“Orpheus… I have to question the legitimacy of your motives. The decisions you’ve made make it impossible for me to be certain that you are truly working to gain an advantage for the Duchy and the Empire on the battlefield.”

"This is how the seemingly young Prince Novak commented, speaking to the girl at the window of the carriage that was traveling side by side with him. In fact, he had already spoken very tactfully... because Orpheus had once used the strategy of 'playing to her (Illa's) liking'."

Naming the strategy after the rules of "Loli Battle Strategy"... there's really nothing wrong with that. It's a harmless experiment, just a free lottery, the kind of lottery where you don't even need to fill in a name.

If it works, that's fine; if it doesn't, that's okay too.

That's how it should be, as long as the "loli" in it isn't Orpheus herself...

"..."

Orpheus, however, seemed completely unconcerned. Instead of wearing her beautiful and dignified Speaker's attire, she had changed into a rather simple outfit.

Of course, the “simplicity” here is only from the perspective of royalty and nobility. From the perspective of ordinary people and even the knightly class, it can be described as gorgeous and unusual.

"Do you think I don't qualify as a loli?"

Novak shook his head with a sigh at the words of the girl in front of him who looked at least several hundred years old, and said, "Perhaps you do look a bit mature, but Ira and I haven't reached that level of intimacy yet, so I can't be sure of his preferences... That's precisely why."

By the way, the best app for reading aloud right now is Yeguo Reading (yeguoyuedu). Install the latest version.

That's why Novak reluctantly agreed to Orpheus's wild idea. Of course... his vote of approval was quite against his will; he still thought it was too frivolous.

He began to wonder whether Orpheus was trying to gain an advantage or was simply interested in Illa. Rationally, he thought it was the former, but the latter was too terrible for him to ignore.

“I’m not necessarily trying to seduce Illa Elkaras, so there’s no need to worry so much.”

As Orpheus spoke, the young woman casually crossed her legs and leaned back on the sofa behind her carriage, saying, "You can think of me as a rather pretty persuader..."

That's no problem, but it seems Orpheus still has something to say.

Sure enough, under Novak's gaze, Orfilus continued her previous statement, saying, "Or perhaps, a nobleman who was already very interested in Inla Elkaras."

Such a statement is too dangerous, so dangerous that Novak had to warn him…

"Your situation is dangerous enough as it is now; don't do anything more dangerous."

Novak had to be more forceful in order to discourage Orpheus's playful attitude, saying, "If you really admire Illa, then I won't stop you... but if you think he'll be manipulated by you like those foolish knights..."

Novak paused as he said this. He had originally intended to say, "The Principality has been terribly harmed by you," but he felt that would be too strange, so he said it more vaguely: "Then you shall bear all the responsibility yourself. I and all the other councilors were not involved."

These words were far more effective than statements like "The entire duchy will be implicated by you"... This was a very clear statement, forcing Orpheus to take it seriously.

To be honest, although she knew that Yinla possessed extremely powerful abilities, her estimate was still roughly that he was "the actual controller of more than half of the empire's power" and "one of the strongest among the legends," without any wildly exaggerated imagination.

However, given Novak's seriousness and earnestness, it was difficult for her not to adjust her mindset slightly because of his words.

"It sounds like you have a very high opinion of Illa Elkaras."

Novak merely glanced at Orpheus's words and replied, "At least not low, Orpheus... You'll understand once you meet Illa; he's smarter than you."

These words made the self-important Orpheus frown.

Novak, having discerned this, shook his head and said simply, "At least Illa isn't like a child, letting his competitive spirit influence him. If you want to compete with him, you should at least clarify your own purpose first."

My own purpose...

“We need Yinla’s help. We are not gaining much from the war with the Empire. Although we are not in complete defeat, it has already caused a lot of trouble. I have no intention of refusing this gamble, but the other councilors do not think so.”

Novak said, looking at Orpheus who was sighing, "The existence of the council itself dictates the meaning of your orders, Orpheus... You are no longer the empress, but as the councilor, you cannot mobilize everyone with a single command."

This is the advantage and disadvantage of parliamentary system. If you enjoy the benefits of prosperity, you must also bear the consequences of that prosperity.

“Those were within my expectations, but I really didn’t expect... that Duke Zenani would also intend to withdraw.”

Novak wasn't surprised at all by Orpheus's words. He sneered and said, "It would be strange if a vampire wasn't afraid of the Empire. She didn't surrender simply because the Empire can't tolerate monsters."

Novak already knew this, and perhaps Orpheus knew it too, but she just couldn't have imagined... that Zenani wouldn't even contribute a single penny to the military budget, nor would she participate in the distribution of the war's spoils.

"No need for further explanation. Everything will be fine once Yinla's faction withdraws from the Imperial battlefield."

As Orpheus said this, she gently closed her eyes to rest, and said, "If Illa doesn't have this intention, I'm not without the ability to use my trump card to shake up the situation in the Empire... it's just more troublesome."

Let's hope so...

With this in mind, Novak could only pin his hopes on this.

——————————

Orpheus: What? Illa's not here?! The Demon King's gone out too?! What kind of ruler runs around like that? Where's the acting Demon King? Who's the acting Demon King in the Demon Kingdom?

Yuyu: Hmm, the Demon King's territory doesn't need that kind of thing... So, do you need me to convey something to Mr. Yinla? Or is it that your caravan will be staying in the Demon King's territory for a while?

Orpheus: I give up, I'm really impressed... Okay, let's stay! We'll stay! We'll wait patiently for Illa Elcaras to return!

Serena: Also, the stable trade route between the Duchy and the Demon King's territory that you mentioned before needs to be considered after Mr. Inra discusses it with the Demon King... The war between the Empire and the Duchy forces us to take it seriously.

Orpheus: ...

Novak: Ha, I'm laughing at how I got humiliated.