Chapter 148
The hotel room was small but clean, built for travelers who stayed one night and asked no questions. Two narrow beds rested against opposite walls, separated by a worn wooden table and a flickering lantern whose flame danced whenever the evening wind slipped through the cracks around the window.
Beyond the glass, the cobblestone streets of the border kingdom stretched beneath the fading light, crowded with merchants, mercenaries, and refugees celebrating the end of a war they barely understood.
Lucas did not care enough to remember the kingdom's name.
To him, it was only a temporary stop before returning to Sky Empire territory.
He sat against the wall with his katana resting across his knees, fingers loosely draped over the sheath. The wounds from the depot battle had healed beneath the effects of the Great Healing spell, but exhaustion still lingered deep inside him.
Not physical exhaustion alone—mental exhaustion. The kind born from too many deaths, too many calculations, too many moments where one wrong decision could have changed everything.
For the past hour, he had been staring at the window while piecing together the politics behind the war.
Kaya sat on the opposite bed with her legs folded beneath her. A cup of tea rested between her hands, though the steam had long since faded. Since returning from the market, she had barely spoken.
Outside, the entire city buzzed with relief.
The war was over.
"The Zenith King destroyed the Hidden City of Sand's army," Kaya finally said. "That's what everyone in the streets is saying."
Lucas shook his head slowly.
"Not an army," he corrected. "An expeditionary force."
Kaya looked at him.
"The Hidden City of Sand possesses millions of soldiers, just like every Great Hidden City. The force Asher destroyed was relatively small compared to their true military strength." His eyes narrowed slightly. "They never intended to commit fully to the conflict."
"Then why send troops at all?"
"To escalate the situation without exposing themselves."
Lucas shifted slightly against the wall.
"The Sand City wanted the war between the Zenith Empire and the Sky Empire to grow beyond a border conflict. That was the purpose of their involvement from the very beginning."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"The masked operative who attacked you and Austin in the depot wasn't acting independently. He was sent by the Sand City."
Kaya's expression hardened immediately.
"They orchestrated the warehouse battle?"
"Not entirely," Lucas said. "But they manipulated it."
His voice remained calm, analytical.
"The border conflict between Zenith and Sky was still limited. Dangerous, but controllable. The Sand City needed something larger—something emotional enough to force both sides into total war."
Lucas tapped a finger lightly against the sheath of his katana.
"If you and Austin had died in that depot, the political consequences would have been severe. Austin belongs to one of the Sky Empire's major clans, and you, also. Your deaths would not have been viewed as battlefield casualties." His eyes darkened slightly. "They would have been viewed as deliberate assassinations."
Kaya slowly understood where he was going.
"The Sky King would have been forced to retaliate."
"Yes."
Lucas nodded once.
"And once retaliation began, escalation would become inevitable. More troops. More Saints deployed to the border. More territory seized. More hatred created." His gaze shifted toward the darkening window. "The Sand City understood that once enough blood was spilled, neither side would be able to withdraw without appearing weak."
Kaya frowned. "So while Sky and Zenith exhausted themselves…"
"The Sand City would remain untouched," Lucas finished. "Their armies would stay within their own borders while their enemies destroyed each other."
Silence settled across the room.
The brilliance of the strategy was terrifying.
Not because it relied on overwhelming force—
But because it relied on human nature.
Pride. Revenge. Fear.
Kaya slowly placed her tea onto the table beside the bed.
"So Asher realized what they were trying to do."
"Exactly."
Lucas exhaled quietly.
"Asher isn't reckless, no matter how much people want to believe otherwise. Ruthless, yes. Violent, absolutely. But not foolish."
His eyes sharpened slightly.
"The moment he realized external powers were trying to prolong the conflict, the entire war changed politically. Continuing it would only weaken the Zenith Empire while rival Hidden Cities watched from the sidelines."
Kaya was silent for a moment before asking,
"Then why did he start the war at all?"
Lucas had already asked himself that same question countless times.
