His anger was quickly contained. After all, the target of his anger had been misplaced.
His rage needed to be directed entirely at one person. Until then, he couldn't afford to waste any emotion meaninglessly.
"Thank you for the information."
"Don't mention it."
Ivan bowed to the man before him. Just by providing this information, the Grand Duke's fate was essentially sealed.
The moment he revealed Alexandr's contact, he had effectively pledged allegiance to Elizabeta.
"I was tempted too. A dwarf. 'That' dwarf. Just as the Second Corps does now, I too was quite interested in the dwarves' military supplies back then."
"..."
"The Crown Prince told me that simply by maintaining military rule, he would transfer all of the dwarves' military industrial facilities. That when he ruled Krasilov, he would grant independence to the military government."
"Then why...?"
Military independence—meaning he would recognize the colony as a fully independent nation. If he also transferred military facilities, there would be few economic concerns.
An independent nation combining the productivity of the demon colony, the technological prowess of dwarf military facilities, and the military might of the First Corps. It could potentially surpass even Krasilov's national power.
"Isn't that too sweet an offer?"
"..."
"No sensible monarch would ever offer such terms to a vassal. If we assume all those conditions would be met, it's one of two things."
Either he's a complete fool, or it's a sweet trap.
Alexandr is certainly no fool. If he were stupid, he couldn't have maintained his political struggle with Elizabeta for over a decade. After all, Elizabeta was one of the most capable politicians in the country.
So assuming the Crown Prince wasn't a fool, this was a trap. The Grand Duke realized this the moment he became aware of Alexandr's approach.
And he remained silent.
Deciding to wait quietly at the military government office, prepared to deploy only if the dwarves actually crossed Krasilov's borders.
Several months passed that way.
"Then suddenly I hear that the Second Corps is cooperating with the dwarves. I naturally thought Alexandr had approached the Second Corps too. But what do you know? The Second Corps pledged loyalty to the Princess."
The Grand Duke chuckled as he tapped the table with his dried-up fingers.
"So I hurriedly investigated, and yes, I heard you had returned. 'Little' Ivan. The former king's executioner. Looking into it further, I discovered that nobles aligned with the Crown Prince had been thoroughly purged just recently."
"..."
"I sent you a message right away. Remember? It was right after those dwarf bastards opened their borders. I clearly asked to meet with you, didn't I?"
That was true. Though he had ignored it.
Ivan quietly nodded. The Grand Duke laughed incredulously.
"How do you think I felt? If the counterintelligence command had been even half as effective as the Annihilation Squad was back then, I could have detected Alexandr's approach in advance, and then I wouldn't have been classified as 'Crown Prince faction' in central politics."
"That's..."
"I couldn't sleep at night."
The Grand Duke had dark circles under his eyes.
"The Little Ivan I knew could easily come for my head regardless of how well I fortified the colonial military government."
"You misunderstand."
"Then why didn't you come? And why did you ignore my letter? What does it mean that the Second Corps is stockpiling military supplies? Are they aiming for our First Corps' rear?"
The Second Corps' jurisdiction is the northern front. More precisely, they defend the border region that was once the northern front.
And beyond that, across the mountains, lies the First Corps' colonial military government in the deep demon territory.
If the Second Corps blocked the border, the First Corps would be isolated in demon territory. Once supplies were cut off, it was obvious the First Corps would be torn apart by the demons.
"...Then why didn't you just report directly to Her Highness?"
"The central government's key figure would naturally be you, and if you don't respond to my letters, what's the point of sending any message to the Princess? You would intercept it anyway."
"I don't work that way."
The Grand Duke ignored Ivan's protest. He sighed deeply and scratched his head.
"Should I mobilize troops now to at least attempt defense? Or should I contact Alexandr again? What options do I have now that Alexandr's attempt has failed? While I was pondering this, I suddenly heard about the incident in Tilles."
"Ah."
"They said the Princess personally led the Second Corps to suppress the civil war in Tilles. Why specifically the Second Corps? Not the Capital Command, but deploying the Northern Corps all the way to the western end."
"The Capital Command lacked military power..."
"Wasn't it to confirm loyalty and test military mobilization capability? I heard they completed deployment within ten days of the order. It seems the Second Corps passed the Princess's test?"
That's why he had brought his forces. Emphasizing that he had marched from the far north, passing through the Second Corps' garrison without any resistance.
That his forces could attack Pritzenkaya in just a few days from the border's edge, even faster than the counterintelligence command could relay information.
This was his survival strategy. Not to display military might, but to directly demonstrate his usefulness to the Princess.
If he had simply sent this by letter, it would obviously have been intercepted by the man before him. He had to make a commotion too loud to ignore.
"Hah..."
Ivan exhaled deeply and sank into the sofa.
He wanted to apologize first. How anxious this old soldier must have been. Krasilov's winters are brutal. From the harshest northern region, he had ridden through on horseback, barely sleeping.
"I'll... speak well of you to Her Highness."
"You'd better."
"You'll be granted an audience soon. If you disarm the forces you brought, I'll permit entry to the capital."
