My dear witch, please turn evil according to the script!

Chapter 245 was identified as idle, the legendary two-pronged approach.
A moral vacuum.

An adjective that Roland once heard in a TV series.

To be honest, he now understands why there is a "moral vacuum" among the officials in the cabinet who are responsible for the actual operation of affairs.

As the TV series said, instead of spending huge sums of money and resources to implement a smoking ban that is unlikely to succeed in order to reduce the incidence of lung cancer and lung diseases and save the hundreds of thousands of civilians who die from it every year, it would be better to leave it alone.

This would save a significant amount of social welfare expenses, and the money saved could be used for many other things.

Although the scenarios they faced were different, Roland, after helping Flam finish writing the report and then going back to help Ilúvia and Remilia handle various official documents, had a similar thought for a moment.

Fortunately, almost everyone in Isfar died; otherwise, the workload of disaster relief, calming the public, and resettling a huge number of refugees would have been terrifying.

Even though the thought only appeared for a moment before Roland banished it from his mind, his self-criticism was not absent.

If Iluvia and Remilia, who were standing nearby, knew what Roland was thinking, they would definitely say, "What a waste of time."

It's just a stamping machine; people only think about such things when they're too idle.

The people who actually handle the documents don't think about these trivial matters.

The entirety of this empire's lands and regions... cough cough, it's the people of the North who are carried on their shoulders, not Roland's!
However, Roland, using his bad mood as an excuse, managed to overcome his guilt towards his fiancée, the princess, and secretly slipped out of this hell of official documents.

After all... Roland realized that he couldn't really offer any help other than companionship.

Moreover, with Remilia's help, Iluvia's situation has become much easier.

At least she can rest for fifteen minutes every hour.

As for the rest time of the Great Demon Clan... This is a Great Demon Clan, a Great Demon Clan of the ninth ring legendary rank! Their physique is completely incomparable to that of humans, right? They should be able to work for ten days and ten nights in a row without any problems, right?

Besides, she signed a contract and has to "spare no effort"!
Thinking of this, Roland's last bit of guilt disappeared.

Standing in the legion's encampment, breathing in the biting air of the northern winter, instantly sobered him up.

After stretching, Roland decided to take a stroll on the street.

Yes, although 99.9% of the people in the main city died, the three satellite cities were unaffected except for some high-ranking or mid-level officers of the legion who recently committed mysterious suicide, as well as some merchants who provided supplies.

Thanks to the timely intervention of Landros and the cultist whose name Roland still doesn't know, the disaster was contained within the main city area immediately.

Although it was a classic trolley problem of choosing between the major and the minor, Landros made the choice that, from his perspective, would cause the least harm without hesitation.

The annihilation of an entire legion, the deaths of nearly a million residents, and the deaths of three legendary nine-ring warriors…

Roland frowned as he thought about the impact of the Isfar incident.

Although three of the four legions still maintain their complete structure, their top-level combat power is almost entirely absent.

Although, as things stand now... Isfar still has three ninth-ring powerhouses.

The long-absent Ms. Amya, as well as Flam and Remilia, who is currently engaged in a fierce battle with the official documents.

In general, there is no need to worry about border security in the short term.

But... does the Empire really have any other top-tier combat forces?

Even if Remilia doesn't leave Isfar for reasons Roland doesn't know, she might still be a helpful asset.

Amya can also serve as a fighting force in critical moments, but Isfar's defensive capabilities are not as strong as before.

I don't know how my father-in-law will handle this.

Although the military still has nine-ring experts, the empire's borders are not limited to Isfar.

Just as Roland began to let his thoughts wander, Kalia suddenly appeared out of nowhere and pounced on him, grabbing him and carrying him onto the snow-covered street.

"Leah! You bastard!"

"Hehe, who told you not to pay attention? I've been following you for minutes, what were you thinking about?"

Kalia stuck out her tongue, successfully fooling everyone, and got up from the ground, helping Roland up as she did so.

Roland brushed the snowflakes off his clothes with a sigh and said, "I'm just wondering how much longer we're going to have to stay here."

With her hands behind her back and walking briskly beside Roland, Kalia turned and asked, "Eh, is it really that simple?"

"if not?"

"I thought you would think about more complicated questions... like your background or something."

“This matter has been clarified.” Roland laughed. “Although the method was somewhat… bizarre, overall, the anomaly regarding the ‘origins’ has been resolved.”

"As for who I am, or who I used to be, I don't intend to investigate any further."

"After all... according to a certain deity's advice to me, continuing like this might bring about some unavoidable disaster."

