While Erika headed off somewhere with one of the maids, a group of other maids approached me as well.

They surrounded me cautiously.

“We will escort you to your room,” said the eldest-looking maid politely.

A room, not a prison cell. It felt a bit bittersweet that the Dragonia Empire, once an enemy of the Ruth Kingdom, seemed to welcome me more than my homeland. I had done my best for the kingdom, even if the circumstances had pushed me to this point.

I tried not to let my disappointment show as I followed them.

“Please rest. If you need anything, just ring this bell, and we will assist you.”

The maids left a small handbell on the table before they quietly left the room.

*Thud.*

Without the strength to even take off my outer coat, I collapsed into a soft chair. Since leaving the camp near Zabinsk, Erika had been relentlessly pushing us to move forward, reducing our sleeping hours to a bare minimum. We ate preserved rations, and though the expensive carriage had been comfortable at a slower pace, it felt no different from a wooden cart once we began racing at full speed.

The crossing through the dimensional portal had exhausted me further, as if sealing my fatigue. I closed my eyes, almost drifting into sleep, when—

*Knock, knock, knock.*

A knock at the door snapped me back to consciousness.

“Viktor? I’m coming in.”  
“...”

After waiting for a moment, one of the maids opened the door and stepped inside.

“His Majesty will see you tomorrow morning.”

She delivered her message and quickly left the room. It seemed that the emperor planned to meet Erika today to hear her report, and then come to see me tomorrow.

Having a day to rest wasn’t bad. They hadn’t tied me up or placed guards to watch me, and I needed some time to think.

It was clear that I was reaching the final stage.

My goal was to charm the emperor and secure the highest possible starting point. My main strength lay in warfare—strategy and tactics—but I’d played the Empire long enough in *The Great War* to have some knowledge in administration, diplomacy, and politics as well.

If this world truly followed the same path as the *The Great War*, it would be difficult to survive the upcoming “crisis” by building up power slowly. Since I was already two years behind the timeline, I’d need to progress more quickly.

To avoid falling asleep, I sat up in the chair and began planning my next moves, carefully imagining the future.

Oddly enough, despite my exhaustion, the more I thought about it, the less tired I became.

I spent the entire night deep in thought. I wondered how the people I left behind in the Ruth Kingdom were doing, and how I should proceed from here.

I also recalled various events related to the emperor, thinking about what kind of person she might prefer. After a lot of deliberation, the only clear preference I could come up with was her liking for capable individuals.

I had chosen my path.

The emperor would certainly put me through some sort of “test.”

I was ready.

Confidence displayed in front of both the Ruth Kingdom and the Empire’s soldiers, the loyalty that Erika likely reported, and the natural hostility expected of a general from the Ruth Kingdom when meeting the emperor.

All of these traits would come together as I faced the emperor as “Viktor, the betrayed general.”

*Knock, knock, knock.*

The quiet knock on the door echoed through the room, signaling that the moment I had prepared for had arrived.

This was the reason I had fought on those desperate battlefields with the under-equipped soldiers of the Ruth Kingdom. The reason I maintained a dignified stance even when no one was watching. The reason I knelt before the king, showcasing my loyalty. The reason I had faced every crisis head-on, proving my strength.

“Hoo…”

I didn’t expect this conversation to decide everything.

Both of us knew that it was impossible to learn all there was to know about each other from just one discussion.

But this meeting would certainly determine a great deal.

Now, I wasn’t just a man thinking about escape. I was Viktor, the Supreme Commander of the Ruth Kingdom.

It was time to confront the emperor.

The person I was about to face was unlike anyone I had met before. The title of “Emperor of Dragonia” was nothing more than a disguise.

She was the daughter of Vulcanus, the Red Dragon who appeared in the Dragonia Empire’s founding myth. One of the “late-game crisis” candidates in *The Great War*, who made sure that the final stretch of the game wasn’t boring. The one responsible for turning the Dragonia Empire into a nightmare that no amount of military power could overcome, forcing players to seek divine intervention.

Waraticas.

One of only two dragons that appear in the game, and someone who, in the online community, earned the nickname “Human Lover” for her obsession with humans. Despite being a long-lived species, she was as capricious and impulsive as they came.

Louise Zainburg.

Or rather—

*Click.*

The Red Dragon, Waraticas.

She entered the room.

A single maid followed her in, but I couldn’t afford to focus on her, nor did I have a reason to.

