"Want me to help?"
Yuuki glanced at Mars through the magical projection and suddenly laughed. Few could imagine that the cold, forbidding Mars, always exuding an air of untouchable authority, was now forcing himself to maintain composure.
At Yuuki's laughter, the corners of Mars's mouth twitched slightly, almost imperceptibly.
"Tell me," Yuuki continued, still smiling, "attacking a border town like Kiten… the Diamond Kingdom wouldn't want to start a war over this, would it?"
Yuuki laughed a little longer, then stopped, his interest piqued as he looked at Mars's increasingly stiff expression.
Among the Four Great Kingdoms, the Diamond Kingdom might seem the most audacious, always putting on a show of aggression—but in truth, it was the weakest of the four.
Often, it was only the weak who deliberately tried to appear fierce.
Unfortunately, in this world, there was no concept of unified authority. Add to that the natural barrier of the "Grand Magic Zone" between kingdoms, and otherwise, the Diamond Kingdom would be the first to be swallowed whole.
"The assassination squads are the nobility's strongest tool. To some extent, they keep both the kingdom's army and our Eight Shining Generals in check."
"This attack on Kiten Town is a move by the nobles to weaken the Eight Shining Generals. The royal family might even be involved, and there are also certain internal issues within the generals themselves."
"So, it's no surprise that the ones being sent are the only three remaining older-generation generals of the Eight Shining: Argus with his Slime Magic, Brox with his Brown Earth Magic, and Lakas with his Lightning Magic."
Mars's voice transmitted clearly through the magical projection.
Yuuki nodded lightly, noting that these were the same three Eight Shining Generals who had attacked Kiten Town in the original timeline.
Currently, aside from the three older-generation generals Mars mentioned, the other five—including Mars himself—were artificially cultivated mage-warriors.
Two entirely different systems of magic users naturally caused internal divisions within the Eight Shining Generals.
"You want to use this incident to gain influence within the Eight Shining, and then leverage that authority to implement reforms in the Diamond Kingdom, right?"
Yuuki leaned back against a large tree, relaxed, gazing up at the moonlit sky. A faint smile curved his lips.
"That's correct."
Mars studied the lazy smile on Yuuki's face through the projection, frowning slightly. "You don't seem to agree with this approach."
Yuuki shook his head once, then nodded.
"I just think you're overlooking something very important— 'power.'"
To enact change, the true opponents are only the royal family and the nobility. Authority may be a tool, but in Yuuki's view, the only thing that can deliver a decisive blow is crushing strength.
And power, at its core, is just the strength granted by kings and nobles. Using the power, they give you to oppose them—well, you can imagine how that will end.
Besides, this is a world ruled by strength!
Zenon Zogratis, one of the Spade Kingdom's "Three Dark Extremes," simply passing through the Diamond Kingdom single-handedly annihilated the Eight Shining Generals and the entire royal army, bringing the kingdom to the brink of destruction.
In the face of such strength, talk of authority is nothing but a joke.
Forget about reform or protecting your friends—even your own life might not belong to you.
"I don't think my method is wrong."
Mars's expression remained unchanged as he spoke seriously.
"Fair enough," Yuuki said with a dismissive wave, "on this point, you and I are alike—we're not easily swayed by others. Time will reveal the answer."
"I have no problem helping you. I could even find someone who shares your ideals to assist you, helping you consolidate control over the Eight Shining faster. But…"
Yuuki paused. His face remained smiling, but his eyes turned sharp and cold as he stared at Mars through the projection:
"What do I get in return?"
Mars showed no surprise, as if he had expected the question.
"The higher my position, the more useful I can be to you." His voice was calm, measured.
Yuuki's eyes narrowed. "Fair enough—but what if you fail?"
"I will obey your command. Even my life belongs to you," Mars said, still calm.
Yuuki shook his head.
"You seem to have misunderstood something."
His gaze turned icy, and as he thought it, something happened.
In the Diamond Kingdom, within Mars's private chamber—
The moment the final syllable of Yuuki's words reached him, Mars felt his mana erupt uncontrollably.
Boom!
