Despite everything Vaan said, they were all assumptions. Thus, a single piece of incorrect information would make it all wrong.
Nevertheless, Transcendent Sybil must have done some research on Baron Chalfont to believe Dorothy was precious to him.
Perhaps Dorothy lived with her mother in the Kingdom of Verdant Woods because Baron Chalfont purposely sent them there. The environment was certainly more suitable for witches than the Holy Knight Empire.
That said, Baron Chalfont's importance wasn't Vaan's biggest concern; it was the Holy Knight Empire's desire.
If the Holy Knight Empire itself wanted war with the Kingdom of Black Rose to happen, Baron Chalfont's role would become inconsequential.
They just needed justification for starting the war.
Alas, there wasn't enough information on the Holy Knight Empire. Thus, it was impossible for Vaan to anticipate their move accurately.
Everything came down to information.
With all the right information, it was possible for Vaan to make his enemies dance in the palm of his hands without lifting a finger. But without information, his options would be limited, and luck would play a larger part.
Nevertheless, after everyone at the dining table heard Vaan's solution, the heavy mood surrounding them was lifted.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"I see," Solana uttered with a clear look. "If we can let Baron Chalfont learn about Queen Sybil's scheme against him, we'll be able to flip Queen Sybil's plans around and turn Baron Chalfont against her."
"However, making it happen is easier said than done. How do we bring the news to Baron Chalfont? It won't be easy to cross the border. Our enemies won't let us leave the central region as we please either."
"Especially the Assembly of Silent Night. Their strength was entirely beyond my imagination. As we stand, only Sir Vahn is capable of dealing with them. The rest of us don't stand a chance if we are outnumbered," Solana stated.
Despite becoming an Early-stage High Witch overnight, she did not have any confidence in dealing with multiple A-rank Witch Hunters, let alone a single S-rank Witch Hunter.
High Witches might have a greater destructive range, but it was useless against opponents skilled in stealth and assassination. They were in the open while their enemies were in the dark.
"As Solana said, your individual strength is too low," Vaan acknowledged.
"The Assembly of Silent Night has shown us how far behind the Kingdom of Black Rose is compared to the rest of the world. The Kingdom of Black Rose might have been one of the strongest countries in the past, but now the other countries have caught up and surpassed it at the middle level."
"I don't want to be the bringer of bad news, but to be honest, as things are, a war with the Holy Knight Empire is very likely," Vaan calmly stated.
"What?" Silvaria was startled along with the others before she mentioned, "But didn't you say the war can be avoided if we can inform Baron Chalfont?"
"Yes, but Baron Chalfont only represents a part of the Holy Knight Empire, not its entirety," Vaan replied.
"Even if we can shift Baron Chalfont's hostility to the Kingdom of Verdant Woods, the Kingdom of Black Rose would still likely partake in the war to defend the Kingdom of Verdant Woods from the Holy Knight Empire's invasion along with other witch kingdoms."
"More importantly, the Assembly of Silent Night's leader is one of the Devil's Contractors. Worse of all, that person is Elrich Salazar, Marquis and Lord of Equinox City in the Holy Knight Empire," Vaan informed.
Boom…
The final piece of information was like a massive explosion, shocking the minds of everyone present greatly.
They would never anticipate one of the Devil's Contractors would hold such an important and high position in the Holy Knight Empire!
It completely changed their perspective of the overall situation.
"Isn't that extremely bad?" Dahlia asked with trembling lips.
"Very!" Solana replied with a grave look. "If there's any chance that Elrich Salazar knows of Queen Sybil's intention, he will push forward to make the war happen. No, it might have been his intention from the start!"
"If the Holy Knight Empire conquers the Kingdom of Black Rose and occupies all of its lands under Elrich Salazar's lead, the demons of Gehenna would be granted smooth access to central Pangea," Solana added solemnly.
Astoria and the other ladies all wore grim and deep looks, pondering ways to minimize the casualties caught in the fires of war.
However, they realized the situation was beyond their capability and authority. It wasn't a problem they could solve on their own.
They needed to convene with Queen Henrietta and all the highest-ranking witches and regional lords in the kingdom.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmIt was a kingdom-level problem.
"Time is not on our side. The enemies' schemes had been in motion for quite some time while we have realized," Vaan stated indifferently before assuring them, "However, there's no need to despair."
"Even if war breaks out before we can contact Transcendent Henrietta and come up with countermeasures, I can guarantee that the flames of war will not swallow Sunpeak Town. Sunpeak Town will stand strong and even prosper, no matter how big of an army marches on our doorsteps."
"Everything will be fine because I am here," Vaan confidently declared with a hint of arrogance.
Although he sounded very arrogant, there was truth in his words. The greatest military might was at his beck and call.
Furthermore, his own power had surpassed the mortal limits.
As such, Vaan's bold claim provided a strong calming effect on everyone—for they have witnessed his strength.
Still, although they knew he was strong, they didn't know how strong he was exactly.
"If I may ask, how strong are you exactly, Teacher?" Cyrena asked curiously.
"Me?" Vaan smiled at Cyrena before casually saying, "Let us just say it is beyond Transcendent. So, leave all the external matters to me. Everyone else should focus on training and Sunpeak Town's development."
"That said, I will need to revise our building blueprints. I want to build a colossal magic tower on the top of the Red Goblin Mountains. Its height should be at least ten-thousand feet," Vaan stated, shocking everyone.
Ten-thousand feet-tall magic tower!
"Is that even possible? Why do we need to build such a colossal magic tower in that location, specifically, Vahn?" Dahlia enquired.
"Well, that's because…"