The Vice Captain leaned back slightly in his chair.
"It's good to finally see you," he said calmly.
A brief pause followed.
"You told me you would come two months ago. Perhaps even earlier."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"So why did you come now… and not then?"
The Captain smiled faintly and lifted the imaginary cup in his hand, taking a slow sip.
"I did not expect to deceive your eyes as well," he said.
A quiet chuckle followed.
"It turns out the effort was worth it."
The Vice Captain frowned. Confusion flickered across his face for the first time.
Energy gathered behind his pupils as he activated the power in his eyes, forcing his perception deeper. For a moment he stared.
Then his expression shifted.
"...Scarecrow?"
The Captain nodded.
"Yes. I did not come here personally."
He leaned back comfortably.
"I only lent Scarecrow a portion of my power for a short time. It was enough to make this conversation possible."
The Vice Captain remained silent for several seconds, studying him carefully.
"You didn't come earlier," he said slowly, "because you were stabilizing this… domain?"
The Captain nodded again.
"The foundation required time."
He gestured casually around them.
"The illusion was incomplete before."
A faint smile appeared.
"But now?"
He spread his arms slightly.
"What do you think?"
The Vice Captain glanced around the peaceful city illusion. Children ran past outside the window. Merchants laughed in the streets. The burned forest no longer existed.
For a moment he said nothing.
Then he spoke quietly.
"It's… terrifying."
His gaze sharpened again.
"You've woven together the efforts of many people and turned them into something that can alter perception itself. An illusion powerful enough to rewrite the environment."
The Captain simply smiled.
"But we can discuss that later," the Vice Captain continued, leaning forward slightly.
"Tell me."
"Is this the signal?"
A pause followed.
"Are we starting the revolution?"
The Captain's smile did not fade.
"Yes."
His voice remained calm.
"We begin now, as planned. We start with the small continent."
The Vice Captain watched him carefully.
"Hm."
A short silence passed.
"Are you certain?" he asked. "Are you truly ready?"
The Captain laughed quietly.
"I am always ready."
His red eyes glinted faintly.
"Don't worry. I will not step back."
A brief pause.
"Not anymore."
His tone shifted slightly.
"And especially not now."
He looked toward the distant horizon beyond the illusion.
"The small continent is the correct starting point. It is one of the most strategically valuable regions within the empire's reach. Taking it will strengthen our position immediately."
He glanced back at the Vice Captain.
"You may not know this yet, but in the past few weeks I discovered something interesting."
The Vice Captain's expression did not change.
"The truth behind the Beast Kingdom."
That made him pause. The Vice Captain crossed his arms slowly.
"The Beast Kingdom," he said.
"A nation so small and fragile that even a random unit could destroy it."
His voice lowered slightly.
"And yet it declared war on the empire."
He shook his head faintly.
"That never made sense."
A brief silence passed.
"I always believed someone was behind it."
"But I couldn't determine who."
He looked directly at the Captain.
"So tell me."
"Who started it?"
The Captain's smile widened slightly.
"The Central Bank."
The words landed heavily.
"They funded the Beast Kingdom."
The Vice Captain's eyes narrowed. For a moment he said nothing.
Then he exhaled slowly.
"I suspected that possibility."
His gaze darkened.
"But I didn't expect the situation to go that far."
The captain watched him for a moment before speaking again.
"Do you know what they are doing?"
He leaned back slightly in his chair.
"You have probably already guessed part of it."
A faint pause followed.
"They are after your head."
The Vice Captain did not react.
The Captain continued calmly.
"And not just yours. Every major figure outside the royal family who could influence the balance of power inside the empire."
His red eyes narrowed slightly.
"Several captains and vice-captains have already been attacked. Some attempts failed. Others… succeeded."
The room grew quieter.
"They are thinning the field," the Captain continued. "Removing every strong non-royal force that might interfere."
The Vice Captain finally spoke.
"So they are trying to slow the succession."
The Captain nodded.
"Exactly."
"They want the power struggle to drag on longer and longer."
His gaze sharpened.
"Until the Emperor wakes up."
That made the Vice Captain pause.
"So, he has entered a sleeping state?" he asked.
The captain exhaled slowly.
"Yes. For many years he was ill, but still awake, weak, but conscious. In the last few months, however, he finally entered true dormancy."
His tone darkened slightly.
"And the Central Bank noticed immediately."
The Vice Captain's expression hardened.
The Captain continued.
"They are afraid that if a revolution begins while the Emperor sleeps, the entire empire could fracture. When he wakes, he would crush them all."
He paused briefly.
"So before anything like that can happen, they are weakening every other force in the empire."
"Princes."
"Princesses."
"Military factions."
"Anyone capable of shifting the balance of power."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"But fortunately for me…"
His gaze rested on the Vice Captain.
"You survived."
The Vice Captain remained silent.
"That," the Captain said quietly, "is exactly why you must disappear for now."
The words hung in the air.
"You cannot stay here. If they try again, they will send something stronger next time."
He leaned slightly forward.
"So take my advice."
"Leave the mainland."
"Go to the small continent."
His voice became firm.
"That will be the beginning of our plan anyway."
The Vice Captain considered the words carefully.
"And the forces?" he asked.
The Captain answered immediately.
"You."
"The Troll."
"And the Scarecrow."
A brief pause followed.
"The three of you alone are more than enough."
His red eyes glinted faintly.
"To take that place."