Semua Bab Traveller Of Two Worlds: Bab 2771 - Bab 2780

“I mean to remove the wolf’s shield before it remembers we exist,” I replied.I let them digest it for a moment before I leaned forward, both hands flat on the table. “Understand this—debate is welcome in this room, but once I have spoken, it ends here. I am President of Aeternum, and the sole ruler of this nation. My decree is law, and my law is final.”Oliver’s jaw tightened, but he nodded. Andrea’s smirk deepened just slightly. Alessia’s bow was low and deliberate.“This,” I said, sweeping my hand over the map, “is not ambition for its own sake. It is the betterment of Aeternum. Every move, every order, every drop of blood spilled—ours and theirs—is to secure the future we have built. And when this war ends, Lone Star will be part of that future, whether its people like it or not.”No one spoke after that. They didn’t need to. The chain of intent was set, and it began—and would end—with me.The night over the ravine was a jagged thing—cut by shadows, stitched with the pale glow of

“North cleared up to grid C-7,” Bina reported.“West secured,” Alessia replied. “Suggest tightening the noose by forty meters. They’re running out of space to breathe.”“Do it. The longer they’re compressed, the faster they’ll break.”By the fourth hour, the ravine floor was a killing ground. Lone Star’s soldiers had no clear firing lines, no resupply, and no rest. Every movement brought fire from one direction or another. The snow had turned pink in places, the air thick with cordite and fear.Yet Bina didn’t order the final assault. Not yet. This was a slow suffocation, a demonstration. A message to every rival nation watching: Aeternum could take an entire army and crush it at leisure.Alessia’s division continued their night raids, appearing and vanishing without pattern. Bina’s main force rotated fresh units to the front every hour, never letting the pressure slip.By dawn, the Lone Star Vanguard was reduced to a shivering, sleepless mass—still alive, but no longer truly fighting

For a moment, silence. Then Alessia herself spoke from the corner of the room, voice cool and composed.“He is correct.” Her crimson eyes glinted in the candlelight. “My soldiers fight in shadow, and they do not question it. They do not need to. When the time comes, the world will know who broke Lone Star.”Bina exhaled slowly, then gave a short, reluctant nod.By evening, the message was ready. Broadcast from the Cabinet Hall to every street and household in Aeternum, the news anchor stood tall, delivering the polished report:“Today, Aeternum forces at the Wasteland border engaged and repelled an enemy probing force from the Kingdom of Lone Star. The conflict, while limited in scope, ended in Aeternum’s favor. Our soldiers remain steadfast, our borders secure, and our resolve unbroken. President Mies has assured the people this conflict shall end with Aeternum’s victory, but until then, he calls for vigilance, unity, and patience.”The nation erupted in cheers nonetheless. Taverns r

“This kingdom is doomed if we cling to the king’s madness,” Vaelric said flatly. “He wages a war we cannot win, against an enemy we do not understand. And all for pride. Pride that will bury Lone Star beneath the ashes of its own arrogance.”Countess Deyra, younger and sharper-tongued than most, raised a brow. “You speak treason, Duke.”“I speak survival,” Vaelric shot back. “Do you wish to be buried with him? Or do you wish to preserve your houses, your lands, your bloodlines?”Silence. Then, slowly, heads began to nod.Vaelric leaned forward, lowering his voice. “I have already reached out to certain channels. The Aeternum Central Intelligence Agency. ACIA, they call it. They do not hide in shadows as much as we think. They welcome contact. And they understand loyalty when it is properly redirected.”Gasps rippled through the chamber.“You would deal with the enemy?” Lord Corven muttered, scandalized.“I would deal with the future,” Vaelric corrected. “Aeternum will win this war. Th

Finally, Mies spoke. He hadn’t risen from his seat, yet the entire room seemed to hang on his words.“The people must not think of this as conquest yet. They must think of it as security. But in truth—” he tapped a crimson pin at Carthall Keep “—we march to end Lone Star. Entirely. There is no going back.”Across the continent, rival nations read the headlines with narrowed eyes. Ambassadors muttered that Aeternum was “being suspiciously quiet.” Spies tried to peer across the border, only to find patrols doubled, watchtowers reinforced, and Aeternum’s skies thick with veiling clouds conjured by Ministry mages.In UNA capitals, diplomats debated behind closed doors. Was Aeternum simply guarding its Wasteland, or preparing for something larger? Officially, the consensus was simple: wait and see.Meanwhile, ACIA agents slipped deeper into Lone Star territory, passing coded signals to Duke Vaelric’s faction. Arms caches were smuggled into sympathetic villages. Nobles whispered in candleli