On the next day, Aldrian called Princess Vaeril of the Verdyn Empire to his throne hall, accompanied only by her guardian. Inside the hall, there were only him, Sylphia, Princess Vaeril, and her guardian.

The princess looked at Aldrian with a gaze full of admiration at that moment. The sight from that night was still vivid in her memory. She had been among those who followed many others into the upper atmosphere with the intent to hold off the devils.

Although she was an elf, and outer space was not the elves' natural environment for battle, they could still provide some help with their support techniques.

However, the war she had imagined did not happen because of the man before her. The countless golden swords that barraged millions of devils surrounding the world were truly a sight that would be etched into her memory for life. Her guardian thought the same, as he too looked at Aldrian with admiration.

They both wondered why the princess had been called upon by him at this moment.

"Your Highness, I'm sorry to disturb your time, but the reason I called you is to discuss the way I will help you regarding your family's problem," Aldrian said with a smile, which left Princess Vaeril stunned before her expression turned ecstatic.

"Yes, Your Majesty. When would you like to visit the Verdyn Empire? I will ask my mother to—" she said enthusiastically, but Aldrian cut her words.

"No, I cannot visit your empire personally because I have something to do, and this is regarding the devils, which I also want to tell you about later," Aldrian said.

Princess Vaeril couldn't help but feel inwardly disappointed, a feeling that Aldrian could clearly sense.

"However, although I cannot visit the Verdyn Empire as soon as possible, my fiancée would like to visit the Verdyn Empire for sightseeing. She said she is curious about the outside continent and would like to visit the Verdyn Empire first. Is that okay, Your Highness?" he said.

Princess Vaeril blinked twice before her expression turned ecstatic again. The sudden shift in her feelings and expressions was truly amusing to Aldrian, making him smile at the princess's reactions. Yet he understood that she sincerely hoped for his visit the Verdyn Empire as soon as possible.

Moreover, with Aldrian's reputation soaring higher because of his recent actions against the devils' invasion force, her expectations for him to visit were high, since the effect would be much greater.

She would be disappointed if he could not visit the empire personally.

But her disappointment could be eased with Sylphia as his representative to come to the Verdyn Empire.

"Ah yes, of course, Your Majesty. We would gladly receive Her Majesty Sylphia in our empire! If Her Majesty Sylphia wants to sightsee our empire, we will prepare everything so that she may enjoy our beautiful empire without any problem," Princess Vaeril said as she also looked at Sylphia.

Although Aldrian had said that Sylphia would only visit for sightseeing, she knew that was only his wordplay, and the real intent was to help her family solve the opposition problem.

She was still happy even though Aldrian could not visit her empire for now, because his substitute held the same status as him, and the message they wanted to send to both the opposition faction and the common people would be the same. No—even more, she could say that by letting his fiancée visit her empire, he showed everyone that he had great trust in the Silvarin Imperial Family to take care of his loved one.

With that kind of trust, it was enough to show anyone that Aldrian, in some way, only trusted and supported the imperial family, especially from the opposition's point of view. They would realize that the imperial family had brought Aldrian the Great into their conflict, something they would not have expected.

It was as if the imperial family were saying, "I have Aldrian the Great's support, so you better behave!"

The effect of Sylphia's visit would not be so simple and would give the same impression as if Aldrian the Great himself had visited the Verdyn Empire.

"Your Highness, you could tell me beforehand when my fiancée could depart to the Verdyn Empire, but I think it will be better to do it as soon as possible," Aldrian said, which Princess Vaeril responded to with a nod.

"Of course, Your Majesty. I will tell my mother after this, and we would like Her Majesty Empress Sylphia to visit our empire as soon as possible." Princess Vaeril then looked at Sylphia and bowed.

"My apologies, Your Majesty, for making you help us with our family's problem. But I am truly thankful that Your Majesty is willing to visit our empire," she said gratefully.

Sylphia showed her smile. "It's okay, Your Highness. I wasn't really lying when my emperor here said that I wanted to sightsee the Verdyn Empire. I am curious about the world outside the Barisan Continent, and the Verdyn Empire would be good for my first destination. While at it, I could also help my fiancée take care of your problem, Your Highness."

Princess Vaeril smiled as she looked at Sylphia. "We are truly honoured then, for Your Majesty to choose our empire as your first destination."

Aldrian, seeing that the discussion on this matter was enough for now, decided to move on.

"Your Highness, I would also like to tell you about the thing I plan to do in the near future, which is why I cannot visit your empire personally. I will also be asking many powers about this matter later."

The princess grew curious about what Aldrian wanted to say, her face showing a look of wonder.

"Two weeks later, I plan to depart for the Fallen Star Cluster. I will begin the operation to cleanse that star cluster from the devils' influence," Aldrian said.

At first, the princess and her guardian were stunned, blinking a few times before their eyes widened in shock as Aldrian's words finally registered in their minds.

To cleanse the Fallen Star Cluster from the devils' influence?

That is not as easy as it sounds, since the devils' strength there cannot be underestimated. If defeating the devils in that region of stars were easy, then that star cluster would already have been liberated long ago.

There are also factors that prevent them from liberating that star cluster. One of them is the lack of spirit and unified effort to retake the region. To reclaim it, they would have to wage another great war, which would require enormous manpower and resources. Such an undertaking would need the united effort of many powers from all the civilizations in the central star cluster.

The problem is that not all powers share the same interest in liberating the Fallen Star Cluster. Each power has its own priorities, its own affairs and problems, and many are unwilling to spend their resources on a great war. It is easier for them to take care of their own problems rather than commit to such a large-scale conflict.

Another issue is the question of who should lead the alliance troops. This is a topic many would debate and even fight over. Some powers would volunteer themselves as the leader of the alliance, but others would not always agree. The sensitive matter of who commands the alliance would only waste time and might even create cracks in their relationships.

Each of them would want to lead the alliance, but if many others objected, and the alliance was forced to form anyway, then only disaster would await when the war began. A leader not chosen or respected by all alliance members would bring chaos to the battlefield, and that kind of mistake could be fatal, costing countless alliance lives.

However, if Aldrian were the one to initiate it, then that would be another matter!

With Aldrian taking the initiative, no one would dare object, and many would even want to join him. This was because of their confidence in Aldrian's strength, which reassured them that the war would bring results, even if they had to spend resources on it. They would also regard Aldrian as the most appropriate leader for the alliance, and only fools or those hostile to him would refuse to accept him as leader.

"Are you sure, Your Majesty?" the princess asked, to which Aldrian responded with a nod. Princess Vaeril's eyes shimmered as her face turned solemn.

"Then, if Your Majesty needs support from my family or from the Verdyn Empire, we are ready to give our best to help Your Majesty in your mission to the Fallen Star Cluster and liberate that region of stars from the devils' influence."

Aldrian smiled upon hearing it. "That is appreciated, Your Highness. I hope that we can maintain a good relationship in the future."

They then conversed for some time before Princess Vaeril and Sylphia walked out of the throne hall together. There were many things they could discuss regarding Sylphia's visit or other matters, and this was also a good chance for Sylphia to build relationships on her own with powers outside the continent.

Thirty minutes later, another guest arrived and met Aldrian in the throne hall.

Ilona looked at Aldrian with respect as she entered the hall. She truly admired his strength and his actions in saving the entire world.

"Your Majesty," she said as she bowed to him. Before she could say more, her eyebrows rose in surprise as another figure with the same face as Aldrian suddenly appeared right beside him.