Novel Full Chapter 416: Plan
Chapter 416: Plan
Razeal, however, didn’t immediately register that layer, his brows knitting faintly as he watched Sofia separate them, confusion flickering across his expression, “What happened?” he asked, his tone casual but genuinely questioning, as if he didn’t see the necessity of what she had just done.
“Maybe your wife is a little jealous of me… being close to you,” she said, her eyes lingering on him just a fraction longer than necessary, “But don’t worry… I know it’s not you.”
And then
“Sorry… if I made you feel insecure,” Maria added, her expression shifting into something that resembled guilt, though the subtle curve at the corner of her lips made it difficult to tell how genuine it actually was.
“You..” her eyes widened slightly, more in disbelief than anger at first, before narrowing quickly, her gaze sharpening as she looked directly at Maria, her expression turning dangerous in a way that wasn’t loud but precise, controlled, Insecure? the word echoed in her mind, irritation flaring, She’s the one crossing lines… and now she’s framing it like that?
Sofia held Maria’s gaze for a second longer.
“Nothing… it’s fine,” she said, her voice flattening intentionally, pulling herself back from reacting further, her head shaking slightly as if dismissing the entire thing, “I just thought she was…” she paused, cutting herself off mid-thought, “…never mind. It’s not important.”
It wasn’t nothing.
But again Sofia stopped herself. If I say something now it’ll just sound like jealousy… exactly what she implied… her jaw tightened slightly, And I don’t even have proof… just a feeling..
For now that is.. But shell keep eye on her.
But Maria
And as Sofia pulled back, choosing silence
And Sofia caught it Immediately.
And when Maria noticed that Sofia had caught it
Just slightly enough to confirm it.
But before she could
“So,” she said smoothly, turning her attention back to Razeal as if the tension had never existed, her tone shifting back to composed curiosity, “What’s the plan?” her eyes fixed on him, “Where do we start… and when?”
That it forced Sofia to swallow her words.
Her focus redirected.. Unwillingly so.
But even so
And Razeal
“Tomorrow.” And as he said it, he snapped his fingers lightly, pointing toward Maria as if locking the decision in place, “We start tomorrow,” he repeated, his tone carrying no room for delay.
“…Tomorrow?” she echoed, her surprise immediate this time, “Isnt that too fast?”
Didn’t react with hesitation.
As if just trying to show fully Supportive rather being questioning.. as how sofia was doing
“Kingdom of Denvaar,” Razeal continued, his voice steady as he named it, his gaze shifting slightly as if already thinking ahead.
“Because it’s already in a war,” Razeal answered simply, as if stating something obvious, his tone steady and unbothered by the weight of what he was revealing, “And I’m going to step in as a protector… save it… earn the trust of its people,” he continued, his gaze shifting briefly between both of them, “Win their favor through that,” a faint smile forming on his lips as he added almost casually, “And while doing that… we’ll also take control of it,” he shrugged lightly, “but by their permission.” His voice carried a strange calm certainty, as if the contradiction in those ideas didn’t exist to him at all.
“I thought there was no war anywhere near here,” she continued, her tone growing more analytical, more grounded in logic as she tried to dismantle the inconsistency, “As far as I know… within at least three thousand kilometers around the Empire of Aetherion? This empire.. there hasn’t been a single major conflict in decades.. Like forever ever..” she emphasized, gesturing slightly as she spoke, her confidence stemming from knowledge rather than assumption, “And the Kingdom of Denvaar isn’t even that far… it’s just three or four kingdoms away,” her eyes narrowed slightly, “Which means it falls under imperial jurisdiction… directly or indirectly under the Empress’s authority,” she concluded, her voice tightening, “And I’m absolutely sure she would never allow a war to exist within her sphere of influence,” she said firmly, because that wasn’t speculation that was fact, “So what you’re saying… it doesn’t make sense,”
“But the war is happening,” he said again, simply.
Maria stared at him.. And despite everything in her knowledge telling her otherwise
Not because it made sense.. But because he said it anyways.. Like yeah who cares about coomon semse and knowledge.
“…Alright,” she exhaled faintly, forcing her thoughts to adjust, even if reluctantly, “Let’s assume that’s true,” she said, her tone shifting into something more focused, more strategic, “Then who are they fighting?” she asked quickly, her mind already moving forward, “If we’re stepping into this… we need to understand the sides, the dynamics, the structure of the conflict,” her lips curved slightly into a faint, confident smilezz
“It’s against the Empire of Aetherion.” Razeal said without hesitate.
Maria didn’t react immediately because her mind just didn’t accept it.
“…What?” she whispered faintly, her voice losing all structure for a second, her expression blank as if the information simply refused to settle into place, and then she shook her head slowly, once, then again, as if trying to physically reject the idea.
“Do you even understand what you’re saying?” she asked, stepping slightly closer, “An empire where supremes are practically sitting under every random tree.. Like literally everywhere in corners no one can expect,” her hand lifted slightly as she gestured in frustration, “The empire where Seven of the top ten strongest supremes in the entire world ranking belong to?” her breath quickened slightly..
