“Hmm, thank you for the information.”

  In the sky city above the Abyssal Rift, Aeroxia sat in a chair, fag Misako, the leader of the Abyssal federation.

  After Aeroxia revealed her identity to Veridith, Veridith had brought her here to meet Misako.

  As for the dahe sky city was covered with various protective barriers, and high-tier bat forces like Farkonia and other dragons were stationed here, so it was unlikely she would cause any signifit disturbance. Moreover, let’s not fet that Misako herself was a tenth-tier powerhouse, and if there was something she couldn't handle, only Farkonia or Aris would be able to resolve it.

  "May I ask why you’ve e all the way here in person? Was it just to deliver this information?"

  Although the information Aeroxia provided was highly valuable and aligned with the intelligence Misako had received, as a princess of an enemy kingdom, Aeroxia’s motives were highly suspicious.

  "...My elder brother forcibly took the throne. While her my brother Dorol nor I had any desire to bee king, Barol’s as have gooo far. And in my view, his behaviour will pluhe kingdom into irreversible ruin, which tradicts our father’s will."

  As she spoke, a sorrowful expression crossed Aeroxia’s face.

  She was still only a fifteen-year-old girl, yet she had to ehe loss of her father and the pressure of being forced to oppose her brother. Even as a princess, it was incredibly difficult.

  "...I uand. You should rest for now. Veridith will take you to your room."

  "...Thank you."

  ...

  "Here’s your room."

  After Aeroxia left Misako’s office, Veridith led her to a guest room within the sky city.

  "...Hmm…"

  However, Aeroxia seemed downcast, her mood visibly somber from the moment she arrived.

  "...Please wait here," Veridith said abruptly before running off.

  Some time ter, with hurried footsteps, Veridith returned, carrying a box, apanied by Yuriyas and Aris.

  "Let’s py chess!"

  "...?"

  Although fused, Aeroxia, under Veridith’s direct approach, agreed to py. However, she couldn't help but feel unfortable uhe resentful gaze of the white-haired loli sitting nearby.

  "...Soldier to E4, attack C5."

  With a and, a soldier pie the 14x14 grid chessboard unleashed magic against an opposing piece. After the first spell was cast, the oppo retaliated, and after several bad-forth magical exges, the attag soldier piece was defeated.

  "Ugh… It seems I still don’t have a solid grasp on magic…"

  This was a game called ‘Magical Military Chess’, inspired by various chess-like games from other worlds, bined with the magic system of this one.

  In addition to standard chess strategies, pyers had to trol their pieces through magical circuits lio the board, casting spells to simute battles or struct magical barriers, so situations like the one just now, where an attag piece was tered, were quite on.

  "Well, it ’t be helped. Yuriyas, you’ve only been studying magic for a few days. Being able to trol the pieces is already impressive."

  In fact, being able to trol pieces and cast spells after only a few days of training was an incredibly rare talent. If she were in a top academy like the Imperial Academy, she would likely be at the forefront of her css.

  However, uhe engaged Yuriyas, Aeroxia seemed disied. She rarely initiated any attacks or set up defences, stantly opting for a strategy of avoidance.

  "If you don’t start attag, you’ll lose. C5 to C7, attack."

  With a single move, Aeroxia’s piece was destroyed, as though it had never even tried to fight back.

  Or rather, it hadn't.

  "e on! Take this seriously!"

  "...Sorry, I just ’t muster the energy for it…"

  Aeroxia had immediately decided to e to the federation after learning of her brother’s as, thinking it was the only thing she could do. But now that she had delivered the information, her mood had worsened further.

  "...It’s just… so frustrating to look at."

  Yuriyas, showing no mercy, spoke bluntly to the downcast Aeroxia.

  "Wait a sed, Yuriyas, that’s not really appropriate..."

  Hearing Yuriyas’s remark, Veridith quickly intervened.

  "Yuriyas, go grab some drinks. We’ve been pying for a while now, and I’m sure everyohirsty."

  "…Alright."

  "...I’ll go too."

  Uo refuse Veridith’s request, Yuriyas left, with Aris following suit.

  "…Sorry, Yuriyas didn’t mean it like that."

  "...I know."

  Yuriyas was still young and didn’t fully uand how to offer f words, so she was blunt. Aeroxia could tell, though, that Yuriyas had no ill iions.

  "...I know my expression is terrible right now, but I just ’t shake this feeling."

  She uood that Veridith had brought Yuriyas and Aris in hopes of lifting her spirits, but no matter what, she still felt empty inside.

  "Is it because of your brother?" Veridith asked, gently.

  Aeroxia nodded slightly in response. She khat death was iable, and pared to the passing of their father, she was more troubled by her brother’s as.

  She had promised their father that she and her siblings would work together, but now here they were—her elder brother seeing her as an enemy, her sed brother imprisoned, and herself, the you sister, forced to cooperate with an enemy nation to stop her brother. This was far from the unity they had once pledged.

  "...This is just my personal opinion," Veridith said after a brief pause.

  "For those who’ve done wrong—whether they are siblings, juniors, or elders—just let them know they’ve made a mistake."

  "And as for how to deal with it, my approach is simple: give them a good beating."

  "...Huh?"

  Aeroxia had been listening ily, but Veridith’s solution was not only stra was dht unventional.

  "They won’t know what’s wrong uhey feel the pain, and they won’t learn to behave. It’s not foolproof, but it works quite well."

  Veridith recalled how she had dealt with dragons in Dragon Valley who looked down on her by following the principle of 'an eye for an eye.' After giving them a taste of their own medie, they stopped provoking her.

  As for those she couldn't defeat, like her older sister or Misako, she simply couldn’t do much.

  "I…"

  "You’re feeliy because you believe there’s something you still o do, something you have to aplish. Trust me, just give him a good beating first. It won’t affeything ter on."

  That’s right. Even if Aeroxia didn’t front her brother herself, Veridith and the others would take care of it.

  "You’re right… I uand now! Thank you, Veridith!"

  Aeroxia’s expressihtened, as though a cloud had lifted, and her spirit was restored.