"I wouldn't get so cocky if I were you," Gilgen said in a cold voice. "If I retreat with my army and return empty-handed, I'll only be ridiculed and face some embarrassment, but you'll be facing far more severe consequences. Once Cameron arrives, he'll be sure to force you into staging a rebellion, and you'll have to either kill him or be killed yourself. Do you think the Effer Kingdom would be willing to follow a traitor like you? Mass rebellions will rise up from all across the kingdom, and everyone will be out for your blood. How are you going to deal with that?" 

Both of them knew what each other was afraid of, and neither side was able to gain an upper hand in the negotiations.

"Alright, then what do you propose?" Lazaar asked as he looked at Gilgen with an intrigued expression. "Don't tell me you came here today just to see whose cavaliers are superior in battle."

"Seeing as the people around Cameron are encouraging him to face me in a final showdown, then I can grant him that opportunity. Judging from how much time has already elapsed, his army should be here in a day or two. When that time comes, I'll personally issue an official challenge to him for a showdown in five days, which is the 15th of February, on the Marrod Plain. What you do then will be up to you," Gilgen said in a decisive manner. "I hope you won't still be sitting on the fence by then."

"What you do with Cameron and his army is up to you. There are some people who I can't do anything to because they were hiding in Sarus, but now that they're coming here to throw their lives away, I might as well do them a favor and send them on their way," Lazaar said as a frosty look appeared in his eyes.

"So it looks like the rumors about your second son are all true," Gilgen said in an indifferent voice.

Prince Lazaar gave a cold harrumph in response, and the two of them clashed weapons once again.

"Would you look at that! Cameron's already arrived," Gilgen said as he cast his gaze toward the top of Illingburn Fort in the distance. "Looks like I came at just the right time."

Lazaar turned around to face the Illingburn Fort as well, and he discovered that a flag with a black background behind a golden lion's head had already been raised on the city wall.

Seeing as Cameron's army had arrived, Gilgen didn't dare to draw out this battle any longer, and he immediately retreated his troops back to the barracks on the Marrod Plain. During this battle, both sides lost close to 1,000 cavaliers, so neither side came out on top.

…

"Take a look at this place, Friar. No wonder Illingburn Fort is also known as the city between mountains. This is truly the most secure pass in our entire kingdom." Cameron was standing atop the city wall, inspecting the mountains stretching along the north and south of the city. He then turned his gaze toward the tall and imposing city walls, and it became very clear to him why the Skycourt Kingdom's army was completely unable to advance any further.

"Indeed. Prince Lazaar has done some brilliant work in the province of Burmen," Count Friar replied.

Jenkins was very disgruntled to hear this, but he wasn't so stupid that he would directly rebuke Count Friar and King Cameron just to prove a point, so he could only also awkwardly chime in in agreement.

While the trio was chatting with one another, Prince Lazaar had already returned to the city with his cavaliers.

Lazaar didn't dare to keep King Cameron waiting, and he rushed up to the top of the city wall. In his haste, he almost tripped over on the stone staircase. Thankfully, Count Friar was quick to react and caught him before he could fall.

Prince Lazaar offered some words of gratitude to Count Friar, then extended a respectful bow as he sighed, "My apologies for showing you such an embarrassing sight, Your Majesty. It looks like my age is catching up to me. I've only been in battle for a short while just now, and my legs are already tiring."

"You have nothing to apologize for, Lazaar," King Cameron said with a smile. "If I recall correctly, you and I are the same age. If you're lamenting your own old age, then doesn't that mean I'm also a useless old man?"

"I had no intention of implying such things, Your Majesty," Prince Lazaar said in a panicked voice as he fell to his knees.

"Don't be so tense, Lazaar, I was just making a joke," Cameron chuckled. "Having said that, the fact that you're still going into battle in person at your age shows commendable courage. You are truly a brilliant role model for our troops."

