Sir Enceladus was displeased by the sight of Methone, who appeared clean and unscathed, unlike the rest.

“So, the central authority has finally decided to intervene directly?”

Methone spoke with a face full of vigor.

“Many people are questioning Sir Enceladus. They believe your struggles against Ariel are deliberate negligence. They say you’re deliberately avoiding battle to drag this out.”

“Then why not take my head? Will you accuse me of multiple crimes and chop me into tiny pieces?”

Priest Methone frowned at Sir Enceladus’ sarcasm.

“Have you already given up?”

“Giving up is what His Majesty has done. Hah! You’ve already discussed how to divide me up, yet you speak of giving up in front of me?”

Priest Methone, replied solemnly.

“This is in the event of failure. If you succeed, none of that matters.”

“Victory? Without support? Without supplies? Without soldiers? I’ve long been aware of the refusal of commanders to come here.”

Priest Methone responded with a calm demeanor.

“I’ve done my best to defend you before His Majesty. You have no idea how much.”

Enceladus sneered.

“I know the king too well for such flattery to work on me. Say what you must, Priest Methone. Whether I can fulfill it is another matter.”

Priest Methone gazed at Enceladus with his trademark serene expression. Enceladus recognized that look.

“A priest using sanctimony as a political weapon.”

Unaware of Enceladus’ inner thoughts, Methone asked calmly,

“Have you discovered the cause of the frequent landslides? Why has Titania, which had been quiet for years, suddenly been plagued with so many natural disasters?”

“Of course, I have. It’s Ariel’s doing. When it snows, they trigger avalanches. When it rains, they cause landslides. On clear days, they set up traps to cause yet another landslide. If they aren’t gods, then they must have scouted the terrain and installed devices.”

“Then you should remove those devices. Will you keep losing soldiers each time they create a landslide?”

“I’ve already sent out scouts and ambush teams, but they all disappeared. I’m left blind and deaf. Priest Methone, please show us your abilities. How fortunate we are that you’ve graced us with your presence. Take over as commander in my stead. Surely, you won’t have to fear losing your head even if you fail.”

Priest Methone smiled bitterly.

“Sir Enceladus, it’s far too late. You can no longer abandon your post. If you do, the House of Enceladus will vanish from Saturn.”

Enceladus chuckled hollowly.

“Do you know what I’ve been hearing the most lately? That Saturn is irreverent. We always scorn Uranus as a land steeped in chaos, disorder, and greed. We claim their lack of faith is to blame. But do you know what Ariel says? They say we are the ones desecrating the goddess Titania.”

Priest Methone’s calm face flushed red.

“The irreverent dare accuse us? Uranus, with not a shred of faith to their name—”

“They say Priest Methone started this war. Surely, they’ve done some reconnaissance to come up with such rumors. A priest inciting and leading a war? To them, it’s unthinkable for a devout person to act this way.”

Enceladus bowed mockingly.

“Now that you’re here, perform a miracle. Show them that Priest Methone truly acts according to divine will. Perhaps stop the landslides, for instance?”

Priest Methone’s face turned even redder.

“The slander of Uranus is vile. For a commander to be swayed by such propaganda—”

“Yes, Uranus’ slander is vile. But why did you not say so when I was reprimanded or when Sir Dione was stripped of his title? Now that it’s your matter at hand, excuses suddenly come to mind?”

In truth, Priest Methone had intended to defend both Enceladus and Dione when reporting Dione’s jest to the king. However, the king’s fury was so intense that Priest Methone abandoned his original plan after two of his attendants were sent to meet the gods that same day.

With a bitter smile, Priest Methone said,

“In the end, Uranus’ slander shines brighter due to the commander’s incompetence.”

“That’s how it’ll be. My incompetence has already been established. Even if I prove myself capable here, what difference will it make? I’ve heard that all war expenses have already been calculated to fall on my estate. Some even suggest I cross the Titania Mountains and leave it all behind. Whispers of how I’ll lose my family and land no matter what I do have reached the ears of those on the frontlines.”

As Enceladus spoke, his anger flared. He stepped closer to Priest Methone, his tone increasingly menacing.

“Is this also Uranus’ slander? Or is it Saturn’s? Do you still believe Uranus is the chaotic one? Can you confidently say Uranus’ betrayal wasn’t spurred by Saturn’s meddling?”

Priest Methone raised a hand and swore,

“I vow in the name of the gods that this war will end victoriously—”

Enceladus interrupted with a scornful laugh.

“Victorious, you say… So, if this endeavor fails or achieves nothing, are you implying that even the venerable Priest Methone will be powerless to change the outcome? From the very beginning, it’s been me, who opposed this course of action, that would be burdened with the blame for failure and denied peace even in success. Tell me, is it the king who wishes for Enceladus’ ruin, or is it certain families in Saturn? Are Enceladus’ true enemies really beyond Titania? What do you think?”

Priest Methone responded, “Sir Enceladus, choose your words carefully. It hasn’t been long since you committed sacrilege. If you continue, you may soon find yourself accused of plotting rebellion.”

