Now, in the supreme conference room, where every decision made could shake the fate of an entire kingdom, only the three most supreme figures, the three Demigods holding the future of millions of souls in their hands, sat facing each other around the round table.

Alfie, his face still holding a trace of doubt and sorrow after what he had just witnessed and heard. He looked directly at his respected teacher, Grand Marshal Karatyr, who sat in the central seat, an ornate throne carved with golden dragons and phoenixes.

In Alfie's mind, the predictions and analysis that the Grand Marshal had just presented still seemed absurdly unbelievable, but in truth, it was the most reasonable, most logical explanation for the strangely peaceful, suspiciously quiet situation in the capital Aerion after the recent tragic disasters.

"Grand Marshal Karatyr, teacher," Alfie finally spoke, breaking the tense silence that enveloped the room, his voice still calm and clear as usual, but tinged with contemplation and questioning. "Do you have anything to explain more clearly to me and Vincent? About the agreements, the calculations you have made?"

Grand Marshal Karatyr looked directly into the eyes of his two most outstanding disciples, his voice deep and steady, carrying a hint of worry and fatigue: "As we analyzed together just now, the most frightening thing for Zephyros at this moment is not that the capital Aerion was attacked and heavily devastated. Those losses, however great, we can slowly overcome. The most frightening, most dangerous thing is the immeasurable consequences that follow, the military weakening, the political instability, the panic among the populace, and the chaos in the social order that it could cause for our entire kingdom."

"That's right, teacher," Pope Vincent replied, his voice still carrying a tone of discontent and confusion. "But all of that began with the fact that our capital, the heart of Zephyros, was attacked openly and blatantly. An unacceptable insult."

"It has been three days," Grand Marshal Karatyr's short, sharp statement was like a bucket of cold water on the escalating tension, causing both young Demigods to pause, surprise and confusion clear on their faces. "And it seems that everything we feared most, the worst-case scenarios, have not happened. And they will not happen."

It was just as Grand Marshal Karatyr had said. Three days had passed since the bloody attack on the capital Aerion. But the borders of Zephyros, in all four directions, remained peaceful, with no sign of encroachment or provocation.

The two most foremost kingdoms on the continent, the sworn enemies of Zephyros, Klariz and Loren, apart from opening their borders to receive the streams of panicked refugees fleeing from Zephyros, seemed to have made no other significant military moves.

This suspicious silence made Alfie and Vincent even more bewildered, unable to understand what was really happening.

While Vincent and Alfie were still immersed in surprise and unresolved doubts, Grand Marshal Karatyr slowly took out from the precious wooden box on the table two high-level treaties, important diplomatic documents, stamped with royal seals in a solemn manner, proving their legal validity and undeniable binding force.

The first treaty was a food aid agreement with the southern nation of Marevia. According to it, the tyrant Rowan, who ruled Marevia with an iron fist and harsh policies, had agreed to provide an amount of food sufficient to feed the entire population of Zephyros for many years at an unbelievably favorable price, only half of the current market price.

In return, Zephyros, as a leading military power, would have to guarantee military protection for Marevia against all foreign enemies for the next twelve years. A mutually beneficial agreement, yet it hid complex political calculations.

The second treaty, even more surprising, was a three-year peace agreement with their sworn enemy in the west, the kingdom of Klariz. The war-mongering King Uron of the savage land of Orvahn, famous for his brutal conquests and ceaseless aggression, had recently led his army to attack the territory of Klariz, defeating both Demigods guarding the border of that country, and seizing an important piece of territory. This attack had forced the Klariz army to retreat deep into their territory to consolidate their forces, temporarily leaving them without the strength to cause trouble for Zephyros.

Finally, Grand Marshal Karatyr presented a document with the seal of the Celestial Accord, a influential and prestigious righteous alliance throughout Tehra. According to this agreement, the Celestial Accord would be given complete freedom of movement and operation throughout the territory of Zephyros. Their sole purpose was to assist the Zephyros army in tracking down and eliminating all the dangerous Black Societies remaining after the recent attack.

At this point, Pope Vincent and Alfie gradually began to understand the real reason behind the strange peace of Zephyros after the recent disaster. Grand Marshal Karatyr had personally led the elite army to the eastern border, engaging and defeating the formidable invading forces of the kingdom of Loren. This once again affirmed the military strength of Zephyros, causing all other neighboring countries to be cautious and not dare to act rashly. Along with King Uron of Orvahn attacking Klariz, another potential threat on the western border was eliminated. With the two largest powers not daring to act, the smaller, weaker countries bordering Zephyros would certainly not dare to make any provocative moves. The military threat, for now, had been resolved satisfactorily.

