"Dong dong dong~ Lady Yinla... Miss Orpheus is looking for you."

"..."

Orpheus? Did she come specifically to see me?

Thinking this, Yinla stopped writing with her quill pen, placed the still-wet letter on the table, and after thinking for a moment, decided not to put the envelope away... It wasn't anything that couldn't be shown to Orpheus.

"Please come in."

At Illa's voice, his room opened, and what came into view was... a succubus maid and two ghost maids, along with Orpheus and some of her guards behind them.

Then, Orpheus entered alone, while her guards remained outside the room and closed the door.

The maids didn't seem worried about Illa's safety at all, and simply dispersed to do their own things... a stark contrast to Orpheus's guards.

However, this is quite reasonable, after all...

“If I wanted to harm you, the guards outside would be completely useless.”

Yinla spoke simply, turning his back to Orpheus. He no longer exuded the same oppressive aura he had at the negotiating table during the day. He said, "Please sit down."

Orpheus was aware of this as well.

“I know, but it’s their job, and whatever the reality is, they need to fulfill their duties as guards.”

As Orpheus spoke, she pulled out a chair from under the table and sat down... In front of her was the same table where the goblins used to eat pudding and where Topps used to eat sweet soup.

Yinla also temporarily stopped his work. He turned his head briefly, brewed a simple cup of tea, and also brewed a cup for Orpheus. He said, "It's so late, is there something you need from me?"

This attitude... how should I put it?

Orpheus found Illa's attitude at this moment somewhat novel; it neither appeared respectful nor arrogant, but rather like a very simple conversation... even though, given their respective positions, it shouldn't have been like this.

But it's quite interesting, as if this is how the world is supposed to be.

"It's still about the Empire."

Yinla could roughly guess what Orphirus was saying. He nodded and said, "If it's still about the alliance, I think I made it very clear during the day. We need more time to discuss and consider it."

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Seeing that Illa seemed uninterested, Orpheus didn't back down. She chose a more direct approach, saying, "Not 'you,' but 'you,' is that alright?"

The subtext of this statement is...

"It's not the Demon King's territory, but me... is that right?"

As Yinla spoke, he sat down, took a sip of tea, and felt that he might already understand what Orpheus was planning. He said, "Is this a resolution of the council or your idea?"

That's a very pertinent question.

"The parliament has its own set of plans, but I've come up with my own proposal. I think... things might be easier if I approach you directly."

In other words, the cost is lower...

So, Yinla really needs some time to think about what kind of response she should give... Do you want to use my relationship with the [Yinla faction] to cause the empire to collapse from within?

It seems that this councilor named Orpheus is indeed capable; at least she can see what the empire's biggest problem is right now, and she does have the means to exploit it.

Isabella really able to keep them in check...?

Even Yinla now has some doubts about this, or rather, he has never doubted it: if he sends a letter back, which side will his people choose... However, he is not even quite sure what he thinks.

Isabella is probably still a bit inexperienced and needs a long time to learn... As it turns out, she shouldn't be thinking about becoming a master so soon, since she might not even be able to overcome this hurdle.

You idiot, you idiot.

Although Yinla was internally complaining, he appeared expressionless, leaving Orpheus puzzled. She took a small sip of the golden-edged tea, and then her eyes widened suddenly... The tea was actually quite ordinary and inexpensive.

However, Inra's technique seemed excessively good.

"It's delicious..."

In response to Orpheus's uncontrollable praise, Yinla nodded and offered a simple thank you, saying, "Thank you for the compliment, everyone says so... So, what you're actually thinking is that I write a letter back to the Empire and incite my people to split up?"

Orpheus nodded, admiring Illa's directness on such matters, but also acknowledging its effectiveness. She said, "Yes, in fact, the Empire is already showing signs of this."

Is that so? Well then... good luck, Isabella.

Thinking this, Yinla smiled, rested his chin on his hand, and said, "If this is your purpose, then I can only say I'm sorry, I don't intend to do anything... Of course, I won't stop you from doing whatever you want."

"..."

"Yinla, what do you want?"

Orpheus's direct question clearly shows that she has learned from Novak how to communicate quickly with Ira, and sometimes there is no need to be secretive.

"A reliable and long-term partner, nothing more... It has nothing to do with which side is in the war; that's for Satan to consider, not for me to decide."

As he said this, Yinla looked at Orpheus, who was standing there with her mouth agape, unsure of what to say. He felt that the conversation had come to an end, so he said calmly, "The honey desserts in the Demon King's territory are delicious. You can ask a slime chef for a serving when you leave."

"..."

Orpheus, who was looking at him with a strange expression and whose mind was filled with thoughts like, "So you're not the actual ruler of the Demon King's territory? With that arrogant attitude before, even the Demon King couldn't get a word in edgewise. Does she really have no objections?", nodded and stood up.

"No need. I am not an Imperial citizen and do not have the habit of eating dessert before bed. However... I will accept your offer."

As Orpheus said this, dressed in beautiful but utterly useless clothes, she gave Illa a noble bow and said, "I understand. Tonight's conversation was very pleasant... Sweet dreams."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Ultimately, he's still a child who can't wait to head towards the kitchen...

Thinking this, Yinla tidied up the table and chairs, sat back down at his work desk, and after a moment's thought, tore the letter in his hand to shreds and crumpled the strips of parchment into balls.

As expected, there was no need to send a letter back to the Empire... Whatever happened, they had to handle it themselves.