Chapter 67: The Prelude to Turmoil

  "I've calculated it out, with our current resources and manpower, we can leave the forest as is." Meddy retorted.

  "Of course, we can stay here, everyone knows that, but the price to pay for doing so is too high." Fina replied mercilessly. "I won't say such empty words as 'for the happiness of the people', but even if it's just for our own three futures and those of the important people around us, abandoning this forest would definitely be the better choice."

  "I can try a bit harder..." Mide said persistently, glancing again at Alice not far away.

  It's just that I don't want you to try harder anymore, so I decided to give up on it!

  Fina couldn't help but let out a furious yet pitiful roar in her heart.

  We can't let Modi stand alone at the forefront again. Instead, we should advance and retreat together with him, overcome difficulties together, and face challenges together.

  This was a tacit understanding and determination reached by the girls who were heartbroken after witnessing the miserable state of Weissmann in World War I.

  To carry out this determination, Feena made the decision not to return to the Hamilton family and stayed in Qiugu City with Midee, sharing various post-war tasks, while also intimidating all the villains. Similarly, to carry out this determination, what Alice has to do now is to abandon this forest.

  Only by doing so can Mide avoid having to guard such a long battle line and such a vast territory with all his might, but instead be able to settle down and most effectively enhance his strength.

  So Fina stopped Middy at this moment.

  As if responding to Feena's actions, Alice, who had always shown attachment and affection, suddenly filled her eyes with determination and decisiveness.

  The raven-haired girl lifted her head, no longer pacing back and forth, but instead took large strides to the center of the White Crow spell array she had personally laid out, then began to chant a long and abstruse incantation.

  Along with that pleasant sound, the entire tree pavilion began to tremble and then, like ashes, it disintegrated into countless particles that dispersed in the wind.

  Leaving no trace, leaving no memories, seemingly calm but actually impulsive and intense Alice, once she made up her mind, would go to this extent.

  "Let's go." Alice said calmly after everything was over.

  Behind the black-haired girl, nothing was left but a vacant lot, as if nothing had ever existed there.

  "Hmm." Fina and Alice's gazes met, this pair who often quarreled and even fought alone, looking like fire and water that couldn't coexist just like their hair colors, but in this moment, their eyes were filled with tacit understanding.

  Then, the red-haired girl nodded and patted Midy, who was still in a daze, on the shoulder. With the black-haired girl walking alongside her, they strode out of the room together.

  Even the masters of the forest resolutely abandoned everything, and the elves, no matter how conservative they were, would not have any opposing voices. Moreover, the great fire in Gran's Forest and the mutated monsters also made these reclusive elves feel terrified, after all, compared to their nostalgia for their hometown, their lives were more important.

  Also, along the way, these non-warrior members of the Spirit Tribe were very cooperative. In addition to the many preparations made beforehand, although they encountered attacks from hundreds or even thousands of mutated monster hordes during the migration process, nothing unexpected happened in the end.

  After several days of travel, the elves arrived safely in the Elven Quarter of Asuraks territory and began their new life.

  Meanwhile, in the castle of the Asuleks family, a messenger had been waiting for a long time.

  After a simple greeting, the messenger handed Midy a sumptuously crafted gilt invitation.

  This invitation comes from Count Kafka, the Kafka family being also of the Queen's party and their lands bordering those of the increasingly powerful Ashrelix family.

  The content of the invitation is also very simple.

  Sincerely invite Mr. Medei and others to attend the grand ball hosted by the Kafka family in the near future.

  When Alice saw the invitation, her gaze only stayed on the gilt surface for a moment, probably to appreciate the craftsmanship, and then her eyes immediately revealed the word "boredom".

  The Fog Witch was not a noble and naturally did not understand what it meant for an invitation like this to be sent at such a time.

  But whether it's Fina, who has been exposed to various power transactions since childhood, or Midy, who is also a noble family and has memories of rebirth, both are very clear about the meaning of this invitation.

  This is an "alliance" request.

  If anyone were to hold a grand ball in such turbulent times, they would not be far from being overthrown. The nobles of the Principality of Bellmard may have been lacking in strong will due to their long period of peace, but they are absolutely not fools; on the contrary, having crawled out of the whirlpool of court struggles, each and every one of them is a sharp wit.

  This invitation can also be considered a kind of beating around the bush.

  There are many ways to form an alliance. The most sincere way is to make a secret visit in person, and then announce it after everything is settled.

  But what about Count Kafka? Apparently he's in on it too.

  Once Middy attends the ball, Count Kafka will undoubtedly spread various rumors, creating an attitude that the Astaires family has joined forces with the Kafka family. At that time, if Middy refuses to form an alliance in a real negotiation, it will affect the reputation of the family.