She paused briefly, but the more she thought about it, the more absurd it became, her expression tightening with a mix of confusion and frustration. “Not to mention… they wouldn’t even need to mobilize the empire itself,” she went on, her tone turning sharper, more insistent. “They wouldn’t need a high-ranking family… No.. Scratch that.. not even that.” She let out a dry, humorless breath. “Send a random shop or a restaurant in the middle of the imperial capital. I’m sure even they would have enough connections to wipe that kingdom off the map in less than a day.” Her eyes lifted back to him then, searching, demanding answers that would somehow reconcile this madness.
Her disbelief deepened, turning into something heavier something closer to genuine concern mixed with exasperation. “Because that doesn’t just mean supporting them,” she continued, each word deliberate, pressing. “That means you’re willingly choosing to stand against that empire.” She gestured faintly, as if the sheer scale of it couldn’t even be contained in words. “And do you understand what that implies?”
She stared at him, almost at a loss. “Instead of slowly getting stronger, facing bigger opponents as you grow… you’re going straight for the very final An very ultimate impossible opponent from the very beginning.” Her voice dropped slightly, incredulous. “You’re basically choosing to fight the final boss at the start of the story.”
“Don’t worry,” Razeal said, his voice calm, almost casual, as if he were talking about something trivial rather than a war that could decide the fate of nations. “It’s not as serious as you think it is. I’ll win this war in less than ten days.”
She seriously doesn’t know where his confidence was coming from
She shook her head faintly, almost helplessly, her gaze wavering as if trying to process him rather than his words.
It was subtle, barely noticeable at first. A flicker in his expression. A certain calmness. A confidence that wasn’t loud or boastful but quiet, absolute.
Wait…
“…Does the Empress know about the ongoing war?” she asked slowly, her tone changing, carrying a hint of something deeper suspicion, realization, perhaps even unease.
Amd.. Just Razeal smiled.
“No.”
“If the Empire of Aetherion actually knew one of its territories was in active war, it would’ve been crushed instantly… erased before it could even escalate.” She paused slightly, her eyes narrowing as she refined the thought further, “So the only logical explanation…” her voice lowered just a fraction, “…is that no one important knows about it.” Her gaze sharpened, locking onto him..
For the first time
Not shocked.
His eyes lingered on her for a moment longer than usual, as if reassessing something, She figured that out… that fast? the thought passed silently through his mind, though his expression didn’t fully betray it.
“What?” she said, her tone shifting into mild disbelief, almost offended, her lips parting slightly, “Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked, her brows furrowing, “Like I just did something impossible?” she shook her head faintly, exhaling through her nose.
Razeal shrugged slightly.
Good. You understand.
But yeah.. He Didn’t deny it.
“So…” Maria continued after a brief pause, her tone shifting back to focused curiosity, “Who exactly are they fighting?” she asked, her mind already moving ahead into strategy again, “If we’re stepping into this… I need to know the opposing side, the structure, the scale..”
Maria blinked.
She paused.
“You’ll be forced to accept defeat.” Her words weren’t emotional.
“She doesn’t tolerate the concept of losing,” Maria continued, her tone almost detached now, as if stating a universal law, “So your idea of creating an independent kingdom… under her authority?” she shook her head faintly, “That’s not something she’ll allows to exist.” Her gaze softened just slightly not in doubt, but in concern, “It’s not about whether you’re strong or not… it’s about the system itself.”
Silence hung between them.
“She’ll have to.”
Calm and Certain and totally Unshaken.
And he smiled.
“I’ll make it possible,” he added simply.
Maria held his gaze for a few seconds longer, searching, analyzing, trying to find doubt, hesitation, something
And that made her uneasy.
You do need no matter how much you try not to admit..” her eyes met his again, “It’ll take longer, yes… but it’s stable. Controlled. You won’t be walking straight into the center of danger.”
Even Sofia’s expression reflected that thought.
“I will… I will,” she said quickly, her voice firm despite the conflict inside her, shaking her head slightly as if dismissing her own earlier objections, “I was wrong to suggest otherwise,” she added, almost forcing the words out, “I’ll go wherever you go,” and for just a brief moment, something flickered in her eyes a faint trace of instability, of obsession, of something deeper and darker but it vanished just as quickly as it appeared.
“Good,” Razeal nodded, satisfied, “And trust me… I’ll win,” he added, his tone carrying that same unshakable confidence, “I don’t make plans that fail,” he said simply, “I know exactly what I’m doing,”
’He’s going to lose… there’s no way this works’ the thought lingered in the back of her mind, heavy and undeniable, But it doesn’t matter, she told herself, I’ll go with him anyway, because at this point, persuasion was meaningless she had already realized that nothing she said would change his path
So she’ll stay… no matter what, she had decided that her resolve settling into something absolute, Even if this leads to death… she’ll be there, and if she couldn’t protect him? If everything fell apart? She didn’t have an answer for that but it didn’t matter right now, because all that mattered was staying by his side, even if it meant stepping into a battle she was certain they couldn’t win..
Razeal nodded again, “Good,” he said, as if everything had fallen exactly into place, as if the path ahead no matter how dangerous, no matter how impossible was already decided.