A small banquet was prepared for Keter, who had returned after ten years and resolved the crisis in the south. Holding a banquet in the middle of a war made no sense, but Keter’s return and accomplishments were so great that no one voiced any complaints.

However, the banquet could not even begin.

“Lord Hissop! The main force of the world alliance army has been utterly defeated!”

Everyone was shocked by the urgent report brought by Navakin.

The main force of the world alliance army was composed of the strongest army in the past hundred years. On top of that, their enemy, Demon King Rukan, used an extreme surprise tactic of pulling back his main forces. If the main force was withdrawn, Rukan was practically alone. And yet, the main force of the world alliance army had not just lost—they had been crushed.

The mood of reunion and relief vanished instantly. Only fear and tension filled the hall.

“What difference does it make just standing around like that?”

Keter didn’t care. As he ate the prepared food, he offered drinks to those frozen in place.

“You know, when people are hungry, they become idiots. So let’s fill our stomachs first.”

If anyone else had said it, they would’ve been scolded for being insensitive, but because it was Keter, not a single person objected, and they all began eating. Still, everyone ate in silence, creating an oddly tense atmosphere. Just as Navakin was about to sneak a bite of his favorite pickled shrimp and apple...

Keter snatched the shrimp mid-air and said, “You should be giving the briefing, mister.”

“Ah, yes... ahem.”

Clearing his throat in the awkward silence, Navakin began explaining the situation.

“I’m not sure where to start, so I’ll just relay what I heard. In the royal capital where Demon King Rukan resides, there were eight evil gods and malevolent gods. That’s twice as many as expected.

“The main force fought with everything they had but was ultimately defeated. Two Transcendentals were killed. Eighty thousand soldiers died instantly. One hundred thousand were severely wounded. The Demon King’s army lost nearly all its monsters, but the evil gods and malevolent gods remain unharmed.”

“Cough.”

“Ugh...”

The overwhelmingly grim news made those forcing themselves to eat choke and groan. But that wasn’t the end of it.

“While the Demon Capital monsters have mostly been wiped out, a new kind of creature has appeared. It hasn’t been fully identified yet, but it’s believed to be a chimera—a fusion of different kinds of monsters. They’re not as strong as the Demon Capital monsters, but without aura, they’re still hard to kill. Plus, they possess regenerative abilities comparable to trolls. The estimated number of chimeras... is about one million.”

Clang!

Someone dropped their plate. They had barely managed to deal with the Demon Capital monsters, and now chimeras had appeared. Even those who had been nibbling at their food lost all appetite and set down their utensils.

Only Keter continued eating, muttering, “So there was a reason behind starting a war against the world after all.”

Borrowing the power of monsters was something everyone condemned as despicable. But history was written by the victors. If Rukan were to win, then in this world, evil would become justice.

Of course, that was only Rukan’s perspective. Keter, who knew the full truth, could only pity him.

The Demon King isn’t Rukan; it’s the Godfather. The evil gods and malevolent gods are his tools, and the chimeras are probably his creations too.

Everyone here believed Rukan had revealed his hidden trump card, but Keter knew that the real trump card hadn’t even been played yet.

If the war drags on, ordinary humans won’t be able to endure it.

He could see it just by looking at the people of Sefira around him. Just moments ago, they had felt hope and joy at Keter’s return. But now, upon hearing the war had entered a new phase, despair filled their eyes. It wasn’t even about winning or losing; they were simply exhausted and pained by the thought of continuing this endless war.

And with the fog of Liqueur, their quality of life has hit rock bottom.

Sefira was a great family that ruled the south, almost like a small nation. Yet the food served at this banquet wasn’t top-tier. At best, it was average. If this was the best they could prepare, it was obvious what they ate normally.

War wore people down and destroyed society. Ten years of war had already been long enough, and now, there was no end in sight.

At this point, some people are bound to start having second thoughts.

The nations hadn’t united out of righteousness. They had united because they thought there was something to gain and because they believed that together, they could easily crush Rukan.

Now, the tide had turned. Rukan’s forces were still strong and had room to spare. Monsters didn’t complain about harsh environments. They didn’t tire or despair, but humans did. The moment they realized there was no path to victory, fractures would begin. Some would withdraw their forces for their own safety. Others might even defect to the Demon King.

Clap, clap, clap.

Applause rang through the despair-filled banquet hall. Of course, it was Keter.

“Impressive. You’re running this war like absolute shit.”

It wasn’t sarcasm but genuine praise. Hearing even Keter praise the enemy made the atmosphere even heavier, but he wasn’t finished.

“In a fight, once your body breaks, it’s over. But in war, it ends when your will breaks. And in that sense, Rukan has done an amazing job of making us feel like shit. At this rate, we’re all doomed.”

“Keter... that’s enough...”

Hissop tried to stop him, unable to watch morale plummet any further, but Keter brushed his hand aside with a grin.

