Faust looked at the crowd behind Arcturus; these courtiers were the pillars that supported the operation of the Midwinter Kingdom.
Arcturus spoke, "Our question is simple, Prince Faust. Which kingdom do you truly consider yourself a citizen of?"
"Since you all share this doubt, let me answer you directly."
The prince raised his chin slightly and said, "In Midwinter, I am a man of Midwinter; in Qingxi, I am a man of Qingxi. Both are of equal importance to me, and there is no question of belonging to one over the other."
It was a clever answer, but it served as a clear statement of his stance.
Arcturus nodded and bowed deeply.
"If that is truly the case, then we shall follow your will, just as we respect Her Majesty the Queen."
Selena curled her lip at this stubborn attitude, but Faust didn't mind it much as he led the group into the audience chamber.
Once the ministers were seated in the council hall, Faust inquired, "What is the current state of the Midwinter Kingdom?"
He hadn't asked the queen this question earlier, knowing that Mother Lola wouldn't be able to explain the specifics; he needed to discuss this with professional technocrats.
Turning to official business, the prime minister of Midwinter wore a solemn expression and shook his head.
"The situation is very poor. Due to the impact of the civil war, the stability of the entire Midwinter territory has suffered a severe blow. We will need at least a month to recover."
The wheel of destiny had replaced the dragon's eye with another fiend, but the damage caused would not be erased. The casualties the Midwinter Kingdom suffered in this civil war were not quite existential, but they were certainly significant; nearly half of the field legions were decommissioned, and over ten towns had been reduced to scorched earth.
"Those ruins are manageable, but the truly irreparable loss is... the frost-walker. Our kingdom's frost-walker forces have been heavily damaged and can no longer maintain a deterrent."
"The frost-walker, I see..."
Faust had already anticipated this. The final battle against the dragon's eye had completely destroyed 【Mountain Father】, ending the ancient heritage and accumulation of the frost-walker since the Golden Age.
Currently, aside from the seven titan's cores, there were fewer than a hundred alchemical shells left. As for the remaining materials, they were barely enough to even reconstruct 【Zilliax】. It could be said the force was effectively wiped out.
Sigh. You know, I worked very well with the Great Titan; they were incredibly strong. We had great chemistry. I was even prepared to bring my talents to Midwinter, and now you tell me the frost-walker team has been disbanded?
Well, successfully completing the 【witches' feast】 was the primary goal, and he had even achieved bonus objectives by saving Lola. He truly couldn't ask for more.
Just as Faust was feeling regretful, Arcturus's next words nearly gave the prince an aneurysm.
"And because of this... our vassal states intend to dissolve their contracts."
"Wait, what happened?"
Arcturus said expressionlessly, "Because the curse has been lifted and the frost-walker forces have been lost, many of the vassal states that previously signed contracts with us have expressed their desire to leave... or rather, it is not just a desire; they have already left."
Faust was speechless.
The prime minister of Midwinter continued, "The vassalage terms we signed were guaranteed by national strength and armaments. If a vassal state determines that our kingdom can no longer provide protection, they have the right to dissolve the agreement themselves."
The implication was clear: because the Midwinter Kingdom had suffered this great disaster, the surrounding vassal states were no longer willing to remain subordinates.
One couldn't necessarily call it kicking them while they were down, but they were certainly opportunistic.
The vassal states! The vassal states are escaping!
Because of the dragon's curse, the Midwinter Kingdom had been unable to expand its territory. Before this, it had maintained its transcendent status by relying on the military deterrence established by the frost-walker.
Without the support of the vassal states, the national strength of the Midwinter Kingdom would be greatly diminished. The River Valley where Midwinter was located was not a particularly wealthy region.
In Faust's original plan, he had intended to manage the Midwinter Kingdom's sphere of influence, forming an alliance and becoming its leader. The news from Arcturus had completely disrupted his original plans.
The prince let out a dry laugh and held his forehead.
"Heh, these guys... they really won't give me a moment's peace. Very well, very well indeed."
"It seems I must return to Qingxi. Speaking of which, the first batch of aid should have arrived by now. I will use it to arm the royal guard and then pay a personal visit to these vassal states to let them know that Midwinter still has the ability to protect them."
Seeing Faust's decisive and vigorous style—even more intense than a native of Midwinter—Arcturus asked in surprise, "A re-conquest of the vassal states is naturally necessary, but there is no need to be in such a hurry."
Selena crossed her arms and tapped her finger on her shoulder, saying, "It is quite urgent, because soon enough, we will have to clash with the regular army of the Radiant Dynasty."
"???"
Now it was the turn of Arcturus and the other ministers to be confused. What did she mean? Why did the topic suddenly jump to the empire?
However, Faust and the others had no intention of explaining. Treating the empire as a hypothetical enemy would have been considered mad even during the Midwinter Kingdom's peak; they would explain the details later.
Selena was concerned about something else. The white snow princess arched her willow-like eyebrows and asked Faust, "You're going back right now?"
The beautiful girl with long black hair wouldn't admit she had developed a taste for him, but it was the truth.
At this moment, Selena didn't want to do anything except dote on the prince on the large bed in her castle chamber—dote on him ruthlessly.
Faust naturally understood her meaning. "...I will return very soon."
Fortunately, Lola finally remembered her identity as a high warlock and said, "I can set up a teleportation spell between the two capitals. If we select a stable spell tower in the Qingxi royal capital, you can return to my spell workshop from there in an instant."
Even a high warlock could only maintain one such permanent teleportation circle at a time, but it was perfect for this situation.
Faust breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.
"In that case, if I make it a quick trip, it should only take four or five days—definitely no more than a week. I'll return immediately after that."
"Then go."
Selena wasn't so thirsty that she couldn't wait a few days. She stepped forward, stood on her tiptoes, and gave her lover a peck on the cheek.
"Safe travels."
Faust's efficiency had always been at its maximum. After receiving the princess's permission, he set off on his journey home with Viviana.
Before leaving, he specifically chose a white horse from the royal stables in the Midwinter capital that looked almost identical to the one he had ridden there.
This way, he could pretend his horse hadn't died.
Urgent to make time, Faust soon returned to the Qingxi royal capital. Outside the palace, when the guards and courtiers saw their prince's figure, they immediately erupted in cheers.
"The prince is back!"
"The Hero of Midwinter has returned!"
"The bane of the dragon's curse, the grail-smasher!"
...
Clearly, news of Faust's deeds in the Midwinter Kingdom had already reached his home court ahead of him.
"Oh, everyone, please, you flatter me..."
Just as Faust rode into the palace, intending to enjoy the crowd's compliments, he was immediately doused with cold water.
It came from Yusewood.
As Faust dismounted in front of the great hall, the silver-gray-haired princess was standing at the top of the steps, looking down at the resplendent prince on horseback. She said coldly, "Faust, are you feeling very proud of yourself?"
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