Love possesses the power to make one want to do something for someone else.

And…

This desire, born from wanting to capture that person’s heart, can sometimes lead to completely unexpected events.

For example, just a few days ago.

Like what Estelle, the sister of the Rhapsody Lord, had undertaken.

“Though I don’t know how effective this will be… I have no choice but to try.”

Having become engaged to Santana, the son of the Lord of Bohemia, Estelle had almost completely joined forces with Bohemia.

In relation to the current situation…

And also regarding her “love,” Estelle began to consider ways to capture Santana’s heart in her own way.

The usual, clumsy methods wouldn’t suffice.

As the leader of the Heretic Alliance, Santana had made alliances with various regions besides his own.

Though, for now, as his fiancée, Estelle did not have to sign the astonishingly exploitative contract Santana had proposed, unlike the others.

However,

If her goal was to win Santana’s favor, mere support amongst so many allies wouldn’t stand out at all, and given that there were regions with greater economic power than Rhapsody, it was likely that typical support would be of little use.

From this perspective, Estelle needed to provide something significant that other lords couldn’t offer, something that would be impossible to overlook.

As a result, Estelle devised a secret plan…

One that could only be presented in her Rhapsody region within the Sacred Empire,

and if it went well, she believed it could also gradually melt Santana’s heart regarding their contractual marriage.

“It’s not easy, but… it shouldn’t be impossible. Although I haven’t met him in person, the person I know always prioritizes his country’s interests…”

*

“Huff…”

With a sigh heavy with fatigue, I slowly set down the wooden sword.

The sword was broken and splintered, nearly on the verge of breaking.

It had become ragged from the magical energy I had just emitted, but to me, that wasn’t exactly a good look.

“Indeed… is this my limit with my current skills?”

The magic that enhances the durability and sharpness of weapons by channeling magic into them is called Convergence.

The principle involves wrapping the object with magic and rotating it rapidly to cut through targets like a chainsaw blade.

The friction and heat generated during this process could easily cause the wooden sword in hand to burst, and if I failed to control it, even a steel sword could weaken, break, or bend.

In that sense, being able to maintain the Convergence technique with a plain wooden sword for almost a week indicated that I was getting somewhat accustomed to magic.

Of course, even at an intermediate level, the frequency of changing swords during Convergence training decreases significantly, meaning I still had a long way to go.

“Well… I’ve just barely reached the lower tier level, but I feel somewhat more useful than before?”

Though I’m still at a level where I could easily get taken out by both my sister and my youngest sibling, it’s undeniably a good thing that I’m getting stronger.

In a more immediate context, it also can carry significance regarding health, and broadly speaking, it prepares for unforeseen situations.

“But… there’s no need to rush this. At least for a while, it’ll be hard for anything resembling a war to break out.”

Knowing the original work, I was aware that a temporary peace was likely to follow for some time.

While the Mansfeld forces had their power significantly weakened over time, making them unable to do much,

Moreover, with the devastation caused by the Mansfeld in Palatinate and nearby regions, the Emperor’s Army temporarily disbanded to focus on restoring the territories.

“Well… Friedrich seems to be struggling with this, but there’s not much to be done about that.”

When Mansfeld violated Palatinate, the original lord Friedrich was in a significant mental strain over the situation.

At least he managed to bring his family from Lorend safely here, but he’s still deeply troubled by the suffering of the subjects he once cherished and wanted to protect.

“Looking at him, it’s clear he has a great personality… even though his abilities are lacking.”

Friedrich had a handsome appearance and a kind nature, but he lacked intelligence and charisma, making him a poor fit as a leader.

Because of these traits, in the original work, he teamed up with Mansfeld and Christian forces to reclaim Palatinate but ended up losing even the public support he had and became another victim of this battle.

Of course, his foolishness in trusting others too easily was also a fault he couldn’t escape.

“Regardless… for now, the frontline will be in a lull. During such times, it’s best to strengthen my base while considering how to exploit Friedrich.”

Even though Friedrich had been stripped of his main forces, there were still things I could do through him.

Building connections with foreign powers isn’t easily done, and depending on how I utilize him—having the princess of Britain as a wife and ties to Kalmar and Roland—I could supplement the limitations of our Heretic Alliance.

“Well, that’s something to think about later. For now, I need to escape this novice status as quickly as possible.”

With that thought, I approached Polena, who had been waiting at a distance,

and she smiled at me while handing me a towel.

“Well done. You seem to be progressing day by day.”

“I’m still far from where I need to be; at least, I should be on Dust’s level to be considered a viable force. Right now, I’m still in a protected position.”

“Well, that’s true, but you don’t need to be so anxious. These things typically take time; proceeding slowly is the fastest way.”

“Haha… that’s true; I can’t argue with that.”

Listening to Polena’s advice in a familiar tone, I felt as if she had become my mentor.

Of course, we had never had that conversation, but still.

“Mentor… well, it’s not entirely false; thanks to her advice, I’m certainly benefiting in various ways.”

Thinking this, I gazed at Polena’s beautiful smile in front of me.

Even though we had spent quite some time together, she still remained a puzzling character.

Her dignified demeanor and constantly impressive displays of skill were just the beginning;

plus, the depth of her magical expertise, which transcended mere observation, was quite extraordinary.

As I got to know her more, my questions about her only grew, but I figured there was no immediate need to dig deeper into this matter.

After all, what she was doing for me was considerably helpful, and for that reason, I had already placed a significant amount of trust in her.

In this situation, I had no desire to suspect her, who was not showing any dubious movements.

“Well… the details will reveal themselves over time.”

Suppressing the rising doubts in my heart, I smiled as usual and made my way slowly towards the room.

Right after that, I had no idea what expression she wore or what she was thinking.

“Is that energy… those guys?”