The Queen of Tristain began to feel uneasy when she couldn't get in touch with the Tristain aerial forces stationed at the border.
Although she didn't want to believe what Wood had said, she couldn't afford to take the risk.
If things were truly as Wood predicted, Tristain's current defense forces would be woefully inadequate to fend off an attack from Albion's army.
Already weaker in national power, and with their defenses down, the most likely scenario would be Albion's forces swiftly breaking through to the capital.
"Marshal Gramont, regardless of whether this is true or not, I need you to immediately summon all the generals in the kingdom. Gather your soldiers and head to Tristain's harbor to fortify our defenses.
If this turns out to be a false alarm, then consider it a military exercise. But if it's real..."
If the situation was real, the Queen of Tristain wasn't sure what they could do next.
If Albion had been planning this for a long time, Tristain wouldn't be able to muster enough troops from across the kingdom to resist their advance in such a short time.
The Queen could only hope this was just a false alarm, but her instincts as a woman told her that things wouldn't be that simple.
"Your name is Wood, correct? You claim to have the ability to foresee the future and have seen that Albion's internal strife was caused by a hidden mastermind. Do you know who this mastermind is?"
The fact that the Queen of Tristain asked this question indicated that she was starting to believe Wood's words.
Wood didn't hold back the information, considering he had already determined that his strength was sufficient to dominate this world. There was no longer a need to be cautious. Now, he only wanted to reap the rewards and return to his original world.
"Your Majesty, have you heard of the inheritors of Void? The so-called Void is the magic used by the Founder Brimir, and it's said that four descendants have inherited his magic.
The familiars of these four Void inheritors are known as the Left Hand of God, the Right Hand of God, the Heart of God, and the Mind of God.
The one causing turmoil in Albion this time is the Mind of God, Mjölnir. She possesses the ability to use any magical artifact and first took control of certain members of the Albion royal family, causing them to turn on each other.
After fully seizing control of Albion, she opened the royal treasury, gaining access to numerous magical artifacts.
So, the forces attacking Tristain this time may not only consist of Albion's soldiers but also many powerful monsters summoned by her using these artifacts."
Mjölnir's power allows her to use magical artifacts without any cost, including mana consumption.
Given the wealth of a kingdom's treasury, Sheffield (known as Mjölnir) could easily amass a formidable force using these magical artifacts in a short time.
This shows that under certain conditions, the Mind of God's power is more suited to large-scale battles than that of the other legendary familiars.
"Void magic and the legendary familiars… So, you, as a familiar with such incredible strength, are also..."
"Yes, I am indeed one of the legendary familiars, known as the Heart of God, Lifdrasir.
However, unfortunately, my contractor, Princess Henrietta, is not an inheritor of Void, which puzzles even me.
Perhaps there are two Hearts of God, and I am merely one of them?"
The Queen of Tristain was well aware of the stories about the Founder Brimir and Void magic, and the Tristain royal family even possessed a magical tome detailing Void magic.
However, the magic described in the tome was invisible to most people and impossible to use, so the royal family had always considered it just a legend.
The tales of Void and their familiars weren't widely known, circulating only in ancient texts and among the royal families of a few kingdoms.
Wood's knowledge of these details made the Queen of Tristain even more convinced of the truth in his words.
"I don't care whether Henrietta is an inheritor of Void or not, but I do have a request to make of you.
This request is not from the Queen of Tristain, but from a mother.
As a legendary familiar with such immense power, if Tristain cannot hold out, will you take my place in protecting Henrietta?"
Thanks to Wood's warning, Tristain might be able to make some preparations in advance.
But the Queen had little confidence in their chances of victory.
Albion's dragon knight corps were the strongest on the continent of Halkeginia, and with an army of magical creatures summoned by magical artifacts, Tristain stood no chance.
As the Queen, she represented the will of the entire kingdom and could not retreat, even if it meant death. But Henrietta was different. She was still a child and did not need to wait for death alongside her.
"Because she is the kingdom's sole heir and because her father died young, I have been very strict with her since childhood, which made her childhood very lonely.
Now she has just experienced the pain of losing her betrothed. There's not much I can do for her anymore, so I can only, as a mother, plead with you to protect my daughter."
It was clear that, seeing the vast difference in strength between Tristain and Albion, and with no other allies in sight, the Queen hoped Wood would help Henrietta escape as quickly as possible.
Though she was the Queen, she was also a mother, and no parent wanted their child to suffer.
While entrusting Wood with her daughter's safety, the Queen even handed him a key from around her neck, saying it was the key to the royal treasury. She urged him to take some treasures for their future life before fleeing.
As for why the Queen trusted Wood so much, even to the point of entrusting him with her only daughter, it was because Wood was Henrietta's familiar.
Once a familiar contract is established, a familiar will never betray its master. The bond between them is stronger than that of lovers, even stronger than that of blood relatives.
Seeing the Queen's expression as though she were entrusting her daughter to him, Henrietta, who had been in shock, finally snapped out of it.
Compared to her betrothed Prince Wales, whom she had only met a few times in her childhood, the thought of losing her mother was far more unbearable for Henrietta.
"If you're not leaving, then I won't go anywhere either! I have nothing left to lose!"
Having just lost her lover and now being told to leave her mother behind and flee, Henrietta could not accept this.
This was the first time she had openly defied her mother, and her determination was unwavering.
Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 200+ at patreon.com/Betek.