In the royal palace of Westhaven, the capital of the Kingdom of Westoria.

"I've summoned you both because I've received a message from the Emperor," King Tiberan, a healthy middle-aged man, announced. His sharp gaze eyeing the State Advisor Brynden and the Lord Commander Jareth who quickly straightened their back even more, their ears perking up.

"The message advises us to launch a preemptive attack against the Lotra Kingdom," the king continued calmly. "As our chief diplomatic and military authorities, I want to hear your counsel."

Both Brynden and Jareth, albeit stunned for a few seconds, were seasoned in their fields and quickly regained their composure. After a brief pause, it was the former who spoke first.

"Your Majesty," he said thoughtfully, "from the tone of the message, it may appear as advice but it might as well as be an order."

Why do I even keep this man as my advisor... King Tiberan cast a sharp glance at Brynden, his patience visibly thinning.

"Is that truly the best you can offer?" he asked, his tone edged with irritation. "I came to the same conclusion the moment I read the message. What I need from you is an opinion on the war itself, not a summary."

Brynden bowed his head slightly in apology, choosing his words carefully.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty," he began. "If war is inevitable, we can turn it to our advantage by drawing it out. The Emperor never said to conquer the enemy kingdom, we can thus exploit the wording."

He straightened slightly, gaining confidence. "A series of small skirmishes along the border would suffice. It would train our troops, satisfy the Emperor's demands, and yet avoid the risks of a full-scale confrontation. In fact, the Lotran king might secretly welcome such a strategy, it would spare him the devastation of a total war, buying his kingdom a few more years of peace under the guise of conflict."

A confident smile spread across the State Advisor's lips, as if he'd just delivered a masterstroke of strategy.

King Tiberan stared at him, one brow slightly raised, his expression unreadable, though inwardly, disbelief churned.

Wulfric will thank us? he thought, incredulous. They'll have an army lurking at their doorstep, forced to stay alert every hour of every day, bracing for a strike that may never come. Their men will lose sleep, their morale will crumble and all the while, they won't be able to retaliate, not without risking an ambush from the Blackridge Kingdom or even the Empire itself. And you think their king will thank us?

His jaw tightened slightly.

The only way this farce would work is if we warned King Wulfric in advance and hoped he was mad enough to trust an enemy in the middle of a war. But who in their right mind would place their faith in the word of a rival kingdom?

Brynden remained oblivious, his chest puffed with pride, still basking in the brilliance of his proposal blissfully unaware of how close he stood to the edge of the king's patience… and possibly his own demise.

The king shifted his gaze from Brynden to Jareth, his fingers pressing slowly against his temples in an attempt to ease the tension.

"What are your thoughts on this, Lord Commander?" he asked.

Unaware of the king's growing irritation, Jareth replied with respectful confidence. "Your Majesty, given the strength of our combined forces, breaching a section of the Lotra Kingdom's border should pose little difficulty. Doing so would satisfy the Emperor's directive."

He paused briefly before continuing, "After the initial strike, we can execute a swift retreat. This approach would limit our casualties while inflicting significant disruption on the enemy's defenses."

If this single attack succeeds it can end in two ways. Either Wulfric takes the loss and lets us go, minimizing the damage to both our armies, or he swiftly counterattacks. I don't know how bad his mental state is these days, so I can't properly judge the outcome… if only the Emperor hadn't sent us to attack, everything would've been fine. But now I risk cornering a wounded animal, one that might give up everything just to bite me and drag me down with him. This just turned into a gamble.

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King Tiberan tapped his fingers on the throne's armrest. Although faulty, this commander has brighter ideas than the advisor who studied politics his whole life. How sad.

"Commander, your proposal isn't without merit, but I need more specifics. How many troops would you require to breach the border, and when do you intend to launch the attack?" the king asked, his tone measured but probing.

