Over the next couple of minutes, the entire sect gathered in the meeting hall. Goulth too was surprised by the news, and he even forgot to ask Red about how the sword fared in combat. Once everyone was gathered, Hector raised his hand to ask for silence.

He started to speak. “Since you all are already aware, I won’t go into much detail. The reason for this meeting is to decide our course of action in this upcoming war against the Empire.”

“Can our kingdom win against them?” Allen asked in an uncertain tone.

“Normally? There is simply no way.” Domeron shook his head. “However, the Empire will probably not be sending its strongest cultivators either, possibly in fear of the Crystal Sky Sect intervening. It is an unspoken agreement between them when it came to matters of war - they won’t send cultivators above the fourth realm and the Crystal Sky Sect won’t interfere.”

“Does that mean we have a chance?” The young master looked hopeful.

Domeron gave him a helpless smile. “Do not get too hopeful, kid. Despite this agreement, the truth is that the Empire has yet to lose any wars they have fought in. This speaks to not only their strength at all realms of cultivation but also to their absolute mastery over warfare.”

Allen’s face fell. “This… Do we even have any hope, then?”

“It depends. The Crystal Sky Sect is not the only sect out there, and the King might seek out the help of a sect willing to interfere directly with this war.”

Rimold frowned. “You mean the warmongering bastards from the White Sun Sect?”

“You insult them unfairly.” Domeron shook his head. “They’re the only sect out there willing to take the fight directly against the Empire.”

“Whatever their virtues, it doesn’t change their nature.” The rogue was unconvinced. “Besides, would our King Thomas really be willing to break the alliance we have had with the Crystal Sky Sect for a hundred years already?”

The swordsman laughed. “For the good of his kingdom, he might do that and much more. However, this is merely one of the paths for survival I can see our King choosing, and not necessarily the best one either. If the White Sun Sect interferes, this will give the Empire justification for attacking with all their strength, and even if the kingdom survives, the destruction to its territory will be absolute in the war's aftermath and the result will not be much different from being conquered. If the situation is truly dire, then I can see the Crystal Sky Sect stepping in to negotiate with the Empire, but in any case, it doesn’t change one thing - the kingdom will need to strive to survive this on its own for the foreseeable future.”

“But how can we do that if the Empire is so strong?” Allen frowned in worry.

Domeron smiled. “A miracle, maybe?”

“How is that a plan?!” The young master’s eyes widened.

“I’m just kidding.” He shook his head. “Look, the kingdom doesn’t need to win this war, it just needs to make the Empire’s efforts as costly and as challenging as possible so that when the time comes, they will consider a truce that will allow us to survive.”

Red frowned. “So there is no victory in this? Only minimizing our losses?”

“It is the unfortunate reality.” Domeron nodded. “No Kingdom in the world is able to measure up to the Empire’s strength, and the only way they can survive is with the sects’ direct interference. Until such a time where the sects’ stances change, then the best these kingdoms and other territories can do is to endure.”

“How likely do you think the battle is to reach this province, then?” Rimold asked.

“Very unlikely.” the swordsman said. “We have the benefit of being flanked by the Great Serpent Canyon, so unless the Imperials want to risk it and send their troops through that hellish landscape, we should be fine. If the fight ever reaches this place, then the capital and the war will already be lost and we will be long gone from here.”

“Are you so sure about this?” Red was skeptical. “The imperials have already sent people here for the inheritance land. What if they try to do it again in search of traces of it?”

The boy was asking this, of course, for his own sake. Since six months ago, he had yet to notice any presences of imperials in the region, but if the hawk spirit was being truthful, Red simply did not believe they would give up on such a powerful inheritance so easily.

Domeron frowned. “I can’t discount the possibility. However, this would hardly require an army to execute, and they will probably just search about with their spies. Chances are, they are already in town, but we just don’t know about them.”

“The boy’s point still stands.” Hector finally spoke up. “We don’t know how important that inheritance was to them and what they would do to get their hands on it. Not to mention that even if they don’t have any clues, it is evident they will suspect and investigate our sect. The possibility of us being caught in the cross-fire of this war is very real and we can’t let our guards down because of our relatively safe position.”