"This is a rare opportunity, so go back to school and study hard." Kalia didn't react much, just let out a long "Eh," seemingly a little surprised.

Then she noticed the scarf around Roland's neck and smiled with satisfaction: "Hmm, not bad, not bad, you've made good use of the gift I gave you!"

"After all, it's a gift. If we accept it but don't use it, the person who gave it won't be happy, right?"

"Hehe, you're smart! By the way, this is a rare opportunity. While everyone else is busy, let's... go see what good food is available in town?"

"Okay."

……

Isfar Magic Train Station.

Amya, who was leaning against the wall, looked at the person who came in front of her and smiled because of surprise, astonishment and joy.

"I didn't expect it would be you who came in person this time, Delan. It must have been ten years since we last saw each other, right?"

"No way, Mom, you must be mistaken. Back when you were leading me in forming our adventure team, your memory has always been bad..."

Delan, who stepped off the magic train with a large group of subordinates and several attendants who were clearly dressed as officials, abandoned the group of adults following behind him and walked straight toward Amya after seeing her.

Amy crossed her arms, smiled, and tilted her head: "Isn't that right? Wasn't our last meeting in the capital? Salah said it was a secret gathering to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the adventurer's guild?"

“…Mom, it’s better to keep some things private. You know it’s a secret gathering!” Delan complained helplessly, then continued, “Besides, I was in Isfar just half a year ago. When I left, you even threw me a farewell party in the cafeteria.”

"Huh? Really?" Amy's bewilderment and confusion seemed genuine.

Delan sighed. "Alright. Let's get down to business. You know why I'm here, right?"

"Of course, that kid Salah told me, it's just about granting a knighthood to Roland, isn't it?"

Amy waved her hand: "Oh dear, I thought he would hold a grand investiture ceremony for this kid after he goes back."

"After all, this kid's achievements and status deserve this, don't they? Not to mention that he was granted the title of Grand Duke, plus the status of being the princess's fiancée, and even the title of Prince."

"From both a moral and logical standpoint, a title-granting ceremony of this caliber should at least take place in the fiefdom, even if it's not held in the capital. This kid is the Grand Duke of Riskan; shouldn't he have been granted the title in Riskan?"

Delan looked around, seemingly on guard against something, but was interrupted by Amya's chop to the neck: "Stop looking, everyone around has been cleared out."

"Speak quickly if you have something to say."

"I adopted you and raised you from a little kid to adulthood, but I don't remember raising you to be this fussy and nagging person!"

"If you try to play the riddle trick on me again, I'll throw you into the forests of Isfar and let you play battle royale!"

"You know, just like before, you run in front and I kill the enemies behind you, that kind of battle royale... It's a good opportunity for me to see if my archery skills have deteriorated or if my accuracy has declined."

As she spoke, Amya pulled an arrow from who-knows-where and pressed it against Delan's neck.

Delan shivered violently, then quickly explained, "No! I'll tell you, okay!"

"Ahem... It's like this, after all, Isfar made such a big commotion this time, it's almost impossible to keep what happened here a secret."

"Don't forget, for decades, the Kingdom of Platia has harbored the idea of ​​breaking the alliance and consensus, and wants to provoke another civil war among humans."

"Moreover, recently, the Vatican seems to have consolidated its power due to certain events, and the same goes for the Society. Most of the experts above the eighth ring who were outside have been recalled."

Amya nodded upon hearing this: "Yes, although that old man from the Isfar Church used to be incredibly annoying, if he had stayed in Isfar, the catastrophe might never have happened."

“With him around, he’ll definitely be able to spot anything amiss beforehand, and then he’ll notify Lancelot…”

"Furthermore, are you implying that Platia intends to take this opportunity to snatch Isfar back?"

Delan nodded: "That's the case according to the intelligence sent back by our spies in the Federation of Nations."

"But there are also reports of missions being sent to negotiate."

"His Majesty has made two preparations."

“If Platia really intends to start a war, then letting Lord Roland stay in Isfar is the best option. As long as he stays here, Lady Flam and that Blood Demon Prince will not leave either.”

"Including the Sky Ring Nexus, there is no possibility that Isfar can be captured."

"If they intend to negotiate, His Majesty Roland can also serve as a negotiator to maintain order—these are His Majesty's exact words."

"Therefore, everything should be done quickly and simply. We must finalize His Excellency Roland's title as soon as possible in case of emergency."

"Of course, if His Majesty wishes for a grand ceremony, His Majesty has indicated that we can choose an auspicious day to hold it again."

"That's how it is, Mom. Can you take the weapon off my neck?"

(End of this chapter)