A surge of magical energy burst from his body, instantly solidifying into countless razor-sharp stone daggers in the air!
In the blink of an eye…
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Mars's pupils contracted. He realized he was surrounded by a dense forest of stone daggers, one even poised at his throat.
No matter how he tried to control the daggers, they didn't respond. His mana no longer felt like it belonged to him.
"What… is happening?"
Shock spread across Mars's face. He forced himself to remain composed, lifting his gaze to the magical projection before him.
"Although we are in a cooperative relationship, from the moment you lost to me last time, your life ceased to belong to you."
"So this wager doesn't count. If you fail, the Diamond Kingdom belongs to me."
"Of course, if you succeed, I will reward you as a comrade, with a gift of considerable weight."
Yuuki appeared in the projection, smiling brightly, yet a chill ran down Mars's spine.
Betting an entire kingdom might sound like a joke—but Mars could detect no hint of jest in Yuuki's tone.
"I will succeed!"
Mars remained silent for a moment before replying with steely determination.
"I'm looking forward to seeing the outcome."
Yuuki's lighthearted voice echoed once more before the projection finally shut down.
Once the conversation ended, Mars regained control of his mana. The countless stone daggers dissolved, their power absorbed back into his body.
"How did he… do that?"
Mars touched his neck and held his fingers up, seeing a streak of bright red blood. His expression darkened.
He remembered the Mage Palace incident—after fighting Yuuki and preparing for a second attack, his mana had also gone out of control.
Back then, Mars had assumed Yuuki had used some hidden magic, and even after returning to the Diamond Kingdom, he had checked thoroughly.
But nothing unusual was found. Now, with his mana out of control again, Mars realized Yuuki's manipulations were far more subtle and formidable than he had imagined.
Truly remarkable.
From initial underestimation to present caution, Yuuki had grown increasingly mysterious in Mars's eyes.
At least with Mars's own strength, he couldn't have wiped out a 60-plus-member assassination squad so silently.
"A wager, huh."
Mars's expression returned to its usual coldness as he turned and walked out of the chamber.
Life and death meant little to him. If it could reshape the Diamond Kingdom the way he envisioned, what did it matter if he lost his life?
He knew Yuuki understood him even better than he understood himself.
No matter whether the kingdom wager was real or not, he would never concede.
Elsewhere,
After closing the projection, Yuuki's expression flickered with fatigue.
"Manipulating things from such a distance… it's not easy."
"But that guy, Mars… he actually dares to play a high-stakes game like that."
Rubbing his temple, Yuuki muttered softly,
'"If I fail, my life goes to him"—isn't that just a trick?
If Mars fails, his life is already forfeit. The royals and nobles wouldn't let him live. Using that line, I was just warning him.'
The method just now appeared to control Mars's mana, but that was only superficial. His Replication Magic was not yet capable of that level of power.
What Yuuki actually controlled was only the magical grimoire Mars was using. Losing control of his grimoire naturally meant Mars couldn't wield his mana properly.
All mages release magic through their grimoires; that's common knowledge. That's why Mars thought his mana had gone haywire.
To break Yuuki's control, one only needed to destroy the created grimoire.
However…
Yuuki had revealed his ability to bestow magic on others but had never revealed that he could devour and create magical grimoires. That was his deepest secret.
Without realizing the grimoire was artificially created, no one would ever suspect this.
Aside from intentionally destroying one's own grimoire, there was another scenario: an envoy like Yuno, whose wind spirit still resided within the grimoire.
As a spirit born of the wind element, no mage could seize control of the wind element in front of Sylph.
Yuuki could at most resist wind magic directly from Yuno. Once the wind spirit used its elemental magic, or Sylph merged with Yuno to cast magic, even Yuuki would have to evade.
"By now, Fanzel should be entering this area. Perhaps I can drop some of Domina's ordinary magical items into the black market."
"That way, I can also get rid of the useless items Domina has been producing."
Yuuki thought for a moment. Though he had no shortage of money, he had no desire to waste resources.
In a blink, his figure vanished from sight.
(End of Chapter 161)
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