"I will."
"And... I'm sorry."
Ivan was a sensible person who didn't mistreat the elderly. Unlike the pre-modern fantasy world, he came from Earth where filial piety and morality were included in elementary education.
He couldn't help but feel responsible for a situation where, because he thoughtlessly ignored a letter, a man over seventy had to ride a single horse across half the country in winter.
Moreover, the man before him had helped him retire when he decided to leave service...
At that time, Elizabeta's power alone wasn't enough to completely remove him from military records and make him officially dead to society.
So thoroughly that even Alexandr couldn't detect it, and even the Annihilation Squad survivors wouldn't know.
As Ivan bowed respectfully, the Grand Duke smiled bitterly and waved his hand.
"So what will you do now? Go to Kalion? It won't be easy."
"If I follow official diplomatic procedures, there shouldn't be any difficulties. The elves won't recognize me."
"Well, that's true. Elves are too arrogant to remember a 'human' who died four years ago."
The Grand Duke chuckled and nodded.
"Then I'll stay here for a while. I should take a look at those recruits you've been training so diligently."
"They're orphans."
"I have eyes, you know."
"Absolutely."
A firm voice rang out briefly in the silence.
"Impossible."
Bang. A small hand struck the table roughly, making the cup on it rattle.
"Impossible! Impossible! Impossible!!"
"Your Highness."
"No! Before I have dirt in my eyes—no! Even with dirt in my eyes! Even if I'm covered with a dirt blanket, that cannot happen!!"
Elizabeta was nearly having a fit. Ivan sighed briefly. Though born with the qualities of a military sovereign, she worried too much.
"What are you trying to do now! How will you get injured and be carried back this time! Has your leg healed? Can you move?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Your arm?!"
"It's fine."
"Functionality?"
"About 30% recovered."
"See!!"
Elizabeta was one of the few people who had learned how to converse with the man before her. When asked for quantitative figures, Ivan never lied to her.
So asking if he could move was actually meaningless. He was the type of man who would move as long as his limbs were attached.
Therefore, the right question was to ask quantitatively about his physical function. But only 30%? Considering the recovery ability of a superhuman like Ivan, it meant he wasn't in optimal condition despite a month of rest.
His injuries were so severe that even the Saintess's healing couldn't fully restore him. Of course, that was to be expected. When a person is reduced to such tatters, they cannot possibly recover from injuries with just four weeks of treatment.
Moreover, this man had firmly refused medical treatments like healing potions. Stubbornly so. (Ivan never used healing potions on allies, so he had to resist Elizabeta's forceful attempts.)
"30%. And the treachery of the big-eared race of Kalion is ten times—no, a hundred times worse than the horse-riding dogs of Tilles! Challenging a stronger military force with reduced strength—what military strategy book contains such tactics?!"
"However, Your Highness, we cannot leave Alexandr unchecked. The future consequences would be immense."
"Don't you understand why my brother crawled into Kalion?"
Elizabeta sighed deeply and said.
"That fellow has already lost all his foundation inland! His scheme to incite the Huskarl of Droan failed. The dwarven civil war? Failed! And even the coup in Tilles failed! Who would readily sponsor someone who has failed three consecutive plans for national subversion?"
Normally, his support base should have completely collapsed by now. Why did the elves help him? The reason was obvious. Because they're elves.
Elves fundamentally dislike peace. (This is a fact.)
Because they can gain nothing from peace and stable politics. The more chaos there is, the sharper elven diplomacy becomes.
Perhaps the reason they aided the United Kingdom was that otherwise, the Union would have been annihilated too quickly by the demons.
Elizabeta was almost certain. As the most untrustworthy race, it wasn't strange that they would use the repeatedly failing Alexandr as a tool.
Who knows? They might try to incite Krasilov again using Alexandr in the future.
"Therefore, you must never, absolutely never leave this country. This is not a request, but an order!"
With Tilles, there was at least a way to invade with military force. Even that was a diplomatic overreach committed because they thought Ivan was dead.
Once was enough. Losing this man.
Kalion can only be approached by sea. And Krasilov has no navy. They don't even have an ice-free port, so all sea routes are blocked in winter.
Her only means of contacting Kalion was through the trade route via Tilles. Since she couldn't lead troops that way, Kalion might as well be another world.
It was absolutely unacceptable.
"...I receive your command."
Ivan quietly bowed his head.
Elizabeta, with a more relaxed expression, tried to comfort him with various words, but Ivan merely nodded silently without continuing the conversation.
He was a trained agent, so he wouldn't make the same mistake twice.
Once was enough. Letting an enemy escape before his eyes, watching old friends who shared memories die.
Being a sensible person, he didn't try to persuade the stubborn woman in her late twenties.
That was impossible even in his Earth days. Having never succeeded in romance on Earth, he didn't know how to persuade women.
Moreover, the Annihilation Squad doesn't persuade.
As he once reflected. They only prove.
"I'll need to prepare a smuggling ship bound for Kalion."
"That's my specialty!"
Elfihera finally smiled brightly.