“Um… what should we do now……”

They couldn’t help but be desperate. It was an issue that involved the safety of their homeland and families.

However, there was only one answer Tatiana could give right now. Her instinct as a swordsman was telling her this.

Go back. Run away.

“For now, let’s all return to the castle.”

“Then what about that……”

“Ah, we’ll think about that later.”

She could stake her 21 years of life as a swordsman on this.

“Messing with something like that carelessly will get you killed.”

Tatiana pushed the group’s backs, saying they should come back properly prepared.

* * *

It had been a series of meetings since morning. There were far too many current issues that needed to be addressed.

Gideon proposed to the Queen’s side that the royal seal should be verified under the supervision of the Magic Tower. He said he would accept the date, location, and all other methods as they wished. It was an extremely generous attitude, and at first glance, it seemed like a concession.

However, from Tatiana’s perspective, knowing that the royal seal they possessed was fake… it just seemed like taunting them.

She couldn’t help but subtly ask,

‘Hmm, it seems a bit like you’re provoking them.’

The Gideon siblings answered simultaneously,

‘You’re probably right.’

‘Yes, we are provoking them.’

Scarlet didn’t stop there and began writing letters to the noble ladies remaining in the capital, as if intending to escalate the matter further. She invited them all to come to the Magic Tower to watch.

While spreading rumors everywhere, she was also disciplining them, asking if they were on their side.

Scarlet, who smiled slyly while writing the letters, honestly looked quite excited. Having encountered her area of expertise, she seemed to be even humming.

However, since that melody was somewhat evil and chilling, Tatiana couldn’t help but ask once, for the sake of managing the pregnant woman’s emotions,

‘Um, is this okay for prenatal education……’

‘Yes, I’m in the middle of prenatal education. I’m going to raise our baby to be a diplomat.’

‘But until recently, you said you’d raise them to be a knight……’

Judging by the tendencies of the couple, the diplomat route seemed much more likely, but still, it felt like her words changed too easily.

‘Yes, whatever you say. But when the baby grows up and learns to speak, you must ask for their opinion. Well, I’m sure you’ll handle it well……’

The assassins became messenger birds, carrying Scarlet’s invitations every night.

And as everyone expected, the Queen’s side refused the royal seal verification procedure. At first, they pretended to postpone it day after day, but now they were consistently unresponsive.

This incident became a turning point in the succession dispute.

The Magic Tower officially began to collaborate with Gideon’s side. The nobles who had been sitting on the fence one by one headed north, and the day before yesterday, the Central Army joined.

Now, Gideon’s side had only two tasks remaining.

Fullman’s statement of support and the resolution of the monster situation.

Meanwhile, Sir Browning was faithfully fulfilling his role in his home country. Gideon and the Fullman royal family were in the process of coordinating the scale of troop deployment.

Even for an allied nation, the entry of a foreign army could escalate into a sensitive issue related to sovereignty.

What Gideon wanted was symbolism, just that much.

The deployment would likely consist of a small elite force, mainly knights.

And as a side note, Scarlet was quite disappointed during this time. She seemed to have expected news of her husband and love letters, but all that came from Fullman were dry business reports.

Tatiana deeply sympathized in her heart.

‘I express my sincere condolences. The warmth of the deceased in the report……’

No matter how busy he was, to not even ask about his pregnant wife’s well-being…… Of course, he was there on official business, but no one would criticize him for showing that much flexibility.

Looking at Scarlet’s gloomy expression, Tatiana could be certain.

‘This will last a lifetime.’

For the peace of the couple, she thought she should set a date and properly tell her. How much her husband had worried and fretted over her before leaving Valter.

But from then on, Tatiana also became busy.

With everyone busy with their roles, she couldn’t just be idle.

She sent someone to the Magic Tower to explain the current situation and demanded more practical support. Send mages to the north, she said.

Princess Scarlet expressed some concern about this.

‘But won’t they be too cautious? Monster subjugation, in fact, requires risking one’s life.’

Scarlet seemed to understand the dual personalities of mages very well, but she didn’t seem to fully grasp how reed-like they could become in front of magical resources.

In fact, what would truly interest them was not the magic stones but the ancient tree that had taken root on top of them.

The ancient tree, soaked in magic, had now become something that was neither a magic stone nor a tree, but some strange entity. It was well worth researching.

The mages Tatiana knew would be so excited that they would rush to the north without hesitation. They would undoubtedly devote themselves to research, even willing to take root next to the ancient tree, foregoing food and drink.

And shall I tell you how excited they were about this news in reality?

It was when the Grand Duke and Gideon were having a serious conversation, formulating strategies. There was a commotion outside, and then the conference room door flung open.

“Is it right to make an old man come all the way to such a distant place?”

The head of the Magic Tower came in person. It was as if he had flown here via gate as soon as he heard the news.

Even if the head of the Magic Tower had just selected and sent executive-level mages under his command, no one would have objected. After all, he was the eldest among them and had contributed greatly to the development of Valter’s mages.

In fact, he deserved to be respected as a national elder just for his achievements in research.

But the head of the Magic Tower, without anyone asking him to, came in person and grumbled.

About his old body, the northern climate, how the gate malfunctioned and gave him a headache, how the guys below neglected maintenance…

Tatiana listened quietly and thought, He must be embarrassed for rushing here so hastily.

She decided to accommodate the head of the Magic Tower’s mood appropriately.

“Thank you for coming. It must have been tough getting here. We also had a hard time when we came.”

“……”

“But you don’t look like an old man. It’s really good that you’re healthy.”

To be honest, saying he didn’t look like an old man was just flattery. Even with good intentions, it pricked her conscience to say such things to a grandfather with white hair all over.

However, it was true that the head of the Magic Tower was robust for his age, and saying that it was good he was healthy was sincere without a hint of falsehood.

As repeatedly mentioned, Tatiana prefers counterexamples and has a special affection for them.

In the world of swordsmen and mages, where many die young and professional lifespans are short, the role of someone like the head of the Magic Tower is not insignificant.

They provide insights to many people simply by living their lives healthily and consistently doing their work. At times, they even inspire her, making her believe she too might remain active at that age.

So she wishes that the head of the Magic Tower would remain active for a long, long time.

When Tatiana smiled brightly, the head of the Magic Tower, who had been constantly grumbling, seemed a bit embarrassed. He made a blank expression and then stared at Tatiana before saying,

“You resemble Enya so much.”

Tatiana laughed out loud at the old man who had suddenly become sentimental. Then she became curious. Which part of her words had made him discover a resemblance to her mother?

Throughout her life, Tatiana had heard much more often that she resembled her father rather than her mother. Yet no matter how much she looked in the mirror, her appearance was clearly inherited from her maternal line.

It seems that people couldn’t bring themselves to say the little child resembled her mother when they saw her wielding a sword as thick as an adult’s arm since she was three or four years old.

However, looking at the head of the Magic Tower’s eyes still filled with nostalgia, she nodded.

It made sense. People naturally see the faces of those they feel emotionally close to.

The head of the Magic Tower and Tatiana began to talk, forming a bond through Lady Bloom. The one who first brought up the main topic was the head of the Magic Tower.

“So, what’s this about a tree, how is it?”