Four days.
That's the time it took for the news surrounding the events of Arthur's assault on the Layos army base to reach the general populace of both kingdoms.
As time passed, a clearer and more comprehensive narrative of these events began to emerge, gradually unfolding before the eyes and ears of the people.
The security agencies in both kingdoms did their best to control the dissemination of information in order to prevent the spread of misinformation and to protect public morale. However, the sheer magnitude of the incident made it impossible to keep things under wraps.
Even the Anfang Alliance, a powerful organization in its own right, found itself compelled to corroborate some of the news surrounding these events.
This incident compelled both Edinburgh and Layos to halt their customary wartime practices and traditions. The citizens of each kingdom had rallied behind their respective war heroes and embraced their own interpretation of the "truth" surrounding these events. Consequently, neither Edinburgh nor Layos was willing, or perhaps even able, to yield.
Key figures from both sides could discern that Arthur's assault on the Layos army base was far from a straightforward matter. There were too many serendipitous and unexpected factors that had converged to result in the deaths of Arthur, Saisha, and even Sage Gregory. The masses could be kept away from knowing about the full details of the event. However, these key figures had their own ways of investigating the incident in their own way.
Moreover, rumors circulated that Sage Altair Argas, known as the Crimson Ghost, and Osha Daman had sustained injuries during their confrontation with Sage Gregory. As such, both of these Edinburgh Sages discreetly informed their respective contacts before vanishing from public view.
Even the central administration of Edinburgh found it impossible to establish contact with Altair and Osha. However, given their involvement in a highly controversial incident that implicated the kingdom of Edinburgh, the influential figures within the kingdom had no choice but to endorse Altair and Osha's actions to legitimize their cause.
King Emil Edinburgh von Renar the 9th of Edinburgh publicly supported the actions of Arthur, Altair and Osha. Arthur's assault could be considered as a way for him to get rid of the cultists' links. Plus, as the battle between the Sages had taken place on disputed territory, the king of Edinburgh possessed the means to support the Sages from his faction.
It was almost as if an unseen force had compelled both kingdoms to deviate from their previous skirmishes and escalate to a full-scale war, involving even Sage-ranked entities. This single incident, triggered by Arthur's assault, seemed to have influenced Rankers from both sides to embark on a large-scale conflict.
***
Agatha's meeting room. The White Raven Guild. The city of White Raven.
Inside a grand and spacious hall, almost all the prominent figures of the White Raven Guild and its allies had assembled. Team captains like Nina, Levine, Drin Dawn, Bianka Bluedust, Arjun, Tuan Aag, Tumko Darata, and others stood with their respective teams. Even Grandmaster Amory was present with a few of his disciples.
Agatha took a prominent position before them, seemingly waiting for a significant revelation.
Eren lingered a little behind Agatha, his demeanor suggesting he wasn't the one to brief the gathered White Raven Rankers. Nevertheless, the guild members couldn't resist stealing glances at him. He acknowledged them with a light smile, offering up-nods and friendly waves.
Suddenly, a spectral screen hovering above Agatha sprang to life, displaying the image of Jiana Jihang. She had emerged from a briefing that had included other influential figures from Edinburgh.
Jiana was presently located in the capital city of Edinburgh, Edin. She had represented the White Raven Guild in this capacity, and the time had come for her to convey the decisions made by Edinburgh's central administration to her guild members.
"Jiana, no need for formalities," Agatha addressed Jiana firmly. "I've gathered those we can rely on, so there's no need to withhold any information. Share all the details," Agatha urged, her voice tinged with urgency.
Watching the live footage of Jiana, it was evident she was under stress.
Having managed guild-related affairs and maintained contact with Edinburgh's central administration for nearly a decade, she had navigated various war-related matters with poise. For her to appear tense meant only one thing – the balance of power that had endured for the past nine years had shifted significantly.
"In one week's time, a full-scale war will erupt between Edinburgh and Layos," Jiana Jihang declared in a somber tone, her forehead etched with stress lines.
"This conflict will involve Sages from both sides. The Anfang Alliance will primarily act as a neutral observer. The Kingdom of Edinburgh has mandated the participation of all organizations holding war contracts, and this includes the White Raven Guild.
We must dispatch a specific number of Rankers, ranging from Novices to the highest echelons, to engage in this all-out war. Failure to comply with this compulsory participation will be treated as mutiny, and strict actions will be taken against offending organizations and individual Rankers."
Jiana conveyed with a solemn shake of her head. It appeared she had attempted to reduce the number of participants Edinburgh expected from the White Raven Guild, but her efforts had proved futile.
Upon hearing this news from Jiana, the Rankers maintained stoic expressions. They couldn't be described as surprised, as they were already aware of the recent incident involving Arthur's assault. However, some had held out hope that the full-fledged war wouldn't include the participation of Sages.
"It appears we've reached this point," Agatha murmured in a disheartened tone, releasing a heavy sigh. She couldn't help but contemplate who the vile evil mastermind behind the Arthur incident was, the one who had poured oil onto the smoldering embers and ignited a full-scale war between the two kingdoms.
If she ever crossed paths with this individual, she felt an overwhelming urge to strangle them to death.
'Hmm? In just a week's time? FUUUUUUCK!
It looks like I've pushed forward the execution of the Lazarus Project by three whole months," Eren, the true instigator of the all-out war, struggled to digest the news from Jiana.
A sardonic grin formed on the butcher's lips as he recognized the unforeseen repercussions of his actions. He had exceeded his own expectations, only to find that it had led to more problems rather than the relief he had anticipated.