  If it's an alliance in the sense of Count Kafka, then probably the safety of the Kafka territory will have to be left to the Asuleks' army to worry about.

  After all, although everyone is now a queen's faction, this is a political faction. Unless the Iron Blood Grand Duke leads personally, the relationship between the noble lords remains very loose. To say that they will stand up and support their compatriots in times of crisis is simply a fantasy.

  The nobles are creatures of interest, and Midy is no exception. However, Midy's interests are not solely for himself, but also for the people around him.

  And Count Kafka, apparently is not among them.

  But this invitation brought Midy and Feena a strange tension. As true warriors who had survived the iron-blooded battlefield, they sensed a different smell at this moment.

  It's only been two weeks since the Great Fire of Gran, and these nobles are already starting to form an alliance? It's not without its drawbacks for Ashtrex's army to enter Kavka's territory. The worst-case scenario is that Count Kavka becomes Midie's puppet. However, facing this risk, Count Kavka still chose to form an alliance, and even used deception to do so, which shows just how anxious he is right now.

  Behind this anxiety and desperation, the security of the Kafka family's territory must have been poor to a certain extent.

  What about other noble territories?

  Perhaps it is still in a relatively stable state now. But Mide, who has memories of the previous life, is very clear that the impact of the Gran Forest fire will become more and more intense as the flames are extinguished, and with the emergence of adventurers who are difficult to manage and look down on nobles like bamboo shoots after rain, the final result can be imagined.

  If all territories become as precarious as the Kaffka family's, what will happen to the Duchy of Balmoral?

  Having memories of his past life, Mide already knew the answer ——

  Civil war.

  But once the civil war begins, House Arryn will have no choice but to be bound to the queen's chariot.

  Even if the entire Scarlet Flame Legion was annihilated, or even if they annexed an earl's territory, Midie didn't have any inflated sense of self-importance. In front of these deeply rooted and powerful noble families, the Aslex family's strength was still far from enough; when the Iron Blood Duke really needed to use Midie as a knife, Midie simply didn't have the qualifications to resist.

  Moreover, when the entire Principality of Bellmare becomes a rapidly rotating meat grinder, those who remain still in their original positions will inevitably be crushed into fragments first.

  But whenever she thought of the Empire of Delos secretly spying on her, Middy couldn't help but feel a sense of anxiety.

  In his past life, Mide was nothing more than a stray dog fleeing in defeat when the dukedom fell. The only ones he had ever faced were ordinary imperial soldiers who came to slaughter the Asreix family.

  But in this life, he had already clashed with the strong of the empire.

  "The Nightmare Hand" Weissman Newton's terrible power, the three female ghost swords in the final burning life-style explosion, made him once again deeply feel the strength of the Delos Empire.

  Now, let alone against the empire, how to preserve strength in the civil war is a big problem for Mide.

  How to do it?

  Midi asked herself but couldn't get an answer.

  This situation where he clearly knew what would happen but was powerless to change it caused his brow to furrow deeply.

  But just then, a slender finger heavily tapped on his forehead.

  "Fina!" Middy rubbed his forehead and couldn't help but laugh bitterly.

  "Are you worried about civil war and also the empire of Delos behind the scenes?" Fiona asked directly.

  Although inferior to Middy in specific tactics, the Magic Bullet Queen's strategic vision is absolutely top-notch. The ominous signs revealed by this invitation, combined with the appearance of the Imperial Alchemists' Guild in the previous noble war and Middy's furrowed brow at this moment, allowed Fina, with her icy intelligence, to infer everything immediately.

  "You really know everything." Midie nodded in admiration.

  How many things have you been keeping from me!

  Fina retorted in her heart with a puffed up tone.

  However, now is not the time to pursue Midie's past in depth. What's more important are the current turmoil and the future fate of the dukedom. These are what Midie is worried about, and the reason why the girl stayed in Qiugu City was to help him, so he wouldn't have to work so hard.

  So at this moment, looking at the black-haired youth with a hint of worry in his eyes, Feena spoke up.

  "Let's build our own legion." The Bullet Queen, the former commander of the Gyrfalcon Legion, said quietly at this moment, "Not Hamilton's, not Aslex's, not the noble council's, nor the queen's faction, but a legion that belongs to us."

  "His own... legion?" Medici's mind went blank for a moment, as if he had returned to some point in his previous life.

  "Yes, my own legion. I've already thought of a name - let's call it the Swallow Legion. As for why... it's because I yearn for a life as free and easy as the red swallow."

  Declaring with a confident and proud tone, Fina's eyes were filled with an aura that didn't match her eighteen-year-old self, and the cuteness unique to an eighteen-year-old girl.

  For an instant, Meddy was once again captivated by such a gaze.