“...Hmm.”

Dressed in the emperor’s ceremonial robes, Waraticas possessed a beauty that far surpassed human standards. Without my earlier resolve, I might have been completely captivated by her appearance. But as I thought of everything that had brought me to this point, I steeled my mind.

“Good to see you,” she said with a languid smile.

I maintained a stern expression in response to Waraticas. After all, she was the one responsible for bringing me to the Empire, and she knew it.

*Swish.*

As expected, she shrugged her shoulders and sat down in the chair opposite me.

“I am Louise Zainburg, the Emperor of the Dragonia Empire.”  
“...”  
“Your name is Viktor, correct? I’ve heard quite a bit about you. Invincible, immortal—such grand titles they’ve given you.”  
“...”  
“Angelgorod, Serkirk, Garogorod… Hmm, hmm.”

Waraticas scrutinized me with her half-lidded red eyes as she listed the names of the battles I had fought in, particularly focusing on those places. Her gaze was sharp, almost as if she were trying to discern something within me.

I tried my best not to react, but based on her odd murmurs, she might have seen something.

“Well, no matter,” she said after a moment, leaning back in her chair. I had expected the silent staring contest to last longer, but she closed her eyes and seemed to relax.

“I was told that if you needed anything, you could summon a maid. Yet you never rang the bell, not even once,” she said, clearly curious.

She continued, “I heard you didn’t even touch the meal left for you.”

Meal, huh.

Looking over now, I noticed a cold bowl of stew sitting on the table. It must have been left there while I was lost in thought, but even if I had seen it earlier, I likely wouldn’t have eaten it. The sight of the stew full of chunks wasn’t particularly appealing.

“Were you dissatisfied with the accommodations? It seemed adequate for a prisoner,” she remarked.

“...”

“Viktor.”

Muttering a few more words to herself, she suddenly called my name, her eyes now wide open, staring directly at me.

“You are a prisoner. A prisoner I can kill at any time.”

She slowly stood from her chair and walked over to me, her face showing a faint smirk as she looked down on me. 

That gaze was enough to freeze my entire body.

But to remain still in the face of such provocation—that would not be “Viktor.”

Being physically worn out didn’t justify backing down, not for Viktor.

With all the strength I could muster, I forced myself to stand from the chair. Since I was a bit taller than Waraticas, I naturally ended up looking down at her in turn.

“Oh? You dare...”

As I locked eyes with her vertically-slit pupils, a wave of fear tried to seize me, but—

“...I am…”

I gritted my teeth and spoke.

Fear? There were things far scarier in this world than her gaze.

“I am Viktor, Supreme Commander of the Ruth Kingdom.”

I feared failure more than this manufactured intimidation. I feared the idea of not overcoming the upcoming “crisis” and seeing my dream of world conquest crumble.

“No one but His Majesty the King can…”

Though my body felt heavier the closer I got to Waraticas, I took a large step forward, standing right in front of her.

Confidently, strongly, without a hint of hesitation.

I shoved my trembling hands into my pockets to hide them. The cold sweat running down my back? I ignored it. I forced my shaky legs to stand firm.

“...dare to look down on me.”

Because Viktor, Supreme Commander of the Ruth Kingdom, had always stood tall.

“Hmmm.”

Waraticas let out a small hum, then asked in a low, measured tone:

“Are you not afraid of death?”

A palpable tension filled the room, and the maid standing at a distance collapsed to the ground, clearly overwhelmed by the pressure. It seemed Waraticas had intensified the pressure, though I didn’t feel it at all.

In fact, I felt calm.

It was a foolish question to ask “Viktor.”

I didn’t even need to think about my answer.

“I have never feared death, not once.”

Because Viktor had never feared his own death.

Waraticas stared at me for a long moment after hearing my response.

“...I see

.”

She seemed to understand something as she lowered her head slightly in contemplation.

When she looked up again, her eyes had returned to their usual half-lidded state, and the pressure that had filled the room vanished completely.

“I apologize for my rudeness. My apologies,” she said, offering a brief apology before turning to leave the room. The maid, who had collapsed earlier, quickly scrambled to her feet to open the door.

“...I’ll return to visit again.”

With that, Waraticas left the room.

I waited until the door closed and the dots on the minimap representing them disappeared.

“Haa…”

Finally, I let gravity pull me back into the chair, slumping into it with exhaustion.