“Ha! Do you think I’m afraid? Do you think I now fear being branded a traitor? The king and his inner circle have pushed us far too hard. Even you, Priest Methone, won’t escape unscathed from this debacle.”

At that moment, Dione wiped the mud from his hands onto Priest Methone’s pristine, white robes.

“Since such a distinguished guest has come from the capital, we must ensure your reception is grand. You won’t leave until you’ve experienced all the hospitality we can offer.”

When Dione shouted outside the tent, soldiers began rounding up Priest Methone and his entourage into one place.

Priest Methone, visibly flustered, protested, “I came here to help you! It’s my plan, and I can ensure it succeeds if you let me.”

Sir Enceladus replied, “Yes, Priest Methone. You will help us—on our terms.”

Within moments, Priest Methone’s mouth was gagged, and his party, hailing from the capital, was herded into a storage facility.

After tidying up, Dione asked, “We had no other choice, but now what do we do?”

Sir Enceladus, as if unaffected, responded, “We negotiate, of course. We’re here to wage war. Turning our backs now is simple. All it takes is redirecting the sword’s point. What’s so hard about that?”

Dione’s hands trembled slightly, and his voice wavered. “But… with the Titan Knights all captured…”

“They’re not captured—they’ve infiltrated the capital.”

After a long silence, Dione muttered, “Good heavens! How long have you been planning this?”

“Since they ordered us to send the Titans to the capital.”

“You even had this in mind when they suggested we act as emissaries to Uranus?”

Sir Enceladus calmly explained, “Yes. It seemed clear to me that the situation in Uranus was vastly different from what we were being told. Seeing it firsthand only confirmed it—much of the information we had was cleverly distorted, likely to incite this war. While Priest Methone is intelligent, I’m still unsure whether he’s a victim of manipulation or an accomplice.”

Dione’s voice gained strength as he said, “For now, keeping Methone under lock and key while observing what the king and his circle do next isn’t a bad strategy. Does this mean the war with Ariel and Umbriel is over?”

“We might need to hit them hard one more time, just to be sure. Frankly, Ariel and Umbriel haven’t suffered nearly enough damage.”

Dione frowned. “Umbriel, perhaps, but Ariel won’t take it lying down if we strike them hard. So far, all our small skirmishes have ended in their favor. They’ll retaliate fiercely if provoked. We could risk giving them an even greater advantage. We must be cautious.”

“Are you scared because they’ve beaten us a few times?”

“They’re not to be underestimated. Ariel may seem quiet and subdued, but look at what happened when we underestimated them. I still consider it a miracle my head isn’t displayed atop their city gates. Ariel is… something else.”

Sir Enceladus felt a surge of irritation but held it in. As someone who shared life-and-death situations on the battlefield with Dione, he knew the words deserved consideration.

“We’ve already detained Priest Methone. There’s no turning back now. We’re in too deep.”

“Exactly. Which is why we can’t allow Ariel or Umbriel to catch us off guard.”

Sir Enceladus nodded. “Rally the troops and raise their morale. It must have taken a hit.”

Though Enceladus had abandoned plans to cross the Titania Mountains, he doubted the soldiers would feel motivated.

“Who’d be eager to fight a rebellion? That would be even stranger.”

***

While Saturn quietly simmered with unrest, Uranus wasn’t tranquil either. After returning to the capital, Prince Frederick wasn’t exactly reclusive, but his social engagements had noticeably diminished.

The official explanation was the need for restraint during wartime, a reasonable justification that led the social scene to tone down its gatherings and festivities. Even royal events were scaled back.

However, it was the Empress who felt the most frustration. Her anger over the Cressida affair simmered beneath the surface. For her, arranging royal events was one of the few ways to discreetly extend her influence and forge connections with other noble families.

Prince Frederick’s actions effectively disrupted that avenue. Unable to bear the situation, the Empress made a rare visit to his residence.

Though she always treated Prince Frederick with care—seeing him as the future emperor and ensuring her actions never felt overbearing—this time, the situation demanded action.

When a servant tried to block her path, saying the prince was in the middle of a lesson, the Empress brushed past and entered unannounced.

***

In the office, Prince Frederick and Sir Federico sat side by side in chairs. Sir Federico had been encouraging Prince Frederick to make regular use of the office.

Sir Federico said,

“Managing affairs is a skill, Your Highness. Reviewing documents and synthesizing information requires practice. It’s the same for you, Prince Frederick. With consistent effort, it will come naturally to you, just as frequent hunting becomes second nature over time. The same principle applies to handling administrative tasks.”

Although an older and seasoned teacher, Federico preferred to use relatable examples, particularly ones he thought would pique Frederick’s interest, making it easier for the prince to understand.

Prince Frederick nodded.

“Thank you for your advice that improvement comes with practice.”

Federico nodded in return.

“You are sharp, Your Highness. A few attempts, and you’ll quickly grasp how to handle such matters. Tasks like these are best learned through direct experience rather than mere explanation.”

As Prince Frederick turned over the pages of a document, listening to Federico’s guidance, the office door suddenly burst open. Standing at the entrance was the Empress, her face flushed with anger as she stared at the two men.