Time rewound a little.

“Genbu! Is it true? About teaming up with Odin?!”

Camille appeared before Genbu.

It was still just Genbu’s unilateral decision for now. But if Genbu made the call, that meant it was the decision of Chūbu—and by extension, the Asia Union.

In that case, the EU couldn’t refuse without a damn good reason.

“Yes, have a seat for the moment. I’ll explain. And… they should be here any minute.”

“They’re coming? You don’t mean…”

“That’s right. Our new ally is arriving here today.”

Those narrow eyes fixed on Camille and widened slightly.

…

Three representatives sat around a massive round table.

Surrounding them were reps from various nations and military officers.

The atmosphere wasn’t exactly cordial.

After all, a potential enemy of the world was sitting right there in front of them.

The empire’s prince—the one who’d boldly declared he’d wipe out the world—radiated an inexplicable aura.

Asia Union Representative: Genbu.

EU Representative: Camille.

And then…

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t glare at me like that. We’re supposed to become allies from here on out.”

Earthguard Empire First Prince: Odin Earthguard.

“It’s not that simple. After all, your country nearly wiped out half of ours.”

“It’s not my country anymore. My brother stole it from me.”

“You talked big about invading the Asia Union, only to get your throne snatched away by Road Earthguard. You’ve got yourself a real star of a brother there.”

At those words, one of Odin’s attendants standing behind him—Rielbelt—raised his voice.

“That’s an insult to my lord!”

Rielbelt’s hand went to his sword, and in that instant, every soldier in the room drew their guns.

Tension filled the air, bloodshed seeming imminent.

“Enough, Rielbelt. Stand down.”

“…Understood.”

“My apologies. It’s his loyalty to me. Forgive him.”

The representatives knew full well this was just a show of force to avoid being taken lightly.

Odin couldn’t afford to lose his temper, so his subordinate did it for him.

Even so, Rielbelt knew better than to actually draw his sword in this atmosphere.

“Well then, Camille, can we get back to the discussion? For my sake?”

“Fine, if that’s what you want, Genbu.”

Genbu smoothed over the tension like a gentle rebuke.

With his turtle-like demeanor, his voice carried naturally, calming the room bit by bit.

(So this is the Asia Union’s rep… What a sly old fox.)

Odin saw right through Genbu’s qualities as a leader.

The obsession with power lurking in the depths of those narrow eyes.

“Prince Odin, first things first: let’s hear your plans. What happens after we take down Road Earthguard? What do you intend to do with the Earthguard Empire?”

Depending on his answer, Odin could become the enemy right after Road fell.

That was why Genbu probed there first.

“We’ll sign a peace treaty, open diplomatic relations, and resume trade. And as for the colonies you’re all most worried about…”

Odin turned a genial smile their way and declared:

“I promise to liberate them all.”

The room erupted in murmurs.

They could tell that smile was artificial.

And yet, something about it made the World Alliance want to believe him—made them feel oddly at ease.

“That’s exactly what we wanted to hear. But that’s precisely why it doesn’t add up. We can’t trust it. It feels like nothing but a facade. Is that really the truth? Your honest intention?”

Camille stared hard at Odin’s smiling face, suspicion etched on his own.

But Odin’s response was utterly unexpected.

“Why does it need to be the truth?”

“What?! Don’t toy with us!”

Camille slammed the table and shot to his feet at the remark—as if Odin had just called him a liar.

“Let me say it again. Why does it need to be the truth? The people want justice, don’t they? That’s how you democrats operate. How convenient.”

“You picking a fight?!”

“Hold on, Camille. You know full well that no matter what we say here—or what we put on paper—it’s meaningless against a nation. We can’t punish them if they break their word.”

Genbu soothed the fuming Camille.

Camille was usually a level-headed man, but he’d come from the EU. He’d seen hell firsthand, which was why he got heated around Odin.

“T-That’s true, but…”

“Exactly. So right now, we borrow their strength, and they borrow ours. That’s all we need, isn’t it? Why not just believe them for now? What do you say, Prince Odin?”

“As expected of you, Genbu. You get straight to the point—saves me a lot of trouble. That’s why I’ll give the speech the people want: the ally of the world, the enemy of Road.”

Watching the exchange, Camille regained his composure.

He tapped his forehead thoughtfully, then delivered his cool-headed conclusion.

“…Very well. But if you break that promise, you know what happens.”

He approved bringing Odin on board as an ally.

“I understand perfectly, Camille.”

It was utterly unforgivable on a personal level, but setting emotions aside, it wasn’t a bad deal.

To topple the world’s strongest empire—and its strongest foe, Road—they’d join hands even with a con man like this.

That was the logic.

“If it’s for the world’s sake, I can swallow my personal feelings.”

And so Genbu and Camille joined hands with Odin.

As they did, Odin returned their initial identical smiles with one of his own—gentle and warm.

“Please believe in me, everyone in the World Alliance.”

…

The moment shifted to Odin’s speech broadcast to the world. Road and Kenya watched him intently.

“My brother used vile poison against my knight Osiris to claim victory at the sacred Empire Sword Martial Festival! He stole the emperor’s throne from me by force—all to dominate the world, when all I wanted was peace!”

Odin spun his web of lies.

All lies, but the masses couldn’t tell. They wouldn’t notice.

To them, only the information fed to them was truth; they had no grasp of the world’s reality.

“I once hated the Asia Union for killing my sister. But the truth is, Road Earthguard did it! To seize power! It was all a setup!”

He flipped even his past statements without a second thought, pinning it all on Road.

Whether Odin was evil or not—propaganda could paint over that in an instant.

“I seek peace. My brother has become the enemy of the world. So I ask for your strength. If I become emperor! The Earthguard Empire will change! I promise liberation for every colony! We’ll restore diplomatic ties and bring peace to the world! So join hands with me and fight!”

Odin slammed the table, his voice booming louder than ever.

“For world peace!”

“Woooaaahhh!!”

The masses bought Odin’s words hook, line, and sinker.

To those ignorant of the truth, good and evil could be reshaped by words alone.

Odin’s speech swayed the people’s hearts.

The enemy of the world was Road Earthguard—solely him.

With that hammered into their heads, accepting his enemy—Odin—as an ally was child’s play.

He yielded the stage to Genbu.

“As he just explained, Prince Odin has joined the World Alliance. Our forces are more than sufficient now. Liberation of all colonies is at hand! As representative of the World Alliance, I declare here and now: We, the Free Army, will surely triumph!”

Genbu bellowed triumphantly.

A declaration of war. A declaration of the greatest war this world had ever seen.

“I hereby declare the start of the World War against the Earthguard Empire!”