"You're far too kind, Your Majesty. The Skycourt Kingdom's soldiers have been extremely cocky, and I was worried that morale would be compromised if I didn't go into battle against them," Lazaar replied.

"By the way, where is your eldest son, Aiden? Why do I not see him around? Where has he gone at a time like this? Should he not be sharing the burden on your shoulders in these tense times?" Cameron asked.

"Spring is about to arrive, and there have been some unusual happenings in the mountain ranges, so I sent Aiden to quell the unrest among the magic creatures dwelling in the mountain ranges," Lazaar replied.

Cameron nodded in response, then asked, "I heard that you've already faced off against the general of the Skycourt Kingdom a few times. What do you think of him, and what do you think of the Skycourt Kingdom's forces?"

"Truth be told, I've heard that Gilgen has constantly been training and recruiting troops during the past few years. After the few battles we've had thus far, I must admit that he's quite a capable general. The Skycourt Kingdom's cavaliers and foot soldiers work in tandem, and they're also well supported by their archers and magicians. Overall, their army is running very smoothly, and I haven't been able to gain the upper hand over them in the past few clashes," Lazaar replied.

"Oh? You're saying that your elite troops have been unable to gain any advantage over Gilgen's troops?" Cameron was quite taken aback to hear this. "Your troops are among the best-equipped soldiers in the entire kingdom!"

"My apologies for my incompetence, Your Majesty," Lazaar said as he hung his head in shame.

"There's no need for you to be too hard on yourself, Prince Lazaar. Now that His Majesty has arrived, these brazen Skycourt Kingdom soldiers will be sure to be wiped out." It was Jenkins who had spoken on this occasion, and what he said was quite interesting. He was the one eager to earn accolades on the battlefield, yet he was speaking on King Cameron's behalf.

"With His Majesty here in person, those Skycourt Kingdom scum naturally stand no chance," Lazaar replied in a calm voice.

Cameron didn't say anything else. Instead, he cast his gaze toward Count Friar, who had remained silent this entire time. Friar knew what Cameron was thinking. Both of them were very familiar with Lazaar's prowess as a military commander, so the fact that Gilgen's troops were evenly matched with Lazaar's showed that Gilgen had to have also been an extremely capable commander.

…

Inside a certain secret chamber within Illingburn Fort.

"Did you agree to Gilgen's offer?" Archbishop Sirius asked with his gaze fixed on Prince Lazaar.

"What's the point in asking if I agreed to his offer or not? From the moment that Cameron released me back to Burmen, he would've most likely already anticipated that we would turn on one another soon," Lazaar replied in a cold voice.

"Have you made up your mind? This is not a step to be taken lightly," Archbishop Sirius said with tightly furrowed brows.

"Have I made up my mind? I made up my mind from the instant I saw what they did to Jeff!" Lazaar said with a frosty expression.

"But it wasn't His Majesty's intention for Jeff to be framed for attempted murder on the Her Highness," Archbishop Sirius countered.

"But Cameron really was considering killing me, wasn't he?" Lazaar turned around to look at Sirius with a ruthless look in his eyes. "If that thought has already sprung into his mind, then I have no choice but to rebel. Besides, do you really think he came to Burmen this time with the sole purpose of driving back the invasion from the Skycourt Kingdom?"

"You're right." Sirius nodded in response. "His Majesty most likely has some other motives outside of dealing with the Skycourt Kingdom's invasion."

"Are all of the preparations complete at the military base in Leeku?" Lazaar suddenly asked.

"Everything is ready to go. On top of that, Aiden is a very capable young man, so I'm sure there won't be any problems," Sirius replied with a nod.

"Where's Mistress Faye? How far away is she right now?"

"She was in Newen a few days ago, and she told me that she was coming with Lana. She should be here within the next couple of days," Sirius replied.

Lazaar nodded in response, then cast his gaze toward Sirius again. "What about the priests and magicians of your True Light Church? Have they already been assembled?"