“Do you intend to leave town then, Master Hector?” Eiwin asked.

Hector hesitated. “… It would be the wisest choice if we had a safer place to stay, but as Domeron said, this province will probably be relatively safe from the war, and there’s no guarantee we will be able to settle down anywhere else in time. This doesn’t mean, however, that we can’t prepare escape plans in case anything does happen.”

“Where were you planning to escape when the horde attacked?” Red asked.

“The capital. We would be forced to give up a lot of our influence to the factions in that city, but it would have been the safest choice. However, this was before this whole war was declared, and now the capital is not necessarily the safest place for us.”

The boy frowned. “Then where else?”

“I do not know.” Hector shook his head.

These words surprised Red. He always thought that the elder was prepared for any eventuality, but it was clear that there were some things even he was unprepared for.

“Do you mean to ask for help from your old sect?” Domeron asked with a curious gaze.

“And give up the modicum of independence I conquered after leaving them?” Hector shook his head with a resolved expression. “Never.”

The swordsman sighed. “Then what do you intend for us to do if we need to escape? Do you want us to wander around from town to town like nomads?”

“… No, I have a better idea. Someone who can actually help us.”

Red frowned as he suddenly thought of a possibility in his mind. His gaze wandered over to Narcha, and judging by her expression, the woman seemed to have realized it, too.

Domeron stared with curiosity at Hector. “Does someone owe you a favor I don’t know about?”

“Yes.” Hector nodded. “The Crystal Sky Sect.”

The swordsman’s eyes widened in surprise before an expression of realization came to him. He looked over at Red, and the boy just nodded.

“I helped them kill the Beast Master, and they also offended me by using me as bait.” Hector explained. “They owe me a favor, and I plan to use it should the need arise.”

“Wait!” Allen interjected with a look of consternation. “What about Narcha’s pill that you promised?!”

“I promised no such thing.” The elder shook his head. “I said I was going to think about it, but that was also before I knew the Empire declared war against us and that we might need all the help we can in case something bad was to happen.”

“That’s not fair!” The young master slammed his fist on the table in anger. “Narcha needs the pill, and if she breaks through, we will have one more Lesser Ring Realm cultivator to help us!”

Red was expecting Hector to blow up at Allen’s outburst, but instead, the elder remained quite calm.

“A Lesser Ring Realm cultivator more will not change our fate if the Empire decides to attack us.” Hector said. “Unless she is able to breakthrough to the Spirit Core Realm, then no increase in power will make a difference for us.”

Allen looked at a loss. “B-But Narcha, this is her only chance! She needs the-”

“Allen!” Narcha interjected.

“H-Huh?” The young master looked at her with a confused expression.

“He’s right.” she said in a calm tone. “My strength won’t make a difference in this war, and I would not be so arrogant to think otherwise. What matters is the sect’s survival at the end of the day.”

Allen seemed on the verge of tears. “B-But Narcha, your time is running out!”

Narcha smiled at him. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll figure something out.”

After she said that, the woman got up and walked out of the meeting room. Nobody tried to stop her, including Eiwin, who seemed conflicted at her reaction.

Red, on the other hand, could feel through her fluctuation that the woman wasn’t angry, or at least not any more angry than usual. Instead, there was the same serenity of resolve dominating her emotions he felt on the trip over.

There was an extended silence after she left the room, and no one spoke up for a while.

Domeron was the one to break the silence. “I will try to speak with my contacts around the kingdom. Perhaps we can arrange something suitable for us without having to rely on the Crystal Sky Sect for help.”

Although the swordsman said that, he didn’t sound very confident. Of course, if he felt confident in his plan, he would have mentioned it earlier. Still, no one called him out on it.

“You do that.” Hector nodded. “There is nothing more to discuss for now, so this meeting is over.”

The elder unceremoniously got up from his chair and walked upstairs, leaving behind a room full of conflicted and pondering people.

Red looked over at the door Narcha had just left from. He was afraid that the woman was about to do something reckless.