Numerous supplies, weapons, and mages began to arrive one after another from each kingdom that had been contacted.
Everything else wasn't much of an issue, but securing mages of 5th-circle or higher was proving to be the biggest challenge.
Distressing reports continued to reach Ghislain.
"They're all reluctant to send their mages."
"...."
It was frustrating, but Ghislain could understand the perspective of the other nations. The war was over, and now they were suddenly being asked to face a dragon. It was hard to believe if it was even real or not.
Moreover, even though they were part of the allied forces, the Turian Kingdom was ultimately a foreign land. Other nations were unwilling to exhaust their resources just to defend it.
Even if the dragon did appear, they likely believed that the combined strength of the current allied forces would be sufficient to fend it off.
With a tired expression, Ghislain rubbed his temples.
"We went out of our way to be accommodating during the war, and this is how they repay us?"
Mages of 5th-circle or higher were crucial strategic assets. Even during the formation of the allied forces, each kingdom had hoarded their superhumans and mages, citing the need to protect their own territories.
To gather even a thousand, they would have to scrape together all the mages they had stubbornly held back. Naturally, they were unwilling to do so and tried to reduce their contributions by any means.
While it wasn't completely incomprehensible, there was a limit to how much Ghislain could tolerate.
With the recruitment of mages facing so many obstacles, Ghislain decided to issue an ultimatum.
"If the target number of mages isn't met, the Turian Kingdom will be abandoned."
The declaration caused a ripple of shock among the attendees. If a dragon truly appeared, the Turian Kingdom's destruction was all but guaranteed.
In fact, with the current forces, they wouldn't even be able to handle the monster wave, let alone a dragon. Years of war had left the kingdom on the brink of financial and military collapse.
Marquis Gidion was so appalled that he cried out.
"What are you saying? We've fought together all this time, and now you're talking about abandoning us!"
To him, it was a thunderbolt out of the blue. He had joined the allied forces to protect the Turian Kingdom and had even participated in a grueling expedition. To be abandoned like this was unthinkable.
Whether or not a large-scale monster wave or a dragon would truly appear, the Turian Kingdom couldn't ignore even the slightest possibility.
With a nonchalant expression, Ghislain responded.
"No one's cooperating properly, are they?"
One noble coughed awkwardly and spoke as if trying to justify the situation.
"Ahem, it's not that we're intentionally holding back, but we also need to negotiate with the magic towers, and... internal discussions have delayed things..."
In truth, it wasn't deliberate stalling on their part. The officials stationed in Sardina Kingdom were compelled to pay more attention to allied matters for their own safety.
However, without active cooperation from their homeland's nobles, their hands were tied.
Another noble let out a sigh as he spoke.
"People are skeptical about the talk of a dragon appearing."
"Discussions just keep dragging on within the kingdom."
"It also feels like they're trying to keep us in check."
At the last comment, everyone nodded in agreement.
As leaders of the allied forces, they commanded powerful armies.
Having achieved victory in the war, they had risen to a position of influence within their kingdoms. The nobles back home saw them as threats and tried to curb their power.
Ghislain nodded in understanding.
"Of course, of course. I'm aware of the effort you're putting in. But if things aren't ready in time, we'll have no choice but to abandon the Turian Kingdom."
"Ahem, well, about the monster wave... but what if a dragon really does appear...?"
"There's nothing to be done. We'll just let it be destroyed."
"Ugh…"
The expressions of everyone darkened. They, too, felt uneasy about abandoning the Turian Kingdom, with which they had fought side by side.
Once the Salvation Church was destroyed and the war ended, everyone began to withdraw their involvement quietly, aiming to minimize losses.
After all, they had already shared in the spoils, and focusing on internal recovery seemed more prudent.
The talk of a dragon appearing felt like little more than prophecy, making it difficult to take seriously.
While such dynamics in international relations were nothing new, the commanders present felt a pang of shame.
Looking around at them, Ghislain continued.
"In that case, even if the Turian Kingdom falls and the threat moves to another nation, I won't care."
"......"
"In fact, I'll personally lure the dragon to the least cooperative kingdom."
"W-What?"