"Rest assured, Prince Lazaar. I chose to follow you a few years ago, and that was not a half-hearted decision. I will do everything in my power to support you. All of our True Light Church's priests and magicians, amounting to a total of 6,000 people, have already been assembled, and all they're waiting for is an order from you," Sirius said in a solemn voice.

"Good. Get them to set up camp 20 kilometers to the west of the city. Don't let Cameron notice anything. These 6,000 priests and magicians may have to go into battle for me soon," Lazaar instructed.

"Alright, I'll have that arranged right away." Sirius accepted the order and departed, but as he turned around, a derisive sneer appeared on his face.

…

Meanwhile, King Cameron was standing in a luxurious room on the third floor of the main tower, looking out the window with tightly furrowed brows at the impregnable fortress that was Illingburn Fort. He couldn't help but find himself marveling once again at just how unbreachable the fort was. At this moment, King Cameron and Count Friar were the only people in the room.

"Lazaar truly is a very capable man. Along the way here, we've passed through Windmetal Fort and Newen, and we've now arrived at Illingburn Fort. In the span of no more than 10 years, Burmen has experienced such a drastic change that it's become completely unrecognizable. I can't help but want to praise him for what he's done," Cameron said with an indecisive look on his face.

Count Friar hesitated momentarily upon hearing this, after a brief silence, he asked in a quiet voice, "Are you thinking about how to kill him, Your Majesty?"

"Looks like you still know me better than anyone," Cameron chuckled.

"I'm sure you've already seen how formidable Lazaar's elite troops are, Your Majesty. Even though we've brought over 100,000 soldiers with us, it would not be a wise decision to go after Lazaar. I think our top priority, for now, should be to ward off the invasion from the Skycourt Kingdom," Count Friar said.

"You're right. Lazaar will have to wait until after the invasion from the Skycourt Kingdom is weathered," Cameron sighed. "I didn't think that the Skycourt Kingdom would have a general so competent that his troops are evenly matched with Lazaar's."

"Indeed, and that's why we can't afford to be complacent, Your Majesty. I've already sent out some scouts, and they've informed me that Gilgen has set up camp in the Marrod Plain. It looks like that's where he wants to challenge us to a final showdown," Count Friar said.

"The supply line for the Skycourt Kingdom's army has already been stretched extremely thin, so they definitely won't be able to afford a prolonged battle. Hence, they have no choice but to try and goad us into a showdown to decide everything in one battle," Cameron said with a smile. "Luckily for him, I'm going to grant his wish. If I cower in this city until the Skycourt Kingdom is forced to retreat, then I'll be denounced as a coward by the entire world."

Count Friar was of the opinion that the best course of action was to remain in the city until the enemy was forced to retreat or make a drastic move. However, he could sense that King Cameron seemed to have fallen into an indescribable frenzied state. He knew that in this irrational state, King Cameron wouldn't be willing to heed his advice, so he didn't say anything. He didn't know what had brought on this irrational state of mind. Perhaps it was the unreliable prophecy from Master Donson, perhaps it was a result of being goaded by Jenkins and the others, or perhaps seeing the thriving state of Burmen had made him realize just how powerful Prince Lazaar had become. 

He couldn't tell if Prince Lazaar lamenting his own old age had a double meaning behind it, or if he had just spoken those words without any special intentions.

"By the way, have you arranged a place for Master Piro to stay?" Cameron suddenly asked.

"He's staying on the floor above ours. You can go see him at any time you'd like." Count Friar knew that King Cameron wanted to speak to Master Piro, so he promptly departed from the room.

That night, Master Donson was looking up at the night sky above the royal palace of Sarus when he was suddenly so frightened by something that he collapsed to the ground. His crystal ball, which he cherished as much as his own life, rolled down onto the ground, but he didn't even notice.

He looked up with an aghast expression and an ashen complexion as he murmured to himself, "This is a terrible omen... The most terrible omen of all! Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."

The servants in the royal palace knew that Master Donson had no credibility, so no one paid any heed to what he was doing.