Harem Regressor: I'll Save Them This Time-Chapter 28: Ch : Negotiations.

"I wouldn’t dream of crossing the border of another nation without their permission," August said. "I could start a war. But the Federation doesn’t seem concerned about that."

Vera stared at him. "You think they’re up to something?"

"I’m wondering why you don’t think so." August crossed his arms and placed a finger on the map, pointing at Gharrick Pass. "Kuda explained the situation regarding the tariffs. You know Kuda, don’t you?"

"Anna’s adviser. He’s older than he looks and helped raise her when she was a teen," Vera said.

August filed that piece of information away.

Given Kuda’s handsome appearance and angular features, August had guessed that the beastkin was a few years younger than himself, but for him to be hired to raise Anna well over a decade over, and be as educated as he was, made that impossible.

"The Federation appears to be supporting the bandits. I’m told Bastion Leopold agrees."

"Bastion Leopold says a lot of things," Vera said, her face splitting into a scowl.

"You don’t like him?"

"He’s the Emperor’s right-hand man, responsible for keeping the peace at home while the Empire focuses on Trafaumh.

Leopold is a political animal. How can I trust anything he says, especially when he does nothing to help?" Vera huffed and waved a hand in the air.

A curious interpretation. She wasn’t wrong, however.

Leopold Tyrim was the oldest Bastion in the Empire, and a close friend and ally of Emperor Gorthal.

In August’s timeline, Leopold had fought to the end and died defending Aleich.

He was sung as a hero by almost every Bastion who knew him, and every Champion who had anything to do with the Empire.

At the same time, those not from the Empire had more negative opinions of the man.

August had never met him. Leopold was now August’s direct superior, which made everything far more complicated.

"I’m inclined to agree with Kuda and Bastion Leopold on this," August continued. "Especially with a Champion sniffing around near your tower. Bandits attacked Trantia. The leylines are being disrupted. The Empire is distracted up north. War is coming."

"War? Are you insane? The Federation is a gathering of merchants and minor nobles. What would they have to gain from a war?" Vera sneered at August.

This was the argument August had worried about the most.

Anna had seemed to understand that the Federation was interested in the Empire’s territory, but that was because she had been fighting them for years.

But to most people, the idea that a smaller nation would attack the Empire was insane. The Empire might be weakening, but it was still easily one of the greatest nations on Doumahr.

But August knew that the Federation would attack, and that the Empire would collapse.

How to get this across to Vera? August wasn’t a politician. And he definitely wasn’t the brilliant noble that his false past painted him to be.

He had spent almost his entire life as a Bastion, fighting in wars and stopping demonic invasions.

"I don’t know," August said. "But I know what I can see."

"You’ve been here a few weeks, what can you possibly—"

"I know that the leylines are being deliberately disrupted and have been for months.

If this continues, there’s a risk of a demonic invasion outside of the portal at Gharrick Pass," August snapped.

He’d had enough. Who cared if Vera Nair was supposedly a valiant defender of the Empire? Right now, she was actively sabotaging his attempt to save her life and the world.

"You’ve holed yourself up in your tower for some insane reason, probably to work on your summons in some silly attempt to crush the bandits as if you’re a Bastion, while the county you’re supposed to protect is tearing itself apart," August raged.

"If the leylines aren’t restored, then it doesn’t matter if you think the Federation wants a war or not, because a horde of demons will bring it anyway."

Vera stared at him.

"You didn’t know that, did you?" August asked coldly.

"How could I?" she said, voice barely audible. "You Bastions never tell anybody your secrets."

"Well, I’m telling you now, aren’t I?" August sighed.

A hand ran through August’s hair. He looked over to see Fei standing on her tiptoes, reaching up to pat his head. Her ears sat flat against her head and her tail almost brushed the floor.

"I’m fine," he said, removing Fei’s hand. "Look, Vera—"

"There is a cairn not far from Trantia," Vera interrupted. "It’s huge. Much larger than the small ones you may have seen elsewhere in the county. If the bandits are hiding anywhere, it’s here."

Vera pointed a shaking finger at a precise point to the north-east of the Trantia. It was deep in the forest, if August remembered correctly.

"What’s a cairn?" Fei asked, tilting her head.

"They mark locations where the leylines are easier to reach for sorcerers," August explained. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"The bigger ones often have runes in them that also pull magic. It’s common to build towers or camps on them, if you’re a sorcerer.

Given our bandits have a powerful sorcerer with them, and they’re disrupting the leylines, they’re likely using the cairns to assist them."

Vera nodded. "I’ve been preparing my summons so that I can take them out in a single fell swoop, but I didn’t know... I’m sorry." Her voice nearly dwindled away completely.

"Like you said, nobody told you. I never told Anna the danger of the leyline disruption either," August said. He crossed his arms.

"But if I know where at least one bandit camp is located, I can slow things down. Can you mark down the other cairns? That will save me a lot of time when patrolling?"

"Can’t you sense them?" the sorceress asked.

"Not while the leylines are disrupted. I know that your tower is built on top of a large cairn, but my side of the pass is unreadable."

"I see. I’ll prepare a map then." Vera turned toward a desk in the corner. "Then I’ll be off."

Vera spun. "Already?"

Already halfway to the door, August and Fei didn’t stop. Instead, August raised a hand and waved goodbye.

"I’ll visit you another day to collect the map," he called back. "I have bandits to get rid of."

And a Champion to recover. August was going to recruit Sen to his side, whatever it took.