Crushing flags and claiming the Villainess

'System, are you upset?' Austin asked inwardly as he and Sebastian rushed towards the capital of Eryndor.

They have calculated their travel time to be around half a day which would allow them to rest for some time and leave for Ademerg by midnight or the next morning.

Rhea tripped at some point so the duo was taking a break a little behind, but they assured to reach the Capital on time.

However, travel time wasn't on his mind right now. Austin was more worried about his system who seemed to be angry with him.

The system has been responding to Austin's commands, like opening his Inventory or Shop feature. But whenever Austin asked something casually, like right now, the system remained silent.

And Austin...knew the reason behind its anger.

'You are upset because I didn't listen to your advice but Selner's, huh?'

There was still no response.

Austin sighed, thinking that he might have to find a better way to pursue the system.

But then—a familiar system screen appeared.

[We have been in a relationship for the past 256 days, 14 hours, 17 minutes, and 28 seconds. I have been with you in every low and high...so when I suggested you should stop...you didn't listen to me. But when that woman said the same thing....]

Austin wasn't imagining things here.

The system was actually sobbing.

He can hear...her voice.

Not just a static voice, but the voice of a young girl...weeping.

"Young master?" Sebastian was surprised to see the younger one suddenly slowing down in his tracks, his feet stumbling as he somehow stopped in his way.

Sebastian approached him, a concern written over his face as he asked again, "Is everything alright, sir?"

Austin nodded to him and said, "Let's take a few minutes of break."

Sebastian was unsure why this sudden suggestion of break when the young master seemed completely fine, but since he was actually tired, he didn't say anything against the decision.

Austin sat down on the log and asked the system, 'You...are crying? Were you so worried about me?'

[No! This is fake tears! I am putting up an act here!]

She is furious now.

Austin exhaled a long breath, 'System...what can I do to stop you from crying? Anything is fine.'

He couldn't forget the help the system has provided to him until now. Since the first day, she has been by his side, supporting him through thick and thin and providing him with all the support he needed to reach where he stands now.

So, naturally, he would be concerned about her.

[C-Can you...stop pushing yourself from now on.]

'I have already stopped. So please don't cry anymore.' His inner voice was extremely soft as if he was coaxing a small child who was left behind in the house while others went to the carnival.

A brief moment of pause, before she asked again,

[Just to be on the safe side, can I limit the dungeons to two hours for the time being?]

'Will that make you smile? Then go ahead.'

[Ding!]

[Command accepted ≧⁠▽⁠≦]

Austin chuckled...this system is really...

"Should we continue our journey, Sebas?"

°°°°°°°°°

Cedric was sitting in the conference room with all his trusted people around him—including the Prime Minister, the Commander of the Imperial Legion, the new finance minister, and the minister of public affairs.

Currently, the post of Chief Advisor was vacant but currently, the King was not worried about the vacant post at all.

His reason for concern was something entirely different and far more terrifying.

"An army of five thousand demons...forget about making us a secondary target, they can divide the forces and attack us right away." The Prime Minister, Oakdine Arthur, spoke in a tone that contained the weight of the matter

In the room, every face had a knitted frown; concern and anxiety couldn't be hidden.

"What is our current army capacity?" Cedric asked the tallest one in the room—the Imperial Chief.

"After the revelation...we had to kick out more than a thousand warriors. So now we have come down to fifteen hundred warriors."

The 'revelation' he talked about was the incident that neither Eryndor nor Cedric could ever forget about.

When Adrian's true face was revealed, they reached the roots of the matter and dug out every single soldier who was under the influence of the corrupted beings.

Cedric doesn't regret the past—it's safer to have a single loyal soldier than a thousand bastards.

"Are we supplying soldiers to Ademerg?" The Prime Minister asked.

"They won't need our help. The council is already helping them." The Finance Minister, who was a young man in his twenties with black long hair, extended his thoughts.

"But leaving everything to them when the demons are so huge in numbers..." Arthur tried to argue. But the King has already decided,

"We need to prioritize our people's safety. And anyway, the Council never bothered informing us about it so why should we bother offering anything to them."

The statement shook a few but they didn't raise a finger of resistance. The King has already taken his decision and he won't be receiving any advice on the matter.

Cedric was about to extend further orders when suddenly,

"My lord." Robert appeared behind Cedric, his tone holding slight panic, "The ruler of Drenovar is here."

Cedric's eyes widened slightly as he instinctively muttered, "God...he didn't change his mind, did he?" Eryndor was in no position to face a war against Drenovar right now when they were already under the threat of demonic forces.

Cedric got up from his seat, and following them others also got up.

No one followed the Supreme authority except for his butler.

The King made his way towards the reception area with hurried strides.

He was not expecting the King himself to arrive here to declare a war or something. And if he was not here with the intention of war, then maybe...

"Quite unexpected to see you here, Idris." The familiar black-haired ruler turned towards Cedric, a stiff smile on his face. He tried to appear friendly but couldn't hide the tension.

"Cedric...how have you been?" The man ignored the handshake and went for a brief hug.

Robert tensed, his fingers inches away from his dagger, seeing the two of them being so close.

But Idris only intended to greet him as a friend.

Once they both separated, Cedric gestured for the man to sit down.

Once seated, Idris voiced, "I heard about the situation and left Drenovar as soon as I could."

Cedric's brows tensed, "Despite knowing the situation, you are risking your life by being here?" Eryndor was a potential target of the demonic army. That's why, Cedric didn't want the ruler of a different land to be here.

However, "If I hadn't come who would have commanded my army?"

Cedric blinked in surprise, "Army?"

Idris nodded, "More than two thousand soldiers marched behind me to Eryndor. They would be at the northern border by dusk."

Cedric was rendered speechless...Idris actually wasn't here to wage a war, rather, it was the opposite.

He was here to extend a helping hand.

Resting his hand on Cedric's shoulder, Idris said, "Your son helped me once when my country was on the verge of collapsing. I can never repay for his kindness so please at least accept this token of gratitude."

Cedric smiled, as a deep breath escaped his throat.

'I am receiving the benefits of your kindness...'

°°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading.