No matter how much he scolded them, this event was repeated on two more occasions. Incredibly, they did not die even once.

The news not only came from home but also from outside.

From the Inferior Plane to be more precise.

The united army of the Sky Blue Mountain Kingdom and Dajhir Kingdom attacked a city of the Rising Sun Kingdom and managed to capture it. The siege lasted about 4 days, with casualties on both sides being minimal, the Rising Sun Kingdom surrendered in that city before the battle even began. It is gathering its army and preparing for a future event.

A few weeks ago, the joint army of both kingdoms managed to take another city, this time of greater importance than the previous one. The resistance was greater and so were the deaths, but the requirements to end this war are soon to be met.

Just two more cities and they will trace a safe path to transport provisions to the capital of the Rising Sun Kingdom, where the final battle will take place.

Regarding the upcoming auction, Lawrence has already spoken with Demontre Sagul and reached an agreement with him. In exchange for paying him one million gold, he will personally attend to the item owners who owe him. The money will be deducted on the day of the auction from his three fertility pills.

He is not satisfied with the result, but at least he will not lose his reputation and more importantly, he will not see the face of Eminent Greed.

+++

Digarte City, capital of the Rising Sun Kingdom. Inferior Plane.

"...The united army has taken the city as we expected. We managed to withdraw all the talented soldiers, and the rest voluntarily surrendered to not diminish the kingdom's forces. Our informants have revealed that the prisoners of war are not tortured and are kept alive under the minimum conditions of survival to not encourage their rebellion. The conquered cities maintain their daily routine except for the curfew during the night, no inhumane treatment is perceived."

After the detailed report from a soldier, he takes a step back and waits in silence.

In the room, three men surround a large table on which there is a world map, on it are different marks denoting the enemy army's advances and many other important events.

King Fair Decree, king of the Rising Sun Kingdom, and the commander of his army, Consumed Faith, look at the map and coincidentally both sigh.

After seeing this, the soldier tells the commander: "We have reduced the enemy number and fostered discord among both kingdoms, although for this we sacrificed four cities which are now in the possession of the enemy…"

He looks insecurely at the king and then at his commander, hoping that both men understand the meaning of his words without having to say it out loud. The implication of these entails a risk that could easily cost him his life.

"Why don't we attack them directly? And why have we resorted to this tactic?"

Of course, they understand perfectly what the soldier is implying, he is not the first to come to them with such concerns.

The king continues speaking. "The answer is simple. Everyone believes that the Dajhir Kingdom lost the war due to the interference of the Fafnir Kingdom, but the truth is that their defeat was bound to happen."

It is then that the commander taps the map with his finger and then smiles. "The mountains were their greatest enemy."

Their numbers dwindled alarmingly after the Dajhir army set foot on the mountains, their greatest talents dug their own graves there. Even when the final battle took place on a plain, the Fafnir Kingdom simply delivered the final blow.

The soldier knows this, but knowing and understanding are two very different things. He cannot fathom why they had to leave behind four cities when they could have brought their army to the final battle much earlier than just weeks from reaching the capital. If they had done so, in the worst case, they could retreat and prepare for the next battle. Now the enemy is right in front of their noses and they only have one chance to win! A battle that will decide victory or defeat!

"Everyone forgets something very important... The personality of the dragons."

As if the words of his commander clarified everything in an instant, the soldier forgets to breathe. "The dragon army is proud, they despise humans, the morale of the united army will decrease as they come into more contact with them. Although they have not shown themselves so far, the longer the time passes, the higher the incidence of desertion among the soldiers."

The united army has achieved four victories against the Rising Sun Kingdom, but joy is not reflected on their faces. Because they are fighting alongside their former enemy, the same men who murdered thousands of their own. After each battle, the internal fights increase.

The situation has not escalated solely because they know they have the backing of the Fafnir Kingdom.

There begins the dilemma. The Fafnir Kingdom will support them when the situation is unfavorable, but once the war is won, what fate awaits their kingdoms? Will the dragons really rule over humans? What fate awaits their families?

This time it is King Fair Decree who speaks. "Unlike the previous war, we have not sacrificed any of our talents. The final battle will be against a united army whose internal frictions will lead to their collapse, the interference of the Fafnir Kingdom will only contribute to their fall. Even if the rumors about Emperor Lawrence have some degree of truth, our army is in optimal condition to fight, nothing will shake it."

The soldier looks towards his commander and the king. He opens his mouth and tries to respond, but can only clench his fist and wonder, 'Why did they keep this conclusion to themselves, even at the cost of earning the enmity of the noble houses?'

King Fair Decree sees the soldier's gaze and sighs with a slight smile on his face. He will not repeat the same mistakes of the Dajhir Kingdom, both in victory... and in defeat. No matter the outcome, he does not regret his actions.

The king then proceeds to reveal the whole truth to the soldier and the commander Consumed Faith, the latter's face unable to hide his thoughts.

“What…?!”

+++

“Doesn't this scene bring back memories, Queen Reminiscent Euphony?”

In the sky, three people are flying and observing what happens kilometers away. The owner of these words is none other than Lawrence, next to him is Queen Reminiscent Euphony and the Prime Minister Red Filament.

She nods without any particular expression on her face, "Something similar happened during the last battle against the Dajhir Kingdom, no offense, Prime Minister."

“It’s okay, it’s true after all.” The prime minister thought he would start sweating, but unexpectedly did not. He puts away his handkerchief and says: "What surprises me is that the queen was present that day, normally a king would not take such a risk. Although it's not surprising if Emperor Lawrence was by your side."

“Yes…”

Both Prime Minister and Queen lack the energy to maintain a conversation. This is not due to the costs of maintaining flight, as it is Emperor Lawrence who is sustaining both with his mana, but because of what is happening in the distance.

Today their united army is advancing towards the capital of the Rising Sun Kingdom.

In less than an hour, the final battle will begin.

During this time, Lawrence continues sighing, again and again. The queen and prime minister look at each other, neither wanting to take the first step, but since the hierarchy between them is different, the prime minister has no choice but to be the one to ask.

“Is something the matter, Emperor Lawrence?”

“Nothing, nothing important…”

Lawrence notices his previous behavior and discovers that he has made these two leaders uncomfortable. So instead of ending the conversation, he decides to continue it to clarify the misunderstanding.

"I just spent a million gold paying someone to do something for me. Money I could have saved if I had just done it myself. It's not much, but lately, money has been slipping through my fingers... Hah..."

‘A million gold?!’

Queen Reminiscent Euphony and Prime Minister Red Filament hold their breath, both having a similar thought. Because in the Inferior Plane the most expensive magic artifacts cost around a hundred thousand golds. Not to mention paying someone a million gold to do a task, that's nothing but a scam.

Unless…

‘Divine Plane?!’

The Prime Minister cannot control his breathing and begins to sweat constantly. If his suspicion is true and Emperor Lawrence is a returnee from the Divine Plane, then… this war would be no different from a board game for him.

That would explain his smile.

Lawrence notices the prime minister's gaze and manages to perceive not only his nervousness but his fear. In that same instant, he is able to see through his thoughts.

“That's right.”

His words freeze Prime Minister Red Filament.

“I come from the Divine Plane.”

The Dajhir Kingdom was destined for defeat, with or without the intervention of the Fafnir Kingdom.