She felt Kyle catch his breath.

Yes, it is.

Shes been involved with Kyle in different lifetimes.

She thought she had formed a bond with him on each occasion, but the major problems he and the Koyor Kingdom were facing were kept secret from Rishe, who was merely a merchant and pharmacist.

Of course. He can only reveal this stuff to the core figures of the country.

Koyor has preserved its existence as a nation with its financial wealth and the power of diplomacy through political marriage alone.

The loss of financial power from Koyor would lead directly to the destruction of the nation.

If there was nothing left that Koyor could offer, neighboring countries would fight over it, and the victorious country would end up swallowing the territory as its own.

Something close to that had happened in the future.

That was when Arnold, who became emperor, waged war on the world.

It was supposed to be the least damaging way for a kingdom like Koyor, which lacked the strength to fight, to surrender before the battle.

But the surrounding countries surrounding Koyor didnt allow it.

After all, all the shipping routes from Garkhain led to the port of Koyor.

If the Koyol Kingdom was lost to Garkhain, it would have been a great blow to the northern continental countries.

It was for this reason that the allies forced Koyor to fight with them. They declared that if Koyor refused to do so, they would attack Koyor before Garkhain could.

Koyor had no choice but to go to war.

They shoveled together the few knights they had in the country and threw them into battle. But most of them ended up dead.

Riche still remembered the events in her lives as a pharmacist.

[Wertsner, I want to protect the country.]

That juncture was when there was no longer any decent knight left in Koyor. Kyle took the sword in his own hand and paid no heed to Rishes dissuasion.

[For that, Im not going to employ any means Its probably my greatest responsibility, having been born to die.]

Rishe has no idea what happened to Kyle then.

Rishe herself was killed in one of the battles she got embroiled to as a pharmacist.

But, Im just not sure what to make of it.

Arnold uttered and asked with little interest.

Your actions are nothing short of folly. Why did you come here with a state bordering ineptitude?

The question was quickly answered.

I probably wont live much longer.

Kyle spoke slowly, his voice tinged with a kind of tragic resolve.

A new life will soon be born to my royal family. For the sake of that childs future and for the sake of my own people, I must do what I can now.

Ha

Arnold sneered.

It sounded eloquent, as if to say that it wasnt worth talking about.

Then Arnold turned to Kyle and told him something she didnt expect.

I get it. Let me show you how to win a war.

W-What did you just say?

Like Kyle, Rishe, who was hiding, was also surprised. But Arnold didnt care.

For a ruler, its a common sentiment to govern in line with the peoples hearts. The general of the army must be a man of wisdom, leadership and control.

The sound of hard soles echoed.

Choose the best skilled soldiers, and ensure their compliance with orders and discipline. Rewards and punishments for soldiers should be carried out fairly and rigorously. You must master the terrain of the battlefield and proceed as far as possible under weather and climate favorable to your army Theres more, but the basics are these.

Arnold enumerated his own cars to Kyle, then continued.

But even with the knowledge I just gave you, Koyor wont win the war. Thats because you dont have the power to put this knowledge into practice. Will your people be able to stop chopping wood for the winter to train? Do you have time to spend on devising ways to cultivate your land and fight with other nations?

Thats

The former dynasty must have found a way out of diplomacy because they couldnt do it.

Arnold faced Kyle and hammered the words mercilessly.

A competent man is someone who can put their knowledge into practical use, and Im not interested in incompetent human beings Even if hes a royalty of a neighboring country.

Wait, Your Highness.

I decline. Since you seem to have misunderstood me in the first place, let me clarify, the Emperor of this country and I are on the same side.

In that instant, the air in the place seemed to have grown colder.

Its more in my nature to invade and take someone under my control rather than join hands with another country.

The sound of Arnolds shoes echoed from the balcony. Rishe quickly left before she was noticed.

She left the hall as quickly as she could while keeping an eye out for any sign of Rovine. She escaped to a corner of the corridor in the main castle with the cacophony of voices chatting behind her.

Then she meditated in the shadows.

What swirled around in her head was, of course, what just happened.

This one is a turning point.

Rishe exhaled softly.

Prince Kyle proposed an alliance to His Highness Arnold. It may be a minor event in the history of Garkhain, but for Koyor, it would be a major historical divergence that would change the tragedy that would occur five years later.

After all, Koyor had only one choice in the past, to be destroyed by Garkhain or by the neighboring countries.

However, if they could build a friendly relationship with Garkhain here.

If they could use that as an opportunity to gain enough power to brave surrounding countries, that would change Koyors fate.

Theres absolutely no room for mistakes here.

Rishe pressed her lips tightly.

Prince Kyle should be prepared to do anything to form an alliance with Garkhain. But that would be pointless. If Koyor remains in a subservient position, Koyors ruler will just have to change to be an ally to Garkhain.

If that happened, there was only one point to aim for.

In short, they need to get Koyor, which has never had much power, be powerful enough to form an equal relationship with the great Garkhain?

Rishe almost squatted on the spot.

Could there really be such a method? As long as she didnt have to meet the Emperor of Garkhain; if Rishe could do anything, that would only be to change Arnolds mind.

[Its more in my nature to invade and take someone under my control rather than join hands with another country.]

He said that so seriously.

Rishe clenched her hands tightly at the tremendousness of the path she had to seize.