"The war itself was never meant to become total conquest," he said eventually. "It was a probe."
"A probe?"
"Asher was testing Arthur."
Kaya frowned.
Lucas continued.
"The Sky Empire suffered enormous losses over the past year. Three Saint Classes gone. Dozens of Moon-Class elites eliminated. Internal instability after the Tier Nine attack. From the outside, the empire appeared weakened."
He leaned his head back slightly.
"Asher pushed troops toward the border to observe Arthur's response. If Arthur hesitated—if he chose appeasement, negotiation, or defensive withdrawal—then Asher would have confirmed what every rival kingdom suspected."
"That Sky was vulnerable," Kaya murmured.
Lucas nodded.
"And if that happened, the Zenith Empire wouldn't have settled for border pressure." His voice lowered slightly. "Asher would have activated every intelligence network he possessed inside the Sky Empire. Spies. sleeper agents. informants. He would've gathered information on military positions, political fractures, clan rivalries, supply routes—everything."
Kaya's expression darkened.
"And then?"
"Then he would've waited."
Lucas' tone became colder.
"Because real kings don't rush wars they intend to win permanently."
The lantern flame flickered.
"When the right moment arrived—when the Sky Empire was politically divided or militarily overextended—Asher would have launched a full-scale invasion aimed at destroying the empire entirely."
Kaya slowly released a breath.
"But Arthur didn't hesitate."
"No," Lucas said quietly. "Arthur responded exactly as a powerful ruler should."
His eyes narrowed slightly in thought.
"He mobilized immediately. He deployed Ronan to the border alongside thousands of elite troops. He made it clear that any invasion would be answered with overwhelming force."
A faint smile appeared on Lucas' face.
"Asher expected uncertainty. Instead, Arthur showed resolve."
Kaya nodded slowly as the pieces connected.
"So both kings realized the same thing."
"Yes."
Lucas folded his arms.
"Asher realized prolonged war would benefit rival Hidden Cities more than Zenith itself. Arthur realized the exact same thing from the opposite side." He looked toward Kaya. "The moment both rulers understood they were being manipulated by outside powers, peace became the only rational outcome."
Outside, distant laughter echoed from the streets below.
Common people celebrated peace without understanding how close the continent had come to catastrophe.
Kaya remained quiet for several seconds before speaking again.
"There's still something I don't understand." She looked at him carefully. "Why did the enemy focus so heavily on me and Austin during the depot battle?"
Lucas thought back to the warehouse.
The enemy formations.
The movement patterns.
The way the Seven Stars had deliberately split the battlefield.
"It was tactical prioritization," he said eventually.
Kaya waited.
"The enemy identified you and Austin as the weakest members of our group. Their strategy was to eliminate weaker targets immediately, reduce our combat efficiency, then overwhelm Ethan and me afterward."
He tapped the sheath lightly again.
"If you two died early, Ethan and I would've been forced into divided combat—fighting while simultaneously protecting your bodies or preventing the enemy from retrieving them."
Kaya's jaw tightened slightly.
"They viewed us as liabilities."
"Yes."
Lucas did not soften the truth.
"They underestimated both of you."
A faint smirk touched his lips.
"And that mistake destroyed the entire operation."
Kaya huffed quietly.
"Austin blowing up the warehouse probably surprised them."
"It definitely did."
For the first time that evening, the tension in the room eased slightly.
But only slightly.
Because the larger problem still remained.
Kaya stretched her tired legs across the bed.
"At least nobody knows who we are," she said. "Our identities as Black Ops members are still secret."
Lucas' expression lost all amusement.
"For now."
Kaya looked at him again.
"Spies are patient," Lucas said calmly. "Hidden Cities don't think in days or weeks. They think in years." His gaze drifted back toward the window. "They'll investigate the depot incident. They'll analyze survivors, battle reports, mana signatures, combat styles, clan connections."
The room suddenly felt colder.
"And eventually," Lucas said softly, "they'll learn exactly who we are."