"Ahem," Solana cleared her throat with a cough and changed the topic.

"Anyway, how much have you learned about the current situation with the Holy Knight Empire, Lady Arabelle? Have you received the news from the southern borders?"

"I made my way here as soon as I heard about Queen Sybil's scheme and the Assembly of Silent Night's activities in the central region, Lady Solana." Arabelle shifted her attention from Vaan to give a serious reply. Then, she asked with a frown, "What is this news from the southern borders you are talking about?"

"I see. You must have missed it on your way here.." Solana figured before pausing for a moment, then adding, "Or perhaps, the southern border lords only shared the news with central."

"If it were the latter, that would save us the trouble of dealing with the witches from the capital. But on the other hand, it will be difficult to rally troops for the war," Silvaria mentioned.

"War? What war are we talking about? Who are we going to war with? The Kingdom of Verdant Woods? No, don't tell me it's the Holy Knight Empire?!" Arabelle asked cluelessly with a solemn expression.

Shortly after Solana explained the situation regarding the Holy Knight Empire's demands and intentions, Arabelle and her personal guards' expressions turned ugly.

Their expressions were the most grave when Solana recounted Vaan's scout report on the empire's strength.

Arabelle and her personal guards didn't expect the Holy Knight Empire to be so powerful.

No, it was more accurate to say that they didn't want to believe it. Deep down, they had always known the Holy Knight Empire would surpass them one day.

However, they were too drunk on the glory of their past to accept it.

After all, in the past, many witches were refugees who had fled from the southern kingdom and empires and founded the Kingdom of Black Rose to escape the oppressive and tyrannical rule of men.

"This is big news!" Arabelle slammed the table with both hands as she stood up solemnly. "If war with the empire is inevitable, we need to alert the capital and notify Her Majesty so she can lead us!"

"That won't help. Transcendent Henrietta is missing, trapped somewhere by Transcendent Sybil. If everyone learns about it, there will be chaos in the capital; all the bigwigs will become warlords and fight for control of the kingdom's army," Astoria calmly stated.

"Vaan will assume the position of supreme commander and lead us in this war with the empire."

"What?" Arabelle glared at Astoria with frustration and replied snappily, "Even if what you say is true, do you understand what you're saying, Headmaster Astoria?! The fate of the whole kingdom is on the line, and you're just going to put a man in control of..!"

Arabelle did not dare to finish her sentence when she quickly noticed everyone staring at her with displeasure. There was also a threatening undertone hidden in Aeliana and Eniwse's gazes.

Gulp!

Arabelle swallowed her remaining words.

She was not stupid. It wasn't difficult for her to guess Vaan was the most important person within the group.

Furthermore, the abnormal strength everyone revealed had to be related to him as well.

"Never mind, I am willing to listen to your reasons." Arabelle backed down, regaining her cool before she enquired, "Do we have a solid plan against the empire if they invade us?"

"That's what we are currently working on." Astoria suddenly turned to Vaan and asked, "Right. How did your trip go, Vaan? Has Lord Helia finished arranging the meeting?"

"Yeah, we will convene at Fort Whitebridge in three hours," Vaan casually replied with a nod.

"Three hours?" Arabelle's lips twitched before she mentioned, "Even if we rush there at top speed with magic airships, we will not make it within the time frame. Just how do you plan on getting there on time?"

"That's not something you need to worry about." Vaan calmly glanced at Arabelle and asked, "Will you be joining us?"

"Do you even need to ask? Of course, I am! How can I miss out on such an important meeting?" Arabelle firmly responded.

Little did she know, it wasn't a meeting to discuss defensive strategies against the empire.

No, it was a meeting for Vaan to acquire the border lords' allegiance, whether through peaceful negotiations or with forceful means.

It was impossible to mobilize the full force of the kingdom to participate in the war.

After all, while many warlords would rise to assume control, even more people would flee once they learned the empire's strength.

As such, it was crucial to at least acquire the allegiance of the three border lords, considering they were the most experienced and familiar with the empire and the surrounding terrains.

One week was not a lot of time to prepare. Thus, they only needed to gather the most willing and experienced to join the war.

"Then, get ready," Vaan acknowledged Arabelle's participation before he said, "After I come back, we will all depart for Fort Whitebridge."

"Wait, my Lord," Aeliana suddenly stopped Vaan as he was putting Linetta down and preparing to leave.

"What is it—?"historical

Smooch!

Aeliana wiped Linetta's marks off Vaan's cheeks before giving him several soft pecks. Then, she gave Linetta a haughty look to show her dominance.

At the same time, the others witnessed the scene before Eniwse and a few others mimicked Aeliana's action. They gave Vaan soft pecks on the cheeks to reveal their relationship in front of Linetta.

Eniwse and Dahlia didn't have a problem proving the intimate relationship in front of Linetta, while Astoria hesitated a bit.

Meanwhile, Hester and Solana chose not to participate. Even so, their wry expressions revealed they had some intimate relationships with Vaan.

Only Cyrena and Silvaria were excluded. Still, their envious gazes also revealed their desires to enter an intimate relationship with Vaan.

Linetta could only stand still with a dumbfounded look as Vaan's relationships were exposed. She didn't realize she had so many tough competitions.

But at the same time, she suddenly felt a pang in her heart, thinking what kind of horrible situation she had put Vaan in after she left that it would force him to rely on so many powerful witches for support.