"Y-You're saying you'll lure the dragon...?"
The allied commanders were dumbfounded. No matter how you looked at it, deliberately luring a dragon was madness.
Standing beside Ghislain, Claude closed his eyes and nodded.
'There he goes again. Can't rest until he gets his way.'
Although Claude clicked his tongue, to Ghislain, it was the only logical step. Having already faced countless crises, he had no choice but to press forward.
Looking at the flustered nobles, Ghislain declared confidently.
"Yes, I will lure it."
"...."
"Until when? Until we have a thousand mages of 5th-circle or higher."
"...."
"And if a kingdom is destroyed by the dragon, the surviving allied forces can divide its remains. That sounds good, right? The rewards will be even greater than now."
The nobles swallowed hard as they stared at Ghislain.
'Is this guy insane? Oh, wait, he is insane.'
'His methods are way too extreme.'
'We're doomed! He really will do it!'
Though they had always known Ghislain was unorthodox, this was on a whole new level. It felt like he was prepared to destroy everything if things didn't go his way.
Turning to Claude, Ghislain instructed.
"Claude, contact the homeland immediately and prepare all forces to stand by. If we don't get what we want, we'll keep luring the dragon to other kingdoms, then hunt it near Lutania. Begin preparations for a retreat as well."
"Got it!"
With a cheeky reply, Claude rushed out.
Looking at the stunned nobles, Ghislain spoke coldly.
"Let's all just die together. But I won't die. In fact, I'll use this opportunity to conquer the continent."
At Ghislain's declaration, everyone snapped to their senses and cried out.
"W-Wait a moment!"
"We understand. We'll pressure our kingdoms as much as we can! Even if I have to stage a rebellion!"
"Just give us a little more time! You know we're on the same side, don't you?"
The nobles were desperate. They knew Ghislain wasn't just bluffing—he always followed through.
Having fought alongside him, they were well aware of Duke Fenris's decisiveness and capability.
Clicking his tongue, Ghislain looked at the flustered nobles.
"Let's just move things along faster, shall we? You all know how impatient I am."
"Y-Yes, of course."
"We've been too complacent."
"Our homeland doesn't understand the seriousness of the situation. We'll make sure they get the message this time. Ha ha ha..."
Wiping cold sweat from their brows, they forced smiles. They felt disgusted and frustrated, wanting to quit the allied forces.
But Duke Fenris had always led from the front. Honestly, he was the one who had saved them all.
No matter how unpleasant he was, they had no choice but to follow.
If they kept dragging their feet and squabbling, they'd all end up doomed.
Ghislain's close aides stifled their laughter as they watched.
'Ah, that's so satisfying.'
'It was annoying when we were on the receiving end, but now it's great.'
'When all else fails, force is the way to go.'
They were all too familiar with how frustratingly slow noble bureaucracy could be. That's why Ghislain always bulldozed through the obstacles.
By now, they'd grown accustomed to it, even finding his methods preferable.
Thanks to Ghislain's threats, the allied command began moving in earnest.
They had to issue stern warnings to the hesitant nobles back home.
After retreating to his office, Ghislain leaned back in his chair with a sigh.
"Sigh, they really don't grasp how serious this is."
It couldn't be helped. After all, he was the only one who had faced Artherion directly.
As always, there was no time to persuade and mediate with people. Preparations had to be completed as quickly as possible.
Whether it was due to Ghislain's threats or not, the kingdoms, though cursing him under their breath, began moving slightly faster than before.
Ghislain, already notorious as a madman throughout the continent, had long disregarded the customs and traditions of the nobility. Everyone knew he wasn't going to suddenly start behaving now.
In an exceptional move, the kingdoms began recruiting even the mages from the magic towers. Cries of protest from forcibly drafted mages echoed throughout the continent.
Any 5th-circle mage could live a life of elegance and comfort wherever they went. Accustomed to such treatment, the mages could not endure the current forced situation.
This, of course, led to a new problem.
Ghislain rubbed his forehead at the continuous stream of reports.
"Mages affiliated with the magic towers have fled."
"They said, 'Give me freedom, or give me death.'"
"There's a widespread rumor that being dragged into this fight means certain death."
