Chapter : 1337

"King Liam has been busy," Lloyd said. "He made a big speech with King Yuto. Everyone is very excited about the army alliance."

"That is for the public," Amina said dismissively. "Armies are loud. Armies are clumsy. My father prefers a different kind of power. Information."

"I heard," Lloyd said. "A secret deal."

Amina nodded. "Yes. While King Liam was shaking hands with the barbarian from Muramasa, he was exchanging letters with my father. A pact of shadows."

"Intelligence sharing," Lloyd guessed.

"Correct," Amina said. "Zakaria has the best spies in the world. The Whispers. We know things before they happen. We know what the enemy is eating for dinner. We know their favorite color. We know their fears."

"And what does Bethelham offer in return?" Lloyd asked.

"Technology," Amina said. She looked at him pointedly. "Innovation. And... access. My father wants to know about the Devil Race. He wants to know about their magic. And he wants to ensure that if the North falls, the South is prepared."

"So he is using us as a shield," Lloyd noted. "Smart."

"Pragmatic," Amina corrected. "But it benefits you too. You need to find the Seventh Circle. You need to find their nests. My father's spies can help you do that. They can be your eyes in places you cannot reach."

Lloyd leaned back in his chair. "So, we have Muramasa for the fighting. Zakaria for the spying. And Bethelham for... what? The planning?"

"The heart," Amina said. "This is where the war started. This is where it will end. And you, Lloyd, are in the middle of it all."

"Me?" Lloyd pointed to himself. "I'm just a soap merchant."

Amina laughed. It was a nice sound. "Do not play the fool with me, Lloyd. You are betrothed to me. That makes you a link to Zakaria. You are the King's special agent. That binds you to Bethelham. And you are a warrior recognized by Muramasa. You are the knot that ties these three nations together."

Lloyd groaned. "That sounds like a lot of responsibility. I hate responsibility. It ruins my skin."

"It is your fate," Amina said. "My father sees you as a bridge. King Liam sees you as a weapon. I see you as... a partner."

Lloyd looked at her. Her eyes were serious. She wasn't playing games right now.

"A partner," Lloyd repeated. "I like that better than 'weapon'."

"The engagement helps," Amina added. "It gives my father a valid reason to help you. He can say he is protecting his future son-in-law's interests. It is a good excuse."

"I am glad my fake marriage is useful for international politics," Lloyd said dryly.

"It is very useful," Amina agreed. "But be careful, Lloyd. You are standing at the center of a very complex web. If one string breaks, the whole thing can tangle. You have to balance the King's demands, my father's expectations, and the sheer loudness of the Muramasa warriors."

"I can handle it," Lloyd said. "I'm good at juggling. I once juggled three apples. I ate one while doing it. It was impressive."

Amina smiled. "I am sure it was. But this is a web of alliances, Lloyd. It makes us strong, but it also makes us vulnerable. Secrets will be shared. Trust will be tested. You must be the one who keeps it all together."

Lloyd looked at the tea in his cup. It was a web. A big, sticky, complicated web. On one side, the brute strength of Muramasa. On the other, the cunning spies of Zakaria. And in the middle, Bethelham, trying to hold the line.

"It's a good plan," Lloyd admitted. "We can't fight alone. We need friends. Even if some of those friends are scary spies and loud giants."

"Exactly," Amina said. "The Devil Race thrives on division. They want us to fight each other. They want us to be alone. By uniting, we take away their greatest advantage."

Lloyd stood up. "Well, I guess I better get to work. Being a geopolitical linchpin sounds exhausting. I need a nap."

"Go," Amina said. "Rest. But remember, Lloyd. The eyes of three kingdoms are on you now. Do not trip."

Lloyd walked away from the garden. He felt the weight of the alliances pressing down on him. It was a safety net, yes. But it was also a trap. If he failed, he wouldn't just let down his King. He would let down three nations.

Chapter : 1338

"No pressure," he muttered to himself. "Just the fate of the continent resting on my ability not to screw up. Easy peasy."

He walked back into the palace. The celebration was winding down. The flags were still flying. The web was spun. Now, they just had to wait for the spider to come. Or rather, the devils. And when they did, Lloyd hoped the web would hold. Because if it broke, he was the first one who was going to fall.

Lloyd sat in his private workshop back at the Ferrum estate. It was quiet. The only sound was the scratching of his quill on paper. But his mind was loud. His mind was replaying a memory. A terrifying, awe-inspiring memory.

He closed his eyes and saw it again. The sky above Ashworth ripping open. His father, Arch Duke Roy, turning into a storm of steel. The demon Beelzebub, a creature of pure sorrow and destruction. The clash of their powers had shaken the earth. It had warped reality. It was like watching two gods have a fistfight.

Lloyd opened his eyes and looked at his hands. They were shaking slightly. Not from cold. From fear.

"I am weak," he whispered to the empty room.

It was a hard truth to swallow. Lloyd had power. He had two Transcended spirits. He had Void powers. He had defeated assassins and monsters. To the average person, he was a monster. But compared to his father? Compared to Beelzebub? He was an ant.

If he had stepped into that battle, he would have died. Instantly. He wouldn't have even been a speed bump. He would have been a stain on the ground.

This realization sat in his stomach like a cold stone. He had been arrogant. He thought his clever tricks and his spirits were enough. But there was a ceiling to his power. His human body was fragile. It could break. It could bleed. It could burn.

"I can't fight them like this," Lloyd thought. "I can't dodge an attack that covers the whole sky. I can't block a punch that shatters mountains. I need armor. I need something better than skin and bone."

He stood up and paced around the room. He looked at his spirits. Fang Fairy was fast. Iffrit was strong. Bingyu was controlling. But they were external. If he got hit, he went down. He needed a shell.

He remembered his past life on Earth. He remembered technology. He remembered machines. In that world, humans were weak, but they built things that made them strong. They built tanks. They built jets. They built exoskeletons.

"That's it," Lloyd said. His eyes lit up. "I don't need to become a god. I need to build one."

He grabbed a fresh sheet of paper. He dipped his quill in ink. He began to draw.

He wasn't drawing a sword. He wasn't drawing a shield. He was drawing a suit. A suit of armor, but not like the ones knights wore. This was different. It was sleek. It was mechanical. It had joints and pistons. It had thrusters.

"The Aegis," Lloyd muttered. "A shield that fights back."

He sketched furiously. He drew the helmet with a glowing visor. He drew the chest plate with a core for a power source. He drew the arms with built-in weapons.

This was the answer. If his body was weak, he would build a body of steel. If his magic wasn't enough, he would amplify it with engineering. He would combine the arcane arts of this world with the mechanical genius of his old world.

"It has to be fast," he mumbled. "It has to fly. It needs to be able to tank a hit from a dragon."

He drew layers of armor plating. He made notes about alloys. He needed metals that could conduct magic but were harder than diamond. He needed Adamantine. He needed Mythril.

The fear in his chest began to fade, replaced by the excitement of creation. This was what he was good at. He was an engineer. He was a builder.

"This isn't just armor," Lloyd realized. "This is a tank you wear. This is a fighter jet you put on like a shirt."

He looked at the drawing. It looked impossible. It looked crazy. But it was the only way. To survive the war that was coming, he needed to be more than a man. He needed to be a machine.

"Project Aegis," Lloyd declared. "Phase one: Design. Phase two: Build. Phase three: Don't die."