Using the world as a chessboard and the people as chess pieces.
This was the level Sol had always wished to reach—the moment when he left the board as a piece and became a player.
Though he was still far from his ultimate goal of being a player at the same level as the goddesses themselves, he had grown significantly from the naive, weak young man he once was and was now, at least, a major player in the mortal realm.
"Well, only a big fish in a small pond."
He still had a long way to go.
After Lilith's deployment was decided, Setsuna looked at him with sparkling eyes filled with hope, but Sol had to reject her silent demand.
Setsuna was one of the crucial pieces in this impending war. She would be the difference between becoming the rightful ruler of Wratharis or simply a conqueror facing constant attempts at uprising.
Of course, Sol had many small plans on the side.
Such as using Nefertiti's power or simply using his own dimension to manipulate their feelings if necessary, but he did not wish to stoop to that level.
Despite all their flaws, not even the goddesses used their power over mortals' minds to control them.
He didn't know if it was out of morality or due to one of the numerous rules.
After all, he was pretty sure Invidia wouldn't hesitate if she could.
Scoffing inwardly, Sol focused on the problem at hand.
"Lilin will need a general to assist her."
"I think I can do it alone."
Sol ignored his lover's murmur. In terms of combat, he was certain that Lilin could decimate almost any Duke who wasn't a Divine Beast, and even then, he doubted many of them could defeat her.
But war wasn't a game, nor was it a place where a Duke alone could change the outcome.
—Well, Dukes didn't have a dimension, at least.
"Ares and a few more of my trusted soldiers will gladly assist the princess."
"What about Athena?"
"She will be at your disposal."
He nodded. Athena wasn't yet at the Duke level, but unlike Setsuna and Lilin, she had the advantage of having three powerful spirits, each with skills tailored for war.
Everything was slowly falling into place, and he loved it.
At the end of the day, the only true causes of worry for the impending war were Sun Wukong, the divine weapon, and any unknown variables.
"Very well, gentlemen. I believe we are done for today. Tomorrow, we will meet on the outskirts of the city for the magical armor test and the golems. I also want a complete list of the nobles worthy of sitting at the war councils' table. Finally, we will start the plan to deal with the reluctant nobles as well as those who have exceeded the limit of their granted power. Dismissed."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
The Dukes stood and saluted Sol with respect before leaving one after another.
They had long since stopped considering Sol a simple prince. In their eyes, he was already the King in all but name.
"Pandora, you can follow her if you want."
Pandora smiled awkwardly and nodded before following Arachne. She still felt a little awkward when with Sol, but talking with a friend who wasn't already enamored with him like Camelia and Persephone could help her.
After the Dukes and Pandora left, the only ones present were Sol, Lilin, Setsuna, and Milia.
"So, how did it feel to communicate with the world?"
Sol turned his chair and smirked as he looked at Setsuna.
"I have to admit, it was quite exciting. I was nervous at first, but once I started speaking
, everything came out naturally."
Sol nodded. "With this, we have painted a big target on your back. Wherever you appear, a large number of Dukes, or even the King himself, might show up. Perhaps even more Kings?"
Sol tapped his finger, taking all possibilities into account. The world was never as it seemed, and it was difficult to say how many hidden powerhouses any country had.
That's why...
"Isis will accompany you on the battlefield."
He waved his hand, and a girl appeared in the air, holding a chocolate cake in her hand and wearing an expression of surprise before landing gracefully.
Looking at Sol with a scowl, she muttered, "I really hate this new technique of yours, you know?"
Everyone gave a bitter smile, to which Sol simply shrugged. "Blame Lilin. It's thanks to her that I acquired it."
Indeed. Since neither Lilin nor Setsuna were Sol's first contracts, he was unable to choose which innate skills of theirs he would obtain.
So he was quite surprised when he finally realized the nature of the power he had acquired.
Space displacement. Or teleportation.
It was still challenging for him to explain the power he had obtained. As he realized Lilin's power was more in the realm of reality manipulation than actual space manipulation.
But for now, he was content with what he understood.
Thanks to this power, he could place seals on people or objects and do four things:
Teleport them to him.
Teleport himself to them.
Or exchange places with them.
And the fourth, he could do all three to any location or person that was marked.
In a way, this was not very different from what he could already do when using his dimension encroachment.
But this was the first time he could use such power outside of his dimension.
An ice chair materialized, and Isis looked at it with another scowl before kicking it.
"Ouch."
"I already told you, the ice I can create is quite hard."
"Quite hard, my butt. This shouldn't be so hard to break with my strength.”
After all, no matter how weak she was physically. It was only relatively speaking when compared to other divine beasts.
Isis had small tears in her eyes as Milia gave a small smile of compassion and brought her a chair to sit on.
This was one of the powers he obtained from Setsuna.
Truly. The power of contract was a cheat.
Of course, only as long as you had enough capacity to enjoy the benefits.
