Before the king could open his mouth to respond to Asmidul's words, his stillborn thought was interrupted by an unexpected knock at the door. It seemed even monarchs were not protected from disturbers of the peace and uninvited noise.
- Your Majesty, it is Kurt. - A confident male voice came from the other side. - The council has been assembled and awaits your arrival.
- Nothing to be done, we will have to finish the game another time. - Tiozar replied not to the man beyond the door, but to his opponent, without a change in tone. - Let me show you how the government works as temporary compensation; it will be useful for your general development.
Kurt Gurianos turned out to be a formidable-looking
black knight. He was not pleased with Asmidul's presence at the meeting, but he did not dare contradict the king.

The event was held in a large hall with towering ceilings adorned with an intricate ceiling painting depicting the history of Asuguh and the world. The king and his bodyguard Ikusa stood at the center. On one side of them were nine protectors, and on the other — guild leaders, among whom only Satsuninto Ryumei was absent; instead of him, Passionate Desire was represented by his granddaughter Yuami (who had managed to change out of her spy disguise as a waitress). Thus, two nines and the king were grouped in a semicircle at the center of the hall, while lower down were placed less significant representatives of the country's government. Asmidul was sent to share air and space precisely with them.
The meeting began with an exchange of information among those gathered; on the agenda, obviously, was the question of the impending invasion of the Harran Empire and methods of countering it. Opinions of those present on certain points could differ greatly, but matters never escalated into any squabbles or incidents since everyone understood there was no place for that now and such behavior would bring nothing but reputational damage to oneself. At some point, the meeting transitioned into a format of royal decrees.
- Misty, inform yours that until this conflict concludes, I lift the ban on the use of MMP.
- Wonderful, Your Majesty.
- Leruzain, I entrust you with the aid of the cyclopes and wonderworkers of earth and matter. I want construction of new walls between our cities to begin immediately. Primary resources and attention should be directed toward the Niniamat-Sizki route, then Ruzaniel-Mufigur, then Niniamat-Onkaih — the mountainous terrain of that region will serve as good protection, but one should not rely solely on it. When work on these three sectors is complete, continue fortifying the central lands, then the eastern ones. I hope this does not happen, but we must be prepared in case the Ninu Gates fall.
- It shall be done! - The head of the craftsmen's guild struck the knuckles of her fists together. - We will build fortifications and make the Harrans pay for them!
"With what? How?" - Could be read in Baki Marduk's bewildered gaze at what he heard.
- Nitra, I assign you to lead the previously discussed project, - this concerned finding methods to combat the Harran converter and developing effective weapons against the undead, etc., - let the Adventurers' Guild concern itself with providing assistance to civilians. Special attention should be paid to issues of living space, provisions, and logistics. Niniamat and Ruzaniel face a significant outflow of population; the remaining regions need to be ready for this. Lady, assemble a fleet of fast, maneuverable ships, equip them with heavy armament, and be ready to bombard Zutyshma from the sea. The undead's fleet is terrible; your forces should suffice for this.
- Pff, fine.
- All protectors are also tasked with strengthening the presence of guards in cities and their surroundings. Argos, the Sushin Gates are on you. The likelihood of Calcite attacking is low, but one should still be prepared for it.
This exchange of orders and consent to carry them out continued for some time longer, after which a short break ensued, during which Asmidul once again managed to exchange words with the monarch.
- This is what happens behind the closed doors of state meetings. - Having explained the self-evident, he handed the young man the card deck they had played earlier. - I will not forget about the two owed answers. In the meantime, you can practice playing better — though advising that to someone who hasn't lost twice is odd. And do read the book sometime, I highly recommend it.