“Of course, that’s only if I wasn’t here. Bring me some alcohol. The strong stuff.”

“Wait, Keter, alcohol in wartime? That’s...”

“Don’t you trust me, Big Brother?”

“I do.”

“Then trust me to the end.”

“...Alright. Bring it!”

With even Hissop backing him, servants brought out large amounts of alcohol. Keter raised his cup first. The others, confused but compelled, followed suit.

Keter had a lot he wanted to say, but the longer the words dragged on, the more meaningless they became. So he summed it up in a single sentence.

“Let’s go crazy together.”

Gulp.

Keter downed his drink. Everyone hesitated, unsure what he meant, until Taragon followed and drank, then Hissop.

Once one started, the rest followed. The once gloomy hall heated up. The alcohol burned away their despair and ignited their anger toward Rukan.

Keter grinned at them.

“Let’s show them which family in this kingdom is truly crazy.”

* * *

As news spread across the eastern regions of the Lillian Kingdom that the main force of the world alliance army had been utterly defeated, unsettling movements began to arise here and there.

Marquis Mejai, head of the renowned Masters of Swordsmanship of the east, was on the verge of harboring similar thoughts.

Looking at the meal served for lunch, he let out a hollow chuckle.

“Ha... haha...”

It wasn’t a hearty soup filled with large chunks of meat and potatoes. There was only a single potato the size of a pinky finger. This wasn’t new. Meals like this had been served for the past three months.

Marquis Mejai closed his eyes. Rationally, he understood that even being served this much was only because he was the head of the family and the lord of the land.

“If I’m being treated this well, then what the lower ranks are eating must be far worse.”

It was absurd, but the Mejai family had run out of food. They couldn’t even afford something as common as potatoes, let alone meat.

“The main force has been crushed, and now we’ve run out of food...”

Tap, tap, tap...

Instead of eating, Marquis Mejai tapped the table with his spoon, calculating something with cold eyes.

“Our territory produces some crops, but more than half of it is being sent to the main force.”

The Mejai marquisate was famous for being the most fertile land in the east, even being called its lifeline. Even under the harsh conditions of the Liqueur fog, where crops barely grew, Mejai was the only place that could sustain its own food supply. But that was precisely why it bore the burden: it was responsible for supplying food to Rakan’s army.

“If we cut off the supplies going to Rakan, we wouldn’t lack anything.”

The fact that he referred to the prince by name revealed how much his heart had already shifted.

“Still, Rakan wouldn’t be able to attack us.”

The main force had already been crushed and was left with countless wounded. In that situation, how could they possibly afford to provoke a major family like Mejai?

“For the sake of the future... enduring some criticism now is nothing.”

Mejai had no intention of outright betraying the kingdom. He simply thought it inefficient to waste food where it wasn’t needed.

“There needs to be fewer mouths to feed. That’s the quickest path to victory.”

As long as those who died weren’t from the Mejai family, it didn’t matter. Later, if the Mejai family chose to rejoin, who could refuse them? Without Mejai’s food supply, everyone would starve.

“Rakan’s obsession with justification and feeding commoners has led to this downfall. I should come to my senses as well.”

Just as Marquis Mejai, having decided on temporary betrayal, dipped his spoon back into the soup...

Bang!

“My lord! Forgive my intrusion, but I have urgent news!”

A knight burst through the door without permission, sweat pouring down his face.

“Calm yourself. What is it?”

“I-it’s an attack. Sefira has come with an army!”

“...?”

Marquis Mejai set down his spoon, his expression incredulous.

“Have you lost your mind? Say that again. Who has come with an army?”

“Sefira, my lord. The Masters of Archery from the south!”

“...What?”

If anyone were to attack, it should have been the Demon King’s army. But Sefira? Sefira and Mejai were allies. Sure, no alliance was eternal, but with a common enemy like the Demon King, there was no reason to fight.

“I don’t know if I’m the one who’s tired, or if Sefira has gone mad. Could this be a disguise or deception?”

“No, my lord. They’ve surrounded the city and are demanding surrender.”

“Haha... I see. How many people did they bring?” 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

“Approximately five thousand.”

“Five thousand... I’ll have to see this myself.”

Five thousand was essentially Sefira's entire force.

Marquis Mejai couldn’t believe it. Who would think that Sefira would abandon its stronghold and bring all its troops to attack the Mejai family?

“Is this Rukan’s scheme to sow discord? I must be cautious.”

Preparing for the worst, Marquis Mejai entered his personal armory instead of going out unarmed. As he reached for his armor, a level-five magic tool...

Thud.

The door he had left open slammed shut. Drawing his sword, Marquis Mejai turned around. A man stood by the closed door, leaning casually on one leg.

“I figured you’d come here.”

Though alarmed that this man had completely evaded his senses, Marquis Mejai kept his composure.

“...Who are you? Did Rukan send you?”

At the question, the man pointed to himself with his thumb and said, “I’m the crazy one in this kingdom.”