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With the food aid from Marevia, Zephyros could open all its national reserves to provide relief for the people struggling after the disaster. At the same time, they could reduce some of the heavy food taxes, helping to retain the citizens who still believed in the leadership and future of the country. Zephyros, once again, had shown the world that this country still had enough strength, enough potential to care for and protect its people, to overcome all difficulties and challenges.

Finally, the pressing security problem caused by the Black Societies for many years, a metastatic cancer that had weakened Zephyros from within, also had a thorough solution, a glimmer of hope. The battle in the capital Aerion, though causing enormous losses, had also inadvertently eliminated a large number of core members, the leaders of the Black Societies.

Even so, there were still many other dangerous individuals hiding somewhere in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to rise again. The appearance of the Celestial Accord, a mighty military organization with the noble goal of eradicating all dark forces, would surely help to strengthen security and restore order throughout the territory of Zephyros.

In just a short period of time, all the most serious internal problems of the country, the greatest threats to the survival of Zephyros, had been clearly exposed, and there were also specific, feasible solutions.

Both young Demigods, Vincent and Alfie, gradually understood the real reason behind the strangely "laissez-faire," incomprehensible attitude of their respected teacher, Grand Marshal Karatyr, over the past few days.

"But how… how could you be sure that all of this would happen as you calculated?" Pope Vincent was still skeptical. "There is nothing to guarantee that all these agreements, these plans, will actually happen, will bring the results we desire."

Grand Marshal Karatyr said nothing. He slowly removed his iron gauntlet, pulling up his sleeve to reveal the mark of the Life-Death Pact. "The one who masterminded this plot is a formidable individual. Besides him, three other demigods consented and provided support.

I received tokens from those individuals and knew that agreeing to his insane plan was the best thing for Zephyros right now." Karatyr's voice seemed to drop. "The Life-Death Pact prevents me from revealing who they are. After this Mark vanishes, my memory of them will be gone as well. I tell you this only so you understand... every action I have taken, every horror I have permitted, has been for the survival of Zephyros."

Both Vincent and Alfie were stunned into silence. Their hearts were now filled with countless unanswered questions, with doubts, with worries about this elaborate setup, a power play full of risk and danger.

"But… but why did it have to be this way?" Alfie finally exclaimed, his voice still unable to comprehend the real reason behind such a complex, troublesome, and contradictory plan. "Creating a large-scale attack on the capital Aerion, causing such heavy losses, for what? Laurent first united all the Black Societies, those who had been trying to undermine Zephyros for years. Then, he allied with our sworn enemies, other countries, to support Zephyros after the disaster. And he, even more brazenly, dared to persuade you, the supreme leader of Zephyros, to leave the capital, deliberately exposing fatal weaknesses in our defense system so they could easily attack…"

Too many seemingly unnecessary things, too many contradictory, incomprehensible actions. If Laurent's ultimate goal was simply to attack to weaken Zephyros, he wouldn't have needed to prepare so meticulously and mobilize so many resources. But if his goal was to help Zephyros, then why did he have to attack the capital Aerion so brutally, and why did he have to drag other major powers into this war? The more answers were given, the more new questions, new doubts piled up, the matter becoming more complex and incomprehensible, like a tangled mess with no way out.

Grand Marshal Karatyr looked down at the table, his voice low, carrying a hint of bitterness, of helplessness: "Because they have a bigger plan, a much more important goal to achieve. Our capital Aerion was merely a place they chose, a necessary stepping stone for that plan to proceed smoothly." Karatyr hesitated for a moment then continued.

"And our reward, the price we must pay for this cooperation, is absolute peace, solid stability for at least the next three years, after all these events are over. During that time, we can focus all the kingdom's resources on restoring the heavily devastated economy, rebuilding the social infrastructure, and most importantly, being able to absorb and digest resources that we never dared to dream of before. These are three precious years, three years that we in Zephyros have always lacked, have always longed for." His voice choked at the end of the sentence, as if he himself felt he was betraying his country, betraying the trust of millions of innocent people.

Alfie and Vincent also seemed to have understood part of their respected teacher's intention. To be able to persuade Grand Marshal Karatyr, a man who always put the interests of Zephyros first, to accept cooperation in such a crazy and risky plan, the mysterious Laurent must have offered an irresistible price.

He had used the internal problems, the difficulties that Zephyros was facing, to solve all of them at once, with a strong dose of medicine. This was much like a patient suffering from a serious illness, on the verge of death, having to accept a potent, toxic dose of medicine. If they could survive the crisis, their health would have a chance to recover quickly, even more gloriously than before.

The attack on Aerion, with its countless dead and rivers of tears, was the bitterest of medicines. It was a violent, agonizing purge, a fire meant to burn away the kingdom's festering diseases so that it might one day grow strong again. To gain three years of peace, Zephyros had to bleed. It was a horrifying gamble, a pact with a devil for the soul of a nation, and Karatyr had been the one to roll the dice.

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