Jareth nodded, maintaining a calm, neutral expression as if the king's praise hadn't registered. After a moment's thought, he replied, "If we aim for the smallest force possible, this mission would shift from a direct assault to a covert strike. In that scenario, I would need elite units: 100 knights of the third and fourth stage, accompanied by 50 mages between the seventh and eighth stages."

He paused briefly before continuing, "However, if Your Majesty prefers a full-frontal assault, then we would require 10,000 knights supported by 2,000 mages to ensure success."

"As for timing, it depends on the approach. A swift operation could be ready within two weeks to two months, while a frontal attack would demand four months to half a year to adequately prepare and mobilize."

"Aren't those numbers for the frontal assault a bit excessive?" the State Advisor interjected, his brow furrowed in skepticism. "I was under the impression our soldiers vastly outmatch the Lotrans."

Jareth opened his mouth to respond, but King Tiberan raised a firm hand, cutting him off.

"I doubt the Emperor will be satisfied with anything less than a bold, open advance," the king declared, his voice unwavering. "You will take those troops and march openly against the enemy as soon as you are ready."

"Understood, Your Majesty," the Lord Commander replied, bowing deeply.

The king waved a hand, dismissing them both with a weary sigh. Once alone, he muttered under his breath, "That damned state advisor, not only clueless, but brazen enough to mock a sound plan. If I don't remove him soon, he'll be the death of me."

His face relaxed back into its usual composed mask as he whispered into the empty hall, "Someone."

"Your Majesty."

The voice echoed in the vast hall although nobody other than the king seemed to be present.

//////////

Laying down on the bed, Nova closed his eyes and thought, 'I started thinking freedom was my true desire, but that might've messed everything up. I haven't even awakened my Aura yet, and I was already chasing after something deeper when Instructor Morai explicitly said not to let the talk about true desire distract me.'

'I think I put the cart before the horse. I should've focused on awakening my Aura first before diving into my true desire. After all, how can I hope to understand something so profound if I can't even grasp a part of it? It's not just about identifying what it is, it's about truly comprehending it. Looking back on today, repeating the word over and over... what a useless thing to do.'

He felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulders. A quiet sigh escaped him as he let his thoughts settle.

'Now that I understand this, my search for a desire to awaken my Aura becomes clearer. Simply knowing my desire isn't enough, I need to understand it. Rushing or forcing it will only ruin my future and that's the last thing I want.'

With his thoughts sorted out, Nova cleared his mind and allowed the steady flow of Mana to wash through his body.

////////////

For the next three weeks, Nova settled into a steady routine: waking early, training outdoors, retiring at night to absorb Mana, and practicing Mana manipulation. Amidst this disciplined rhythm, he kept in contact with Lopaz, who soon introduced him to Kale and Rey.

The two, having been beaten alongside Lopaz by the seniors, went through shaming session from Nova but afterward, they ended up on friendly terms.

Before long, the four of them began sharing meals in the canteen, sharing stories about their lives. While Kale, Rey, and Lopaz opened up freely, Nova mostly listened but they didn't seem to mind.

On the training ground, though Nova hadn't practiced with the spear as much as he once did outside the portal, his strikes had grown noticeably sharper and deadlier, each movement honed thanks to Morai pointing out slight flaws in it. As for his Aura, he had long since stopped overanalyzing every desire that surfaced, choosing instead to let nature take its course as he simply trained.

On the twenty-second day, the moment Nova arrived at the training grounds, a clear voice called out: "Page, come here."

Without hesitation, Nova approached the instructor and nodded in acknowledgment.

"It's been nearly a month since you arrived at the camp," Morai began, his tone calm. "And since you haven't unlocked your Aura yet, I want you to take care of a few bandits who've been stirring up trouble outside the city."

He paused briefly before continuing, "Before you ask, there are no rewards for this. It's simply our duty to cleanse the roads of such scums. What do you say, are you going?"

There might not be a reward but if you shy away from a few bandits you will never awaken your Aura, Morai's steady gaze locked onto Nova's eyes, awaiting his answer.

Giving the instructor a smile Nova said "When do I leave?"

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