Chapter 1466.2

Sullivan looked at Perserque and asked, “Is all of this the Grand Duchess's plan?”

“More of a countermeasure than a plan,” she responded.

“I must say, you’re very meticulous. I'd only heard rumors, but I'm impressed by the Grand Duchess's wise judgment.”

Illyna cut in, “Ahem. I played a part too, Brother.”

“Are you trying to damage Pallan's prestige? Arrogance is the shortcut to ruin. Illyna, do not act rashly.”

“Should I really tell Davey everything...” she grumbled as if annoyed.

“Then for this matter, the Duke of Heins...?”

“He's not here.” Illyna sighed. It hadn't been long, but the hero Aris from Troy had already reached out to Davey for help again. “He won't be stepping in to help with any of this.”

Although Gargantia Netzach was a dangerous being, they all knew how selfish it’d be to just dump everything on Davey and call it a day.

“But if he's someone who can't die... then how in the world do we deal with him?”

Perserque also didn’t have a definitive solution. “We have some small schemes in mind, but they will need a lot of preparation.”

Seeing the slightly injured youngsters groaning despite the defensive spell that had protected them, Sullivan turned away. “I will select a few trustworthy priests to treat them. Could you vet them for me?”

Perserque nodded at his suggestion.

* * *

The day broke, and the chaos from the explosion was, to some extent, brought under control.

Returning to his throne, Sullivan held his head as he looked at the constant stream of letters flying in from other nations.

Just as Perserque had said, the most urgent priority at that moment was to somehow suppress the angry complaints from other nations, preventing the situation from deteriorating even further.

Even within the Pallan Imperial Palace, most believed that those invited to the banquet had died. It kept the empire in chaos, leaving no one with any idea how to handle the complicated situation.

Most of the nobles still didn't know that the supposedly sacrificed young lords and ladies were alive, either

Sullivan called a meeting of the International Federation to somehow contain the situation even if the worst came to pass. Within just a few days, the federation convened for a meeting with an unprecedented number of attendees.

Originally, Davey should’ve attended as the representative of the Rowane Kingdom, but he instead declared his absence from the proceedings.

It was publicized that Evangeline O'Rowane was the only survivor among the young lords and ladies. Davey’s group had also chosen to spread false information that she had returned to Heins for recuperation.

Naturally, that fact alone could have led to heavy criticism, but no one attempted to challenge her survival. After all, Grand Duchess Perserque of Heins was known to have been caught in the explosion as well. Reports told of her tragic death at the scene, caught unawares. The Duke of Heins’s love for his wife was a famous story across the continent.

No one could predict what an enraged Davey O'Rowane might do if they questioned why his daughter had survived while his beloved wife had died. Those who knew that an entire nation had once vanished overnight over the suspected assassination of Aeria El Lyndis chose to keep their mouths shut rather than needlessly provoke Heins and suffer the consequences.

At the first meeting of the International Federation, Pallan bought themselves more time under the pretext of the situation being an ongoing investigation. The precedent Davey had set as a warning turned out to be helpful in that way.

“Are we good now?” Sullivan asked Perserque, having finished up with the meeting. The tone was very polite, unlike before.

The young lords were sitting on cots and playing board games with each other, while the young ladies were on the other side, curiously sipping tea and savoring Earth's desserts. It had already been a few days, but the young lords and ladies looked extremely relaxed. They maintained their calm despite being placed in the frustrating situation where they couldn't go outside.

It was a mystery if they even knew what the situation was like outside, having been isolated entirely from outside communication.

“When is the next International Federation meeting?” Perserque curiously asked Sullivan.

He answered, “It should be held in about four days at the earliest.”

“Have any movements been detected?”

“Nothing about that Gargantia fellow’s movements has been found. Things are still chaotic, but it looks like everything is going according to plan.”

There were many problems with the emperor of the Pallan Empire seeking advice from someone and following it precisely. Nevertheless, Sullivan didn't hesitate to seek Perserque's intent. It was a sign of how much he respected her wisdom.

Perserque nodded at his response. “The delay should be sufficient now. He must be wondering why the continent isn’t leaning toward war like before.”

Her words were spot on. In the past, when wars were frequent, a continental war breaking out from such a tragedy wouldn't be strange. In fact, Contas and Lyndis were already coming in with strong protests.

The reason why war wasn't breaking out immediately was simple—the International Federation. The alliance that the three empires had formed by incorporating various nations prioritized harmony and peace over war. Those who remembered the horrors of past wars, and had begun to grow accustomed to peace, all agreed that further conflict should be avoided whenever possible.

“He'll likely make a move, whether to test the waters or because he's getting anxious.”

“But how will he even find a chance to make a move, given the circumstances?”

“If my prediction’s correct, he's already set up his own agents in various other nations, like he did with Imperial Mage Commander Duke Vertas.”

