A few days after the pleasant meeting, a report came.

An emergency, huh…

“My lord! I have a report! The demon tribe has attacked. The construction workers were attacked and many were killed. Sir Rossi is on his way to help!”

The whole room became noisy.

Was I in a hurry somewhere, or was I being a bit arrogant.

I was tripped up brilliantly.

I tried to hide my inner shock and feigned calmness.

“I understood. I will wait for further information.”

After the messenger leaves in a hurry, I look at Kiara.

Kiara nodded at that.

“An urgent strategy meeting. I will convene it as soon as possible.”

I nod silently.

And in my head, I kept repeating the question to myself.

The cabinet, except Charles, Oracio and Prytanis gathered.

They were all looking at me uneasily.

I opened my mouth in an indifferent tone.

“I think you have heard the general report. We were ambushed by the demon tribe. All plans for inspection will be canceled and we are moving to the emergency system.”

Everyone nodded.

As it was, I opened my heavy mouth.

“This time’s surprise attack is my fault. I will take responsibility for this later… but for now, let’s focus on getting through this attack in a united front.”

Oracio shook his head at my statement.

“None of us intends to hold my lord accountable. And all of us are willing to help. What should we do?”

“I appreciate the sentiment, but responsibility for the consequences needs to be clarified. The first thing we need to do is shift to the emergency system of governance that we have been planning for some time. Then we will wait for Sir Rossi’s report.”

After some minor adjustments, the meeting was adjourned.

Even if I had given the reason for the earlier decision at the meeting, it would have amounted to nothing more than self-pity.

For now, it was important to keep a calm mind and not let the commotion spread to everyone.

I returned to my room and sat down on my bed, feeling exhausted.

I guess Mil and Kiara are worried about me.

It was just the three of us in the room, as usual.

I shake my head.

“Looks like I was being arrogant. I kept saying that the other guy is a thinker too, and here we are. As expected, I hate myself.”

Rather than mend, he revealed his uncool but honest feelings.

I thought I should do that to the two people who had supported me up to now.

Mil and Kiara sat on either side of me, as usual.

Mil peered at me with a worried look on his face.

“I knew Al had been acting a little strange lately. But things have been going on… I won’t say that Al is not to blame for what happened. I’m sure you don’t want me to say that. So let’s make up for it together.”

Kiara shook my hand.

“Yes… for the first time, I saw your brother fail. But there have been many people who have been saved up until now, haven’t there? It would be strange to think that everything you have done would be negated because of this. After making a mistake, it is important to reflect on it and what you will do in the future…that’s what my brother taught me. So, what you’re going to do now is what’s important. I will do whatever I can to help.”

I sighed deeply.

“Thank you, both of you. You’re right, I don’t have time for self-pity… They’ve taken the lead, but we haven’t lost yet.”

Having said that, I still haven’t reorganized my feelings.

After all, I had not grown much since my reincarnation.

But… even if I myself have not progressed, the environment around me is different.

Kiara’s grip on my hand tightened.

“What are you going to do now?”

“Oliver got me there. If we rush in here, we’ll be right where they want us. First, let’s confirm the situation.”

“He’s amazing to take one point from brother. Is he really a wise man in the true sense of the word?”

I couldn’t suppress a helpless laugh.

“Logically, I was not wrong. It was irrational to deviate from it. It was irrational, that’s why he chose to do it. I overlooked something as simple as that.”

Mil gave me a small smile.

“So, what do you think Mr. Oliver’s next move will be?”

Thankfully, she’s thinking about how I can get back on my feet.

I smile at the mill.

“He’ll shake me down, make me dysfunctional. He’ll try to shake me up so I can’t think of a plan, until we come to a truce. Maybe…”

Once you fail, you become a coward.

You wonder if it’s right… if you’ve overlooked something or made an assumption, and you’re stuck in a swamp of doubt.

If I were alone, I would have been stuck.

Now I have someone to pull me out of the swamp.

If I don’t repay that hand for it, there is no point in living.

I changed my expression and silently thought over the situation.

Then I came to a conclusion.

I looked over at the two of them and opened my mouth.

“A surprise attack on the capital.”

Mil and Kiara’s faces went from surprised to serious right away.

Kiara smiles at me.

“You’ve been thinking about this possibility for some time. Do you have a plan in place to deal with it?”

“It’s not that I don’t have one. I have left the means in place to protect the capital. I will leave it in the hands of Robert and Magali.”

Kiara smiled meaningfully.

“Certainly, that sounds fine. And we’ve left the Knight’s Order behind.”

Mil also began to laugh.

“Yes, and there’s no way they can attack the capital with everything they’ve got.”

I’m feeling much better now.

My heart was a little lighter, too.

“Yeah, it’s impossible. So we’ll concentrate on fighting Oliver out front.”

“I wonder if Mr. Oliver was planning to outwit Al from the beginning.”

I laughed and shook my head.

“No, I think he saw me and made his call. He was cleverly taking advantage of his disciple’s defeat and pretending to be dead in order to catch him off guard. I was completely taken in.”

“I wonder if Mr. Oliver sees a way to win?”

It should not be that clear.

I shook my head quietly.

“At least he thinks there’s a chance if they can make me dysfunctional and unsure of myself. It’s a surprise attack to overturn a disadvantage. From here on out, it’s a guessing game with me. We’ll be fighting each other with no scenario.”

“Up until now, Al has been able to make a plan and lead them there, but he can’t do that this time.”

I smiled at Mil and shrugged my shoulders.

“This time we had to improvise and make the right move. Don’t worry, I have a good chance of winning.”

Kiara peeks at me.

“What kind of odds?”

“I told you before, didn’t I? The age difference.”

Mil and Kiara looked at each other and gave a tight smile.

I guess they couldn’t imagine what kind of a bad move I would make.

But I don’t have any great tricks up my sleeve.

I’m dealing with a wise man.

If I try anything elaborate, he will easily dodge it.

I will be caught off guard if I only feign normalcy.

In the true sense of the word, it is necessary to be calm in the face of the opponent.

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