The matter of war was one thing.
What troubled Ethan the most, however, was Frontier.
Frontier had officially surrendered to Arcadia, fulfilling Arcadia's long-standing ambition to absorb neighboring kingdoms and expand its territorial influence. With this acquisition, Arcadia had successfully reduced the land gap between itself and the other great Empires.
Under normal circumstances, such expansion should have shaken the balance of the continent and provoked immediate reactions from rival powers.
Yet none of them moved.
That silence itself made many uneasy.
The reason was simple. Frontier was no longer a prize but a burden. Nearly half of its land had been destroyed during the conflict. Cities lay in ruins, supply routes were shattered, and governance had collapsed completely. Whoever accepted control would first need to rebuild chaos into order.
And more importantly, that ruler would become the first shield against the next demon invasion.
