Strategy game? Then I'll have to control you properly.

"My lord mage, are you alright?"

A soldier asked with concern.

"Ah, it's alright. It's nothing."

When Lin Miao turned the screen back to check on the village, Paul, who had fully recovered from his fatigue and injuries, staggered to his feet.

The people around Paul, who had suddenly offered words of thanks to the sky, were all frozen in place, their faces full of confusion.

"That lord is watching me; he must be ordering me to complete this task."

Paul said firmly.

As expected, Lin Miao's concern further strengthened Paul's loyalty.

Paul, who had been deeply impacted in a short period of time, now had a faith in his guardian deity that surpassed that of ordinary people in Sauria.

Given this state of being and the immense favor he had received, there was no way to stop Paul.

"Faster! Faster on our way!"

Paul kept urging the driver on.

"Yes, sir!"

The driver quickly agreed.

Paul, who had just regained his strength, jumped into the carriage bound for the capital and kept urging the driver on.

The carriage sped along the smooth road leading to the capital, moving at breakneck speed as he had hoped.

"If we just go over there without saying anything, it will definitely cause a commotion. That will waste time, and the longer it goes on, the more dangerous it will be for them who are fighting the black monster," Paul thought to himself.

Paul, who was extremely anxious, did not stop there.

He summoned the crow again, tied the message to its leg, and released it into the sky.

Paul first sent the ravens to his close friend and colleague in the capital.

The plan was to convey the message to the court and the royal family through that person.

"What if they don't believe me?" This concern certainly exists.

Thinking about it calmly, this story is so absurd that it could almost be considered a delusion.

In the worst-case scenario, even if you personally testify to what you have seen and heard, no one may believe you.

"Guardian deity, please lend me a hand."

Paul gazed at his raven soaring into the distant sky, muttering to himself in a daze.

Unbeknownst to him, he had come to truly believe in the distant god worshipped by the northern barbarians.

"Wake up, Renault! Wake up! It's the North. Something has happened in the North, the place that holds the fate of our kingdom!"

Renault's door was suddenly pushed open.

"What?"

Renault woke up groggily.

Perhaps the prayers worked, for Paul's ravens were fortunate enough to escape attack or fall, and flew tirelessly across the vast land to reach their destination.

"Have you heard?"

"Of course, things are going to get chaotic today."

At dawn, the central ministers gathered at the palace in twos and threes, following established procedures.

The contents of this meeting, which was held earlier than usual, had already been the subject of much speculation and discussion.

"So, whatever happens in the North, don't meddle in other people's business..." a minister muttered.

The topic to be discussed in today's emergency meeting is one that has been highly contentious between them.

Sending a small number of people north to engage in new trade with barbarian tribes they had never met before was actually a policy strongly promoted by the king.

"Haven't you heard any specific news?"

"I don't know, the report was submitted directly to His Majesty."

The urgent report, delivered late at night, was presented directly to the king through the royal magician, and the ministers still have no idea what happened.

The chattering crowd fell silent and stood at attention the moment they stepped into the palace.

"His Majesty has arrived."

The servant shouted loudly.

Their king appeared on time.

Despite it being a drowsy morning, he appeared amidst the gazes of the crowd, yet he still took his seat on the throne with the same indifferent expression as usual.

"Although confidentiality is required, I'm sure you've all secretly found out about it."

The king's clear voice echoed throughout the hall.

This young king, with his dazzling blond hair, may seem young, but he instantly took control of the entire scene with his sharp eyes.

"But even I don't know the details yet. The court magician Paul, who is carrying out the secret order, is on his way. Before that, Reno will report preliminary information through his familiar," the king said.

"Everyone should be aware of what happened in the north."

When Reno, who had been forcibly awakened by Paul's familiar last night, stepped forward with the documents in his arms, the bandage wrapped around his forehead drew whispers.

"Why is your head tied up...?"

"Are you injured?"

The ministers whispered among themselves.

Renault, whose head was bleeding from being pecked by the crow familiar and had just been bandaged, sighed deeply as he listened to his colleagues' discussions.

"In the north, we made a deal with a young chieftain named Luke. As expected, this exceptionally powerful chieftain purchased a large amount of military supplies from us and paid the corresponding price," Renault began to explain.

It was publicly claimed to be ordinary trade, but very few ministers actually knew the inside story.

Therefore, he deliberately omitted the parts about inciting wars of conquest and plunder, as well as the details of the magicians' assistance.

"Even after Luke became the Grand Patriarch, he continued to expand outwards," Renault continued.

"A barbarian is a barbarian..."

"They don't understand the importance of reserves at all. They use whatever they have, no wonder there's always a food shortage."

After hearing Renault's explanation, some ministers clicked their tongues in amazement, while others scoffed.

In their view, it was perfectly normal for uncivilized grassland tribes to plunder and fight each other as a matter of course.

"It was under these circumstances that the Luke tribe, which was cooperating with us, was defeated by a tribe from the northeast that had never shown itself before. Our mages were unable to escape and were all captured," Reno said.

"W-what!?"

"Captured?! The magician we sent?!"

The ministers exclaimed in unison.

This is no small matter that can be compared to the petty squabbles between barbarians.

"They call themselves Aurora, and Paul, the intermediate royal mage sent as their representative, was taken prisoner and witnessed their true colors firsthand," Renault said.

Everyone else was agitated, but Renault remained unusually calm.

Because there are even more shocking truths waiting to be revealed.

"Paul...is all of this really true?"

In the brief moment between the young king's stern rebuke that silenced the ministers, Renault stared blankly at the last page of the report.

No matter how many times I read it, it contains nothing but unbelievable content.

"They have tens of thousands of troops and have built castles that are taller than our fortresses to live in. The fortresses are equipped with turrets that can automatically track and fire at the enemy."

"They are all equipped with high-quality steel weapons, but even more powerful special armor. Many dwarven blacksmiths are working with them."

"They communicate using their own script and not only have a large number of warriors and mages, but also sorcerers who can cast ultimate magic."

Any one of these statements could cause a huge uproar, but compared to what follows, they are just the tip of the iceberg.

"The guardian deity they worship truly exists and has repeatedly performed incredible miracles. All the aforementioned phenomena are related to the miracles performed by this guardian deity."

"They are fighting terrifying monsters known as the Black Beasts. These Black Beasts, which once annihilated the mysterious dwarven kingdom with their overwhelming military might, are now eyeing Terra and plotting to invade it. They are fighting these monsters for all of humanity."

Renault's hand holding the report trembled.

Regardless of the reactions that erupted around him, he simply read the words in front of him mechanically.