Whatever that man’s motives had been for cooperating with Gargantia, he was practically doomed. However, the young lady of Duke Vertas, who was currently ensconced in the secret room with the rest of the young nobles, wasn’t aware of her father’s situation. She even looked to be quite relaxed while playing with her friends.

“He'll probably try to subtly drag Heins into it all soon.”

After all, Davey’s Heins Territory was practically the biggest powder keg and danger zone on the continent.

Gargantia could try to provoke Heins and introduce a new variable to the situation.

Still, even after giving it some consideration, Sullivan doubted whether or not the creature would actually go that far.

* * *

In a space slightly separated from the secret room in the Imperial Palace basement where the young ladies and lords were staying, Perserque took out a box that she had carefully kept inside an expansion pouch.

“What's in that box? Did you go back to get it earlier?”

Unlike the young lords and ladies, Perserque could use warp magic, so during her stay at the Imperial Palace, she’d been secretly traveling back and forth to Heins to prepare something. “I see. I didn't think it’d come to a point where I'd have to bring this.”

“What... what is it?” Evangeline suddenly felt like she had seen the contents of the box many times before. Then, as if she finally remembered, she clapped her hands. “No way, that’s—?!”

“That's right,” Perserque interrupted. “ It's something from your dad’s most cherished collection.”

Evangeline's face turned pale. “If... if we use that, won't Dad get really mad?”

In response, Perserque smiled faintly and nodded, remarking, “He'll be furious.”

She was still hesitant. “Then why...”

“But what can we do? Your dad was the one who started it first.” She still hadn't gotten over the fact that he'd stolen from her. It’d taken her ages to collect so many ingredients. It wasn’t exactly her blood and tears, but it was a part of her body.

Evangeline reminded her, “I heard that he went through a lot of trouble to get that. He said it was absolutely necessary for something new he’s going to be making soon...”

‘Does she really have to use it?’

Evangeline looked unnecessarily uneasy as she watched Perserque take out the item. Yet, she wasn't overly worried. Even though Davey was incredibly strong, it was true that he had wronged her first. Plus, even without that justification, he was powerless against her anyway.

More than anything, knowing she was about to punish the one who had hurt her rather than some stranger made her heart feel a little warmer. Stealing from family truly brought a special feeling.

“What are you going to make with it?” Evangeline curiously asked.

“I'll make an Immortal Slayer Arrow. I probably won't be able to recreate its full power, but I can definitely make a pretty close imitation.”

Just as Davey had annihilated Nyx with Surtr's arrow in the past, Perserque was preparing a weapon befitting Gargantia Netzach.

“An Immortal Slayer Arrow... will it work?”

Perserque offered a wry smile at her question. “For a crazy bastard, we need to find a method that suits him.”

Her expression was utterly chilling as she continued, “I can't let your dad take care of everything. I'll take care of it myself, so you just trust me and wait, Sweetie.”

* * *

At the same time, on a secluded, uninhabited island on Earth.

Davey, lying on a sunbed on the beach, sipping a drink with sunglasses on, was actually relaxing and making the young hero Aris from Troy and Shuneria Recken, his saintess from the outer dimension, go through an extended training session. “I can see your footwork, Shuneria Recken. Aris, aren't you going to fix your posture?”

Davey lounged on a sunbed by the beach, sipping a drink with his sunglasses on, while putting on a hellish training camp.

“Kids these days have no stamina. Back in my day...”

Aris, running while wearing a vest imbued with overwhelming weight, screamed with exhaustion and flopped onto the beach. “AHHH!!!”

The ground where she collapsed surprisingly sank down a few centimeters with a thud.

“Davey... am I really going to get stronger by going through all of this?” she asked, exhausted.

He simply answered, “Nope.”

“Huh?”

“You'd have to triple that weight to even do something.”

“T-then I think I'll die...” Aris whimpered with a long face.

Shuneria Recken, who was running with a comparatively light weighted vest, cried out, sobbing, “I'm a saintess! Why should a saintess do physical training?!”

“Don't worry. It’ll all become useful someday,” Davey assured them with a smirk and another sip of his drink.

“Who in the world came up with such a dumb and reckless training method...”

“I did.”

Davey was conducting their training according to the principles he’d first learned in the Hall of Heroes. Aris and Shuneria Recken were fully established as his disciples. Owing to that, he generously taught the two of them with the distillation of those hellish training experiences, something he'd never properly passed down to anyone before.

“Don't worry. You won't see results quickly, but in a few years, you'll be several times greater than before.”

“This... how long do I have to train to become as strong as you?” Aris asked, panting for breath.

He replied as if the answer was obvious, “If you're only counting simple physical training, you'll need about a hundred years.”

Clearly, they were trying to achieve a body that took a thousand years to perfect in just one or two years.

‘How foolish of them.’