Immediately after the attack hit, a roar and a flash spread, and I clearly heard something like Exon’s groan. I couldn’t see the Dragon in front of me, but there was no doubt that Abel’s sword had been effective.

Can we do it—just as I muttered in my heart, the light began to converge. There was no counterattack from the Dragon. Eventually, as my vision cleared,

This is nothing short of magnificent.

There was Exon. However, there was a large hole in its abdomen.

Furthermore, it had wounds everywhere. It was no exaggeration to say it was battered and bruised, and it seemed difficult to continue the fight.

It seems it was effective, as expected.

Abel said, not letting down his guard. He surely wouldn’t have a third attack ready, but he was still gathering Magic Power to deliver a follow-up.

However, even to me, it was clear he was nearing his limit… If they fought again, Abel might be at a disadvantage.

However,

…Huh.

The moment it uttered a slight word, a change came over the Dragon. Suddenly, its entire body was enveloped in light—and it steadily grew smaller.

Eventually, the light took on a Human form…and changed into a man in his late forties or early fifties, wearing a gray cloak.

The man with a respectable amount of white hair had a beard that gave him some dignity, but his physique was somewhat unreliable. This person before us was Exon’s true form—

So you reached your limit.

You’re in a similar state, aren’t you?

Exon said with an eerie smile.

I have no strength left. I used what little power I had to heal my wounds and return to Human form.

Next, he cast his gaze at Abel.

I am prepared. There’s no need to hesitate, is there?

His expression showed he was ready for death. Abel stepped forward to respond—

Wait.

I called out.

I want to talk to the Marquis, if that’s alright?

“……You?”

“Yeah. There doesn’t seem to be any way to escape, so it should be fine, right?”

Abel narrowed his eyes and pondered my words. Normally, he wouldn’t need to listen to an outsider like me, but considering I’d stepped in to help…

“Understood.”

“Thank you… Also, if possible, I don’t want the contents of this conversation to be known to anyone in the organization.”

“I don’t mind, but I’ll be present.”

“Oh, that’s fine.”

After saying that, I gave Exon instructions and moved a little. Marquis, perhaps because he lost the battle, obediently followed my words.

And when Sofia and Richard came to my side, I asked them.

“I have one question. If you crush them like this… do you think this continent will be peaceful afterwards?”

“I’ve considered the possibility of further wars erupting. Besides, I don’t believe the Emperor, who is spreading tyranny across the continent, would leave me, a Marquis, alone.”

“……It’s not the Emperor, is it?”

Exon’s face twisted slightly at my words.

“What do you mean?”

“You don’t need to play dumb. The Marquis must also be aware of the person manipulating this war from behind the scenes, right?”

“What do you mean?”

Abel asked. It was a natural reaction since he didn’t know that Nefmeiza was the mastermind behind the series of battles.

But I didn’t answer and instead asked Exon.

“Well, never mind. Anyway, what I want to say is that even if you achieve your goal, what awaits you is death.”

“……Hmm.”

His expression seemed to say he was interested. By giving a somewhat suggestive explanation, his willingness to listen was evident.

“You seem to have accepted death after losing to us… but surely you wouldn’t want to die a miserable death by the Mastermind’s strategy, would you?”

“……Does he have the power to easily crush me?”

He also seemed interested in the Mastermind’s power. At this point, my body started to tense up a bit. I had started this conversation because I had thought of a way to cleverly persuade the Marquis, but…

“Well, that’s how it is.”

“Why do the Adventurers know that?”

…I glanced at Sofia next to me. She seemed surprised by my gaze… but eventually, she nodded.

Richard also nodded. He didn’t know what I was going to do, but it was a sign of trusting me.

“I am a Human working at her request.”

“What?”

I glanced at Sofia again. A nod, indicating it was fine.

“……She is a relative of the Mastermind—a Human who knows the details of this incident, and she asked me to stop this atrocity. That’s why I know the truth behind this war.”

Exon looked at Sofia. Not with suspicion, but with pure interest.

“I see… So there was such a person among his relatives.”

“Of course, she’s acting in secret. If it’s exposed, her parents and others will likely be executed. So, I’d like to keep this confidential.”

Having said that, I called out to Exon.

“I told you all this because I wanted you to trust me to some extent. As I said before, I know how this war will ultimately end. That’s why I can assert it. If things continue as they are, you will meet a miserable death.”

“So, he’s made such preparations, then.”

Exon placed a hand on his mouth and began to ponder something.

“Hmm, I thought it was reasonable to die in a battle like the one just now, but such an ending isn’t interesting.”

“Can I trust you?”

“……What you said has no proof. However.”

Exon gave a meaningful smile.

“I can tell whether you are telling the truth or not.”

He seemed to have something up his sleeve, but it looked like he would at least listen to what I had to say. In that case—

“If you want to avoid that, would you be willing to cooperate?”

“Cooperate… with you? Or with—”

Exon cast his gaze upon Abel and the others.

“With this organization?”

“It would be great if it could be both.”

“So, you mean to rally them and stop his ambitions?”

“Well, to put it crudely, yes, that’s what it means.”

I looked at Abel. Naturally, he was dumbfounded, unable to follow the conversation. I asked him a question here.

“What do you plan to do once you’ve finally overthrown the Emperor?”

“I don’t know what will happen. All I can say for sure is that we cannot leave things as they are.”

—It seems he hasn’t yet received information about me possessing the Qualification to become Emperor.

“Understood. Marquis, that’s why I’m asking for your cooperation. If you’re having trouble deciding because of the lack of benefits, I’ll even prepare a reward.”

“Can a mere Adventurer provide a reward that would satisfy me?”

“There are many ways. For example, presenting a Dragon Demon Stone, which is a rarity in this world.”

Exon fell silent. He seemed to be thinking.

For a while, silence descended. The Wind rushed between Exon and me, and then—

“…Well, it wasn’t very pleasant to keep going along with his Strategy. It might be good to change things up a bit.”

“Is that really a good enough reason to cooperate?”

“I’m also curious about how he plans to kill me. Besides, if I die, it’s clear what will happen to my territory, and that’s simply not interesting.”

…The Marquis, who had been targeting the Town until recently, seemed to have returned to his Human form, lost his aggressive nature, and was now calm. Perhaps it should be said that his consciousness was drawn to destruction by the Dragon Magic Stone Power.

“As for the reward… well, working with you all seems to make it a bit easier to get things through the court than it is now.”

“…He said that.”

I looked at Abel. He shrugged his shoulders widely,

“In any case, the Emperor, who has caused so much resentment, will undoubtedly abdicate. Since we don’t know who the next Emperor will be, I can’t say how flexible things will be.”

“I’ll handle that well.”

It seems he’s become enthusiastic… At this point, the Marquis turned his face to me.

“Since you know a lot of things, I’d like to have a discussion first.”

“Ah… but there’s one problem.”

“The Army will be pouring in here, won’t they?”

Exon asked preemptively.

“We’ll properly counter-Strategy that as well.”

“…I want to confirm again. You’ll be rebelling against the Emperor, is that alright?”

“If an unavoidable death awaits, I must resist. If we turn against him, the Emperor’s direct Army will also halt their movements.”

Exon spoke with conviction. Next, he turned his gaze to me.

“I also have things I want to ask you, and I’m sure you have various opinions as well. Let’s start with a discussion, shall we? As for the location… I certainly don’t have the stamina to return to my Mansion. Let’s go into the Town.”