Even the nobles, who had initially resisted Ghislain's threats, eventually caved, and at some point, mages began fleeing en masse. Such was their fear of participating in the fight against a dragon.
After all, dragons were the pinnacle of magic itself.
"Tsk… I didn't think this kind of problem would arise."
Ghislain let out a dry laugh as he read the reports. This was a completely different situation from his past life.
In his previous life, there had been nowhere to run—destruction was imminent no matter where one went. Those who didn't want to die had no choice but to band together.
But now, things are different.
Ghislain had dealt with the plague, closed the rifts, defeated the Salvation Church, and ended the continental war.
This created the perception that "It's fine if I don't get involved," leading to a surge in mages who chose to flee.
Fighting within one's own kingdom out of necessity was one thing; being forcibly dragged to a foreign land was a completely different matter.
It was characteristic of the selfish tendencies often associated with mages.
Even the allied command found this situation challenging.
"We're monitoring them as best as we can, but quite a few mages have already escaped."
"Ugh, I didn't think they'd be this shameless."
"Those bastards didn't even participate in the last war…"
Most of the mages brought into the allied forces were affiliated with royal courts or territories. Having already joined the allied forces early on, there wasn't much issue with them. The problem lay with the mages from the magic towers.
To gather a thousand 5th-circle mages, the participation of mages from the towers was essential. Unless it was a kingdom like Lutania, where the towers had voluntarily joined the war, cooperation had to be requested.
Now, with many of these key tower mages fleeing, reaching the target number was impossible.
The nobles expressed their extreme displeasure over the situation.
"What exactly did those bastards do during the war? They just sent a few disciples and stayed in the back!"
"Honestly, they're only alive thanks to us! And they still act so high and mighty!"
"Exactly! We saved their lives, and this is how they repay us?"
Mages had long been guaranteed great power and freedom. The magic towers were critical assets to any kingdom.
But behaving so selfishly even in this situation naturally caused frustration to boil over.
Still, despite their dissatisfaction, none of the nobles dared take concrete action. What if they cracked down on the magic towers and the towers moved to another kingdom?
'That would only hurt us… We'd end up taking all the blame.'
'What if the mages never return to our kingdom?'
'If other kingdoms step back quietly, the mages will all flock there instead.'
Mages weren't only needed for war. They were indispensable for sustaining civilized life.
Cities with magic towers were far more developed than those without, and the tax revenues they generated were enormous.
Thus, the lords of regions with magic towers couldn't help but tread carefully around them.
Knowing their indispensability, mages had always been able to hold their heads high.
The nobles turned their gazes to Ghislain. None of them wanted to take responsibility for the current situation.
One noble boldly asked Ghislain.
"What do we do?"
"......"
Ghislain closed his eyes and raised his head. With the tangled web of vested interests and customs, none of them could act decisively.
He didn't blame them. After all, even in the Lutania Kingdom, people had been the same.
In that case, the decision had to come from him.
Thud!
Ghislain placed his sword on the conference table. The nobles flinched as Ghislain scanned their faces and spoke calmly.
"We bring them back."
"What?"
"Round them all up, every last one of them, and drag them back. Is that so hard?"
"Uh… but… they're mages. Most of them are from magic towers, where their freedom and rights are protected…"
"So what? No matter how important a national asset they are, if they can't be utilized in time, they're useless. The rights of mages stem from their duty to protect their kingdoms, don't they?"
"Well… yes, that's true."
"Abandoning those in need and running away to save their own skin after living in luxury all this time—is that justifiable?"
"...."
With a cold expression, Ghislain spoke firmly.
"I heard some mages declared as they fled, 'Give me freedom, or give me death.' Quite the fine sentiment, isn't it?"
"Ahem…"
"Well then, let's grant their wish."
"...."
"From now on, issue a directive to all kingdoms."
"T-Tell them what?"
"To capture the fleeing mages. If they resist, bring them back as corpses."
"...…."
"The allied forces will also form pursuit teams immediately and head to neighboring kingdoms to track down the mages."
Faced with Ghislain's threats, the nobles could do nothing but break out in cold sweat, unable to utter a word.
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